When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
And following Him was a large crowd of people, and the women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘ Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.
Understanding And Applying the Text
Earlier the people had shouted with one voice to condemn Christ. Yet we see that there were some who had not forgotten his doctrine and miracles. Even in the middle of this hideous evil, God reserved for Himself a small remnant. The women followed in mourning.
The women mourned the great injustice. But Jesus warns them there is going to be a far greater reason for weeping. God’s judgment hung over them. His death was not the end. It was the beginning, of evils to Jerusalem.
This is the third time in a few days Jesus spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem. The other Gospels describe the horrific beating and humiliation of Jesus. Even so, Jesus was still warning about the coming destruction of Jerusalem.
He tells them of a terrible coming calamity. It was unprecedented. It was to be feared. And it all came true. Josephus records it all for us. The wishing to be crushed by the mountains, and the cursing of their children, were expressive of the lowest despair.
Jesus’ love for us is unstoppable. In the middle of his humiliation and on the way to his crucifixion Christ stop and pities those who cried for him. His love for you is the same today.
