The Shortest Sentence In The Bible

The shortest sentence in the Bible is also one of the most heartfelt and compassionate sentences in the Bible: Jesus wept (John 11:35).

It is the events surrounding this short sentence that made this moment so magnificent.

In John, Chapter 11, Jesus had just received word that Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was dying.  Jesus went back to Judea, a place where people there had recently tried to stone him.

However, by the time Jesus got back to Judea, Lazarus had passed away and had been in the tomb already for 4 days.

Relatives and friends were mourning deeply. It was how Jesus reacted when He saw their pain that John wrote the shortest sentence in the Bible:

Jesus wept.

What is so striking to me about this two-word sentence is that Jesus had already told them that Lazarus was only “sleeping”, and furthermore Jesus knew that He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead.

So, I wondered, if Jesus knew He was about to bring Lazarus back to life, why was he crying?

I believe Jesus was brought to tears because of the deep compassion and love He has for all of us. He doesn’t want to see us in pain.

If you’ve ever lost a loved one whom you were close to, you know what that pain feels like.

This past weekend marked the fourth anniversary of my mother’s passing away. I was with my mother when she took her last breath. Saying goodbye to someone you love so deeply is so heart wrenching. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over the sadness of her not being in my life, anymore. The picture you see is a picture of me praying one last time, before saying goodbye to my mother.

Likewise, throughout the year, there are so many people that have contacted me and told me me about a parent, a child, or a spouse that they have lost. It’s heartbreaking to hear their stories. 

However, when I read that Jesus wept, it gave me great comfort knowing that God, who sees the pain we all go through when we lose a loved one, has such a deep love and compassion for us. He doesn’t let us suffer alone, but instead has given us The Great Comforter - The Holy Spirit(John 14:26).

I’m also comforted greatly by the second part of the story: Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. God is telling us that He will comfort us in our times of pain, and when the pain of this life is gone, we will have a pain-free life, in eternity, with Him.

Keep the faith…. 

Robert

 

P.S. We are going to be revealing the Official Trailer for A Marriage Made in Heaven on Friday! Go to The Faith Hope and Love Community Facebook page and you will see it there!