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Bible story christ weeping for lazarus4/10/2024 ![]() But how many times did Jesus need to reiterate this before they (we) get it? He makes it clear later on that he is the Resurrection and the Life, and that those that believe in him will never eternally die, though they may experience the first death (John 11:25-26). It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4, ESV emphasis mine)įunny, didn’t Lazarus die? Let’s observe, then, that Jesus is using death in a more permanent and spiritual sense. In John 11:3, where this passage begins, Mary and Martha send a message to Jesus that the one “whom you love is ill.” Notice Jesus’ response:īut when Jesus heard it he said, “ This illness does not lead to death. In order to further aid us in understanding why Jesus would be so stirred up, even to the point of anger and tears, we have to now take a panoramic view of the context so that we can have a better view of the scriptural landscape. And though we don’t know the depth of Jesus’ weeping here, we know that it wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t basic sadness. You can cry, even to the point of breathlessness, without making much of a sound. But what we must grasp here is that while loud wailing and lamenting can accompany tears, it is not always true in the reverse. Nor does it mean that they are mutually exclusive of one another. Now just because these are two different words, doesn’t mean that they can’t share a common nuance. They are described by the word klaiō, which means to wail and loudly lament. But Mary and those with her, their weeping was of another sort. A different Greek word is used to describe his weeping – dakryō. Jesus is deeply disturbed, agitated, and as some commentators point out, even angry! But why?Īnother thing that we must observe is that Jesus’ “weeping” is not like those he is observing all around him in verse 33. So when John 11:33 says that Jesus was embrimaomai “in spirit” as well as “troubled,” we’re not gazing in the eyes of a man whose tears are expressing mere sorrow for the death of Lazarus. John also uses this word in other areas where Jesus has every reason to be internally vexed (John 12:27 13:21). Also, accompanying this verb is tarassō, which means to be agitated, troubled, or stirred up internally. That is why the KJV and NKJV translate this word to be a “groaning” of sorts. A kind of grief fits this category too (Dan. Lexically, the word depicts an internal turmoil or passion of some kind. Troubled TearsĮ mbrimaomai can range from indignation and anger to sternness (Lam. And finally, when we pay attention to how John tells the story, we begin to see the bigger and greater redemptive picture jump from the page! So then, let’s see how the text develops this portrait before our eyes. ![]() But unfortunately, that is not what I mean when I say “It wasn’t for Lazarus.” Second, when we understand the nuances of the Greek verb embrimaomai used in verses 33 and 38 that describe how Jesus was “deeply moved/troubled,” and we observe “Jesus wept” sandwiched between, the finer emotional colors begin to fill in the empty canvas. So in this sense, we could say Jesus wept because of Lazarus. If Lazarus hadn’t died, then Jesus would have had no reason to weep. But if it wasn’t for Lazarus, then why did Jesus weep?įirst, let’s be clear. And sorrow is certainly better for the soul than flippancy and frivolity with respect to our end (Ecc. Nor is it only for those who are immature or weak. As a matter of fact, it was for reasons much deeper and more complex than just sorrow alone. 4:15), in the book of John, his weeping was not simply sorrow over Lazarus like many would think. And because he loved Lazarus so much, why wouldn’t he? But this isn’t the biblical perspective of why Jesus wept.Įven though the book of Hebrews does present Jesus as our High Priest who was indeed made like us, and can sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb. That is, as if Jesus was so overwhelmed with sorrow concerning the death of Lazarus, that he could not help but weep. And when you hear the preacher, the reason why Jesus wept is almost as if his sorrow was for reasons exactly like ours. But in another context, typically at funerals, it is preached to those who have lost a loved one. When teachers ask students to learn a memory verse, they humorously remove this one as an option. Not because of content, but word count (and certainly not because of context). Perhaps one of the most memorable verses in the bible next to John 3:16.
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