What does it mean that Jesus was troubled (John 11:33)?

In John 11:33, the apostle writes, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (ESV). The Greek word translated as “troubled” means “to disturb or agitate.” Jesus was upset at the reality of death, which is the result of sin (Romans 6:23), as well as the unbelief and limited understanding reflected in the people’s grief.

The context of the passage sheds light on Jesus’ response. Despite the death of her brother, Lazarus (John 11:14, 21, 32), Martha says to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). This confession is like the one made by the apostle Peter: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

In both instances, there is firm conviction “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Martha’s confession, however, is a response to Jesus’ question in John 11:26. In response, she correctly concludes that the one who is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) must also be the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world (John 11:27).

At this point, Martha leaves to summon her sister, Mary: “The Teacher is here and is calling for you” (John 11:28). There is no record of Jesus’ request to speak with Mary, reminding us that John’s Gospel is a condensed record of the life, ministry, and death of Jesus. Nevertheless, Mary immediately goes to meet Jesus “in the place where Martha had met him” (John 11:30).

Martha’s attempt to secure a meeting between Jesus and Mary was frustrated by the mourners who “followed [Mary], supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there” (John 11:31). When Mary reaches Jesus, she falls at his feet, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). This is the exact thing that Martha uttered in John 11:21. Like Martha, Mary expresses confidence in Jesus’ power, yet she is overcome with grief. Both sisters demonstrate genuine faith, though it is mingled with sorrow and a limited understanding of what Jesus is about to do. Nevertheless, Mary at least believed that Jesus had the power to heal her brother.

Jesus does not respond to Mary’s comment; instead, he becomes “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (John 11:33). In extra-biblical writings, the Greek word translated as “troubled” suggests anger, outrage, and indignation (cf. Matthew 9:30; Mark 1:43, 14:5; John 11:33, 38). If anger is the best way to understand Jesus’ emotional state, then it is reasonable to wonder why he felt that way. Was he angry at Martha? The people who were with her? Or was he angry at someone or something else?

Some interpreters have suggested that Jesus was angry at the hypocrisy of the Jews. While unbelief may be present among them, John does not explicitly distinguish between Mary’s weeping and that of the Jews, as the same Greek word is used to describe their collective wailing.

Jesus could have also been angry that the people before him grieved like “the rest of mankind do, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NASB). Grief that resembles hopelessness is an implicit denial of a future resurrection for all believers: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either” (1 Corinthians 15:13 ESV).