John 11 - Jesus Weeps for His Friend Lazarus!

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32 When Mary reached 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.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

This is the famous passage where Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus was friends with both of Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha.  Mary was the one who anointed Jesus with the expensive perfume, and earlier they had both hosted Jesus and his disciples at their home.  When see how strong a relationship Jesus has with them when they both meet Jesus and says, "Lord if you had been here he would not have died!:  Little did they know that Jesus would call their brother out of the tomb and raise him from the dead.  The greatest sign that He was the Son of God.  

But what I love about the passage is Jesus' compassion and his depth of love for his friends.  When he sees Mary weeping he is moved to tears. The shortest verse in all of the bible simply says, "Jesus wept".  If you ever doubted whether Jesus was human, this passage clearly shows it.  Although he has knowledge of the glory that will be revealed when he raises Lazarus from the dead, in the moment he only feels the pain and great sadness of his friends. 

If you ever wonder where God is when someone is suffering, Jesus shows us today how God would respond.  What makes Christianity different than any other religion is a God who stepped out of heaven and weaps with those who weep.  Most gods are only revered for their power, but our God is a God of deep compassion and mercy.  He cries when we cry.  He knows our pain and experienced it on the cross when he gave up His only Son.

If you are in pain today or have been recently, I hope you can take solace in the fact that Jesus feels deeply for you and is there for you.  If you know of someone who is in deep grief or in a lot of pain, we are called to care for them as Jesus did.  God shows his mercy and compassion through his people as they care for each other.   No one should ever bear their burdens alone.  When we show up Jesus shows up with us in the power of the Holy Spirit!   Or in our society for me to cry can be seen as a sign of weakness, but Jesus shows us what a true man looks like.