Although it was true that it had been a long day, and that the people were spiritually and physically tired, it was not true that they were ready for their God to leave. Very few in the history of the world have been in the physical presence of God, and typically even then for a relatively short period of time. The people in Bountiful understood that they were living through an experience unique in recorded history. They did not want it to end. At the thought of their God leaving, their emotions spilled out, and “they were in tears.”
Christ saw this, understood this, and had compassion for their heartfelt desires.