Jesus receives word from Mary and Martha that their brother, Lazarus, has become ill. In a verse that doesn’t always get noticed, John simply writes, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (v. 5). Even so, Jesus doesn’t go to their house immediately. By the time he does arrive, Lazarus has died. Both Mary and Martha say the same thing to Jesus: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Upon hearing this, we’re told that Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” This leads to the shortest – and one of the most powerful - verses in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” (v. 35). Even though Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, he is still moved emotionally by the sisters’ pain. The same is still true today in our own lives.
Passage: John 11:1-44