(John MacDuff, “The Character and Claims of the Redeemer” 1859)
“Jesus wept!” John 11:35
There is no doubt but that our Lord often wept. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. There are, however, only three expressly referred to when tears trickled down His blessed face.
One was during His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem: “And when He came near, He beheld the city, and wept over it!” Another occasion was when He agonized in the garden of Gethsemane. “During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death. He was heard because of His reverence.”
The other instance is the one before us — let us turn aside, and see this affecting sight! The whole company, it seems, was deeply moved; for we are told that Martha and Mary wept. Those also, who came to comfort the two sorrowing sisters, wept. And with peculiar emphasis, in a verse by itself, the shortest in the Bible, it is said that “Jesus wept!”
Behold the interesting group,
the Savior standing in the midst, as the most commanding object — all bathed in tears! It was not long, however, before the weeping ceased. Or, if it continued, it would be for joy — a joy proportioned to the depth of the previous sorrow!