Jesus Wept

Text focus: John 11:1–48

There is a verse in our scripture today that is so short you could miss it if you blink. Two words.

“Jesus wept.”

It is the shortest verse in the Bible, but it may also be one of the most important to remember, because in those two words, we see something essential about who God is.

God is not distant. Not detached. Not indifferent.

Instead, God is one who walks beside us, who knows our experiences, A God who weeps. And yet, what makes this moment so striking is this, Jesus knows what he is about to do. He knows Lazarus will walk out of that tomb. He knows death will not have the final word. And still…

Jesus weeps.

But before we ever get to the tears, we have to begin on the road, because this story doesn’t start at the tomb. It starts with a decision. Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick.

And instead of rushing there, he waits. And when he finally says to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” They immediately push back.

“Rabbi, they were just trying to stone you there.”

In other words, “Jesus… going back there is dangerous.” Bethany isn’t just any town. It is close to Jerusalem. Close to the center of power. Close to the people who already want Jesus gone. This is not just a pastoral visit. This is a risky move. And the disciples know it. And then Thomas speaks.

Thomas, the one we know as “Doubting Thomas", says this, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

And I think we need to pause there for a moment, because Thomas gets a bad reputation. But here, Thomas is not doubting. He is clear-eyed. He sees the danger. He understands the cost. And is resigned to go. To follow Jesus even unto death. “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

That is not doubt. That is courage. That is discipleship.

And here in Lent, we need to hear that.

Because following Jesus is not always safe. It is not always comfortable. It does not always lead us away from hardship. Sometimes it leads us straight into it. Following Jesus leads us into places where we will experience grief. Where we will experience vulnerability. When we follow Jesus we go into places where we will experience risk.

We go into places where we would rather not go. BECAUSE... that is where Jesus is going.

And the invitation today is the same as we heard at the beginning of Lent, “Come, follow me.”

When Jesus finally arrives, though, it is too late. Lazarus has been dead four days.

Martha comes out to meet him on the road. And she says something that is both faithful… and heartbreaking. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” A few moments later, Mary comes out. And she says the exact same thing. “Lord, if you had been here…”

Have you ever prayed a prayer like that? “God, if you had been here…”

“If you had acted…” “If you had done something…”

Let me reassure you, that prayer is not a lack of faith. That prayer is what faith sounds like when it is grieving. Martha and Mary both believe in Jesus. They trust him, but they are also disappointed. They are hurting. They are confused, and they bring all of that to him. And notice what Jesus does, he does not correct them. He does not scold them. He does not say, “You just need to have more faith.” Instead, he meets each of them where they are.

With Martha, he has a theological conversation. We hear those words, “I am the resurrection and the life...” But with Mary, there is no speech; there are just tears. When Jesus sees her weeping, and the crowd weeping with her, the text tells us he is “deeply moved.” But that phrase is stronger than it sounds. It carries the sense of being shaken. Disturbed. Even angry.

Angry at death. Angry at the pain it causes.

Angry at a world that is not as it should be.

And then we are told: “Jesus wept.”

He wept… even though he knew Lazarus would live.

He wept… even though he was about to change everything.

He wept… because love does not stand at a distance from pain. Love enters into it.

Hear that again. Love does not stand at a distance from pain, love enters into it.

Because sometimes we find ourselves thinking, if God really knew what was going to happen, if God really has a plan where everything turns out for good, then God wouldn’t feel what we feel.

But this scripture tells us the opposite. God knows, and God still weeps. God is not rushed past grief. God does not minimize loss. God does not say, “It’s all going to work out,” and move on. God walks to the tomb, stands with the crowd, and cries.

This is something important for us to understand. It means that when we grieve, we are not grieving alone. It means that when we stand at the tombs in our lives, whatever those may be, any of the times where we are not sure it can get better, God is not distant. God is present. God is deeply moved. God is weeping with us.

And then, of course, Jesus calls Lazarus out. “Lazarus, come out!”

And he does. Still wrapped in grave clothes, still bearing the marks of death, I imagine, still carrying the stench of death, but alive.

And Jesus says, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Because resurrection is not just about coming back to life. It is not just about a life after death. It is about being set free. And church notice this, the community is invited to participate in that freeing moment. “Unbind him.”

In other words, help him live again, join in bringing this life back.

Join in removing the things that have bound him to death.

That is what Christian community is intended for. Jesus is instructing us here to remove the grave clothes from each other. Jesus is calling us to help each other experience the hope of resurrection, but the scripture does not end with celebration.

In the last few verses of our scripture reading today, things take a turn.

Because not everyone responds with joy. Some go to the Pharisees, and suddenly, the conversation shifts.

In verse 47 and 48 the Chief Priests and the Pharisees say “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

They are afraid, but notice what they are afraid of.

Not just that Jesus is a prophet, but that Jesus is powerful.

People are following him. Jesus is changing things. Jesus is disrupting the system.

Because if a man can raise the dead, then what else is possible?

If death is no longer the ultimate threat, then how do we control people?

In the last couple weeks I’ve been listening to this podcast called Igniting Imagination. And recently, they had Rev. Bill Lamar, on as a guest. He put it this way, “The reason Jesus is lynched is because long-term they could see that the politics embodied in his gospel would upset power arrangements… They decide they must kill Jesus after he raises Lazarus from the dead, because people who do not fear death cannot be controlled by power.”

That is what is happening here. This moment, this miracle, is what sets the cross in motion. Because Jesus is not just offering comfort, he is creating a different kind of community.

Rev. Lamar also shared this insight, “To me the purpose of the Gospel is not to die and go to heaven… Jesus never asked anybody where they would go after they die… But what he did do was try to create a community that showed what was possible among human beings.”

And he’s right, Jesus created a community where life is stronger than death. Where love is stronger than fear. Where people are no longer controlled by what they are afraid of.

And that is threatening, because there are systems of power, then and now, that rely on fear. Those systems rely on our fear of death, on our fear of scarcity, our fear of being left out, of losing what we have. But the gospel shows us that when people begin to believe that their worth is held in God,

That God will provide

That God will walk with them

That death is not the end

That resurrection is real.

They become harder to control. They begin to live differently; more courageously, more generously, more freely.

You see I think that Thomas had already figured this out, that’s why he was willing to go with Jesus, even though he knew it was dangerous. Even though he knew it would likely mean his death, and that is the invitation of this text.

Not just to believe in resurrection someday, but to live like it matters now.

To live like you already have the keys.

So we come back to those two words.

“Jesus wept.”

This short verse reminds us that God meets us in our grief, but also that God refuses to accept death as the final word. It means that this weeping God is also a calling God.

A God who calls life out of death.

Calls hope out of despair and courage out of fear.

So maybe the question for us today is this, Where is that tomb in your life? Where is the place that feels beyond hope? What are the grave clothes that are binding you?

And then, maybe an even harder question, where is Jesus calling you to go…

Even if it is uncomfortable… or uncertain… or even a little dangerous?

When Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” He understood that Jesus was calling him to a new ways of living. Into places that require risk and courage and maybe even our lives. But what he didn’t yet understand is this, when you follow Jesus into those places, death is never the end of the story.

Because the one who weeps at the tomb… is also the one who calls us out of it.

Glory be to God!

Amen