John 11:35 AMPC
Jesus wept.
The shortest verse in the Bible...
To meet face to face with the death of someone we love is probably one of the fiercest pains a heart can experience - it stabs a sharp dagger into our very "marrow".
Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Jessie, a very special Labrador, my nephew's and niece's first "baby". There was much weeping as we let her go.
In the verse above we see the Messiah weeping at the tomb of his friend Lazarus.
Many different reasons have been given for Jesus' tears, but at the most basic level it is good to know that our Saviour is not too proud to cry.
He is powerful enough to calm a storm with a word, yet He doesn't try to hold back His tears.
Isaiah 53:3 says
He was a Man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief...
He didn't run from sorrow, He got to know grief. In order to relate to us, He HAD to!
There's no anaesthetic that's powerful enough to quell the pain of a broken heart. The one thing that anyone can do is to come along side and weep too.
Time must do the rest.
The Lord values our tears, in fact Psalm 56:8 says that He records them and catches them in His bottle!
When you cry and grieve know that Jesus weeps with you and is catching those tears and recording them.
There will come a time when He will wipe away ALL our tears - Revelation 21:4
In the meantime, don't be afraid to face and feel your sadness.
There is something redemptive and healing in tears.
Like the Eric Clapton song, written when his young son Conor died:
Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven
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