When Jesus wept at Bethany
What sorrow did His heart conceive?
Was it unbelief in all its masks
That caused His overflowing grief?
That human eyes that day conveyed
While human tongues unknown betrayed?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did He weep for you and me?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
What aching filled His gentle soul?
Knowing well our history
Did He glimpse the unrelenting toll
Of pain and grief and misery
That death has cost humanity?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did He weep for you and me?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did creation gasp with soft surprise
And angels gaze with puzzled eyes?
Did earth and Heaven hold their breath
While tears rolled down the face of Him
The Resurrection and the Life?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did He weep for you and me?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did His tears fall down to stain the land?
To mingle with the sinless blood
That Calvary would soon demand?
Did blood and sweat from Gethsemane
Join their flow into the flood?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Did He weep for you and me?
When Jesus wept at Bethany
Perchance He stood by all of us
And mixed His tears with yours and mine
And claimed our suffering as His own
That none of us who weep and ache
Could ever say we wept alone
When Jesus wept at Bethany
He wept for you, He wept for me
When Jesus wept at Bethany
His weeping crossed eternity
And entered every human tear
That was or is or soon will be
That in our loss and in our pain
We should know the cost is paid
And sorrow’s depth was plumbed by He
Who wept with us at Bethany
© Cheryl McGrath, Bread for the Bride, 2014 Copyright Notice: Permission is granted to freely reproduce any Bread for the Bride articles in emails or internet blogs, unaltered, and providing this copyright notice is included. To permanently display an article on any static website please contact me for permission.
Beautiful. Thank you.
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The biblical text indicates that Jesus’ tears were tears of identification and empathy but also that they were tears of anger at the thought that here the enemy, death, had claimed another victim. I think you encapsulated that thought so beautifully, Cheryl, among your other inspiring questions and signposts.
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Thanks Erroll. The Biblical text can tell us a certain amount, but can we really guess at the full scope of the reason for that simple statement “Jesus wept”? It is as profound as it is simple. I wanted to touch the mystery of a God who identifies so completely with the suffering of His human creation, more than we can understand in this life I think.
CM
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I certainly got your intentions, Cheryl, and appreciated it much. Not till then shall we fully know… (1 Jn. 3:1-3)
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Yes Eroll, ’till then’ when He shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. How our hearts break for that hour!
CM
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This is beautiful, it speaks to the heart and draws you to a place of wonder! Tx so much!
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Thanks for dropping by Maggie.
CM
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Beautiful Cheryl! So many big thoughts here.
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Thankyou Ben. So many big questions too!
CM
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