Q4. Jesus Wept

[Pastor Ralph]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?

[JanMary]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently.Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did He weep?

Jesus created life! We were meant to live forever!  But "the fall" of Adam made death necessary to release us from eternity in our fallen, sinful state. My opinion is that Jesus wept in grief with his dear friends over the loss of their Lazarus as He experienced what we feel when a loved one dies. (In everything our Shepherd has gone before us, and in every way was tempted and tested as we are.)

 

We weep for others we may not even know well, who suffer grief and loss, because we have His heart rather than one of stone.

 

Death leaves us in such shock that words fail to bring comfort or solace. Jesus was so gentle and tender that He could not help but be moved by their grief, even though He knew His Father was leading Him to raise Lazarus from the dead momentarily. (We are told with the gift of Mercy, to weep with those who weep."  He is the Person of Mercy. How could He not be moved by their broken hearts?)

 

Death is such a shattering time of loss and separation from loved ones. Many people feel anger toward God when a loved one dies. Jesus may have felt the unjust sting of that emotion as they blamed Him for not coming sooner...even through His Father led Him to stay where He was so that the miracle could take place demonstrating that Jesus is the Resurrection over even the corruption and decay of the grave. I think in part Jesus wept over that natural place of misunderstanding of His great love for us, knowing that it may take years for the bereaved to release the anger at God and to come to a place of acceptance and trust in Him.

[SoiKosum]

(John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep? 

 

Several possibilities have been suggested.

1. That Jesus is angry because a miracle was being forced on him by the grief of the sisters,[192] but Jesus had already stated his intention to perform a miracle in verse 11.

2. That Jesus is angry at the hypocritical mourning of the Jews, but there's no evidence here to support this.[193]

3. That Jesus is angry with himself for not coming sooner, but this can't be so in light of verses 47.

4. That Jesus is angry with the sin, sickness, and death that bring so much sorrow. This is possible, but lacks strong evidence.

5. That Jesus is angry at the unbelief he sees around him (as at Jairus' home, Mark 5:3940). Despair, "like the rest of men, who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13), can't be

reconciled with faith in the resurrection.

 

There is a lot of evidence that Jesus is angry at the unbelief of his followers and the unbelief of the Jewish people in general. Jesus is not weeping (or angry) at because He misses Lazarus. Rather, Jesus was weeping at the unbelief He sees around Him.

 

 

 

[blezed]

(John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?

• I think Jesus was "deeply moved" from not only seeing Mary weeping over Lazarus's death but also her unbelief.  Jesus may have wept because he emphasized with their sorrow or he may have been troubled at their unbelief.  Jesus showed that he cares enough for us to weep with us.
   

 

[Jen]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?

 

I wonder more how Jesus could not be deeply moved.  He is a God of compassion and He understands all to well our sorry state that we brought upon ourselves by disobeying Him in the garden.  Jesus was heart moved in this. He understood all too well the emotional agony and pain in death.  He understood the aloneness we are each under.  He understood the comfort of our loved ones who weep with us and so He was deeply moved because He understood and felt far more than we.  Why do we question Jesus being deeply moved?  We are the hard rocks of ice who need to have our hearts softened.  I question more why are we moved and why do we weep?  Maybe there is more to us than we care to admit deep down in some untouched recess of our heart there is still some part that has not been hardened by life and things, and what are the neighbors going to think.

I am glad Jesus wept.  For those who think it is sissyish to weep, Jesus who has all power, wept.  For those who accuse Him of not caring or say "where was He in this", He has more compassion than any of us and if we want to resemble our Savior we will weep also.  Do we read the headline news and weep?  If we don't I  wonder about us.

Please God save us from what we can or are becoming.

God Bless!

Jen

John 11:35

[haar]

Q4. (John 11:32-38)

Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved"?

Jesus was deeply moved I think, because of the grief and sorrow he saw from his friends and the other people brought about by sin and death..

Why did he weep?

He wept because of the unbelief of the Jews.

[Clarence]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?

 

This passage is evidence of Jesus complete humanity (he was also completely God). He was deeply disturbed and troubled (v33) and he cried (v35). Another place in the bible that expresses Jesus' humanity is in John 4, tired from his journey, when he stopped at the well (4:6).

 

In my opinion Jesus would have a mix of emotions when he arrived in Bethany. He may have been angry and in despair at the people's unbelief. In addition, he was probably deeply sadened because his close friend had died (even though he obviously knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead) he must have experienced the emotion of deep grief and mourning at losing a friend.

Perhaps one of his emotions also would have been similar to when He saw the crowds and had compassion on them (Matt 9:36).

[pickledilly]

This is the first time I’ve studied the Greek words embrimaomai and tarassō in vs.33, and my goodness, how that entirely changes the interpretation!  It’s always been taught to me that this was a tender moment of Jesus’ love and compassion for His friends where God demonstrated how He is deeply moved by our sorrow.  But when we apply the actual definitions and accurate tone of these words, it is obvious now that Jesus wept because of His profound sorrow over the unbelief and lack of faith that He observed all around Him.

 

In contrast to Martha’s resolute statement of faith in the face of her sadness (vs.21,22,24,27; even though she didn’t yet understand), Jesus was now dealing with Mary and the mourners who were loudly wailing and weeping with unreserved despairing grief, thinking only of their loss.  Their response was symptomatic of the generalized lack of belief and refusal to see the truth among God’s chosen people that He had come to save.  He was indignant and even angered at their blinded hardened hearts, perhaps even more toward the religious leaders who were misleading and oppressing the people from truth than toward the people themselves.  He was so intensely emotionally agitated and deeply disturbed in His spirit that it made Him physically wince and shudder at their complete ignorance of Yahweh’s power at work in their midst and promises being fulfilled before their eyes. 

 

Before ever leaving for Bethany, Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from physical death in order bear witness to Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, and even told the disciples (vs.4,11,14,25,40).  So He had absolutely no reason to personally grieve over Lazarus.  And in light of accurate understanding of the text, I no longer believe that He was overcome with a personal sense of grief for the sorrow of Mary.

 

Yes, Jesus wept over the grieving Mary – and the rest of His chosen. He certainly has a tender heart toward us in our times of mourning.  But this was not out of a mere sympathetic sadness in the death of Lazarus.  Just like that moment when He would soon arrive in Jerusalem the final time before His death, He wept (Luke 19:41-44) with a broken-hearted, gut-wrenching grief over His people’s unseeing unbelief and rejection of Yahweh’s plan and promises, and their blindness to the time of their “visitation” (Greek word episkopé, meaning visitation of judgment and oversight) when God the Son came as their overseer to inspect their hearts and search their souls.  What He found there is what moved Him to tears of lament.

[Delivered]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved" and why did he weep?

What a joy it must have been for Jesus when he was greeted by Martha and he saw her great “FAITH”!

 

Jesus then asked to see Mary, it was after Jesus met with Mary and he saw she and the Jews with her were weeping because Lazarus had died and he was in the grave, that Jesus “groaned” in his spirit, (groaned means indignation) that he was offended.

 

Mary was weeping because she was mourning the death of her brother, whom Jesus loved, to be in mourning was a sign that Mary had given up all hope, she came to grips with the fact her brother was dead, there was also a spirit of unbelief that filled the air as insulting words were spoken “Could not this man who opened blind eyes, have caused that this man should not have died”? --That Jesus became troubled and disturbed.

 

I believe the reason Jesus ”WEPT” was because of “UNBLIEF”!

 

I too weep because the voice of unbelief seems to fill the air of America, She who once held dear God’s “Commandments”.

[lighthouse2014]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?

I believe Jesus was deeply moved by the situation of Lazarus death because Martha and Mary show great sorrow over the lose of their brother, I don't believe it was anger. Perhaps a feeling of the disbelief that showed by the loved ones and the mourners. They knew Jesus could have healed Lazarus while he was alive. Now there was belief that there would be a resurrection at the end of time, but to be raised from the dead now? Who could fathom this now in a time of sorrow and it had been four since his death.

Jesus weep because he saw the true love mary and Martha had for their brother, plus Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus. He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead now to show the glory of God and prove he was "the Son of God". As in a funeral today to be around the loving survivors of a deceased one and the crying in sorrow, Jesus weep also, feeling the sorrow of the others himself having loved Lazarus, he wept with the rest of the crowd.    

[hanks]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) 

Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently. 

Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved"? 

Why did He weep?

Jesus was deeply moved when He witnessed the terrible effects of sin on the human race. 

He grieves because of the darkness which blinds the people to the truth, and the fact that they cannot recognize Him for who He truly is. 

He weeps for all the lost souls. 

By weeping Jesus showed us evidence of His true humanity.

 

[RebeccaMallinson]

I find Pastor Ralph’s interpretation interesting food for thought.  I have always thought before now that he wept out of compassion for his bereaved friends Mary and Martha because, as we all know, God has compassion on those who suffer.  I don’t know which interpretation is correct.

[quilter]

In this verse we see that Jesus has many emotions 

. Jesus wept because he loved them as he loves us. Don't be afraid to hide any emotions from Him He already knows our sorrow and cares enough to weep with us.

[royk]

 If Jesus weeps over the unbelief of Mary, who sits at his feet and later anoints him with perfume, does he also weep over your unbelief and mine? Does my unbelief move him to tears of grief?[199]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved"? Why did he weep?
 

 

God loves us more than we can understand. It is a challenge to meditate and respond to this question of introspection. For this reason I feel He wept both about the anguish that death brings to those who lose a loved one, who remain behind in the living world of sin. Crying for a dead christian by a christian is itself a test of faith, and selfishness: "Oh what love I have lost". Even if that person is in heaven, the survivor might have been in denial, or praying 'til the last seconds of the persons life." Its all hard to say, but since my father in law recently died, I saw all the different prayerful reactions.

 

But He was also saddened by the unbelief, even though He knew deeply what was in their hearts, HE knew they didn't expect Him to raise Lazarus who was 4 days dead. What power and glory does God have to be praised, for the life He give us and the example of Jesus here in full power and glory over the world, and so called natural things which God also controls via the supernatural.

 

And all this about death is perhaps designed by God to create a hole in our hearts that only HE can fill. Bring us closer to HIM is good, even in pain, it is good for our spiritual growth to better serve Him in the remaining time He give us here on earth.

[grace2free]

Q4. (John 11:32-38)

Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”?

Jesus was deeply moved because he was affected by grief. God level himself unto us as a man. Being a man our feelings can be hurt and we can become emotional. As a man we will have a time to grief - Eccl. 3

 

Why did he weep?

It shows the Lord Jesus as a friend, a tender friend, and evinces his character as a man. And from this we learn,

 

1st. That the most tender personal friendship is not inconsistent with the most pure religion. Piety binds stronger the ties of friendship, makes more tender the emotions of love, and seals and sanctifies the affections of friends.

 

2nd. It is right, it is natural, it is indispensable for the Christian to sympathize with others in their afflictions. Romans 12:15: "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

 

3rd. Sorrow at the death of friends is not improper. It is right to weep. It is the expression of nature, and religion does not forbid or condemn it. All that religion does in the case is to temper and chasten our grief; to teach us to mourn with submission to God; to weep without murmuring, and to seek to banish tears, not by hardening the heart or forgetting the friend, but by bringing the soul, made tender by grief, to receive the sweet influences of religion, and to find calmness and peace in the God of all consolation.

 

4th. We have here an instance of the tenderness of the character of Jesus. The same Saviour wept over Jerusalem, and felt deeply for poor dying sinners. To the same tender and compassionate Saviour Christians may now come (Hebrews 4:15); and to him the penitent sinner may also come, knowing that he will not cast him away.

 

[Stanley Tavaziva]

 (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved"? Why did he weep?

 

When Jesus saw the weeping and wailing, he too wept openly. Perhaps he empathized with their grief, or perhaps he was troubled at their unbelief. In either case, Jesus showed that he cares enough for us to weep with us in our sorrow. That is why He weeped as well too.

[JoanG]

Lazarus and his sisters meant a lot to Jesus. They were close friends. He was upset because his friend died. Even though he knew what the Father had in mind, he was also human and had normal emotions.

[Joe_Applegarth]

Why was Jesus "deeply moved"?  Although I believe that they were correct in interpreting Jesus’ sorrow as evidence that He loved Lazarus (He did love him), they were wrong in their belief that His tears signified the same grief that they were feeling over his death.  I interpret this passage as, rather than being mournful over Lazarus’ death, Jesus was agitated or disturbed with the mourners who were wailing, weeping and generally acting like faithless hypocrites.  Jesus understands that sin is the fundamental cause of suffering & death and His heart was filled with sorrow and remorse not only for their actions but by the sinful state of the world (then and now). 

 

Why did he weep?  He wasn’t weeping out of His love for Lazarus at all.  Jesus was 100% human as well as being 100% God.  As a man, He had exactly the same human feelings and emotions that we all have but as God, He has 100% mastery over His emotions.  He already knew that it was His Father’s will that He should raise Lazarus from his “sleep” so mourning and/or weeping over him would have been counter-productive.  Jesus was weeping because of the sorrow that He felt for all mankind over our sin, self-indulgence and lack of faith in Him.  I believe His tears were shed because, in his humanity, He could sense the despair they we feel because of our sinful natures and lack of faith.  Rather than mourning Lazarus (whom He would raise), He was weeping for those who are dead to Him because of our sinful nature.

[RuthRW]

Up till now I believed that Jesus wept because His heart was touched with compassion for Mary. But if the word embrimaomai means indignant or angered I see this passage in a new light. 

It does make me sit up and I do wonder how much do I grieve Jesus when I give in to fear and unbelief, often so easily. 

 

[Old Jerry]

I think that Jesus was “deeply moved” because of the unbelief of the people that were around him. He wept because he couldn’t get them to believe him.

[Godswriter]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus’ emotions on this occasion differently. Why do you think Jesus was “deeply moved”? Why did he weep?  He was deeply moved because they as in the observers were in a state of disbelief and did not believe Jesus cared for Mary, Martha or Lazarus at all. They had forgotten about all of His past miracles and basically dismissed them. They thought He was nothing more than a prophet. He wept because of their disbelief and lack of faith. 

[Jonathan Edwards]

Christ was troubled -an anger -due to the sight of the curse-the bereavement and sorrow-that broke up the comforts of families.  This called for Divine resistance and vengeance to destroy the works of the devil.  Christ couldn't be an indifferent spectator.   The sight of Lazurus in the grave was the work of the devil.  Christ indeed groaned; Christ is a Priest "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Christ faced a conflict with Satan, the power of death (Hebrews 2:14).  The Greek word is 'embrimaomai'---denoting deep anger, moved with indignation.

Christ wept because he was deeply sympathetic towards his friends.  Christ's enemies were deeply impressed by his love and compassion (John 11:33,36; Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 2:16-18;4:15). Also Christ foreknew the future ravages of sin and death, and the sorrowful rejection by his own people which would lead to the destruction of  the nation (John 11:46-54; Matthew 23:37-39).

 

 

[Irmela]

Q4. (John 11:32-38) Different writers interpret Jesus' emotions on this occasion differently.

Why do you think Jesus was "deeply moved"? Why did He weep?

I was always under the impression that it was because of compassion that He was moved and wept for them, for their pain, for their heartache.  He was also disturbed because of the others present who were supposed to be of help to the sisters, but who were actually disturbingly more of a way of bringing more doubt and unbelief into the situation.