Jesus Wept


“Jesus wept.”  (John 11:35)

                Have you ever made a commitment to memorize more of God’s Word?  If so, how are things going?  If your answer is “not so good,” then I suggest you start with today’s verse.  As you may know, this is the shortest verse in the Word of God.  Though it is very brief, entire sermons and volumes have been written about its meaning.  This verse is inserted by John just prior to Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead.  When Jesus saw the family and the crowds weeping, the Bible says He joined them.

                That begs the question – why was Jesus crying?  The obvious answer is that Jesus was crying because Lazarus was dead.  Yet, that answer doesn’t make much sense.  Because Jesus was completely and fully God, He knew everything – including the fact that He was about to resurrect His friend from the dead.  To suggest that Jesus was mourning the death of His soon-to-be-raised friend doesn’t make much sense.    So, if Jesus wasn’t crying for His friend, who was He crying for?

                While John doesn’t answer that question, I think Jesus wept because of the horrific effects of sin on the human race.  Prior to sin, there was no such thing as sickness or suffering.  Only after Adam & Eve’s fall in the garden of Eden did men begin to suffer and die.  And sin didn’t just affect us – it touched the whole of creation (Rom. 8:19-21)!  It’s good to know that our Savior Jesus, while He is fully God, is also fully Man.  Being our compassionate High Priest, Jesus can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15).

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