02/28/2018 SHORT AND SIGNIFICANT
John 11:35 JESUS wept. [King James Translation]
Summary
This scripture is famous for being the shortest verse in the King James Bible and many other translations*. This scripture occurs in the narrative that describes the death and later resurrection of Lazarus. The events are as follows: JESUS receives a message from Mary and Martha that their brother, Lazarus, is sick. JESUS loved this family but HE does not go to see Lazarus until two days later. When JESUS arrives in Bethany where Lazarus and his two sisters live, Jesus encounters Martha and later meets a weeping Mary, who falls to HIS feet and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus sees her weeping, and the other people who came to console Mary also weeping, the Bible says, JESUS “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” The Bible says, JESUS asked where they had laid Lazarus and was told to “come and see.” Then, JESUS wept.
This short verse illustrates a great number of things and more, including:
- That JESUS was human. HE could feel human emotional pain and wept just as we do.
HE had the same kind of body that we have, with tear ducts, etc. - That JESUS wept for HIS friend’s unbelief and weeps for our unbelief.
- That JESUS understood how death affects us all.
- That JESUS understood that HE too would die.
- That JESUS understood the grip that death had over mankind.
- That JESUS understood that Lazarus was really dead.
- That where HE was being led (i.e. the public burial place), there were a lot of others waiting for release from the grave like Lazarus, but only Lazarus would arise that day.
- That we serve a GOD who weeps for us in our time of need.
- That JESUS loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus, just as HE loves us.
- That GOD is not distant. HE understands us like none other.
- That GOD has compassion for us.
- That weeping may precede resurrection, but resurrection is sure to come.
This scripture is short but significant.
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* Although “JESUS wept” is the shortest verse in many Christian translation bibles, it is not the shortest verse in the original lan-guages. In the NIV, Job 3:2 is the shortest biblical verse. Whereas the KJV reads "And Job spake, and said," the NIV simply has "He said". The shortest verse in the Greek New Testament is Luke 20:30 ("και ο δευτερος", "And the second") with twelve letters, according to the Westcott and Hort text. See, www.wikipedia.com.