Jesus' Tears at Lazarus' Tomb in John 11
The shortest verse in many English translations of the Bible, John 11:35, states simply, "Jesus wept" [1]. This concise declaration describes Jesus' emotional response to the death of Lazarus, his friend and the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany [3]. The event occurs within a larger narrative where Jesus intentionally delays his arrival in Bethany, allowing Lazarus to die, so that God's glory might be revealed through his resurrection [5, 7].
The literary context of John 11:35 is Jesus' encounter with Mary and the mourners at Lazarus's tomb. Jesus had already been informed of Lazarus's illness and had told his disciples that the sickness was "for God's glory so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" [5]. He then waited two days before traveling to Bethany, knowing Lazarus had died [10]. Upon arriving, Jesus first spoke with Martha, who expressed her belief that Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been present [7]. Mary, known for her devotion to Jesus, later met him, falling at his feet and echoing her sister's lament [2, 7]. When Jesus saw Mary and the Jews who had accompanied her weeping, he was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled" (John 11:33) [6]. It is in this moment of profound grief and distress that Jesus himself sheds tears [1].
The historical setting places this event in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, just over the Mount of Olives [8]. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were known to Jesus, and the text implies a close relationship, stating, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (John 11:5) [3]. This miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead is presented as a significant precursor to Jesus' own death and resurrection, with elements like the description of Lazarus's grave foreshadowing Jesus's own burial [8].
The Greek word for "wept" in John 11:35 is edakrusen, which some scholars distinguish from the more intense "weeping" (klaio) used to describe Mary and the other mourners in John 11:33 [9]. Edakrusen suggests silent tears rather than a loud wail, highlighting Jesus's deep, yet perhaps more contained, sorrow [9]. The term tarassō, used in John 11:33 to describe Jesus being "deeply troubled," indicates a strong emotion of agony, similar to his anguish before his own death [11].
Interpretations of Jesus' tears vary, but they consistently emphasize his humanity and compassion. John Gill suggests that Jesus wept as he considered Lazarus's state, the distress of his sisters, and the unbelief of the Jews present, demonstrating his true humanity and capacity for emotion without sin [4]. Matthew Henry highlights Jesus's "tender sympathy with his afflicted friends" and his sharing in their sorrows, seeing the scene as an "emblem" of human grief [6]. The tears are seen as a powerful testament to Jesus's perfect oneness with humanity in its suffering [9].
The raising of Lazarus is a pivotal event in John's Gospel, not only demonstrating Jesus's power over death but also foreshadowing his own resurrection [8]. The emotional display of Jesus weeping underscores the genuine human experience of grief, even for one who possesses divine power and knowledge of the impending miracle. This moment reveals Jesus's profound empathy and connection to human suffering, even as he prepares to overcome it [11].
Sources
- John “Jesus wept. -- John 11:35”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Mary, Sister Of Lazarus — She and her sister Martha appear in (Luke 10:40) as receiving Christ in their house. Mary sat listening eagerly for every word that fell from the divine Teacher. She had chosen that good part, the "one thing needful." The same character shows itself in the history of (John 11:1) ... Her grief was deeper, but less active. Her first thought, when she saw the Teacher in whose power and love she that trusted, was one of complaint. But the great joy and love which her brother's return to life called up in her poured themselves out in larger measur”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Lazarus — (whom God helps), another form of the Hebrew name Eleazar. + Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary. (John 11:1) All that we know of him is derived from the Gospel of St. John, and that records little more than the facts of his death and resurrection. The language of (John 11:1) implies that the sisters were the better known. Lazarus is "of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha." From this and from the order of the three names in (John 11:5) we may reasonably infer that Lazarus was the youngest of the family. All the circumstances”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 11:34: Jesus wept. As he was going along to the grave, see Joh 11:28; as he was meditating upon the state of his friend Lazarus, the distress his two sisters were in, and the greater damnation that would befall the Jews then present, who, notwithstanding the miracle, would not believe in him. This shows him to be truly and really man, subject to like passions, only without sin. John 11:36”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 11:4: 11:4 Jesus’ response paralleled his words about the man born blind (9:1-5). Jesus already knew that Lazarus was dead (11:14); he was talking about Lazarus’ resurrection (11:43), which would bring glory to God.”
- John (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on John 11:33: Here we have, I. Christ's tender sympathy with his afflicted friends, and the share he took to himself in their sorrows, which appeared three ways: - 1. By the inward groans and troubles of his spirit (Joh 11:33): Jesus saw Mary weeping for the loss of a loving brother, and the Jews that came with her weeping for the loss of a good neighbour and friend; when he saw what a place of weepers, a bochim, this was, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. See here, (1.) The griefs of the sons of men represented in the tears of Mary and her friends. What an emblem was”
- John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 11 (introduction): Account of the sickness of Lazarus, Joh 11:1. His sisters Martha and Mary send for Christ, Joh 11:2. Our Lord's discourse with his disciples on this sickness and consequent death, Joh 11:3-16. He arrives at Bethany four days after the burying of Lazarus, Joh 11:17, Joh 11:18. Martha meets Christ - their conversation, Joh 11:19-27. She returns and Mary goes out to meet him, in great distress, Joh 11:28-33. Christ comes to the grave - his conversation there, Joh 11:34-42. He raises Lazarus from the dead, Joh 11:43-46. The priests and Pharisees, hearing of t”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 11:1: 11:1-57 The raising of Lazarus foreshadows Jesus’ own coming death and resurrection. Even the description of Lazarus’ grave (11:38, 44) prefigures Jesus’ grave (20:1, 7). Shortly after this event, Jesus was anointed for burial (12:3) and the hour of his glorification began (12:23). 11:1 In Hebrew, Lazarus is a shortened form of Eleazar (“God helps”). Among Jews in the first century, it was the fourth-most-common name for a man (see also Luke 16:19-31). • Bethany was a small village east of Jerusalem just over the Mount of Olives (John 11:18) and was where Jesus ofte”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 11:35: Jesus wept--This beautifully conveys the sublime brevity of the two original words; else "shed tears" might have better conveyed the difference between the word here used and that twice employed in Joh 11:33, and there properly rendered "weeping," denoting the loud wail for the dead, while that of Jesus consisted of silent tears. Is it for nothing that the Evangelist, some sixty years after it occurred, holds up to all ages with such touching brevity the sublime spectacle of the Son of God in tears? What a seal of His perfect oneness with us in the most”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 11:14: Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead--Says BENGEL beautifully, "Sleep is the death of the saints, in the language of heaven; but this language the disciples here understood not; incomparable is the generosity of the divine manner of discoursing, but such is the slowness of men's apprehension that Scripture often has to descend to the more miserable style of human discourse; compare Mat 16:11."”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 12:27: 12:27 my soul is deeply troubled: John used the same term (Greek tarassō) to describe Jesus’ strong emotion of agony before Lazarus’ tomb (11:33; also 13:21). When Jesus stood before death, he could not be impassive. Jesus experienced genuine anguish, yet he remained strong in obedience to the Father’s will (5:19-23; 6:37; 8:29, 38; 14:31).”