Perhaps you’ve noticed under the Basic Beliefs tab, as many others have, that one of our foundational beliefs is found in John 11:35. Many readers of this blog have asked why we would consider this two-word verse to be foundational.
The verse is John 11:35 — Jesus wept.
Wow! That verse excites me! To know that our God, in human form, had the capacity and caring to weep tells us so much about the God of the Universe! That Jesus loved His friend, Lazarus, with such depth that He wept over him tells us about His caring for our world and each of us.
I have often pondered this — How much love did it take for Jesus to not intervene in saving the life of His earthly father Joseph? The facts are this: Joseph was alive when Jesus was twelve years old teaching in the temple. When Jesus began his ministry at age thirty, Joseph was no longer in the picture. Whatever happened to Joseph, either disease or accident or whatever, Jesus had to stand by and let that happen according to God’s plan. No doubt Jesus loved His earthly father Joseph just as he loves each of us, without limit. What a heavy burden to carry, knowing you are God and having to watch somebody you love die.
The very fact that Jesus wept should excite you. Our God is not a distant and uncaring God who rules without compassion, but rather a God that is so connected to and with us that when something happens in our lives, He weeps.
Wow! That is ChristAmazing!
