{"id":42064,"date":"2018-06-28T21:59:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T21:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=42064"},"modified":"2025-04-04T16:00:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T16:00:56","slug":"angry-and-deeply-troubled-jesus-wept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/believe\/angry-and-deeply-troubled-jesus-wept","title":{"rendered":"Angry and Deeply Troubled, Jesus Wept… Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Steven Gledhill<\/span> <\/em>for FREEdom from MEdom Project<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a verse in Scripture that is most famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible. It is two words in most every translation:<\/p>\n

Jesus wept. <\/span>John 11:35<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember that as a child, when someone asked what Bible verse I memorized, I would answer sarcastically, “Jesus wept.” But as a child, I never considered the context of this verse. I would not have understood it<\/p>\n

It turns out that Jesus wept at a funeral reception. While Jesus was away doing ministry, perhaps even on a “refresher” break from ministry, notice came to him that his dear friend Lazarus was dying. Should Jesus adjust his plans, and travel to Bethany, the location of Lazarus and his sisters (Mary and Martha), he could have healed his friend from what may have been a terminal condition. Lazarus, may have been in a great deal of pain in his last days and hours before dying, we don’t know. The story doesn’t say.<\/p>\n

What we do know is that Jesus waited a few more days before heading back to Bethany. Certainly, he would get back in time to intervene and heal his friend, right? Let’s look at the story.<\/p>\n

The two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, \u201cLord, your dear friend is very sick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

4\u00a0<\/sup>But when Jesus heard about it he said, \u201cLazarus\u2019s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.\u201d<\/span><\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,<\/span> 6\u00a0<\/sup>he stayed where he was for the next two days.<\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>Finally, he said to his disciples, \u201cLet\u2019s go back to Judea.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>But his disciples objected. \u201cRabbi,\u201d they said, \u201conly a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus replied, \u201cThere are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.<\/span><\/span> 10\u00a0<\/sup>But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.\u201d<\/span><\/span> 11\u00a0<\/sup>Then he said, \u201cOur friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup>The disciples said, \u201cLord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!\u201d<\/span> 13\u00a0<\/sup>They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup>So he told them plainly, \u201cLazarus is dead.<\/span><\/span> 15\u00a0<\/sup>And for your sakes, I\u2019m glad I wasn\u2019t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let\u2019s go see him.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, \u201cLet\u2019s go, too\u2014and die with Jesus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

17\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.<\/span> 18\u00a0<\/sup>Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,<\/span> 19\u00a0<\/sup>and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.<\/span> 20\u00a0<\/sup>When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.<\/span> 21\u00a0<\/sup>Martha said to Jesus, \u201cLord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.<\/span> 22\u00a0<\/sup>But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

23\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus told her, \u201cYour brother will rise again.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

24\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYes,\u201d Martha said, \u201che will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

25\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus told her, \u201cI am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.<\/span><\/span> 26\u00a0<\/sup>Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

27\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYes, Lord,\u201d she told him. \u201cI have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.\u201d<\/span> 28\u00a0<\/sup>Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, \u201cThe Teacher is here and wants to see you.\u201d<\/span> 29\u00a0<\/sup>So Mary immediately went to him.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

30\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.<\/span> 31\u00a0<\/sup>When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus\u2019s grave to weep. So they followed her there.<\/span> 32\u00a0<\/sup>When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, \u201cLord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

33\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.<\/span> 34\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWhere have you put him?\u201d<\/span> he asked them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They told him, \u201cLord, come and see.\u201d<\/span> 35\u00a0<\/sup>Then Jesus wept.<\/span> 36\u00a0<\/sup>The people who were standing nearby said, \u201cSee how much he loved him!\u201d<\/span> 37\u00a0<\/sup>But some said, \u201cThis man healed a blind man. Couldn\u2019t he have kept Lazarus from dying?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

38\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.<\/span> 39\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cRoll the stone aside,\u201d<\/span> Jesus told them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But Martha, the dead man\u2019s sister, protested, \u201cLord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

40\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus responded, \u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you that you would see God\u2019s glory if you believe?\u201d<\/span><\/span> 41\u00a0<\/sup>So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, \u201cFather, thank you for hearing me.<\/span><\/span> 42\u00a0<\/sup>You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.\u201d<\/span><\/span> 43\u00a0<\/sup>Then Jesus shouted, \u201cLazarus, come forth!\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span>44\u00a0<\/sup>And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, \u201cUnwrap him and let him go!\u201d <\/span><\/span>John 11:3-44 (NLT)<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Not What You Think<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you ready to unpack everything in this amazing and highly intense story?<\/p>\n

Lazarus had been a beloved friend to Jesus for some time, perhaps since childhood. There are Bible scholars out there that would say that Lazarus was the disciple that Jesus and had great affection for in the gospel of John. A few dare suggest that Lazarus and John are one in the same. There does not appear to any indication that John, the disciple, was ever afflicted with a condition to the degree of peril that he could perish.<\/p>\n

Whatever the case, Jesus and Lazarus were certainly very close friends.<\/p>\n

So, why would Jesus wait two more days to return to Judea to what would be the funeral reception<\/em> of Lazarus by the time he arrived? Why wouldn’t Jesus be motivated to hurry back to heal one of his best friends, or simply pray to his heavenly father right from where he was for a healing?<\/p>\n

When he got there, Jesus saw so many of the mourners weeping and appeared himself to get caught up in it, and so it is reported that Jesus wept. It is safe to say that Jesus experienced grief. But what exactly did he grieve?<\/p>\n

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. <\/span>John 11:33 (NLT)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus may have looked around considering his own death, and thought of how his death would impact his followers, especially those had close personal relationships with him. He may have found that distressing and troubling, but why the “deep anger”?<\/p>\n

What do you suppose it was that Jesus became so angry and so deeply troubled?<\/p>\n

Some have said Jesus was troubled by the lack of faith of these people not believing in the power of what Jesus was capable of. To be honest, I would find it a bit troubling that Jesus would be offended that people were so upset that he didn’t get there in time, and that these loved ones of Lazarus mourned the death of their brother and friend. Jesus couldn’t have expected them to have faith that he was capable of resurrecting Lazarus. People had witnessed Jesus performing healings and miracles, but they had not seen Jesus do that, <\/em>resurrect someone from death to life. Only two of his disciples witnessed Jesus resurrect the daughter of Jairus previously who were instructed by Jesus not to tell anyone.<\/p>\n

Jesus was still angry<\/em> as he arrived at the tomb<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>John 11:38 (NLT)<\/span><\/p>\n

What was going on? What was his problem? What was driving his anger? Who was his anger directed towards?<\/p>\n

In a couple of weeks, Jesus would be telling a man who was dying on the cross next to his that he would be in paradise that very day. As a man, Jesus may or may not have known fully the depths of who he was in the context of eternity, but he knew he was the son of God. He knew that his relationship with God the Father was unique. Jesus understood that only he was the Savior of the world. He must have understood that paradise was the logical destination for every person of faith in relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Lazarus would have been destined for paradise upon his death. The story we read from John chapter 11 tells us that Lazarus had been dead for four days. It is safe to assume that Lazarus had experienced Paradise for four days, which in the context of eternal glory where time might not be relevant, may have been an eternal experience.<\/p>\n

The experience of eternal glory is living beyond what any of us could possibly imagine, without pain or sadness or any form of discomfort. And if the experience of eternal glory is one of joy and peace, then the body of Lazarus resurrected into glory, was not only healed but restored into purity and wholeness. His new body was perhaps made glorious, to the point that nothing of earthly flesh could possibly pale in comparison. Yet, Jesus was about to bring Lazarus back into life on earth. If the experience of paradise is what the essence of living is all about, then what would an earthly life be for Lazarus until he would die\u00a0again?<\/p>\n

It is entirely possible, and likely for that matter, that Jesus was fully aware what he was about to do, not for<\/em> Lazarus, raising his friend from death back into life, but what he was about to do to<\/em> Lazarus, bringing him back from really living in the experience of glory into a life that includes discomfort, pain and suffering until he inevitably dies yet again<\/em>. It appears as though Jesus was not bringing his friend from death back to life, but that he was bringing Lazarus from life back into the human experience of death.<\/p>\n

Jesus may have found this reality to be deeply troubling. So much so that the problem of death in this life, and having to bring Lazarus back into the death experience, evoked a deep sense of grief and regret. Like anyone else who struggles with intense regret, Jesus may have experiences a dep from within, according to the text.<\/p>\n

Imagine him standing in front of the tomb of his friend. The stench of death is still in the air. Jesus calls out to Lazarus. What did it sound like when Jesus called out to Lazarus? The Scripture reads that Jesus still burned with anger as he approached the tomb. Did Jesus imagine, or know, what it would mean for Lazarus to have to leave paradise (some version of heaven), even if he was returning to his family and friends?<\/p>\n

Jesus recognized that the resurrection of Lazarus was necessary as a precursor of his own death and resurrection to come. People needed to see that resurrection was possible so that the seed of hope would be planted in those that needed to see, and might be more open to anticipating that Jesus would rise again in three days just as he said he would.<\/p>\n

Jesus stood in front of the tomb, deeply troubled in his spirit. He ordered that the stone be rolled back, against the will of Lazarus’s sister, Martha, who still hadn’t a clue that she mere was moments from being reunited with her brother. She, no doubt curious, seemed more preoccupied with the foul odor that would overwhelm everyone anxiously standing in front of the grave. (See image at the top of this article.)<\/p>\n

Jesus called out, “Lazarus, come forth!”<\/p>\n

Out the man came from his own tomb. Grave linen still wrapped around much of his torso, Lazarus strolled on out of there. Who spoke to Lazarus first? Did Jesus apologize in his ear for returning Lazarus from paradise back into the flesh on earth? Was Lazarus raised to life with memory of his paradise experience? Or perhaps, Lazarus felt as though he was awaken from a four-day slumber.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether or not Lazarus was consciously aware of his paradise experience or not, the report of Jesus being so angry and troubled suggests that it didn’t matter. The fact was that Lazarus would return to a body and life wrought with the impact of sin and imminent death. Death is hard enough on everyone without having to repeat the experience.<\/p>\n

Whether or not Lazarus was happy to be back, reunited with family and friends, no doubt everyone outside of the tomb was thrilled to have their brother and friend back with them. It must have been quite the scene. Imagine, showing up to your own funeral reception.<\/p>\n

So, what did Lazarus give up being resurrected from the dead?<\/p>\n