WEEP NOT FOR ME
LUKE 23:26-31
Luke
23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian,
coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear
it after Jesus.
Susie: Cyrene was in
Northern Africa and is modern day Tripoli in Libya.
Susan: A colony of
Jews lived in Cyrene, and the Cyrenian Jews even had their own synagogue in
Jerusalem. Simon and his sons had probably been staying in the countryside around
Jerusalem and were walking into the city to celebrate the Passover.
Susie: Simon and sons
came across the procession to the place of crucifixion, and Simon was pressed
into service by the Roman soldiers. We do not know whether Simon intended to witness
the execution or if this just happened to be his route to the city.
Susan: By divine
providence Simon was there when Jesus needed someone to carry the cross beam
usually borne by the prisoner. By this time, Jesus had been beaten, severely
flogged, and deprived of sleep. He was unrecognizable, barely resembling a
human being. He was in no shape to carry the heavy crossbeam.
Susie: Mark’s gospel includes
the fact that Simon had his two sons with him. We do not know the age of these
sons when this incident occurred. Their names must have meant something to
Mark’s readers in the early church. Some commentators believe this is the same
Rufus mentioned by Paul in the book of Romans.
Susan: No matter the
ages of these boys, they probably wished they had not been with their dad that
day. However, witnessing Jesus on the cross may have led to their eventual
salvation!
Susie: Ray Bolz uses
his imagination in the song “Watch the Lamb” but the message behind it is
great. Follow this link to listen:
Mark
15:21 (VOICE) Along the way, they met a man from Cyrene, Simon (the father of
Rufus and Alexander), who was coming in from the fields; and they ordered him
to carry the heavy crossbar of the cross.
Romans
16:13 (CJB) Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a
mother to me too.
Luke
23:27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which
also bewailed and lamented him.
Susie: An execution
always seems to draw a crowd—those who knew the prisoner, those who accused
him, and those who come out of morbid curiosity. There was a large crowd
following Jesus and the other two men who were to be crucified that day.
Susan: No doubt, some
of the women in the crowd were devoted followers of Jesus and, of course, His
mother. Others may have been professional mourners or as we read in numerous
commentaries, women who made it their personal mission to try to ease the
suffering of those subjected to this cruel death by offering them narcotics.
Luke
23:28-30 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for
me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are
coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that
never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to
the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
Susie: Jesus, in His
compassion, tells the weeping women they should not weep for Him but for
themselves and their children. If we read this in light of Luke 21:20-24 where
Jesus prophesied about the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., we know why He gave
this warning.
Luke
21:20-24 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that
the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the
mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not
them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto
them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there
shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall
fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations:
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luke
23:31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the
dry?
Susan: When we first
read this verse our minds said, “Huh?” Therefore, we looked up the point of
view of several commentators. Our two favorite responses are quoted below. In
summary, Jesus is represented by the green tree—innocent, full of life, and
bearing fruit (For, eve in His dying He produced the fruit of believers who
would become the adopted sons and daughters of God.) The dead tree represents
the Jews in Jerusalem who refused to believe He was the Messiah, and all who
never trust in Him—guilty, cut off from life, and fruitless.
The
MacArthur Study Bible
23:31 green wood…dry. This was probably a common
proverb. Jesus’ meaning seems to be this: If the Romans would perpetrate such
atrocities on Jesus (the “green wood”—young, strong, and a source of life),
what would they do to the Jewish nation (the “dry wood”—old, barren, and ripe
for judgment)?
Susie: Note that only
Luke’s gospel records this speech Jesus made to the women following Him to
Golgotha.
Susan: Luke often
included details about women that are neglected by the other synoptic gospels.
Verse 31. - For if they do these things in a green
tree, what shall be done in the dry? Bleek and others interpret this saying
here thus: The green wood represents Jesus condemned to crucifixion as a
traitor in spite of his unvarying loyalty to Rome and all lawful Gentile power.
The dry wood pictures the Jews, who, ever disloyal to Rome and all Genesis the
authority, will bring on themselves with much stronger reason the terrible
vengeance of the great conquering empire. Theophylact, however, better explains
the saying in his paraphrase, "If they do these things in me, fruitful,
always green, undying through the Divinity, what will they do to you,
fruitless, and deprived of all life-giving righteousness?" So Farrar, who
well summarizes, "If they act thus to me, the Innocent and the Holy, what
shall be the fate of these, the guilty and false?"
Ponder
this and Apply it: Are you intertwined
with the “green tree,” Jesus Christ and grafted into the family of God? Is He
living in you? Is Jesus your vitality? Or are you a dead branch, one who has
not trusted in Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior? A dead branch is thrown
into the fire because it is worthless. Praise the Lord that the dead branch can
be brought back to life and filled with sap when you surrender your own will to
the will of Jesus Christ. Can you say the following with Paul the Apostle?
Philippians
4:13 (AMP) I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who
strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in
Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him
who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]
No comments:
Post a Comment