11/7/2023 0 Comments Jesus wept for lazarus verseFriends and family and mourners crowded the house and the graveyard sobbing silently or ululating brassily. So, if he knew that he had the power to restore Lazarus to life and health, what was the crying for? We are told this was not just a dab the eyes moment, he is described as “greatly disturbed.” Why not cut everyone’s suffering short and just get on with the miracle? ![]() But the writer tells us that Jesus knew before he went that his friend had died, and that he would bring him back to life. So far, so good as our understanding goes tears are a normal reaction to the death of a friend. After talking with Lazarus’ family, Jesus went out with everyone to the cemetery, and it was then that the writer records that he wept. But Jesus waited around for a couple of days before going, and by then, Lazarus had died of his illness. ![]() The story, as the writer of the Gospel according to John tells it, is that someone reported to Jesus that his friend Lazarus was ill, expecting, since Jesus had been performing miraculous acts throughout the area, that he would come and heal his friend. Inevitably some middle-schooler would jump up and recite from the King James version, “John 11:35, ‘Jesus wept.’” It was a running joke because that is the shortest verse in the Bible, but I think the joke may be on us because we often ignore its significance. ![]() In the church where I grew up, especially during Sunday evening services, the pastor would often ask for people to stand up and recite their favorite Bible verse.
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