WHAT IS SADNESS?

WHAT IS SADNESS?

John 11:33-35

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

35 Jesus wept.

           We all experience it but what is it exactly? The word “groan” is found only seven times in our Authorized Version and only once here in John. In searching out the original meaning of those words I was amazed.

           In the Old Testament the word groan is translated from words that generally mean “to sigh or to cry or to mourn.” In Romans 8:23 and in 2 Corinthians 5:2  it means “to be in dire straits; to pray inaudibly.” But in John the word means something else entirely.

           In John the word “groaned” is translated from the Greek embrimaomai which means “to snort with anger; to have indignation on; to blame; to sigh with chagrin; to sternly enjoin; to groan against.” All this Jesus did “when Jesus saw Mary weeping.”  I get an image of The Incredible Hulk who, in a moment of wild frustration and anger at the circumstance and the sin which caused it, cries out. “Where have you laid him?”

           Jesus wept one other time as he crested the hill overlooking rebellious Jerusalem. So much had been offered to them and so much had been rejected due to ignorance and sin! Here again Jesus wept. Here the word is klaio and it means to sob loudly or to wail. Overlooking the city of peace, Jesus bemoaned their lack of it. This is the sadness of the Divine.

Luke 19:41-42

¶ 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Dear God, my own spirit groans for man’s preference for sentimentality over truth and propriety. I marvel at our foolishness and bemoan our lack of peace. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation and restore unto me my song. AMEN