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296. Jesus, To the Crowd

Luke 23:27-31
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!


Hymn: "Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow" 

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