Hi Everyone,​

I was reading the story of Lazarus last night​,​ and I’ve always wondered about John 11:35, why Jesus wept?

It would be good to hear your thoughts on the matter. The bible’s shortest verse uses the word dakruo (to shed tears), and this is the only time this word appears in the whole Bible.

Why would Jesus have wept, if he had the power to – and it was not long before he did – raise Lazarus from the dead?

A​____

Thank you for this question.

When Paul, speaking of the events of the Old Testament, made this statement:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [Greek: tupos, types of us]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

The same is true for everything that happened to Christ and His disciples. They are types of us, and everything that happened to them was written for our admonition.

Christ knew that He would very soon raise Lazarus from the dead and there would be great rejoicing. However, for our sakes and for our admonition, He also knew the truth of His own words in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man:

Luk 16:31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one [Lazarus] rose from the dead.

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is in Luke 16, but is it not very interesting that when Christ did raise a man from the dead, as a witness to the rich man’s five brothers, that man’s name was ‘Lazarus’, and sure enough, they were not the least impressed.

Joh 12:9  Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
Joh 12:10  But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 

Christ’s physical emotions cried out to His Father for mercy upon the very people who were in the process of murdering Him: and His physical emotions caused Him to cry over Jerusalem, as we should also:

Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

That is the spirit and mind we should have over the rebellious old man within, and over this rebellious world in which we find ourselves:

Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

This is primarily an inward prophecy of how we are to “sigh and cry for all the abominations [of our old man] in the midst” of the Lord’s city, which is us. It also has an outward fulfillment which has and does take place before the spiritual can or will occur. So there is an outward dispensational fulfillment as we witness the Lord’s chastening hand upon our inward old man and upon our outward brothers in this doomed world in which we live, and we, too, should show our compassion upon all who must suffer as we are suffering and must “suffer with Him” now “in this present time” (Rom 8:18).

Babylon confesses God is sovereign and that we are saved by election. Then in the same breath, totally blinded to their own contradictions, they deny the very truths they read and state plainly straight from the scriptures.

Look at what this minister says about God’s sovereign election:

“Some people must wonder why the Son of God would be seen weeping that day. A slant on the doctrine of election that is gaining more acceptance in our day says that the salvation and damnation of individuals is based ultimately upon an arbitrary choice made by the Lord. Some are chosen for reprobation and damnation, while others are elected for repentance and salvation. Some declare, the perfect will of God is always accomplished and that people receive and reject Christ because God foreordained that they would. But if that were so, why was Jesus weeping?

“He was weeping because He is not willing that any should perish. That’s what the Scriptures clearly say.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:3–6

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

“Yes, the saved are the elect of God, but election is based upon God’s foreknowledge. What and whom God knows determines whom He chooses! The Bible says that we are “. . . elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ . . .” (1 Peter 1:2).

“Election is defined in Romans 8 as God’s sovereignty acting in accordance with His omniscience and omnipotence. Study verses 29 through 34:

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

“The Lord predestined those He foreknew to be like His Son someday. This process is called election. It is a mystery to us because we cannot understand what it is to be the all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe. But we do know that the election of His own does not negate the part human choice plays in determining a soul’s destiny.

“If Jesus was about to do exactly what He wanted to do, why would He weep? If He had chosen to destroy Jerusalem, why would He weep over it? What tragedy would there be in a sinner’s rejection of God’s mercy if he could do nothing else?

“The choices of man do play a role in his redemption or destruction. Of Jerusalem, Jesus said, “…how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Luke 13:34)

“Jesus “would,” but they “would not.” The tragedy over which Jesus is weeping is the tragedy of lost opportunity. The people of the holy city missed the opportunity to be saved because of foolish and wicked decisions they made! Their Saviour came to their city, but they would not have Him!” (End Quote)

All the emboldening and underlining are mine because I want you to see the contradiction between saying:

“Election is defined in Romans 8 as God’s sovereignty acting in accordance with His omniscience and omnipotence. Study verses 29 through 34:

“The Lord predestined those He foreknew to be like His Son someday. This process is called election. It is a mystery to us because we cannot understand what it is to be the all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe.” (End Quote)

Then he also states in the very same breath:

“But we do know that the election of His own does not negate the part human choice plays in determining a soul’s destiny… The choices of man do play a role in his redemption or destruction. Of Jerusalem, Jesus said, “…how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Luke 13:34)

“Jesus “would,” but they “would not.” (End Quote)

If indeed “would not” can nullify Jesus’ “would”, then you simply cannot say at the same time … “Election is defined in Romans 8 as God’s sovereignty acting in accordance with His omniscience and omnipotence. This minister clearly could never understand or explain how Joseph could twice affirm that his brothers had indeed chosen to sell him into Egypt, and in the same breath tell them that it was not they who had done that evil deed at all, but rather it was God who sent him into Egypt:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Why did Joseph chasten his brothers, imprison them, accuse them of being spies and stealing his silver cup, when he admits they only did what God made them to do?

Now look at this minister’s question about why Jesus wept over Jerusalem:

“If Jesus was about to do exactly what He wanted to do, why would He weep? If He had chosen to destroy Jerusalem, why would He weep over it? What tragedy would there be in a sinner’s rejection of God’s mercy if he could do nothing else?” (End Quote) [Source: Why Did Jesus Weep Over Jerusalem?]

The answer to all these questions is that God really is sovereign and His sovereignty extends to the things He does for our admonition, like “sighing and crying for all the abominations done in the midst of [Jerusalem]” even if He had indeed “made us to err from His ways and hardened our heart from His fear…”

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

The answer to your question is that Christ wept over Jerusalem because He wants us to weep over Jerusalem both within and without even though we all know that He really is “working all things after the counsel of His own will”:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

I hope this has helped you to understand why Christ wept over both Lazarus and Jerusalem even as He was working all things after the counsel of His own will.

YbiTC,

Mike