Episode 78 - Jesus wept - John 11:28-37

John 11:28   When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Just as Martha went out to meet Jesus on his way to Bethany, we see that Mary goes out to him as well. The reason is not given why Jesus remained outside and allowed Mary to come out instead of him going to her. But, at the very least, it probably afforded her the one-on-one interaction with Jesus. It’s obvious from verse 37 that the word has spread how Jesus gave sight to the man born blind because people reference this miracle in verse 37. 

When Mary comes to Jesus she falls down before him and says the same thing her sister had said to him. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary has the same kind of faith in Jesus as well as the same kind of doubt, ignorance, or whatever about Jesus. Like her sister Martha, Mary believes that Jesus could have prevented their brother from dying. But, does she believe that Jesus could restore the life to Lazarus’ dead body? Apparently, she does not.

John mentions Jesus seeing Mary and others with her weeping. It is in this context we find what people like to point out is the shortest verse in the Bible; “Jesus wept.” Often it is interpreted as showing Jesus empathizing with our grief and our own emotions. But, let’s take a closer look at this.

It seems unlikely that Jesus is weeping for Lazarus because he knows what is going to happen. John records that Jesus’ first response to the weeping of Mary and the Jews with her is that he was “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” (v. 33) The Greek word that is translated “deeply moved” is often translated more like “indignant.” This emotional response of Jesus is not just of great sadness and empathy, but more like anger. From this emotional response, he moves to the place of burial and sees the tomb. At this point, John records that Jesus wept. 

What does this mean? It’s difficult to say with certainty. But, I don’t think that Jesus is upset with Mary and Martha or the people. I also don’t think he is weeping over the loss of Lazarus even though the people present, upon seeing him weep, take it as an indication of how much Jesus loved Lazarus. But, John often shows the people around Jesus expressing a truth, but often missing the full significance of what is happening.

I think that given the confessions by Martha, Mary, and even the crowd that they believed Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying, but they have no expectation that Jesus is the “resurrection and the life.” They don’t have any notion that Jesus is not only able but about to restore life back to Lazarus. Therefore, Jesus is weeping over the effects of sin and death and the “darkness” that comes from sin. As the truly righteous one, he is angry to the point of weeping at sin and death. 

Here is the take-away from this segment. Shouldn’t we also be angry and grieved at sin? When we lose a loved one, are we just sad for our own loss or are we deeply moved and troubled by the sin that brought it about? It should affect us so that we respond to the Lord as David did when he said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)