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.
John 11:33-35 (ESV)
THE SHORTEST VERSE IN THE BIBLE
During middle and high school, I attended a summer camp where the entire week revolved around teams earning points. There were several ways your team could climb the leaderboard—winning sports tournaments, recreational games, having the loudest cheers, and memorizing and reciting Scripture. (Scripture memory was worth the most points.)
Knowing how much Scripture memory helped our team, I was the guy who told everyone,
“Just memorize John 11:35. It’s only two words.”
That’s right.
“Jesus wept.”
The shortest verse in the Bible.
Eventually, the camp caught on. They realized how easy that verse was to memorize, so they updated the rules: you couldn’t just recite it—you had to explain why Jesus wept.
That question is powerful:
Why did Jesus cry?
Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He had already said that this illness would not have the final word.
Even though He knew the outcome, Jesus still stopped to cry.
Why?
Because Jesus was moved by the sorrow of the people He loved.
Mary, Martha, the surrounding community—grief was everywhere. And it touched Him deeply.
He didn’t just witness their pain—He shared in it.
This tells us something incredible about our Savior:
Jesus doesn’t just care about fixing our problems—He is present in our pain.
He doesn’t always rush to solve what’s broken. Sometimes, He simply pauses… and sits in the hurt with us.
When you reflect even deeper on this moment, it becomes even more stunning.
The God of the universe—the One who created galaxies, who knows how far the east is from the west, who counts every hair on your head—cried.
That is not what we expect from someone who is all-powerful and all-knowing.
But that is the heart of Christ. He doesn’t stand at a distance.
He steps into our mess.
He is not emotionally detached.
He is deeply moved by what we go through.
If Jesus cried, we can too.
Our culture often rushes us to move on from moments of grief. But Jesus gives us permission to stay in them for a while.
His tears validate our own.
More than that, they remind us that we are never alone in our sorrow.
When you face loss, heartbreak, or hardship, remember this:
Jesus weeps with those who weep.
He stays near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).
And the best part?
This moment isn’t the end of the story.
Jesus’ tears were real—but they weren’t final.
He raised Lazarus.
And one day, He’ll do the same for us.
Because of His resurrection, we look forward to the day when every tear will be wiped away for good. That is the promise of Revelation 21:4—
a promise that will become reality for each of us.
Until that day…
know that you are seen.
You are loved.
And in your sorrow,
you are not alone.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away.”
—Revelation 21:4
Sellers Hickman serves as College & Teaching Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their two daughters. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.
