Real Men Do Cry

Scripture

Matthew 23:37-39; Matthew 27:46; John 11:35

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:37-39)

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (Matthew 27:46)

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

Real, godly, masculine men do cry. Perhaps a macho man would not allow himself to weep, but a man who loves Jesus Christ and possesses His compassion will and should.When told that His friend Lazarus had died, Jesus wept. I believe He wept because He knew how grieved Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, were at the loss of their brother. Other people’s grief brought pain to the perfect Man and Son of God, Jesus Christ.Then as Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the weight of the sin of the world on His shoulders, He wept so heavily that His tears became blood drops. Why such tears? He was so burdened by the reality that on the cross He would be separated from God the Father as the sin of the world was placed upon Him. He would lose that exclusive fellowship with the Father and He could not bear the thoughts of that separation.Sin separates people from God, the Father. Jesus dreaded that moment and become overwhelmed by the thought of it. If only Christian men would be so burdened about their own sin that they would weep over the thought of breaking the heart of the Father.On the cross, Jesus cried as He experienced that separation from the Father. The Gospels clearly present Jesus Christ with human emotions, including tears. Every Christian man should learn from Jesus that crying, over the right things, is a sign of strength and never a sign of weakness.

Thoughts on Men Crying:

1. Crying demonstrates your compassion, concern, grief, or sorrow over someone you care about.
2. Our tears show what burdens us. The things that burden Jesus should burden every man.
3. Tears are indicators of love and passion. When someone you love is hurting physically or emotionally or has done something that hurts you, the presence of tears suggests you truly care.
4. Strong men throughout history have cried, men such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, U.S. Grant, Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
5. Crying can express our deep regret, remorse, and repentance over something we have done to offend a holy God or hurt the ones we love the most. If the thought of your sins doesn’t immediately bring you to sorrow, repent to God and ask Him to break your heart for what breaks His.

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, “O God, forgive me,” or “Help me.” – Billy GrahamWomen cry on average 64 times a year. [1] While it's well-known women cry more than men—and for longer—the sensitive guy sheds tears up to 17 times a year. [2]As a masculine man, your tears are indicators of strength, not weakness.Today, think about those things that make you cry. If that list doesn’t include crying over lost family members and friends, ask God to give you empathy over their lost condition, so that you would possess His heart of grief toward the lost.