The Shortest Verse in the Bible
by Matt Moore
Perhaps, like me, you were taught that the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, which says, `Jesus wept`. That may be true in our English Bible, but in the original Greek, the shortest verse is our text today. John 11:35 is three words and 16 letters while I Thessalonians 5:16 is two seven-letter words. Seven often represents perfection.
How interesting that the two shortest verses in Scripture seemingly represent opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. In fact, weeping and rejoicing may, to some of us, seem like a contradiction. Doesn’t weeping, as Jesus expressed His emotions over the death of his friend Lazarus, preclude rejoicing? Apparently not.
If Jesus was perfect and He was the perfect representation of Father God, and if the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, says that rejoicing always and giving thanks in everything is the will of God, then we must be able to weep and be sad without violating God’s admonition to 'rejoice always.' Perhaps we struggle with this because we equate rejoicing with being happy. But happiness is based on happenings around us – our circumstances. We can feel unhappy and, indeed, even sad, but still rejoice. Rejoicing has to do with a heart attitude. It is a form of peace that comes from hope because we know how the story ends.
Are you sad today? Do you feel unhappy? It’s ok to feel these emotions and express them to God. But you can still rejoice by remembering the hope you have in Jesus. This is how Jesus Himself made it through pain and difficulty in His life, and it is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to look `unto Jesus, the author and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God` (Hebrews 12:2, KJV).
Do you feel overwhelmed? Is the weight of the world, or the sadness you are feeling, too heavy to bear? Look to Jesus. He wept for the losses He experienced and sweat drops of blood in anticipation of the suffering of the cross, and yet He rejoiced in the calling, purpose, and ultimate goal of what He was enduring.
Matt Moore Matt is the National Director of Ellel Ministries USA where he serves with His wife Becky and their two daughters. Matt grew up in Indonesia. He was a corporate litigation attorney for 10 years and a pastor for 8 years before he joined the Ellel USA team in 2014.
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