Ecclesiastes 3:4
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
(35) Jesus wept.
DLG... As a child, I memorized this verse because it is a short and simple.
Acts 8:8
(8) And there was great joy in that city.
DLG... All children should know this passage.
Here is the background to both verses.
"Jesus wept," because He was disturbed that His friends did not understand that He had power over death. He had just been told that His friend Lazarus had died and Mary complained that her brother would not have died if Christ had come earlier. The Greek words in this passage actually indicate that Jesus was greatly bothered by her lack of faith, as well as His disdain for death. Then, as Jesus was holding back a torrent of emotion (tears at the death of his friend, and distress at the disbelief of others), He raised Lazarus from the dead. Wow, we see Jesus as a sensitive and caring man, and as the Almighty God, with the power to raise the dead.
"And there was great joy in that city," because "...the people with one accord gave heed (kept on giving heed) to those things which Philip had spoken to them..." resulting in the miraculous work of God in the community.
God help the people in my community to corporately turn from disbelieving and doubting Jesus to believe the preaching of your ministers, so that they might find great joy.
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