I Feel You
“Jesus wept.” John 11:35
“Jesus wept” is the shortest scripture in the Bible, but, oh - so powerful. In John 11, Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha has died. Mary and Martha sent for Jesus while he was still alive, yet sick, but Jesus chose to stay where He was instead of returning to Judea right away to heal Lazarus. In verse 4, Jesus said that the sickness wasn’t unto death but for the glory of God.
In John 11:11, Jesus tells the disciples, we’re going back to Judea because Lazarus has died, but I’m going to wake him up! In verses 21 & 32, Martha, then Mary (respectively), tell Jesus, “Had you been here while my brother was sick, he wouldn’t have died.”
The Bible tells us when Jesus saw Mary and those around her weeping, that He wept! What on earth did Jesus need to weep for? He had already said earlier in the chapter that the sickness wasn’t unto death but for the glory of God, and then in verse 7 He plain and simply said Lazarus has now died, but I’m going to raise him from the dead! So why did He need to weep?
Some people say that Jesus wept because He loved Mary, Martha & Lazarus, they were His friends. While, yes, Jesus did love them, and they were His friends while He was here on the earth, but John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave Jesus”. If Jesus would have just loved the three of them, then I’m sure He would have been able to work out a deal for their salvation that didn’t include all of the pain, agony and brutality of Calvary.
Jesus wept in verse 35 to say, “I feel you.”
He felt and underst00d what Mary and Martha were going through. He felt the pain of losing a loved one. He saw and felt the hurt and disappointment of not having their prayers answered, when they thought they should have been. Oh, but delayed is NOT denied!!
Hebrews 4:15 (KJV) tells us, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus knows what it feels like to be rejected, the Bible tells us that He came to His own people and they received Him not! So when you get left out, passed over, didn’t get the job, and the divorce papers have been served. He feels you.
As Yolanda Adams says in her song The Battle Is Not Yours, “There is NO pain that Jesus can’t feel, there’s no hurt that He cannot heal. All things work according to His perfect will. No matter what you’re going through, just remember God just wants a chance to use you.”
Jesus used Mary and Martha’s pain and sorrow so that GOD could get the glory from raising Lazarus from the dead. He stopped in the midst of performing a miracle to say, I feel your pain. What a friend!!
John 11:43 says, “He (Jesus) cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Jesus had to be SPECIFIC and call Lazarus by his name! Had the Resurrection stood at the graveyard and just said, “Come forth!” then EVERYONE who’s been dead since Adam would have been raised from the dead that day!!
The next time you think Jesus doesn’t know how you feel or what you’re going through, just remember He’s been rejected, beaten, abused, lied on, betrayed and disappointed. He knows what it feels like to love someone who won’t give you the time of day, and He too felt that the Father had forsaken Him in His darkest hour — but in the midst of it all, He just wants a chance to show you His power, the opportunity for Him to get the glory in your life and turn your tests into a testimony. Yes indeed, He feels you.
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Anjela Proctor- Tala
June 10, 2011 at 5:51 am
Beautiful just beautiful!! What a friend we have in Jesus!!!!
Aleysha Proctor
June 10, 2011 at 6:01 am
Amen, Anjela! There's no greater friend than Jesus!!
Aleysha Proctor
June 10, 2011 at 6:01 am
PS - Many thanks!
Merriell Briscoe
June 10, 2011 at 7:19 am
This is great, very inspirational, sometimes we forget what Jesus went through and he does care about us deeply.
Aleysha Proctor
June 10, 2011 at 8:08 am
Thank you Sis. Briscoe!
Susan Shipe
June 10, 2011 at 8:33 am
Aleysha, always bringing inspiration and hope in your articles. I love what you say, "He feels us." He feels our pain, our hurts, our disappointments, our rejections - beautifully written and received with an eager heart.
Aleysha Proctor
June 10, 2011 at 10:41 am
Awwww…. Thank you so much Susan! I really appreciate all of your support and encouragement.
To God be the glory!!
Aleysha