When Jesus Wept

In times of suffering, whether it be the death of a family member, the loss of a job, or the breakup of a marriage, people often turn to God in as they attempt to understand their loss. They look to the Bible for hope, seeking examples of men and woman whose relationship with the Almighty gave them the power and ability to overcome pain and anguish. Men such as Job and King David quickly come to mind.

While many people find comfort in the Psalms, I have over the years found great comfort during times of loss in verses like Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”

It comforts me to know tht Jesus feels my pain, and when I look for evidence of this fact I find none greater than the tears he shed over the loss of his best friend, Lazarus, recorded in John 11.

Having died four days earlier, Lazarus has already been entombed when Jesus arrives at his home. As Jesus walks to the grave with Martha, Lazarus’ sister, we are told that he begins to weep (verse 35). Those persons who observed the scene interpreted Jesus’ mourning as a declaration of the Savior’s love for a friend. However, while this may be true, I am convinced there is more to this picture than a man weeping over the loss of a friend.

Jesus lived as the perfect example of human faith. He listened with spiritual ears to the voice of his Father, heard His every word, and obeyed His every command. In faith Jesus daily looked into heaven through the thin invisible veil that separated humanity from the divine and saw the heart of his Father whose power and love transcends both time and space. Because of his faith, Jesus looked upon that which would be as if it was already done.

By faith Jesus knew that Lazarus would live again. Such knowledge would have been reason for joy, not weeping. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:24 that no one hopes for what he has. Jesus knew, even as Lazarus lie in the grave a rotting corpse, that he had life. Therefore the tears Jesus shed would not have been from a sadness over the loss of his friend.

Likewise, it is reasonable to say that Jesus did not weep for those who lost the one they loved. His divine knowledge would have allowed him to know and understand the pain felt by Lazarus’ sister, Martha, as well as the other mourners. But since he knew Lazarus was about to be given another chance at life, this would not have been reason for sympathetic tears.

Thus we are left with the question, If hope supersedes pain, why did Jesus cry? What would have broken the heart of Jesus when his best friend who was dead was about to come back to life? The answer, I believe, lies in understanding Jesus’ view of death.

Two months ago I read a book by a man named Don Piper titled 90 Minutes in Heaven. Back in 1989 Don died instantly when his Ford Escort was hit by a tractor trailer. Ninety minutes later, Don came back to life. In the interim, he says, he was taken directly to the gates of heaven. Although he never entered heaven, Don says his experience was enough to give him a glimpse into the glorious reality of what it means to absent from the body and present with the Lord.

The Bible tells us there is no place more glorious than heaven, where the Lord God rules and reigns from on high. Don describes the music of heaven as “a holy melody with a cadence that never seemed to stop… hundreds of songs were being sung at the same time, all worshiping God.” The streets, he says, were “contructed of literal gold” and the colors were “the brightest colors my eyes had ever beheld –so powerful that no earthly human could in this brilliance.”

From what I have read of Don’s story it now makes sense to me why Jesus wept just before raising Lazarus from the dead.

I imagine as Jesus walked to Bethany to raise his friend from the dead he thought of little else than the glory he once shared with his Father in heaven, the same glory his friend Lazarus was at that moment no doubt enjoying. I can help but believe that as he took those last few step toward the grave, it broke our Savior’s heart, knowing that Lazarus was going to have to leave that holy place, and knowing that he would one day suffer yet another painful death.

I also believe that in the finite context of human frailty the world has a very warped view of loss to include death. But what other view is there when Christians take seriously neither the glory of their eternal salvation, nor the serverity of eternal damnation? Truly the words of the apostle Paul are worth hearing, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).”

Yes, the pain of our suffering is real, but hope looks beyond the pain to the reality of God’s glory. By faith, Jesus saw this glory, and now in the midst of our suffering invites you and I to bask in it as he share with us his comfort during our times of trouble.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. – Romans 5:3-5