"Jesus Wept"

This is Part 4 of a 6-Part Series on Illness, Healing, and Death

Jesus asks for Mary, and when Mary hears this she doesn't hesitate for a second; He is still her Lord and Savior, and she goes out quickly to meet Him. When she sees Him, she falls at His feet in grief, "Lord, if only You had been here my brother would not have died." - John 11:32

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled." - John 11:33

Jesus knew what the plan was; He knew the ending was a good one. And yet He was not so caught up in the "big picture" that He failed to see or recognize or appreciate the here and now. His plan, as magnificent as it was, involved the temporary pain, suffering, and loss of those He loved .. and He was deeply moved and troubled by it.

And then He did something very rare.

"Jesus wept."

Two words. The two most comforting words I have ever read.

There are only 3 accounts in the New Testament of Jesus weeping; if I remember correctly, one is when He is weeping in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He is about to be betrayed as He is contemplating His own crucifixion and death. The other is a bit more complex to understand, but it is as He is prophesizing about the fall of Jerusalem and the future for non-believers. ... And the third is at the loss of the one He loved, Lazarus.

© I Lift My Voice, 2015.

Click Here to Read Part 5 in This Series on Illness, Healing, and Death