40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Day 23 | JESUS WEPT | John 11:32-36
40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Day 23 | JESUS WEPT | John 11:32-36
JESUS WEPT
John 11:32-36
“Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, ‘See how He loved him!’" (NAS)
This story is about Lazarus's death, a close friend of Jesus and the brother of Mary and Martha.
Have you been there… lost a loved one or close friend?
Also, in this chapter, we read “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.’” (John 11:25-26)
So, the question is… since Jesus is God in the flesh and just told them that "He who believes in me will never die," why did he weep?
Because by weeping at this time and place, Jesus shows us that:
The famous preacher CH Spurgeon wrote: "Sometimes we are told that if we really believed that our friends would rise again, and that they are safe and happy even now, we could not weep. Why not? Jesus did. There cannot be any error in following where Jesus leads the way."
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being fully God and fully man too. It is comforting to know that you experienced what we experience, and thus You see what we're going through. Help me, guide me, lead me. I put my trust in you. Amen.
John 11:32-36
“Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, ‘See how He loved him!’" (NAS)
This story is about Lazarus's death, a close friend of Jesus and the brother of Mary and Martha.
Have you been there… lost a loved one or close friend?
Also, in this chapter, we read “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.’” (John 11:25-26)
So, the question is… since Jesus is God in the flesh and just told them that "He who believes in me will never die," why did he weep?
Because by weeping at this time and place, Jesus shows us that:
- He was God, but also truly man.
- That there are times when there is no shame in tears.
- That He was not ashamed of His humanity.
- That He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3)
- That Jesus identified with others in their sorrow.
- And that Jesus loves people.
The famous preacher CH Spurgeon wrote: "Sometimes we are told that if we really believed that our friends would rise again, and that they are safe and happy even now, we could not weep. Why not? Jesus did. There cannot be any error in following where Jesus leads the way."
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being fully God and fully man too. It is comforting to know that you experienced what we experience, and thus You see what we're going through. Help me, guide me, lead me. I put my trust in you. Amen.