Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him. John 11:35,36
There was a time when Jesus stopped a funeral procession and instructed a grieving mother not to weep over her son. On another occasion, Jesus chastised those who were weeping over the death of a little girl. But in today’s text, He does not seek to halt this expression of grief, but actively participates. The Greek word for ‘wept’ in this text is not that of the silent shedding of tears, but the audible sobbing of the broken-hearted. No wonder the Jews could exclaim that it was evident that Jesus loved Lazarus. But even they could not realize how deep that love was.
If you or I had shown up at this scene with the power to raise Lazarus, we would have rushed forward to the grave joyfully, exclaiming how wonderfully the dead man was to be raised. Rather than tears, we would display rejoicing and happiness. But Jesus knew why Lazarus had died. And He knew why all those around Him were going to die. He also knew why He Himself was going to die. Yes, Jesus wept over the death of His dear friend. But He also wept over the tragedy of sin that the first Adam had brought into the world. And He wept at the magnitude of the price the last Adam must pay to overcome the death that was the consequence of sin. Just as the great loss suffered in Eden was very evident at Lazarus’ grave, so too was the great price to be paid at Calvary. The One Who shared openly in the grief of the sisters was also grieved at the sorrow that he could not share with anyone.
Few other scenes from the life of the Lord Jesus portray the love of God like the weeping Saviour. Yes, Lazarus was a personal friend, but Jesus’ love for Lazarus was no more than His love for you and me. Did He shed tears for us. I believe those tears He shed with Lazarus’ sisters were for all those who have come into the condemnation of death. Consider His grief at Golgotha, as we have it described by Jeremiah in Lamentations 1:12: behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. We are unable to fathom that grief, but we appreciate that it was for us.
The preciousness of the reality of Jesus’ grief on our account touches our souls today, as we paraphrase the words of the Jews beholding Him as He wept: Behold, how He loved us. -Jim MacIntosh