Jesus Wept. Why?

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” It is short, yet powerful. If there is something so grieving that it would cause our Lord to weep, it is worth investigating. A common view point is expressed by Frederick Buechner below.

“The man (Lazarus) died. Jesus wept. And he wept not just out of love and loss, presumably, but as one aquatinted with a still deeper grief, which one can imagine was grief both at his own failure to save the life of Lazarus and also at the failure in some measure of his own life and the kingdom he preached, grief both at his own absence when Lazarus needed him and at God’s absence.”  

-Frederick Buechner (Telling the Truth).

Why did Jesus weep when Lazarus died? Is it because Jesus was grieved as a result of a friend’s death like author and theologian Frederick Buechner and so many others think? This thought is very common today, however it’s confusing that Jesus would have mourned over the loss of Lazarus since He is God, and He uses all circumstances for His glory. In John 11:4, this is Jesus’ response of hearing the news that his friend Lazarus was ill: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” This verse confirms that Jesus knew that things would turn out well in the end for Lazarus, and that the circumstance would lead for a way to show the awesome resurrecting power of God. So what else would be a reason for Jesus’ tears?

Let’s see what the scripture says.

32. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35. Jesus wept. 36. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37. But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”40. Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41. So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43. When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” -John 11:32-44 (NIV)

There are a couple indications in this passage for another reason for Jesus to be unhappy. First of all, many of the Jews believed that Jesus wept because He was sad as many still do today. But if you look at what Lazarus’ sister Mary tells Jesus in verse 32, she informs Him that if He was there, the death would not have happened. Mary thought if Jesus was there a few days earlier, her brother would not have died. Later on in the passage, Lazarus’ other sibling Martha doesn’t understand why Jesus wants the grave stone rolled away, and explains the physical condition of Lazarus. She thinks the situation is hopeless because of the amount of time that has passed since Lazarus’ death. Both sisters share the same reaction: unbelief. In verse 40, Jesus chastises them saying they should believe and they would see the glory of God. He then prays to the Father that the people may believe in Him. I believe that Jesus wept because He was saddened by their unbelief.