Jesus Wept - The Humanity of Emotions
John 11:28-37
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
The shortest verse in Scripture carries profound weight: "Jesus wept." Here stands the Son of God, fully divine yet fully human, openly expressing grief. Jesus didn't suppress His emotions or pretend everything was fine. He acknowledged pain, expressed compassion, and allowed Himself to feel deeply. Many of us were taught that certain emotions—especially difficult ones—are signs of weakness or lack of faith. But Jesus models something different: emotional honesty is not weakness; it's authenticity. You cannot selectively numb emotions. When you suppress sadness, anger, or fear, you also diminish your capacity for joy, peace, and love. Today, give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling. Bring those emotions to God, who understands completely.
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
The shortest verse in Scripture carries profound weight: "Jesus wept." Here stands the Son of God, fully divine yet fully human, openly expressing grief. Jesus didn't suppress His emotions or pretend everything was fine. He acknowledged pain, expressed compassion, and allowed Himself to feel deeply. Many of us were taught that certain emotions—especially difficult ones—are signs of weakness or lack of faith. But Jesus models something different: emotional honesty is not weakness; it's authenticity. You cannot selectively numb emotions. When you suppress sadness, anger, or fear, you also diminish your capacity for joy, peace, and love. Today, give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling. Bring those emotions to God, who understands completely.
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