Jesus Wept

This is the shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35). It shows the emotions Jesus felt upon hearing the news of the death of Lazarus and arriving at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He found the sisters mourning the death of their brother. Jesus asked, “Where have you laid him?” And then he wept. Those gathered around thought Jesus wept because he loved Lazarus. However, as the event continues with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we can begin to understand that He was weeping because those he was closest to and whom he loved the most did not understand the reality and power of Life even in the appearance of death.

In my experience I have met many who do not yet understand Life as it was expressed by Jesus. Moreover I have met some who also fail to understand the emotions that prompt one to weep regarding an event, a person in need, or even in witnessing how great love is expressed through another. There can be no doubt that the life of Jesus showed great love and compassion, and not only for His followers, but also for those who sought to destroy Him.

The seventeenth chapter of John eloquently expresses Jesus’ love for humanity and His great prayer for all of us.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

For some time now I have been drawn to a connection with these events in the life of Jesus. I do not consider myself “religious” in practice, but I do feel a strong spiritual connection with the Creator, All That Is. I sense in life all around me that Presence. I am moved as I witness the expression of that Presence in everyone and every thing. I am often moved to tears of gratitude for the evidence revealed that I am loved, that we all are loved, by the Presence and Power of All That Is.

This may seem abstract to some, this feeling of being loved by a non-entity. It really is not a matter of God loving human. It is more the living in love. When I am truly living in love my emotions are heightened and I feel things much differently than I do at other times. I never know what is going to spark this connection. It may be something I see on television. It may be a passage from a book. It may also be reflecting upon those I love and feel close to. Of course, in this day and age of computers, it might also be something received in an email or from a website.

The point is not so much what prompts the feeling, but more that I am able to recognize and respond to it. In those moments I feel so connected to Life in all its abundant forms from nature to humanity. There is a melting away of differences that so often separate us from the world in which we live and the spiritual creation from which we emerged yet at the same time remain rooted within. In those connections where I love and am loved I always feel that my family and friends are there with me. This is where the closeness requires no outer words, where all pretense and self-protection are released and real oneness is achieved.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. --Psalm 30:5

In those times where the weeping is in sorrow, feeling a loss, either personal or collectively, we need to remind ourselves that those feelings are also legitimate. There is no need to be stoic in order to be strong. Feel what you feel. These feelings come from our love and as we recognize them and express them we will surely experience the joy that cometh in the morning of our awakening to the Presence of All That Is.