Do you know why Jesus wept outside Lazarus' tomb when He planned to raise him?

Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead - This is a drawing of Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus stood outside the tomb (actually a sepulcre) where Lazarus had been lying for four days already. Jesus cried out, "Lazarus, come forth!" Lazarus came out all wrapped in cloths from head to toe, which was the Jewish custom of burial at that time. Jesus told some of the onlookers, "Remove the grave clothes from him."
United States
July 21, 2007 2:59pm CST
Does anyone know why Jesus Christ wept outside His good friend Lazarus' tomb, when all along He planned to raise Lazarus from the dead? The passage about it can be found in John 11.
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3 responses
suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
21 Jul 07
It was because of the unbelief of the Jews that were there to see HIM raise Lazarus, and that even though HE would, that they would not believe HIM. There could also be sympathy for Martha and Mary that they had depended on their brother, but this I doubt, since the family was well off.
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ASL19741978
@ASL19741978 (319)
• United States
21 Jul 07
That is an excellent answer--the unbelief of all the onlookers who He knew would not believe in Him, even when He was going to do an incredible miracle before their very eyes. I don't think it was necessarily in sympathy for Mary and Martha, although they were good friends of Jesus' and I'm sure He did sympathize with them. The only times Scripture talks about Jesus weeping was in this situation, as well as when He was descending into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey, and I believe he wept for the same purpose--the unbelief of the leaders of Israel. There was one other time. I wonder if anyone knows when it was and why?
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carmelanirel
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
24 Jul 07
I believe the other time he wept was went He was looking over Jerusalem and weeping for her. Now this is from memory again, but I believe he said something like, "Oh Jerusalem,Jerusalem, how often I had wanted to gather you like a mother hen gathers her chicks." And I believe it was soon before the triumphant entry into Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Am I correct?
Pose123
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
23 Jul 07
Jesus wept because of the unbelief of the people. They were not getting the real truth of his teachings. They still didn't understand that they could also do what he did. People still don't get it, still don't understant his teaching. If we did there would't be the wars and killings,that we see in the world, we wouuld't have children dieing of hunger, while others have more money than they could spend in a dozen lifetimes. We would know that we are all God's children.
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its-logos-plus-logic
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
22 Jul 07
..it says because everyone was weeping and felt so bad.. and so Jesus wept too.. sorta like we do at movies I suppose, when we know an actor doesn't really die!:)
its-logos-plus-logic
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
23 Jul 07
...I believe too, it is a "weeping in the spirit" - Surely we've all done it sometime before.. over a news story.. or even over a news story that ends happy.. Like a child found alive and well, which was missing.. I for one would weep like a baby.. The verses say "when Jesus saw Mary" (Lazarus' sister) "and the people with her, weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled.." The exact translation from the greek, would say "he groaned in his spirit and troubled himself.." (when he saw Mary and the people weeping in sorrow, that is:)