³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.                                                              ( John 11: 32-35)

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The day after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, where twenty young children and six adult staff members were fatally shot, I faced my senior English class students and asked them one very important question: “Did you cry?”

It wasn’t an academic question related to grammar, literature, or writing. It wasn’t a question that would fit the rating scale for evaluation by an administrator. But it was one of the most significant questions I asked that class the entire trimester, because it was a human question. Some nodded directly looking at me, tears welling up in their eyes. Others lowered their eyes, using their shirtsleeves to wipe away tears. Some sat silently. In the room, there was a unity of emotion– sadness, sorrow, loss. Yes, some had cried and some were still crying, more than were showing it.

The human experience involves a sharing of sadness and joy. Jesus understood this and wept at the grief He witnessed from Mary, who had just lost her brother Lazarus to the end we humans face—death. Jesus wept at the great sorrow expressed by those Jews who were also mourning. Even though Jesus knew joy would follow as He raised Lazarus from the dead back to life, He still wept with those who mourned, empathizing with their sorrow and their loss. It was a human reaction, a human experience; He was a human Savior.

Jesus taught us how to be human in this short verse of the Bible. “Jesus wept.”

Let us not forget His example of humanity in the midst of suffering in our world today. Did you cry for those grieving the deaths of thousands in Nepal? Did you cry for those mourning the loss of the refugees drowned in the seas? Did you cry with those lamenting the loss of family and friends from the plane crash in the French Alps? Did you cry with your brother or sister in Christ today?
1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.                  

                                                              DID YOU CRY?
The response reveals our humanity. The answer has been given to us in a very real demonstration of love: “Jesus wept.” So must we. But He didn’t stop there; He took action to help relieve the loss. And so must we.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/03/15) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word