Jesus Wept

As children we learn many things, some by purposeful teaching and some by accident. Two things that I learned stand in stark contrast to each other: the shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept,” and if you want to be a good girl and please Jesus you will always be happy.

Now about that last statement, no one actually comes out and says it, but Christian children’s songs are filled with such messages. From a song about a clock face to a song about letting the sunshine in, the meaning is clear: good children are always happy.

One of the ironic things about this, is when I look at scripture, there are absolutely no references to Jesus smiling or laughing. Does that mean he didn’t? No, in fact one of my favorite songs about Jesus is about him laughing. But the fact that Jesus experienced great sorrow is a truth I believe we can all learn from.

The shortest verse in the Bible teaches us a lot about Jesus, and a lot about emotion. The first thing it teaches us is that Jesus cared about people. Jesus was crying because his friend Lazarus had died, and because Lazarus’ sisters and other friends were grieving. Think about it. Jesus is God. He could have completely risen above human emotion. After all, he knew that Lazarus was going to be raised from the dead. But he chose to partake of the pain of human sorrow. Just knowing that Jesus did that, that he cared enough to cry, can make our own sorrow more bearable.

Hebrews 12:2 gives us more insight on the sorrow of Jesus and how he dealt with it: “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus experienced sorrow. Lots of it. But he also experienced joy, the joy of setting us free from sin and being united with us forever.

No, the Christian life is not all about being happy. But through Jesus, we can have joy, which will help us deal with the sorrow.

Dear Jesus, Thank you. Thank you that you wept. And that you still weep with your children who are hurting. Help us to keep our eyes on you and trust you in the less than happy times.

Throughout this Day: Ask yourself what some of the difficult things you are facing today are. How does knowing that Jesus wept help you face them with him instead of alone? To further understand this scripture, here is a devotional by Crosswalk: https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-daily-bible-verse/jesus-wept-but-do-you-know-why-bible-study-minute-september-14-2017.html