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===Context===The Greek verb used is [[εδακρυσεν]] (edakrusen) which signifies the deep sorrow in spirit and silent shedding of tears. The word occurs only once in the [[New Testament]].
The phrase occurs in [[Gospel of John|John's]] narrative of the death of [[Lazarus]], a friend of [[Jesus]]. Lazarus' sisters [[Mary (sister of Lazarus)|Mary]] and [[Martha (sister of Lazarus)|Martha]] sent word to Jesus of their brother's illness. Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus' death. Jesus, after talking to the greiving sisters and seeing Lazarus' friends weeping, was deeply troubled. After being shown where Lazarus was laid, '''Jesus wept''' in front of Lazarus' tomb. He then ordered the people to remove the stone covering his tomb, prayed aloud to God (for the benefit of the people), and ordered Lazarus to come out. === Context ===
== Commentary ==
This is the shortest verse in the [[Bible]]. Jesus' friend Lazarus has had just died. The Greek verb [[edakrusen]] (to weep) signifying the silent shedding of tears and occurs only once in Jesus had arrived at the [[New Testament]]tomb.
The phrase occurs in [[Gospel of John|John's]] narrative of the death of [[Lazarus]], a friend of [[Jesus]]. Lazarus' sisters [[Mary (sister of Lazarus)|Mary]] and [[Martha (sister of Lazarus)|Martha]] sent word to Jesus of their brother's illness. Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus' death. Jesus, after talking to the grieving sisters and seeing Lazarus' friends weeping, was deeply troubled. After being shown where Lazarus was laid, '''Jesus wept''' in front of Lazarus' tomb. He then ordered the people to remove the stone covering the tomb, prayed aloud to God (for the benefit of the people), and ordered Lazarus to come out. ===Interpretation===
Significance has been attributed to this phrase for a number of reasons.
Weeping demonstrates that the Christ was indeed true man, with real bodily functions (such as tears, sweat, blood, eating and drinking. His emotions and reactions were real; the Christ was not an illusion or spirit. [[Pope Leo I]] referred to this passage when he discussed the two natures of Jesus: "In his humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus; in his divinity he raised him from the dead."
Some interpret his weeping to mean that Jesus was sorrowful for the fact that Lazarus had died (which was the interpretation of the bystanders in [[Bible:John 11:35|verse 36]]). A common view is that that Jesus may have wept because he understood and knew the pain and suffering that death brings. An alternate explanation considers that Jesus wept in anger. This view instead argues that because every single person whom Jesus talked to (his disciples, Martha, Mary, and the Jews) was blinded by their misconceptions of Jesus and by their failure to recognize that, as he declared in [[John 11:26|verse 26]], he was "the resurrection and the life". Thus, "he groaned in the spirit and was troubled" ([[John 11:33]]). This view holds that he wept because even those who were closest to him were still blinded by their concepts to the fact that he really was "the resurrection and the life".
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==Quotes==
[[Pope Leo I]]
: ''In his humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus; in his divinity he raised him from the dead.''
==Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_wept Wikipedia - Jesus wept]
* [http://bible.cc/john/11-35.htm Biblos - John 11:35]
{{returnto}} [[Christianity]] -> [[Bible]] -> [[John]] -> [[John 11]]
[[Category:Commentary]]