One of my favorite verses of the Bible is John 11:35. You are probably wondering why it is a favorite, right. Well, it's easy to memorize because it has just two words: "Jesus wept." Don't laugh too hard. And as a Bible translator, it's a pretty easy verse to translate. In Gumawana it is also just two words: Yeisu itaiya" (I'll let you figure out which word is Jesus and which is "he-cried"). It's one of those verses I translate without thinking too much about it and move on. That is not a good way to translate I have discovered.
Looking at the Greek the verb used here is different from the crying done by Mary and the Jews who had come to mourn with Mary over the loss of her brother Lazarus. What's the difference? There is a big difference and it changes the way you look at the whole story of Lazarus dying and being raised from the dead. When Jesus cried the verb used has the idea of quiet crying, i.e., tears but no sound. Gumawana actually has a verb for indicating crying with real tears, but without any sound. I mention no sound because the verb used in the Greek for Mary and the Jews crying refers to wailing. It would have most likely been quite loud. I have witnessed this kind of thing in the village where we work. Gumawana has a different verb for that as well.
On the Amphletts when someone dies, everyone in the village as well as from the other islands of the Amphletts will come "to cry". They will come to the house and sit underneath it and with the family of the deceased and wail very loudly. This "death wail" can be heard throughout the village. Depending on the deceased it can last for hours. It is the community's way of standing with the family during a very sorrowful time. Also, everyone comes because of the fear of being accused of sorcery. If someone does not wail, others will suspect that person as having done sorcery on the deceased.
From what I have read, the first century was similar to this kind of scenario. It would have been customary for the community to come and wail with the family of the deceased. But in the passage I was translating Jesus knows that he will raise Lazarus from the dead. I highly doubt Jesus was mourning the loss of Lazarus since shortly he will raise him to life. The fact that John describes his crying as a sort of quiet crying indicates that Jesus is crying for another reason. Perhaps the lack of faith he saw in the people who continued to wail as though there was no hope. He greived over their lack of faith. He had told Mary to just believe.
So how do we respond to the circumstances that come our way? I have to ask myself whether I respond like those with no hope or do I see possibilites in Jesus? Tough question, but the answer is even tougher.
From just a little verse with just two words, we learn so much. I need to remember to check things carefully and not assume I know!
