John 11:35 is one of the shortest verses in the Bible, yet it carries profound weight: “Jesus wept.” For years, I’ve found this verse fascinating—not because of its brevity, but because of its deep emotional resonance. Have you ever been so overwhelmed with emotion that words fail you? I know I have.

There’s something unique about weeping. It goes beyond crying; it’s a raw and deep form of expression. In this moment, Jesus’ tears speak volumes—not just about his humanity but his love. The only recorded instance of Jesus weeping is at the sight of his dear friend Lazarus’ lifeless body. His grief was so visible, so profound, that the onlookers said, “See how he loved him.“

I often wonder what it would have meant if Jesus hadn’t wept. Would he have felt distant? Detached? Somehow “less human”? That moment of vulnerability—of mourning a loss he would soon reverse—reminds us that Jesus truly empathizes with us in our grief. It wasn’t just an act; it was an emotional response to the death of someone he loved.

This verse has taken on an even deeper meaning for me in recent times. A little over a year ago, my beloved father passed away suddenly. For the first time in my life, I encountered a grief so deep it left me speechless. In the weeks and months that followed, I found myself drawn back to that verse: “Jesus wept.“ It wasn’t just a verse anymore—it was a source of comfort, a reminder that my sorrow wasn’t unseen, that Jesus understood what it meant to lose someone dear.

In my grief, I also found solace in another promise Jesus made to his disciples. Before leaving this world, knowing the pain his absence would bring, he told them, “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you“ (John 14:18). He prepared them for the inevitable sorrow, likening it to a woman in labour—painful in the moment but birthing something beautiful. And in his love, he promised the Holy Spirit to comfort them in his absence.

Leaning on the Holy Spirit during my own season of loss brought a kind of peace I didn’t think was possible. I learned to cry when I needed to—without shame or reservation—because if Jesus could weep, so could I.

This experience also taught me something else. I gained a deeper awareness of how much more I could have supported friends who had experienced loss before me. Grief is a language we only truly understand when we’ve spoken it ourselves.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s the importance of allowing yourselves to feel, mourn when you need to, and lean on the divine comfort that is always available to you.

Grief is heavy, but it’s also holy. In those moments when words fail us, we can rest in the assurance that we are seen, understood, and deeply loved—even in our tears.

Categories: My Christian Beliefs, Uncategorized

Tags: biblical-reflections-on-grief, Christian, christian-comfort-in-loss, Christianity, dealing-with-loss, empathy, Faith, grief, jesus-wept, lessons-from-john-1135