“JESUS WEPT” – Charles Spurgeon
“JESUS WEPT”
Introduction
John 11:35. A great storm was stirring the mind of Jesus. We find, on looking at the original, that He was indignant and troubled. We have a very literal translation in the margin of the Revised Version. And instead of reading, “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled,” we find it, “He was moved with indignation in the spirit and troubled Himself.” What was this indignation? We cannot think that it was caused by the unbelief of His friends, or even by the pretended sympathy of those malicious Jews who hastened to accuse Him to the Pharisees. But we look further and deeper for the reason of this heat. He now stood face to face with the last enemy, death. He saw what sin had done in destroying life and even in corrupting the fair handiwork of God in the human body. He marked, also, the share which Satan had in all this, and His indignation was aroused. Yes, His whole nature was stirred. Some read it, “He roused Himself,” instead of reading, as we have it in our version, “He was troubled.” Certainly, there would seem to be an active sense in the expression—it was not so much that He was troubled, as that “He troubled Himself.” The waters of His soul were clear as crystal, and therefore when troubled, they were not muddied. Yet they were all stirred. It could be seen that His holy nature was in a ferment, and an inarticulate expression of distress fell from Him. Between indignation at the powers of evil, grief for the family who had been bereaved by death, sorrow over those who stood by in unbelief, and a distressing realization of the effects of sin, the Lord’s heart was evidently in a great storm. Instead of the thunder of threat and the lightning of a curse, all that was perceptible of the inward tempest was a shower of tears. For “Jesus wept.” A hurricane rushed through His spirit. All the forces of His soul were disturbed. He shuddered at the sight which was about to be set before Him. He was thrilled from head to foot with emotion. Yet the result of the storm was not a word of terror, nor a glance of judgment, but simply a blessed shower of tears—“Jesus wept.” If all our righteous indignation displayed itself in tears of pity, we should have fulfilled the text, “Be you angry and sin not.” “Jesus wept.” I have often felt vexed with the man, whoever he was, who chopped up the New Testament into verses. He seems to have let the hatchet drop indiscriminately here and there. But I forgive him a great deal of blundering for his wisdom in letting these two words make a verse by themselves—“Jesus wept.” This is a diamond of the first water, and it cannot have another gem set with it, for it is unique. Shortest of verses in words, but where is there a longer one in sense? Add a word to the verse and it would be out of place. No, let it stand in solitary sublimity and simplicity. You may even put a note of exclamation after it and let it stand in capitals, “JESUS WEPT!” There is infinitely more in these two words than any sermonizer or student of the Word will ever be able to bring out of them, even though he should apply the microscope of the most attentive consideration. “Jesus wept.” Instructive fact—simple but amazing—full of consolation—worthy of our earnest heed. Come, Holy Spirit, and help us to discover for ourselves the wealth of meaning contained in these two words! We read of other men that they wept. Abraham, when he buried Sarah, wept. Jacob had power with the angel, for he wept and prevailed. Of David, we are continually reading that he wept. His friend Jonathan and he once wept together and were not unmanned but were the more truly men for weeping. Of Hezekiah, we read that he wept sorely and of Josiah that he poured forth tears over the sins of Judah. Jeremiah was a weeping Prophet. And I might continue the list, but if I did, it would not be at all remarkable that the sons of a fallen father should weep. With all the sin and sorrow that surrounds our manhood, it is no marvel that it should be said of any man, “He wept.” The earth brings forth thorns and thistles, and the heart brings forth sorrow and sighing. Is there a man or woman here who has not wept? Have we not all, sometimes, felt a sweet relief in tears? Looking round upon this great assembly, I could point to you, one by one, and say, “He wept and he wept. And she wept and she wept.” And none would wonder that such has been the case. The marvel is that the sinless Son of God should, in the days of His flesh, know the meaning of strong crying and tears. The fact worthy to be noticed and recorded is that “Jesus wept.” On that subject, we shall meditate this morning. And may the Lord make our thoughts profitable!
I. Jesus Wept Because He Was Truly Man
Many facts prove the completeness of our Lord’s taking up of our nature. Not in phantasm, nor in fiction, was Jesus a man. But in reality and truth, He became one of us. He was born of a woman, wrapped in swaddling bands, fed from the breast. He grew as a child, was obedient to His parents, and increased in stature and in wisdom. In manhood, He worked, He walked, He wearied. He ate as we do—we find it mentioned that He fasted and that He hungered. After His resurrection, He ate a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb, to show that His body was real. His human nature was sustained, as ours is, by supplying it with food. Though on one occasion, sustained by Divine power, He fasted forty days and forty nights—yet as man, He ordinarily needed food. He drank also and gave thanks both for food and drink. We find Him sleeping with His head upon a pillow and resting upon the curb of the well of Sychar. He suffered all the innocent infirmities of our nature. He was hungry and was disappointed when, early in the morning, He came to a fig tree seeking fruit but found none. He was weary—“Jesus, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well.” That He thirsted we know, for He said to the Samaritan woman, “Give Me to drink.” And on the Cross, He cried in burning fever, “I thirst!” In all things He was made like His Brethren. “Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” His humanity was our humanity to the full, although without sin. Sin is not essential to humanity—it is a disease of nature. It is not a feature found in humanity, as though it came from the Creator’s hand. The Man of men, in whom all true humanity is found in perfection, is Christ Jesus. The fact that Jesus wept is a clear proof of this. He wept because He had human friendships. Friendship is natural to man. Scarcely is He a man who never had a friend to love. Men, in going through the world, make many acquaintances, but out of these, they have a few special objects of esteem whom they call friends. If they think to have many friends, they are, probably, misusing the name. All wise and good men have about them choice spirits with whom their communion is more free and in whom their trust is more confident than in all others. Jesus delighted to find retirement in the quiet home at Bethany. And we read that, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Alas, my Brethren, every friendship opens a fresh door for grief. For friends are no more immortal than ourselves. “Jesus wept” at the grave of His friend just as you and I have done and must do again. Behold your Lord, like David, weeping for His Jonathan, and see how human He is in His friendships.
II. Jesus Wept Because He Was Not Ashamed of His Human Weakness
He could have repressed His tears—many men do so habitually. I do not doubt that there may be great sorrow, very great sorrow, where there is no open expression of it. In fact, most of you must have felt times when grief has struck you such a stunning blow that you could not weep, you could not recover yourself sufficiently to shed tears—the heart was all on fire with anguish and the eyes refused the cooling drops. The Savior could doubtless, if so He had wished, have hidden His grief. But He did not choose to do so, for He was never unnatural. As “the holy Child Jesus,” He was free from pride and wore His heart where men could see it.
III. Jesus Wept—He is Our Instructor in Weeping
Observe why Jesus wept and learn a lesson from it. He wept because this was His method of prayer on this occasion. A great miracle was to be worked and great power was needed from on high—as man, the Lord Jesus cries to God with intense earnestness and finds the most fit embodiment for His prayer in weeping. No prayer will ever prevail with God more surely than a liquid petition, which, being distilled from the heart, trickles from the eye and waters the cheek. Then is God won when He hears the voice of your weeping.
IV. Jesus Wept—He is Our Comforter
Let me speak to those who are of heavy heart. “Jesus wept”—herein is our honor. You weep, my Friend, in good company. For Jesus wept. Let no man censure you lest they not only blame you but Jesus also. “Jesus wept”—herein is our sonship vindicated. You say, “Can I be the child of God and yet go weeping?” Was not Jesus the well-beloved Son? And yet He wept.
V. Jesus Wept—He is Our Example
We should weep, for Jesus wept. Jesus wept for others. I know not that He ever wept for Himself. His were sympathetic tears. He embodied that command, “Weep with them that weep.” He has a narrow soul who can hold it all within the compass of his ribs. A true soul, a Christly soul, lives in other men’s souls and bodies as well as in its own.