Pastor's Corner: Jesus Wept

As a child in Sunday school when the teacher said quote a Bible verse and you will get a candy bar every student quoted John 11:35 Jesus wept. Every time Jesus wept it was connected with the effects or consequences of sin. No wonder he was known as the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Jesus stood over Lazarus and he wept. The strongest manhood has its roots in tender feeling. The ancient Stoics would conceal and hide their tears, but not Jesus. As he wept over Lazarus people said, O how he loved him.

His tears are a pledge. His tears promised us that he will never leave us or forsake us. He felt the pain of Mary and Martha. He sorrowed in their sorrow. We can share our pain with Jesus and he will bear our grief. He knows your pain and suffering but he has pledged with his tears, I will stand with you.

His tears are telling us to reach out to one another. Sympathize with sad hearts and comfort them. Christ reached out to a hurting world and we should to. Around 35 years ago I was a young minister and my wife and I were in a car accident and our 11 month old son lost his life. Three or four months went by and one night around 2:00 a.m. in the morning I received a phone call from one of our denominations district officials. He said he couldn't sleep as he thought about our pain and hurt. We wept together and prayed. O that we would reach out to the broken hearted and pray and weep with them.

Jesus cares for you and he wants to embrace you with his presence. He tells us to come until him. 1st Peter 5:7 says casting all your care upon him because he cares for you.

In the Bible we also see Christ as all God and all man weeping over Jerusalem. He knew what awaited them. Many would lose their lives in A.D. 70. Darwin said tears are an incidental thing with no purpose, but I like the way the old song describes them: Tears are a language that God understands.