Is it just me or do you also find it hard to comprehend that Jesus actually felt all the feelings we feel? It is hard to fathom that He is both God and human. But, when we take time to read of His life here on earth and understand that he had real-life experiences just as we do, we have a new heartfelt love for Him. He really gets us!
This is what we read about today in John 11:28-44.
Jesus wept.
John 11:35
The shortest verse in the Bible. Plain and simple. Why did Jesus weep?
Jesus, who was God in flesh, cried. He was so overcome with grief that he simply lost it. Not just a few tears either, He was uncontrollably sobbing. These two words show us the humanity of God.
What caused this reaction? Jesus had been teaching the crowds, which in turn caused conflict for the religious leaders. Then Jesus gets the news that Lazarus is really sick. Jesus and Lazarus were very close. But, what is surprising is that Jesus does not drop everything and run to His friend’s side.
So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
John 11:6
A few verses later we read that Jesus finally makes his way to Lazarus, who has now been dead for four days. Lazarus’s sister, Martha, hears Jesus is coming and runs to see him. Through her tears she displays incredible faith, saying that if only he had been there Lazarus would not have died. Martha’s sister Mary soon joins them and makes a similar statement…if only.
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
John 11:32
Jesus is surrounded by devastated people. He is deeply moved. It is the same feelings we have when the emotions just overtake us. The tears cannot be held back. Finally, He can’t take it anymore.
Jesus wept.
John 11:35
Even though Jesus knows what is going to happen next. He knows that he is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knows the bigger picture. Yet still, he is overcome with grief and he ugly cries.
Through His grief and tears, Jesus instructs the stone to be taken away from the tomb where Lazarus laid. He called Lazarus to come out. And to everyone’s surprise, the man who died was now alive.
Jesus didn’t just cry because his friend had died. He knew he was about to see him again. Jesus wept because of the distraught people around him who were experiencing such deep pain. He cared so much for all of them, that it overcame Him when He saw them in such misery.
He cared so much for them that it overtook Him. This gives us insight into how much He must care for us. He weeps with us just as He did with Mary and Martha.
Why did Jesus weep? He wept because he cares about what we are going through on a deep and personal level. He truly cares about us and is profoundly moved by what we are going through.