03/07/2024
Jesus Wept
Have you ever been hurting so much that no words would help? Maybe you’ve experienced unimaginable pain and grief. Or maybe you’re trying to comfort someone else. But in those moments, it’s rarely the right words that fix our broken hearts. It’s usually someone sitting with us in our pain that makes the difference.
And that’s why just two words make up one of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture:
Jesus wept. John 11:35 NIV
Jesus Himself experienced pain, loss, grief, and sorrow. And even though Jesus knew how the story would end, He still wept in the middle of it.
Let’s back up and get some context for this incredible story. Jesus hears about one of his dear friends, Lazarus, who is sick. Jesus proclaims that his sickness won’t end in death. But as He gets sicker, Jesus doesn’t go heal Him.
Flash forward, Jesus knows that Lazarus has died, and He travels to visit him and his family. Jesus talks to both of Lazarus’ sisters, and He sees them weeping. How did He respond?
He doesn’t minimize their pain. He doesn’t offer easy answers or great sounding one-liners. He’s with them, and He weeps.
Soon after, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in an incredible miracle, foreshadowing His own resurrection that would give all of us the opportunity to be friends with God.
Raising Lazarus is a miracle that reminds us God can resurrect our disappointment, our grief, and our pain. He can take what’s lost and make it whole again. But many of us live more often in the middle of the story. We’re stuck before the miracle—living in the waiting.
Lazarus’ story gives us hope not just because it has a happy ending but because we serve a God who is with us in every phase of the story. God is near to the brokenhearted. When we weep, Jesus is with us. He understands us. He sees us, and He meets us in our pain and disappointment.
Our emotions are a gift from God to remind us to be close to God. So when we experience sorrow, we don’t have to push it aside. Even though we know how the story ends, it’s okay to weep in the middle because weeping can still be worship when we invite God into it.
Pray: Jesus, thank You for showing me how I can process pain. Thanks for being with me in the weeping, in the waiting, and in the worshiping. I invite You into all of my present pain. Help me not ignore my sorrow but to experience Your joy even in the midst of it. I give You everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.
