Wednesday 24 October 2012

Jesus wept


Jesus wept - John 11.35

This, of course, is the shortest verse in the English Bible. I realise that verse and chapter divisions are arbitrary and man-made, but I like the fact that one verse is dedicated to this little tiny phrase.

The words are ‘Jesus wept.’

Now there is a lot of debate about why Jesus wept. Did He weep because it took so much teaching for Martha to understand what was going on? Did He weep because there was so much sorrow? Or did He weep at the loss of a friend?

I don’t really know. It is enough for me that Jesus did indeed weep. It is enough that Jesus shed tears, not only here but in a couple of other places.

‘Jesus wept.’

I grew up in a time when sayings like ‘real men don’t cry’ and ‘crying is for sissies’ we common even in Christian circles. Dads didn’t want their sons to be ‘cry-babies.’ Crying was for the weak.

I don’t know how all those Christian men said that and missed this.

‘Jesus wept.’

Crying is for sissies? Real men don’t cry?

Oh yeah? 

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