How and why did Jesus weep?

From Sensus Plenior
Jump to: navigation, search


To me this is one of the most heart rendering passages in the Bible.

One of the secondary theses of sensus plenior is that though Jesus was God in the flesh, he did not use one ounce of deity, otherwise he would not have been tempted in every way that we are, and would have forfeited being our high priest. But he thought equality with God not something to be grasped. This is the opposite of Adam who trespassed on the holiness/separation of God by grasping the fruit.

Therefor Jesus had to discover from the scriptures who he was and what he was to do. By reading the childish riddles of sensus plenior, he discovered all of it. The Father prepared 'dinner theater' for him acting out the various lessons of the hidden scriptures. As he role played in them, he demonstrated that he not only knew what the scriptures said, but that he was willing to face the cross.

In his baptism he plays the role of the firmament, Moses in the basket, Noah's ark, and more. But the cost to him was merely getting wet. In the temptation in the wilderness he played the role of Aaron, Israel, and others as he offer obedience as the better sacrifice. But it only cost him being hungry and thirsty.

Other roles that he played in the Father's drama were of little or no cost: a few scared men in a boat, from the war of the nine kings he fed four and five thousand. Though they had little cost, they encouraged him for being on the right track as he pushed toward the cross, each miracle being an 'atta boy' from the Father.

It is announce that Lazarus is sick, Jesus understands the picture of the cross that is being painted. Lazarus is the same name as the high priest Eliezer. Jesus must be made a high priest after his resurrection. Prior to the cross he is a 'sickly' high priest like Lazarus, since he is not able to perform as a priest being from the wrong tribe. Lazarus must die.

But Jesus, fully confident of his own resurrection has no concept of death. It is a hypothetical to him just as it is to us. Other people die and they will live again. There is no sense of an emotion when he announces that Lazarus is dead. How did he know he was dead? He had to be in order for the 'drama' to take place.

   33 ¶ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

This groaning was deeply troubled groan at the cost of the dinner theater. He knew Lazarus would live, but to see the great grief that it caused to the observers of it. And if this grief is caused by the death of a brother, how much more grief will be caused at his own death, the hope of mankind, which is being foreshadowed by the event?

How this grief adds to his continuing temptation to not face the cross. If only there were another way! The realization that the divine attribute which he willingly did not grasp were a small price. But being made to be sin, being separated from his Father, God himself to be separated at the cross. The weight of the personal cost, as the time has grown near for him, has been placed on his shoulders.

The dear cost to his friends pierces his heart and alerts him to the dear price of the cross. The deep groan is preview of that of Gethsemane.

And Jesus wept.