When God weeps

There are Scriptures that refer to God rejoicing, singing and finding pleasure.

But when is it that God weeps?

And why?

The story in the Bible that can help us with this is the story of Lazarus. I’m sure you know it quite well. Jesus receives word that his friend Lazarus is sick, but before he arrives on the scene Lazarus dies. After Jesus encounters Lazarus’ weeping sister Mary, Scripture tells us that Jesus was “moved in spirit and was troubled” and then after He asked where Lazarus’ body was laid, apparently while being led to the tomb, Scripture tells us: “Jesus wept”

So what caused Jesus to weep?

Take a moment and think on this with me.

Jesus knew that He and His Father were preparing salvation and a place in heaven for His children to live in eternally. Jesus knew that even though Lazarus had died on earth, even so Lazarus would live again.

So our first thought might be that Jesus wept because Lazarus died, and although Jesus was fully human and fully emotive, I would contend that this is not the primary reason. Humanly speaking it hurts when a loved one dies, but Jesus is able to see the eternal picture and knows that shortly He and Lazarus would be reunited in heaven. After all Scripture says that the death of God’s children is precious in His sight. So there must be more to explain God Himself weeping.

Looking back at the Scripture in John 11, we see that Jesus became “moved” and “troubled” immediately after he saw Mary and the “Jews who came with her weeping”. So it is very likely that He was sharing the grief and sorrow with these that He so deeply loved. After all not only is Jesus fully emotive but He also is a God of compassion and love. So when Jesus weeps it would make perfect sense that He is weeping because He is sharing in their distress. But I would contend that this is not the full reason why Jesus wept: after all Jesus had just finished telling Martha that whoever believed in Him would live even if they died. He could clearly have comforted the group with these words as He had just done with Martha. So there must be more to explain God weeping.

So yes it would seem Jesus wept because of His own grief over the death of His friend (and perchance any pain that Lazarus went through in the process). Yes, I also believe Jesus wept because He was sharing grief and sorrow and compassion with the people who had lost a loved one (and had gone through suffering of their own as they watched Lazarus pass). But ultimately I believe that Jesus wept because He saw the effects of sin and fallenness. I believe He wept because He sensed the lack of faith people had in their heavenly Father to see them, hear them, rescue and deliver them. I believe Jesus wept here before Lazarus tomb for the same reason He wept when looking over Jerusalem: He hurt for the people. He hurt because they hurt. He was grieved in His Spirit because of their bondage and suffering. Jesus wept because they didn’t look to His Father for all things.

In the middle of the chaos, suffering and anxiousness that is today, I believe God is even now weeping. He is weeping because around the world people are hurting because of the effects and consequences of sin. God is weeping because even still we refuse to look to Him to deliver us. God is weeping because while humanity ignores Him we simultaneously are looking to empty solutions that leave us further defeated.

I am so glad that our God is fully emotive, experiencing the full range of feelings from grief to joy and everything in between. Even so I pray that He hastens the day when there will be no more weeping, either for God or His children. Furthermore let us all pray that His children will work diligently for the salvation of people everywhere that none may be lost, but all may come to repentance and be saved!