The shortest verse in the Bible is...
Jesus wept. (John 11:35 ESV)
Having shed a few tears of my own over the past few weeks, I found this verse intriguing. When God weeps, it is significant and we should take note.
What was Jesus weeping about? We have to look at the context.
Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and he wanted to help them believe, so he planned to raise Lazarus from the dead.
Lazarus had to die first, so Jesus waited two days before going to Bethany. By the time Jesus got to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. His sisters knew he was truly dead.
Everyone was weeping and mourning. Both sisters told Jesus that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died, presumably because they had seen Jesus heal many people. Others also had the same opinion. Some saw his tears and attributed them to his love for Lazarus. Looking at the entire context, however, I think Jesus was on an entirely different plane from these people.
Was Jesus frustrated and perturbed with those he loved? Here's the key text...
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. (John 11:32-41 ESV)
The Greek word translated into "deeply moved" here is ἐνεβριμήσατο, which means:
...to be moved with anger, to admonish sternly; to snort (with the notion of coercion springing out of displeasure, anger, indignation, antagonism), to express indignant displeasure with some one; to charge sternly; to snort like an angry horse; (literally) "snort (roar) with rage," which expresses strong indignation, i.e. deep feeling that is moved to sternly admonish.
It seems to be a very strong word that borders on anger, and the translation seems to underplay it. It is used twice, both times after people had said Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying if he had been there.
The Greek word translated into "greatly troubled" is ἐτάραξεν, which means:
...to stir up, to trouble; to disturb, agitate, stir up, trouble; to put in motion (to agitate back-and-forth, shake to-and-fro); (figuratively) to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease); to "trouble" ("agitate"), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside ("upset").
Again, this word also seems to convey a strong reaction by Jesus to what he was experiencing, and it seems to add to the indignation.
Some translators seem to attribute Jesus' emotions here to bereavement or anger at death, as this footnote from the DLNT demonstrates...
a. John 11:33 The emotion in view must be determined from the context. Some think Jesus shared their bereaved perspective, culminating in the weeping in v 35; others think anger at death is in view. If this intense emotion was expressed, this may be rendered ‘groaned’.
But the full context of the story is Jesus was going to demonstrate the power and glory of God for those he loved by raising someone from the dead, and what he saw was they just didn't get it. Jesus is God, and He is from outside of space, matter, and time. He created those things. His whole mission was to rise from the dead himself to give hope to others that they will do the same. But these people did not understand. How could they? They had not been given the Holy Spirit, and their experience was limited to what Jesus had already shown them.
I think Jesus wept because he was frustrated with those he loved. They did not comprehend what he was doing. I've been there. When those I love don't understand what I believe I understand, I weep, too.
When we attribute Jesus' weeping to bereavement or anger at death without considering the context of what he was doing, we are also missing the point, and we are projecting our carnal, worldly perspectives onto Jesus.
I have been living mostly alone for the past two months, except for occasional interactions with a few people. But I am not lonely. I am probably closer to God right now than I have ever been. With parts of society still in 'lockdown mentality,' I am in a form of prison, similar to the Apostle Paul when he wrote a number of his letters. I am right where God wants me to be -- with Him. That's why I am writing so much. It is part of the way I process things.
One of the things I have been realizing is that separation of spirit from body is not a big deal for God. We see it as a big deal because we cannot see beyond it. When a person's spirit leaves, their body immediately becomes inanimate and quickly decays. That is why we must do something with the body. But where did the spirit go? God knows. It is not a big deal for him. We need to learn to trust him. I need to trust him. I need to have faith, and He gives me that faith.
God is doing great things, and He will continue to do so.
All glory to Him.
UPDATE, November 5, 2023...
I just took this photo. Those are leaves on the patio where she and I spent time together.
Six months ago those leaves were fresh and new. Now they are dead, and will soon decay.
Six months from now, there will be new, fresh leaves on the dogwood tree.
I understand.