The shortest verse in the entire Bible is only two words. If you grew up in Awana, you probably got a Bible Buck for knowing this verse. The verse is John 11:35:

 

“Jesus wept.”

 

Short, succinct, straight to the point. But do you know the context around this verse? 

 

John 11 has some of the funniest lines in the entire Bible if you ask me, especially if you think about it in modern-day times. Let me give you a synopsis:

 

Jesus is in a city preaching the gospel with his disciples. Two women (Mary and Martha) send word to him and tell Jesus that their brother Lazarus is super sick and needs some help. Jesus tells them that Lazarus will be fine and then proceeds to stay in the city for two more days. Then something along the lines of the following conversation occurs (translated into modern Maddie translation):

 

Jesus: Alrighty disciples, let’s go see Lazarus.

Disciple 1: Umm… didn’t the people in the city try to kill you?

Jesus: Yep.

(Disciples stare at Jesus, confused)

Jesus: Dudes, Lazarus is asleep and needs us to help him. Get a move on!

Disciple 2: Umm… isn’t sleep good for people who are sick?

Jesus: (smacks forehead) Sleep doesn’t mean sleep, sleep means dead!

All disciples: Ooooh

Disciple 3: That’s not good.

Disciple 4: Ok, yah, let’s go.

 

Jesus travels to the city that Lazarus lived in and learns that Lazarus has been dead for 4 days.

 

Fun factoid of the day: During the time of Jesus, people weren’t declared dead until 3 days after they were thought to be dead just in case they weren’t actually dead. Super fascinating thing to research. Anyways, back to the synopsis.

 

Jesus goes and talks to Martha and Mary, they take Jesus to Lazarus’ tomb and then the shortest verse in the entire Bible occurs.

 

“Jesus wept.”

 

Major moment here people! Jesus knows that Lazarus will rise from the dead. He knows that it will turn out ok for Lazarus. Jesus knows that this isn’t how Lazarus’ life will be concluded. And yet, “Jesus wept.”

 

This passage brings me a lot of peace and hope about grieving. As Christians, we know that in the end, God will have the victory. We know that good will overcome evil through God. We know that God’s plan will come to full fruition. But it’s still okay to grieve. Jesus knew that Lazarus wouldn’t be dead for much longer but He was still sad. We know that this virus won’t last forever, but it’s okay to be grieved for what we have lost in the time being. So for a moment, grieve. Listen to this piece of music and just grieve. When it ends, come back because there’s a followup to grieving. The story doesn’t just end there!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KYR8UBh5Js

 

Now that you have grieved over what you have lost, let’s see what Jesus does next. Jesus commands the people to move the stone covering Lazarus’ grave away. When they do, Jesus does this in John 11:41:

 

“Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”

 

Jesus prayers a prayer of thanks. The original word for “heard” here is akouó, which means to comprehend. God not only hears us, but he understands what we are saying on a deeper, more meaningful level. After thanking God and raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus celebrates with all of the people. While we might not kick the entire virus to the curb, we can still celebrate the goods in life. So what good can you celebrate? A friend? A pet? A random dog you saw on a walk that was really cute? Studies show that giving thanks for the little things genuinely does boost your mood and in a time where every little bit counts, every little thing counts as something to be grateful for. It’s okay to grieve, it is, but don’t forget to celebrate afterward.