Jesus wept.
John 11:35 (KJV)
When this verse says, “Jesus wept,” we know that it is a deep sadness, a quiet grief, a feeling of sorrow. But why? Let’s look at the backstory.
If we go back to verse 1 of John chapter 11, we can see that a man called Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany, was sick. This Lazarus is different from the beggar who died and was carried in Abraham’s bosom in Luke 16:20-22. This is a different Lazarus. He was not a beggar, and this Lazarus was from a town called Bethany.
In verse 3, we can see that his sisters, Mary and Martha, went to see Jesus and told Him about their brother being sick.
Verse 4 is a foreshadowing of what would happen in later verses. Jesus said,” This sickness is not unto death.” Jesus knew that Lazarus will not die. God will be glorified. The Son of God will be glorified. We can see in verse 4 that Jesus has foreknowledge – foreknowledge means He already knows what would happen before it happens.
In verse 6, we can see that Jesus stayed for two more days where He was. He did not immediately go to Lazarus. Remember, Jesus knew in verse 4 that Lazarus will not die. His delay here is not due to apathy nor due to arrogance. It is important that He sees Lazarus on the fourth day.
In verse 14, Jesus said to the disciples, “Lazarus is dead.” But remember, in verse 4, He said Lazarus will not die. Christ is not contradicting Himself here. All these are essential elements to the miracle that is about to unfold.
In verse 15, Jesus continued to speak to the disciples, “to the intent ye may believe.” We can see that Christ’s delay is intentional. And the intention is that “ye may believe.”
In verse 17, Jesus finally arrived but Lazarus had already been in the tomb. He was dead for four days.
In verse 44, we can see Jesus’ prediction now taking place. What an omniscient God He is! Lazarus’ sickness was really not unto death because Lazarus came forth, he was resurrected in verse 44. God knows what He’s doing. His ways are not our ways. When it seems like He’s late, He’s always on time.
So now the question here is, with Christ’s foreknowledge in verse 4, why did He still weep? The first possible reason that we can look at is:
The Compassion of Christ
Jesus felt a deep compassion for those who were suffering. Jesus did not weep over the death itself since He knew Lazarus would soon be raised and ultimately spend eternity with Him in heaven. Yet He could not help but weep when confronted with the wailing and sobbing of Mary, Martha, and the other mourners (verse 33).
The Calamity of Sin
People die because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God had warned them that disobeying His law would result in their death (Genesis 2:17), and that is what happened, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
But more than the physical death, Adam and Eve’s sin brought spiritual death—their spirits were separated from God’s Spirit; their fellowship was broken. This spiritual death occurred immediately after they partook of the forbidden fruit and were fearful and ashamed (Genesis 3:10). Spiritual death, like physical death, was passed on to their descendants (Ephesians 2:1). This is the calamity of sin!
The Cost of Redemption
A third possible reason for weeping was the cost that He was about to pay to purchase not only Lazarus’s short-term resurrection, but his everlasting life. Christ paid a high ransom to secure our freedom from sin and death, with His own precious blood. What love He displayed for us, sinners! He was willing to endure all these so that we might be redeemed.
The Cause of His Own Death
Giving Lazarus life will seal Jesus’ own death. He knew that raising Lazarus would cause the religious leaders to finally take action to put Him to death. You can see this happen in the later part of John 11, verses 45–53. The Jewish leaders couldn’t continue to allow Jesus to work signs and wonders because it threatened their position and place in the religious society they dominated, so they plotted to take His life in verse 53. In Matthew 27:27–37, we can see that the Romans eventually crucified Him.
While God did not literally kill Jesus, God allowed Him to be put to death by the hands of the Jews and Romans. (Acts 2:23-24) Christ’s death and resurrection was part of God’s perfect plan to eternally redeem all who would believe in Him.
Jesus mourned with us, wept for us, but most importantly, He planned a resurrection for us all so that thru Him, we can have an everlasting life.
Jesus wept because He does not take delight in our affliction. While our problems and hardship in life will ultimately show God’s power and bring Him glory, He is compassionate and sympathetic to us. We have a God who weeps with us. But all along, He has a plan for us and it’s always the perfect plan at a perfect time.