Jesus Weeps At The Tomb
Month 6: Hard Questions · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 11:17-44
17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.” 23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” 28 After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. 31 When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?” 38 Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.” 40 Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
Memory Verse
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?””— John 11:25-26 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Kings 14-16
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 172 of 365 — kings rise and fall while God's word stands.)The Heart of It
Lazarus had been dead four days. His sisters, Martha and Mary, were heartbroken, and many people had come to cry with them. Jesus already knew He was about to raise Lazarus back to life. And yet, when He saw Mary weeping, the shortest verse in the whole Bible tells us simply: "Jesus wept" (). Think about that. The Son of God was about to turn a funeral into a celebration. And He still stopped to cry. He did not say, "Don't be sad, this is no big deal." Death is a big deal. It was never part of God's good world. It came in because of sin, and it breaks what God made beautiful. So Jesus stood at the grave of His friend and grieved with the people He loved.
That is one of the most important things a child can learn about God. He is not cold or far away when we hurt. The same Jesus who has all power is also full of tears and tenderness. Then He showed both at once. He called out, "Lazarus, come forth!" And a dead man walked out of the tomb, still wrapped in graveclothes. Jesus didn't just feel sad about death. He had the power to undo it. This is the God we trust with our hardest questions. He is strong enough to defeat death, and gentle enough to weep with us first.
Around the Table
When Jesus' friend died, Jesus cried too — and then He made him alive again! Jesus is strong and kind at the same time.
Let's do it: Give a sad face, then a big cheer — "Jesus is sad with us AND He can fix sad things!"
Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus, but He still wept with Mary first. What does that show us about how Jesus feels when we are hurting?
Let's talk: Is it okay to be sad about hard things even when we trust God? Why?
Jesus' tears and Jesus' power belong together. He grieves death as the enemy it is. And He has the authority to reverse it. Raising Lazarus was a sign pointing to His own resurrection.
Let's go deeper: Some people say, "If God cared, He'd do something." How does it answer them to see that God both wept and acted?
💬 Conversation Starter
Who is someone who sat with you when you were sad, instead of just telling you to cheer up? How did that help?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When people say God is distant or doesn't care about our pain, point them to . It says, "Jesus wept." Our God entered the world and cried at a grave. He is the opposite of an uncaring, faraway force. Share this gently and with respect (), because the people who ask are often grieving themselves.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The raising of Lazarus is the climactic sign in John's Gospel, and it disarms one of the most common skeptical caricatures. Skeptics often say the Christian God is either powerful but uncaring, or loving but helpless. Here Jesus is both compassionate and all-powerful in the same scene. Notice that He doesn't lecture Mary about faith before He weeps with her. Comfort comes before correction. Dads often default to fixing and explaining. Lead your family the way Jesus did. Enter the grief first, then speak hope. Your children will believe your answers to hard questions more readily when they have first seen you weep with them. And note John's purpose. These signs are written "that you may believe" (). This isn't sentiment. It's evidence.
Draws on: Sean McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus is strong enough to beat death. Thank You that He is tender enough to cry with us. When we hurt, help us run to You. And help us be the kind of family that sits with hurting people. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus wept at the grave. Then He emptied it. He is gentle with our tears and mighty over our fears.