John 11:33-37 – Jesus Wept – Bible study
John 11:33-37 Jesus Wept The passage is front of us another of those amazing Bible passages. I find the Bible is filled with them. This passage is amazing because as far as we know, this was the first time God ever shed tears. I emphasize, "as far as we know." The Bible does not say whether Jesus had ever cried before this or not. Neither does the Old Testament ever speak of God crying. Sometimes we preacher, as we are attempting to stir the spirit of Gods people, speak of God in very physical terms, such as He sheds tears over our sins or the sins of our nation. And that may be true, but honestly, as far as I can find, the Bible never speaks of God shedding a tear before this reference. Yet here, the Word clearly states that Jesus wept. While this may indeed be the first time Jesus wept, it is not the last. The New Testament mentions three times that Jesus shed tears. I. Jesus wept with us. A. If you are not familiar with this story, Jesus arrived late on purposeto the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. 1. \#John 11:1\ Lazarus has been sick. 2. \#John 11:6\ Jesus waited two more days before He left to go to Lazarus. 3. \#John 11:14\ Jesus told the disciples before they left that Lazarus was already dead. 4. \#John 11:17\ By the time Jesus arrived, he had been dead and buried for 4 days. B. But we want to focus on was Jesus reaction. John 11:35 Jesus wept. 1. Again, this is the first time this is recorded in the Bible. Why? a. By this time, Jesus had healed many and most likely raised the widow from Nains son and Jairus daughter from the dead. b. But the Bible does not say that Jesus wept on those occasions. 2. Why did He weep now. a. Some believe Jesus wept because He knew that He was bringing Lazarus back from heaven. (1) I would not argue against that. (2) It would be a hard thing to go to heaven and then to be forced to return. b. However, the context says that Jesus was vexed and troubled when He saw Mary and those with her weeping. John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, (1) But the Bible specifically says that Jesus loved these three. John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. (2) I know that Jesus loves everyone. (3) But Jesus was in a fleshly body and He was close to these three. (4) I think that association creates a more emotional love between human beings. (5) Id like to think that I would give my life for another, but the truth is, I would be far more likely to give my life for someone I know. (6) I think Jesus was feeling their pain of losing someone close to you. (a) Jesus knew where Lazarus and He knew what He was about to do. (b) But Jesus felt their hurt, their loss, their grief. (c) Jesus wept with them and in so doing, He wept with us. (d) Jesus knows what it is like to hear the news of death. (e) Jesus knows what it is like to visit a grave. (f) Jesus knows what it is like to miss someone. (7) Jesus knows because it happened to Him. c. There are many reasons Jesus came to this earth. (1) One of them was so that He could feel what we felt. (the emotional pain, heartbreak, suffering) Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (2) Another was so that we could have comfort from God. La 1:9 she (Jerusalem) had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself. (a) John 14 and 16 call the Holy Ghost our Comforter. (b) Im told that the Greek word for "another" in \#John 14:16\ means another after the same kind as Jesus. (c) If the Holy Ghost is the same kind of Comforter as Jesus, Jesus was a great Comforter. (d) Jesus sent One like Himself! II. \#Luke 19:37-38, 41-44\ Jesus wept for us. A. We speak most every Easter of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but most believe this event occurred during that entry. 1. Jesus stopped and wept over the city of Jerusalem. 2. If you go to Israel today, you will find a Catholic church built on the hillside down called the Dominus Flevit Church, The Lord Wept Church. B. On this day, the Lord wept alone. 1. In fact, the others were starting to celebrate, thinking Jesus would surely establish His kingdom when He arrived at the city. 2. This day Jesus did not weep WITH the people. He wept for the people. C. Why did Jesus weep? 1. He wept because that city, almost in its entirety, had rejected Him. Luke 19:42 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this THY DAY a. This was THEIR DAY. What day? The day to be saved. b. For 33 years, Jesus had watched. For 3 1/2 years, Jesus had preached and healed and helped. c. But in the end, they rejected Him. d. They damned their souls to the Lake of Fire. 2. He wept because of that city and those peoples future. a. God already knew that the Jews would reject Him and God already knew what would happen to them as a result. b. \#Lk 19:43-44\ Jesus described what would happen to Israel in 35 years. (1) The year, 70 AD. (2) Roman would send General Titus to destroy the city and the temple. c. But Jesus also knew of every exploit, every injustice, every death to be perpetrated against those people. d. Being God, Jesus knew every individual by name and every death by detail. Yad Vashem (enduring monument) Janusz Korczak – Polish educator, writer, and directed a childrens orphanage. He was offered sanctuary from the Nazis but refused. Seeing his children frighten at what was happen, he walked with them into the gas chambers and died comforting them. Chamber of photos Piles of shoes – At one extermination camp, the shoes of those killed were thrown into a pile. Tens of thousands of shoes gathered. Even those two soldiers killed on the Temple Mount on July 14, 2017. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.801324 III. Jesus wept for our salvation. Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; A. This is the third and the last record of Jesus weeping. 1. Again, here He wept alone. 2. But this time, He does not appear that He was weeping for us but for Himself. B. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus as weeping and having fear. At what? 1. This is that night that Jesus on three occasions attempted to get His disciples to pray with Him. Mark 14:33 He began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy." Mt 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 2. Every Christian should ponder and decide for yourself what you think this fear and heaviness was about. a. I do not think Jesus was fearful or flinched over the pain that would be afflicted upon His body. b. I do not think Jesus was fearful or flinched over death itself. c. I believe that Jesus was fearful and flinched that God Himself was about to pour all of hell and damnation on Him. Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou (God) shalt make his soul an offering for sin. d. I believe that Jesus was fearful and flinched as the time drew near that He should be forsaken and separated from God the Father and the God the Holy Ghost. Mt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? C. Jesus, alone in the garden, alone in His castle of flesh, looked ahead and anticipated what He was about to endure and was "sore amazed," "very heavy," "he feared," and yet He prayed, "not my will, but thine be done." D. Jesus wept over what He would go through for OUR salvation. 1. Salvation may mean little to some but it meant a great deal to Jesus. 2. Salvation may be free to us but it cost Jesus much more than the saved can comprehend.