Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping,
He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind,
also have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
John 11:33-38
As we continue our series of verses that provide comfort for us when a believer dies, we turn to the Biblical account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus. You will need to read the verses before and after the ones quoted here to get the full thrust of this Biblical example. However, by noticing the underlined words in these verses, we are reminded that God has given us some appropriate ways to express our sorrow, grief and loss, such as tears and groaning. As surely as we are joyful for the believer who has gone to his eternal home, we surely sorrow for our temporary loss of their friendship, fellowship and other ministries. Sometimes spontaneous weeping and groaning enable us to express that sorrow through God given channels.
The first time that I stood at my father’s grave, some months after his funeral, my throat tightened up and tears came to my eyes spontaneously and without my anticipating that at all. It was a relief and comforting to express my sense of loss in these ways.