John 11:35 Jesus Wept.
All four of our children suffer from a non-contagious, chronic intestinal issue called SIBO. Watching each of them writhe and cry in pain without being able to help has been emotionally crushing for me as a mother these past 3 ½ years. I have wept more deeply and felt more helpless than any other time in my life. To keep their health from deteriorating, we have them on a strict diet, a complicated supplement routine, and a “contaminant-free” environment at home. At the worst of these times, my flesh has tempted me to believe several lies about God, such as, “Why is this happening to my little children? Doesn’t God care?” and “Did God forget about me? Is He enjoying watching my kids and I suffer? Why isn’t He doing anything?” These thoughts are a slippery slope of lies that can suck us in and handicap our faith.
This is where John 11:28-44 becomes a powerful weapon. It is the story of Lazarus. When he died and his sisters Mary and Martha were weeping, Mary told Jesus that if He’d only been there, her brother would not have died. Jesus was deeply moved in His Spirit, and then the passage says, “Jesus wept.” This is the shortest verse in the Bible, and yet it has monumental implications for us as Christians. God Himself weeps when we weep. Jesus had a plan in place: He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, bringing glory to God and proving His divinity in the process. Knowing all this, He could have simply raised Lazarus instead of taking the time to weep with the sisters. He would have been justified to say to the sisters, “No need to cry. I’m going to do a miracle and bring him back to life.” or “Why are you doubting my abilities? Your faith is so small!” Instead, the Creator of the whole world took the time to come alongside these two women, enter into their sorrow, and weep with them.
This has changed my whole perspective on life. My Savior wept with me all those nights when I couldn’t keep going and I doubted His goodness. He wasn’t mad at me, nor did He withhold His empathy because of my weaknesses. He wept with me because He loves me. Jesus wept with my kids when they were writhing in pain, because He loves them. He does not delight in watching us suffer, nor does He ignore our sorrow. He is our God, and He not only cares about our spiritual health and salvation, but also our emotional health and pain.