Jesus Wept

The shortest verse in the Bible says that, “Jesus wept,” in John 11:35.  What caused Jesus to weep in this situation?  In this particular verse Jesus wept because of the compassion He had for Mary and the other people that were with her because they were so sad about Lazarus’ death, he was Mary’s brother and Jesus’s friend.  Jesus didn’t have to weep over the death of Lazarus because He knew what He would do to glorify Himself and also His heavenly father.  Could Jesus have prevented this from happening?  Sure, He knew that Lazarus was sick and He could have gone to heal him before he died, but He chose not to.

Jesus never did anything on His own and He never got ahead of His heavenly Father’s will.  Jesus was always obedient to God, his Father, and waited on Him before He made any decisions.  Jesus’ weeping shows His humanity and His concern for all those He loves which includes the whole human race.  This was a situation that Jesus could solve and He did when He raised Lazarus from the dead.  Just think about the joy that took place because of what Jesus did.

We all may agree that Jesus can do all things, but there are some things that He won’t do and these things are still breaking His heart.  Two of them are; He won’t tolerate sin and He won’t take away our free will. 

There are many people standing at the crossroad today and they need to make a choice, some will make the wrong choice and some will make the right choice.  I believe it breaks Jesus’ heart when anyone makes the wrong choice.  If these people could see through spiritual eyes the suffering, pain and humiliation Jesus experienced while being prepared and then suffering on the cross for them, I think they would make the right choice.  This choice can only come through faith, not by sight, in the One that they are rejecting.  In 2 Peter 3:9 it says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (NLT)  I believe there is sadness in heaven over everyone that dies without putting their trust in Jesus.  I think rejecting Him is one of the easiest ways to cause Jesus to weep.  

We have this precious promise in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life.”  Also in John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (NKJV)  Jesus may have wept over many things that are not recorded in the Word but to reject Him after all He went through for our redemption has to be the one thing that makes Him the saddest.

If you feel the Lord drawing you today, I hope you will not reject the call. Don’t make Jesus weep because of your rejection of Him.  The Bible says in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”  (NKJV)  You will never be sorry if you receive Him as your Lord and Savior.  If you repent of your sins and ask the Lord to forgive you, instead of weeping, there will be rejoicing in Heaven, praise God.

The Lord helped me to write a song the other day about a party going on in heaven every time a sinner repents of his sin and receives Jesus.  I don’t think it will ever make the top ten charts but it was a real encouragement to me and I hope this tidbit is an encouragement to all who read it.  You have a great day and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!