In Christ we find comfort in our sorrows, an example in our actions, and a wonderful glimpse into the mystery of his character. ![]() This love in the very next verse shows itself as Christ orders the stone to be rolled away, once again using the term of being “deeply moved.” So why would the incarnate Word, who knew what was going to happen feel any sympathy? One commentator answers well, “But in him the eternal Word became truly incarnate and shared the common lot of mankind: our Evangelist would have agreed completely with the writer of the Hebrews that Jesus is well able to sympathize with his people’s weaknesses, having been tested himself in the school of suffering.” Even the crowds recognized this, “So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!” (John 11:36). We are left with a strange question, if Christ could raise Lazarus then why weep at all? As noted before, death was the enemy and death had touched this family that Christ loved and death would touch them again. The example of Christ ought to be sufficient of itself for setting aside the unbending sternness which the Stoics demand for whence ought we to look for the rule of supreme perfection but from Christ?” Calvin continues, “In short, if you compare his passions with ours, they will differ not less than pure and clear water, flowing in a gentle course, differs from dirty and muddy foam. Not only are emotions not an excuse for sinful actions, but they are also not in themselves sinful if followed by godly control. ![]() If Christ could weep, then so can we and this in no way a violation of our hope in God, faith in him, or of our Spirit led joy. Christ’s actions here are set for our example and also our own comfort in times of grief and sorrow. Christ showed for us the perfect humanity that we could not see in Adam. Simply because Christ was moved by such things we must not think that he was not in control of himself. John Calvin puts it well, “we must not imagine that he was free and exempt from those feelings and in this respect he proved himself to be our brother, in order to assure us, that we have a Mediator, who willingly pardons our infirmities, and who is ready to assist those infirmities which he has experienced in himself.” In fact it was the very act of incarnation that identifies him with our infirmities, and thus a compassionate mediator. The miracle of the incarnation is still lost on us, and sometimes in defense of his deity we can act as if his humanity was swallowed up and non-existent. At times, while we confess the full humanity of Christ, we do not fully understand all that entails. We may be tempted to sanitize this story, for some reason a Jesus who wept makes us uncomfortable because it’s just too human. His soul is held by rage: and he advances to the tomb.” Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but this is incidental. Warfield as saying, “It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom he has come into the world to destroy. ![]() A righteous anger to this event comes to him. So not only did Christ show sorrow but there is a full range of human emotions. Christ was “deeply moved” this is a single word in Greek and carries with it the understanding of admonition, blame, and indignation. “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (John 11:33). The humanity of Jesus is shown here in a beautiful and heart-wrenching event of compassion and sorrow.īut there was also something else going on here, almost a subtle anger. Jesus here did not put on a melodramatic show but he did weep for his friend. This has been distinguished from a wail or vocalized sobbing. In fact, this particular word for weeping is a hapax legomenon, occurring only here in the New Testament. While short, these words are profound, for we see Christ, not aloof, not revealed in a transcendent way, not far above the material world and cares but moved to sorrow in such a way that his bodily water flowed out of his tear ducts. This is well known as the shortest verse of the Bible and is only comprised of two words in English and three words in Greek.
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