The Bible mentions three occasions when Jesus wept. Only a person with real emotions can weep. Did Jesus weep only as a human? Should we ask, “Can or does God in heaven weep?”

Although the Bible does not specifically give us examples of God’s sadness, there are many expressions of how He felt about the gross wickedness of His human family, and His people’s unfaithfulness. He felt anger, frustration, grief…reflected in His words…for example…

“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The corruption of all the people who lived at that time caused God grief. Is it possible that God could mourn over the very creation that had caused Him complete satisfaction at the beginning?

Of Israel, on the eve of terrible catastrophe, the Babylonians!!! He said…

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It should not surprise us, then, that Jesus’ tears were the expression of His own sorrow over situations where His people’s stubborn resistance and unbelief 

would bring judgment down on them. The crux of the matter was that His people had failed to recognise Him as their deliverer. He had come to rescue them from a greater judgment than Rome’s terrible destruction…sin that would consign them to everlasting darkness without His intervention. 

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus also wept over one of His dearest friends who, in the hour of her deepest grief, blamed Him for her loss rather than trusting Him for His better plan. 

“So he told them (His disciples) plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”…When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled…Then Jesus wept.”

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭14‬-‭15‬, ‭32‬-‭33‬, ‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So many interpretations about Jesus’ anger and sorrow! Let’s look at the situation from a purely human point of view. 

Mary wanted Jesus to come…to heal her brother before he died. Jesus had a better plan. He delayed His return to Bethany deliberately and long enough for the sickness to do its final work. Mary thought Jesus had failed her. Her trust in Him reached only to the limit of her expectation. 

When Jesus failed to turn up, Mary’s faith in Him collapsed. She turned on Him in anger. She rebuked Him. She had built a wall that shut Him out. She refused to give Him the benefit of the doubt. 

How would He react? With indifference? With nonchalance? Of course not! With anger…frustration…grief…not at Mary but at her unbelief. His tears were tears of sorrow because His friend had refused to trust Him…based on who He was. Despite sitting at His feet, she did not yet really know Him. 

Had Mary waited until Jesus had finished what He started, she would have saved herself all the agony and grief her unbelief had cost her. What if she had still sat at His feet in her heart, trusting His love, and believing in His goodness despite the situation, until He came? This is what real faith does…not collapsing in the middle, but waiting for the conclusion…leaning hard on Jesus because of who He is. 

How often Jesus must weep over us when we refuse to trust Him to the conclusion. Why not let Him finish what He started, leaning on Him because of who He is…and finding, with joy, that He can be trusted, after all?

To be continued…