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John 11:35 (the shortest verse in the Bible?) says simply:

Jesus wept.

How should we understand this? Tearful? Sobbing? What was the nature of his weeping?

And what was the reason? Sadness at Lazurus' death? (Unlikely, because He knew about that already.) Sadness at the grief caused to Mary and Martha? Sadness at the lack of faith (if that was the case)? Or something else?

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  • It could be also that he knew that Lazurus will be killed and suffer bodily death twice.
    – shakAttack
    Jan 26, 2018 at 0:07
  • It doesn't make sense that Jesus would "grieve as others who have no Hope". It's such a bizarre remark that I see it as a clue rather than an actual happening.
    – tblue
    Jul 23, 2018 at 21:16

10 Answers 10

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The Greek word is δακρύω; it means to shed tears. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament suggests that the aorist here is inceptive: i.e. "he burst into tears." He was sobbing; it was full out weeping. This is the plain and natural reading of the text.

This is a beautiful passage. Jesus, fully human, is capable of a full range of human emotions. To claim that he knew what he was about to do and therefore couldn't have been weeping for Lazarus destroys the rich emotional life of Jesus that we have in the Gospels (and Psalms). Obviously he knew all about his victory the whole time. But he genuinely wept on other occasions as well.

Jesus, fully divine, is capable of affections in a manner we do not understand, particularly as we do not understand much about the hypostatic union (the union of his natures). Our rationalistic tendency is to use reason to "flatten God out". Resist this tendency; from our standpoint, God is a paradoxical being.

Jesus has just dealt ever so tenderly with Mary and Martha, showing each exactly the kind of love she needed (Martha was a little collected than Mary, so he talked to her more in depth). Given the placement of the crying in the story, it is unlikely that he is crying over their wavering (though note—rather impressive) faith. Rather, he is crying over the tragedy that one of his own has died. And yes, that is also crying over the grief of Mary and Martha.

Yahweh cares deeply when his godly ones die. —Psalm 116:15

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. —Psalm 56:8

Francis Schaeffer, who loved this passage, comments on the implications of this text in The God Who is There:

The Christian never faces the dilemma posed in Camus' book La Peste. It simply is not true that he either has to side with the doctor against God by fighting the plague, or joining with the priest on God's side and thus be much less than human by not fighting the plague... Let us go to the tomb of Lazarus. As Jesus stood there, He not only wept, but He was angry. The exegesis of the Greek of the passages of John 11:33 and 38 is clear. Jesus, standing in front of the tomb of Lazarus, was angry at death and at the abnormality of the world—the destruction and distress caused by sin. In Camus' words, Christ hated the plague. He claimed to be God, and He could hate the plague without hating Himself as God.

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It's best to see Jesus' weeping within the context of John's water motif. Though John doesn't use the word water here, several elements indicate he saw in Jesus' tears the healing water welling up within the Son of Man.

John's Water Motif

Water is an important core symbol within the Gospel of John.

  • John the Baptist states three times that he baptizes in water (1:26, 31, 33)
  • Jesus turns water into wine (2:1-10)
  • Jesus tells Nicodimus he must be born of water and the spirit (3:5)
  • John baptizes at Aenon near Salim because “there was much water there.” (3:23)
  • Jesus promises the woman by the well living water (4:4-28)
  • The lame man can;t get healed in the troubled waters of Bethesda (5:7)
  • Jesus walks on water (6:19)
  • Jesus invites the thirsty to come to him and drink (7:37-39)
  • Jesus heals blind man in pool of Siloam (9:6-7)
  • Jesus washes his disciples feet (13:4-5)
  • Water flows from Jesus'pierced side (19:34)

In the early water scenes, John defines two waters, an earthly water used in ritual and tradition and a heavenly water, symbolizing the Spirit, offered by Jesus.

  • John says Jesus' baptism in the Holy Spirit surpasses his baptism in water (1:19-34).
  • The headwaiter says Jesus’ “water-turned-wine” is better than the choice wine/water which came before (2:1-11).
  • Jesus says his "living water" is greater than the water of Jacob's well (4:4-26).
  • Jesus’ healing is more effective than the troubled water in the pool of Bethesda (5:1-9)
  • Jesus implies that his “living water” is greater than the water in the feast's water ceremony (7:37-39).

See my answer to What does it mean to be born of water? for more.

A Spring Within

But Jesus offer of "living water" leads to an imporant question. The Samaritan woman recognizes that Jesus has no physical means to draw from the well. She asks, "Where can you get this water (4:11)"? Jesus responds by telling her its an internal spring.

The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (4:14)

In the later half of John, the narrative increasingly focuses on Jesus' body as the primary source of this spring of living water. Christ’s invitation to the thirsty in John 7:38-39 likewise describes Jesus' body as the source of living water.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It's important to note the ambiguity in the Greek here. The Scripture, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' may refer to the believer as the flows source as it does in John 4:14 and it may refer to Jesus as the source, pointing to the climatic flow of water from Jesus' side in John 19:34.

But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. (19:34)

While a promise of an internal spring is given to beleivers, it is from Jesus' body that the narrative depicts a literal secretion. John 19:34 demonstrates that Jesus' body is both like and unlike Jacob's well and the pool of Bethesda. He is a literal container of the heavenly water.

The Water Welling Up Within Jesus

And the flow of water in John 19:34 isn't the first time John points to the water welling up within Jesus. We see this climatic flow from the body of Jesus forshadowed in two previous scenes. The first is found in Jesus' healing of the man born blind.

Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud. (9:6)

I'll leave the fuller interpretation of this scene for another time.

The second is found in the weeping of Jesus in John 11.

The first indication John wants us to see the heavenly water in Jesus weeping is the word used for Jesus' weeping. In John 11, the reader is confronted by a number of people weeping.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping (11:33).

But the word used for Jesus' weeping is not the same word used for theirs. The word used for the women's weeping is κλαίω. It means to “wail and moan.” δακρύω, the word used for Jesus' weeping on the other hand, means to "shed tears." It is the watery tears of Jesus that John wants us to see.

The second indicaiton John wants us to see in these tears the heavenly water is the word used for Jesus' emotion. John 11:33 states,

Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled (ταράσσω).

ταράσσω only appears a few times in John. Later, we find it used of Jesus' emotions in John 12:27, 13:21, 14:1 and 14:27, all of which surround the coming hour of his glorification. The word is only used one time prior to Jesus distress at the tomb of Lazarus. In John 5:7, the lame man responds to Jesus,

Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.

The Greek word which the NAS translates as "stirred up" is the same word used for Jesus troubling in John 11:33.

It appears like the healing waters of Bethesda in John 5, Jesus, himself, is being stirred up. The tears which flow from his eyes are a demonstration of the divine water that is overflowing within. But this time, unlike Bethesda, the healing water in Jesus is reaching out to the impotent/lifeless man.

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  • 3
    Can I at least get a reason why this answer was downvoted? I can't fix what I don't know. Thanks. May 21, 2013 at 5:52
  • 2
    I didn't downvote (I didn't vote on this question at all, one way or the other), but I can tell you why I didn't upvote. Your response is interesting, but in my opinion it's fanciful and reads a lot more into a simple action than I think is warranted. Again, this is only my opinion and we clearly have different hermeneutics/approaches to scripture. You are in good company in church history for an allegorical/metaphorical interpretation like this (although I'm not sure about this specific application), hence why I did not downvote.
    – Dan
    Jun 5, 2013 at 19:25
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    Please don't let my answer discourage you from continuing to post on here using this approach. I don't downvote people when I disagree with them. I only downvote for low quality responses, inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims, or some kind of offensive language (e.g. "...clearly all who believe in X are idiots"). I just didn't want to leave you hanging since no one seems to be giving you any feedback.
    – Dan
    Jun 5, 2013 at 19:27
  • 2
    As a positive comment about this answer, I appreciate that you show your work for why you interpreted this metaphorically/allegorically/fancifully/whatever approach you call this, I just simply disagree and so have not voted one way or the other.
    – Dan
    Jun 5, 2013 at 19:29
  • 2
    Thank you @DanO'Day for the feedback. I do appreciate it. In fact I appreciate it more than an upvote. God bless. Jun 5, 2013 at 20:43
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Below is an unscientific but still valuable chart of different types of crying correlated with the amount of sympathy they elicit:

Types of crying

These types are defined here:

Legend

Blubbering: Unattractive, loud crying. Characterized by mutters, truncated, erratic breathing, clinched facial expressions and hunched posture.

Hyperventilate-Crying: Forceful crying causing heavy breathing, resulting in the inability to speak or produce sounds even resembling words.

Scream-Crying: Violent crying accompanied with bouts of yelling or sometimes shrieking. May also include slapping, punching or other physical expressions of distress.

Silent Tears: Soft, inaudible crying that does not draw attention; May manifest only in a single tear rolling down one’s cheek.

Sobbing: Heavy crying with a large volume tears flowing steadily; Generally audible but not inappropriately loud.

Sniveling: Audible, but soft crying, also prone to muttering and erratic breathing; May also show signs of drool or mucus.

Weeping: A gentler version of sobbing; Involves soft, steady stream of tears with some times lightly audible signs of distress.

Whimpering: Soft crying usually including few or no tears at all; Often incorporates muttering and/or high-pitched sighs.

In the chart, "weeping" is both the most "pathetic" and the one that "elicits the most sympathy" in the survey respondent's subjective opinion:

Weeping: A gentler version of sobbing; Involves soft, steady stream of tears with some times lightly audible signs of distress.

The Greek work in John is a cognate of the noun, "tear(s)":

δάκρυον (dakryon), tear. Cognate word: δακρύω. Heb. equiv. fr. LXX: דִּמְעָה (15×), אֲרֻבָּה (1×), נטף (1×)

8.73 (10) tear Lk 7:38, 44; Ac 20:19, 31; 2 Co 2:4; 2 Ti 1:4; Heb 5:7; 12:17; Rev 7:17; 21:4

(2011). The Lexham Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Logos Bible Software.

I imagine this is the way we should understand his tears:

intransitive verb 1 : to express passion (such as grief) by shedding tears...

This refers to shedding tears as the expression of one with a deep sadness.


But why was he grieving at that moment?:

  • God was happy to make Jesus sad because it accomplished his purposes:

[Isa 53:10-11 KJV] 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

  • to make Jesus a compassionate high priest and demonstrate to those he serves on God's behalf that he is not stranger to their suffering:

[Heb 4:14-15 KJV] 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.

  • Jesus was in physical distress, however this is not the cause of his sadness. He was sad because he knew that he had been rejected as Israel's messiah by the leadership and he knew the terrible things that would befall that generation in just a few years:

[Luk 23:27-31 KJV] 27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

This is also referred to in the Revelation:

[Rev 6:15, 17 KJV] 15 And the kings of the earth [land = Israel], and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; ... 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The Jerusalem Jews (except for the elect) rejected their king in favor of Caesar and Caesar would soon send his army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple and 1/3 (Zechariah says 2/3) of the citizens:

[Luk 13:34-35 HNV] 34 "Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

To address the objection that Jesus should not have wept over Jerusalem because it was a divine action we have the account of Lazarus where, despite knowing that he would raise Lazarus from the dead, he wept.

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Allegory. And I start my answer with this and then address the reason for the shedding of tears.

Jesus said to her, "Self is the resurrection (the anointing of the kingdom that is within) and the life. The one who believes in self will live, even though they die. Even though human beings die, they can live via their own self-means -- the means to become their own Messiah/Anointed/Mashiach/a Christ-manifest; Jesus is the example of how to be this. The "self" means to be the king of their own kingdom, that which is within, the inherent god-divine kingdom within.

"And everyone that is living and believing in self shall never die at all. Do you believe this?"

The shortest verse is part of the allegory within the story. Jesus groaned and was troubled and wept, because of the failure, in the allegory, to recognize his teachings, that the kingdom is within each "self" and through self-anointing (resurrecting) by the "spiritual connection made with the father/Supreme Being" all selves never die. And the hands and feet bound in wrappings is an allegory to human beings being bound in their carnal thoughts, while they "struggle against their god-divine self (aka Yisra'el - those who "struggle with el) to know each self is the life and the resurrection."

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  • Thanks for answering and joining this community! While I think this is the beginning of an answer, I would suggest you provide supporting evidence for your interesting answer (either from quoting [and citing] the Bible, commentaries, etc). Thanks again! Dec 4, 2018 at 1:29
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The problem with all the above answers is that they assume Jesus was mourning in his weeping. His weeping is being connected to the weeping of others at the death of Lazarus. But Jesus was angry, not unhappy. Using an interlinear bible, like the Bible hub app you will see that the Greek words used for the English translation: "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled" mean he was angry and stirred up. The Greek word used for "groaned in the spirit" is ἐμβριμάομαι which means to be moved with anger, to snort in displeasure. And the Greek word used for "stirred up" or sometimes translated as "troubled" is ταράσσω which means agitate. Therefore Jesus was in no way sad at the death of Lazarus or the sadness of the mourners, He was experiencing indignation and agitation. His weeping based on this context was most probably due to His frustration in the people who were there and who had been listening to Him preach and had not at all understood anything that He had said. Looking back at His sermons, and in particular the Parable of the sower, they could be identified as the seed that was thrown amongst the thorns, and because of the cares of life (illness and death) were bearing no fruit. Let us examine this story closer. Mary and Martha had hosted Jesus in Luke 10. Mary had sat at his feet whilst Martha had served the guests. Jesus told Martha when she complained to him that Mary had "chosen the good portion" in Luke 10;42. Now when Lazarus got ill, these same two sisters sent for Jesus hoping he would heal him. Jesus answer in John 11;4 was that the sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God. This answer was sent to the sisters, because in verse 40 Jesus says to Martha "did I not tell you that if you do not believe you will not see the glory of God?" When Jesus comes to them 4 days after Lazarus death, Martha says in John 11:21 "Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died". We can expect her to say that because she had not invested her time in attending to what Jesus had been saying whilst they had hosted him. Yet Mary, who had sat at Jesus feet, and HAD invested in his teaching, came and said the exact same thing in verse 32 "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died." The next verse tells us that Jesus snorted in displeasure and was agitated when he saw the mourning and weeping of the Jews. Mary had listened but had not understood what Jesus had been teaching. He had sent a message that the illness was not unto death but unto the glory of God to a person who had sat at His feet and chosen the good portion and who should have understood, He had sown seed into her heart, yet here she was and those with her whom she could have encouraged with hope in Jesus words, mourning as if there was no hope, having no understanding that Lazarus was going to be used to glorify God. The seed he had sown in her life, had not borne fruit. This was the cause of his displeasure and agitation.

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To me this is one of the most heart rendering passages in the Bible.

One of the secondary theses of sensus plenior is that though Jesus was God in the flesh, he did not use one ounce of deity, otherwise he would not have been tempted in every way that we are, and would have forfeited being our high priest. But he thought equality with God not something to be grasped. This is the opposite of Adam who trespassed on the holiness/separation of God by grasping the fruit.

Therefor Jesus had to discover from the scriptures who he was and what he was to do. By reading the childish riddles of sensus plenior, he discovered all of it. The Father prepared 'dinner theater' for him acting out the various lessons of the hidden scriptures. As he role played in them, he demonstrated that he not only knew what the scriptures said, but that he was willing to face the cross.

In his baptism he plays the role of the firmament, Moses in the basket, Noah's ark, and more. But the cost to him was merely getting wet. In the temptation in the wilderness he played the role of Aaron, Israel, and others as he offer obedience as the better sacrifice. But it only cost him being hungry and thirsty.

Other roles that he played in the Father's drama were of little or no cost: a few scared men in a boat, from the war of the nine kings he fed four and five thousand. Though they had little cost, they encouraged him for being on the right track as he pushed toward the cross, each miracle being an 'atta boy' from the Father.

It is announce that Lazarus is sick, Jesus understands the picture of the cross that is being painted. Lazarus is the same name as the high priest Eliezer. Jesus must be made a high priest after his resurrection. Prior to the cross he is a 'sickly' high priest like Lazarus, since he is not able to perform as a priest being from the wrong tribe. Lazarus must die.

But Jesus, fully confident of his own resurrection has no concept of death. It is a hypothetical to him just as it is to us. Other people die and they will live again. There is no sense of an emotion when he announces that Lazarus is dead. How did he know he was dead? He had to be in order for the 'drama' to take place.

33 ¶ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

This groaning was deeply troubled groan at the cost of the dinner theater. He knew Lazarus would live, but to see the great grief that it caused to the observers of it. And if this grief is caused by the death of a brother, how much more grief will be caused at his own death, the hope of mankind, which is being foreshadowed by the event?

How this grief adds to his continuing temptation to not face the cross. If only there were another way! The realization that the divine attribute which he willingly did not grasp were a small price. But being made to be sin, being separated from his Father, God himself to be separated at the cross. The weight of the personal cost, as the time has grown near for him, has been placed on his shoulders.

The dear cost to his friends pierces his heart and alerts him to the dear price of the cross. The deep groan is preview of that of Gethsemane.

And Jesus wept.

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This is perhaps one of the most profound truths of Scripture: moving the heart of God.

We start out with the 2 sisters: Mary, who sat at Jesus's feet and heard His Word, and Martha, the one whom the Lord said," Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things. One thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that GOOD PART, which shall not be taken away from her." This is after she said to Jesus,"Lord dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she may help me." In John 11:2, this is the same Mary who "annointed the Lord('s feet) with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair."

It is important to know who this 'Mary' was: we find this account of her in Luke 7:37-38,

"And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisees's house, brought an alabaster box full of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and wipe His feet with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment".

(Vs 39*)"Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, 'This man, IF He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this that touched Him: for she IS a sinner."*

This of course refers to the 'type' of sin Mary was guilty of, which was most likely fornication, perhaps prostitution considering the 'ointment' and it's value.

But how Jesus responds to her is indicative of the future miracle He will perform in her life: (vs 47)"Wherefore I say unto thee(Simon the Pharisee), her sins, which are many, are forgiven: for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And then He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven."

Mary 'poured out' her life on the feet of the Lord, not just expressing sorrow for the life she lived but evoking the response of tenderness and mercy of the Lord, to whom she 'owed' her life. She 'supplicated', letting the Lord 'feel' her contrition and showing Him it was worth the risk of forgiving her. This is a High Priest who can be 'touched' with the feelings of our infirmities(Heb. 5:15) and was in all points tempted like we are, without sin.

So then we get to John 11, and what we must 1st point out is that Jesus LOVED Martha, Mary, and Lazarus(vs 5) He was not indifferent towards them, as some 'impersonal' force in the universe, but was disposed to act on their behalf. He knows what is going to happen(vs 11), but what is important is how it happens.

In vs 21, Martha meets Him and tells Him,"Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died."

Then the dialogue continues and Jesus reassures her faith, telling her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believe thou this?"

"Yea Lord, I believe that you are the Christ of God; which should come into the world".

Instead of a miracle, it seems Martha got an altar call, based on her confession of faith, but when Mary came and fell down at His feet saying the same thing her sister Martha said(vs 32), seeing her weeping, He "groaned in the Spirit" and was troubled"(vs 33)

Then we have the shortest verse in the bible "Jesus wept".(vs 35)

Both sisters said the same thing, what was the difference?

The Good Part.

Jesus loved them both, and was disposed to act on their behalf. But what Martha received was an affirmation of her faith, Mary 'moved Him to tears' with her supplication, falling at His feet(again). The 'groanings' are the same groanings of Rom. 8:26, which the Spirit making intercession does on our behalf.

But Jesus once more needs to remind Martha to "believe",(vs 40) before He prays to the Father, then declares,"Lazarus, come forth!"

All this is recorded for us, not only to know the power of Jesus over death, and that we can have faith for the seemingly impossible, but to know how to prevail on God. Mary's great sin was cancelled by His great love for her; her response was to sit at His feet and choose the "Good Part", waiting until His Presense arrived and then implored Him, which caused Him to weep. But unlike people who weep without consolation, the Lord moved Heaven to return Lazarus and likewise today, "nothing is impossible for them who believe".

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What is clear from virtually every commentary is Jesus' weeping because Lazarus's died, as the Jews assumed, was not logical because he was about to raise Lazarus. Greek philosophy viewed God as unable to feel pain. This is inconsistent with how the Gospels reveal God through Christ.

What is consistent with Jesus' nature is he wept because he felt the pain Mary and Martha felt. It was a necessary pain because raising Lazarus after four days showed Jesus' power over death. Note the difference in Jesus' response to Martha, then Mary. To Martha he had a theological discussion about what raising Lazarus from the dead would mean. With Mary, Jesus wept, asked where Lazarus was buried, and raise him from the dead.

There are several issues with Jesus weeping because of unbelief. This might imply some insecurity because people didn't believe him. Jesus' disciples showed many instances of unbelief and Jesus didn't weep. With Jesus' conversation with Martha Jesus' didn't clearly state that he was going to raise Lazarus. Instead he prepared her for the meaning of the miracle. In this case, Jesus wasn't telling them what to believe. He was showing them.

Apparently, Mary, unlike Martha, was exceptionally emotional about Jesus not coming before to heal Lazarus. Mary's hurt affected Jesus' emotionally. Yes, Mary's lack of trusting what Jesus was doing was significant, but it was how that lack of trust hurt Mary that caused Jesus to weep.

What this verse tells me is that God feels our pain when we are hurt.

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Verse 33:-

NWT John 11:33 "When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he groaned within himself and became troubled.

The above seems to have triggered his weeping as he felt for them at this sad time.

This was said of Jesus which shows how he feels for and understands us:-

NWT Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, . . ."

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The Lord adopted human nature being born as man, therefore, since then, nothing human except for sin is alien to Him. Thus He possesses human intelligent soul through which He can feel loneliness, pain - both physical and psychological - enjoyment of a good food or a seeing, touching and conversing with friends.

When He weeped, He demonstrated unrestrainedly what sincerely was in Him: pain, when you see no more physically your beloved, your friend; the compassion for all those people to whom Lazarus was dear and wept for his loss; also, as God, He showed also humanly His anger for the sin and the subsequent death that befall humanity since Adam’s fall and His anger that the others who wept for Lazarus did so outside of good limits, in despair, that is to say, sinfully.

As God, He knew that He would resurrect Lazarus without prayers, authoritatively, ny saying “Lazarus, come out!” And surely He rejoiced seeing him walking and talking just like He mourned Him being dead few minutes before.

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