Jesus Wept
Scott Bayles, pastor
First Christian Church
Ella Wilcox once witnessed a strange phenomenon in the middle of a train car. Sitting quietly by herself, Ella noticed a woman near the front of the car who was crying. There was nothing subtle about it either. This wasn’t a single tear rolling down her check; rather, she was sobbing very noticeably. At first, Ella was a little bothered by the persistent weeping, but then she noticed another passenger in the car—an older gentlemen sitting near the rear of the car telling funny stories to the passengers sitting around him. Everybody smiled and chuckled along with the old man. After a while, some of the other passengers in the car started moving. They were getting up from their seats in the front, near the crying woman, and gravitating toward the back near the man telling the funny stories. Out of this experience, Ella Wilcox wrote the well-known adage: “Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone.”
It is surprising how true that statement can be in our world sometimes. There is something uninviting about a person in tears, something that makes us uncomfortable. And yet, on rare occasion, there are instances when just the opposite is true.
I vividly remember the 1991 NBA finals. After four hard fought years of disappointment, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pipen had just lead the Chicago Bulls to their first ever NBA Championship over Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Spectators, TV crews and journalists rushed the floor. Everyone was celebrating and excited, but all eyes were on Michael Jordan, sitting against the wall in the locker room clutching that Championship trophy with tears streaming down his face. That image is burned into the memory of countless basketball enthusiasts. There was just something compelling about the tear on his face. That outpouring of emotion, just added to his legacy and his greatness in the game of basketball.
Although it was never captured on video nor broadcast in High Definition, there has always been something equally compelling, even captivating, about the shortest verse in the English Bible, John 11:35, which says simply, “Jesus wept.”
Have you ever stopped to wonder what could possibly bring tears to the eyes of God? Can you imagine the face of Jesus moist with his own tears? Are they tears of weakness or of strength? Of fear or compassion?
The Bible actually records three different times when Jesus cried, each time in a different place and for a different reason. Every single tear that Jesus wiped from his cheek is meaningful and significant. I’d like for us to take a closer look at each of these occasions in the life of Christ and see just what it was that brought tears to the eyes of the Son of God!
The first time that we see Jesus crying, as I’ve already mentioned, is here in John 11 and this first set of tears are tears of sympathy.
• TEARS OF SYMPATHY
Jesus was across the Jordan River, where John had been baptizing in the early days, when he got the news that his dear friend Lazarus was sick. The Bible says that Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus very much. “Yet, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days” (John 11:5-6 GWT). The trip to Bethany (Lazarus’ hometown) was about twenty miles from where Jesus was. Had he left immediately, Jesus could have been at Lazarus’ side by nightfall. Instead, he chose to wait two more days before leaving for Bethany. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus was already dead.
Jesus’ decision not to go directly to Bethany would provide him the opportunity, not only to demonstrate his divine power, but more importantly, to connect intimately with Lazarus’ sisters—Mary and Martha—sharing in their pain and bathing them in his love!
After Martha returned from meeting Jesus, she pulls Mary aside privately and tells her, “The Teacher is here and he is asking for you” (vs. 28). Then the Bible says:
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. (vs. 32-35 NIV)
John 11:35 may be he shortest verse in the Bible, but it speaks volumes. Over the years this little verse has stirred more than a little curiosity. People wonder why exactly Jesus wept. Some think it was simply because his friend Lazarus was dead. That’s possible. After all, Jesus was fully human and experienced grief just like we do. On the other hand, Jesus had already told Martha that he planned on resurrecting Lazarus, so I really don’t thin that’s it. No, the key to unlocking vs. 35 is found in vs. 33: “When Jesus saw Mary crying and the Jews who came with her also crying, he was upset and was deeply troubled” (vs. 33 NCV).
It wasn’t the death of his friend that pained Jesus; rather it was the tears on Mary’s face that brought tears to Christ’s. When Jesus saw that look of sorrow and grief in Mary’s eyes and on the faces of those who were with her, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He sympathized with their pain and he sympathizes with yours too.
The Bible says, “We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15 GWT). Jesus understands our pain. He knows every scrape, every scar, and every surgery. He knows every heartbreak and headache.
Sometimes people wonder where God is when it hurts, when bad things happen and tragedy strikes. The answer is—he’s right in middle of it.
On September 13, 2001, just two days after the attack that forever changed the New York skyline, Frank Silecchia made a breathtaking discovery. Frank is a Brooklyn-born hardhat that was part of the clean up crew at ground zero. While clearing away a section of debris, Frank discovered several perfectly formed crosses planted upright in a pit of rubble. The largest of the crosses stood right in the center of the pit with several smaller ones all surrounding it. They weren’t man made; rather, they were somehow forged by the intense heat during the inferno from steel shards that came from the northern tower. As word of the find spread, exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed rescue workers flocked to the site to pray and mourn. “When I first saw it,” Frank said, “it took my heart, and made me cry for about 20 minutes. It helped me heal the burden of my despair, and gave me closure on the whole catastrophe.”
No matter what you’re going through or where you’ve been, Jesus knows. He cares. He understands. And he’s right there in the middle of it all with tears of sympathy on his cheek. The next time we see tears on Jesus’ face, though, they are tears of sorrow.
• TEARS OF SORROW
On Palm Sunday, just before Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Luke records a curious little episode. The Bible says:
But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.” (Luke 19:41-44)
This was one of the most remarkable moments of Jesus’ life—riding into the city on a donkey (the symbol of kingship), crowds gathered all around him, worshiping, and throwing their coats as well as palm leaves on the ground beneath Jesus feet. Jesus was ushered toward the city with a hero’s welcome; yet, he breaks down in passionate sobs. Why? Why did Jesus weep so passionately at the sight of Jerusalem?
The answer is—because they didn’t accept their opportunity for salvation. They didn’t accept Jesus. This prophecy, by the way, about Israel’s enemies surrounding their walls, was fulfilled forty years later. In 70 A.D., the Roman Empire turned on the Jews and invaded Jerusalem. Jesus warned them over and over to flee the city when they saw the enemy approaching—when they saw the abomination of desolation. He said not to even go back into the house to grab your coat, just run. But they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t believe him. So when the Roman army surrounded the city, they simply locked the gates and hid inside, with nowhere to run. The Romans destroyed the walls around the city and over a million Jews were slaughtered by imperial swords. How different things would have been if they had believed Jesus—if they had believe in Jesus.
Jesus would have done anything to get them to believe in him—and he did. He had done all he could to get them to believe, yet they continued to reject him. He had come that they might be enlightened, but they chose darkness. He wanted them to have abundant life, but they chose eternal death. The same voices now shouting “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord,” would soon scream, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, His blood be on us and on our children!”
The Apostle Paul once said, “I have great sorrow and always feel much sadness. I wish I could help my Jewish brothers and sisters, my people. I would even wish that I were cursed and cut off from Christ if that would help them” (Romans 9:2-3 NCV).
I believe Jesus felt much the same way. After all, that’s essentially what he did. He died on the cross so that we could be saved. He sacrificed his life to give us life. But the choice is still ours. We can accept him or reject him. I have no doubt that Jesus still weeps even today for lost cities and lost souls. What happened to Israel is a precursor of that fate of every unbeliever from every epic of time.
When Christ comes again, everyone who believed in him and accepted him will experience everlasting life; those who ignored and rejected him will experience oblivion. John calls it the “second death” (Revelation 21:8). Jesus refers to it as the destruction of “body and soul” (Matthew 28:10). For those who believe, that day will be the first page of the opening chapter of a never-ending story—the greatest story ever told. For those who don’t, that day will be the final chapter and the last page—the end of story. It still breaks Jesus’ heart and brings tears of sorrow to his cheeks when people reject him because he knows the fate they bring on themselves when they do.
The third and last time tears can be found in the eyes of God, they are tears of struggle.
• TEARS OF STRUGGLE
Fast-forward just four days—following the last supper, Jesus leads his followers across the Kidron Valley to a secluded olive Garden, known as Gethsemane. Hidden in the shadows of the knotted and knobby olive trees, the Garden provides Jesus with a quiet place to spend his final hour. It’s now midnight. The night sky sparkles with a thousand stars. Insects sing in the background as a cool breeze whispers through the trees. This serene setting would become the stage upon which Jesus’ faced his greatest struggle; and he did so in tears.
The Bible says, “Jesus prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God” (Hebrews 5:7 GWT). Here in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ humanity becomes clearer than ever. Jesus didn’t enter into the Garden to escape death or to hide from it, he went there to prepare for it. That preparation meant making the most significant decision in history. As he wrestled with the decision before him, he broke down in tears. He was about to die. God was about to die. I doubt if any scholar or saint will ever fully appreciate the significance of this event this side of heaven. But as he faced his fate, he let his tears drive him to his knees. He prayed. He prayed to his Father in heaven. He sought an answer; an alternative. But ultimately he sought the Father himself.
That’s what these tears teach us. When we face life’s challenges, when we struggle with our own decisions, and our faith is tested—every Christian can lift up his/her tear-stained face toward heaven and say, “Father,” and the God of the universe turns his head and bends his ear to listen. Prayer is our greatest resource and our greatest solace. As the rescue workers who gathered at the cross in the towers discovered, God doesn’t promise us a life free from trials, trouble or tragedy; rather, he promises that when those tragedies strike, he will be right there with us. Everybody has problems. We all struggle through life. The difference is in how we deal with our struggles. Someone once said, “When life knocks you to your knees—well, that’s the best position in which to pray, isn’t it?”
• Conclusion
At the tomb, Jesus wept for a hurting family. At Jerusalem, he wept for a lost city. In the Garden, He wept for a cursed world. The tears at the tomb were a small stream belonging to one household. The tears for Jerusalem were a river, belonging to an entire country. And the tears in the Garden are an ocean, belonging to the whole world.
So what is the message? Where is the lesson for us today?
The message, I think, is simple—there are some things worth crying about!
Jesus cried for Mary because He loved her, because He cared about people. How can we see a person in need and not feel that same compassion?
Jesus cried at Jerusalem because He loves the lost—calloused, unbelieving hearts and all. And He cared enough about them to die on the cross. How can we not care enough just to tell them about the cross?
Jesus cried at Gethsemane because he was heartbroken at the prospect of being painfully separated from God the Father. How can we allow anything to come between us and God? Remember the greatest commands? Love God and love people. God needs to be first and foremost in our lives and we all need to learn to love other people the way Jesus did. That means its okay to shed some tears over life’s sorrows and struggles. More importantly, it means being a sympathetic shoulder to cry on for other people during their sorrows and struggles.
• Invitation
Whatever struggles or sorrows you may be experiencing, know that you don’t have to weep alone. You have God’s Spirit and God’s people to lean on. So if you need to, just take a moment to pray to God while the rest of us sing and then find someone that you trust to share your struggles with and lean on them as you lean on Jesus.
