Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but, because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.—(John 11:35-42).
WHEN Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews weeping, he groaned with-in himself, and said, “Where have ye laid him.” They said, “Come and see.” And as they led him along the path to the cave in the rock, “Jesus wept.” Amazing sight! “Jesus wept.” He was the Son of God, who thought it no robbery to be equal with God—infinite in happiness—and yet he weeps, so truly does he feel the sorrows of his own.
I. The feelings of the Jews at this sight.
1. Wonder at his love. “Behold how he loved him!” These Jews were as yet only worldly men, and yet they were amazed at such an overflow of love. They saw that heavenly form bowed down at the grave of Lazarus—they heard his groans of agony—they saw the tears that fell like rain from his compassionate eyes. They saw the heaving of his seamless mantle; but, ah! they saw not what was within. They saw but a little of his love-they did not see its eternity. They did not see that it was love that made him die for Lazarus. They did not know the fulness, freeness, vastness of that love of his. And yet they were astonished at it. “Behold how he loved him!” There is something in the love of Christ to amaze even worldly men. When Jesus gives peace to his own in the midst of trouble-when the waves of trouble come round the soul-when clouds and darkness, poverty and distress overwhelm his dwelling-when he can yet be glad in the Lord, and say: “Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation;”— then the world are forced to say, “Behold how he loved him!” When Jesus is with the believer in death—standing beside him, so that he cannot be moved—overshadowing him with his wings—washing him in blood, and filling him with holy peace, so that he cries, “To depart, and be with Christ, is far better”—then the world cry, “Behold how he loved him!” “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!”
Another solemn day is coming when all of you who are believers shall be separated, and stand on the right hand of the throne, and Jesus shall welcome you, poor and hell-deserving though you be, to share his throne, and to share his glory. Then you who are unbelievers shall cry, with bitter wailing, “Behold how he loved them!”
2. Some doubt his love. “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” It was but a little before that Jesus had given sight to a man that was born blind; and the Jews that now stood around had seen the miracle. Now they reasoned thus with one another. If he really loved Lazarus, could he not have kept him from dying? He that opened the eyes of the blind, could also preserve the dying from death. They doubted his tears, they doubted his words. This is unbelief. It turns aside the plainest declarations of the Lord Jesus by its own arguments.
How many of you have turned aside the love of Christ in the same way! We read that he wept over Jerusalem. This plainly showed that he did not want them to die in their sins— that he does not want you to perish, but to have everlasting life. And yet you doubt his love, and turn aside his tears by some wretched argument of your own. Jesus says: “Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is a simple declaration, but you turn it aside thus: If Christ had really wanted to give me rest, would he not have brought me to himself before now? Unbelief turns the very exhibition of Christ’s love into gall and wormwood. Some men, the more they see of Christ, the harder they grow. These Jews had seen him give sight to the blind, and weep over Lazarus, and yet they only grew harder. Take heed that it be not so with you. Take heed lest the more you hear of Christ, and of his love to his own, the harder you grow.
1. The command: “Take ye away the stone.” Christ’s ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts like our thoughts. One would have thought that he would have commanded the stone to fly back by his own word. When he rose from the dead himself, “the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it;” but he did not do so now. He said to the men: “Take ye away the stone.” For two reasons.
(1.) He wanted to bring out Martha’s unbelief, that it might be made manifest. Unbelief in the heart is like evil humour in a wound—it festers; and therefore Jesus wanted to draw it out of Martha’s heart.
(2.) To teach us to use the means. The men around the grave could not give life to dead Lazarus, but they could roll back the stone. Now Jesus was about to use his divine power in awaking the dead, but he would not take away the stone.
Have any of you an unconverted friend for whom you pray? You know it is only Christ that can give him life—it is only Christ that can call him forth; yet you can roll away the stone—you can use the means ; you can bring your friend under the faithful preaching of the gospel. Speak to him—write to him. “Take ye away the stone.”
2. Martha’s unbelief: “Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.” Mary was silent. She did not know what Jesus was going to do; but she knew that he would do all things well. She knew that he was full of love, and wisdom, and grace. But Martha cries out. She forgot all the words of Christ. She forgot his message: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.” She forgot his sweet saying: “ Thy brother shall rise again;” and “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” She forgot her own declaration, that Jesus was the Son of God. And see how she would have hindered her own mercy. She loved her brother tenderly, and yet she would have the stone kept on the mouth of the cave. She was standing in her own light.
Learn how easily you may fall into unbelief. A few minutes before, Martha was full of faith; but now she sinks again. Oh, what marvelous blindness and sin there is in the human heart!
Learn how unbelief shuts out your own mercy. “He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Martha had nearly hindered the restoration of Lazarus. Oh, do not forget the words of Jesus, nor his wonders of love and power! “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
3. Christ’s reproof: “Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Christ had sent this message: “This sickness is not unto death;” now he recalls his word: “Said I not unto thee?” as if he had said: Martha, have you forgotten my words? Why do you not believe my words? Am I a liar, or like waters that fail? Am I a man that I should lie, or the son of man that I should repent? See how unbelief woundeth Jesus. “He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar.” You will have a deeper hell than the heathen. They will be cast away because of their sins, but you because of your sin and unbelief. “He that believeth not is condemned already.”
III. Christ’s prayer and thanksgiving.
1. His prayer was secret. We are not told any words that he prayed; but no doubt during his groans and tears he was praying to his Father in secret. Even in the midst of the crowd, Jesus was alone with his Father, praying for his own, that their faith might not fail. The tears of Christ were not mere tears of feeling—they were the tears also of earnest prayer. His is no empty fellow-feeling, but real intercession. Christ teaches you to pray in sudden trials. Even when you cannot get any secret place, lift up your heart to him in the midst of the crowd. Ah, brethren! a sincere soul is never at a loss for a praying place to meet with God. If you are a child of God, you will find some secret place to pray. It will not do to say, you will pray when walking, or at your work, or in the midst of company. It will not do to make that your praying time through the day. No ; Satan is at your right hand. Get alone with God. Spend as much time as you can alone with God every day ; and then, in sudden temptations and afflictions, you will be able to lift your heart easily even among the crowd to your Father’s ear.
2. His thanks: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always ; but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”
(1.) See what speed Christ comes in his prayer: “Thou hearest me always.” Every intercession that Christ makes is answered. The moment he asks he is answered. If we know that Christ prays for us, then we know that we have what he desires.
(2.) He thanks. So entirely one is Christ with his own, that he gives thanks in our name. This should teach us not only to pray, but also to give thanks.
(3.) He does this aloud, that all around might believe on him. Christ was always seeking the conversion of souls—even here, in praying and giving thanks to his Father. He does it aloud, that those around him might believe on him, as the sent of God, and the Saviour of the world. Yea, brethren, he records it here, that ye may believe on him. For this end is Christ set before you in the gospel as the sent of God, the compassionate Saviour, the Mediator and Intercessor, that ye may believe on him.