The Truth and Tears of Jesus

Gospel City Church

Today, we began our 3 week mini-series on pain, suffering, and grief with Yi Khen, one of our elders, preaching from John 11:17-44. He reminded us that amidst our sorrow, we must hold on to both tears and truth. The Bible is not silent on suffering. It teaches us that suffering is universal, but it’s not the work of a God who delights in it. Though often incomprehensible, we do not turn away from God in our pain; instead, we acknowledge His sovereignty. Suffering has a purpose—it shapes us, producing endurance, maturity, and genuine faith. Most importantly, suffering will one day end, because death and decay do not have the final word—God does. At the same time, the tears of Jesus dignify our suffering. They remind us that Jesus draws near to us in our pain, weeping with us in our grief. The same Jesus who wept with Mary in John 11 is the same Jesus who will one day wipe away every tear, as He promises in Revelation 7. In Jesus Christ, we have God come down from the highest of heights only to be treated as the lowest of the low. In Jesus Christ, we have one who guarantees that pain and suffering will finally end, yet weeps with us in our present suffering. Come to Him with our tears, and trust His word to anchor us in the midst of suffering.