“Jesus wept” – John 11:35
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He already knew He would bring Lazarus back from the dead.
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He already knew He would make everything right.
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He was going to fix the problem.
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But He still wept.
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John tells us, “… Jesus loved Martha, and her sister (Mary), and Lazarus.” – John 11:5
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Did He weep only for Mary’s and Martha’s loss?
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Or did He weep for His own loss also?
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Were His tears for the collective loss and fear we all experience when we believe we’ve lost someone we love?
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Of Christ’s mortal experience, Isaiah wrote,
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” – Isaiah 53:4
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and Alma preached,
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind;
… that his bowels may be filled with mercy,
… that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”
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Perhaps an infinite atonement can only be performed by a being of infinite capacity for love and infinite depth of feeling.
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When we talk about Christ’s selection to be our Savior, we often speak of credentials and capabilities … the firstborn Son of God, the Creator, the Word of God, the only one capable.
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But I feel at least part of the reason God chose Jesus to save us … and part of the reason we supported that decision … was because we already knew Him.
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We’d already experienced His love for us.
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We’d already witnessed His love for the Father.
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We trusted Him to rescue us because we knew His love for us would not let Him fail.
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Even though Christ knows the end from the beginning …
Even though He knows He’s going to make it all right in the end …
Even though He knows He can and will heal our wounds and broken hearts eventually …
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He still weeps …
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He weeps with us, and for us, in our moments of loss, grief, fear, and pain.
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Because He can’t help it …
Because of His mercy and compassion …
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Because of His infinite love.
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Image Credit – “Jesus Wept” by Haley Miller