John 11:32-35
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
This is one of the places in the Bible where we wish we could hear the tone of voice and see the expressions on the face. This could have been a noble statement of faith, saying that if Jesus was there, they have no doubt at all that He would have healed Lazarus. On the other hand, it could also be seen as a criticism of what seemed to be the tardiness of Jesus. Far too often, it’s easier to choose doubt over faith. Our fear can take over and we forget that Jesus ALWAYS has our best interest at heart, as well as the building of His Kingdom.
“…he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”
When was the last time you felt deeply heartbroken? Sometimes it comes from the loss of a loved one, or as a result of really difficult life circumstance. Perhaps it is that deep pain and groaning and brokenness of a great sin in your life. Maybe it’s a betrayal or a broken relationship or a wayward child. Imagine for a moment that you are alone and in anguish when Jesus arrives…and He feels for you deeply. He grieves with you over the loss of your loved one. He understands and has compassion on your feelings of guilt and anxiety over the great sin in your life he already knows about…and he wants to see you free of it. He identifies with the betrayal you have experienced and weeps with you over the pain it has caused. That is the compassionate and understanding Jesus that met Martha and Mary that day.
Indignant.
As we see in verses 33 & 38, Jesus experienced another feeling. In the ancient Greek, this phrase—greatly troubled— literally means, to snort like a horse, implying anger and indignation. “It means that Jesus wasn’t so much sad at the scene surrounding the tomb of Lazarus. It’s more accurate to say that Jesus was angry. Jesus was angry and troubled at the destruction and power of the great enemy of humanity: death” (David Guzik). To our Lord, death is not just another sad fact of life…it is an enemy of it. Once again, Jesus’ compassion for the human race is on display, as the full force of the death of a loved one swirled around him. So much pain. So much despondency. So much loss. It was not meant to be so, but man’s sin unleashed the darkness of death and it made Jesus angry. He was not angry at us, per se, but at the terrible cost(s) our sin could wrought in our lives and in the world. Death was his enemy, but Praise God he holds the keys to its very existence.
Finally, the shortest verse in the Bible—Jesus wept. British theologian John Clarke noted that, “Jesus had humanity in its perfection, and humanity unadulterated is generous and sympathetic.” That is the Jesus we worship. That is the Jesus we cling to. That is the Jesus who meets you in the darkest corners of your life…and weeps with you.
