“Jesus wept.” There was no fancy font or dramatic design – nothing that should have called my attention to this random bumper sticker a few cars over. But those 2 simple words caused me to reflect on the beauty of its message for the rest of the day. A couple of days later, the same verse showed up again in my morning devotional – this time, complete with context. I was certainly familiar with the story of Lazarus, but what struck me during this particular reading was not so much the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. What stayed with me was the humanity being demonstrated in those words: Jesus wept. While fully God, Jesus was also fully human – so though the spiritual source was divine, the physical reaction was distinctly human. I marveled at how The Creator of the universe would care enough for the brokenness of humanity, not only to take on physical form through the expression of His Son, Jesus, but that Jesus could have such raw compassion for a creation that would eventually crucify Him. 

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I then began to think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how the Gospels say He agonized to the point of death – so much so that He sweat blood. And while the Gospels do not explicitly state that Jesus wept in the garden, I cannot imagine such profound agony would be without weeping. It feels insensitive to brush past this period of anguish without attempting to consider the intense suffering Jesus experienced. (Even if I did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, such suffering upon anyone would prompt immense compassion.) But because I do believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophesied Messiah, my reflection did not conclude at Jesus’ suffering. It progressed to Jesus’ victory over death through His Resurrection. 

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This is the heart behind the statement, Jesus wept. Jesus won. A love so deep that it would reject the place of glory for the place of sacrifice to ransom all of humanity. And a love so powerful that it would transcend every human concept of what was possible to lay foundation upon the hope that would otherwise be, by our physical limitation, impossible. It is the bridge between hope and faith, humanity and heaven, old covenant and new. 

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The JWLabel, inspired by this statement, was the first collection I designed. It also served as the starting point for JWL Christian Apparel & Accessories - a brand centered around Jesus, influenced by worship, and shaped for life. ​