This verse is not only the shortest in the Bible, but it is also a profound revelation of the sensitivity of Jesus. Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus. He had been dead four days. People were still mourning his loss. His two sisters professed their belief in the ultimate resurrection of believers but complained that Jesus was not there when they needed him the most. With all the heavy atmosphere of those around him, Jesus began to weep.
Think seriously about those two words, Jesus wept! We are not just talking about a friend who joined with the other mourners. We are not talking about someone who was not present when the friend passed away. Nor are we talking about the financial and social circumstances left for the two sisters to deal with. We are talking about Jesus the God man. He is fully God while at the same time being fully human. This is a profound mystery that none of us may understand. Take this to heart: God wept for a human!
This is the God of all creation.(John 1: 1-5) The one who molded Mars and Venus and Jupiter; the one who put in place the sun that is millions of light years away from Earth is also the one who stood before the grave of a friend and cried. To be honest, this is more than I can take in. What was it about Jesus that caused him to shed tears over one single man. At that moment of his tears was also the moment that Jesus had all power yet on his heart was the loss of a single person.
This is such an intense verse that we must linger on it. We don’t know for what exactly Jesus was crying because shortly he would bring Lazarus back to life. Perhaps it was those nearby who were in the depths of grief. For me, the tears that Jesus shed tell of his intense love and concern for all of humanity. At that moment he aligned himself with anything and everything that was burdensome to the human spirit. His sadness was a reflection from the dark condition that afflicts mankind as a result of sin dating back to the Garden of Eden. It was that sin of Adam that brought death into the world. Ever since those days, the weight of sin has afflicted all of us.
Let us appreciate the unique personality of Jesus. He was intense. He was dedicated. He was connected to every person that ever lived and ever would live. We know that because Jesus wept before the grave of a friend.
Christian Writer 