Ugly Cry

Jan. 21

Read: John 11:1-44

Ugly Cry

“Jesus wept.” (v.35)

The shortest verse in the bible: Jesus wept. It would be so easy to gloss over these two words and to keep on reading… to “get to the good stuff”… the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. God inspired this crucial detail to be captured and written down. It was important for us as his children to see that Jesus shed tears over his friend Lazarus.

Jesus experienced the full range of emotions while here on earth. He knew the “highest of highs” and the “lowest of lows” while walking here among us. Jesus was perfect - he never lacked faith, wisdom, or trust - and yet he still wept. Jesus gives us permission to embrace and live through the full range of human emotions while still being faithful, trusting, and believing.

On the surface, it seems crazy to cry and weep over Lazarus being dead when you know you are about to raise him from the dead… right? The sceptic might say that Jesus was doubting if the Father was actually going to raise Lazarus - he was weeping as if worried that this miracles might not happen. I DO NOT THINK THAT IS THE CASE. What Jesus shows us is that we can still experience sadness, and deep emotions while trusting. these moments of anxiety, fear, or sadness do not automatically mean me are not trusting the Lord or are doubting his goodness… they just mean that WE ARE HUMAN. Sometimes within Christianity, we have made others feel guilty for having these more “difficult” emotions because we associate it with a lack of trust and faith… but it is possible that there is another way… weeping the same way that Jesus wept; or “sweating blood” the same way that Christ did in the garden. (cf. Luke 22:44)

In this moment, Jesus prayed to the Father:

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” (v.41,42)

You see, we need to be reminded that the Father hears us when we call out in the midst of our tears. He hears us when we are saddened buy the death of a friend or whatever other “Lazarus” sort of moment we find ourselves. It is ok to come to him afraid, scared, or sad while simultaneously still trusting and believing. He does not chastise you when you do. He will meet you in these moments and lead you forward. Jesus knew that the death of Lazarus was for the glory of God… and HIS glory as well. Jesus knew that the Father was going to raise him… he trusted fully the goodness oft he Father. Yet, Jesus wept.

It is ok to cry. a close friend of mine and I were crying the other day in the parking lot after a meeting. He said to me he had gone years without shedding tears, but that nowadays he finds himself needing to pull over at random times and simply cry in a parking lot. Through our tears we looked at each other and laughed. What a crazy thing our emotions are… laughing and crying at the same time. Joy and sorrow and friendship and comfort all balled up together in the same moment. Sometimes we just need to let those emotions roll through while trusting the Lord to carry us. This is especially true for men. Many men have been taught that it is not “manly” to cry… well I hate to break it to you… but Jesus wept! He was the manliest of men. I bet his weeping outside that grave was a real “ugly cry” too… you know… tears and snot and a quivering lip… the whole thing. Emotions are not something to be eradicated, but rather they are to be experienced while holding tightly to Christ. Jesus with us in our laughter, and celebration as well as our tears and fears. This is the sort of savior that we worship, one who has truly walked in our shoes and loves us deeply… he right there with us at every step… and he remembers what it was like when he was here. Praise Jesus for that. Love you guys. -JDP