Our Compassionate Christ

“Jesus Wept” (John 11:35)

His weeping was not wailing as often times the professional mourners would do, but his weeping was real. In this shortest verse in the Bible, which has too often been made fun of and ridiculed, we are seeing the Son of God expressing in tears His human side.  On other occasions He expressed other human traits. He expressed anger, hunger, thirst, fatigue and He slept. On that awful morning of His crucifixion He shed real blood and died a real death as other humans have done.

We see Him shedding real tears over Jerusalem because her Jewish inhabitants refused to repent of their sins. They did not realize that in a few short years Jerusalem would be overrun by the Romans. The temple would be burned and there would not be one stone left on top of the other. There would be horrible devastation of the city and the temple. As a result of what He knew was coming to the Jews because of their un-repentance, Jesus wept over the city. (Luke 19:41)

John wrote this verse as the Holy Spirit inspired him to do, that we might know our Savior’s heart of compassion. Many times I have seen family members weeping over the grave of a precious loved one as the last few words of the funeral service were spoken. I have thought of Jesus, the Son of God weeping over the tomb of Lazarus. I can almost hear Him say to these precious mourners of our day, “Thy brother (sister, mother, father, child, grandparent, etc.) shall rise again because I am the resurrection and the life…”