Jesus Wept

  “Where have you put him (Lazarus)?” he (Jesus) asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” John 11:34-37

  These few passages contain the shortest verse in the Bible. “Jesus wept.”

  I am humbled by the thought that many a great Biblical scholar has attempted to unravel these passages. (Smile.)  I will just have to trust the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to know.

  One thing for certain is love is God’s motivation in all His interactions with us. If I read this again with love as the jumping off point to understanding, it changes my perspective on this scenario.

  The mourners were angry at God, at Jesus. In their anguish, they believed He had failed them. Lazarus was dead. What more proof did they need?

  (A long pause.)

  Gee, that sounds familiar. It’s a common occurrence in Bible stories from the very beginning and throughout its pages. It’s a common occurrence today, being angry at God and yes, an anger I have felt at times personally. And that’s okay, for a season. In taking my anger at God to God, He has helped me move beyond it.

  Why do we get angry at Him? Is it because we don’t see the big picture? Is it because we are unable to see the good that will come of life’s trials, its losses, its suffering? Is it because we don’t fully grasp how secure we are in God’s hands and His design for our lives and the lives of our loved ones? Does this happen when we need someone to blame for our pain?

  Maybe Jesus wept not because He had failed us but because we had failed Him; another common occurrence. I know He is God and does not need our help but He desires us to be partakers of a relationship with Him. Being angry at someone we love is not unusual. Perhaps that's part of Jesus' anger mentioned in the Lazarus story a couple of times. God, in the form of His Son, came to earth to experience what being human means.

  Except Jesus was angry without sin. (Something that bears a great deal of thought.)

  In knowing what comes next I can't help but ponder that, maybe, for Jesus, this was another prophetic glimpse about His upcoming death as the people gathered around Lazarus’ tomb denied who He was and what He was capable of doing with their words, their anger.

  Was that the moment Jesus knew one of His beloved disciples would betray Him to His death for a handful of coins? Was this the moment He knew they would sleep through the hour of His greatest anguish? Was this the moment He knew Peter would deny Him and the disciples would scatter to the wind the moment He was arrested? Was this the moment He knew Judas would hang himself for what he had done?

  Did Jesus weep for the people gathered in spite of their anger at Him? No. That doesn’t need to be a question. Of this I am sure.

  Without failure, disbelief will be redeemed by belief. That’s what love does. Redeems us. Christ's tears, those beautiful, shimmering rivers of love, will wash away all the doubt, all the pain, all the suffering, all the heartbreak. If we let Him.

  Thank You, Lord, for Your sacrifice and Your unwavering love.