He wept at the tomb
“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35
At the grave of his friend Lazarus, surrounded by weeping sisters, Jesus wept too, before raising him from the dead.
The words and acts of Jesus
What Jesus Did When People Were Grieving
When people grieved, Jesus did not stay distant. At Lazarus's tomb, the shortest verse in the Bible records that Jesus wept. To a widow burying her only son, he said, Weep not, and raised him. From the cross, in his own agony, he made sure his mother would be cared for. Each moment below is quoted from the King James Version and cited. He enters grief before he lifts it.
Jesus knew loss, and he never treated grief as weakness. He wept, he comforted, he raised the dead, and even while dying he cared for those he loved. Here is what he actually did.
He said, I am the resurrection
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25
To Martha, grieving her brother, Jesus spoke the hope that changes how his people face death.
He comforted a grieving widow
“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.”
Luke 7:13
At the town of Nain, meeting a funeral, he had compassion on a mother burying her only son, then raised the young man.
He calmed a house of mourning
“Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”
Mark 5:39
At Jairus's house, amid loud mourning, he spoke of death as sleep, then took the girl by the hand and raised her.
He cared for his mother from the cross
“Woman, behold thy son!”
John 19:26
In his own dying agony, Jesus entrusted his grieving mother to the beloved disciple, who took her into his home.
What this shows about Jesus
Jesus grieves with those who grieve. He does not offer cold explanations; he weeps, and then he speaks a hope no one else can give: I am the resurrection and the life. Because he rose, Christians grieve differently, with real tears and real hope.
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These are his own words and deeds
Everything on this page is drawn straight from the Gospels, nothing added, nothing softened. The living Christ is not an argument to be won but a Person to be met, and he still draws near to everyone who comes to him with an open heart. Read his own words, watch what he does, and see. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to begin.
Meet JesusRead the Gospel of JohnThe gospelJesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- What did Jesus do when people were grieving?
- He entered their grief. At Lazarus's tomb 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35); to a grieving widow he said 'Weep not' and raised her son (Luke 7:13-15); and even from the cross he provided for his mother (John 19:26-27).
- Why did Jesus weep if he was about to raise Lazarus?
- The Gospel shows that Jesus, even knowing he would raise Lazarus, still wept with those who mourned (John 11:35). His grief was real, a sign that God does not stand distant from human sorrow.