Why Did He Weep?

John 11:32 tells us that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Pope Leo the Great says ‘In His humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus; in His divinity he raised him from the dead.’ Why did He weep? He wept because He was bereaved of a great friend. He wept in sympathy for his friends who were also bereaved. He was weeping for our infirmities because mankind also faces death.

In His weeping He is also weeping for us today. He is besides us in our pain, partings and sadness. Psalm 30:5 tells us ‘weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning.’ He knows that weeping is not the final answer.

So as Jesus weeps, He is weeping for the past, for His present and also for our present.