Why did Jesus Weep?

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “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 tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.” -John 11:33-38

I have seen countless social media posts about the story of Lazarus in John 11. Specifically, why does Jesus weep in verse 35? You typically hear one of two interpretations.

One, he was mourning over Lazarus. This makes no sense to me. When you read verses 1-6 it’s plain that he purposely waited for Lazarus to die. As Jesus indicates, God and his son would be glorified through his death. As well as, so that they would believe through that glory. As indicated by verse 14. From his point of view, Lazarus wasn't really gone. 

Two, that he was grieving with Mary and Martha. This also makes no sense. If he had decided right then to bring him back, it would. However, as we already established Lazarus’ fate was already decided. Why waste time mourning with them when he was about to take away the reason for their sadness? We must look closer and probe beyond the misleading details to realize he was weeping for them, and not with them.

Some translations may have a heading like 'Jesus comforts the sisters of Lazarus.' This is not part of the original text and helped perpetuate this misunderstanding I am about to reveal.

The story also documents a few witness reactions. When this happens in the gospels, it often highlights their misunderstanding of the situation. This scene is no different. They are not an accurate gauge of what is really going on. It's a testament to how thick-headed the people were, and still are. 

However, there is one definitive detail here that clarifies everything. Notice the phrase ‘deeply moved’ is used twice above. This often leads us to assume empathy on the part of Jesus. However, the original Greek tells a very different story. The word in both cases is embrimaomai, and the deep movement it expresses is one of indignation, not sympathy. It means to snort in anger, to sternly warn, or to groan. Some older translations are far less vague by using the word 'groan.' The Message paraphrase is actually the most literal by saying “a deep anger welled up in him.” Not that I am trying to portray Jesus as completely without empathy. Rather say it's kinder to correct people for their obvious errors, instead of patronizing them only to enable them to repeat their mistakes.

Knowing this we can see that Jesus wept because, in his eyes, they were showing a lack of faith. Proving they did not understand what the messiah was capable of, or what that truly meant for his followers. I dare say we still don’t understand, and he still weeps over us because of our weak faith, and pathetic understanding.

This begs the question, Why? Poor translations aside, there is an apparent desire to water down his actual intent of correction. This may be a sign we love and cherish our mortal lives too much. We are not acting as if we truly believe it’s a mere drop in the ocean of eternity. That we are more concerned with our comfort, and short-term emotional distress than our long-term spiritual well-being. We want a God who takes trials and tribulations away so we don’t have to face them, instead of strengthening us by guiding us through them.

For example, God could have guided the Israelites around the Red Sea, it was a shorter path. (Exodus 13:17) He could have made the Red Sea disappear, but he chose to guide them through it instead. He could have parted it the moment the Hebrews got to the shore. Yet he waited until the Egyptians caught up to them. Yet by doing it the way he did, God's power is revealed. Also, the pharaoh would never be able to make trouble for them again. Deep down we want to be God’s spoiled children, not his victorious heirs. We want just enough faith to get by in the wilderness, not take hold of the promised land. We don't want to endure our hope, faith, and trust being tested for a second. We want to remain spiritually immature so we don’t have to take on the responsibilities of fully adult heirs of the kingdom who are set apart for a purpose. Yet we wonder why our virtual pharaoh keeps returning to haunt us.

This poor attitude definitely shows in the present-day church. What will you do about the fact Jesus may still be weeping over your lack of progress in your spiritual journey?

The Visual PARABLEist

 Jesus wept at the triumphal entry as well and for the same reason. Few talk about this passage though.

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he WEPT over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” -Luke 19:41-42