1. Introduction
In the person of Jesus Christ, divine sorrow reaches its fullest revelation. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus displays profound compassion, grief, and empathy — emotions that reveal not human weakness but divine love incarnate. As “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), His tears are the tears of God Himself. In Him, the grief of the prophets, the anguish of the apostles, and the lament of heaven converge into a redemptive sorrow that heals creation.
2. Jesus as “The Man of Sorrows”
Isaiah foresaw the Messiah as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa 53:3). The Hebrew term מַכְאֹבוֹת (makʾovot), translated “sorrows,” encompasses pain, suffering, and emotional anguish. This prophecy finds fulfilment in the earthly life of Jesus, who bore both the physical and emotional weight of human sin (Stott 1986).
- Empathy: He identifies with human suffering (Heb 4:15).
- Endurance: He carries the grief of humanity to the Cross (Isa 53:4).
- Redemption: His sorrow becomes the pathway of salvation.
Unlike human sorrow rooted in guilt or failure, Christ’s sorrow arises from perfect holiness confronted by sin and suffering. It is redemptive grief — sorrow that saves.
3. Jesus Wept at Lazarus’s Tomb (John 11:33–36)
“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
3.1 The Shortest and Deepest Verse
This two-word verse captures the mystery of divine emotion. When Jesus stands before the tomb of His friend Lazarus, He does not display stoic detachment but holy empathy. The Greek verb ἐδάκρυσεν (edakrysen) means “to shed tears quietly,” reflecting genuine, personal sorrow.
3.2 Meaning and Theological Significance
- Empathy for human pain: Jesus fully participates in the grief of others, demonstrating the divine willingness to enter human suffering.
- Indignation at death: Verse 33 uses ἐνεβριμήσατο (“He was deeply moved with indignation”), showing Christ’s righteous anger against sin and death — the enemies of life.
- Foreshadowing resurrection: His tears precede His command, “Lazarus, come out!” (v. 43), revealing that divine sorrow always leads to divine action.
Christ’s weeping proves that God’s love is not impassive. He feels the tragedy of death even as He holds power over it.
4. Jesus Wept Over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41–44)
“And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it.” (Luke 19:41)
Here the verb ἔκλαυσεν (eklausen), meaning “He burst into loud weeping,” indicates audible lament. This is not private emotion but public prophetic grief—a lament that echoes Jeremiah’s tears over Jerusalem (Jer 9:1).
4.1 The Cause of His Tears
Jesus grieves not for personal suffering but for the city’s impending destruction and its rejection of peace:
“If you, even you, had known… the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (v. 42)
4.2 The Divine Pathos
- Rejected love: His tears express the sorrow of divine love refused.
- Foreseen judgment: He laments the consequence of unbelief, not out of vindictiveness but compassion.
- Continuity of divine emotion: His lament continues the divine grief revealed in Isaiah 63:10 and Hosea 11:8–9 — the cry of a God who longs to heal His people but honours their freedom.
Christ’s lament demonstrates that God’s sovereignty and sorrow coexist in perfect harmony.
5. The Agony of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46)
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (v. 38)
5.1 The Depth of Christ’s Emotional Suffering
In Gethsemane, Jesus experiences the climax of divine sorrow. The Greek word περίλυπος (perilypos) means “deeply grieved, surrounded by sorrow.” His anguish reveals the cost of bearing human sin.
- Emotional reality: Luke records that “His sweat became like drops of blood” (Luke 22:44), an expression of extreme distress.
- Moral weight: He confronts the cup of divine wrath — the full consequence of humanity’s rebellion.
- Submission in sorrow: “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39) shows that divine grief culminates in perfect obedience.
5.2 Theological Meaning
Christ’s agony is not uncertainty of mission but the holy recoil of love from sin. He who knew no sin prepared to bear it (2 Cor 5:21). The divine sorrow of Gethsemane thus bridges heaven’s holiness and human guilt.
6. The Tears of the Cross
At Calvary, divine sorrow reaches its ultimate expression:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46)
This cry, echoing Psalm 22, reveals the mystery of the Son’s participation in human estrangement. The Cross is simultaneously the moment of divine judgment and divine grief. The Father grieves the Son’s suffering; the Son grieves the world’s sin. Yet through this sorrow, salvation is achieved (Moltmann 1974).
“At the cross, the grief of God is the measure of His love.” — Stott (1986, p. 159)
7. The Compassionate Ministry of Jesus
Throughout His earthly life, Jesus’ compassion motivates His actions.
| Event | Scriptural Reference | Emotional Response | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healing the leper | Mark 1:41 | “Moved with compassion” (splanchnistheis) | Touches and heals |
| Feeding the multitudes | Matt 14:14 | “He had compassion on them” | Miraculous provision |
| Raising the widow’s son | Luke 7:13 | “His heart went out to her” | Restored life |
| Teaching the crowds | Mark 6:34 | “He had compassion… because they were as sheep without a shepherd” | Offered truth and guidance |
In each case, compassion (splanchnizomai) arises from the depths of divine emotion — literally meaning “to be moved in one’s inward parts.” Jesus’ compassion is therefore the visible expression of divine mercy.
8. Theological Reflections
| Theme | Insight |
|---|---|
| Incarnation and Emotion | Jesus’ tears authenticate the full humanity and divinity of Christ. God does not merely observe suffering; He enters it. |
| Redemptive Purpose | His sorrow is not passive sympathy but active redemption — grief that restores. |
| Divine Pathos | God’s emotional life is holy, purposeful, and morally perfect. Christ’s tears are the manifestation of divine holiness in human form. |
| Christological Revelation | In Jesus, we see the true meaning of divine grief: not instability, but the unwavering love of God in action. |
9. Conclusion
Jesus’ tears sanctify human sorrow and reveal divine compassion. Every instance of His weeping — at the tomb, over the city, and in Gethsemane — unveils a love so pure that it suffers for the sake of the beloved. The grief of God, seen in Christ, is the sorrow of perfect holiness meeting broken creation. His compassion transforms lament into redemption, making His tears the seed of eternal joy.
“The tears of Christ are the pity of God, falling upon the world He came to save.”
— Barclay (1975, p. 87)
References
- Barclay, W. (1975) The Mind of Jesus. Glasgow: Collins.
- Erickson, M.J. (2013) Christian Theology. 3rd edn. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
- Moltmann, J. (1974) The Crucified God. London: SCM Press.
- Stott, J.R.W. (1986) The Cross of Christ. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.
- Wright, N.T. (2012) How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. London: SPCK.
- VanGemeren, W.A. (ed.) (1997) New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.