11th May 2026

I have read the header scripture many times over the years, and just now focused on the words ‘a deep anger welled up within him.’ It is also translated ‘He was angry in his spirit.’ It was not just a passing moment of eyebrow-raising and eyerolling; he was still angry when he arrived at the tomb of his close friend Lazarus (v. 38). We are not told what Jesus was so angry about. It was a deeply troubling time for all, and we know by his tears, that Jesus was moved deeply by what had happened. 

So, what was Jesus so angry about? At first I thought it was the cutting remarks made about him by those in the crowd of mourners; he healed a blind man, why not Lazarus before he died. After all, he was told of the sickness but waited until his friend died before he acted on the information. That in itself may have looked like he did not care. They would have been unclear about his motives. He had previously been threatened and nearly arrested, but he escaped their grasp and moved to another area to continue his work. Was he afraid to go back, you may ask yourself? Yet he did go back to comfort those he loved. No, this happened after his anger rose.

So, why was Jesus angry? And what was he angry at? Yes, Jesus saw their crying, their tears, and their sorrow, but he also saw deeply into the cause of this pain and desperation. He understood or met their sorrow and its true meaning and cause. Death is now a reality of our sin, consequences of our actions. We are born into this sorrow, but Jesus came to confront our sin, to deal with death. If my children hurt themselves in a fall, I would not be angry at them for falling, but at that which caused them to fall. Sin caused our fall from grace.

Jesus would deal with the death of Lazarus. He caused the stone to be rolled away; he called Lazarus out of his death state and back into life; the grave cloths and face wrap were removed, and Lazarus walked out a free man, death let him go. Does this sound familiar? Lazarus was in the grave four days, and Jesus three. It was Jesus’s death and resurrection that would conquer death for all mankind. Did the disciples remember these details after Jesus rose from the dead I wonder (Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-8; Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8)?

Jesus is not angry at us because we fell; the Father is not full of wrath every time he thinks of us. God loves us, he loves his children. God did not create this world, or us, in order for it to fall. Before our creation, God worked out all of the details and he even went as far as to take a personal responsibility for the actions necessary for any and all problems that may come our way. Satan may have tried to throw a stone in the working of God’s plans, but he was no match for God’s love and dedication. I personally think that when asked, who will go and save my children, Jesus was the first to raise his hand.

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