Life-Giving Words From a Loving Saviour!

Jesus has just endured a horrible night. He has been unemotionally betrayed by one disciple and forsaken by all the rest. He has been unjustly arrested and charged. He has been inhumanely tortured and unceasingly mocked. He has been inequitably traded like so much merchandise for a common murderer. Finally, he has been unconscionably condemned to crucifixion. The account in Luke 23:26-31 teaches us that Jesus extends mercy to those who are unmerciful. As we celebrate Easter this year, we reflect on the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is a reminder of the importance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without Him, none of this would be possible. 

Exhausted from the night of horrors, Jesus didn’t have sufficient strength to carry his cross. So, “they seized one, Simon of Cyrene who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross to carry behind Jesus” (23:26). Luke’s account of the crucifixion revolves around a variety of people - their involvement and response to the crucifixion of Jesus. I suppose that Luke wants us to know that the crucifixion of Jesus was not a private affair: it was not done in a corner. He wants us to know that Jesus’ crucifixion impacted a complete spectrum of humanity – some were there purposefully, some out of curiosity, others by chance.

One who seems to have been there by chance was a man from Cyrene, perhaps coming to Jerusalem for the Passover, who unwittingly crossed paths with Jesus at this crucial moment in Jesus’ life. There was also “a great multitude of people” (23:27) following Jesus. Evidently many of those who had been at the trial now joined the procession to see this to its bitter end. Among them were Galilean women, who wailed and lamented as middle eastern women are wont to do at such events (23:27). And Jesus says to them: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but weep for yourselves & your children” (23:28a).

In response to their mourning for him, Jesus seems to be saying to these women, “Don’t cry for me, Galileans, the truth is I’m going to leave you. All through my ministry days, my earthly existence, I made some prophecies, which aren’t too distant.” Jesus is warning them of a horrendous coming judgement when they will cry for the mountains to cover them; a judgement that came in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed under the brutal attack of the Roman army. Though Jesus’ future will bring the utmost pain and suffering, nonetheless his future goes beyond that to his resurrection. Whereas, their future will be devastating, especially if they do not respond appropriately to him. “Don’t cry tears for me, ladies of Galilee, but cry for yourselves and your children. For so devastating will be your future that those women who are barren will be glad they never bore children. Don’t cry for me, ladies of Galilee, you need all the time you can to prepare for what’s coming by repenting now. For if wicked men cut down a ‘green tree’ (the One who is life itself and who came to give life), what will God do to them? He will burn them up like so much dry wood” (23:28-31).

What words of merciful forewarning are these that Jesus would think of these people in the midst of all he was passing through. It was pure grace and mercy that Jesus would be concerned about the future of a group of anonymous, unidentified women, even when He was staggering to his own death! It was pure grace and mercy to warn others of their impending danger rather than be consumed with His own demise! They were caught up in the sorrow of his moment, but Jesus was caught up in the reality of their future.

This, brothers and sisters, is the epitome of God’s grace! Jesus’ suffering takes a back seat in his concern for ours. Jesus’ future is for him of secondary importance to ours. Jesus’ life was entirely taken up with manifesting and bestowing the grace of God on sinners like them and like us. How many of us would be able to even think about someone else’s future when we ourselves were being led away to be killed! How many of us would be able to even think about someone else’s future if we had just spent the entire previous night being falsely accused, spat upon, scourged with whips, mocked, ridiculed, and condemned like a common criminal?

Luke’s account records the utter hardness of the human heart in the actions of the rulers and soldiers. They were so blind that they executed the only perfect and sinless man who ever lived. They were so hard that they crucified one who prayed for their forgiveness. They were so depraved that they mocked at an innocent man’s death and suffering. And yet, in response, we hear life-giving words from a loving Saviour - words of mercy that are extended even today to those who are unmerciful.

We pride ourselves on having a just society where people’s rights are protected; where innocent people are defended, where our security is guarded by the rule of law, police forces, armies, and early warning systems. But who is warning people of their spiritual danger? That’s our job – to utter words of mercy in the gospel, warning people of impending judgement and offering people full and free salvation through faith in Jesus Christ – his atoning death and life-giving resurrection. So, in the light of the impending doom of this world, we can and we must utter words of mercy in warning others of their impending danger, a danger that most don’t even know exists - just like these Galilean women. For the sceptics say that everything is going on as it did from the beginning of creation. But they wilfully forget that God has judged the world before with a flood and the world that then existed perished. They wilfully forget that this world is now reserved for judgement by fire at that great and terrible day of the Lord. With such a future just around the corner, what the world needs more than anything else is words of merciful warning.

Praise God for reminding us this Easter season of the matchless grace and mercy and forgiveness of God, which alone can be found in Jesus Christ.

Source: Bible.org