John 11:32-37 32Then, when Mary went to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33Then, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled in himself 34and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus wept. 36Therefore, the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
Mary said the same words as Martha when she met Jesus (verse 21). Both sisters believed Jesus could have done something to help Lazarus. They believed Jesus to be a miracle worker. There is one notable difference between the sisters’ responses. Martha simply “met” Jesus, as he was coming on the road outside Bethany. There is no mention of emotion from Martha. Mary, however, fell at Jesus’ feet, weeping. She had been in their home extremely sad, mourning the loss of her brother. People often express their sorrow or mourn a loss in different ways, but that does not mean the person who does not cry feels any better than the one who weeps. One must be cautious about any claim about the silence about Martha’s lack of emotions. The loss of Lazarus affected both sisters significantly.
The next several verses reveal much about Jesus and confirm how the Word became flesh and one of us and with us in our struggles and sorrows (1:14). The words that describe Jesus’ response in verse 33 pose a challenge for interpretation. First, the verb deeply moved (enebrimēsato) could be interpreted negatively, as in troubled, upset, or even angry (Mark 1:43), or positively, as in deeply moved emotionally. Second, the verb greatly troubled (etaraxen) has different nuances, depending on the context. Was Jesus angry at Mary for her response to him and Lazarus’ death, as if her faith was not strong enough? Or, was he deeply upset because out of compassion and empathy for the family? In which direction was his deep feelings pointed, outwardly to Mary and all those who mourned with her, to the general situation of Lazarus’ death and the finite human situation, or inwardly to his own feelings as one who suffered with people in their struggles?
The first option of anger towards the people does not fit Jesus’ character, so we can rule that out. The other two options are more likely. He was troubled by human suffering and felt deep sympathy for Mary and Martha. Verse 35 adds support for Jesus’ deep feelings towards the situation as he wept with Mary and the others when they got to the grave. Visiting the grave of a loved one can be deeply moving, especially early in the grieving process. Grieving is the return of memories of a relationship and realizing that the person is no longer present. It is unlikely Jesus wept for Lazarus because he would soon raise him from the dead. His tears were for Mary and Martha.
The crowd of Jews, who had been mourning with Mary in the house and followed her, Martha, and Jesus to the tomb, interpreted Jesus’ tears as being for Lazarus. They thought he was mourning in the same way there were. Verse 37 suggests they saw a defeated miracle worker who failed to do anything about the situation. Their thinking is partially correct in that Jesus could have done something to keep Lazarus from dying, but now the situation was hopeless. There is also an implied blame in their response. Their words echo Mary and Martha’s words with a hint of faith in Jesus, but like the sisters, they failed to recognize Jesus’ divine identity. Their faith was incomplete.
For older posts, click here.
