Jesus wept. Two words that compose the shortest verse in the Bible, found in John 11:35. At face value, this verse is composed of merely two words. But there is so much more to these two words than what meets the eye. Here’s the back story: Jesus’ beloved friend, Lazarus, was sick. Almost immediately, Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus so Jesus could operate in one of the ways He did best, as Healer. However, this time was different than times past. This time, Jesus had to wait until His beloved friend was at a point of no return. This time, God was to be glorified, not before or during, but after the fact … well after the fact. This time, Jesus’ humanity was revealed in a concise way. Yet that’s where curiosity is piqued and brows may furrow with question.
How concise or short and to the point was this moment of humanity for Jesus? I venture to say it was more than a moment of humanity; it was also a moment of emotion. I venture further to say it was more than a moment. While Scripture paints a picture of brevity, I wonder if Jesus was given room to grieve beyond verse 38, before moving into miracle mode.
Without going too far into the time frame Jesus had to weep, let’s look further into why Jesus wept. First of all, this wasn’t just anybody for whom Jesus wept; this was a beloved friend. This was a brother. This was Lazarus. I also believe Jesus was moved to tears by the grief of Mary and those who were with her at the time of her brother’s death (see verse 33). In the earlier verses of John 11, we see Jesus didn’t move expediently to tend to His friend. Could that, too, be a reason for His tears, as He wasn’t readily able to operate from His divine self to save Lazarus?
Within all the above-named possibilities of why Jesus wept, here’s one to ponder: Jesus wept for Himself. Take a moment to think about it. Consider that one of the many reasons Jesus wept includes the fact that no one considered Him or His feelings about what happened with His beloved friend. Mary and Martha scolded Jesus in their own way for not being there when they sent word about Lazarus being sick. They blamed Jesus for His absence that, in their eyes, resulted in their brother’s death (see John 11:21 and 32). How did this make Jesus feel? How did it make Jesus feel to know all eyes were on Him to be the wonder-worker, but that no eyes were on Him to see if He needed to be comforted? What about Jesus?
Everyone wanted Jesus to be the leader. And why shouldn’t they have had such an expectation? After all, how often had they witnessed Jesus in any other capacity? Interestingly enough, no one wanted to acknowledge that Jesus was also human during this time. Sure, the weeping of verse 35 displayed His external humanity and compassion. But what about Jesus? What about how His heart hurt because He had to wait to minister to His friend? What about the burden of blame placed on Him, from Lazarus’ sisters and others who were around? What about Jesus?
As followers of Christ, let us keep in mind the question, what about Jesus. Let us use those three words to reflect on the depth of the two words of John 11:35, not only when in regard to our ministries, but especially as we are mindful of those who are impacted by them. While humanity is not the excuse, it is the reason. It is the valid reason to ask ourselves, what about Jesus?
Rae Karim is pastor at Northwood Christian Church. She can be reached at rae@Indyncc.org.
