Wednesday, April 19, 2023 – John 10:22-11:57
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
It’s the shortest verse in the Bible, but it’s among the most shocking. God cried.
Crying isn’t unusual. Kids might cry when they lose a game. Teens will cry over a breakup or a fight with a friend. Parents cry over their children. We all cry when we lose someone or something important to us. People cry all the time.
I could be wrong, but I think we cry when we long for a different outcome, and there’s nothing else to do. My tears are usually an expression of helplessness.
But John 11:35 says that God cried. God isn’t supposed to be helpless!
So why did Jesus cry?
Well, he was at a funeral, and I think he cried for the same reason we do – he wanted a different outcome. After all, Jesus crying at a graveside means he doesn’t want us to die. It breaks his heart, and a few verses earlier, we learn that he’s fuming angry about it (verse 33).
That’s all very touching, but here’s the good news. We cry when there’s nothing left to do. Jesus cries, though, and his tears are a spring that brings a dead man back to life. The difference between us and Jesus is that through his tears, he can do something because he did do something even when the apparent outcome was as final as a funeral.
Jesus wept. That means he feels our pain. But Jesus is God, and that means we won’t remain in our pain forever.
Have you cried today? Recently? Do you wish you could cry? There is a God who weeps for you, and it drives him to save you.
Questions for reflection:
- What has or does bring you to tears?
- How does Jesus' crying shape your understanding of his character?