He Wept

Why did Jesus weep? There have probably been hundreds if not thousands of sermons on those words in the Bible. Did Jesus weep because his friend, Lazarus, had died? Perhaps he wept because he saw the grieving sisters, Mary and Martha, and the humanity in Jesus grieved with and for His friends. I don't know, but I was praying about it recently and began wondering about a couple of other possibilties.

Jesus knew Lazarus would die. That's what He told His disciples. He also knew that Lazarus would be raised from the dead for the glory of God. That's what He told them. That's one possibility for His tears. He may have wept - for their lack of faith. They had seen Him give life to the only son of a woman He had apparently never spoken to. He saw her grief and gave her son back to her alive. They were there when the Centurion said, "Just speak the word, and my daughter will live." So many lives transformed and in some cases given back to family and friends. How it must have grieved Him that they wept - it showed their lack of faith. Even had Lazarus not been raised from the dead, Jesus had been teaching that He was going to die and three days later be raised from the dead and through His death and resurrection secure salvation and eternal life for everyone - even Lazarus.

Which brings me to my second consideration. Could this have been a dress rehearsal to what would happen to Jesus? Lazarus was a good man. God could have prevented his death in the first place. Jesus was a good man and prayed, "Father, if there is any other way; but Your will be done." People were grieving at Lazarus's death and doubting God's power to give him life again. The apostles who had seen miracle after miracle were grieving at Jesus's death and doubting His words concerning His resurrection. Ironic, isn't it? Even after all Jesus had done and said, even after raising Lazarus from the dead, there was "doubting" Thomas (or Sam, Mary, Linda, Sureka, Evelyn.....)

It may not be the first question I ask when I see Jesus, "Why did you weep?" but I hope I'll know the answer. One answer I know for certain is that when Jesus asked the Father if there was another way to eternal life other than Jesus dying, the answer was a definite, "No!" No, Linda, you can't do enough good deeds to pay for all the times you have insulted the God who loves you. No, Jim, you can't rely on your wife's Christian walk and faith with Jesus to inherit God's grace and mercy. Only Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, could be the scapegoat for every sin ever committed. Why? God is perfect! The One who "took the bullet" for us had to be perfect, and He was, is, and always will be. What stands in between you and God? It is Jesus on the cross, arms stretched wide crying, "Forgive them, Father. They don't know what they are doing." His blood fell right in the dirt where the soldiers who nailed Him to the cross bickered over His clothing. At any moment all they had to do was "believe in their hearts that Jesus was was willing to be their Lord and confess to others that God would and did raise Jesus from the dead", and they would be safe forever in those outstretched arms.

Jesus is my King, Savior, and Lord. I'm not perfect, but it's the desire of my heart to serve Him and to grow more obedient daily -  because I love Him, but He loved me first. What a loving God! That's all He asks. Oh, what about your sins? He washes you white as snow and will lead you out of the sin mess you may be in right now. Why did Jesus weep? Maybe it was because with all He did and with all He promises, some still turn away to play in the dirt.