Day 14: Jesus Wept
Bible passage: John 11:32–36; Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 23:37–39; Mark 3:1–6
A God with Tears
Today is Thursday 11th of April 2019. Welcome to Day 14 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Two weeks are complete. Today we look at something about God that may surprise us. He grieves.
Many people picture God as distant and unfeeling, looking down on our troubles from a long way off. The Bible gives a very different picture. Isaiah said that the coming Saviour would be a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief (Isaiah 53:3). And in the Gospels we see Him.
The God Who Grieves
At a Graveside
Lazarus had died, and his sister Mary fell at the feet of Jesus in tears. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the others wailing with her, He was deeply troubled. He asked where they had laid him. “Then Jesus wept.” John 11:35 (NLT)
The people standing near remarked on how much He had loved him (John 11:36).
What makes this so striking is that Jesus knew what He was about to do. In a few minutes Lazarus would walk out of that tomb. He wept all the same. He did not stand back from their grief because He knew the ending. He entered into it.
If you are grieving, this is your God. He does not tell you to pull yourself together. He weeps with you, and He is also the resurrection and the life.
Over a City
Near the end of His ministry Jesus looked at Jerusalem, the city that had killed the prophets, and cried out to her. How often He had wanted to gather her children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but they would not let Him (Matthew 23:37).
This is the grief of love that has been refused. God does not force anyone to come to Him. When people will not come, it grieves Him.
Over Hard Hearts
One Sabbath, Jesus met a man with a deformed hand in the synagogue. His critics were watching to see whether He would heal him, so that they could accuse Him. Mark tells us that Jesus looked round at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then He healed the man (Mark 3:5).
Anger and sorrow are both there. He was angry that anyone could care more about a rule than about a suffering man. He was sad because those hearts were shut against the very One who could help them.
Sharing His Heart
Three Steps for Today
Praise Him. Thank God that He is not cold-hearted or cruel. He understands sorrow, and He is moved by your tears.
Bring your grief. If you are carrying a loss, tell Him about it. You do not have to hide it or tidy it up.
Pray for hard hearts. Pray by name for people you know whose hearts are hard towards God. If the hard heart at the moment is your own, ask Him to soften it.
If you are struggling with grief and need someone to talk to, please get in touch with our pastoral team.
Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are a man of sorrows and that You know what grief is. Thank You that You wept, and that my tears matter to You. I bring You my losses. Comfort me, and remind me that You are the resurrection and the life. Soften every hard heart, Lord, beginning with mine, and gather to Yourself the people I love. Amen.
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