Then Jesus Wept

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

August 22, 2024

Then Jesus Wept

“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down”

Isaiah 53:4

Martha’s sister, Mary, also had her “Lord, if only you had been here” statement (John 11:32).  However, she was not alone: “But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” (John 11:37). It is important as we consider the sixth sign in John’s Gospel, to remember what John said is the purpose of these signs: “But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31) Martha, Mary, and many of their friends were still at the place where they believed the purpose of the Messiah was to change the adverse circumstances of their personal lives. They did not yet understand that the Messiah comes to give us right standing with God for all eternity.

As we hear Mary express her grief to Jesus, his response to Martha is also still ringing in our ears, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a). In the midst of this hugely difficult theological and doctrinal point to grasp, Jesus reveals the very heart of God. “Then Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down” (Isaiah 53:4).

The Palmist tells us that God cares deeply for us: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8).

My Takeaway: God keeps our tears in a bottle and Jesus weeps with us.

 What wondrous love is this,

O my soul, O my soul,

what wondrous love is this,

O my soul!

 

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Dr. Alexander Means, 1835

(My ancestor and name’s sake)

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.