JESUS WEPT

We read in Ecclesiastes 7:3, “Sorrow is better than laughter”; that means either sorrow for sin or sorrow for any outward troubles. When sorrow for sin is given unto us in our life, it is a great blessing; we read in Psalm 126:5, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Sorrow is better than laughter— because when in sorrow, we are weaned from the things of the world, and we realize that the best of our days are labor and sorrow. There is nothing in this world which can satisfy our heart. In many instances laughter is idleness and foolishness.

As far as we know, the Bible relates that Sarah laughed twice; first it was in unbelief. Later she believed what the Lord had promised her and she said; “all the people who hear the things which have happened to me shall laugh with me.”

There is such an emptiness in all the things of the world, and it is remarkable, that in the entire Bible, not once do we read that Christ laughed while He was in this world, not once. In Luke 10:21 we read He rejoiced in the spirit, but that He laughed, not once. The Bible does tell us He was troubled in spirit, that He groaned, and also that He wept.

With the help of the Lord, because otherwise we can do nothing, not even say one edifying word, I will speak to you about the shortest text in the Bible. Our children can follow it and remember it. The shortest text is found in John 11:35: “Jesus wept.”

There are two things which we will consider: first, the cause of Christ’s tears and secondly, the result of Christ’s tears. Thus, first the cause and secondly, the result.

Three times the Bible mentions that Christ wept. He wept at the grave of Lazarus; He wept when He came before the gates of Jerusalem and foresaw so clearly the great destruction which would overcome the city because the Jews had rejected the Lord Jesus Christ; and, Christ wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, as found in Hebrews 5:7.

The world is a vale of tears, full of sorrow and of grief. I need not dwell long on that subject. It is so clear to each and everyone of us as we look round about us and as we look into our own lives that we are born to trouble. The Lord says in His Word and testimony that every day has enough of its own evil, and this brings grief. You find sorrow in every family as you travel from one home to another, and there is not one who can question the Lord and say, “What doest Thou?”

One of our deceased ministers once said from the pulpit, “You do not have to pray for wretchedness and for trouble; it is surely coming.” Really, there is not one who has not experienced some grief; we all must know something of it, one more than the other. It is the fruit of our sins; in other words, sin is the cause of all the tears and sorrows that are in this world. Were there no sins, there were no deaths.

In John 11 we have an example of death; Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, died. This was a wonderful family; all were converted by the Lord; one had more grace than the other, but they all had grace in their heart. The Lord loved them all.

Lazarus died and was buried. According to Jewish custom, when one dies in the morning, he is buried in the afternoon. If one dies in the afternoon, he is buried in the evening. There is no waiting period between death and burial—the quicker the burial the better.

Christ, Lazarus’ best friend, had received the tiding that Lazarus was seriously ill. Mary and Martha had great hopes that Christ would come immediately and, as that great Physician, would heal Lazarus and keep him from dying. But Christ was not in a hurry to travel to Bethany.

Thomas was glad Christ did not go immediately; in fact, he did not want Christ to ever go to Bethany or Jerusalem, because Thomas knew that word had been spread around that anyone who found Christ had the freedom to kill Him. And in those two cities many of Christ’s bitterest enemies lived—the Pharisees. If the Pharisee killed Christ, then Thomas and the disciples would have to miss Christ, and that they could not do.

But, alas, Lazarus died before Christ came to Bethany. Martha met Christ as He neared the home and said, “Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” She meant that it was too bad He came too late. Lazarus already had been in the grave four days. His body was so far decomposed that it was a hopeless matter to his sisters; they said he already ‘stinketh’.

Christ said, “If you believe, you shall see the glory of God.” But not even Martha or Mary were receptive for Christ’s words. They had no idea why Christ waited so long. His purpose was to show the glory of God to the family and to all those round about Him. But they had no eyes to see this, no; it was totally hidden from them.

The text says, “Jesus wept.” He saw the tears of the people. We read in verses 33 and 34—”When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, (that was Mary) and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” He said, “Where have ye laid him?” They said unto Him, “Lord, come and see.” And then our text follows: “Jesus wept.”

In the first place, Jesus wept as man. In the second place, Jesus wept as the compassionate High Priest; and in the third place, He wept as the Son of God.

First, Christ wept as man. Christ assumed our human nature from Mary; He received a soul and body. That He had a body was clearly evident. We read in Matthew 4; “He hungered,” and in Matthew 8 and in John 4, in the history of the Samaritan woman, that He was tired.

In Paradise, the Lord created man to love God and to love his neighbor. Man was not created without feelings. We are receptive to various feelings in our life. Adam, in the state of innocency, was in communion with God; this communion with the Lord was felt by Adam and created a wonderful impression upon him. Of course, there was no room for sorrow or grief in Paradise. Because there was no sin it was impossible to experience grief, but still those feelings were present in Adam. Later on, in the fall of Adam, sorrow became more and more a reality.

Events also occur in our life which make us happy; think about the time when a child is born—in John 16:21 we read, “As soon as a mother is delivered of her child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world.” Think also of marriage. When the time comes to be married, and it is in the right way, great joy fills the heart of the young man and young woman. It would be unnatural if it were different. We also read about this in the Bible. In John 3 and in other places we read about the joy of the bridegroom and the bride when they receive each other in the ordinance of the Lord—namely, in marriage.

Christ also had a human nature. We read in Matthew 9:36, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them.” He saw the people scattered abroad as a flock without a shepherd. When they brought the son of the widow of Nain to the cemetery, He groaned. There He saw the power of death which had taken away this boy from his mother. Thus Christ had feelings the same as a human being, as man.

You see, in reality, that when the Lord converts a sinner, He does not make this person unnatural; no, but He brings him into the original condition in which he was in Paradise. When someone in the family is taken away by death, there is sorrow in man’s heart—whether he is converted or unconverted. As a human being there is sorrow and grief.

We read in verse 36 of the Jews, saying, “Behold how He loved him.” Thus, here Jesus gives an expression of His love to Lazarus. The question which arises is, “Did He weep only because of His great love for Lazarus and to show His sympathy to Mary and Martha?” If I had to say ‘Amen’ at this point, it would be a poor and an empty presentation. Now I must start with the real contents of my text, “Jesus wept.” He wept there as a compassionate High Priest. Time and again we read that Christ is a compassionate High Priest; especially we find it in Hebrews 2:16 and in Hebrews 4. He was troubled in everything as we are, except sin, says the Bible.

“Jesus wept.” Why did Christ weep there? Why? Why was it that He groaned and was troubled? He saw there, the result of sin. The wages of sin are death, and death is threefold; it is temporal, spiritual, and eternal. Temporal death is the separation between soul and body. These are the two closest friends there are in the world. They live with one another from birth, and it is unnatural that they must be separated. We realize this in our life, too; because we are created to live, and are born to die; and to die is the wages of sin. Thus death is something which is not created by the Lord, but something we brought into the world, and that is a territory without a limit; it goes so far and so deep; no one shall deliver his soul from the grave. We all are on the list to die; we all have to meet our Maker, many suddenly, many unexpectedly.

A few years ago one of our members died while riding in the car. Other people also were in the car, but with him only all was done in a moment’s time. The same tiling also occurred at a meeting about this same time. How dreadful, when a man is immediately separated from his wife; and the children are without a father. They can bring these people to the hospital; they can call a specialist, but all are unable to give back the life which has been taken away.

But I will go further because I wish to come to a certain point. “Jesus wept.” Spiritual death means separation from God; lying under the wrath of God, and unable to do anything to the honor of the Lord. Spiritual death! That is what Christ also saw when He came to Bethany.

Mary and Martha lost a brother. The house was full of people who showed their sympathy to Mary and Martha; they mourned there. The Jews, the Bible tells us, lifted up their voices and wept. You also read that especially the Jewish women were hired to cry and wail at a funeral. Once I heard a Jewish woman, who was with us many times in the Kalamazoo Church, lift up her voice and cry aloud after the Lord’s Supper. You may say, “How is it possible to do that?” Humanly speaking, if some one would give you a thousand dollars and say, “Now cry for a half hour,” you would answer, “I cannot.” But the Jewish people can. Really! They are so emotional, you become afraid when you hear them. You may ask, “Isn’t it good that the Jewish people came to show their sympathy?” Yes. And must we say it is all wrong today when our funeral homes are filled with people coming to sympathize with families who have lost their loved ones? No, no!

Christ wept, and why did He weep? Because He saw in Lazarus’ death and also in that mourning and lamenting people, spiritual death. How many people ever come into a funeral home with the impression that it is now either eternal well or eternal woe for the deceased person. Many times, and that is amongst our people, too, we are becoming more and more like heathens, really, heathens. They say, “What a nice dress, what a nice tie,” so they talk. But not a word is said about eternity.

Now if it is a child of God who dies, then that soul immediately is delivered, immediately is in heaven, immediately is in glory. Or if someone had died in an unconverted state, his soul is then in that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. What a thought! and that forever, forever and forever. And how many people who still are living think about their death and that they have to appear before the Lord?

Oh, that spiritual death which we brought upon ourselves is so awful, so awful; we have no words to explain it. This death is so great that we cannot give ourselves even one impression of it, either while sitting under the Word of God or hearing the preaching about our guilt before God.

Jesus wept, Jesus wept. The reason why Jesus wept was on account of temporal death, spiritual death, and eternal death. He wept because there is an eternal separation from the Lord. No drop of water will relieve this separation. Never one moment in hell can we bow under the Lord’s justice and righteousness. “Jesus wept,” is what our text says. The result of sin brought everything upon man. God’s people are not content with sin; they are not satisfied when they are so cold and hard. Then they say, “Lord, break my heart asunder.” We read in Nahum 1:6 that the Lord breaks the rocks; this is necessary for you and me shall we ever bow before the Lord in dust and ashes, and shall we ever be receptive for the grace which is in Christ Jesus for our own heart and soul. But there is one other thing I wish to mention before I go on.

Friends, there is a reason why Jesus wept which goes deeper. Why did He weep? I hope what I will now explain to you will go so deep into all of your hearts that it will have a result in your soul. We read in John 11:31, “The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.” And then in verse 33, “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” There was great sympathy shown for Lazarus, but there was not one person who was concerned about Christ. They gave all their sympathy to Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Christ was standing there all alone, as Mediator and Saviour, and there was not one who had any need for Him as the One Who was sent by His Father. I will say it plainer. Lazarus had more honor than Christ, and the Father Who had sent Him.

Jesus wept. Oh, there is so much in the text. Never have I discoursed on this text before, but there was no other text for me at this time. I had to write about it, because it filled my heart and mind time and again. Jesus wept. Well was there honor for Lazarus, but no honor for Christ. Oh, what an awful thing. There was no one there who cried, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.” There was not one who said, “Son of David, have mercy with me.” Oh, it is hard to say it all, but we go straight to hell with all our religion, if the Lord does not come in between. That is the truth. If the Lord opens our blind eyes, then we shall confess and say, “Lord, that is now my condition—no place for Christ and no longing for the honor of the Most High God Who hath sent Christ to quicken sinners and restore them into the fellowship with God.”

The time goes on and I have to close; one thing more I will explain from this text. Now let us hear about the result of Christ’s tears. He wept, and while He wept the heart of the Father was opened for His only begotten Son as He said, “Father, I know that Thou hearest Me always.”

Children, listen to these points, please, so that you can remember them your whole life, and may the Lord bring it into your heart—in the second place, then, those tears which fell upon the stone which closed the grave of Lazarus, were the reason why the stone was taken away, and Lazarus could come forth. And now, our stony heart, people, only the tears of Christ can melt that. “Oh, Lord, oh Lord Jesus, may Thy tears drop from Thy holy eyes upon my stony heart.” Let that be our prayer for ourself, for our poor, poor children, and grandchildren, all traveling to the great and never ending eternity. Let us be honest, let us be honest; each and everyone will go to Hell without the tears of Christ, and alas, there generally is no concern whatsoever. On the one hand, we live a heathen’s life with all our religion, and on the other hand it is a religion which proves the people are so satisfied without ever having any miracle of the Lord wrought in their heart and experiencing those tears dropping upon their hard heart.

Old people, you are close to death; it shall not be too long and you will have to die. There are people amongst us who are so convinced about their condition, but as hard as a millstone. And I cannot comfort them, no, no. And they will say, “No, if there is no ground, you cannot comfort me.” Old people amongst us, in your old age, may the tears of Christ fall upon your hard hearts, to break it down and to make it receptive for the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Young people, may the Lord stop you; may the seriousness of life, the reality of eternity, be bound upon your heart and your soul. Go not farther, go not farther on the road which brings you to hell; but bow your knees before the Lord; cry unto Him that He may have compassion upon you and may look upon you in mercy. Ask Him! Seek the Lord while He is to be found, call upon Him while He is near; ask that the God of all grace may come into your soul.

We have heard a little, and ‘tis so little, we have heard today. Even Mary and Martha had no understanding of the ways of the Lord. They said, “If you were here my brother would not have died,” and “I know that he shall rise in the resurrection of the dead on the last day,” but this was said in ignorance; they had no understanding of Christ’s presence there and of His mediatorial work. Oh, it is all the result of our spiritual death and our sin. It is the Spirit Who makes alive; it is Christ Who has to take away all those hard stones of unbelief and hardness of heart. Only He can make us bow before Him and give us grace to surrender ourselves into His hands that we may be saved by grace only, without the works of the law; saved only through Christ and Him crucified. Amen.

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