Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair' her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

John 11:1-7

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

John 11:32-36

Jesus knew the reality of heaven. He Himself was in fact the source of all hope for a future day of resurrection. And yet, Jesus cried.

When someone we love dies, we struggle with a wide range of emotions. We may even question His wisdom or His goodness. Then we read, "Jesus began to weep." God is deeply touched by our anguish.

If you doubt that Jesus cares, remember His tears.

Our Daily Bread - August 28, 2004