Jesus wept. — John 11:35
A friend whose young daughter was killed in a car accident in May 2005 told me: “I cried easily before Natalie’s accident . . . Now I am always crying. Sometimes the tears just slip out.”
Anyone who has suffered such intense personal tragedy understands what she is talking about.
Is there anything wrong with crying? Or do we have biblical evidence to suggest that it’s okay to cry?
Jesus gives us the answer. Lazarus, a good friend of His, had died. When Jesus arrived at the home of Lazarus’ sisters, they were surrounded by friends who had come to console them. Jesus saw Mary and Martha and their friends mourning, and He too was overcome. Sorrowing with them, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
Sadness, tears, and mourning are familiar territory for everyone on this earth — even for Jesus. His tears tell us that it’s okay if tears “just slip out.” And they remind us that the reason tears of sorrow will be extinct in eternity is that “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4).
When God wipes out the effects of sin, He will wipe out the need for tears — one more reason to look forward to eternity. — Dave Branon
God shall wipe away all tears;
There’s no death, no pain, nor fears,
And they count not time by years,
For there is no night there. — Clemens
READ: John 11:17-37
Heaven — no pain, no night, no death, no tears.
The Bible in one year:
• Deuteronomy 5-7
• Mark 11:1-18