Jesus Wept

2. Say as a message today.

kept thinking of different versus going back and forth between what verse would be best but would be appropriate. And I kept coming back to this verse, you know, it's John 11:35.

You know, in the opening verses of John 11, Jesus learned. That his friend Lazarus was Ill, critically ill.

Lazarus was not only Jesus his friend, but he's also the brother of Mary and Martha who were also friends of Jesus. And his sister sent a message to Jesus because I'd imagine they were frightened about their brothers Health, taking a turn for the worse. They knew Jesus, they knew what he could do and they knew that Lazarus was his friends so they sent word to him.

but when Jesus finally, arrives and verse 17, We're told that Lazarus. Had already been dead for four days. Now, that's significant you probably wonder, why do they tell us four days? Well, that's significant because in Jewish culture it was believed that your spirit could easily return to you for three days. So Jesus intensely waited for past, what everyone would have thought anything was possible so it will pick up the account inverse 32 when Mary comes out to meet Jesus, when he has finally arrived. John chapter 11 verses 32 through 38. When Mary reach 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. when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and trouble. Where have you laid him? He has come and see Lord, they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said see how he loved him, but some of them said could not. He who opened the eyes of the blind man have. Kept this man from dying.

Jesus, once more deeply moved. Came to the two.

You're one of the first things I want to say about, John chapter 11. That the clear focus of the chapter

Is Jesus's claimed to be the resurrection and the life. And then the fact that he goes on to prove that by raising Lazarus from the dead. This morning. You know, I want to focus on the shortest verse in this chapter. In fact, what's the shortest verse in all of scripture. John 11:35, Jesus wept.

El Charles Spurgeon, nineteenth-century preacher. Declared there is infinitely more in these two words than any preacher or student of the word will ever be able to bring out a thing.

You know, it's interesting to see how many many theologians have studied this short little verse over the centuries and the depth of what they pull out of it. So I couldn't agree more with that statement.

But the question that I want us to Grapple with, as we think about this verse, as we look at it today, is the question of why

Not the question of, why did? Lazarus have to die which is always the hardest question for any of us when we lose a loved one of Y and unfortunately it's the one question people ask that we often don't know the answer to this side of heaven, we never will. You know, we might understand the physical reasons of why, but for all the emotional reasons, that's always a question. But the question I want to look at is, why did Jesus weep

Cuz I think we can look at this verse and some of the context clues within this chapter and it really the entire Gospel of John and say confidently that Jesus wasn't weeping for the same reason that everyone else was.

I mean, as Jesus approached the tomb. He clearly understood what he was about to do, right?

I mean, I don't think. Christ was approaching his friends too. And wondering if he was going to be able to raise him from the dead or not. He understood that he could, he knew that he would he knew this was going to happen. we know this because earlier in the chapter, all the way in verse 4, We read Jesus saying to his disciples. This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

But it did lead to death right at Lazarus. Did that man? That had to be what all the disciples were thinking as they approached you know. Okay. You know he said this wasn't going to lead to death but we just found out. He has been dead.

A Jesus, understood this again in this verse, if this chapter, if we look at it and verses 14 and 15, a Jesus makes that clear. That he knew Lazarus was going to die. Then Jesus told his disciples, plainly Lazarus has died, and for your sake, I am glad that I was not there so that you may believe.

I mean, I imagine is the disciples heard that they had to be thinking. Did he just say what? I think he said, Did Jesus just say he's happy that he wasn't here when his friend died or when his friend was sick so that he would die for our sakes. I mean they had to be questioning what he was meeting there. You know, or when he first encounters Mary and Martha, he says to Martha and verse 23, your brother will rise again. Yeah, she automatically jumps to thinking. Oh yeah, you mean in the resurrection? When you come back? Yeah, I understand all that. But he explains to her, that's not what it means.

So, if Jesus was so certain that this wasn't going to end in death, why do we see him weeping?

You know, while the sisters are morning. Feeling that painful sting of death for the death of their brother.

I mean 3rd is as Jesus encounter some he knows that. Okay, whenever I get to the tomb, this is all going to change.

This death will be undone.

Yet I think as he's there as he seeing, they're paying their emotion as he's thinking about what his friend had to go through with this illness with experiencing death.

You know, those could be reasons for his tears, but I think there's more four more to it there. and we're never told explicitly, you know, plainly with in scripture, why Jesus was weeping But I believe there are more. Contextual Clues here. He look at verse 33. It says when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly trouble.

And then again, in verse 38, it brings up that term deeply trouble. Yo, so it makes you think what is causing this deep emotional, strong? Emotional response within Christ. If he knows this, if he knows that his friend will live again, why is he so troubled? you know, there's some translations of this scripture out there if you look at it that they say the greatly troubled can actually Be translated as being angry. Anger. Which I think for many of us who have experienced the loss, we understand that feeling being angry or having anger. but I think to fully understand Christ, emotional response, here we have to realize That Jesus is not responding to the death of his friend Lazarus as an isolated event.

He's responding because it represents everything that he came to conquer. Right. We know that Christ died on the cross to conquer sin and death. Death is the wages of sin, right? We've talked about that as we work through the book of Romans that that's what sin gets us. We deserve death death, came into the world because of the first sin and it's been a part of our world ever since and it will be until Christ returns.

but I think it's just like we see Christ weeping other times, he's Thinking of more than just this isolated event, he is seeing the first-hand effects. Absinthe. He's seeing the grief, it's causing and his friends, Mary and Martha, and the rest of their family. And all these people who have gathered to mourn, their friend Lazarus, who is passed? he sees the ugly effects of sin, and He knows what can change all that, what can fix it, and he knows what he is, come there to do.

you know, he sees degree from Brokenness of those around him, he recognizes the suffering, the loss, the confusion, the anger, the despair, the belief that can be caused when we experienced a great lost and all this stirs, his emotions deeply as we read.

you know, it's a first-hand example of divine Compassion or a godly grief, righteous anger, even as he is upset with the pain sin is causing

You again, it's because of this ugly reality that that is part of the reason he was sent here to rectify that situation.

John Calvin wrote, I have no doubt that Christ, contemplated something higher. Namely. The general misery of the whole human race for he knew well why he was sent into the world named Lee to free us from all evils. Therefore, we need not wonder why he groans for the violent tyranny of death, which he had to conquer his placed before his eyes. He sees it. He is experiencing its member. He is now. In human flesh, so he's experiencing it the way we would experience it. He's experiencing that loss of someone close to him.

Do you know many of us have? suffered under this ugly reality of death that like I said, no one wants to deal with, but we all have to deal with One of the certainties of life, it's part of the Fallen world that we live in until Christ returns. And you until then death isn't the only devastating effect of send that we wrestle with. There are many, many other things, that ugly realities that send creates that, we have to wrestle with every day.

And it's important that when we do face those ugly realities that we take time to grieve. It's okay. If there are times where we feel angry, we feel confused by all the emotions that were feeling. We just don't understand it. But I hope that you see. Just how incredibly comforting. This short little verse can beat. That Jesus wept.

Because despite the amazing miracle that Christ knew he was about to perform.

He still was moved the plate. Another Theologian. Matthew Henry wrote Christ. Gave this proof of his Humanity in both senses of the word in that as a man, he could weep.

and as a merciful man, he would weep before he gave this proof of his divinity, so before Christ stepped up and called Lazarus out of that tomb, he's demonstrating how human he really was. That he did weep that he could weep that he would weep for the loss of a friend.

Charles Spurgeon would preach about the Practical significance of this when he said, If in my grief, I fled to Jesus and there was about him, a secret inability to sympathize and incapacity to admit me to his heart. A Jesus who never wept would never wipe away my tears.

That were grief. I could not bear. If he could not have fellowship with me and could not understand my woe.

But Jesus, did we? He does understand when we go through this. Jesus does know the pain of loss. He completely understandable. United sweet. See here. He weeps with those who weep, you know, it says he was deeply moved by seeing Mary and Martha and others weeping with them.

so, in your loss and your Despair and your confusion, and anger and broken this Know that Christ understands.

Know that Christ was moved deeply because of what he saw because of what he does understand. You know, I believe at that moment when crisis deeply moved because he is God because he does know all things. He sees all things you at that very moment, he just didn't experience the loss of his friend. I believe he experienced all of our losses for all time. Just like when he was on the cross, then he experienced the wait in the penalty, in the guilt and the shame of all of our sin for all time, I believe at this moment, he felt the loss of everyone. And that was what they moved him. So deeply that was what brought him to tears was feeling that pain.

but, you know, It's that should give us hope knowing that he understands it. I mean, think about the purity of those tears as he felt the overwhelming weight of loss that we all feel.

Know that when Christ wept he wasn't just weeping over the current pain.

but, That he was having he wasn't just focused on himself, he was thinking of all of us in the pain we would experience and how he wished. This didn't have to be a part of our reality, but it somehow all fits in God's plan. It's a part of it. He's weeping over the Just ugliness of sin and all the pain and suffering. It's brought to our world

You know, even better than the reality of his sympathy is the reality of his victory. cuz even though Christ was deeply moved there, he didn't just Simply weep. You know, he wasn't simply emotionally stirred. He did a lot more than just groan in pain and anguish about what he saw happening. when Christ's all the Carnage that sin and death causes in our world, he did something about it.

he stopped and Stepped up in a sense I guess you could say and he proved that he was the resurrection in the life. He proved it in a very literal Way by raising his friend Lazarus who had been 4 days, dead. By raising him. From Death To Life once again, proving that he was indeed. The son of God.

And as we go through the end of the Gospel of John will find out that it's very clear that, you know, this event happening him, raising Lazarus from the dead was a powerful preview of his own Resurrection. Of what was going to happen before long.

so this morning, as we remember, Those who we have lost in our own families, within our church family.

I pray that we'll remember. The Christ weeps with those who weep. I pray that that gives you hope it gives you encouragement that it gives you something to be thankful for knowing that you never mourn alone.

And I hope, you know that ultimately, the reason one of the reasons Christ allowed himself to be sacrificed on the cross was so that he could defeat sin that he could defeat the wages of sin is death.

You know, he traded his life so that we could have life that we could spend eternity with him and Heaven. Free sympathy goes so much beyond that.

Like I said, I believe he cried because she saw Mary and Martha who were friends crying, he cried because he Had lost his friend and he knew what his friend had to go through. As he died in face death.

But the reality is the compassion didn't stop there. It didn't even stop with him. Raising Lazarus from the dead and returning him back to his family. Cuz that's we see when Christ was crucified on the cross. He cried out. Against sin against death and said that it is finished.

So he endured the wrath of God. Death and sin, all those things for you. And for me

Yeah, it's a very difficult thing that we go through.

And I've sat with a lot of you in here as a loved one has passed away, and it's always a difficult thing.

And I hope as I've sat with some of you You don't feel like I'm a calloused person because I often won't cry.

I remember sitting with Joyce Nussbaum, shortly before she passed and she asked me, why I was smiling.

cuz here's my thing, I believe so strongly, so fully that we will spend eternity with Christ that when I know that person that I'm sitting with has a relationship with Christ.

Sometimes it's hard for me, not to crack a smile.

Let me explain that because as they pass from this world to the next World member, we as Christians go from Life To Life.

As Christians, we don't really experience. Death the same anymore. Ever since Christ died on the cross. Basically, you close your eyes. Hear you? Open your eyes there? You know, you take your last breath. Here is followed by your first breath in heaven. And that is the source of. where the smile comes from with me if I crack a little smile, or if I'm not weeping because so often I'm celebrating with that person because their pain and anguish is over. They are no longer suffering, they are having to deal with all the things we deal with in these Fallen mortal bodies that were trapped in here. Temporarily They are now getting to experience eternity with Christ in heaven.

And honestly I couldn't be happier for them. I know it's hard. Don't like it. but it's part of what we face, but if our hope is truly in Christ, it should be different for us. We should approach it differently. We should understand it differently. Doesn't make it any easier.

Because grief is hard and you know, who grief is, one of those things. Like, I've said that numerous times, none of us want to deal with. It's a journey. None of us want to take but it's a reality.

The part of my prayer in sharing this verse is that I hope you know that that is not a road. You have to walk alone, you never have to be alone in your grief. Number one Christ knows it, and he understands it He understands pet it stinks, it doesn't feel Fair, it's all these things. He knows that reality firsthand.

but also, you don't have to walk that road alone because you have a church family who will walk through that with you, many others who have experienced that same grief, that same loss.

But we're not mind readers. I don't know where you are with that and if you're struggling with grief over any sort of loss, You know, that's something you need to share with your church family. You need to feel like you can. You know, as we can help each other through the grief process. Help us to handle it in a healthy way.

You know, it's not wrong if you need to go to a counselor to talk through your grief.

It doesn't show that you're weak, it just shows that you're trying to process it in a healthy way that you're trying to understand it. Cuz it is a tough thing to understand. you know, none of us have experienced what Mary and Martha did of having a loved one, come back from the dead, so that we can You know, I understand what all that's like that hasn't happened. you know, we weren't the disciples who saw Christ return

I doubt for them, it was as much of a struggle. They understood what was possible, because they saw it with their own eyes, but for all of us It can be a challenge. It's not a challenge. We have to face alone.

And as we come to the communion table this morning, that's something I want us to bear in mind.

You know, Christ willingly went to the cross.

Because he was sent by the father to defeat sin and death once and for all.

But you know, a big part of why he came to Earth, then why he lived here as a human being and he experienced all the good and the bad things of Being Human. Was so that he could fully grasp. What was going on so that he could fully understand the pain that we go through.

So it's my prayer that has we come to the communion table this morning that we can all Focus. And think about the reality that Christ has defeated sin and death.

You know, remember those that we have all lost in our families and know that they are in a better place?

and to know that we don't have to walk through grief alone, So, if you're struggling with grave for losses, you come, you know, my prayer is give that to God and she go back to your seats, as you hold the elements, ask him to help you with your grief with your loss. You know, sometimes that grief and loss isn't just over the death of someone. We know, it can be grief and loss over a friendship that is no more. It can be grief and loss over a job that we had and we have no more. There are many things that fall into that category.

but know that you can give those things to Christ and that he understands

So this morning and if Julia will come up and help me as you come to the communion table and take the elements, please do you like we always do and take them back with you and then we will take the elements together.

Jesus Took the bread, broke the bread and said, take eat. This is my body broken for you.

He then took the cup bless the cup and said, drink of this. All of you for this is the blood of the New Covenant.

Do this in remembrance of me.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for

your Divine wisdom in Lord, how you showed your compassion in your mercy and sending your son to Experience everything. We experience as human beings are to even grief.

Lord I pray that in our grief that we would not allow it to overcome a slower but that we would be able to focus. On you and on your son and Lord the fact that he has defeated sin and death forever. In Lord, even though we have experienced loss. Our daughter, loved one has gained everything.

But I pray that you will Comfort us with that and word that you will use it to guide us and lead us nor that it may be our motivation. Delete others to know you. And that we would strive to know you more deeply. You pray this all in your most, holy name. Amen.