Sometimes, it seems as if grief has been banned from funerals. We don’t even like to call them funerals anymore. They are “celebrations of life.” But changing the label does not remove the element of grief. Jesus shed tears at the grave of Lazarus. Why did He weep, and for whom? Jesus’ tears are a puzzle for some, especially since He planned to raise Lazarus from the dead!

In his Gospel, John says Jesus’ miracles are signs that revealed His glory (John 2:11). The raising of Lazarus is the crowning sign that set the stage for the ultimate revelation of this glory through the miracle of Christ’s resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus was the ultimate display of Christ’s divine nature (Rom. 1:4). Yet the tears of Jesus reveal an equally important dimension of Jesus’ nature. They show His humanity and prove that He is our Great High Priest who is able to “empathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15).

It did not embarrass Jesus to weep at the grave of Lazarus. The Greek word the NIV translates as “troubled” in verse 33 is a word that, in other contexts, describes a strong feeling of indignation. Emotions like these are not out of place in the presence of death. Scripture calls death “the last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26). Even though He knew Lazarus would soon be alive again, Jesus was not ashamed to share in the grief His friends felt. Some commentators believe that Jesus was also deeply moved by the prospect of His own impending death.

This passage should comfort us in grief. Those who know Christ will still feel sorrow, but we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). There is no need to hide our tears from Jesus. The one who wept at the grave of Lazarus will not despise them.