A Godly Man Weeps
There is an assumption that real men are not supposed to cry...
There is an assumption that real men are not supposed to cry. Of course, this misconception probably stems from the authoritative positions in the home and the church where God has placed men. Biblical manhood reveals a man who is not driven by emotion. It calls for men to be wise, self-controlled, and sober-minded, not being blown "to and fro" by life's changing circumstances. However, the refusal to be driven by emotion is not the same as understanding that emotion is a natural part of the Christian life. Therefore, a godly man will weep when necessary. A godly man will understand that weeping is often influential. [1] Furthermore, a weeping heart is often a product of the Holy Spirit melting the hardest of hearts in the believer (Ez. 36:26). [2]
Watson lays before his readers several situations where weeping is proper. Interestingly, every one of these appropriate circumstances focuses upon the godly man's recognition of sin in his own life. This focus should be telling. Not only does a godly man recognize his own sinful corruption, but he hates the sin that causes his guilt in the sight of his God. Therefore, Watson pens that a proper understanding of biblical manhood will see sin, hate sin, weep over sin, and ultimately, kill sin.
Regarding weeping over sin, it must be understood that the godly man ought to have a sense of his sins of omission and commission. This means that the godly man will understand that he falls short of God's standards and strikes out against God's law. Watson says that a proper understanding of weeping will lead to a godly man shedding tears each time he is "overpowered by pride and passion." [3] Additionally, he will grieve that he cannot be more holy. Watson continues, “It troubles him that he shoots so short of the rule and standard God has set. 'I should,' says he, 'love the Lord with all my heart. But how defective my love is! How far short I come of what I should be…."
Thomas Watson rightly teaches that the ongoing presence of sin is the reason for the godly man to weep. Yet, does Watson fall short in targeting circumstances in which the godly have the right to weep? He does. Knowing that Jesus Christ was truly man, but a perfect man, emphasizes that he was not driven by emotion but was often moved to emotion. Furthermore, on occasion, that emotion was weeping. In his short work, The Emotional Life of Our Lord, BB Warfield writes of the compassion, love, indignation, and sorrow that Jesus experienced during His earthly ministry. Jesus was "subject to all sinless human emotions." [4] So, what were the occasions that caused the Lord to weep? Three moments in Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry stand above all others: at the tomb of Lazarus (Jn. 11:35), over the unbelief in Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41), and in the Garden of Gethsemane as He pleads for the cup of God’s wrath to pass from Him (Lk. 22:44; Heb. 5:7-9).
Why does Jesus weep at the tomb of Lazarus? Theologians have often debated this emotion of Jesus. In this scene, we see Jesus full of indignation against death and the Devil, but at the same time, we find sinless frustration against the lack of submission in God's providence by the sister of Lazarus, Mary. [5] All the while, we also see Jesus with “tears of sympathy” filling his eyes. [6] Therefore, we can infer that a godly man may be moved to emotion in seasons of sorrow since Christ is the perfect example of biblical manhood.
What about the tears Jesus sheds as He looks over Jerusalem? Here Christ’s compassion moves His emotions. Warfield writes,
“We may, at any rate, place the [tears of Jesus] over the stubborn unbelief of Jerusalem and the deep sighing over the Pharisees’ determined opposition side by side as exhibitions of the profound pain given to our Lord’s sympathetic heart, by those whose persistent rejection of Him required at his hands his sternest reprobation. He ‘sighed from the bottom of His heart’ when he declared, ‘There shall be no sign given to this generation;' he wept as he announced, 'The days shall come upon thee when thine enemies shall dash thee to the ground.' It hurt Jesus to hand over even hardened sinners to their doom…it hurt Jesus - because Jesus' prime characteristic was love, and love is the foundation of compassion." [7]
So shall the godly man weep at the rejection of the gospel. Whether it be the hardened culture around him or the closest of family members, the determined refusal to believe the gospel message should cause the shedding of tears. The godly man knows the outcome of all those who turn away from Christ; they are His enemies and will be eternally destroyed. Nevertheless, the godly man will be so full of compassion and love for his neighbor that he will understand that it is sorrowful that any man should perish under the wrath of God.
Why do tears fall from the eyes of Jesus in the Garden on the night of His betrayal? Simply because Christ knew what the providential will of His Heavenly Father required. Therefore, as the godly man sees Christ's call to the cross, knowing full well what bearing the cross would mean for Him, he might learn that in situations of hard providence, it is right to shed tears and ask for God's deliverance. Yet, as Hebrews 5:7-9 states, the godly man will also learn obedience through what he will suffer. The call of the Christian is to pick up the cross and follow Christ daily (Matt. 16:24); the Christian journey is hardly one of ease. Therefore, under challenging circumstances, it is fitting for the godly man to weep on bended knee.
[1] Watson, Thomas. The Godly Man’s Picture. 59
[2] Watson, Thomas. The Godly Man’s Picture. 55
[3] Watson, Thomas. The Godly Man’s Picture. 57
[4] Warfield, Benjamin. The Emotional Life of Our Lord. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2022. 1
[5] Warfield, The Emotional Life of our Lord, 19
[6] Warfield, The Emotional Life of our Lord, 20
[7] Warfield, The Emotional Life of our Lord, 6-7