Jesus weeps

 JESUS WEEPS

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

JOHN 11.35–36

Love does not delight in evil.

1 CORINTHIANS 13.6

Based on JOHN 11:1–44

Having heard of His friend Lazarus’s illness, Jesus decided to delay His departure, even though Mary and Martha were hoping for Him to come immediately and heal their brother. The way John describes this detail suggests that it was Jesus’ love for these siblings that caused Him to wait.

Jesus was confident that Lazarus’s sickness would highlight God’s glory, and He even tells His disciples that “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Heading back into Galilean territory meant certain death for Jesus, because the Jewish leaders were trying to stone Him, and once Jesus entered Judea, His enemies would have authority to arrest Him.

Yet knowing that He was walking toward His death, Jesus still made His way to Lazarus’s house. At this point, He knew Lazarus was dead. And He also knew that He would raise him back to life and cause many to marvel and believe in Him. And yet, even knowing these things did not inoculate Jesus to the grief of losing a loved one.

Upon His arrival, Jesus is greeted by Martha and witnesses her grief-stricken heart. “If you had been here,” she tells Him, “my brother would not have died,” and Jesus goes on to assure her that her brother will live again. Their conversation seems heady and intellectual as they discuss the theology of the resurrection of the dead, until Jesus reveals a new facet of His identity, “I am the resurrection and the life.” There it is again. I AM — a declaration of divinity that brings relief, and Martha declares her faith in Jesus.

All seems hopeful, especially as we know that Jesus is planning to resurrect Lazarus — which makes it all the more striking when, upon encountering Mary’s brokenheartedness, Jesus Himself breaks down in heart-wrenching sobs. Even knowing that He would resurrect Lazarus, Jesus still mourned over his death.

Jesus, the Creator of life, grieved sin’s theft of life in this family. Even though He knew He would resurrect Lazarus just moments later.

Jesus grieved the perversity of death in the world: the way it tears families apart, the way it mars His perfect creation, and the way it causes pain and sadness.

And He wept.

Love that celebrates people’s joy but does not mourn their grief is not love at all — it is superficial opportunism.

Grief takes courage. It takes energy. It requires sacrifice, especially when joining others in a sorrow that is not our own. But grief is also the gateway to joy, as one day Jesus will return to dwell with His people in bodily form, vanquishing death and sickness, mourning, crying, and pain once and for all.

Prayer 

Oh, Jesus, how my heart breaks for the wickedness of sin and death in this world and in my own life. Give me courage to confront the brokenness of my past. Allow me to grieve the wrong done to me and the wrong I’ve done toward others. Comfort me with Your presence in my grief. Turn Your ear to hear me, and teach me how to weep with others who weep.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

If you want to read more 

Gen 50.20, Psa 18, 44; 56.8, 88, Ecc 3.4, Rom 8.19–23, 12.15–18, Rev 21.3–5