Now it's understandable that
these people, this great multitude, this company of people, it says
in verse 27 there, that they bewailed and lamented. It's understandable that they
wept for the Lord. But think about this as we look
at this verse this word bewailed in verse 27 means to cut or to
smite and it had also come to mean to smite one's breast for
grief you remember the publicans smote upon his breast and cried
god be merciful to me the sinner and they lamented or mourned
him so they were smiting their breasts and they were making
a lot of noise. It was over the top. You've seen
this, I've seen this. To stand and watch the Lord being
clearly falsely accused and abused so badly, and to weep silently
about that would be one thing, to be grieved in your heart over
that. But this was a display. It was
an open display. And we've all, as I said, we've
all seen that at one time or another. And the Lord was horribly
treated. They didn't take the other two
who were being crucified that day. They didn't take them that
day and punch them in the face and beat them in the head with
a rod and spit on them and pull out their beards and press a
crown of thorns into their brow Pilate led the son of God out
onto that porch. You remember that part of the
scripture where it says he came, the Lord was led out and Pilate said, behold the man. And he was bloody. He was swollen
and broken. And he said, behold the man.
He was marred more than any man. Listen to Isaiah 52, 14. As many
were astonished at thee, His visage was so marred, more
than any man in his form, more than the sons of men. They were
astonished. When Pilate brought him out before
the people under that poor, they were astonished, just at the
sight of him. So is it any wonder that people
lamented? And also, it was no secret that
he didn't deserve what he was getting. That wasn't a secret. He didn't deserve what he endured
that day. The ones who cried crucify him,
they knew he didn't deserve it. So those who lamented him certainly
knew, even Pilate knew. Pilate suggested that he release
Jesus unto them and not Barabbas for this reason, Matthew 27,
18, for he knew that for envy they had delivered him. Everybody
knew that. That wasn't a mystery. You know,
the people on the street knew it better than the politician
did. And so they bewailed and lamented,
and many did, no doubt, who didn't necessarily put on the display
that these did, who beat their chests and wailed and cried out
loud. But as these did that, our Lord
stopped. He turned toward them. On the
way to the cross, he stopped. Think about this now. On the
way to Calvary, the cross, on the way to the cross, he stopped
and turned to them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, weep
not for me, but weep for yourselves. I'd say this is worth looking
at if it stopped the Lord of glory on the way to doing what he came
to do. It was to that end that he came. Now, if we can understand
why they wept, why would the Lord rebuke them? If we can see,
we can see them weeping and lamenting and even putting on the display
that they no doubt were. And we can say, I understand that.
It wasn't a time to cheer, was it? I believe it was a gentle rebuke,
but more importantly, it was instruction. It was teaching. Think about this with me. We
can understand why John the Baptist, when the Lord came to be baptized
by John, we can understand him hesitating to do that. He said,
I have need to be baptized of thee. But the Lord not only insisted,
but he taught John something. He not only overruled him, and
we can understand him being hesitant to do that, can't we? Lord, why
don't you bad test me? I need you to do something. But
the Lord insisted, he overruled him, but he also, he taught him
something. This is how all righteousness is gonna be fulfilled, like this. And then when John understood
that, he did as the Lord said. We can understand why Simon would
not want the Lord of glory to wash his feet. You get that? I kind of get that, don't you? But the Lord rebuked him too.
He said, Simon, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. So it was rebuke, but also great
teaching. Simon needed to know He needed
to understand that the Lord was about to stoop a lot lower than
Simon's feet. He was about to stoop a lot lower
than that basin of water. And if he did not, then none
of us have any part in him. None of us do. Simon didn't want
to see that happen. He said, Lord, be it far from
you. When the Lord said, I must be betrayed. I must be crucified. I must wrap. He said, no. But the Lord rebuked him and
taught him something. So we might understand the sentiment,
the emotion that was displayed, the reaction. We must understand
though, the rebuke as well. And most importantly, learn the
lesson. The Lord wept at the tomb of
Lazarus, whom he loved. So it was not weeping in sorrow,
weeping at someone's death. in and of itself that the Lord
had a problem with that day. He's not just saying, oh, dry
up, you know, like some people, they just don't have any sympathy
in certain situations for that. He's not saying that as though
weeping is weakness or foolishness of some kind. His example shows
us that that's not the case. So why did he rebuke them gently
but taught them Most importantly, when he overruled John the Baptist,
what was the point of that? Fulfilling all righteousness.
And what does baptism picture? Baptism is the death of our Lord
Jesus Christ, his sacrificial, sin-atoning death, and his burial,
and his resurrection from the dead. It's our text, that's what
it is. That's why he was rebuked, overruled,
and taught. Fulfilling all righteousness
in that picture, in that which sets forth the death and the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Simon was rebuked
by the Lord for resisting the Lord washing his feet, what did
that have to do with? If I don't wash you, Simon, then
you're a goner. You have no part with me if I
don't wash you. It's Christ crucified, it's the
cross, that's what it is. It's the cleansing nature of
his precious blood. He said those that are washed
need not but just to wash their feet. You're clean every whit,
how does that happen? By the precious blood of Christ
which makes sins though they be red like crimson to be as
white as snow. When the Lord said also to Simon,
get thee behind me Satan, what did that have to do with? Mark 8 31, and he began to teach
them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected
of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed.
And after three days rise again, and he spake that saying openly
and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about
and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, get thee behind me, Satan,
for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things
that be of men. You see what's happening here, the theme of
it, what's happening here in our text. He's going to the cross,
he's going to lay down, he's doing what he told Simon and
the others he was about to do. So in all of this, the theme
is clear. And what is clear in his rebuke
and instruction in these things is that, and we must be thankful
for this, that the Lord is gonna set his people straight concerning
the necessity of the cross and what happened when he gave himself
there. He's not gonna allow us to be
in error about that. He's just not, is he? He rebukes
and he corrects and he instructs, especially regarding that. If
he does not do that, we might wear a cross around
our neck and think that's some kind of a good luck charm. If
he doesn't instruct us concerning what the cross said, if we just
let our emotions rule, we might do that. We might sing, must
Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? And think
maybe the answer to that is no. If he doesn't rebuke us and correct
us regarding that, we might make the sign of the cross and think
that that's something more than our idolatrous stupidity. He's gonna set his people straight
about this, isn't he? And we're gonna praise him for
it. It's not something to get emotional
and just kind of go with whatever you're feeling about it. The cross is not about feeling
sorry for Jesus. That's the last thing that we
should do. What is clear here is that the
cross transcends human emotion, the emotions of the flesh, even
otherwise honorable ones. I wouldn't have wanted to see
that happen to him either, would you? And I wouldn't have been
cheering that day. And yet we need instruction regarding
this, don't we? It's not that we're not to feel
anything when we look to Christ crucified. We're not to just
be cold-hearted about it and recite facts about it and trust
facts about it, like many do. But when Jeremiah wrote what
he did in Lamentations 112, listen, And you remember Lamentations
112, Jeremiah's not saying there, where are your emotions? You're
not showing enough emotion. That's not what he's saying.
Listen to it. Is it nothing to you, all you
that pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow, like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith
the Lord hath afflicted me in the day. of his fierce anger. Is it nothing to you? He's not
saying, where are the tears? He's not saying you're not getting
emotional enough. That's not what he's saying.
This is not an exhortation to weep for the Lord. This is an
exhortation to look to him. He said, behold my sorrow and
see, you need to see something about this. Isn't that what our
Lord's doing in our text? And in the case of John the Baptist,
and in the case of Simon, you need to understand who it is
that's doing this and why, and what's accomplished here. This
is an exhortation to look to him and see why he's the man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Does it mean nothing to
you that the son of God would suffer like this? on Calvary,
is it just something to feel sorry for him about? Why would
the perfect spotless son of God ever suffer at all? Much less
suffer the full and complete wrath of God and be forsaken
of his father. Doesn't that mean any, does that
not interest you? That's the exhortation here.
There was never any sorrow like his. substitutionary sorrow,
supernatural sorrow, vicarious sorrow. Is that nothing to you? Behold
and see. That's the exhortation. Behold
and see, look into the fact that the Lamb of God suffered like
no one ever has suffered. And it was sorrow unlike any
other. Don't savor the things that be
of man. Don't just indulge in human emotion. If Christ doesn't
suffer like this, then God can never be satisfied. Let that
sink in. Don't just be sad that he was
falsely accused and that You know, something bad was happening
to him. Don't just be sad about that. Think about this. God can
never be honored like he must be honored unless Christ suffers
on Calvary. You think about that. If God
put every sinner in hell, he would never be satisfied. Never. if he sends everybody that ever
lived to hell. That's not gonna satisfy God
for our sin. That's not gonna satisfy his
justice. That's not gonna glorify him
like he's worthy of. Christ must needs have suffered. Is that nothing to you? And that's what happened on Calvary.
God was glorified. like he could not be glorified
any other way or by anyone else. It's not going to happen unless
Christ does it on the cross. God will never be glorified like
that except in him and what he did. His justice was satisfied
like nowhere else it ever could be. Never will God's justice,
never will his honor be upheld. That's why he suffered like nobody
else. And his sorrow was not like anyone else's. Only by Christ And the riches of God's glory
can only be displayed in having mercy on sinners by Christ Jesus
and that precious blood that was poured out by him there. The Lord mentions judgment in
our text that might well cause weeping. We need to think twice about
now sorrowing over what Christ did. But there is judgment that
should be wept over. He tells of people crying into
the mountains to fall upon them. You know where else we see that
language in scripture? I've seen a lot of speculation
about that passage, but I know this, I see that same language
in Revelation 6, 15. And the kings of the earth and
the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the
mighty men and every bondman and every free man hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to
the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb.
For the great day of his wrath has come and who shall be able
to stand? That's a rhetorical question. Let me ask you this about that.
The Lord said, weep for yourselves and for your children. Weep for
those who are gonna face the judgment of God without me facing
the judgment of God in their place. Don't weep for the answer,
weep for the problem. Why is there crying at all? Why
does anybody ever cry? Why has anyone ever wept? Why
is there such a thing as weeping? We know the answer to that, don't
we? Let me ask you another question. Why is there wrath? Why is there
such a thing as wrath? It's the same answer, isn't it?
It's sin. And so is it any wonder that
those two go together? Weep for that. Weep for those. Weep for yourself if that's where
you are. So don't weep for the remedy
for sin. Weep about sin and judgment and those who are gonna face
the judgment of God without a substitute. Don't weep for the substitute. Don't weep for the refuge. Weep
for those who have no refuge. They're crying out to the rocks
and the hills to be their refuge. That's not gonna cut it in that
day. You can't be hidden from the face and wrath of the lamb
in that day. That's something to weep about
there. Our Lord is not saying, again,
I wanna stress this, he's not saying to be emotionless zombies. Some have the attitude, well,
we know things, and so we don't have any emotion. It's just like
we're just distributing facts when we preach. No, Paul said,
I beseech you. I beseech you by the mercies
of God. I beseech you, be reconciled
to God. He said to Agrippa, I would to
God that you were such as I am, except these bonds. There's the
weeping. You see, there's the weeping. Those that have no refuge, those
who have no substitute, weep for them. Our Lord cried out in Luke 13,
34. Listen to this. Do you think
he just kind of recited this as some kind of an emotionless
chant of some kind? Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which
killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee.
How often would I have gathered that children together as a hen
doth gather her brood under her wings. And you would not. Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate. That's sad. That's sad. The Lord Jesus Christ taking
the place of sinners and glorifying God like he could never be glorified
and giving hope to the hopeless, that's not sad. Hopelessness though is sad. Your house is left unto you desolate.
Oh, Jerusalem. Listen to Matthew 9 35. And Jesus
went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness
and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes,
he was moved with compassion on them. because they fainted
and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd. That's sad. And then saith he
unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers
are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. Now we know his harvest is his
elect. That's the good seed, right?
The weeds are not mentioned there. So listen, don't weep for him
who bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners. Weep for
those who are by nature the children of wrath, even as others, and
it's nothing to them that the son of God sorrowed like no other.
that he suffered the wrath of God in the place of sinners like
them. Cry out to God for them, lest they be at last among that
number that cries for the mountains and the hills, the rocks to hide
them from the face of the lamb. I don't wanna see that, do you?
I don't want my loved ones crying that. Now is the time to weep
for them. He said, weep for yourselves
and your children, weep. For then weep for sinners, not
the substitute. And now is the time to weep because
it won't always be that way. You can read very plainly in
the book of Revelation that when God judges false religion and
all those who despise the Lord of glory, we're gonna cry hallelujah
then. But what do we do now? We do
what he said to do, weep, weep. We won't weep for those who are
under the wrath of God when we're in glory. Ah, but we do now,
don't we? We should now. We don't weep for him, though.
Not like that. Not just a display of emotion
because, you know, it's sad that Jesus died, is it? Have you given
any thought to what really happened? To who he is? The fact that that's
what he came to do, is accomplishment a sad thing? And you know what? We don't wait
for ourselves if we know him. Don't wait for you, don't feel
sorry for yourself. Listen to James, James one verse two, my
brethren counted all joy when you fall into diverse trials. Oh boy, you know, life is so
hard and I'm just sad about that. Count it all joy. Can we do that? Knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
And if any of you lack wisdom, and think of the context, or
if any of you lack wisdom regarding that, well, I don't see how it's
good for bad things to happen. Let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not. And it should be given,
he'll give you wisdom about that. It's him doing it. The one that
gives faith is the one that tries it. So don't weep for yourself like
that. Now we do sympathize with one another in trials. We do
that. And we should do that. We must
do that. We're gonna do that if we love
somebody, aren't we? Romans 12, 15, rejoice with them
that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward
another Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low
estate. To some people, it's not worth
their time to actually just sit down with somebody and cry with
them. Don't be high-minded. Condescend
to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Don't be so smart that you have no emotion. And don't be so emotional that you can't glorify God in
that which he's worthy to be glorified. We do weep and we have sorrows
in this world. This is called a veil of tears
and it is. We do groan. Paul said in this
tabernacle, in this body, we do groan. And we do. But remember this. Remember this
now. I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep. You see the difference
here? Don't be so high-minded that
you can't weep with somebody that's hurting. You know, oh,
well, that's not spiritual to do that. I'm smarter than that. But don't just let ignorant,
don't be ignorant of this when you're weeping. Let this have something to do
with it. Don't be ignorant, brethren, concerning, for example, here,
them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. He didn't say don't sorrow. He
said, don't sorrow like those who don't have any hope in Christ.
Don't sorrow like that. It can even make us sorrow to
see our sin and what happened to the Lord because of my sin
when he was bearing my sin in Gethsemane and on Calvary. It's
not that there shouldn't be any sorrow involved in that at all.
But at the same time, that sorrow is tempered with the fact that
Christ crucified was not only necessary, but it's the most
glorious thing that ever happened. I might grieve in my heart and
over my sin displayed there, but how can I not rejoice in
the precious blood of God's lamb? I'm gonna be singing about that
forever. And I'll tell you this, I think
this is in my notes somewhere further on, but let's just skip
ahead. I'll tell you this, where there's no sin and where I'm
not stupid anymore, you know what else is true? No more crying. I'm gonna sing worthy as a lamb.
I'm gonna see him a lamb as he had been slain, but I'm not gonna
be, he's gonna wipe away all tears from my eyes there. and
I'm just gonna be rejoicing and glorying in him and worshiping
him, you see that? I would not have you to be ignorant.
We don't sorrow even as others which have no hope, for if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so, them also which
sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. That's why he died,
that they might be with him. That makes me happy. When we understand the cross
spiritually, as God patiently teaches us, and have an understanding
of who it is that gave himself there. He gave himself. He said,
nobody takes my life from me. Don't cry about that. Nobody
taketh my life from me. I lay it down of myself. And
that's why my father loves me because I lay down my life that
I might take it again. Therefore does my father love
me. Think about what he accomplished
there. Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration, The disciples
saw him speaking to Moses and Elijah. Remember what they spoke
about? The death that he should accomplish. Don't weep about salvation accomplished. That's what the Lord is saying
to those ladies, daughters of Jerusalem. Don't weep about salvation
accomplished. Weep over those who have no savior. Now's the time to do that. If you're crying for the hills,
if you're crying to be hidden from his face, that's sad. That's sad. Whoever that's referring
to there, that's sad. That's horrible. When we understand truly Christ
and him crucified, there can only be joy. He's the one that bore the sorrow. But think about why he did that.
Listen to this. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross. That's our text. That's him enduring
the cross. He's anticipating the cross.
He's walking to the cross. And why did he do that for the
joy that was set before him? Despising the shame, counting
it a small thing to suffer my shame and disgrace and guilt. And he sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. Now, when Christ Jesus began
to bear my sin in Gethsemane, It says his soul was exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death. But that was him bearing my sorrows
and my grief and my shame. And the one who did that says
to me, don't weep for me. Don't weep for me. So when we
look now, to Christ crucified. Is that where we're looking this
morning? We're looking to him not on a
cross. That's not what we're looking
at when we see Christ crucified. We see the cross in the sense
that that's where he shed his precious blood for me and accomplished
salvation for me, but we don't see him on a cross now. He is
still the lamb slain, but he's on a throne. He's on, I said that wrong, he's
on the throne. He is the lamb slain, but he
sits on the throne of his majesty. And those who are there, those
who can see him like I can't yet, there's no tears in their
eyes and never will be again. I want to see him like that. And we preach the cross and we
glory only in the cross. Not that he's there now, he's
the crucified lamb. The wounds are still our home. His blood is still what washes
us clean now. but he's the lamb slain sitting
on the throne of eternal glory. And we preach the cross and glory
in the cross because there and there only was God honored, satisfied,
and glorified. He must needs have suffered.
Not only must he bear it alone, he must bear it. Otherwise, God
will never be glorified like he ought. He will never be satisfied
for sin, and that can't be. There, by that cross, by Christ
and what he did for us, we're saved and we're satisfied
too. We sing worthy is the lamb that
was slain. Why do we do that, Revelation
5, 9? Because he redeemed us unto God. He didn't make an effort, he
didn't make it available. He redeemed us unto God by his
precious blood and therefore we sing worthy. The Jesus who
did his best and then left salvation up to sinners, he's not worthy.
He's not worthy of a thought, much less a song. Aren't you thankful he doesn't
leave us ignorant concerning the cross, who he is, and what
he accomplished on Calvary. He'll rebuke us now, but bless
God, he'll teach us, he'll instruct us, he'll inform us, he'll set
us straight regarding Christ crucified. Paul said, God forbid, We should
glory Saving the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ He didn't say God forbid that we should sorrow
in anything else But we're to glory We're to glory. We're to boast and rejoice and
delight ourselves in Christ in him crucified Paul said God don't
let it happen because we will We will rejoice. We will boast
in something else. We will trust something else. Don't let it happen. God forbid
it. Don't let me do it. Make it so that we glory only
in Christ alone. Amen. Let's pray.