Jesus Shows Anger and Tears: Emotion Must Lead to Action.
JOHN 11:27-37
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. (John 11:28-31)
32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.
“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.” (John 11:32-34)
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:35-37)
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. (John 11:28-31)
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. (John 11:28-31)
“She fell at his feet.” (John 11:32)
CF. LUKE 7:37-38
32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.
“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.” (John 11:32-34)
"loud, unrestrained form of weeping especially appropriate in times of sorrow for the dead.”
“KLAIŌ”
“24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.”
JOHN 2:24-25
32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.
“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.” (John 11:32-34)
“Deeply moved”
‘embrimaomai’ – deeply moved
“THE SNORTING OF HORSES; APPLIED TO HUMAN BEINGS, IT SUGGESTS ANGER, OUTRAGE, OR EMOTIONAL INDIGNATION.”
Embrimaomai
2x in this chapter (verse 33 and verse 38)
Matthew 9:30; Mark 1:43; 14:5
Matthew 12:18
11 He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.”
JOHN 11:11
1) Jesus is moved by their grief, and is consequently angry with the sin, sickness and death in this fallen world that wreaks so much havoc and generates, so much sorrow.
“It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
LUKE 5:31-32
Paul and the Demonized Fortune Teller
ACTS 16:15-18
Displaying the Upside-Down Kingdom
The Spiritual Weapons to Fight With
Application
2.) The anger is directed at the unbelief itself. Grief that falls to a despair that pours out as if there is no resurrection, is a denial of the resurrection.
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
2CORINTHIANS 5:8, NKJV
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. (1Cor. 15:17-19)� �20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1Cor. 15:20-22)
Application
Ask the Lord to help you see each of your situations through the hope of the resurrection.
Ask the Lord to give you a boldness to share the Gospel with all who are facing death. We want all to spend eternity in the promise of the resurrection.
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:35-37)
‘dakryō’ – wept
‘TO SHED TEARS’, BUT USUALLY IN LAMENT BEFORE SOME CALAMITY.”
“the same sin and death, the same unbelief, that prompted his outrage, also generated his grief.”
D.A. CARSON
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:35-37)
3.) To truly follow Jesus, we must fuse our empathy with action. If we only grieve, we become ineffective; if we only rage, we become self-righteous.
Sympathy only says: “I’m sorry to hear about that.” ��Empathy says, “I’m sorry to hear about that, but let me see how I can help.”
“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
JAMES 1:22
“3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.”
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4
Reflection
“To truly follow Jesus, we must fuse our empathy with action.” How does this look like for you today? How will you submit the necessary changes for Christ?
Let’s Discuss
What is your takeaway from today’s message?
How has these “emotions” help spur you on for the cause of Christ?