As an adult, I have often wondered why my father so often asked that question. I lost my father when I was only 21, so I've never been able to ask him. Maybe there was a reason he liked that bit of trivia. Perhaps the verse was his way of remembering Jesus was human, like us. Or maybe it was his way of telling me that Jesus understood the pain of losing a loved one…and that it's okay to cry. Maybe still, that verse had told him, it was okay to cry in a time of grief. I just don't know. I never asked. But what I do know is that we all weep, we all grieve, and that our Lord experienced the same depths of sorrow and sadness that we do, so He is able to not only comfort us in our trials and tribulations but also to understand our pain.
Jesus loved His friend and He wept over sin and death.
In Luke 19:41, we are told that Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
God had given Adam and Eve a perfect Garden and perfect communion with Him. When they sinned they lost everything. But God in His mercy and grace began preparing a way to rescue mankind. He raised up a people and gave them a land that would be their own. In that Promised Land was God's city, Jerusalem, the city of peace.
God first gave His people a garden and next He gave them a city—a place to dwell, a city on a hill, shining as a light in the land of Israel. And yet, in their disobedience, they failed to keep it holy and set apart for God's plan and purpose. In Luke 19:41 Jesus looked out upon God's city, and, just as in times past, Jerusalem was now a city controlled by a pagan world power.
Jesus loved Jerusalem and He wept over the city.
Perhaps these were "tears" from the essence of His being. And with such intense anguish, it's likely these "tears" were accompanied by tears flowing from His eyes.
Jesus loved His friend, Lazarus, and wept at his death.
Jesus loved His city, Jerusalem, and wept at the thought of its demise.
Jesus hated sin and wept knowing the high price He would pay to redeem mankind.
It was the love of the Father for His creation that sent Jesus to live among us and die for us (John 3:16-17). It is the love of the Father for us that we are made alive in Christ through His life, death and resurrection (1 Cor 15:20-22).
We are the ones who should have hung on that cross. Jesus was the only One who could take upon Himself our sin and pay the penalty for it and secure forgiveness and eternal life for us. He lived the life we could not live, and He died the death that we should die. And in His life, Jesus experienced all the pain and suffering that we know. Therefore, when we weep, we can find refuge in Him, strength in Him, and we can know that He is our very present help in all our troubles (Psalm 46:1).
You who pass [in death], come to him, for He remains.
As I think about my father at this time of year, I wish I could have known him longer and spent more time with him during my adult years. It would have been fun to share with him a bit of trivia of my own. I know he would have enjoyed it, but since he is not here (he has been in Heaven for many years now), I'll share it with you.
Is John 11:35 the Shortest Verse?
John 11:35, "Jesus wept," is most certainly the shortest verse in the English translation of the Bible! However, technically, it is not the shortest verse in the Bible. In the original language of Greek, the shortest verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16, which is translated: Rejoice evermore (same number of words, but more letters than John 11:35).
Let's link those two short verses together. When we weep over the things that Jesus wept over—sin and death—we can remember that Jesus conquered both. Then we can Rejoice evermore.
What Does the Bible Teach About Speaking in Tongues?
Is a New Year's Eve party biblical? What about the alcohol?
Is the Great Commission in the Book of Luke?
Is My TATTOO a Sin???
Is "Going to Hell in a Handbasket" from the Bible?