Jesus wept

The fact that Jesus wept (and that in public John 11:35) should disabuse us once and for all, of the notion that big boys, big girls don’t cry. I am not suggesting that we should wear our hearts on our sleeves, nor that we should be manic, but many of us have shut down our emotions, to our harm. Now no one likes pain, least of all me. But it seems to me that we cannot cut off (stuff) the lows, the sorrow, the pain etc, without also cutting off the highs. And the Scripture puts it well when it says “Joy is withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12). But Jesus is fully present in pain, in order to push though it to joy (Hebrews 12:2). Perhaps this is part of why, on the cross, He refused the anesthetic of vinegar wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23).

But what exactly is He weeping about? The context of this quote from John11:35 is that His friend Lazarus had died, and Jesus is interacting with his sisters. He uses the occasion to give one of His “I am” statements, namely “I am the resurrection and the life” (verse 25). And He will demonstrate the truth of this shortly by raising Lazarus from the dead. So what indeed is He weeping about, what is there to weep about? The only other occasion when we see Jesus weeping, was when He wept over Jerusalem. On that occasion He was weeping over the often willing blindness of the people, and what would happen because of it (Luke 19:41-44). In my opinion, this was likely part of what is going on here too. In fact death itself entered the world because of sin (Romans 5:12), and with death comes sorrow, sickness and pain.

But there is another reason too. And Kris Volloton said it well, when He said that this morning’s verse is one of the most profound statements in the New Testament, and that is because Jesus isn't just trying to raise our dead He is also stepping into your pain. To put it another way, Jesus not only suffers for us, He suffers with us. And in fact, He calls us to step into each others pain. It is not just into pain of course, we are in fact told to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). It is important to note that compassion and healing are strongly linked. Over and over we read that Jesus, moved with compassion, healed. In this He sets us an example of how to do what He commands us to do (Matthew10:8). Indeed if we do ministry, be it healing or otherwise, if we have not love, then we are nothing and it profits nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2,3)!

Father, the words of a song are coming to mind “Let me love as You have loved me.” It’s a tall order, because if we could see it, the comparison is something akin to holding a candle to the sun. There was a time when I would beat myself up over this, but no longer. I know that since I am in Jesus I am Your beloved son in whom You are well please (Mark 1:11). But Lord I want my words and my deeds to please You too, so with Your help I commit myself to You again this morning, and ask for Your help to do my part in being transformed into Your image from one degree of glory to another (1 Corinthians 3:18) in Jesus Name Amen