The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 11:32-36, “Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34 and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews were saying, ‘See how He loved him!’”

“Stop crying,” a mother says to her child. “You’ll have your eyes all read and people will know that you’ve been crying.” I have to wonder if the mothers who say things like that to their children know that “weeping,” and its complimentary words are mentioned 184 times in the Bible. In fact, the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

Mary and her sister, Martha, were also weeping. Their brother, Lazarus, had died, and those who knew the family were weeping in sorrow over his death.

Mothers often say to their small sons, “Big boys don’t cry.” But, they do! Jesus Himself was less than 33 years old when He wept at the grave of Lazarus. But, why did He weep? Those that were present said, “See how He loved him.” Yet, Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead when days before He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep” (John 11:11).

Perhaps we believers would do well to weep more than we do. Knowing people who are lost and headed to Hell should cause us to weep. How long has it been since you truly wept over someone’s lost soul? We can cut those mothers some slack for what they say to their small sons; yet, we must never neglect to cry over
the souls of those who are lost. Regardless of age, earnest believers do cry!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom