4 May 2020

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

“And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it, saying “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that made for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41- 42).

In John 11, we probably have the shortest verse in the New Testament. Jesus wept when he saw Mary and the Jews weeping over the death of Lazarus. This verse clearly shows Him to be the God-Man, One who took on our human nature, yet without sin. It was recorded also that Jesus thirsted; He was hungry and He manifested all the characteristics that show His humanity. But here in particular, He demonstrated emotional sadness, identifying with the sisters and friends of Lazarus. It reminds us that we have in Him a high priest who is able to sympathise with our weaknesses and sorrows; He is able to empathise with us, for He, as a man, understands our sorrow and pain and He knows the temptations and trials we face in a fallen world.

But Jesus wept also because He came face to face with death; He was sorrowful that death has come into this world and this is indeed an enemy – one that has to be destroyed. He saw the pain and agony death brings – it moved Him so much that He wept. So He came to destroy the work of the devil and to defeat death At the cross, He did just that, resulting in death losing its sting and that man subsequently would not die if he believes and is united with Him in HIs death and resurrection – man shall live forevermore in Him! Do we appreciate the depth of God’s love that He humbled Himself in His Son to take our place at the cross and to carry the judgement due to us? Do we appreciate the depth of such a love that He took death upon Himself so that we may have Life?

In Luke 19, Jesus wept as He saw the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the hardened hearts of the Jews who refused to acknowledge as the Messiah and Saviour. In another passage, it was recorded that He longed to bring them ‘under HIs wings’ like a mother hen which cares for her chicks but they refused. Here, Jesus wept at our unbelief, our rebellious hearts, our unwillingness to accept His invitation to eternal life and our hardness of hearts. Have we caused Him to shed much tears for us because of our rebellious ways and our hardened hearts?

Jesus wept – He wept with us and for us! Let us not let His tears be wasted.