Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children

 

 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which 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 in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 

- Luke 23:26-31 

 

 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

 

  Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. My study Bible notes that Simon means "obedience."  It says that this faithful man stands for all who desire to follow Christ and carry the cross He places on them (Luke 9:23; 14:27).  

And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children."  My study Bible comments that weeping is not appropriate for the One who redeems the world through the Cross.  It is suited rather for one's own sins, and for the sufferings of others.  But Jesus is also referring to events to come in Jerusalem.

"For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!' "  The blessing on the barren women is an acknowledgement of the overwhelming pain a mother endures seeing her children suffer (illustrated by the "woe" in Matthew 24:19).  My study Bible cites the words of St. John Chrysostom:  "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"  Jesus' words here seem to continue in the same vein in which He prophesied the destruction to come in Jerusalem, manifest at the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.  See see Luke 21:20-24.

 

 "Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?" My study Bible says that the green wood is Christ, full of virtue and truth.  The dry stands for the Jews, barren of life and of all righteousness.  It asks, if the Romans eagerly destroy the righteous, what horrifying things await the unrighteous?

One hallmark of an evil time seems to be that life reflects qualities we might experience as "upside down."  This is a time when lies are taken for truth, when manipulation and hearsay become "justice."  It's a time when the religious leaders are unjustly prosecuting the One known as a holy Man, and whom His followers call the Messiah, the Christ.  Jesus Himself calls out the upside-down nature of the time here, when He says to the women who mourn for Him, "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!"  For this upside-down time is one characterized by Jesus in His prophesy of the destruction to come as "the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:22).    Jesus says, "Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'"  St. Cyril of Alexandria explains, "In extreme miseries, those less severe misfortunes become, so to speak, desirable" (Commentary on Luke, Homily 152).   What is considered a blessing becomes a curse -- and what is considered a curse becomes a blessing.   St. Cyril also explains Christ's remarks to the women as befitting a time that is "upside-down," for His death is not to be mourned, but celebrated, as He lives -- and He goes to His Crucifixion in order to destroy death itself.  In an upside-down and evil time, evil seems to have the upper hand by all appearances.  But the truth is that the action of God can use even this great evil to God's purpose -- meeting the upside-down action of evil with God's own logic and the power to defy it.  For the greatest blessings will come out of this greatest of evils.  In this way, some Church Fathers have indicated, evil is blind and stupid.  The trickster the devil is tricked into believing that Christ can be destroyed, and thereby we are all given the Resurrection.  And this is the good news of this upside-down time, for with God all things are possible!  If there is a time in life when one looks around, and sees all kinds of things that seem upside-down, when false is true and true is false, consider this scene and find what faith can do.  Perhaps especially at such a time, we have no idea what God may be doing.  Let us quote St. Paul, who draws upon the prophecy of Isaiah that we might understand:  "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  But as it is written:  'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).  Let us consider the power of faith, as Jesus goes to His death.  With the women who mourn we may want to weep, but with the eyes of the Spirit, we might understand a greater truth that evil can't defy.  It's in Luke's Gospel that Jesus declares, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18).  Let us hold fast to His teaching and vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?

 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which 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 in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

- Luke 23:26-31

Yesterday we read that Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  My study bible says that Simon means "obedience."  It notes that this faithful man stands for all those who desire to follow Christ and to carry the cross Christ places on them (9:23; 14:27).

And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."  My study bible remarks that weeping is not appropriate for the One who redeems the world through the Cross.  Rather, it is appropriate for one's own sins, and for the sufferings of others.

"For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'   Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' "  This blessing on the barren women is an acknowledgement of the overwhelming pain of a mother who sees her children suffer (which is illustrated by the "woe" in Matthew 24:19).  Jesus quotes from Hosea 10:8.  John Chrysostom's comment is cited by my study bible here:  "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one who has borne?"

"For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  My study bible tells us that the green wood is Christ, who is full of virtue and truth.  But the dry will be the end result of bad leadership, barren of life and righteousness.   If at this time the Romans eagerly destroy the righteous, my study bible asks, what horrifying things await the unrighteous?

The green wood is wood recently cut, that still retains its moisture. St. Ephrem the Syrian comments on this passage that Christ is the green wood, cut down while it bore much fruit.  But the dry wood is the future of those without virtue, who would reject His spiritual gifts for themselves.  If even one who is found to be without sin is given crucifixion (see yesterday's reading, above, and Pilate's pronouncements), then what is to come in Jerusalem at the time when its siege will result in the burning of the temple and culminate in tremendous destruction and loss of life?  In chapter 3, John the Baptist warned, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:7-9).  The image of the dry wood teaches us about a lack of spiritual fruit, and warns us about our own "dryness" when we are without moisture, keeping in mind that water is an image of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38).  If one such as Jesus, in whom no fault is found, may even be crucified, then what is to come to Jerusalem and the common people at the time of her siege?  Christ predicted quite well the wrath and passion in the midst of fighting, the uncontrolled slaughter and fire that was to come.  The fire that destroyed the temple, according to the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus, was inadvertent and unintended by the military leadership.  But the fury of the fighting meant that destruction of all kinds was extreme, senseless, even in some sense beyond measure.  No wonder Christ teaches the women to weep for themselves and for their children, and alludes to a time when it is the barren who are blessed.  In His love for Jerusalem, let us note, Christ never flags.  He is still trying to warn of things to come, even as He is led to the place of His crucifixion.  He knows where He goes, and weeps not for Himself, but for what is to come to those who will suffer for the blindness and lack of recognition "especially in this your day," of "the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).  Isaiah writes, "The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace" (Isaiah 59:8).  Let us consider our own way, in a time filled with examples of ruthless passion (easily stirred through media), violence uncontrolled, selfishness unchecked by considerations of community, disaster which is possible under all kinds of circumstances -- and in the context of a world filled with weapons far greater and more powerful than those of the Romans.  We live with violence that is closer than we think, from the personal sphere, to our communities, and to that of the wider world.  At such a time, it is the things that make for our peace which become ever more precious.