When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, he groaned in his spirit, and was troubled,
All Commentaries on John 11:33 Go To John 11
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
For who but Himself could trouble Him? Christ was troubled, because it pleased Him to be troubled; He hungered, because it pleased Him to hunger. It was in His own power to be affected in this or that way or not. The Word took up soul and flesh, and whole man, and fitted it to Himself in unity of person. And thus according to the nod and will of that higher nature in Him, in which the sovereign power resides, He becomes weak and troubled.
And said, Where have you laid him? He knew where but He asked to try the faith of the people.
The question has an allusion too to our hidden calling. That, predestination by which we are called, is hidden; and the sign of its being so is our Lord asking the question. He being as it were in ignorance, so long as we are ignorant ourselves. Or because our Lord elsewhere shows that He knows not sinners, saying, I know you not, because in keeping His commandments there is no sin.
The Lord sees when He pities, as we read, Look upon my adversity and misery, and forgive me all my sin.
Wherefore did Christ weep, but to teach men to weep? .
Loved him. Our Lord came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And some of them said, Could not this Man which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? He was about to do more than this, to raise him from death.
And do you too groan in yourself, if you would rise to new life. To every man is this said, who is weighed down by any vicious habit. It was acave, and a stone lay upon it. The dead under the stone is the guilty under the Law. For the Law, which was as given to the Jews, was as graven on stone. And all the guilty are under the Law, for the Law was not made for a righteous man.
Take away the stone; mystically, take away the burden of the law, proclaim grace.
Perhaps those are signified who wished to impose the rite of circumcision on the Gentile converts; or menin the Church of corrupt life, who offend believers.
Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, though they had often seen Christ raise the dead, did not fully believe that He could raise their brother; Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said to Him, Lord, by this time he stinks, for he has been dead four days.
Herein is the glory of God, that he that stinks and has been dead four days, is brought to life again.
