'Those that weep, as if they wept not.'
"And those who weep, as though they wept not."
It is lawful to weep—not only for sin, which ought to be our chief sorrow—but also for the miseries of the age and the condition of the times in which we live. There is liberty here. "Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears," says Jeremiah (Jeremiah
9:1). He believed he could not weep enough, and therefore he wished that his head were "a fountain," fearing that his natural tears would be quickly exhausted. Thus, there is liberty to weep.
Indeed, men are obliged to weep. There are tears of sympathy for the miseries of the times and of the people among whom we dwell.
Likewise, for afflictions and losses within the family, it is proper to grieve. We are flesh, not pure spirit. God has made us human and has given us sensitive affections to feel sorrow. To be without natural affection is a cursed condition. We may weep, and we may grieve— indeed, we ought to grieve.
Now grief is like a cloud, and tears are the rain that falls from it.
Weeping is but the distillation of that inward sorrow.
If we may grieve—and indeed ought to grieve—for the state of the times, then surely we may weep. It is a dull and senseless disposition not to be affected by the miseries of the age in which we live. Grief is the spring from which tears flow. Therefore, for grief itself, there is no question that it is allowed. We may weep, but we must weep as though we wept not. For there is a danger in excessive weeping over earthly losses.
Here lies the danger: we may indulge our grief too far—especially for spouses and children. God finds this displeasing. He takes it as an
unkindness when we over-grieve for the loss of a wife, or a child, or a parent, when Christ Himself is our everlasting Husband, and God is our eternal Father. Is not God worth all?
So then, there is a danger—just as we are prone to excessive joy, so are we prone to excessive sorrow. Human nature rarely keeps within proper bounds. When we grieve too much, it reveals that we are not drawing our comfort from God, who is the true source and fountain of consolation. Therefore, "let those who weep be as though they wept not"—that is, let them not weep excessively. "For the time is short." Have you lost a friend or anything dear to you? "The time is short"—you shall soon meet again. There is but a little while between now and the great day of judgment. "The form of this world is passing away." A new world is coming, with new heavens and a new earth, wherein righteousness dwells. Then we shall live forever with the Lord.
And consider this, my brethren—why "brethren"? Because brethren ought not to be as those without hope, like the Gentiles. They may weep who do not expect ever to meet again. But a Christian, a brother in Christ, who hopes for a joyful reunion, must not weep as those who have no hope. Let us weep, yes—but "as though we wept not."
So the apostle places a restraint even upon that kind of weeping which is for sin, for even godly sorrow must be moderated. We may over-grieve even for our sins. We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. Therefore, even when we weep for sin, we must also remember to rejoice. One eye must be fixed on our sin to humble us and to stir up holy sorrow, but the other must look to God's mercy in Christ to comfort us. Even the best kind of sorrow must be balanced