Christ's Glory Veiled in Tears at Lazarus's Tomb

In the raising of Lazarus, Christ appears under two contrasting aspects. As the sun sometimes shines in full strength and sometimes clouds over—yet remains the same fountain of light—so our Sun of Righteousness emits dual natures on the day of resurrection. He shines in full splendour when He exerts His power over the grave and breaks asunder the bonds of death. Yet He hides all that majesty when He appears under great commotion of mind, venting itself in sighs and tears.

When John records that Jesus "groaned in spirit," the original word embrimaomai means "to snort, as of horses"—expressing vehement agitation and disturbance of mind. This interior moral depth points to righteous indignation, not weakness. Archdeacon Watkins renders it: "He was indignant in the spirit and caused Himself to shudder."

At what was Jesus indignant? Not at His own human emotion. Greek expositors wrongly suggest He struggled to repress pity as unworthy. Christianity demands regulation of natural affections, never their suppression. Our Lord commanded us to "weep with them that weep," refusing the Stoic path of emotional erasure. The crack of grief remains—as Sir Walter Scott witnessed after two years of bereavement—yet Yahweh sanctifies sorrow itself, bounding it within proper banks rather than draining it entirely.