John chapter 11 contains the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept." But those two words are filled with significance and paint a vivid portrait of our Savior. He had just received news that His dear friend, Lazarus, had died. But this was not something that took Him by surprise. From the moment Mary and Martha had sent word for Jesus to come and heal their brother, He had chosen to delay his arrival for two days. In other words, He purposefully put off his trip for 48 hours, knowing full well that Lazarus was going to die. But his death would not last. That's why Jesus told the disciples that "this illness does not lead to death." And yet, when they arrived on the scene, Lazarus was dead, and had been for three days. In fact, he was already buried. But Jesus had told the disciples one other thing. He had told them that this illness was "for the glory of God." And they were about to discover exactly what Jesus meant. He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. So, why did Jesus cry when He walked up to the tomb that day? If He knew that He was going to restore life to Lazarus' body, what was He crying about? I think the answer is simple. He saw the sadness in the eyes of Martha and Mary. He saw the devastating damage that had occurred as a result of the fall of man. Death reigned. It was everywhere. It touched everything and everyone. And it would soon touch Jesus Himself. But God can even use death to bring Himself glory. And Jesus would glorify the Father through His own death.
