I was reading John 11 tonight and doing a little cross referencing. I know I had heard it before, but it struck me tonight that Mary was the same Mary who wept at Jesus feet, perfumed him, and dried it with her hair. This is the Mary who sat at Jesus' feet and listened while Martha toiled away. This is the Mary who was a woman of the night.

When Lazarus died and they heard that Jesus was coming, Martha went and approached him immediately. Mary, however, did not. I picture Martha being the homemaker, the responsible one, the one who never made a mistake. Then, there was Mary. She didn't follow the rules. She gave herself to multiple men. She didn't jump up and help Martha "Stewart" even though Martha was rather frustrated with her.

She had found the Son of God. A man she could trust. A man who only had her best interest in mind. A man who wouldn't play with her heart, use her, or treat her as a mere piece of dirt. She had found the Savior.

But then her brother died. He wasn't there. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. She trusted, most likely against her better judgement, and even God wasn't there when she needed him. She falls at Jesus' feet and hurls this accusation at him: "if you had been here!" I can just picture her falling apart. I have felt that same hurt before.

Jesus wept.

So many sermans I've heard the pastor pegs this line as Jesus being sad he lost his best bud Lazarus and seeing this emotional women reminded him of that and caused a little tear. I don't picture it this way. Jesus had already told his disciples and Martha he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He had know real reason to mourn the loss of Lazarus. I believed he wept over Mary's broken heart.

I believe God has a special place for a woman's mourning heart. The world can be so cruel to them. They can be broken over and over again, leaving us not trusting anyone...even our Lord. Yet, Jesus wept over this. When Hannah wept over her empty arms the Lord heard her and showed compassion over her. There are so many places in the Bible where the Lord softens to our broken hearts: I think he even weeps over them.