John Calvin Commentary John 11:33

"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews [also] weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled," — John 11:33 (ASV)

He groaned in his spirit. If Christ had not been moved to compassion by their tears, he would rather have kept his expression unchanged; but when, voluntarily, he conforms to those mourners to the extent of weeping along with them, he gives proof that he has sympathy (συμπάθεια). For the cause of this feeling is, in my opinion, expressed by the Evangelist when he says that Christ saw Mary and the others weeping. Yet I have no doubt that Christ contemplated something higher, namely, the general misery of the whole human race; for he knew well what had been commanded him by the Father, and why he was sent into the world, namely, to free us from all evils.

Just as he has actually done this, he also intended to show that he accomplished it with warmth and earnestness. Accordingly, when he is about to raise Lazarus, before granting deliverance or aid, by the groaning of his spirit, by a strong feeling of grief, and by tears, he shows that he is as much affected by our distresses as if he had endured them in his own person.

But how do groaning and trouble of mind belong to the person of the Son of God? Since some consider it absurd to say that Christ, as a human being, was subject to human passions, they think that the only way he experienced grief or joy was that he received those feelings into himself, whenever he thought proper, by some secret dispensation.

Augustine thinks it is in this sense that the Evangelist says that he was troubled, because other men are hurried along by their feelings, which exercise dominion, or rather tyranny, to trouble their minds. He therefore considers the meaning to be that Christ, though otherwise tranquil and free from all passion, voluntarily brought groaning and grief upon himself.

But, in my opinion, this simpler view will be more consistent with Scripture, if we say that the Son of God, having clothed himself with our flesh, also voluntarily clothed himself with human feelings, so that he did not differ at all from his brothers, sin only excepted.

In this way, we detract nothing from the glory of Christ when we say that it was a voluntary submission by which he came to resemble us in the feelings of the soul. Besides, since he submitted from the very beginning, we must not imagine that he was free and exempt from those feelings; and in this respect he proved himself to be our brother, to assure us that we have a Mediator who willingly pardons our infirmities, and who is ready to assist us in those infirmities which he has experienced in himself.

It will perhaps be objected that human passions are sinful, and therefore it cannot be admitted that we share them with the Son of God. I reply, there is a wide difference between Christ and us. For the reason our feelings are sinful is that they rush on without restraint and know no limit; but in Christ, the feelings were adjusted and regulated in obedience to God and were altogether free from sin.

To express it more fully, human feelings are sinful and perverse on two accounts:

1. because they are hurried along by impetuous motion and are not regulated by the true rule of moderation; and
2. because they do not always arise from a lawful cause or, at least, are not directed to a lawful end.

I say that there is excess, because no person rejoices or grieves only as much as is sufficient, or as God permits, and there are even some who cast off all restraint. The vanity of our understanding brings us grief or sadness over trivial matters, or for no reason whatever, because we are too much devoted to the world. Nothing of this nature was to be found in Christ; for he had no passion or affection of his own that ever went beyond its proper bounds; he had not one that was not proper and founded on reason and sound judgment.

To make this matter even clearer, it is important for us to distinguish between humanity's original nature, as it was created by God, and this degenerate nature, which is corrupted by sin. When God created human beings, he implanted affections in them, but affections that were obedient and submissive to reason. That these affections are now disorderly and rebellious is an accidental fault; that is, it proceeds from some cause other than the Creator.

Now Christ took upon himself human affections, but without (ἀταξία) disorder; for whoever obeys the passions of the flesh is not obedient to God. Christ was indeed troubled and vehemently agitated; but, at the same time, he kept himself in subjection to the will of the Father. In short, if you compare his passions with ours, they will differ no less than pure and clear water, flowing in a gentle stream, differs from dirty and muddy foam.

The example of Christ ought to be sufficient in itself to set aside the unbending sternness that the Stoics demand; for from where else should we look for the rule of supreme perfection but from Christ? We ought rather to endeavor to correct and subdue that obstinacy that pervades our affections on account of Adam’s sin and, in so doing, to follow Christ as our leader, so that he may bring us into subjection. Thus Paul does not demand hardened insensibility from us, but directs us to observe moderation in our mourning, so that we may not abandon ourselves to grief, like unbelievers who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

For even Christ took our affections into himself, so that by his power we may subdue everything in them that is sinful.