One of the most striking things in the Bible is the few moments recorded in Scripture when Jesus weeps. Each time, Jesus weeps for different reasons, bringing us a different angle on the heart of God.
Jesus Weeps at Lazarus’ Tomb (John 11:1-43)
We may be familiar with the fact that the shortest verse in our New Testament is John 11:35, which reads, “Jesus wept.” This brief arises in the story of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend who dies of natural causes, but is eventually raised by Jesus. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus weeps. It is clear that Jesus weeps simultaneously in grief over his friend’s death and also in anger over the impact of sin upon a fallen humanity and world. Jesus’ tears in this instance are of two types: tears of compassion over loss for His dear friends Mary and Martha and tears of frustration over death not being the way it is supposed to be.
Jesus Weeps Outside of Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-41; Matthew 23:37-39)
Traveling toward Jerusalem near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus sends His disciples to gather a donkey for Him that He might ride into Jerusalem upon it. As Jesus draws near the Mount of Olives, there is a tense encounter where the crowd acclaims Him as Messiah, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38), even as the religious leaders urge Jesus to rebuke His followers from any form of blasphemy. Shortly after this exchange, we are told: “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it” (19:41). Jesus’ tears here seem to convey His longing for the people to be brought back to God; these are the tears of mercy. But we also find here the tears of anger in relation to the religious leaders who miss the point of who He is and seek to control everything; these are the tears of anger.
Jesus Weeps in the Garden of Gethsemane (Hebrews 5:7; Luke 22:39-46)
In Hebrews 5:7, we read: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” The clearest connection to this description in the Gospel accounts is Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His arrest and crucifixion. There, we are told that Jesus prayed with an intensity that manifested as “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Jesus’ tears here are marked by the intensity of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, between human fallenness and God’s divine purposes, between a human will bent toward self and a divine will aiming at blessing for others. In this event we see two types of tears: first, tears of anguish over the intensity of the struggle and, second, tears of trust in which Jesus commends Himself and His situation into the Father’s hands.
Through Jesus’ tears we encounter a vision of God. We see our God who is moved by compassion over human loss and grief. We see our God’s frustration over the impact of sin and death on human experience that was made for more. We see our God moved by mercy over the plight of a world that needs God but often will not turn to God. We see our God angered by the ways in which religion at times adds more barriers to those whom God is seeking. We see God as One who mysteriously enters into the anguish of human experience through Jesus’ incarnation. And we see God showing the pathway of true humanity through humble trust in Jesus’ prayer before His trial and crucifixion.
I would love to hear from you. What do Jesus’ tears show you about who God is?
Discover more from Matthew Erickson
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Matthew Erickson 
When Jesus Weeps, it tells me that he enters into our weeping and doesn’t condemn it. To weep is to be human and it shows his humanity. He joins us but also goes beyond us to a higher level. He wept with Mary, entering her grief with her, but also weeping for Lazarus who he would bring to life to have to die again? Not only is is okay for us to weep, but we can weep with others, joining with their grief, frustration, etc. as he did. Tears are precious to Jesus.
Yes, that is so rich. I love that Jesus enters into our tears.