Why Did Jesus Weep?
“Why did Jesus weep at Lazarus’ tomb if He knew He was about to raise him from the dead?” It’s a question I’ve been asked on more than one occasion. To me the answer seemed obvious: compassion.
But lately I’ve been learning the answer at a much more personal and, dare I say, tangible level.
It is true that in the account of Jesus coming to Mary and Martha, so recently bereaved of their brother, He wept. I remember someone hinting to me as a child that if I was required to pick a verse of Scripture to memorize, to pick, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet, in my view, one of the most powerful and I love how it stands alone – that two-word verse – almost forcing the reader to pause over it in a “Selah” moment.
The beauty of the compassion of Jesus is in full view, in unbrushed-aside tears. He feels deeply and is not afraid to feel, to hurt, to empathize, to be seen hurting, to have it recorded for you and me to ponder.
Yet He doesn’t weep as others. In verse 33, we read of Mary’s weeping, where the Greek word “klaio” is used. “Klaio” refers to wailing and sobbing. It’s the kind of crying that comes from deep inner pain, from hopelessness, from grief. When Jesus wept, the Greek word “dakruo” is used and refers to silent crying, the shedding of tears.
Jesus knew this was not an end, that after their ears stopped ringing from the shock of a dead man breathing and stumbling back into the light, their voices would ring with a rejoicing that would wake the spiritually dead for miles around.
But just now, on the precipice of life, Jesus enters into the moment of their pain and Jesus weeps.
Does He still?
So often, I have no problem seeing Jesus outside time. He knows the end from the beginning; He reassures me that all things will work for my good; He calls things that are not as though they were. He sees all, knows all and reassures me from His divine, eternal perspective.
It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet, in my view, one of the most powerful and I love how it stands alone – that two-word verse – almost forcing the reader to pause over it in a “Selah” moment. Come read the full blog at amiloper.com and take the journey with me as I discover new depths to this brief passage of Scripture. #Compassion #ChristianBlog
But lately, I’ve seen Jesus do something for me in a new way: Instead of merely being outside time, He has entered time. He has sat down with me and wept with me.
Our family has been thrust into crisis of late. Pain has been acute. Tears have flowed in the “wailing and sobbing” form. And as I was recently pressing in in prayer and began to feel the Lord’s Presence, I had an image flash to my mind. I saw the Lord pull me onto His lap and as He held me, He wept with me. It wasn’t a foreign image. Several times recently the Hubs has done much the same. But this time, it was my Abba.
He didn’t weep as if He had no hope. He didn’t weep in despair that all our best plans were coming to naught. He simply flowed with compassion as He stepped into time and held me close.
Maybe you have been there, or are there, or will be there shortly. The Lord wants you to know that not only does He see the beginning from the end and know that this is not the end of your story, He is willing to be with you, right up close and oh-so personal in the moment. In spite of what I may have thought in the past, perhaps He’s not as interested in me immediately moving on from pain to shout my victory. I will get there. In the ebbs and flows of grief, I may be there several times in a day. But when I’m not, He is still there, willing to simply hold me close and weep for my pain.
I’ve been diving into the reality that God doesn’t simply stand outside time and evaluate and cheer us on. He also enters into time and meets us right where we are. If you’re walking through hard situations right now, I pray that you can quiet the raging of your storm down long enough to feel His love wrapping you up in His tenderness. #LifeQuotes #GodCares