John 11:35 says, "Jesus wept." Why did he cry...?

Question

even though He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Answer 1

I'm not sure, but I think there are many possibilities. Maybe because of the lack of faith of those around Him. They had spent so much time with them and taught them so many things, and yet they didn't really fathom who He is. That must have saddened Him.

I think He experienced their grief with them. Saddened not only at the loss but at the ultimate result of sin. In the beginning, God had a better life for mankind. Death came about as a result of sin. Sin and death, the enemies Jesus came to defeat, took this friend. Even Jesus' friends were not exempt from death and decay.

Even as He was in the midst of His friends who were grieving, there were still some in their midst who were seeking occasion to trap Jesus and find offense at Him. Certainly that must have been painful.

Lastly, raising Lazarus from the dead didn't really negate the power of death. It actually put Lazarus at risk (the Pharisees sought to kill him to hide the fact that Jesus raised him), and Jesus still had the cross close at hand. Though Jesus raised Lazarus, he died again. All the friends of Jesus died. While this proved who He is, and alleviated the pain His friends felt for the short term, the remedy of sin and death would be His own suffering and death. And, even so, it is the plight of mankind to taste death and to grieve the loss of those they love.

So many reasons to choose from, and doubtless there are other possibilities.

Answer 2

Scripture teaches that Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus that died.

I find it interesting also that Jesus was informed of Lazarus' illness yet he delayed in going to see him.

3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Jesus knew Lazarus would die and that He would raise him again. Jesus loved Lazarus very much. He was a man and his tears was an expression of how much he loved his friend.


2 Corinthians 1:3-6
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Answer 3

JESUS WEPT is a phrase famous for being the shortest verse in the Christian New Testament according to the division of chapters and verses of the Bible. It is found in the Gospel of John, Chapter 11:35.

Context

The phrase occurs in John's narrative of the death of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus. Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus of their brother's illness. Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus' death. Jesus, after talking to the grieving sisters and seeing Lazarus' friends weeping, was deeply troubled. After being shown where Lazarus was laid, Jesus wept in front of Lazarus' tomb. He then ordered the people to remove the stone covering his tomb, prayed aloud to God (for the benefit of the people), and ordered Lazarus to come out.

Weeping demonstrates that the Christ was indeed true man, with real bodily functions (such as tears, sweat, blood, eating and drinking - note, for comparison, the emphasis laid on Jesus eating during the post-resurrection appearances). His emotions and reactions were real; the Christ was not an illusion or spirit. Pope Leo I referred to this passage when he discussed the two natures of Jesus: "In his humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus; in his divinity he raised him from the dead." -

Answer 4

Compassion and empathy..... as some here have explained..

And angeldove could be reminding us - Jesus wept tears of joy because He did indeed know He was about to raise Lazarus from the grave! And Praise God that is exactly what Jesus did! He raised Lazarus from death!What a great miracle!

Thank you angledove for reminding us to rejoice with tears - praising Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

Answer 5

I believe Jesus wept because he grieved the passing but also for bringing him back to life.Lazarus was in Heaven and he did not want to bring him back into the world of sin.But of course he had to do this for the family as the grief was big and he could have been there before Lazarus died but chose to stay where he was at the time.

Answer 6

He was showing compassion, He already knew what was going to happen, but the Bible also says that "He loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha"...Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead because He was compassionate, but He also cried because He was compassionate, and he had feelings just like we do, that is why He understands the temptations we go through, even though He was tempted without sin.

Answer 7

Jesus was all the way human and all the way God at the same time. He was man enough to weep and feel the emotions of a grieving person, but He was also God enough to call Lazarus up out of the grave. That's how bad God is.

Answer 8

He had compassion on his friends Mary and Martha, and the people's pain at their loss. He was also saddened by the fact that He was still unrecognised by His dearest friends (witness Martha's answer to His question on eternal life) and their limited understanding which made them suffer unnecessarily.
Also, think about His friends' reaction if He *hadn't* shown any sorrow. They would have thought him cold indeed, since he and Lazarus and his family were very close!
Our tears are usually for the living, and for ourselves, not for the dead.

Answer 9

I think that he wept because his friends were hurting and Jesus is full of compassion. He feels our pains and our joys. A relationship with Jesus is the most intimate relationship a person can have. Imagine if a friend of yours had a loved one die and they cried, wouldn't you feel like crying too? ... that is a small example of what I would compare it to :o)

Answer 10

Because of a lack of Faith in Him from the family and friends of Lazarus.