June 3, 2025 - John 11:35 - "The Sympathizing Savior"

John 11:35

"Jesus wept."

This shortest verse in all of Scripture opens to us the deep heart of the LORD Jesus Christ. “Jesus wept.” Not merely as a man who was moved by sorrow, but as the incarnate Son of God, the sovereign Savior Who came into the world to redeem a chosen people unto Himself. His tears were not helpless, but holy. They were not the weeping of a mere bystander, but of the LORD of Glory, deeply touched by the consequences of sin in a fallen world, but particularly that of the elect that the Father chose from before time and gave to Him to save. He was truly the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).

This verse unveils the humiliation and rejection of Christ, the suffering Servant, in His earthly ministry. We see in these words the willful blindness and depravity of fallen man, who naturally despises the only Savior sent from God. Christ, though altogether lovely and righteous, was rejected by those He came to save—not because of any fault in Him, but because of the enmity of the carnal heart against God (Romans 8:7).

Yet this rejection was not outside God’s sovereign purpose. The LORD Jesus was “despised and rejected of men” because He came to bear the sins of His elect. He became “The Man of sorrows” because He took upon Himself the curse of the law that justly belonged to us. His griefs were not His own; they were the griefs of a people chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), for whom He came to accomplish eternal redemption.

The world “esteemed him not,” yet the Father esteemed Him highly, for through His suffering and rejection He would justify many (Isaiah 53:11). Though men hid their faces, God laid on Him the iniquity of all His elect (Isaiah 53:6). Although the world rejected Him, the chosen remnant—called by grace—behold in Him the Lamb of God Who bore their griefs and carried their sorrows.

Here at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus stands, facing the same unbelief of the sinners around Him (John 11:37). As He prepared to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead, His distress over the people’s spiritual blindness and unbelief intensified (John 11:37-38). He knows He is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He is not weeping in despair or uncertainty, but in divine compassion. He sees the pain that death brings—the grief, the hopelessness, the sting—and He grieves not only for Lazarus and his sisters, but for what sin has wrought in His creation. He weeps as the God-Man, full of Grace and Truth.

But think of this: the One Who weeps is the very One Who ordained all things. He is the sovereign LORD Who declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” He purposed Lazarus to die—not out of cruelty, but to display His Glory in resurrection power. Our Sovereign LORD is not cold or distant. In Holy Love He acted in perfect Wisdom not getting to Lazarus before He died. Christ's weeping shows us that our salvation is not mechanical—it is deeply personal to the Savior identifying with the sins and griefs of their sin. He Who chose His people before the foundation of the world is also He Who weeps with them in time, and bears their griefs.

And yet, these tears are not the end. Christ would soon go to the cross, where He would do more than weep—He would die. He would bear the full wrath of God on behalf of His elect. The tomb of Lazarus would be emptied, yes—but it pointed to a greater triumph. Christ would conquer death, not only for Lazarus, but for every sinner given to Him by the Father.

As those for whom Christ died and the Spirit has called, we take comfort. The Savior identifies with us in our sin and sorrows as the Mediator and Forerunner. But more than that, He has triumphed over the grave for each of His own. His tears lead to victory. His compassion flows from His eternal purpose. And in His sovereign grace, He has joined Himself to His people with an everlasting love—a love that not only feels, but saves, and with an everlasting salvation... forever!