John 11 | Tears

December 11th, John 11

“Jesus Wept” -John 11:35

This has always been a profound text for me. In the previous verses we see just how deeply Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. We see in v2 that “It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair”. They have a previous relationship. Jesus knows them. V5 even says: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”

And when Jesus gets word of these people he loves hurting and that Lazarus has died, the text says He knew He would bring him back to life to glorify His Father and show He was the Christ. Jesus has purpose for this pain. So He waits a few days.

When Jesus finally arrives, He’s met with stark emotion. “If you had just been here Jesus, this wouldn’t have happened” says Martha. Almost piercingly. She goes to get Mary, perhaps she is still in the house weeping. The crowd around her follow her because they think she is going to weep on the tomb of her brother. When she gets to Jesus, she echoes what Martha said: “If you had just been here Jesus…”

Do you feel it? The emotion in the air? The pain? The grief? They know and believe Jesus can do anything. He already healed Lazarus once earlier (v2). Although Jesus knows the outcome of this event, it doesn’t stop Him from sensing the immense grief of this family. What happens next is simply stunning that the son of God, the Divine, the Author of everything would care for us so deeply. The text says:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled… Jesus wept -v33-35

You and I will not get through this life pain free. It comes with many difficulties. With every pain, there is purpose from God. But though this be true, it does not negate the reality that God cares about what we are going through. There is no pain you or I face that this text does not ring true for. He cares for our tears.

This is a glimpse into the depths of His heart. The level of which you identify emotionally with someone else, is an indicator of how deeply you actually love them. Does this not show us how deeply Jesus cares for us?

Jesus took on Martha and Marys pain as His own. There is not a pain you feel that Jesus makes you walk alone. He truly weeps with you. What a kind savior we have who is not so lofty to weep with us. Truly God. Truly man. Cares for you more deeply than you can fathom. There is not an iota of your life that He does not care about.

Reflection Question

What pain do you hold that you need to remind yourself God sees, God cares, and God is at work in?

Thankful for the many emotions of Jesus,

Josh.