A God Who Cares
“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) One of the most powerful verses in the Bible consists of only two words. After hearing the news about his friend’s passing, Jesus responds with tears. The previous verse says, “he was deeply moved in his spirit.” Jesus’ friend has died. His other friends are upset and grieving. Jesus does not respond with a lecture on Biblical truths. He is not a stoic who remains emotionless. He responds with great love and empathy. Jesus cares! The people who witnessed this event saw Jesus’ response and what he was experiencing. They exclaimed, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:36) When bad things happen, when tragedy strikes, people often want to know where God is. This is a legitimate question. Patriarchs, prophets, and psalmists have asked this very question. In Psalm 10, the psalmist cries, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1) Where is God when it hurts? Where is God when life is broken?
John 11 gives us some insight into questions like these. Where is Jesus when he learns of his friend Lazarus’s death? He is weeping. He weeps as he does in Luke 19:41 over the city of Jerusalem. Where is God in moments like this? His eyes are filled with tears, just as they were in Jeremiah 9:1, when he cried for Israel. In the midst of pain and suffering, people sometimes assume that God does not care about their plight. This assumption is not grounded in Scripture. The Bible reveals a God who cares deeply about humans. Even though this is perplexing (”What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Ps. 4:8), it is true. Jesus weeps. God cares. Christians serve a God who mourns the things wrong with this world and the suffering that human beings endure.
Throughout Scripture, we are told to imitate God. What are we to do when we see others experiencing grief or sorrow? How are we to respond? We are to be like God. We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Romans 12:15 states, “Weep with those who weep.” We are to respond with empathy and compassion, just as Jesus did. We are to come alongside those who are mourning and show that we care. The people in Jesus’ day saw his response to tragedy and were amazed by his love. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people thought the same thing about us today? Wouldn’t it be nice to be known as a people who care?
We cannot right every wrong. We cannot always take away a person’s hurt or pain. One thing we can do is imitate Jesus by showing we care. Respond with compassion. Respond with empathy. In a calloused world, be different and show the world the love of Christ.