In some cultures it is taught that it is normal to suppress feelings when experiencing really painful situations such as death. Crying is associated with emotional weakness, or as an attitude of one that lacks hope. But is it true that crying is synonymous with weakness or lack of faith? Let's see a biblical example that clarifies this.
When Jesus was on earth he cultivated a close friendship with Lazarus and his sisters. However, after a while his friend fell ill and died, how did Jesus react when he learned of his death? We read the answer in John 11:11 "Jesus talking with his disciples compared death with deep sleep, so he had no reason to be sorry for the death of Lazarus."
So, why did Jesus weep before resurrecting Lazarus? John 11: 33, 35 and 36 clarifies that: "Jesus perceived the intense pain of his friends and was moved by the suffering they felt."
It should be noted that Jesus was a perfect man, that thanks to the Holy Spirit that God provided him with the power to resurrect people, those miraculous acts he did with the purpose of glorifying the name of his Father and showing what the Kingdom God will do on a larger scale in the future.
He did exactly what is exhorted in the letter to the Romans 12:15 "We should mourn with those who mourn", in other words we should strive to show empathy, because the fact that a person expresses his pain does not mean that he lacks faith in the hope of the resurrection. Jesus' reaction gives us that certainty because when he cried sincerely, he left us an example of compassion for those who have lost a loved one in death, an example that without a doubt as true Christians we all want to imitate.
To conclude, let us remember that although Jesus knew that he could resuscitate Lazaro, he gave in to tears, motivated by the deep love and compassion he felt for his friends.
