When God Cried

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus surveyed the scene. Mary, Martha, and the others were all weeping and mourning. And Jesus wept. Tears rolled down His cheeks.

Jesus wept tears of sympathy for Mary and Martha and for all of the sorrow that is caused by sin and death. The Bible says that He was “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). When you have lost someone you love, He knows and understands the pain and hurt deep inside your soul. Maybe other people will never completely understand, but Jesus has wept with you.

His tears were also tears of sorrow for Lazarus. Those tears were for one who had known the bliss of Heaven and now would have to return to a wicked Earth, where he would have to die again.

Jesus also wept tears for the unbelief of the people: “Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled” (John 11:33). Jesus was troubled. And He was angry.

What brought not only His sorrow, but also His anger were the ravages of sin in the world He had created. He was angry. Here was God’s creation, and His original plan was flawed by sin. Death was a part of the curse, and it angered Jesus to see the devastating effect sin had on humanity.

Some may wonder, well, why doesn’t He do something about it? He has. He went to the cross of Calvary and died for our sins so that death does not have to be the end. There is life beyond the grave for the Christian. There is something beyond . . . something we can look forward to.