The Bible recorded three instances when Jesus Wept. He is believed to be in the Holy Trinity and has the power to change situations. Therefore when Jesus weeps, people wonder why when he had the power to change the situation. So, Why Did Jesus Weep?
Jesus wept because of empathy and Compassion for Martha and Mary in John 11:1-45. Also, in Luke 19, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He was in anguish about the city’s future. Lastly, Jesus wept in Hebrews 5:7 because He was Human, and the thought of dying on the cross was overwhelming even though He wanted to give glory to God.
So, how many times did Jesus weep in the Bible? What does ‘Jesus wept’ mean? What is the context around Jesus weeping in John 11:35? What are the Reasons why Jesus wept? Was Jesus mourning the death of Lazarus? What can Christians learn from Jesus’ weeping? Why was it necessary that Jesus wept? What Bible verses talk about Jesus weeping? Read on to find out.
How many times did Jesus weep in the Bible?
The Bible recorded three instances when Jesus wept. Jesus wept at the time when He visited Martha and Mary after the death of their brother Lazarus. He was filled with empathy and wept when He saw Martha weeping. John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.”
Secondly, the Bible records Jesus’s weeping when he got into Jerusalem during the crucifixion. This was when he felt more than empathy because He knew the future of the people pushing for his crucifixion. The people of Jerusalem who had denied him and given him up for crucifixion were going to die gruesomely. Luke 19:43 is written, “Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.”
Lastly, Jesus weeps, as recorded in Hebrews 5:7, “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”
What does ‘Jesus wept’ mean?
It means that Jesus grieved and had feelings, too, like Human beings. When Jesus saw Martha crying, He was moved to tears because of His human nature and empathy. He was sure that Lazarus would rise from the dead, yet he still wept, implying that Jesus felt the pain that His people felt. It is recorded in Isaiah 53:4 that “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
What is the context around Jesus weeping in John 11:35?
In John 11:35, it is recorded that Jesus wept. He wept in the city of Bethany when He saw His friend Martha weeping uncontrollably over the death of her brother Lazarus. Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus who pleaded with Jesus to show up early enough to save their brother from dying.
However, Jesus arrived three days later when Lazarus was already dead because Jesus had to fulfill prophecies about the Messiah. Mary and Martha proved their faith in Jesus when they said they believed Jesus could heal their brother. However, when Jesus saw Martha weeping, He was overwhelmed and wept with her even though He knew He would raise Lazarus.
Reasons why Jesus wept
Jesus wept out of empathy and Compassion.
Jesus wept because he saw Martha weeping over her dead brother. Jesus’s empathy showed through His weeping because He was also a human being with feelings. Although He knew He would eventually raise Lazarus from death, He still wept because He had remorse.
Jesus wept because His friends lacked faith.
Although Martha and Mary had earlier shown their faith when they said that Lazarus would be alive had Jesus come on time, they still demonstrated their lack of faith in the presence of the Lord. They were sure that Lazarus would rise on the last day but did not believe that Jesus could make it happen that day. John 11:23-26; “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'”
Jesus wept because His suffering was near.
In Hebrew 5:7, Jesus weeps because He does not want to die on the cross. However, He still wanted to glorify His father’s name.
Also, because of sin, Jesus wept because of the death penalty on human beings.
Was Jesus just mourning the death of Lazarus?
Jesus wept because of His empathy for Martha’s and Mary’s grief. Jesus did not just cry because Lazarus was dead because He knew He was going to raise him. However, when He is moved to tears after He sees Martha crying, it implies that Christ has Compassion and feels remorse when His people are in emotional pain.
What can Christians learn from Jesus’ weeping?
Christians can learn that it is okay to cry. It is okay to grieve the loss of beloved ones, and it is not a sin. Jesus is the perfect example in the Bible to lead Christians to express their grief. Also, when Jesus weeps with Martha, Christians learn to grieve with those grieving. It is further emphasized in the book of Romans 12:15; “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Why was it important that Jesus wept?
Jesus weeping was important because it proved that He was also fully human and felt pain. Also, it proves that Jesus suffers when His people suffer. Lastly, when weeps over Jerusalem, it shows that Jesus does not want a man to fall into sin anymore because there are punishments.
Bible verses about Jesus weeping
Jesus’s weeping is recorded in three books of the Bible, two Gospel books, and one epistle book. When Jesus cried in the gospels, he demonstrated empathy for humanity, Compassion, and love for His people. In John 11:1-45, the Bible records the whole story about Jesus weeping over the pain of Martha and Mary crying because their brother Lazarus was dead.
John 11:32-35 says, “Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were also weeping; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. “Where have you buried him?” he asked them. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. Jesus wept.” The scripture implies that Jesus wept because He felt remorse for Martha but not because Lazarus died. Jesus knew he would raise him from the dead but still wept because Martha’s Agony was Jesus’s concern, just like the agony and pain of every human being is Christ’s pain.
In the book of Luke 19:41-44 it is written that “But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you, of all people, would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long, your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place because you did not recognize it when God visited you.” Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem was out of anguish and pain because He knew the inevitable future of the city’s people. The very people that He’d come to save were the very people that insisted and pushed his crucifixion. In the book of Luke 13:34, it is recorded that; “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” When He was coming closer to the city, the thought of how much the people of the city will suffer made Him weep. The future painful future of the city that Jesus was crying over is suggested to be the death of 1000000 people in Jerusalem. In 70 AD, more than a million people died in Jerusalem in the most gruesome manner ever.
The difference between Jesus’s weeping in John and Luke is that in John, Jesus wept out of empathy for Martha and Mary but was sure that Lazarus would rise; therefore, He was not in anguish. However, in Luke, Jesus weeps in anguish and empathy because He knows the painful fate of His people who cannot even listen to Him, and because they were more than ready to sacrifice Him, he could not help but weep over their future.
Lastly, it is recorded in Hebrews 5:7 that “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”
References
Jesus wept – why did Jesus weep?
Why It’s So Important That “Jesus Wept”
“Jesus Wept” – 3 Reasons the Savior Was Weeping
Why Jesus Wept and 11 Lessons from His Tears
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.