Tears of Compassion and Grief

by Debi Baker

"35 Jesus wept."

John 11:35 KJV

The shortest verse in the Bible is packed with so much emotion and love!  Jesus had just told His disciples that His friend, Lazarus, had died.  On the road to Bethany, Martha pretty much blamed Jesus when she told Him that if He'd been there her brother wouldn't have died.  Jesus responded to her 'accusation' with this, "15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him." 

Jesus wept because He had compassion; compassion for the suffering.  Mary and Martha were mourning the loss of a brother.  Other friends were mourning the same loss and attempted to comfort them.  Jesus' heart hurt for those dear-to-Him people.

Jesus wept because sin grieves God deeply and so do the wages of sin: death (Romans 6:23). Since the fall [of Adam and Eve], man had endured sin’s horrific destruction.  Now death had taken Lazarus.  Jesus’s tears were a mix of anger and grief.

My take from this is that Jesus was as human as we are and yet, He was fully God, the Son.  He was grieved in His heart.  God hates sin!  God loves the sinner!  We need to remember that man was created perfect but in time, sin came.  I believe Jesus wept because He so fully wanted people to understand that sin leads to [eternal] death!  I believe Jesus wept because He was so completely filled with compassion for all of mankind.  

I can't help but wonder what this world would look like if we all had that kind of compassion!  Not a day goes by that I'm not heartbroken for the lost.  Not a day goes by that my heart isn't broken because people refuse to see God for who He is!

Crying is one way of cleansing the heart.  Crying out to God is the best way to forge change.  We cry out to Him and then let Him speak to us about our part in the plan.

Would you join me today in crying out to God?  Would you join me in asking God to heal our land?  Would you join me in doing what we can to make a difference?

Lord, I ask You to help each and every one of us to be filled with the same kind of compassion that Jesus had over Israel.  I ask that You would help us to be a compassionate people.  Help us to see with Your eyes and love with Your heart!  Amen.

Have a wonderful day spreading the Sonshine!!