“Jesus wept” may be the shortest verse of scripture in the bible. However, the lesson we learn from this simple statement of action by Jesus Christ teaches profound lessons.

Jesus Wept

Jesus was a man, the greatest who ever lived and he wept. He didn’t wipe away a tear. There was no closet in which he hid away his tears. He unashamedly and unabashedly wept.

We expect men today to be stoic and impenetrable.

Those who show emotions such as sadness or who display tears are often labeled as weak, sissy, girly even sick.

Our culture has such unrealistic expectations for our men that rather than cry a tear over the heavy burdens they carry and tremendous pain they feel they turn to drugs, alcohol, high-risk behaviors and suicide.

Rather than encouraging men to embrace and talk about the pain, hardship and struggles of life, instead of seeing them weep, we send the message that we would rather they destroy themselves trying to be “strong.”

Christ knew the heavy burdens men carry, the great responsibility they hold and the difficulty of life. He felt it and he wept.

We want our little boys to grow up to be strong, to help others, to be a hero but we also tell them not to cry and to toughen up.

Jesus was a hero, one who saved more than any other and still he wept. He was not ashamed to cry.

But when it comes to our little boys and our big boys we tell them to get over it, to stop crying. If Jesus wept, certainly our boys should also be allowed to weep. Jesus would not tell him to stop. He would hold them, care for them, even cry with them.

In religious circles we value faith, belief and strength.

It is taught that we should bear our burdens joyfully and endure to the end. We are taught to just believe. Jesus was a believer. He had the greatest faith of all and certainly he endured all things and still he wept.

Women today are expected to do it all, to take on the world and all the while keep a smile on their face. Jesus truly did take on the world. During the atonement he felt every pain of all mankind. Still, when he lost a beloved friend, and saw those he loved in pain and certainly felt that pain himself, he wept.

We have somehow gotten the idea that feeling pain, that struggling and feeling sorrow is a sign of weakness.

Jesus was not weak. He was perhaps the greatest epitome of strength and in that strength, Jesus wept.

While our world today does not value sadness, and pain and tears, Christ certainly did.

The tears of a trying and struggling human being are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. The ability to cry and show sadness is not the result of someone losing it, but of someone who has it all together. There is a sacredness in tears, a purity in struggle and a beauty in recognizing that. It is not Christ who causes fear of feeling ashamed and rejected if we openly struggle and share our sorrows. Quite the opposite, we have even been asked to mourn with those who mourn, to not just share our own tears, but those of others.

The next time tears come slowly or uncontrollably, the next time your heart and soul hurts and you need a release, remember there is a cleansing and sacred power in weeping, for even Jesus wept.

To learn more about how you can avoid judging yourself harshly and embracing the hurt and pain you feel, read “Judge Not–Includes Yourself.”