“Jesus wept.” John 11:35

Much has been written about this, the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus wept at hearing the news that his friend Lazarus had died. I’ve often thought, why did Jesus weep? After all, Jesus knew that He was going to see his friend again, and indeed just a few short verses later Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. So,

Why Did Jesus Weep?

Shouldn’t Jesus be rejoicing at the miracle about to come forth? Perhaps one reason Jesus wept was that He knew the reaction some in the crowd would have when Lazarus walked out of that tomb. This was about to be more than sight or hearing restored. This was life restored. He knew the leaders simply could not tolerate a dead man coming back to life, for too many would truly believe Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus knew this miracle would begin his final journey to the cross. Jesus weeps when we decide to ignore who He is, for He knows that literally all we have to do is choose faith and we walk can out of our tomb and truly come to life!