Meditation on the Journey

Last night at my Journey small group we explored the topics of meditation and memorization as related to the Scriptures. We did a simple meditation exercise on the verse "Jesus wept." My initial reaction was to the word wept as images of weeping, heartbreak, intense pointed pain, tears, sobs, a body wracked with grief came to mind. Intense, large scale emotion. In contrast, the images of Jesus as the most compassionate, in control, strong, healthy, omnipotent God came to mind and the two words seemed incompatible at first blush.

So why did Jesus weep? He was a man and his best friend was dead. And yet Christ knew of his death and waited four days to come and still he wept? Doesn't make sense to me. Then I thought of why do people weep. For joy, for sadness, out of frustration, out of accomplishment.

Perhaps Jesus was weeping because he lost his friend. Perhaps he also wept because of the lack of faith he perceived in those that were at the scene.

Perhaps he wept in anticipation of the miracle that God the Father was going to perform in front of him. Perhaps he wept because he could see the thousands of people that would be "raised from the dead" in years to come through salvation.

Perhaps he wept at his impending death. Perhaps he wept to show respect, to join with the culture, to join in fellowship with those who were mourning.

All we know is that Jesus wept. And that is comforting.