Which Bible Verses Record Jesus Weeping?
This is a simple question that could be dealt with quickly. In the accounts of Jesus’ life, portrayed in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus wept on only two occasions. The is first described in Luke 19:41 where scripture tells us that “when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.” The second example of Jesus weeping, John 11:35 we view the shortest verse in the bible: “Jesus wept.” The fact that we encounter Jesus weeping in the gospels shouldn’t be a surprise. The Old Testament book of Isaiah, speaks of the coming Messiah and describes him as, “a man of sorrows” (Isa 53:3).
Skipping ahead to the New Testament, as Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, hours before he would go to his death on the cross despite his perfect life, he was “sorrowful and troubled” (Matt 26:36). Out of this sorrow, he prayed to God the Father. Sorrow, sadness, grief, and tears, were what Jesus experienced. At this point, I can say with confidence that the simple question has been answered.
However, to leave our discussion at that would be a disservice to the layers of the original question. Yes, we have these two descriptions of Jesus’ tears, not silent tears indeed, but what brought about this weeping? What were the context and situations that precipitated Jesus to be overcome with weeping? And how should these occasions orient our behavior regarding our emotional responses? In answering these questions, I’ll spend time focusing on each of the two passages and then make some general conclusions derived from them.
The First Occasion of Jesus’ Weeping: John 11
We’ll start with the book of John, chapter 11. The situation described here is Jesus coming to the tomb of his friend Lazarus shortly after Lazarus’ death. The chapter begins with the ominous detail that word has come to Jesus from the sisters Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus is ill.
The Nature of the Illness is Irrelevant
The Gospel does not tell us what kind of illness has overcome this man, simply that he is sick, and they are asking Jesus to come. At this point in the gospel accounts, Jesus has previously healed the sick, restored the ill, and performed several miraculous works. Thus, the reader would expect Jesus to head straight to Lazarus’ house and heal him. Or, if unable to get to him in time, to heal him from a distance as he had done on other occasions. However, that’s not what occurs.
Scripture tells us that instead of heading straight to Lazarus’ town or expressing any kind of urgency regarding Lazarus’ situation, Jesus said, “This illness does not lead to death.” It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4). And then John includes this description, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (John 11:5-6).
Jesus Arrives “Too Late?”
I would not blame you if after reading these two verses you concluded that they don’t make sense. Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and because of his love for them, he delayed his trip to them. That doesn’t seem right. You would expect love to motivate Jesus to move quickly to Lazarus, wouldn’t you? Hold that thought, very soon we will see Jesus’ love demonstrated.
So, Jesus delayed and during his delay, Lazarus died. Verse 14 reports that Jesus, though not told, knew of the death of Lazarus. Later, verse 17 confirms the claim of Lazarus’ death, where we read, “Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.” Having entered the town and getting news of Lazarus’ death, Jesus, the Son of God, says he is the “resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
For all those who believe in him and trust him for salvation, although death will come to them, there will be eternal life through Jesus (John 11:25-26). Jesus spoke these words about resurrection to Martha. To Mary, however, Jesus had a different response. Martha, who seemed to have a more intellectual approach to Jesus, received an intellectual and theological response.
Jesus Reveals His Emotional State and Acts On It
John 11:33 says: “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.” Read that again and see the beauty of that statement: “he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” Jesus responded to the grief of his friends and their tears of sorrow. He was deeply moved.
If you were to keep reading John 11, you’ll see that Jesus will approach the tomb of Lazarus, he will call from outside the grave of Lazarus for his friend to come out, and thus, will raise him from the dead. Think about this: Jesus knew that Lazarus would live. Yet even though he knew how it would end, Jesus didn’t tell his friends not to feel, he didn’t encourage them to wipe away their tears, and he didn’t chastise them for their grief, instead, he empathized with their sadness.
Abraham, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How Troubling Were Jesus’ Thoughts of His Friend Dying?
Though there is beautiful comfort in the description of Jesus’ emotional response, a question arises. Those words, “deeply moved” and “greatly troubled” are difficult to translate from the original Greek. These words indicate sadness and suggest anger, outrage, and emotional resentment. Jesus’ response to the death of his friend isn’t only grief, it’s also emotional turmoil.
Even God Dismayed
As Nicholas Wolterstorff said, “God is appalled by death.” Death, even death that will eventually lead to resurrection, is not a part of God’s “very good”(Gen 1:31) creation. And so, Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb, moved in his spirit, greatly troubled by the death of Lazarus and the grief of his friends. We are told “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). As I mentioned before, Jesus knew death wasn’t the end of Lazarus’ story; he was sure that Lazarus would live. Yet, even with that knowledge Jesus still shed tears.
The Second Occasion of Jesus’ Weeping: Luke 19
Where Did Jesus Weep?
While Luke 19 is like John 11, describing an occasion where Jesus weeps, the context and reason for the weeping differs. In the verses immediately preceding Jesus’ weeping, Luke 19:28-40 describe the account of the Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Photo by Stacey Franco on Unsplash
When Jesus Wept
This is the beginning of what we refer to as “holy week” – when Jesus, having left the Mount of Olives, rode into the city of Jerusalem on a colt to the cheers of the crowd: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Upon hearing the praise of the crowd, the Pharisees called for Jesus to rebuke his disciples, but Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40).
In other words, the praise that Jesus received on that day was completely appropriate for who he was. He is the Lord, the King, the Son of God, the one who brings the peace of heaven, and thus, is deserving of praise and worship. The Lord Jesus Christ was deserving of this worship, so much so that if his disciples or the crowds wouldn’t praise him, then the creation would.
How Jesus Wept
After this event, we read in v. 41, “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it…” Thus, instead of weeping because of the death of a friend or the grief that ensued, he now weeps over the city of Jerusalem. Why?
Before answering the “why” question, let me note that when it says Jesus wept, the Greek word used here differs from the one used in John 11:33. As mentioned earlier, the word in John has a note of indignation. This word in Luke has the connotation of sobbing or wailing. This wasn’t a single tear dripping down his face, Jesus’ weeping over Jerusalem was visible and most likely loud. He sobbed with strong cries.
Now Let’s Turn to the Question of “Why?” Jesus Wept
To answer this question correctly, we must remember what Jerusalem represented. It wasn’t just any city, it was the city of God, the epicenter of Jewish religious life. The city represented the people of God and their relationship to him. Everyone understands that when in the Old Testament, foreign armies attacked and sacked Jerusalem, God’s judgment was coming upon his people. The city symbolized the state of God’s people. And the people had, and would, reject the Messiah.
Triumph and Rejection
Though Christ Jesus entered the city to the cheers of the crowd, many opposed his ways, sought to discredit his name, and would later call for his execution. The city no longer welcomed God, it was now the place where the king’s persecution would take place. Don’t misunderstand Jesus’ weeping to be over his coming death. He was weeping over what the city’s rejection of the Messiah meant for the people of God.
It meant that they were blind to God’s ways and turning from his promises. Verse 42 makes this explicit where Jesus says, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” This was contrasting the disciples celebrating the peace of heaven moments before with the city which is going to reject the one who brings peace.
The Reward for Rejecting Christ
Since the people of Jerusalem rejected the peace that God offered, there would be a judgment upon them. Rejecting God’s son was the ultimate cause of that judgment. Jesus speaks prophetically of this judgment when he says, “For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:43-44).
Just as Jerusalem had experienced violence from pagan nations and the punishment of exile in the past (Ps 137; Jer 6:6-21) they would now face destruction because they had rejected the King. Yet they were blind to the moment and rejected the one who fulfilled all those promises. Jesus’ earthly life brought to fruition all of the promises made, the hopes they clung to, and the prophecies they looked forward to.
It is because of this that Jesus wept.
Our Response vs. Jesus’ Response
Consider how we would respond to rejection and persecution. If you’re like me, and you probably are, your first response is to defend yourself, to speak ill against your enemies, and to want justice to come against them. However, Jesus’ response is to weep, not for himself, but for them. Pained by the rejection of the people who should have received him, he wept because instead of accepting his grace, living under his benevolent rule, and celebrating that the king of promise had come, the people steadfastly continued in their sinfull ways and pursued an autonomous way of living. Destruction would come upon them, and Jesus did not rejoice in that, he grieved it.
What Are the Implications of Jesus’ Weeping?
We first respond to Jesus’ weeping by making room in our understanding of Jesus as one who experienced the full range of human emotion. Our understanding of Christianity is shallow, our theology limited, and we cannot appropriate the humanity of Jesus in a biblical manner if we cannot conceive of a Jesus who weeps and grieves.
Second, if the Savior, the King of the universe wept over physical and spiritual death, then we should be weeping over the same things. Thus, Christians should not be those who have a “stiff upper lip” when men and women succumb to death, instead, we ought to mourn that the effects of sin continue. This mourning isn’t limited only to those occasions when the body is given over to disease or age, but when the soul experiences God’s judgment as well.
How Should We React?
Unfortunately, and sadly, Christians are often deserving of the reputation of being judgmental, self-righteous, and condemning people on some occasions. However, when engaging with those who have rejected Jesus’ name, the Christian response shouldn’t primarily be that of judgment but of weeping. Jesus spoke words of judgment over Jerusalem, those who had rejected him. However, he uttered those words while tears were still fresh on his cheeks. This means that his followers should be those who don’t proclaim wrathful phrases of condemnation with arrogance and anger but instead would be those who call people, in the name of the Lord, to repent as tears fill their eyes because of the realization of what will come if there isn’t repentance.
Weeping over death, the death that leads to the grave and the death that leads to eternal darkness is the very thing Jesus did.
Recommended Reading
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff
Rejoicing in Lament by J. Todd Billings
Embodied Hope by Kelly M. Kapic
