Jesus Wept
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus’ friends sent word that his friend Lazarus has died. Jesus knows that He will raise his friend from the dead. And yet, when He approaches His friend’s grave, Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
The Jewish bystanders correctly observe that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying in the first place. I’m sure that His Disciples wondered why He didn’t go straight to Bethany when He heard that Lazarus was sick. In John 11:4, Jesus says that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death, but would lead to glory being given to God. Obviously, Jesus’ understanding of the situation was far better than ours. And yet, Jesus wept.
Jesus tells the Disciples that He’s glad that Lazarus has died so that they might believe (John 11:15). And yet, Jesus wept.
Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise from the dead. (John 11:23) Martha acknowledges that Jesus is the Messiah. (John 11:27) And yet, Jesus wept.
Regardless of how hopeless the situation looked, Jesus knew that God would work everything out to His glory. And yet Jesus wept.
Application
Believer, regardless of how hopeless your life situation may look, even in your darkest days, God promises to work out everything that He would be glorified, and that you will be more like Jesus. (Romans 8:28-29)
God, the Sovereign Lord, is on His throne. He is never caught off guard. He is never surprised by anything that happens. But even with all of this being true, when He approached His friend’s grave, Jesus wept.
It’s ok to express emotions. God created you in His image. God has emotions. God expresses His emotions in healthy ways. And you can, too. You should, too.
Jesus didn’t just weep for Himself. Jesus wept with His friends. Friends rejoice with friends who rejoice. And friends weep when friends weep. (Romans 12:15)
And when your friends go through dark days, God, the Sovereign Lord, is still on His throne. He is never caught off guard. He is never surprised by anything that happens. As your friends weep, be like Jesus and weep with them.
This devotional was originally published on October 29, 2019.
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
Luke 10
John 10
John 11:1-54