As we continue to journey through the Bible, we see that the Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers exploring many different themes. They show us that prayer is honest and real, expressing the full range of human emotion and reminding us that we can bring everything to God.
We will soon be reflecting on Psalm 22 in our Monday Devotion series, a psalm that reveals a God who understands suffering. As I look ahead to Psalm 22, I am reminded of a game of Pictionary we played at CONNECT late last year. Students were asked to draw different passages from the Bible for their teams to guess – some creative, some hilarious, and some quite challenging. One, however, stood out: the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.”
This sparked a great question from a Year 7 student: “But why did Jesus weep?”
In classic Chaplain style, I returned the question: “Why do you think Jesus wept?” Through conversation and reflection, he realised that Jesus was fully human, experiencing real emotions. Though perfect, He grieved the loss of His dear friend, and so, He wept. This moment comes from the story of Lazarus’ death. Mary and Martha are grieving, surrounded by others in sorrow, Jesus then arrives, and yet knowing He is about to raise Lazarus to life – He still weeps.
These two simple words reveal something profound. Jesus wept because He saw the pain of a broken world. Death, grief, and suffering were never part of God’s original design. At Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus confronts not only the loss of a friend but the reality of a world that is not as it should be. Jesus also wept because He loved, He did not dismiss the grief around Him or rush past it; He stepped into it sharing in their sorrow.
For us, this matters deeply. We follow a Saviour who understands our struggles and draws near in our pain. Whether facing challenges at school, in friendships, or at home, we are not alone.
However, the story doesn’t end there, moments after He weeps, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Grief is real, but it does not have the final word. Where there is sorrow, there is also hope.
Suzanne Warwick
College Chaplain
