Jesus wept ~ reflex on John 11:1-45

We might think Jesus had nothing to cry about. After all, he knows that the life we experience after earthly death is the point at which our eyes are opened and our hearts are completely filled at last. He knows that he will soon raise Lazarus from the dead, and everyone will be rejoicing and their sorrow forgotten. So. Why did he weep?

It seems he wept at the sight of others’ sorrow; he saw Mary and the others grieving over Lazarus’ death and became “perturbed and deeply troubled,” and he wept. This is a profound insight into the very Heart of the Savior – a compassionate heart truly entering into the sorrow of others and reaching out to alleviate their pain.

He is again “perturbed” when some of the bystanders suggest that he was unable to do anything about this, that he should have done something earlier to save Lazarus. What caused this agitation was not that he took personal offense at their doubtfulness. His Heart is always for others first! His pain was caused by their continued lack of faith, which was detrimental to THEM, not to him. He is the Savior and Redeemer, who calls them to believe and trust.

Jesus also is a Teacher, who does not miss any “teachable moment.” So, as he is about to do this extraordinary act, he wants to make sure that the lessons are understood clearly. One of these lessons is that Jesus only does what the Father wills, that his power over sickness and demons and death itself is the will of the Father and comes from the Father (“Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me.”) but it is truly also HIS power. In the Gospel, Jesus never asks the Father to do the healing, the casting out, or the raising from the dead; he speaks directly for himself. “He cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out.”

In this one scene, Jesus is accomplishing many things, “for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it”:

·         Jesus shows he is beyond any fear of perceived danger by returning to the people who had rejected him and tried to stone him to death.

·         Jesus reminds the disciples that he walks by a greater light, and they can too.

·         Jesus strengthens the faith of those present and declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

·         Jesus raises the one he loves, four days after he died.

·         Jesus restores a brother to two grieving sisters.

·         Jesus demonstrates his divine power to the bystanders and the disciples.

·         Jesus draws many others to believe in him.

This Lent, has my faith deepened? Do I believe that whatever God allows is for a greater good, for His greater glory? Do I trust that his love and mercy never fail and will ultimately relieve every sorrow? Is my heart freer to receive the fullness of redemption in Christ?