It was a few weeks before Easter and the Kindergarten class was fidgety and
distracted, looking ahead to Easter baskets filled with chocolate treats and a vacation
from school.  When the teacher announced that that it was time to work on the
memory verse for the week, little groans were uttered and worried looks arrived on
several faces.  An experienced teacher, Miss R. knew that her students weren’t
going to be as attentive as usual, so she reassured them that this was a very short
verse…. just two words, in fact.  â€œTwo very important words,â€� she said, â
€œbut just two.  Can you do it?â€�  Visibly relieved, the little class leaned forward
as one, ready to hear those words.

“This verse is from the Gospel of John,� continued Miss R., “Verse 35 is
just two words—‘Jesus wept.’". In the short pause before she could tell the
class the context of those two words, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the
dead, a hand shot into the air in the back row of the room.  Without waiting to be
called on, little Sarah blurted out “But Miss R., why was He the one cleaning up
and where would Jesus get a broom, anyway?â€�  After a perplexed moment, the
teacher realized that Sarah had heard the verse as “Jesus swept.â€�  Before her
teacher could gather her thoughts for a response to Sarah’s mistake, Sarah
continued, “Well, I sure hope they said thank you when He was done!�

Trying very hard not to laugh, the teacher gently corrected Sarah, and then moved
forward with this very unexpected “teachable momentâ€�.  She asked the class if
they knew any other words that rhymed with “wept� that might apply to
Jesus. With her help, they discovered several and after listing them on the white
board, the class set to work defining how they applied to Jesus.  Here are the results
of their discussion:

Jesus crept – Jesus came to us as a little baby, just like us as we begin our lives.
Jesus swept - Jesus came to save us and he swept away our sins through his death
on the cross.
Jesus kept – Jesus kept us in his heart then and now watches over us forever.
Jesus schlepped – (this one took some explaining – it was a “Grandma wordâ
€�) Jesus “schleppedâ€� our sins to the cross to save us from sin and death and
he carries us now when we are unable to handle life’s problems.
Jesus slept – He came to us as God made man and he grew tired just like us,
needing sleep, but His love for us never sleeps.
Jesus leapt – Jesus leapt into the last days before his crucifixion with great energy,
loving us so much that he moved forward without hesitation, even when he knew
that pain and death loomed ahead.
And finally, Jesus wept – Jesus loved his friends and cared deeply about them and
he was sometimes moved to tears over their sorrows, just as He cares deeply for
each of us today.

Was it improper or inappropriate for little Sarah to ask why Jesus was sweeping?  
Her question was genuine and without flippancy.  She simply could not grasp the
concept of the King of Kings, our Lord and Savior in such a menial role.  We, too,
struggle with Jesus’ humanity and divinity.  We rejoice that God loves us so
much that Jesus was sent to save us from sin, but we are horrified at the agony the
man Jesus endured for us on the cross. The magnitude of the love, compassion and
forgiveness freely given to us, undeserving and sinful people, is beyond our human
understanding.  But even as we struggle with this incomprehensible and glorious
love, let’s remember little Sarah’s final remark and be thankful every day for
God’s greatest gift, Jesus.

©2008 Elizabeth Williams
What Did You Say…?

Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)