The God who weeps

Jesus raises Lazarus to Life - John 11:1-44

Before Lazarus walks out of the tomb, Jesus stands before it…and weeps.

It is one of the most profound and human moments in all of scripture. Jesus knows what is coming - He knows that resurrection is about to break through. And still, he weeps.

Why would he grieve when he knows the ending?

Because love does not bypass sorrow. Love enters it.

Jesus does not stand at a distance from Mary and Martha. He does not rush past their pain to get to the miracle. He steps into their grief, feels its weight, and allows himself to be moved by it.

This tells us something essential about God. God is not detached from our suffering. God is not waiting on the other side of our pain, tapping a foot impatiently until we “get through it.” God is present within it - fully, tenderly, and honestly.

There is something deeply comforting about that, especially in a world that often pushes us to move on quickly, to fix what hurts, or to minimize what we feel. But Jesus lingers. He honors the moment. He acknowledges that loss is real, even when hope is also real.

So whatever you carry today - grief that is fresh, or grief that has simply changed shape over time - you do not carry it alone. The tears you shed are not signs of weakness. They are places where God meets you.

And perhaps part of the miracle is not just that life comes again, but that love is present in every moment leading up to it.

God who weeps with us, meet me in the places that still ache. Hold what I carry with gentleness and care. Remind me that I am never alone in my sorrow. Amen.

^{This piece is offered by Sterling United Methodist Church and was written in collaboration between Rev. Bert Cloud and Sharon Rosenfeld. It is inspired by the book Seven Miracles: Signs of Life in the Gospel of John by Gina Anderson-Cloud, Megan Dietrick, Bill Gray, Daniel Park, Isaiah Park & Lauren Todd}