John 11:35

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 

Jesus is the standard that we as believers should aim to reflect and yet there are moments where we see showing emotions as a weakness, as if we are never allowed to be sorrowful or down? Jesus showed emotion. He never put on a fake smile or pretended things were going well when they weren’t. In this verse, we see Him express Himself, His sorrow came due to the death of his close friend Lazarus. The word for wept used here indicates a quiet form of weeping. The word used for weeping in verse 33 indicates a loud wailing. 

Jesus shows us that as His followers we can’t let our emotions control us or direct us but rather we are to respond in a way that continues to honor the Lord. Through Jesus’ example, we see that we are not to bottle our emotions or sorrows, or pretend they don’t exist. Rather we are to filter those emotions through the truth of God’s word and be led by the truth of God’s word and not our emotions.

So the next time sorrow presents itself in our lives, remember that Jesus wept as well but it doesn’t end there. We can take our sorrows and lay them at the feet of Jesus and ask for His guidance and care to lead us through those emotions so that we may honor Him and reflect Him with our actions. 

For His Kingdom, 

Alex Alfaro