Why Did Jesus Weep?

Why Did Jesus Weep?

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. –John 11:33-35

Have you ever wondered why Jesus cried at the death of Lazarus? After all, he knew he was about to raise him from the dead. He is the one who had said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God” (John 11:4). Then he is the one who said later, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me” (11:14-15). So why the tears? What was it that troubled him? In this story, I believe Jesus reveals how he feels about death and about our response to death, and both are important for us to understand.

It troubled Jesus deeply when he saw Mary’s despair and the wailing mourners with her. Perhaps he could see in her weeping and hear in their wailing the unbelief that robbed them of being able to grieve with hope and left them with only despair. Perhaps his indignation was triggered by intense disappointment that they did not believe or value his words when he told them, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again” (11:25). Grief is different for the believer than it is for those who do not know Christ—at least it should be. Actually, death is the great revealer of what we really believe and of how much we value resurrected life after physical death.

But beyond his frustration over their despairing grief, I think Jesus wept because he was personally pained by the hurt that death caused to people he loved. His were tears of compassion for Mary and Martha, and tears of determination, perhaps, to finish the work he came to do, to win a victory, once and for all, over the power of death. It breaks the heart of God that death has so much power to hurt those he loves. Look here and see tears on the face of God, because he feels the hurt and emptiness that death leaves in its wake, and he longs with us for the day when death is destroyed forever.

Brokenhearted Jesus, as I see the tears on your face in this story, I believe you weep with me, too. Help me to grieve with hope, believing that the eternal life you offer to those who are yours is far better than life on this earth.

DIGGING DEEPER