Jesus wept

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:28-44

In the previous reading, Jesus was sent for by the sisters of Lazarus (Mary and Martha), telling Him that Lazarus, "the one whom You love," is sick. Jesus declared that this illness was not unto death, but for the glory of God -- and He delayed two days in setting off for Bethany. When He arrived, Martha met Him, and told Him that Lazarus had been in the grave already for four days. She said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." But Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" While Martha takes on the role of being responsible for hospitality (and met Jesus as He arrived in Bethany), Mary has been at home in the proper position for mourning, along with those who have come from Jerusalem to mourn. We can see the kindness and tenderness between these sisters and Jesus, and the emotional connection He bears to them and to Lazarus. Jesus, we remember, has intentionally delayed His trip, for the glorification of God, and the great significance of the sign or miracle that is to occur. But when He encounters His friend Mary, with her touching faith in Him, and the other mourners, He too, feels the sadness of death and their loss. My study bible says, "As true man Jesus shows by example that weeping in the natural human response to death. As true God He shows compassion upon His creation when the soul is torn from the body." We must also note here the presence of many witnesses in the persons of the mourners who've come from Jerusalem.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." As noted in the previous reading, there was a rabbinical opinion that for three days after death, the soul lingered about the body. But the fourth day emphasizes the spectacular nature of what is about to occur. My study bible also notes here that "a corpse that has by the fourth day begun to deteriorate is enough reason for Martha's warning. Embalming was prohibited in Judaism. The body was simply anointed with spices and other aromatic substances which would keep the stench of decomposition at bay for a time."

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." Once again, we see a great preoccupation with the witnesses to this miracle. We remember that they have come from Jerusalem, so they are connected to the temple -- and word will definitely come back to the leadership of what has taken place here. Jesus works for their faith, as we can see when He says to the Father that His words are for them, so that they may believe He is sent by the Father. My study bible says that Jesus always refers back to His complete dependence upon God -- and all, we read, is for the glorification of God, including Jesus' desire for the witnesses to see the glory of God in what takes place. And, we note, He reminds Martha of what He has said to her in the previous reading. The loud cry repeats a teaching from earlier in John's Gospel, that "the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth." My study bible also teaches the symbolism in Lazarus' graveclothes: he will still need them one day, as he will eventually die a natural death. This is in contrast to Jesus' graveclothes that will be found in His empty tomb, which He will never need again, as He is the resurrection and the life, and will not die again.

This seventh miracle or sign in John's Gospel is to be Jesus' most stupendous and astonishing -- and, we note, there are so many witnesses to it who are so closely connected to the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus' love for His friends is contrasted with His faith in what He will do. He has intentionally delayed so that Lazarus would be in the tomb for four days, and yet He also weeps with His friends when He sees their sadness. So, we see the touching nature of our very human Jesus as well -- the two natures combined so beautifully in one human being. He bears our weaknesses and sentiments as well as the glory for God which is manifest in Him. Let us think, then, about the times in our own lives when we call upon His stupendous, regenerative power. Are there times when you, too, need a new start? When you have come to a dead end and don't know how to get out? We turn for hope to our Lord for a very important reason, for He is the source of life, the regeneration and new birth we may always need and come to count on, the One to whom we can turn when no one else can help. We remember He has also borne our griefs and losses, and mourned with His friends. "Jesus wept" -- it is the shortest verse in the bible, and so powerful. He feels with us and for us. Let us remember His compassion and His love and mercy, and where our Life truly comes from when we need to call on all the resources there for us. May it all be for the glory of God in your own life as well.