“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35. The shortest verse in the whole Bible. 2 words, and yet, they are so powerful. They take place during the story of Jesus and Lazurus. Lazurus was a friend of Jesus, and the brother of Martha and Mary. Jesus was very familiar with this family, as it was Mary who poured perfume on His feet and wiped them clean with her hair. In addition, when the sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazurus had fallen ill, they referred to him as, “the one you love” so we can assume Jesus and Lazurus were very close. All the more reason, perhaps, that when word arrives, it is surprising that Jesus takes His time to travel and tend to Lazurus. He also speaks very nonchalantly with disciples when He describes the state in which Lazurus is in. As Jesus is on His way, Martha comes out to meet Him. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died,” Martha says to Jesus upon His arrival, “but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus responds. At this, Martha returns to inform Mary that Jesus has arrived.
“Your brother will rise again.” Jesus’ response is so unusual, but when we consider His response, we are considering it within the confines of the natural, and Jesus, as we know, does not operate within these means. He fully intends, as He shares with His disciples earlier in this passage, to bring Lazurus back to life, for the Glory of God.
Upon hearing word of Jesus’ arrival, Mary also goes out to meet Him, accompanied by others who had come to mourn alongside her at her home. When she meets Jesus, she says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Once again, we see the same frustration that Martha shared earlier, but the Lord does not comfort Mary in the same way. Instead, at the sight of Mary and the others weeping and mourning, He also weeps. Why does Jesus weep when He already knows the outcome of this story? Jesus knows that from this point, the women will lead Him to the tomb where Lazurus is buried (4 days ago), He will instruct them to remove the stone, He will pray to the Father, and He will call for Lazurus to come forth. And he does—Lazurus lives!
This story of Jesus bringing Lazurus back to life is so often associated with the miracle of Jesus restoring life, which is certainly important and not to be lessened, that we sometimes forget the significance of Jesus weeping alongside the mourners. We worship a God who does not turn His back on those He loves in our times of greatest need. Our God is one who weeps alongside us even though He knows our loved ones will be raised to life again in Heaven, to the glory of God. The story of Lazurus is a beautiful encouragement to those of us who are experiencing loss. Jesus, though fully God, became fully human so that we would know the depth of His love for us. When we weep, He weeps for us. The scriptures say in this passage that he was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” Loss is hard and grief is a process; but, your tears are matched by a loving Father who hates to see His children hurting. For those who are mourning, find comfort in the knowledge that God is walking with you along this journey.
