Jesus shedding tears or crying can be found in many occasions in the New Testament.
Each is near the end of His life and each reveals what matters most to our loving His tears are
a reminder that He loves sinners and cares for every soul. We can see Jesus weeping or crying in several parts of his life on this earth. First time we Jesus weeping in John 11:35, when He asked where Lazarus’ body was buried. Another time Jesus wept, was during His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem Luke 19:41 on a donkey. “He beheld the city of Jerusalem, and wept over it.” Jesus cried in the garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion, and is mentioned in Hebrews 5:7 "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death". We see Jesus crying out while giving his spirit to the father. ( Matthew 26:38 ) ( 27:46 ) ( Luke 22:44 ) which shows the weight of sin, of sorrow, and of punishment, that lay upon him.
The act of crying has been defined as "a complex phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures. Crying is the shedding of tears in response to an emotional state is human nature. Shedding of tears is biological and if you don’t have tears, doctors will treat you with different medicines to make tears. We know a person close to us has that problem. The reason for shedding tears can be: anger; happiness; sadness. I don’t think there are any human beings ever lived who had never shed some type of tears unless it is a medical condition. Jesus shed tears showing that he was fully human who was sharing in the sufferings of humans. Crying is the first sign of life. At the time of birth all babies are supposed to cry and if they don’t, the medical staff will make them cry. There are three different types of cries apparent in infants. The first of these three is a basic cry, with a pattern of crying and silence. Hunger is a main stimulant of the basic cry. An anger cry is one that has more excess air is forced through the vocal cords, making it a louder, more abrupt cry. The third cry is the pain cry, which, unlike the other two, has no preliminary moaning. The pain cry is one loud cry, followed by a period of breath holding. Most adults can determine whether an infant's cries signify anger or pain.[24] Most parents also have a better ability to distinguish their own infant's cries than those of a different child. A 2009 study found that babies mimic their parents' pitch. French infants wail on a rising note while German infants favor a falling melody. Tears produced during emotional crying have a chemical composition which differs from other types of tears like eye irritations. They contain significantly greater quantities of the hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and Leu-enkephalin, and the elements potassium and manganese. There is debate among scientists over whether or not humans are the only animals that produce tears in response to emotional states.Charles Darwin wrote in "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals" that the keepers of Indian elephants in the London Zoo told him that elephants shed tears in sorrow.
Even though we have no way of analyzing the chemical composition of Jesus’ tears, the Bible
clearly describes the times of his shedding tears were fully emotional, full of sorrow and pain.
Jesus wept for the pain of suffering and grief of people
He saw the suffering of the people and the pain death causes. Jesus deeply cared about Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Although He already knows this happened to glorify God and that in a few minutes Lazarus would return to them, He felt their pain. He was empathetic to their loss. When you genuinely care about someone, when they hurt, you hurt. Jesus’ weeping here shows His true care and love for us. God never takes our pain lightly even if He knows He will restore everything we’ve lost. Like a good Father, He does not want to see us in pain, even if He knows that pain will lead to a greater good. One of the greatest gifts we can give someone who is hurting is our presence and sharing in their suffering. There is a Swedish proverb that says: “Shared joy is a double joy. Shared sorrow is half sorrow.” Joy when shared becomes double, while sorrow when shared is reduced to half. Jesus wanted to take on their pain, reminding us that no matter what hurts or pains we face in life, Jesus is right here with us. He’s not afraid to meet us in our despair and darkness. He’s the first one to meet us in our valleys. Jesus wept because those He loved suffered the pain of sickness and grief. Some scholars say that another reason for the tears of Jesus is because of the lack of faith of the people dear to him had. Jesus was grieved because all the answers to their needs were right in front of them,
yet they seemed to miss it. They seemed to miss the power of Jesus. This lack of faith
made Jesus weep because what He truly wants from us is our faith. “And without faith
it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
Jesus wept over the destruction of the city of God.
He wept because of the coming destruction of the city. He was crying, just like Jeremiah the Prophet wept over the city centuries before.] he wept over it, [Everything seems to fit the parade occasion, but weeping? It would have been signing autographs! But Jesus is weeping and the word that is used is a word for “chest-heavy sobs.”] 19:42 saying, [Jesus personified Jerusalem and spoke to her as if she was a person] “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 19:43. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. 19:44 They will demolish you—you and your children within your walls—and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” It is Matthew who adds that as Jesus looked at the city He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings. But you would not come." It is well documented that the armies of Titus in 70 AD surrounded the Holy City. Temple stones were taken down and the whole city was leveled. Bodies were in the streets and blood was running in the gutters and thousands of people were starving to death while Titus, the Roman general, waited 143 days for Jerusalem to surrender. Jesus still weeps for the fallen world.
He wept over Jerusalem because the people didn't know who has come into their city. Who is this man who rides on a donkey and weeping over a city? And amid the celebration
and praises, he is weeping. Palm branches and clothes were laid in front of His path as the
donkey was led along. It was a startling contrast to the scene of rejoicing. It was in the midst
of the Triumphal Entry that this occurred, when all were exulting and shouts of hallelujah
thrilled the air.Had they studied their prophets earnestly and sincerely, had they refused to surrender
themselves to political dreams that colored all their thoughts nd hopes, they would have seen
in Jesus of Nazareth the Divine Visitor, He is the one they the Israel had for long been
expecting. When multitudes of people rejoiced and cried out, “Blessed be the King that
cometh in the name of the Lord.” He then wept looking towards Jerusalem. In verse 42, “If
you had known.” The people of Jerusalem knew so much, but they didn’t know Jesus.
And they didn’t know what they didn’t know. And the Lord Jesus knew that they had refused
to know (John 2:25) “He did not need any testimony about man, He knew what was in man.”
John 1:11 "He came to those who were his own, and his own people did not receive
Him."
Jesus wept over the darkness that blinded their eyes.
For 550 years the Jewish leaders had these words to contemplate and turn over. But when the day came - they missed it. Today many churches are fighting over how to do their worships. Some say the priests should face the congregation, and others say the priest should face the altar. We are caught up in the things that do not have any value when it comes to Jesus and His kingdom.
The declaration of a King riding on donkey was made around 550 years before Jesus rode into Jerusalem. At the time Israel had no King. They were just returning to Israel after their Babylonian exile and captivity. In Zechariah 9:9 we see a prediction that a King would ride into Jerusalem one day on a donkey. For 550 years the Jewish leaders had these words to contemplate and turn over. But when the day came - they missed it. And the Lord Jesus
knew that they would refuse to know because “He knew what was in man.” (John 2:25)
Jesus shed his tears because people rejected the Light
The Jews were blind to their opportunity. They knew not the day of their visitation. Verse 42 ends, “but now they are hid from thine eyes.” They had refused to see. The people of Jerusalem knew so much, but they didn’t know Jesus. And sad thing was that they didn’t know what they didn’t know and do not want to know. This triumphal entry was already in the scripture foretold by the prophet.
Many churches are filled with members who are attracted by miracles and prosperity They think Hebrews is only a language and Deuteronomy is an Italian dish. If anyone were to ask these Christians what to do to be saved, they would slobber all over themselves trying to explain that the preacher is the man to see about things like that. “What amazes me is to be with Christians in study and ask them to turn to a certain book of the New Testament. I firmly believe some could find the carpet section in the Sears catalog faster than they could find the book of James.”
Jesus wept for his coming suffering due to the burden of sin he was going to carry.
"While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.." (Hebrews 5:7-9). Jesus knew within a short time He too would die and be placed in a tomb. He knew He would ultimately overcome death and rise from the dead just like Lazarus, but He also knew it would be an extremely difficult road to walk. Closer to His death Jesus prayed: “And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)
Jesus weeps for the souls who are lost.
Jesus wept for Jerusalem because of the people that are lost. Jesus still weeps for the lost souls of every generation. He refers to the city v-42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes".
There is a phrase, 'fair-weather fan,” which means someone who cheers for a team when they are doing well but ignores them when they are doing poorly.Sometimes we act as if we worship and follow a “fair-weather God.” That is, we mistakenly believe that when we are good and obedient, God is near. But when we stumble and falter, God pulls away and ignores us. But the truth is, we have a loving God who is with us always, during our successes and our failures.Titus 3:4 states, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” God’s desire is always to be close to us so that we can live in joyful service in this life and look forward to spending eternity in heaven with God.I don’t give up on the Orioles. Most important, God never gives up on us
Meditate on the fact that we have a Lord who is not far off and removed. He is very near. He is the One who is touched by our broken hearts and who weeps with us. When we suffer in pain and agony, we have a God who suffers in our pain. When we shed tears in sorrow, there is Jesus shedding tears with us. We know that Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus. It is not because of the death of Lazarus. He knew Lazarus would come back to life. But it was because of the grief and suffering of the people he loved. Because of the tears of Jesus, our tears are so much valued by God.
Psalm 56:8, David says "you collect all my tears in your bottle." Tear bottles or Tear Catchers were commonly used during Ancient Roman times, with mourners filling glass bottles with their tears, and placing them in tombs as a symbol of their respect for the deceased. It was also used to show remorse, guilt, love and grief. The women cried during the procession, and the more tears collected in tear bottles meant the deceased was more important. The bottles used during the Roman era were lavishly decorated and measured up to four inches in heigh. You can buy these tear bottles online, just do a search for 'tear bottles or tear catchers'.
We dont need to buy any tear bottles because God is already collecting our tears in His bottle. Life challenges us. Children grow move away. Loved ones depart us. Seasons of change bump into our normal status quo. When this happens, tears often spring up and efforts to contain them fall short. He is present with every tear shed, and we can count on Him to collect them. No matter what sorrow we face today, we can have confidence God cares.
I am not sure God has a huge tear bottle or a single bottle for each one of us. But the Word of God says “He collects every tear we drop from generation to generation.”e knows your anguish and you anxiety. He shed His tears so that we can hope described in Revelation 21:4. about a beautiful scene in heaven: where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” because Jesus had shed the tears for us. There will be no more tears and sorrow. This is our hope. Jesus had to suffer; He had to endure the pain. He had to weep so that one day we don’t have to. Revelation 21:4 encourages us in this hope: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Oswald Chambers said, “There will come one day a personal and direct touch from God when every tear and perplexity, every oppression and distress, every suffering and pain, and wrong and injustice will have a complete and ample and overwhelming explanation."
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