He Wept, Though He Knew
"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”"
— John 11:33-36
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, which is why so many people had come out to the sisters. The dead were buried there the same day, and for seven days afterward the house stayed open to visitors. Lazarus had been in the tomb four days when Jesus arrived. Both sisters said the same sentence to him: if you had been here, our brother would not have died. The Greek verb behind deeply moved is much stronger than the English and could describe a horse snorting, so it points to agitation, even indignation, rather than gentle feeling. The word for weeping changes too: the crowd and Mary wail aloud, while the verb used of Jesus means quiet tears. A few lines later he has the stone rolled away and calls Lazarus out. So he knew what was about to happen, and he wept first. The God who has power over death does not skip past your grief.