Let us turn again to God's Word
in that portion we were reading in the Gospel. The Gospel according
to Luke. And chapter 23. I'll read again
from verse 27 following. And there followed Him a great
company of people and of women, which also bewildered and lamented
Him. 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 bear, and the pups which never gave suck. Then
shall they begin to say to the mountains, fall on us, and to
the hills, cover us. For if they do these things in
a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? and in particular
I want to take for our text the words that we have in verses
27 and 28. We have in Luke 23, 27 and 28,
And there followed him a great company of people and of women,
which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning unto
them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children now previous to this we see how
the Lord Jesus Christ in a sense had to endure a threefold trial
first of all we see him brought before the Jewish council at
the end of chapter 22 verse 66 as soon as it was day the elders
of the people and the chief priest and the scribes came together
and led him into their council and then they begin to question
him but of course they have no authority to pass the sentence
of death upon a man that was what belonged on to the Roman
governor Pontius Pilate and so we're told here at the beginning
of chapter 23 how the whole multitude of them arose and led him on
to Pilate and they began to accuse him saying we found this fellow
perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar saying
that he himself is Christ the King and so the Lord has to endure
the mockery of that trial before the Roman governor but then also
in the course of his questioning of Christ he establishes that
he is a man of Galilee And verse 7 it says, As soon as he knew
that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to
Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. And then
Herod also begins to question him with many words. And then
we're told how his men of war set him at nought, and mocked
him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. all part and parcel of the awful
sufferings that the innocent Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,
had to endure. And then we read how Pilate sentences
the Lord to death and all at the desire of the Jews. Verse 24, Pilate gave sentence
that it should be as they required, and He released unto them Him
that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they
had desired. But He delivered Jesus to their
will." Delivered to the will of the Jews. For He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not. How they rejected Him
who was truly the Messiah. And then we see how that the
Lord Jesus is led away by those Jews, led to the place called
Calvary, where he will be crucified. The Lord Jesus himself, as he
came on that last journey up to Jerusalem, We see him coming
to the city and in chapter 19 we read of the way in which he
wept over the city. Verse 41 in chapter 19 when he
was come near he beheld the city and wept over it saying if thou
hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which
belong unto thy peace but now they are heard from thine eyes."
And now they lead him away and we see the people, particularly
it mentions the women, the daughters of Jerusalem, weeping over the
Lord Jesus Christ as they lead him away. There followed him
a great company of people and of women which also bewailed
and lamented him But Jesus, turning unto them, said, Daughters of
Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children. And I want to take up this theme
of these mourners, these mourners after the Lord Jesus Christ.
And two things I want us to consider as we look into these words of
our text tonight. First of all, what their weeping
after Christ amounts to. And then secondly, the need for
them to be those who would be weeping over their sins. Their
real need is that they should be spiritual mourners. as they consider the Lord Jesus
Christ. But let's first of all look at
the way in which they mourn, they weep over the Lord Jesus
Christ, the sorrow that they give expression to. And I want
us to view that from two perspectives. First of all, from the viewpoint
of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, how he views this scene that's
described in the verses. But then secondly, to look at
it from the viewpoint of these people themselves. First of all
then, Christ. And what do we see here? We see
the selflessness of the Lord Jesus. What is his response as
they bewail and lament? we're told Jesus turning on to
them said daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me weep not for
me how selfless he is he's not concerned for himself he doesn't
want their sympathy he had endured awful things As I said just now,
he'd gone through all the mockery of the trials, he'd gone through
all those terrible scourgings, how they had sort of ridiculed
him. And even before that, of course,
we have the record in chapter 22 of his experience in the Garden
of Gethsemane, as we see him there wrestling with his father
in prayer and we're told being in an agony oh there in the garden
he's agonizing in prayers being in an agony he prays more earnestly
and his sweat is like drops of blood falling to the ground and after that experience he
is then arrested and taken and eventually brought before the
Roman governor he comes from the place called Gethsemane and
then we read of him at the place called Gabbatha which means the
pavement in John 19 and verse 13 it's there that the trial
is to take place before the governor and there the governor has to
pronounce him innocent this is a wonderful thing as we have
it said before us in this particular chapter, three times. Pilate
pronounces this man to be an innocent man. Verse 4. Then said Pilate to the chief
priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And then again, verse 14. You have brought this man unto
Me as one that perverted the people, and behold, I, having
examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching
those things whereof ye accuse him. No, nor yet heret, for I
sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto
him. And then thirdly, verse 22, We're
told he said unto them the third time, why? What evil hath he
done? I have found no cause of death
in him. I will therefore chastise him
and let him go. Oh, how necessary it is, you
see. The death he is to die is no
ordinary death. This is a terrible judicial death.
He is to die as one who is worthy of punishment. And it's not just
the punishment of the Roman authorities. He is dying here as that one
who will bear in his own person all the wrath of God against
the sins of his people. This is a great act of substitutionary
atonement. It's the Lord Jesus Christ in
the sinner's place. And he's there as one who is
innocent. He dies to see the just for the unjust, to bring
sinners to God. Well, how we see him then as
that one who's so innocent. Ultimately, the sentence is passed,
and he's condemned to die. Pilate gave sentence. that it should be as they required. And what did they require? They
cried saying, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! And here we see
Him coming forth, you see the condemned man, and he's endured
so much. How can He bear His cross? Why
they have to lay hold of another to carry the cross for Him? Verse
26, 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. And then we have these following
him, this great company, the women bewailing and lamenting
him. Oh, they see the scene, you see.
and it is that that must touch any person who could witness
such a sight as this who have any feeling for our fellow humans
to see a man in this condition it is just a natural reaction
on their part will come to that present because we have to remember
one thing here that it's not so much what he is suffering
in his physical body It's those things that are transpiring in
the very depths of this man's soul. That's the great thing. We read
a bit there in Isaiah 53, the travail of his soul. The travail
of his soul. All the pangs of his body were
great. The greater the pangs of his
mind, says the hymn writer. He hath made Him to be sin for
us. Who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is that One
who is truly without any sin. There was nothing of original
sin. He was preserved from all that as we know by the miracle
of His birth. Conceived by the Holy Ghost in
the womb of a virgin. He is God manifest in the flesh,
sinless in His birth, sinless in His life, holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners. When we think of that, what sensibilities
this man must have felt, this holy man. And yet here we see
him, you see, having to endure all this contradiction of sinners
and all the wrath of God against him. and he suffers alone he
suffers alone there's no other with him you know it is a truth
is it not it's true of each and all of us when we come to die
and remember it is appointed unto man once to die when we
come to die we die alone no one else dies with us it's our own
experience And here we see the Lord Jesus so very much alone,
all his disciples have forsaken him, fled away from him. I have
trodden the winepress of the wrath of God alone, he says,
of the people, there were none with me. And he would have it so, he's
so selfless here. Weep not for me, he tells them. Jesus turning on to them said,
daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me. Oh, we see it then from
the perspective of the Lord Jesus. This is the one who is suffering.
But look, look at the people that are being spoken of here. We see his selfish, selflessness
And I suppose we really see something of their sympathy. But it is
just a natural feeling of sympathy and nothing more than that. Now,
who are they? Who are these people? There followed
him a great company of people and of women. Now, why are these
women spoken of in particular? Well, it's not those women that
we read of later in the chapter. in verse 55 we're told the women
also which came with him from Galilee followed after and beheld
the sepulcher and how his body was laid when he is taken down
from the cross and laid in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
the women which followed him from Galilee and all what women
these were they were remarkable women Remarkable women. Oh the
Lord must have loved these women. How they cared for Him. How they
ministered to Him. We're told about them previously
in chapter 8. Then the open verses of that
chapter. It came to pass afterward He
went throughout every city and village preaching and showing
the glad tidings of the kingdom of God and the twelve were with
Him. Uncertain women. the twelve apostles
and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and
infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
and Joanna, the wife of Cusa, Herod's steward, and Susanna,
and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
How he so readily received this this ministry, this help, this
support that came from these blessed women and it's those
who are being spoken of you see here at the end of our chapter
in verse 55 it's not the same people who are spoken of in our
text tonight these women are addressed by the Lord as daughters
of Jerusalem are spoken of as daughters of Jerusalem. Jerusalem
that now is, that is in bondage with her children. They're not
spiritually minded women, like those other gracious women. Oh
yes, they feel some human compassion for the Lord Jesus. But I like
the remark of Matthew Henry, he says this here, many bewail
Christ that do not believe in Him and lament Him that do not
love Him. Many bewail Christ who do not
believe in Him and lament Him who do not love Him. And that
was true of this all I see this man, this poor man, this man
now so so much in his physical weakness and their human heart
goes out to him but they don't see him they don't see him as
that one who is the great sin bearer for his people all we
sang just now in our opening praise, that 29th hymn on the
gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit. And remember his ministry
is to take of the things of Christ and reveal them to his people
to testify of Christ. And what a prayer, what a prayer
is that that we have here in the words of this particular
hymn. Verse 3 Conduct, bless, guide
thy sinner train To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain, And
with us there abide. Let us our loved Redeemer meet,
We bore His pierced hands and feet, And view His wounded sight. Oh, is that our prayer as we
come to consider such a portion of Scripture as that that's before
us tonight? We want the Holy Spirit Himself
to conduct us and to reveal to us those things concerning the
sufferings of Christ, those things that concern the salvation of
His people. To weep over Him. and to weep
over him as we have it there back in Zechariah 12 when God
pours upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
that spirit of grace and of supplications the Holy Spirit they shall look
upon me whom they have pierced it says and mourn for him as
one mourneth for an only son and be in bitterness for him
as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn Oh, is that
what we desire, friends, to know, that real spiritual mourning
over the Lord Jesus Christ? Not just a legal conviction of our
sins, but that that is truly a gospel
conviction, to see the significance of all that is taking place in
the life of this man and the work that he has come to accomplish.
We sing also, we sang it tonight, Lord and terrors do but harden
all the while they work alone. But a sense of blood-bored pardon
soon dissolves the heart of stone. That's what breaks our heart.
When we have a spiritual sight of the Lord Jesus and understand
that aspect of his sufferings. It's not his physical suffering.
Great as those physical sufferings were, it's all that is taking
place in the soul of the Lord Jesus. And how can any true child
of God ever deny that the Lord had a real human soul, a new
soul suffering? These were his sufferings, the
inward sufferings. And now time and again in the
book of Psalms, as we said, the veil seems to be taken away.
And in those remarkable Psalms, we look into that soul of Christ,
all the agonies. He knew what was transpiring.
He knew it was the wrath of God that was being visited upon him,
and yet so selfless. Jesus turning unto them said,
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me. but wait for yourselves
and for your children. Well, let us turn in the second
place to that that the Lord is directing them to when He utters
these words at the end of verse 28. Instead of sorrowing over Him,
they should be sorrowing over their sins. That's what they should be concerned
about. their sins but that sorrowing over self
that weeping for self is so vital but it's not self-centered weeping
it's that weeping that must always center in the Lord Jesus Christ
it's that godly sorrow that Paul speaks of the godly sorrow that
worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of and not
the sorrow of the world that works death. This is the sorrow
of the world that we see in these women. They need that godly sorrow. It all together centers in the
Lord Jesus. And we see here some three reasons
for such weeping. There's the destruction of Jerusalem,
there's the Day of Judgment that the Lord speaks of, And there's
the matter of the dry tree. Look at the language that follows. The end of verse 28. He says, 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 bear, and the pups which never gave suck, then
shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us and to
the hills, cover us. For if they do these things in
a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Three things in here. First of
all, he's speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem and he speaks of
the destruction that is going to come upon Jerusalem. This is the historical context
after his death, you see. Remember he is dying as the veil
of the temple is rent entwined from the top to the bottom. The
way into the holiest is now opened up. No more need for that earthly
temple. That temple was a remarkable
type of the Lord Jesus Christ. and all those services, those
ceremonies, those sacrifices, those offerings that were made
there, they've all had their fulfillment and so the temple
itself must be destroyed and it was. Oh, it was. Those events associated with
the year 70 when we read of the Roman legionaries under their
general Titus coming and laying siege to the city and destroying
the city. And how the Lord Jesus, who is
that great prophet, he himself speaks of these things in the
course of his ministry. Turn back there to chapter 21
and look at the words of the Lord. Verse 20 says, When ye shall
see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea
flee to the mountains, and let them which are in the midst of
it depart, and let not them that are in the countries enter therein
too. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled. But dwell 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 these
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."
You see, it's the same language. there at verse 23, Woe to them
that are with child, to them that give sock in those days,
says the Lord. And what do we have here? In verse 29, Behold the days
are coming in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren,
and the wombs that never bear, and the pups which never gave
sock. Oh, what days these are! In normal
circumstances, what does the Scripture say? Children are the
heritage of the Lord. Blessed is that man that hath
his quiver full of them. But these are different days
now, you see, terrible days. What a burden to have children
in those days. And it's not just that that's
going to come upon the people, but as I said there's also to
be that terrible destruction of the temple itself. And the Lord speaks of it in
that 21st chapter. Verse 5, As some spake of the
temple, and out was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in
the which there shall not be left one stone upon another that
shall not be thrown down. Oh, this is that time, you see,
of great catastrophe. Wait for yourselves, He says,
and for your children. That is the context. That is
what the Lord is speaking of. He's speaking of events that
will surely follow His own death, as if God Himself will visit
an awful judgment upon the city of Jerusalem. It's the end, you
see, of all Old Testament worship. All fulfilled in the Lord Jesus
Christ, it is to be no more. But then also, those events of
the year 70 foreshadow an even greater day of judgment. They foreshadow the day of Christ's
return, the second time. Without sin unto salvation, that's
time that is to come. Now the Father has committed
all judgment into the hands of His Son and even there in that
21st chapter as the Lord is speaking of the year 70, He goes on, does
He not, to speak also of His coming again. There at verse
25, there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the
stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity. the
sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.
For the powers of heaven shall be shaken and then shall they
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory." Why? It's the coming again of Him
who is the Judge. Oh, He says there at the end
of that chapter Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape all of these things that shall come
to pass and to stand before the Son of Man." Oh, there is the
great thing, to be those who can stand in the Day of Judgment, to stand
before the Son of Man. Who are they? Well, we're told
quite clearly the ungodly. The ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Who will stand? Only those who
are justified. Only those who are accounted
righteous by the grace of God. righteous through the work of
the Lord Jesus Christ, who were coming into this world, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under
the law, that they might stand in that great day. All we see, you see how the Lord
goes on to speak of that terrible day of judgment here in verse
30. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on
us, and to the hills, Cover us." Isn't that the language that
is taken up in the book of the Revelation with regards to that
time of the Lord's coming again? That ushering in of the terrible
day, the day of judgment. Look at the language that we
find in Revelation 6. at verse 15 to the end of that
chapter, the kings of the earth, 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
is come and who shall be able to stand? Who can stand in that day? Are
we those friends who can stand in that day, the day of the Lord's
return when He will sit and judge the
people and separate the sheep from the goats Oh, he says here,
then weep for yourselves and for your children. The important
thing, of course, is that we're ready. We're ready for that great
day. Oh, behold, now is the acceptable
time and behold, now is the day of salvation. Oh, it's the day
of grace, the day of opportunity. What a favoured people we are
that we should live in such a day as this. that we should have
the gospel of the grace of God, that we should hear these things,
or that we might be those who would heed these warnings. How the Lord himself in the course
of his ministry time and time again speaks so plainly of these
things. Look at the language that we
find there in the 13th chapter. Verse 28, there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and yourselves
thrust out. He's speaking, of course, to
those Jews. Oh, but what of us? Are we those who will be thrust
out in that day? And so we come, you see, here
finally to what he says with regards to the dry tree. This is the important thing.
If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the
dry? It's a figure. But what is the
point of the figure that the Lord is using here? Well, it's
a simple figure, really, if we think about the tree, if we think
about wood. Green wood doesn't burn well
at all. But dry wood, why? How quickly that will consume
away, how easily that burns. Now, the believer, the believer
is likened to a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." That's the believer. He's like a tree, living. A green tree. Now if that is
true of the believer, How much more is that true of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Remember what we've seen in the
chapter how that this is that man who is innocent, and three
times is the human judge pronounces his innocence. There is no cause
of death in him. He is the green tree that is
being spoken of here in verse 31. If they do these things in
a green tree, in a sense we can say that that's one of the names
that are given to the Lord Jesus Christ. What names? A multitude
of names given to the Savior throughout the Scriptures. And
amongst them is that green tree. And though we see Him, you see,
as a man, Oh, he's very much that man of sorrows. He himself knew what it was to
weep. Why, we see him at the grave of his friend Lazarus.
Jesus wept. Oh, Jesus wept. Real tears. He was about to raise Lazarus
again from the dead, but oh, the Lord, he's moved. Touched
you, sir. touched with the feeling of our
infirmities who in the days of his flesh when he'd offered up
prayer and supplication with strong crying and tears unto
him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that
he feared although he were a son yet learned the obedience by
the things that he suffered what a man is this, he's a man of
such feelings, deep feelings the Lord Jesus Christ is a real
man or is a man of deep compassion are we those who desire to be
like him grieving over sin grieving over the consequences
of sin do we really want to be like the Lord Jesus Christ the
green truth bringing forth fruit in its season,
or by their fruit ye shall know, says the Lord. Here we see, you see the flame
of God's wrath and that wrath is lighting upon an innocent
man on the green tree and he's consumed
by it. Oh, he's consumed here by the
wrath of God. why it's the fulfillment of the
burnt sacrifice in the Old Testament in the book of Leviticus all
of the sacrifice consumed on the brazen altar and this is
the Lord Jesus the green tree well think friends what's in
store for the guilty if they do these things in a
green tree what shall be done in the dry? well we need to flee
from the wrath to come and we must flee to the Lord Jesus Christ
himself to be those who would be looking on to him or looking
on to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross or we endured the cross
despising the shame and he sat down at the right hand of God
this is the one This is the one that we have to look to. Again,
think of those words that we sang just now in the hymn. You know, There's a sermon sometimes in
a few lines of some of the hymns that we sing. I wonder if we
realize that. One tries to preach these things
and then one turns to some of the poetry, and I'm not putting
the book, the hymn book, on the same level as scripture, but
when one thinks of some of those lines in that hymn of Heart 746,
how he seems so enabled to say so much in just
a few words. Teach us by thy patient spirit
how to mourn and not despair. That's what we need to do, to
mourn. To mourn over the Lord Jesus Christ in a spiritual sense,
not despairing. Let us, leaning on thy merit,
wrestle hard with God's in prayer, or that our coming to God's Word,
our considering God's Word might move us to that to be a praying
people. We hear the Word and we need
to pray over the Word. That the good things that we
find here in Holy Scripture might have their accomplishment and
their fulfillment in all of our souls. That we might know that
we are such as have an interest in what is recorded here concerning
Christ and all His sufferings, that all that He endured, all
that He suffered was for you, was for me. Oh, the Lord grants
that it might be so. Amen.