And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:34-37)
“Jesus wept”, in itself, is the shortest verse in the entirety of the Bible. It is two words, which in a sense, have never been said prior to this moment. Two words that may change the way one views Jesus, and how Jesus can relate to humankind. In itself, the verse “Jesus wept” can be emotional and moving. These two words can provide encouragement for one to feel closer to Jesus. These two words can allow one to feel as …show more content…
More likely is that this explanation undermines the extent and expanse of this passage. Perhaps, these two words mean more than we have ever given credit and in conjunction with the verses surrounding it, may give rise to a very different interpretation of the text. As introduced, this paper will address the whole of John 11:34-37, not only the two-word verse, and by doing so will give a different and enlightened view of this passage written in John. Through this exegesis of the text, this paper will look at a background to the text as a whole including when and where it occurred and who wrote it. It will then take a deep look at the literary context of the passage: where the passage falls in the gospel and in the Bible at large, why this passage is where it is, and the meaning of the passage within its ancient literary and social contexts. Specifically, we will look at the major focus of the text and the main message of it. Briefly discussed will be the importance of close literary focus and exegesis and what one can learn from such interpretation. Finally, this paper will address a conclusion regarding the purpose, thesis and contemporary implications of the given …show more content…
This particular passage, as noted previously, is found in The Gospel of John 11:34-37, written by who is believed to be one of Jesus’ most prized disciples, John, the son of Zebedee. As all books of the Bible, the Book of John has been under scrutiny around authorship . For the sake of space and purpose of this paper, we will conclude that The Gospel of John has been written by John, the son of Zebedee and the beloved disciple of Jesus. The Gospel of John is a part of the Johannine literature that is comprised of the Gospel of John, the three letters by John, and the book of