John 11:35 - Printer Friendly

John 11:35 is infamously referred to as the "shortest verse in the Bible." It's worth mentioning that chapter and verse divisions were not part of the original Scriptures. John, who wrote this gospel, did not intend these two words—three in Greek—as a distinct statement. Despite being short, this phrase describes something incredible about the nature of God and the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has arrived a few days after the death of a good friend, Lazarus (John 11:17). Lazarus' sisters are in mourning, as are other friends and neighbors (John 11:18–19). Jesus has come here with the intention of raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:11–15). That fact, alone, gives this verse a context which boggles the mind. Christ is here to restore the dead man, but He still feels compassion for the mourners (John 11:33). That feeling is strong enough to produce tears.

Ancient deities were often stoic: they didn't express emotions. Those who did weren't the slightest bit concerned about human happiness. They saw humans as tools, toys, or slaves. Judaism, alone, presented a God who invested real love and compassion into His creations. The fact that Jesus—who is God incarnate (John 1:1–4)—experiences human sorrow, at all, is reason enough to be amazed. This moment speaks to His humanity, and His ability to sympathize with our pain and suffering (Hebrews 4:15–16).

The fact that Jesus weeps in this situation brings context to human pain and suffering. When bad things happen, we often ask, "does God even care?" This simple statement, "Jesus wept," proves that He does. Even when Jesus knew He was about to make right what was wrong, He still "felt" the pain of the people He was there to serve. Responding to tragedy, we sometimes ask, "If God really cared, why not stop this happening in the first place?" The Bible tells us even our hardest moments have a purpose in God's will (Romans 8:28). At the same time, Scripture tells us God truly, deeply understands the pain we feel while we wait for that plan to be completed (2 Corinthians 5:1–5; Isaiah 53:3).

Jesus is about to resurrect His good friend, bringing Lazarus back to his sisters and family. In the meantime, He weeps, sharing their pain and their sorrow. This response is described using a Greek term implying quiet tears, in contrast to the "wailing" described from the other mourners.

John 11:28–37 contains the meeting between Lazarus' sister, Mary, and Jesus. Lazarus had died even before word reached Jesus that he was sick. Even so, Jesus waited until four days had passed to arrive in Bethany. Mary repeats her sister Martha's lament that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying in the first place. The crowd—probably including mourners and hostile observers loyal to local religious leaders—say the same thing. Heading to the tomb, Jesus weeps: expressing sorrow for the pain of others, despite knowing that His visit here will end in Lazarus' resurrection.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.