Why Jesus Wept

Why Jesus Wept

John 11:33-35 - Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

It is interesting that Jesus didn't weep like us at Lazarus' funeral. He 'groaned in the spirit'. In the Greek, it means, He 'snorts in anger'. He was angry at the devil for causing the death of His friend. He was also troubled. In the Greek, it means 'agitated'. Jesus was angry and agitated at the work of the devil - that caused the death of Lazarus.

At the same time, Jesus was filled with compassion towards Mary and Martha.

He was ANGRY at the devil, but COMPASSIONATE towards Mary and Martha at the same time. This reveals how we should deal with sickness and premature death - angry at the devil and compassionate towards the afflicted one.

The Bible says that 'Jesus wept'. It is interesting to note that Jesus did not weep like Mary and the Jews (v33). In the Greek, the word 'weep' is used differently for Jesus. For Mary and the Jews, it is the word 'klaio', which means 'mourning for the dead'. For Jesus, it is the word 'dakry', which means 'tears'. It is only used one time in the New Testament and it is used here.

Jesus did not mourn for the dead. He was here to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew that Lazarus would surely come out of the tomb alive and kicking.

In Luke 7, a widow's son had died. Jesus actually told the widow NOT to weep.

Luke 7:13 - When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

The word 'weep' here in Greek is 'klaio'. It is exactly the same word used for Mary and the Jews when they mourned for the dead Lazarus.

Jesus told the widow of Nain not to weep because He was going to raise him from the dead. Scripture interprets Scripture. Therefore, Jesus wept (dakry), not because He was mourning for Lazarus like humans do.

Jesus wept (in tears) because He was grieved at unbelief - the root of sin (Mark 3:5; Eph 4:30). He wouldn't mourn because He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. If He would mourn, He would have mourned with the widow of Nain. He was grieved because no one knew the heart of God. They were all mourning for the dead.

Jesus is the exact representation of God. We can learn from Him to be angry at the devil and compassionate towards the afflicted. And compassion is not simply a feeling. It is filled with action and passion of love. In other words, we need to heal the sick and raise the dead.