There is a saying about serious things that "could make a grown man cry." That comment is sometimes made in jest, because grown men seldom cry. It is not manly, as I was taught as a little boy.

Paul was a very strong man. He survived the arenas of the Roman Empire when he was thrown to the wild animals (1 Corinthians 15:32). He successfully fought those animals, it seems. Paul also was beaten more times than he could count (although he did count the times—2 Corinthians 11:23-25) and took those beatings "like a man."

He also faced raging crowds who were shouting for his death and picking up stones that they then used to try to put him to death. When they left him, he was considered dead.

A person is hard pressed to find a more heroic, strong-minded, death-defying hero than Paul—and yet the Bible tells us that Paul was reduced to tears on more than one occasion. Here is a man's man who cried and yet who lost none of his manliness.

Who was responsible, and what made Paul cry?

Served With Many Tears

Acts 20:17-31 describes the work Paul was doing in Ephesus and other cities. He had come to Asia and served with "many tears." Those tears were not for himself—they were for the people he was serving. He was so deeply concerned about their well-being that he was emotionally involved.

In verse 31 he speaks of the warning he had given. That warning described dangers the members of the Church would face. He wrote about "savage wolves" that would come in and not spare the flock. Paul would have liked to be there with the Ephesians to fight off these attacks. The savage wolves were not animals as he had fought in the arena—they were humans pushed on by Satan to destroy the Church.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul found many things to remind and warn the people about. He detailed the kind of sin that would keep them out of the Kingdom of God.

He knew the background of those he served and worried about them slipping back to the darkness from where they came.

Crying for the Converted

Those responsible for Paul's tears, then, were the converted members of the congregations he served. As time passed he began to feel like a father to them, and a genuine love and concern had grown. Paul writes about his heartfelt bond as he addresses the members of the church in Galatia as "my little children" (Galatians 4:19).

Parents (who see the potentials of their children and want only good for them) are reduced to tears by children who reject every good gift that is offered.

Paul had learned the hard way that God's way is the only way and God's promises have no equal or parallel. He had suffered physical loss and abuse in order to preach the word of truth and hope to them. He spent his years instilling the hope for the Kingdom of God and eternal life in all people—Jew and Gentile alike. Paul must have felt that his work was for nothing sometimes.

Genuine Love

Paul explained to the Corinthians that he wrote with many tears that they would know the genuine love he had for them. His intention was not to make them grieve (2 Corinthians 2:1-4), but he was looking for spiritual growth in them and thus was suffering the deepest inner grief and anguish over his inability to come to them and help solve the ongoing problems.

Those who made Paul cry were those whom he loved and for whom he had given up everything. He feared that they might be "castaways" (1 Corinthians 9:27, KJV). He knew that once the blood of Jesus had been shed for a person, that person had to go forward. His or her eternal life would be at stake if he or she failed (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Paul was not able to make decisions for them, and he was not always able to be there. He was forced to stand by and watch how they responded.

We can also read the story of Jesus who wept as He approached Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). He wept because He knew that they had rejected Him, and He could foresee the warfare and devastation that was to come to the city, the pain and suffering that was not necessary.

Those are the reasons the strongest men weep. It is not for themselves, and it is not caused by suffering or weakness. It is for others that these men weep. Paul wept for the sake of those he loved and who loved him. That's who made him cry. UN