Jesus asks to be taken to the grave of His friend. He is deeply moved: He "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" (John 11:33), which Barnes explains as strong agitation of mind, "not from anger, but from grief." Barnes says that in asking, "Jesus spoke as a man." Gill agrees: "This he might say as man, though he, as the omniscient God, knew where he was laid." Matthew Henry adds a practical reason: He asked "lest, if he had gone straight to it of his own knowledge, the unbelieving Jews should have thence taken occasion to suspect a collusion" between Him and Lazarus.

"They said unto him, Lord, come and see" (John 11:34). Then comes the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). The Jews said, "Behold how he loved him!" while some questioned why He had not kept Lazarus from dying (John 11:36-37). Jesus, "again groaning in himself," came to the grave, a cave with a stone upon it (John 11:38), and there He called Lazarus out of death (John 11:43-44).

Lazarus was buried in a cave closed with a stone (John 11:38). Many Jews from nearby Jerusalem had come to comfort the sisters (John 11:18-19). When Mary rose suddenly, they followed, thinking, "She goeth unto the grave to weep there" (John 11:31). So a crowd of mourners led Jesus to the tomb.

Lazarus had been dead four days (John 11:17, 39). Barnes notes that this length of time rules out any thought that he had only seemed to be dead.

The same Jesus who said, "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25), asks for directions to a grave and weeps on the way. He knew what He was about to do, yet He did not hurry past the sorrow of His friends. Barnes calls "Jesus wept" "exceedingly important and tender."

This question shows God's heart toward grieving people. Jesus did not stand at a distance from death; He asked to be brought to it. The text has already told us why: "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" (John 11:5). Even onlookers could see it: "Behold how he loved him!" (John 11:36).