And Yet, Jesus Wept
January 15
John 11:1-44 tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It’s a familiar story for those of us who have been around church a while. It reveals the Lord’s authority over death and demonstrates His compassion for His friends.
It also contains the Bible’s shortest verse, the famous two-word passage: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) Certainly an easy verse to memorize, yet these words reveal some powerful truths about Jesus.
Many of us in Western culture cannot imagine Jesus expressing emotions. We tend to see Him as “dignified”-above expressing emotion, perhaps even Stoic. That’s how many see Him, but that’s not what John saw at all. He saw both the Son of God and Son of Man—One mastering nature and all her elements in one moment (walking on water, silencing storms, etc.) then exuding great emotion in the next: joy, anger, compassion, sorrow, and beyond.
We have several English words for “cry”. Greek also has several words for cry:[1]
- to wail in oriental style, to howl in a consecrated, semi-liturgical fashion
- to shed tears, weep silently
- to give formal expression to grief, to sing a dirge
- to weep audibly, cry like a child
- to give verbal expression to grief, to lament
- to express grief by inarticulate or semi-articulate sounds, to groan
Only two of those words are used in this passage. The word that John uses to describe Jesus’ emotion means to shed tears, weep silently (John 11:35). Jesus expressed emotion. This is a different Greek word from the description of what Mary’s friends thought she was going to do at the tomb (John 11:31); that word means to weep audibly, cry as a child.[2] This word also means to wail. In other words, there is a stark contrast between Mary’s response and Jesus’ response. One response is very loud, and the other is quiet. Each of us mourns differently.
John adds that when Jesus gets to the tomb, He is deeply moved (John 11:33; 38). This word doesn’t mean to cry, but to feel strongly.[3] John continues his description of Jesus’ emotions: Jesus was greatly distressed[4]. Jesus was deeply bothered in His soul by the loss of a beloved friend.
Application
There is no right or wrong way to grieve the loss of a loved one. We’re not talking about sin, of course. We’re talking about how God created each of us differently.
Jesus’ friends sent word that his friend Lazarus had died. Knowing everything, Jesus knows that He will raise Lazarus from the dead. Yet, as He approaches His friend’s grave, Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
The Jewish bystanders correctly observe that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying in the first place. I’m sure that His disciples wondered why He didn’t go straight to Bethany when He heard that Lazarus was sick. In John 11:4, Jesus says that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death, but would lead to glory being given to God. Obviously, Jesus’ understanding of the situation was far better than ours!
And yet, Jesus wept.
Jesus tells the disciples that He’s glad that Lazarus died so that they might believe (John 11:15).
And yet, Jesus wept.
Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise from the dead. (John 11:23) Martha acknowledges that Jesus is the Messiah. (John 11:27)
And yet, Jesus wept.
Regardless of how hopeless the situation looked, Jesus knew that God would work everything out to His glory. (Romans 8:28)
And yet Jesus wept.
Jesus loved His friend, Lazarus. Jesus also loves you. It’s okay for you to express your emotions. I would go so far as to say that it is healthy to express your emotions in a God-glorifying way. God created us in His own image. God has emotions. As a human being, Jesus expressed emotions. And, we too can express our emotions in a God-glorifying way.
[1] Strong, James. Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995.
[2] ibid.
[3] Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, Electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., vol. 1, United Bible Societies, 1996, p. 293.
[4] ibid, p. 314.
© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman