The Crucial Difference
And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it. Luke 19:41 NASB
Wept – There are two Greek words for “wept” in the New Testament. If you don’t know which one you’re reading, you will miss the whole point. In this verse, the word is klaio. It means to lament, wail, weep with deep emotion. These are tears shed from a ruptured heart, in agony over unrequited grief. The other word is found in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” That word is dakruo. It should be translated “shed a tear,” not “wept,” because weeping in first century Israel was an expression of intense grief whereas dakruo shows only the slightest bit of sadness. Jesus never cried over death. He simply shed a tear. But He wept with agony over the lost.
We serve the broken-hearted God, a God Who, at great expense, attempts to redeem His children from certain, eternal torment. No wonder He staggers with agonizing shudders of sorrow when He confronts the self-destructive choices of His children. The tears of heaven drove Jesus to the cross. Every teardrop mixed blood and water. If you really want to see what it means for God to cry, look at His Son hanging on the tree.
So, I ask you, “Do you weep over the lost?” Are you so in tune with the heart of the Father that you stagger and stammer under the burden for these suicidal children? It’s not popular in a culture of “tolerance” to agonize over the inevitable fate of non-believers. It’s much easier to think (falsely) that somehow God will work it all out without our involvement. After all, most people are pretty good, so why should we press them about Yeshua? The combination of tolerance and the privacy of religion removes us from the heart of the Father. We stand on the corner while the world marches into the pit.
When was the last time (if ever) you were so gripped by the fate of those who still reject Him that you fell to your knees in wailing lament? When did you last find yourself so tortured by the fate of your friend, your relative or your child that the tears just wouldn’t stop? When have you echoed Paul, wishing you could be extinguished from living if it would only rescue this other one?
We are much more likely to celebrate half of the God of heaven. We want the power, joy, peace and blessing. But when we look deeply into the heart of God, we find a disquieting unrest, a frightening torment over the ones who have not experienced His sacrifice. If you want a God of blessing, you must also have a God with a broken heart. And if you are to be conformed to the image of His Son, you will have to know the difference between klaio and dakruo.
Topical Index: wept, klaio, dakruo, John 11:35, Luke 19:41, death, lost
This is very intresting regarding the word “wept.” I would be interested in some studies on the words that cause people to believe in eternal torment, ie, burning forever in flames unquenched. I believe the words they derive that from are misinterpreted. My heart does break for the lost, and I do weep over them as you mention here. However, I believe the usual view of eternal torment is taken from pagan gods and would be very interested in the truth. I am certain that YHVH agonizes over them; however, could eternal punishment/torture be misconstrued. Could it mean eternal death? I have done some research myself and would be very intersted in yours.
Thanks.
I’d be interested in that as well, Lori.
Some day we may look at this. N. T. Wright recently wrote a book about some of this idea (for which he was roundly criticized). I know that by the time Yeshua walked the earth, the rabbinic system had added significantly to the sparse OT view. Some of those additions can be traced to Platonic ideas. How much Hellenism worked it way into the thought about hell has yet to be explored. But Yeshua seems to have endorsed at least some of the elaboration. It is a puzzle, isn’t it, especially since the concept of Sheol is almost without any content in the OT.
Ezekiel 33:11 ~Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ~
~ For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost ~ (Luke 19.10)
~ Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ~
~Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved ~ (Acts 4.12)
Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He Himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, “I AM the bread.” He did not come merely to shed light; He said, “I AM the light.” He did not come merely to show the door; He said, “I AM the door.” He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, “I AM the shepherd.” He did not come merely to point the way; He said, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” (J. Sidlow Baxter )
~ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself ~ (Luke 24.27)
Which Greek word is used in Hebrews 5:7?
Never mind. I know. It was Klaio. Understandably.