9/1/2023 0 Comments Jesus wept bible verse john 11![]() The family called the church, and the pastor asked where the burial plot was located. I have a friend whose father-in-law died recently. ![]() We believe in eternal life, but that doesn't stop our tears. When someone we love dies, our faith promises the joy of reunion yet, even so, we feel deeply the sting of loss. The mystery of that duality will only lift fully when we, one day, rest in God's house but meanwhile it may help to think that, right now, we ourselves struggle to balance those twin feelings. Jesus was truly grieving over Lazarus' passing and the pain it was causing Martha and Mary, but just as surely he knew that the situation would serve ultimately to glorify God. And so, the answer to both of our letter writer's questions is "Yes." When Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus of the impending crisis, their message had been, "Master, the one you love is ill."Ĭlearly, Jesus knew in advance what he was going to do, for he told them, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God." But his awareness of that eventual outcome did not relieve Christ's human sorrow, and this is the mystery of his dual nature. Pope Leo the Great, reflecting on this same passage, is thought to have said: "In his humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus in his divinity he raised him from the dead." Jesus felt deeply the pain of Lazarus' death. Jesus had two natures: He was truly human and truly divine, and both natures were at work in the matter of Lazarus. ![]() That short and simple verse from the Gospel reflects a complex truth, a truth that prompts your excellent question and makes the answer difficult. But reflecting further on that passage, I'm wondering just why Jesus wept.ĭo you think it was because Jesus was actually grieving over the death of his friend? Or do you think that he wept tears of joy, knowing that Lazarus was not suffering from his illness anymore, that Lazarus was perhaps getting a taste of heaven and that Christ was going to use the occasion to show forth the power of God? (Waipahu, Hawaii)Ī. I have always been attracted to the verse in John's Gospel (11:35) that says that, learning of the death of Lazarus, "Jesus wept." It shows, I think, how much Christ loved Lazarus and all of humanity. ![]()
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