Jesus Wept
This one scripture alone has been known for being the shortest, easiest verse in the Bible to remember. If you ever want to memorize a scripture, there it is…John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”
It wasn’t until tonight that I truly understood the power of those words. Jesus, the son of God, creator of the world and everything in it, the one who knows all the hairs on my head, who flung the stars into the sky, and who is bigger and more powerful than any other….he wept. Why in the world would the man, God, have any need in weeping? Why would he show this apparent weakness? (at least the world would call it that)
If you know me at all, you know that crying is something that I’ve tried not to do too much of throughout my life. I grew up in a home where we never really talked openly about our feelings and I never truly felt as if I could open up my heart to anyone. I always wanted to be able to cry, but never felt released to do so. I had to be the strong one, I mean, after all there really is nothing to cry about, right? Nothing could possibly be so wrong in my life that I would need to shed any tears over it. Wrong!
As I was spending time with Jesus this evening, he reassured me that it’s ok to be broken. It’s ok to let your heart be vulnerable. In fact, in these moments is when God seems to touch my heart the deepest. It’s ok to weep. After all, Jesus wept. Jesus, the king of all kings, had reason to shed tears, and so do I.
This passage is telling the story of when Jesus came to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’s house after a journey to visit. He knew and even waited two extra days before he decided to go, knowing all along that Lazarus was sick and would die. When he arrived the sisters and all the Jews that were there were in tears. They had lost their brother, so their hearts were broken. This is the good part…Jesus wept with them. This man who had all the answers, the power to heal and raise from the dead, took time to weep with those who were weeping. He had compassion on them and displayed just how deep his love extends to those who are hurting. He didn’t correct or rebuke. He didn’t even raise Lazarus immediately. He wept. This hit me, and it hit me hard. If Jesus weeps, then I can feel free to do the same. His friends were broken. They had just lost their brother, and he felt their loss deeply, so he shed tears along with them. What an amazing man.
I know when I’m broken, many times I’ll try to talk myself out of it. I’ll feel like a failure, as if I should have more faith, or as if something so trite shouldn’t affect me this deeply. All I know is that I’ve been in tears a lot lately, and God has met me. He has shown me his compassion. He has wept with me, held me, and been more patient with me in my struggles than I could ever have hoped. I feel no condemnation, even though I feel the way I do.
As I was praying, He was with me, encouraging me though, that it doesn’t stop with Him simply weeping. He weeps with us, shows us deep compassion, and then what happens after that in the story? He raises the dead! All these trials, all the brokenness, all the pain…what does it end in? A resurrection! One that no one was expecting, after all Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Wow. God is just like that. One day we’re broken, crying out, and the next moment God comes in and resurrects the dead. He lifts us out of our brokenness, touches our heart and sets us free. He takes the place in our heart and makes it new again. He takes our situation and completely makes it new. What an amazing, compassionate, powerful, resurrecting God we serve. I love learning about his great love for us…a love that I will never know fully until I meet him face to face. Thank you for weeping with me, Jesus, and better yet, for the victory you constantly bring to my life. There is none like you!
