Bella Segnere

 Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:35-36 ESV)

“Everything is bigger in Texas!” “Go big or go home!” “The bigger the better!” All of these popular sayings emphasize just how much our world (especially America) values the greater/larger things in life. Larger wealth, greater fame; the list goes on and on. We all need to make the shift to realizing that bigger is not always better, and that shift can start by digging deeper into the Bible’s shortest verse. 

This week’s passage tells us the story of Lazarus’ death, and Jesus raising Lazarus back from the dead. While you may be more familiar with Jesus’ famous words of, “I am the resurrection and the life,” I am going to shift to talking about the Bible’s shortest verse. 

Could it be that the Bible’s shortest verse is one of the most powerful? This teeny tiny verse teaches us a lot about our Lord and Savior. He knows what it is like to suffer pain and loss, all because his emotions are just like ours. He willingly enters into the fullness of who we are as human beings. Jesus does not hurry past our pain; he steers straight into it, because he knows exactly what we are feeling.

In the following verse, John describes to us the reaction of the crowds to Jesus’ weeping: “See how he loved him. Jesus’ tears reveal his perfect heart, his heart that is towards us in all of our sufferings and losses. It is amazing how such a small thing like weeping can show your character. It is not always the big things that show what kind of a person you are; you can bless others, even with tiny actions!

The tiniest verse in the Bible reminds us that Jesus relates to us and that Jesus has the best heart and character that anyone could ever have, all in two words! Big ideas don’t have to come in big packages; they come in small packages, too!

If you get the opportunity in the coming weeks, think about how even a small “hello” can make a big difference in other’s lives. Who knows, maybe our new “shift motto” could be, “The smaller the better!”