Good Grief

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"Jesus wept." 

(John 11:35)

I don't think it's any accident that this is the only two-word sentence in the Bible, making it the tome's shortest and therefore securing its spot as a prime piece of Bible trivia that even non-Christians might know. 

I think God wanted this sentence to stand out so that we would take note. He wanted us to know that is was there.


The context of the verse is this:

Jesus was very good friends with two sisters and their brother. While Jesus was in a different town, He received a message from the sisters that their brother was very sick. Jesus declared right away that the sickness would not end in death, but by the time He got to their town, His friend had been dead for four days. 

When the sisters and some of their friends came out to meet Him, they were weeping. Jesus was moved to tears, and He wept with them. 

Then Jesus shocked everyone by going to His friend's tomb and commanding him to come out, and that once-reeking corpse, all wrapped up in burial cloths, stumbled right on out. 


Jesus knew from the beginning that this setback would not be the end of His friend, but He Wept. 

He grieved. He grieved over the loss of His friend and over the sadness it brought to the others, and I am thankful. 

I am thankful that He wept, and I am thankful that the Bible takes note of it.

I am thankful for this because I am grieving. 

Four days ago my mother passed away. 

Sometimes I weep, and I know it will be like this for a while.

I am filled with joy and peace and gratitude at the things I can already see God has done through the 16 months of her sickness, and I'm filled with a hopeful excitement for the things He is doing and will do. 

But I grieve. 

I know there is abundant beauty in these ashes. She is no longer in pain. She was a believer, and I believe her soul will sing eternally. I believe our souls will sing together again someday. 

But I grieve. 

I grieve the earthly things we'll never do together again. I grieve that she won't be there for my daughter's wedding when and if that day comes--it was her dream to see her first grandbaby walk down the aisle. I grieve that my middle kids won't get to snuggle up with her again while watching the Paw Patrol movie--she made them feel so cozy. I grieve that my littlest kid might not remember her at all or have any idea how much she loved him. 

But I am encouraged that I serve a God who wants me to know that it is okay to grieve. 

If those famous two words had been left out of the text, some of us might feel shame for our grief. Or worse, some of us might try to shame others. Perhaps we would insist that the hope of Heaven should be enough to stop grief in its tracks. 

But Jesus knew, and Jesus wept. 

I'm thankful I serve a God who understands. 

I am thankful that joy and grief can coexist and that there is no shame in that. 

I am thankful for laughter through tears and the knowledge that with God, even grief can be good. 











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