Lessons of the Passion.
We have in this passage two lessons before us.
I. The first is the right and wrong view of Christ's Passion: "Weep not over Me, weep for yourselves." These women were indulging the emotion, the sentiment, the luxury of weeping. They wept as all that is human in us does weep at the sight of pain, at the spectacle of sorrow, at the march of death. But their weeping was misapplied. As a merely natural expression of sorrow it was out of place. There was something in that spectacle above, beyond, and beside the mark of pity; there was something in that death which was in danger of being obscured and being lost sight of if it was wept over. If they could not see that death in a higher light than pity, they had better turn their weeping another way; they had better anticipate a terrific future which would claim a monopoly of tears for themselves and for their children. Now these things are our ensamples, they were written for our admonition. The Passion of our Lord is not in itself a thing for tears. He Himself, long centuries ago, went back into the heaven of His holiness and of His glory. To weep over Him, year after year, as these daughters of Jerusalem wept is too much or too little. He needs not, asks not, accepts not our compassion.
II. If these things are done in the green tree, what must happen to the dry? If He who knew no sin thus suffers, how much more the wicked and the sinner? The sufferings of Jesus Christ say to us, See what sin is, by seeing the Sinless suffer for it. If the green tree burned as it burned on Calvary, in misery, in anguish, in a hiding of God's countenance, and a very dying under that cloud if these things were done in the green tree how must it be in the dry? How shall he escape the conflagration who is as fuel ripe for it? How shall he escape the everlasting burnings who has here despised the riches of God's goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, and treasured up for himself wrath in a day of wrath?
C. J. Vaughan, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xv., p. 225.
References: Luke 23:29. J. Irons, Thursday Penny Pulpit,vol. xv., p. 29. Luke 23:31. Spurgeon, Morning by Morning,p. 99; D. Fraser, Metaphors of the Gospels,p. 370; Homilist,vol. vi., p. 415.Luke 23:33, Christian World Pulpit,vol. iv., p. 189; Ibid.,vol. xiv., p. 158; Ibid.,vol. xxiv. p. 300; Preacher's Monthly,vol. ii., p. 108; Ibid.,vol. vii., p. 266; Spurgeon, Morning by Morning,p. 101; F. W. Robertson, The Human Race and Other Sermons,p. 152; F. Temple, Rugby Sermons,1st series, p. 298.