Grown Men Don’t Cry

Written by Jon Wood

Grown men don’t cry.

At least that’s what I always believed growing up. Coming from a family rich with “manly” men, it was just assumed that crying was a form of weakness that drains you of any testosterone you might have. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I shouldn’t say that. Crying is a way to get in touch with your emotions and every man needs to in order to be a well-rounded individual. I’ve heard all of it before and, to be perfectly honest, ignored it all before too. That was until I read the shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35, NLT):

Jesus wept.

Besides being the verse that everyone quotes for a good laugh because they don’t have a scripture ready to share in small group, this little verse is quite interesting. Jesus was not crying because He was sad. No, He was crying because he was frustrated. If you were to read the first half of John 11, then you would see that Jesus spent half of the chapter telling others that Lazarus was going to be OK and that he was going to live again. Of course, they didn’t believe Him and eventually found themselves with their supposed “Savior” and “Lord” crying in front of them. Talk about an awkward moment.

The more I have read this chapter, the more I can’t help but realize that I’ve probably driven Him to tears too. You see, He wasn’t crying because He had given up on his friends. He was crying because after all He had shown them previously, they still would not allow themselves to believe in the God of Impossibilities. The whole time they had been with Him, He had done nothing but show them great compassion and miracles which had to make it even more difficult for Jesus to hear them trying to explain His limitations to Him. They had given up on Him and who He said He was. If you’ve ever felt the heaviness of others not believing in you, then you know how incredibly difficult this is to swallow. Nevertheless, He followed through on His promise that Lazarus would live again by raising him from the dead. And, as you would imagine, many people believed in Him after having to see this with their own eyes.

With Christmas upon us, I can’t help but ponder this question: is my birthday gift to Him this year doubt or faith? Am I trying to explain to the Creator of the entire universe why He is not enough to help me with the circumstances I find myself in? Or, am I believing that Jesus is who He says He is based on his immaculate track record in my life and the life of others?

My prayer for you, friend, is that you will not be one of the members of the crowd doubting the One who can do immeasurably more than we ever could. He’s ready to prove Himself faithful, if you give Him a chance.