Have you lost someone recently?

Maybe you’re having a tough day, working through with memories and reminders of someone you lost years ago? Maybe you’re still working through the mourning process? If so, Jesus knows what you’re going through.

Consider the following passage from John 11.

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” (John 11:32-36)

This passage reminds me of a time when our church faced a terrible tragedy. A family in our congregation lost their young son in a tragic accident.

I’ll never forget the moment that I walked into their home, following the event. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Scanning the room, I saw friends and family members holding onto one another and weeping over the loss.

It was an awful experience, to see so many people in such pain. One that reminds me of John 11, when Jesus surveyed the crowd of people mourning the loss of his friend, Lazarus.

Jesus felt loss.

Let’s take a moment to focus on Jesus’ emotions surrounding this event. This passage tells us that when Jesus witnessed the people weeping over the loss of their loved one, Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled“. When I read those words, I’m taken back to that moment, standing in the doorway of this family’s home.

Please don’t misunderstand that I am mirroring myself as Jesus, but more, trying to convey the terrible headache that comes from surveying a room full of people in mourning. Moreover, if there was ever a passage that showed Christ’s humanity, for me, this is it!

Jesus felt raw emotion.

Regardless of the events that are about to take place, I am moved when I read that “Jesus wept” as He walked to the tomb. I am filled with a sense that He truly does understand our earthly sorrow. Weeping is often the outpouring of raw emotion, in extreme sorrow or joy.

And I get it. Perhaps there were greater things that needed to be accomplished that day, like there miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Which was undoubtedly an incredible moment.

Nevertheles, from this account, we can always know that we have a God who understands the pain that comes from losing a loved one. This account shows us the wonder of a Savior who is fully God, yet fully man.

Jesus loves you. He knows your loss. Lean into Him and let Him carry it with you.