What does it mean to groan in the spirit (John 11:33)?

Response

One of the most poignant moments in the life of Jesus Christ was the passing of His friend Lazarus. The Scriptures recount that upon witnessing Mary, Lazarus’ sister, and those with her grieving and weeping, Jesus “groaned in the spirit and was troubled” “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,” (John 11:33, NKJV).

Some Bible versions translate the phrase “groaned in the spirit” as “deeply moved in spirit” (NIV, NASB). In the original language, the wording implies that the Lord felt such intense emotions that He was restraining Himself. The New Living Translation states, “A deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” Shortly after, “Jesus wept” “Jesus wept.”, (John 11:35).

The Greek term for “groaned in the spirit” (embrimaomai) is found in four other instances in the New Testament, always in reference to Jesus (Matthew 9:30;Mark 1:43;Mark 14:5;John 11:38). It conveys a sense of outrage and indignation. Scholars suggest that Christ’s profound emotional turmoil was a response to the presence of sin and death, which had caused distress to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ friends. The Greek term translated as “troubled” (etaraxen) emphasizes agitation, possibly focusing on the Lord’s sorrow upon witnessing the sisters’ grief.

The mention of “the spirit” in John 11:33 does not refer to the Holy Spirit but to Jesus’ inner self. Jesus groaned within His spirit, struggling to contain all the emotional turmoil. However, when He reached the tomb, He could no longer hold back, and He wept.

John used one word to define the Lord’s weeping and a different one to describe the weeping of Mary and the other Jews in Bethany. Jesus knew Lazarus would soon be resurrected from the dead and, in the end, spend eternity with Him in heaven. The people grieved over the loss of Lazarus, but Jesus’ anguish welled up for a different reason.

Revealing His humanity, Jesus wept with deep compassion and empathy for the hurting “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”, (Isaiah 53:3). Our good and loving Shepherd stands with us in our pain and weakness (Hebrews 4:14-16). He comes alongside us in our sorrow “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”, (Psalm 34:18). Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were among Jesus’ dearest friends. He had enjoyed close fellowship with them, rejoiced with them, and in their grief He would shed tears with them “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”, (Romans 12:15).

But Jesus groaned in His spirit, roiling with emotion, for a second reason, as mentioned above. He was grieved by the curse of sin, sickness, and death that had inflicted chaos and sorrow upon humanity in this fallen world. As Jesus prepared to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead, His distress over the people’s spiritual blindness and unbelief intensified (John 11:37-38). He was frustrated to see their weakness of faith that would only believe in Him after seeing Him perform a mighty m.

Miracle (John 4:48; John 6:30-31; 11:40-42). Jesus, the One who always did and said what would please His Father (John 8:28-29), was grieved to see the rebellious attitudes of people not yielded to the Father’s will as He was (John 5:19, 30; 6:38).

When Lazarus was called back to life from the grave, many people believed in Jesus. However, some did not. Instead, they went to the Pharisees and reported what Jesus had done (John 11:45-46). Jesus likely groaned in His spirit most for these hard-hearted informants. They had come so near to the kingdom of heaven, yet, because of their darkened hearts, they failed to see the truth and receive the grace of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.