Jesus Wept

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus weeping?

The Bible mentions Jesus weeping in John 11:35, highlighting His deep compassion and empathy in the face of human suffering and unbelief. In John 11:35, we find the two simple yet profound words, "Jesus wept." This verse reflects not only the humanity of Christ but also His compassion towards those in grief. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, He saw Mary and the other mourners weeping for Lazarus, and it was their unbelief and sorrow that moved Him deeply. The tears of Jesus signify His empathy, understanding the weight of loss and the devastating effects of sin and death in the world. Rather than viewing this moment as merely a fact, we must see it as a significant display of His love and compassion for humanity, demonstrating that He is not indifferent to our suffering.

Q: How do we know that Jesus cares about our pain?

Jesus demonstrates His care for our pain through His actions and His weeping over the death of Lazarus, showing His deep compassion for human suffering. The biblical account in John 11 shows clearly that Jesus cares about our pain, as evidenced by His reaction to the death of Lazarus. As Jesus approached Bethany and met Mary and Martha, He was troubled in spirit and wept at the sight of their sorrow. His tears reveal that He is not a distant God but one who identifies with our struggles and heartaches. Moreover, in Luke 19:41, He weeps over Jerusalem, mourning their unbelief and the impending judgment upon them. This repeated expression of sorrow in the face of human suffering showcases the heart of our Savior, who is intimately concerned with the trials and grief that His people endure.

Q: Why is faith important in understanding the resurrection?

Faith is critical in understanding the resurrection because Jesus taught that belief in Him is essential to experiencing His life-giving power. In John 11:25-26, Jesus states, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." This declaration emphasizes that faith in Christ is the key to unlocking the promise of eternal life and understanding His resurrection power. Martha's struggle with belief underscores the importance of trusting in Jesus not just for miraculous acts but for spiritual resurrection as well. In Hebrews 3, we are warned against the sin of unbelief, showing that spiritual rest and communion with God hinge on our faith. Therefore, understanding the resurrection through the lens of faith opens the door to experiencing the fuller glory of God in our lives.

Let's open our Bibles this evening
to the book of John, chapter 11. Last Sunday night, before the worship service, Brother Bob Coffey read this
11th chapter of John's Gospel, back in the study. And I was particularly moved
by a single simple verse, verse 35, which says, Jesus wept. Jesus wept. Especially when I looked at this
verse in the context as Bob read it, and I noticed all of the
things that took place here, and then it came down to this
point. Our Savior weeping, weeping,
weeping. And after He finished reading,
Some of us stood around and talked about it a little bit. We discussed
this verse of scripture. And we agreed that about all
that we've ever heard anybody say about that verse was that it was the shortest
verse in the Bible. And it dawned on me that the
power of this statement, Jesus wept, the Lord Jesus wept. The power of this statement and
the depth and magnitude of such an incident, the Lord weeping, has been lost in this frivolous
idea of it being the shortest verse in the Bible. We've been
distracted by that declaration. What's the shortest verse in
the Bible? Jesus wept. Well, the Bible was not written
in verses, long or short. And this is utterly ridiculous,
that we should even comment use such a comment in reference to
such an awesome happening, Jesus well. Here's an awesome discovery.
During a most powerful incident, the raising of a man from the
dead, the Lord Jesus Christ weeping, and I were passing it by so flippantly
and frivolously. If you came into a room and found
your husband or wife weeping, if you came into the home and
found your mother or father weeping, or your child, you would be greatly
troubled and greatly distressed, and you would want to know why. You wouldn't go out with some
silly statement, well, that's the shortest verse in the Bible. You'd want to know why. Why does
our Lord weep? Jesus wept. Why does our Lord
weep? He's surrounded by His disciples,
His best friends. He has before Him two beloved
friends, Mary and Martha, in whose home He had spent many
enjoyable hours, devoted, devoted friends. I know he whom the Lord loveth,
Lazarus, was dead, but he was going to raise him. He knew that
he would. So why weep? Why is the Lord weeping? Well, the Jews thought they knew.
They said in verse 36, Then said the Jews, behold how
he loved him. Behold how he loved him. They
thought he was weeping for Lazarus. They thought he was weeping over
the death of this man Lazarus. Mary was weeping and Martha was
weeping, and I know why they were weeping, because their brother
had died. And the Jews just took up this refrain. They said, well,
isn't that something? He sure did love him. But one
of them added, some of them added, but couldn't this man which opened
the eyes of the blind have caused that even Lazarus should not
have died? And again, verse 38, Jesus groaned
in himself. Notice this. Go back a little
bit. Verse 32, Then when Mary was
come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet,
saying unto him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had
not died. When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned
in spirit and was troubled. And he said, Well, where have
you laid him? They said, Lord, come and see. And he wept. And then the Jews said, well,
my how he loved him. But couldn't he have raised him?
Couldn't he have kept him from dying? He groaned again. I'll tell you, I'll tell you,
when I read, when Bob read this scripture and then I looked at
it again, I'll tell you what disappointed and troubled him.
I'll tell you what brought him to the point of tears. I'll tell
you. I'll tell you exactly why the
Lord was weeping, the God-man. I'll tell you why that he's at
this point of tears of pity, tears of sympathy. It's the unbelief
of these people. That's what did it. As he watched
them and listened to them, he wept over their unbelief. But
one other time it is said in the Scripture that the Lord wept.
Let's look at it. It's found in Luke 19. One other
time. It says the Lord wept. The Lord
Jesus Christ cried. Just wept. In Luke 19, verse
41. And when He was come near, He
beheld the city. What city? Jerusalem. City of
David. He beheld the city, and he wept
over it. Why did he weep over it? Well,
listen to him. And he said, Oh, if you had known, even thou,
at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes, if you just know. That's what he said to the woman
at the well. If you knew the gift of God, and who's speaking
to you, And he's weeping over this city of Jerusalem, saying,
oh, if you'd just known. This is the day of your visitation.
This is the day of salvation. This is the accepted day of the
Lord. This is the day to which all of your types and shadows
and patterns and priests and sacrifices and toldness have
pointed. This is the day, and you've missed
it. Unbelief. Unbelief. Verse 43, saying also,
for the day shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast
a trench about thee, compass thee round, keep thee in on every
side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children
within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. You didn't believe. And the Romans
are coming in here. He stood and looked over that
city of Jerusalem. He came unto his own. His own
received him not. And he wept over them. He said,
they're going to surround you and they're going to come in
here and there won't be a stone left on top of the other one. Totally destroyed. Turn to Hebrews
3. This is the sin of all sins. Unbelief. Hebrews chapter 3,
listen to this. Hebrews chapter 3, the sin of
all sins, and it's especially disturbing when it's found in
God's children. Especially disturbing. When unbelief
and indifference is found in God's children. In Hebrews 3
verse 12, listen. Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God. But exhort one another daily,
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of
Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto
the end. While it is said today, if you
will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation
For some, when they had heard, did provoke, howbeit not all
that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved
forty years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them
that believed not? So we see they could not enter
in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear. That's the promise being left
to us of entering into His rest. Any of you should seem to come
short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them. But the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it. Let's go back and read what took
place this day. in which our Lord wept
in John 11. Let's go back and look at some
of these things that I read again this morning. The unbelief that
was in the heart of His disciples, His people, His close loved ones
and friends. It says in chapter 11, verse
1, Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany. the town of Mary and her sister
Martha. It was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto
him, saying, sent word to the Lord Jesus, Behold, Lord, behold,
he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said,
This sickness is not unto death. It's for the glory of God. That
the Son of God might be glorified thereby, as everything in the
life of His children is for the glory of God. That's what our
Lord told them. This is not unto death. This
is not the end. This is for the glory of God.
Now that ought to suffice us, shouldn't it? Ought to suffice
the disciples and everybody else. Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. And when he had heard, therefore,
that Lazarus was sick, he abode two days still in the same place
where he was. He didn't run up there. He stayed
right where he was, on purpose, for God's glory. Then, after
that, said he to his disciples, let's go into Judea again. His
disciples said unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone
thee. Goest thou thither again? You
run back up there? Jesus answered, Art there not
twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he
stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But
if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no
light in him. These things said he, and after that he saith unto
them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may wake him
out of his sleep. Then said these disciples, Lord,
if he sleeps, he does well. Undelete. This murmuring, this answering
back, this always. It's like our Lord said to Peter,
we read tonight, before the cock crows three times, you'll deny
me three times. He said, why? I'll never deny
you. You're lying. It's difficult to understand
it. No wonder he wept. Then said
Jesus unto them, verse 13, Howbeit Jesus spake of his death, but
they thought he had spoken of him taking rest and sleep. Then
said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and I am glad
for your sake that I was not there, to the intent you may
believe. Nevertheless, let us go unto
him. All these things are done that they might believe, that
they might believe. All that he had done before,
all that he had said was that they might believe. Believe on
him. Trust him. Then said Thomas, here it comes
again, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples. Well,
this kind of set off to the side. The Lord Jesus said, let's go
to Lazarus. Let's go to him. And Thomas turned
to the disciples in that unbelieving vein. Turned and said, well,
let us go, or we'll die with him. We'll die with him. Then when
Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days
already. Now Bethlehem was nigh unto Jerusalem
about fifteen furlongs off. That's about two miles. And many
of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning
their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met Him. But Mary sat in the
house. Now here's some more unbelief. Listen. Then said Martha unto
Jesus, Lord, if you'd been here, He wouldn't have died. If you'd
come when I called you, isn't that what she said? See, He stayed
two days. He didn't come. Immediately. He didn't do what they wanted
him to do, what they expected him to do, what she demanded
of him. She said, if you'd been here,
you wouldn't have died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou
wilt ask of God, God will give it to thee. Jesus said to her,
Martha, thy brother shall rise again. Here she comes again, answering back. She said unto
him, I know he'll rise again in the resurrection at the last
day. And Jesus said to her, Martha,
oh, the patience of our Lord. Isn't he patient with us and
our mouths and our attitude, our unbelief? Martha, he said
unto her, I'm the resurrection and I'm the life. And he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Do you
believe this, Martha? Do you believe this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord,
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which is come
into the world. And when she was so sad, she
went her way. She didn't wait. She didn't stand
and wait for his for his word, or for his dismissal, or what
he had planned to do. She just said, I believe you're
the Son of God. When she so said, she turned and went her way.
She had her last say. She had the last word. And she called Mary, her sister,
secretly, saying, the Master's come. He called it to thee. And
as soon as Mary heard that, she rose quickly and came to him.
Jesus was not yet coming to town, but he was in that place where
Martha met him. The Jews then, which were with
her in the house and comforted her when they saw Mary, that
she rose up hastily and went out, they followed her saying
she'd go up to the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come
where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet. This
is where Mary always is, sitting at the feet of Christ. She was
the one that that bathed his feet with tears on one occasion,
dried them with her hair, kissed his feet. She sat at his feet
and our Lord said Mary had chosen the good thing. Some great qualities
in these ladies, great qualities in Martha and Mary both. Martha,
the one who was so busy and Mary, the one who was so devoted. But
listen to her. Lord, if you'd been here, you
wouldn't have died. Same thing. Same thing. Ah, to learn, be
still and know that I'm God. Wait on the Lord. When Jesus said it, that's when
it all culminated into this. Our Lord just wept. I think about when he said, Philip,
I've been so long time with you and you don't know me. And here she stands weeping and
standing before Him who is life, who is the resurrection. That's
what He said. And He saw her weeping and the Jews weeping
and everybody weeping. He groaned in spirit and was
troubled. And He said, where have you laid
Him? Now listen to this. And they said to Him, Lord, come
and see. You come and see. The centurion had more faith
than that. Let me show you Matthew 8. Hold John 11 and turn to Matthew
8. I tell you, our behavior, children
of God, disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, people who know
He's the Son of God, our behavior is shocking, I'm sure. On so many occasions. In Matthew
8, look beginning with verse 7. Verse 6. Here's a centurion. Let's look at verse 5. Matthew
8, verse 5. When Jesus was entered into Capernaum,
there came unto him a centurion beseeching him, saying, Lord,
my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. Jesus saith unto him, I'll come
and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I'm not worthy
that you should come under my roof. Just speak the word. to
my servant will be he. I am a man under authority, having
soldiers under me, and I say to this man, go, and he goeth,
and to another come, and he cometh to my servant, do this, and he
doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled
and said to them that followed him, his disciples, Verily I
say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Hear Mary and Martha and all
of them, the Lord saying to the Lord, you come and we'll show
you where he's lying, where he's buried. That's when he wept. That's when he wept. He said,
Jesus wept. And I know that we have a way of justifying ourselves
and justifying others, and I've heard people say, well, these
folks, you know, didn't have the revelation that we have today.
I'm telling you, these folks had seen most of his mighty works.
These folks had seen him heal the sick. It caused the lame
to walk, the deaf to hear. These folks had seen Him raise
the widow's son. They'd seen Him raise Peter's
mother. Wasn't that the one He raised? Peter's mother. There
were two raised. But no, they were filled with
unbelief. Filled with unbelief. Let's read
on. Jesus wept over their unbelief. And it says here, then the Jews
said, behold how he loved him. And some of them said, could
not this man which opened the eyes of the blind have caused
that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself, coming to the grave. It was a cave and
a stone lay upon it. And Jesus said, now listen, here
it comes again. And Jesus said, take ye away
the stone. Isn't his command sufficient?
No. Martha, the sister of him that
was dead, said to him, Lord, don't do that. Don't roll away this thing. You
know what you say? You don't want to do that. By this time,
he's sticky. He's been dead four days. Jesus
said unto her, Martha, didn't I say to you that if you would believe, if
you would believe, You'd see the glory of God. When did He say that to her?
That's what somebody posed this question. I don't read in this
passage where our Lord specifically said to her that He would raise
Lazarus then. But He told her something in
verse 25 and 26 that ought to have satisfied her and ought
to satisfy us and put away our unbelief. This is what He is
saying to her. Didn't I say to you? Didn't I
say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory
of God? The glory of God is Christ. Christ
is the glory of God. And we see all the glory of God
in him. That's what he's saying here
to Martha. If you'll believe, you'll see the glory of God.
He is the wisdom of God. He is the power of God. He is
the glory of God. And this is what he said to her.
Christ is the glory of God. Look back at verse 25. You know,
when she was objecting, she said, If he'd have been here, he wouldn't
have died. He said, your brother will rise again. I know he'll
rise in the resurrection. Look at verse 25. Jesus said
to her, and here's where he said it, Martha, I am the resurrection. I am the light. I'm the resurrection. I'm the light. And he that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Do you believe this? If you believe
this, you'll see the glory of God. You'll see all of this in
a person. All of his purposes, all of his
designs, all of his decrees, all of his attributes, all of
his character is in Christ. That's where it all is, in Christ.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld
His glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. And the Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Martha, if you'd believe, if you'd believe, if you'd quit
talking so much and believe, you'd see the glory of God. If
you'd get out of the negative mood and the objections and all
these things and your way, If you just be still, if you just
be still and believe, you'll see the glory of God. And he just wept. They were robbing
themselves of so much peace, so much joy, so much rest, so
much glory, and he wept over them. Sad. What a pity. that they were missing. It's
so close, so close, taken up with all these other things and
so close to the very glory of God, but not seeing it. Christ is the resurrection and
the life with regard to our spiritual resurrection when we're regenerated.
You have to quicken who were dead in trespasses and sins.
The Son quickeneth whom He will. When He stood outside the grave
of Lazarus here, over here at John 11, let's go on a little
further. In John 11, verse 41, Then they took away the stone
from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up
His eyes and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me,
and I know that Thou hearest me always. But because of the
people which stand by our setting, that they may believe that thou
hast sent me. And when he had thus spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead
came forth. And he that was dead came forth.
And that's what happened when you were saved and when I was
saved. He speaks and we live. He is
my life. He is my life. Christ who is
our life. He is the bread that sustains
me. He is the water that nourishes
me. We are begotten unto a living
hope of the resurrection of Christ. He is our righteousness. He is
our acceptance. He is our life. Do we believe
that? That's the reason he says here
in verse 25, I'm the life, I'm the resurrection and the life.
He that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
Christ is our life when our flesh is in the grave. When my flesh
is in the grave, my spirit's not in the grave. My spirit lives
because of Christ. The believer's bodies as well
as their souls are precious to the Lord. Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints. John Gill says he watches
over their dust. And one day he'll raise their
vile bodies and make them like his glorious bodies. When he
comes, they'll rise again. He that believeth on me, though
he were dead, though he die like Lazarus, he'll live. He'll live. And look at verse 26. And whosoever
liveth, those who live until the Lord Jesus comes again, those
who live and believe in Me will never die. If He comes tonight,
those who sleep out there in the grave, they're going to live.
And you and I, if He comes tonight, we'll never die. We'll change
into the image of our Lord, but we'll never die. Do you believe
this? I wish we did. Believest thou this? Martha stood there, all of these
reasons, you know, all these replies. He said to her, now
didn't I say to you, if you believe, You'd see the glory of God. You'd
see it in here, and someday you'll see it with your eyes. But you've
got to see it here before you see it here. And you've got to
believe before you see it. And He is the glory of God. Turn
to John 14 a moment. I'm going to quit. But I want
you to look at something here. And this is the key. Believe
in Him. In John 14, listen. And when he wept, he wept over
their unbelief. In John 14, let's read this with
this in mind. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I'll come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you
know, and the way you know, and here we go again. Thomas said
to him, Lord, we don't know where you're going. How can we know
the way? Jesus said to him, I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. I'm the resurrection and the
life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. If you'd known me,
you should have known my Father. Also, and from henceforth you
know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord,
show us the Father. He wept. And it will suffice us. And Jesus
said, Have I been so long time with you, and yet you have not
known me, Philip? Don't you know me? He that hath
seen me hath seen the Father. Why do you say, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you, I don't speak of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me. Or else, believe me for the very
work's sake. Truly, truly, I say to you, I
say it truly, truly. He that believeth on me, the
works that I do, shall he do also. And greater works than
these shall he do, because I go to my Father. Here is the place for us to ask
for help. Lord, increase our faith. Help
me to believe. Because if we can believe, I
say unto you, You'll see the glory of God. Glory of God. All right. Mike, you come lead
us in a closing hymn. I pray that'll be a blessing
to you.

Jesus Wept

What does the Bible say about Jesus weeping?

How do we know that Jesus cares about our pain?

Why is faith important in understanding the resurrection?

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About Henry Mahan

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Jesus Wept

What does the Bible say about Jesus weeping?

How do we know that Jesus cares about our pain?

Why is faith important in understanding the resurrection?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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