Day 158 Jesus Weeps

 

6/7/2025

 "Jesus wept."

John 11:35

 

This verse of scripture found in the Gospel of John is known as the shortest verse in the Bible. Many have wondered about the significance of these words, but I'm not a Bible scholar, I only have my humble opinions. It was the verse of the day, with explanations given by Pastor Jack regarding his feelings about the depth of Christ's emotions at hearing Lazarus had died, but I have my thoughts that differ somewhat that I'd like to share. Lazarus had died, the family and friends were experiencing sorrow and grief, wondering why Jesus had not come when they had written Him advising Him that Lazarus was ill. But as we look at the scriptures prior to the death of Lazarus, it is clear that Jesus lingered and waited until He knew Lazarus had died before He started for Bethany. According to scripture, Bethany was only about two miles away from Jerusalem. Jesus was a close friend of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. Mary had been the woman who had anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume and had been condemned for wasting the costly commodity by Judas. Jesus had instructed those present that she was anointing Him for burial. Mary is the same one who sat at His feet and listened to Jesus speak, feasting on His words, much to the dismay of Martha, her sister, who urged Jesus to make Mary help her in serving Jesus and the disciples who were guests in their home. Yet, Jesus chose to wait two days before heading to Bethany. 

As Jesus nears the home, Martha is told that He is approaching, and she runs out to meet Him, while Mary remains in the home. Her first words to Him are: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Mary, not understanding His words or thinking about what she had just said to Him about asking God, responds to Him that she knows that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Clearly, Martha, like the disciples and many others who have heard Jesus speak of His death and have witnessed miracles still do not get it! So, Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Martha responds to Jesus in affirmation of who He is: "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Martha leaves Jesus and runs to get Mary, who comes to Jesus and basically says the same things to Him. Then, they head off for the tomb, crowds following, and Jesus raises Lazarus from the grave.

Later, after Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on the colt of a donkey, as scripture foretold, Jesus had a similar emotional response when looking over the city of Jerusalem, known as the Mount Zion, City of God: 

"Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying 'If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."' 

Here Jesus is speaking prophetically of what is to come, a time when the temple will be destroyed, and the people in further bondage.

I realize that Jesus wept, because He loved His friends, but in considering the ministry of Jesus, and what He would be facing very soon, imagine the weight it had on Him, such brokenness. But, as I said before, Jesus knew that regardless of how many times he tried to prepare His disciples for what was to come, they still did not understand. They had been with Him, witnessed the miracles, saw the jealousy and hatred that the religious groups had for Jesus, how they wanted to trap Him in His words. Jesus knew that the very people who heard his sermons, received healing and deliverance, who received acceptance when no one wanted to be around them - the lepers, prostitutes, blind, deaf, paralyzed, homeless, despised, rejected people, the ones He loved - the ones who called Him Rabbi, would be some of the same who would shout "Crucify Him!" in a few days. He knew the cost, the price He would have to pay, to bear the weight of the sins of the world. And after doing all this, realizing they still would not understand.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, as He said He would be, He walked around for 40 days on earth. The scripture is not clear as to what He was doing during all this time, but the scripture does say that when Jesus rose from the dead, graves were open, and the dead walked the streets again. He appeared to the disciples several times, and before He ascended to His Father on the 40th day, He gave them instructions to wait in the Upper Room until they would be endued with power from on high to do the work He had called them to do. That happened on the 50th day after He rose from the dead, 10 days after He ascended. Today we celebrate that day when Holy Spirit came down to supercharge them with power from on high. A day that reversed what happened in Babel in Genesis 11. 

Today we celebrate Pentecost in remembrance of the day when Holy Spirit was poured out in power on the disciples and other followers of Christ who waited in the Upper Room. This story is described in Acts 2, and this was the beginning of the church, as Jesus intended it to be. The disciples were supercharged that day, speaking in foreign languages that drew the attention of Jews, devout men, the scriptures say, from every nation. 

"And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were  born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs - we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.' So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this means?'" (Acts 2:6-12)

Peter stands up and preaches to the multitude, the church begins and 3000 are added to the fold. The same number of people who were confused at Babel with different languages and forced to scatter and populate the earth when God first gave them the instruction back in Genesis. Aren't the works of the Lord amazing, the way He works all things out from Genesis to Revelation. And just think, some consider the Word of God to be boring. Never! To those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose, it is life and health and healing.

Sad to say, however, that the things that made Jesus weep back then, as He looked over Jerusalem, are still a sadness to Him, no doubt multiplied today. I can testify from my own life, having prayed the prayer for God to break my heart for what breaks His, meaning it, that He does weep, especially when He sees the sleeping church, and He witnesses the division and sowing of discord. Today I heard Pastor Jonathan at Harvest ask the church what idols we were holding on to. An idol is anything that distracts us or takes up our time when we could be doing what He called us to do, spending time with Him, abiding in His presence, growing in His grace and wisdom. Surrendered to His will. Sadly, the church is failing, and I don't want to be the source of sadness to my God. I owe Him my life! We owe Him everything! We must do better.