The Daily Devotional Podcast

The God Who Weeps | John 11:28–44

• Waypoint Church

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This reflection reveals that before demonstrating His power over death, Jesus first enters fully into human grief, showing that God is not distant from our sorrow. It invites us to trust that the Savior who raises the dead is also the One who meets us compassionately in the middle of our pain.

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SPEAKER_00

Today I'll be reading John eleven, verses thirty two through forty four. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. Where have you put him? he asked them. They told him, Lord, come and see. Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, See how much he loved him. But some said, This man healed a blind man. Couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying? Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb. A cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. Roll the stone aside, Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested. Lord, he's been dead for four days, the smell would be terrible. Jesus responded, Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe? So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so they will believe that you sent me. Then Jesus shouted, Lazarus, come out, and the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, Unwrap him and let him go. Have you ever been in a moment where words feel useless? A hospital room, a gravesite, a phone call that can change everything. In moments like that, explanations rarely help. Presence matters more. By the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, mourning has already begun. Friends and neighbors have gathered. The house is filled with grief. Mary comes to Jesus and falls at his feet with the same words Martha spoke earlier. Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Her words carry sorrow more than accusation. They come from a place of loss. John tells us that when Jesus saw Mary weeping and the people around her weeping, something stirred deeply within him. He was moved. He felt the weight of the moment, and John records a simple sentence Jesus wept. Two words that reveal something remarkable. Jesus knows what will happen next. He knows Lazarus will walk out of the tomb. He knows death will not keep its hold, and still, he weeps. Grief is not something God studies from a distance. It's something he steps into. The tears of Jesus show us that God is not unmoved by suffering. He's not distant from human sorrow. The one who will soon call life out of death first shares in the grief of those who are mourning. Then Jesus walks toward the tomb. Take away the stone, he says. Martha hesitates, the finality of death pressing on everyone present. Jesus lifts his eyes in praise and calls out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. The man who had died walks out of the tomb. The one who said I am the resurrection and the life now demonstrates the authority of that claim. But the miracle is not the only thing this story reveals about Jesus. Before the power there were tears, and before the victory there was compassion. This moment reminds us of something easy to forget when we're suffering. Jesus does not move past our pain as quickly as possible. He meets people within it. The power that raised the dead belongs to the same Savior who stands beside the grieving. The one who calls the dead to life is also the one who weeps with the living. Before I close in prayer, here's a question to wrestle with. Remind me that you are not distant from my pain. Help me to trust that the one who weeps with me is also the one who brings life.