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Believers Weep Too

I was recently reading an excellent new book by Ajith Fernando called Joyful Perseverance: Staying Fresh in the Ups and Downs of Ministry (Crossway, 2024), and I came across an excellent quote on the theme of lament:

Lament can be a step in the healing of our sorrowing. Expressing our sorrow and weeping can help us dispel bitterness over what has happened to us, if the weeping is done in the presence of God.

Joseph endured intensely bitter experiences. His brothers plotted to destroy him. He was sent to prison for being faithful to his master and refusing to have sexual relations with his master’s wife. The fellow prisoner whom Joseph helped forgot about him.

Yet he shows no sign of bitterness. We see his faith in God when he acknowledges God’s sovereignty in his brothers’ treachery, which gave Joseph freedom to forgive them (Gen. 50:20).

Fernando then went on to observe, “Genesis 43-50 records Joseph weeping eight times.” I was struck by how dominant the theme of ‘weeping’ was in Joseph’s life. Obviously, he experienced more grief than most. But it’s worth considering each of the instances where Scripture records Joseph as weeping.

Joseph Weeps

The first instance is when Joseph’s brothers first come to Egypt to buy grain during the severe famine that had occurred (i.e. Gen. 42:24). Joseph immediately recognises who they are and has them put into custody on trumped-up allegations that they are spies.

Joseph then instructs them to leave one of their number behind as a guarantee until they bring their youngest brother to him. The brothers are grief-stricken by the proposal and acknowledge that this is a “reckoning for the blood” for what they had done to Joseph. When he hears them say this, he is cut to the heart and weeps.

The second instance of Joseph weeping is when he meets his younger brother Benjamin (i.e. Gen. 43:30). This must have been a wonderful blessing to Joseph, so much so that he is overwhelmed with emotion. After all those years of isolation, here is a family member of his own flesh and blood (the second son born of Jacob and Rachel).

On the third occasion, Joseph’s weeping is so loud that not only the Egyptians, but even the household of Pharoah heard it! (See Gen. 45:2) This occurs after Joseph has hidden a silver cup of divination in Benjamin’s sack for the journey home. Judah implores Joseph for mercy, and as a result, Joseph reveals to his brothers who he is.

After having reconciled with his brothers, Joseph is described as weeping not just once, but twice (Gen. 45:14-15). First, he weeps over Benjamin, the brother he never knew, and then he weeps over the rest of his brothers in an outpouring of grief over all the years of broken relationship. This must have been a cathartic experience for Joseph as he is reunited with family members who had sold him into slavery, causing him to endure years of severe hardship.

Joseph weeps again when he is reunited with his father Israel (Gen. 46:29). Obviously, this must have been an emotional reunion for both of them. Neither father nor son would have assumed that they would have ever seen one another again. It is such a joyous occasion that Joseph breaks down in tears.

Sadly, Joseph weeps over his father’s death just a few chapters later (Gen. 50:1). All believers grieve over the presence of death in this world, and no one is immune this side of the resurrection from the grave’s horrible reality.

Joseph finally weeps when, at the end of the book, his brothers send Joseph a message that their father’s dying wish was that he forgive his brothers’ transgression (Gen. 50:17). It’s not exactly clear why Joseph weeps here. Is it because he still harboured some kind of bitterness towards them for what they had done? Or was it because he was distressed that they hadn’t fully received his pardon? It is difficult to be certain. What is clear, though, is that Joseph trusted God’s sovereign purpose behind it all.

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that may people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Gen. 50:19-20)

Weeping and Jesus

Joseph is not the only one who weeps, though; the New Testament records that the Lord Jesus Christ also wept on three occasions.

The first is John 11:35, where, in coming to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, we’re told, “Jesus wept.” Significantly, the Jews who witnessed this said, “See how he loved him.” (John 11:36) Love grieves over the loss of another person. And the deeper the love, the more significant the loss.

The second occasion of Jesus weeping is found in the Gospel of Luke, where in approaching the city of Jerusalem, we’re told that he wept over it (Luke 19:41). Jesus grieves over the state of the people of Israel, for they have not recognised the time of his coming. They have not known about the “things which make for peace!” namely, faith in Himself as the promised Messiah. As a result, Jerusalem will be razed to the ground, with no stone left upon another.

And the third and final reference is located in Hebrews 5:7. Jesus is presented here as the great high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Like that great and mysterious servant of God, Jesus offers up “prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears”. He intercedes on behalf of the people, pleading with the LORD for mercy and grace.

The Day When Weeping Ceases

While weeping is a significant theme in the Bible, we also look forward to a day when weeping will be no more. The book of Revelation contains one of the most precious promises in all of Scripture.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev. 21:3-4)

That’s the great and final day in which all believers are looking forward to and long. A time when weeping will be no more! Not only will that be the case, but God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. We will be comforted by the LORD God Almighty Himself.

So, yes, we weep now. There are plenty of reasons for doing so. But even though we mourn, we don’t do so without hope. For as we see in the lives of Joseph and Jesus, we need not be defined by our pain or suffering. We need not be characterised by bitterness and despondency, because we have a loving Father in Heaven who sees our pain, comforts us in our sorrows, and will one day make everything right.

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