Key Verse: Jesus turned and said to them,
"Daughters Of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for
your children."
Luke 23:28
Five days before, when Jesus rode into
Jerusalem, He Himself had wept for the people. He was burdened because they
didn't recognize Him for who He truly was. They thought that He was coming to
conquer Rome and restore Jerusalem to its former glory. They did not understand
His mission, or who He truly was and that grieved Him. His people had a history
of never understanding His heart, and that grieved Him. The gifts of lands and
kings, the words of prophets and priests, after all that He had already done,
the majority had rejected His way and had to suffer the consequences and as
with any good parent, that had grieved Him.
Now, many in the crowd are weeping, but why?
Are some of them professional mourners who would wail at every death? Are there
loyal followers weeping over the death of a dream and a hope? Surely there are
those in the crowd who truly loved Jesus and knew that what was happening to
Him was the epitome of injustice! Of course, mixed into the din are also those,
who called out, "crucify Him," and their continued jeers are a part
of the whole cacophony of sound and emotion accompanying Him to His death.
Jesus, however, is compelled to issue one more
warning to the people before His death. Once again, they are focused on the
wrong thing. They are moved to express emotion of one kind or another over His
impending death. They should really be grieving for themselves and their own
future. Jesus knows that the future of Jerusalem is not a pleasant one. He will
go to the cross, but He knows that He will rise again in victory. It will not
be the same for the Jews. They will be scattered and abused. Their own children
will die before their eyes and they will not be able to stop it. They are the
ones in real danger, not Him. He knows who He is. He knows what He came to do.
He knows His purpose and mission. The people are lost in the dailiness of life,
but they don't know it. To them, He is just another visionary, another
crucifixion, another dashed hope, and they don't realize how wrong they are.
"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for
Me; weep for yourselves and for your children." Luke 23:28 Wake up and know that your
salvation is near at hand and if you reject this time, it will be your doom for
all eternity!
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