Sabbathought: "Jesus wept" --- Why did He weep?

"Jesus wept." . . . The shortest single verse in all scripture. . . . John 11:35. . . . Jesus wept.

Jesus wept. . . . God wept. . . . Does God weep often? Over what does God weep?

Does He weep over the death of a departed loved one? Is that a cause of mourning with Him? He who had previously said, "Let the dead bury the dead," when a disciple asked leave to follow Jesus later, when it was more convenient, for now he had to bury his father who had recently died. . . . Let the spiritually dead bury their dead, is His meaning here. Let the spiritually alert and alive seek to build up the kingdom of God without a moment's delay.

Death is not the end. It is a release, a passage to a better state. The Jews, the Nephites, we in modern Israel should know this well.

Does God have feelings of sentimental concern for those who pass away? The Jews certainly did---any natural man in his natural state would have such feelings, such sentiments. It is only human; it is only natural. And weeping and mourning has its appropriate time and place and has the sanction of the Lord Himself (see D&C 42:45). (We'll come back to the Jews "mourning" over Lazarus in a moment.)

But He who said, "My ways are not your ways," is He likely to have sentimental regrets over the passing of family-member Lazarus, especially when He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead in the next sixty seconds?

Do we have other instances of God weeping? . . . We do. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem and her inhabitants the Jews because they would not repent and let Him gather them and protect them and save them.

Jesus, as Jehovah, in the days of Enoch, wept with Enoch over the wickedness of the people who would not repent and who would therefore be destroyed in the Flood (see Moses 7:23--67).

Jesus, God Himself, as the Book of Mormon so clearly teaches (see 1 Nephi 19:10; Mosiah 7:27; 13:28, 34; 15:1, 5--9; 17:8), wept with the faithful Nephites as they wept with gratitude for His healing ministry among them (3 Nephi 17). His bowels were filled with compassion towards them on this occasion and He wept openly, and His joy was full.

But notice this, in the middle of this sublimest moment of joy and healing, of peace and praise, in the whole record, as He blessed their little children, we find this:

"And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. . . .

"And . . . when they had all been brought, and . . . the multitude . . . had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel."

Now bear this in mind as we go back to the Bible record.

In Mark 5 we find this, "And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly." . . . Professional mourners, you see.

"And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

"And they laughed him to scorn. [Footnote: they ridiculed him.] But when he had put them all out, . . . he took the damsel by the hand, and" raised her from the dead. Is the big picture becoming clear?

Back to Lazarus in John 11:--

The key verses are 31--38. Study them closely for yourself and see if Jesus wept out of His great love and compassion for Lazarus. Where do we get the idea that this was the reason for His tears? From the disbelieving Jews. The professional mourners. See verse 36. And many among us---so steeped in the false doctrine of His unconditional love and infinite mercy for all men on all occasions at all times---are left with no other reason and conclusion. . . . And it is a false conclusion. A false conclusion based on the false idea we borrowed from the world of false ideas, of God's unconditional love.

Jesus wept, but not for the reasons our shallow surface reasoning produces. As among the Nephites in 3 Nephi 17, we find that He "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" (John 11:33). And in 11:38, "again groaning in himself."

Elder McConkie points out that "these phrases as given in the revised version say that he 'was moved with indignation in the spirit' and 'being moved with indignation in himself.' Apparently Jesus was expressing sorrowful indignation, in the first instance because of the shallow and ritualistic weeping of the Jews and in the second case at the baseless criticism poured upon him for failure to come and heal Lazarus prior to his death" (DNTC 1:532--3).

There is more to say on this, and we shall visit it another time. But let Nephi have the last word as he closes out his record, in tears:

"Behold, this [the preceding dozen verses in 2 Nephi] is the doctrine of Christ, . . .

"And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

[And then, over the page to p. 116, . . . this:]

"But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people [who are of the house of Israel]. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry [and preserve this record for them to read, so they will come unto Christ, repent, learn of Him, and be saved]."

Jesus wept. Nephi wept. Both for the very same reason. Do you see it?

Please---your comments. Feedback. Thoughts. Space is short here for me. More later. Have a glorious Sabbath.

Steve