Case Study: The Case of Jesus Wept

The Shortest Verse

In Chapter 11 of the fourth gospel, verse 35 is comprised of just two words, "Jesus wept." This is the shortest verse in the Bible. These words occur in the context of Jesus' visit to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, which leads many to read various emotions into the passage and causes people to say things like:

1. Jesus cried because he missed his friend Lazarus and he shared Mary and Martha's burden of grief, or
2. Jesus' tears show he identified with all of us who have ever lost someone they loved.

Get a Bible and consider the words "Jesus wept" in their context. Make some notes on what you think the context of this passage teaches us. Then return to this case study and see if the evidence in scripture supports either of the common views noted above or if scripture intended to teach something else.

 

 

The Case of Jesus Wept

A Time to Mourn?

Visiting a tomb where mourners are weeping could easily move one to tears, and the grief of Mary and Martha surely tugged at the heart of Jesus. Does scripture suggest this is why he wept? The verses below present Jesus' tears in context:

"a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany… When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea… Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him… Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died… she went her way, and called Mary her sister… Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (Fourth gospel 11:1-37)

This shows the words "Jesus wept" are not to be compared to the tears we shed when we go to the funeral of a friend or loved one.

Unlike us when we go to a memorial service and unlike the people who were mourning the death of Lazarus, Jesus was not there for a funeral. He was there to raise Lazarus from the dead! Jesus told the disciples, "our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." Then it says, "Jesus spake of his death." Jesus knew Lazarus would rise from the dead and his knowledge of this needs to inform our view of this passage.

Taking account of his purpose will keep us from making the same false assumption about his tears as the Jews who saw him weep. They said, "behold how he loved him." They assumed Jesus wept because he loved Lazarus, but they did not know what Jesus was going to do, so this inference was based on ignorance. However, when he told his disciples, "Lazarus is dead” he added, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." Jesus' use of the word "glad" in talking about the death of Lazarus should grab our attention. He looked forward to what would occur because Lazarus' death and his being raised would work together for the disciples' benefit.

When Did Jesus Weep?

Jesus loved Lazarus (cf. Fourth gospel 11:5). Yet, he did not weep when:

• he heard Lazarus was sick (Fourth gospel 11:3),
• he knew Lazarus was dead (Fourth gospel 11:14),
• he met with grieving Martha (Fourth gospel 11:20),
• he met with grieving Mary and "saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her" (Fourth gospel 11:33).

Still, many think identification with the mourners prompted Jesus to weep, even though the evidence does not fit this assumption.

He did not cry when he saw Martha or when Mary and the Jews came to him weeping. So, what brought on his tears when he eventually did cry?

The scriptures only tell us about one other time when Jesus wept in public. Luke 19:41-44 gives us the report on the time Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt:

"when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

They should have known the time of their visitation but they had missed it. Their ignorance prompted his tears on that day.

What caused him to weep when he wept at the tomb of Lazarus? It was the response of the Jews to his question!

He asked them, "where have ye laid him? They responded, Lord, come and see" (Fourth gospel 11:34). At that point, Jesus wept.

Their answer to his question is what moved him to tears. But why? Here is what scripture says next:

"Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (Fourth gospel 11:36-37)

Later, we will see how their words contributed to Jesus' weeping. At this point, however, let us consider a time when Jesus heard someone say words that triggered a completely different reaction.

A Necessary Detour

Jesus once said, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Mt 8:10, Lk 7:9). What led him to say this? It was hearing the words of a centurion with a sick servant who he wanted Jesus to heal.

While Jesus was making his way to the centurion's house to heal the servant, the centurion sent word to Jesus. Luke 7:6-9 tells us what that message was and what happened when Jesus heard it:

"Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

The centurion realized he and Jesus had something in common, for he said, "I also am a man set under authority." Being a man under authority, his word had power and his orders were carried out because of the one who he represented, and in his case that was Caesar. He recognized Jesus was also a man under authority and concluded Jesus could say the word and his servant would be healed. People who help the sick physically interact with them to give aid, comfort, etc. However, miracles overcome the things of this world, so physical interaction or nearness is not required. The authority to do miracles is not of this world. Thus, anyone who is under authority and doing miracles is not bound by the rules of this world. Follow this reasoning through to its logical conclusion. This tells us Jesus did not have to be physically present to bless someone with a miracle. He only needed to give the order. Still, the centurion's logic is not what impressed Jesus; it was his faith. He acted on that reasoning and sent word for Jesus not to come, and showed he truly respected the power and authority of God.

Why Did Jesus Go to the Tomb?

Jesus did not go to the tomb to be close enough for Lazarus to hear him say, "Lazarus, come forth" (Fourth gospel 11:43). Since he was dead, getting closer to Lazarus' corpse would not increase the chance of Jesus' voice being heard.

Jesus had to go and raise Lazarus in the presence of his disciples for this miracle to impact their belief. Remember, Jesus told them, "Lazarus is dead" (Fourth gospel 11:14) and said, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe" (v. 15).

He raised Lazarus so his disciples would believe. Still, they were not the only ones who would witness this miracle. Jesus had not reached the town when Mary and the Jews who were weeping with her went out to meet him:

"Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave" (Fourth gospel 11:33-38).

How should the Jews have responded when Jesus asked, "where have ye laid him?" If they knew he had the power to stop death, this should have led them to say, 'you do not need to go there, just say the word and he shall be raised.'

Their words prove they knew Jesus represented a power and authority that was not of this world. Yet, they did not follow this to its logical conclusion and act in faith as the centurion had done.

No, Not in Israel

The centurion said Jesus did not need to come, but the Jews said, "Lord, come and see." The centurion had less evidence to go on than they did. They had a heritage built on the word of God, he did not. Also, they knew Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind and it is likely they knew of other miracles as well. He did so many that people made note of it. "Many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?" (Fourth gospel 7:31) Beyond this, they had other reasons to know Jesus had been sent by God.

In his teaching and his confrontations with the religious leaders, Jesus honored the authority of God. Moreover, every person who obeyed God knew Jesus was honoring God. This principle was taught by Jesus when he said:

"My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (Fourth gospel 7:16-17).

Despite knowing what Jesus had done and taught, when he asked them where they had laid Lazarus, the Jews offered to show him the tomb. Only then did Jesus weep. It was a sad moment, but it may be wrong to assume he wept simply because of sadness over their lack of faith. Men shed tears for lots of reasons. Some weep for joy at weddings. Indignation moves others to tears at injustices like human trafficking. So, let us look again to see if scripture has more to say on this.

Overcoming the Language Barrier

Scripture was written mostly in Hebrew and Greek. We who use an English Bible can often benefit by looking at the words used by the writers of scripture. In the "Jesus wept" passage, the words "groaned," and "groaning" were used before Jesus asked where Lazarus was laid. After the Jews acknowledged he had the power to stop death it says, "Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave" (Fourth gospel 11:38). If we relate these uses of groan to other verses with the English word groan we might get a wrong impression if we do not check the source text.

The Greek word that is translated as "groaned" and "groaning" in the passage in question was used in only three other places. Twice it was translated as "straightly charged" and once as "murmured against" (Mt 9:30, Mk 1:43 & 14:5). It means to be moved with indignation, to be angry, and to sternly charge.

The verses where the word was translated as "straightly charged" tell of Jesus giving a command to men who then went out and directly disobeyed him (Mt 9:30-31 & Mk 1:43-45). This Greek word was only used one other time. It was when "some that had indignation within themselves" had "murmured against" a woman who gave Jesus an expensive gift (Mk 14:4-5). Since we intend to let the word of God lead us, then we ought to take account of the fact that a response of "indignation" is linked to this Greek word elsewhere in scripture.

Thus, in the Jesus wept passage the Greek word translated as "groaned" and "groaning" may indicate Jesus was moved with indignation at the Jews. Why? Because they knew he did miracles but, in spite of this, they did not act in faith.

[Researching the words used by the God-inspired writers of scripture may sound difficult. However, the internet offers access to various tools that make this a relatively easy task. Links to free Bible tools can be found at www.ABetterBibleStudyMethod.com.]

The Conclusion of the Case of Jesus Wept

Arguably, the greatest public miracle of Jesus' earthly ministry is the raising of Lazarus. Jesus knew it was going to happen before he went to Lazarus' tomb. Beyond this, we are told the moment Jesus wept, and it was when he heard the response of the Jews to his question, "where have ye laid him?" (Fourth gospel 11:34) This, combined with the other data reported in scripture, indicates it was their ignorance and/or their lack of faith that moved him to tears, and not grief or identification with the sadness of the mourners. Therefore, those who say things like, 'Jesus wept over the death of his friend,' are not speaking the word of God faithfully.

Jeremiah 23:28 is where the Lord said, "he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully." So, how can we show respect for the counsel of God that is in this verse?

When we speak and think on biblical issues, we should seek to conform our words and our thinking to the words and the thoughts that come from God's inspired writers and teachers in scripture. Developing a habit of seeking to do this as much as possible will help us to become better at speaking the word of God faithfully.

The end of the Case of Jesus Wept