Luke 23:26-31 — Read it and Weep

READ THIS: Luke 23:26-31

26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”  

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

These verses really show us the pain and sorrow that Jesus and others felt throughout His suffering and crucifixion. Jesus, being so beaten down from the beatings He previously faced, struggled to hold the cross alone. As the Romans grabbed a man named Simon (not the disciple) to help him, the women around Jesus began to weep as they saw how badly He was suffering… but Jesus doesn’t tell them to weep for Him at all. Instead, He tells them to mourn for themselves and others around them, including their children. He says people would rather want the mountains to fall on them than suffer the way they will. What is all that about? There’s two big ways to interpret this, so let’s unpack it!

The first is that Jesus was warning future believers in God of the suffering that would be coming their way. Jesus was the first of many Christians to ultimately suffer and die for the faith, and Jesus could be warning these people to prepare for what was coming. The other way to interpret it is that Jesus was basically saying “don’t mourn for me… mourn for those who don’t know me.” These words could be a warning for those who don’t believe in Jesus and the judgement that will come their way. Jesus understood that even though He would be suffering a great deal on our behalf, real suffering would be for those who aren’t close to Him!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Why is it important that we hurt and/or mourn for people who don’t know Jesus?
 
2. What sounds harder to you: physical suffering, or being separated from God? Why?

TRY THIS:

Check out Revelation 21:4 for a picture of what our world will look like when suffering and mourning are gone forever!


4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

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