Ninth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
March 17, 2008 
A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time, people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?”
Luke 23: 27-31
There are so many things that can wound us in this life. Tears are common for many of us. And those of us who prefer not to show our emotions outwardly often cry inwardly. If we were to pay full attention to all the pain in this world it would be difficult to live I think. What must God be feeling as He looks upon us all on this earth in all our brokenness?
But our God is a healer of hearts. In Isaiah 61:1-2 there is a prophesy spoken 700 plus years before Christ’s arrival on this earth: ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.’
The days ahead do not guarantee happiness and freedom from mourning, but this we know, in Jesus there is good news and healing for our broken hearts. God Himself stores up our tears in a bottle and records our laments (Ps. 56:8). The women of Jerusalem whose lament greeted Jesus on His walk to the cross would soon be filled with an inexpressible joy because of the compassion of God. Yes, we can have this joy too, in spite of the wounds and tears of life and we can share this joy and compassion with others who are hurting.
“Lord, break out hearts for those who you long to know, who you long to love. Our concerns so easily gravitate to ourselves, while your heart is always reaching to those who are in need. May we be people who others know as people of compassion.”
