The story of the raising of Lazarus illustrates Jesus’ anger and sorrow at death. John 11: 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.. 35 Then Jesus wept.[1]
The crowd surrounding the grieving sisters and Jesus assumed that Jesus was frustrated that He had not arrived in time to prevent Lazarus’ death. John 11:36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” 38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb.[2]
This is not true because John 11:14-15 tells us Jesus had purposely waited until Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.
Why Did Jesus Weep?
Jesus also knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead because He had earlier told His disciples so. John 11:4Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.[3]
Scripture does not explain why Jesus wept, but scholars have given several explanations.
- Jesus was weeping in sympathy with those who grieve over the loss of a loved one.
- He was weeping over sin, which corrupted life and caused death and despair.
- Jesus may have been weeping in anger over the people’s unbelief in the face of death.
- He may have been sad to bring Lazarus back to a sinful world from a perfect heaven.
Jesus’ tears also demonstrate His human side and empathy with us. Death is humanity’s ultimate enemy. At this point, the mourners were overcome with grief and didn’t realize that the One who is Life itself was in their midst.
We Don’t Grieve Without Hope
Jesus was only a few weeks away from His crucifixion. The raising of Lazarus foreshadowed Jesus’ resurrection. This miracle also infuriated the Jewish leadership because they felt the people would follow Jesus and not them. As a result, they plotted Jesus’ death. Little did they know that God would use this to bring salvation to the world.
Death is still a reality in this world, but it is only temporary for the believer in Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.[4]
This story demonstrates Jesus’anger and sorrow at death and prepares us for His solution for us as believers. Christ has overcome death on the cross, and we need to live in light of that fact. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/podpanel/episode/jesus-said-i-am-the-resurrection-and-the-life
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.