Luk 23:32 | KingComments | STEP | After this sham trial, with only a cry of distress instead of righteousness and bloodshed instead of justice ( ), the Lord is “like a lamb that is led to slaughter“ ( ). He has suffered so much from all the abuse that His strength has been weakened in the way ( ). Again it turns out that He is truly Man. However, the Jews do not want Him to die ahead of time (nor is it God’s will). That’s why they seize a man, a certain Simon of Cyrene. He just comes from the country. He will have looked strong and healthy. They place the cross of Christ on him to carry it behind Him. He is like the angel who has strengthened the Lord in Gethsemane ( ). Simon must not have been aware of the great honor that has fallen to him at the moment. Later he will have understood and appreciated it. What he does is what we as disciples of the Lord should do. The Lord has said that we should take up the cross of reproach daily ( ). That means that we do not live for this life, but live for heaven, while on earth we have nothing to expect but death and on the way the scorn of the people. It becomes quite a procession. A great mass of the people follows the Lord. There are also women. Empathetic as women in general are, they see that He suffers very much and feel sorry for Him. They are mourning and lamenting about Him. Then the Savior stands still. He turns around and addresses Himself to the women. For the first time after a long time we hear something coming out of His mouth again. What we hear makes it clear that He still thinks of the well-being of those who belong to Jerusalem. It must have been dead quiet for a moment, there in that street of Jerusalem. He is always Lord of the situation, even when He is seemingly the plaything of the feelings of hatred of His people and their leaders. Then His impressive words sound, words that are meant to bring them to the right insight into the situation in which they find themselves. People who can’t keep their eyes dry because they are emotionally affected by so much suffering are people who don’t have an eye for their own needs. The Savior does not seek such compassion. He warns the women about the coming judgment. God’s righteous wrath will erupt over this greatest of all injustice ever done on earth. But also hear the Savior’s grace. He seeks tears of sincere remorse about sins, not tears as a result of an emotional touch. He seeks sorrow that leads to repentance ( ), not sorrow that gives the human feeling a certain satisfaction. He calls on the women to cry about themselves and their children. He wants them to understand the malicious crime of which they are guilty. The Son of God is about to be murdered, proving man’s supreme wickedness. There is no greater wickedness imaginable than the rejection of the Son of God Who, in love and grace, showed on earth Who God is. The Lord predicts that there will be days when they will wish to be childless. What will come on them and their children is terrible. The enemy will come to destroy Jerusalem and their children in them. They will wish they had never given birth to children when they experience how these children die in judgment. That judgment is imminent. The enemy, the Romans, who will destroy Jerusalem in the year 70, will rage fiercely and with unimaginable hardness. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will ask the mountains and hills to fall on them and cover them ( ), so that the enemy can no longer inflict his cruelty on them. The reason for these horrors is what they are doing to the green tree at this moment. The green tree symbolizes the Lord Jesus ( ; cf. ). In Him is life and His life is all fruit for God. They reject Him. If they reject Him, what will happen to the dry tree? The dry tree is a tree without life. It is Judaism without God, without fruit for Him. This dry wood will be burned in the fire of God’s judgment. With Him, two criminals are led away to be killed just like Him. They are mentioned to indicate how much He is seen as a criminal. Of Him is spoken ill as if He were a criminal (cf. ) and thus He is condemned, while no evil deed of Him can be mentioned ( ). He is the One Who truly and only did good deeds. This is how He went through the land ( ).

‏ Luke 23:32

On the Way to Golgotha

After this sham trial, with only a cry of distress instead of righteousness and bloodshed instead of justice (Isa 5:7b), the Lord is “like a lamb that is led to slaughter“ (Isa 53:7). He has suffered so much from all the abuse that His strength has been weakened in the way (Psa 102:23a). Again it turns out that He is truly Man.

However, the Jews do not want Him to die ahead of time (nor is it God’s will). That’s why they seize a man, a certain Simon of Cyrene. He just comes from the country. He will have looked strong and healthy. They place the cross of Christ on him to carry it behind Him. He is like the angel who has strengthened the Lord in Gethsemane (Lk 22:43).

Simon must not have been aware of the great honor that has fallen to him at the moment. Later he will have understood and appreciated it. What he does is what we as disciples of the Lord should do. The Lord has said that we should take up the cross of reproach daily (Lk 9:23). That means that we do not live for this life, but live for heaven, while on earth we have nothing to expect but death and on the way the scorn of the people.

It becomes quite a procession. A great mass of the people follows the Lord. There are also women. Empathetic as women in general are, they see that He suffers very much and feel sorry for Him. They are mourning and lamenting about Him. Then the Savior stands still. He turns around and addresses Himself to the women.

For the first time after a long time we hear something coming out of His mouth again. What we hear makes it clear that He still thinks of the well-being of those who belong to Jerusalem. It must have been dead quiet for a moment, there in that street of Jerusalem. He is always Lord of the situation, even when He is seemingly the plaything of the feelings of hatred of His people and their leaders.

Then His impressive words sound, words that are meant to bring them to the right insight into the situation in which they find themselves. People who can’t keep their eyes dry because they are emotionally affected by so much suffering are people who don’t have an eye for their own needs. The Savior does not seek such compassion.

He warns the women about the coming judgment. God’s righteous wrath will erupt over this greatest of all injustice ever done on earth. But also hear the Savior’s grace. He seeks tears of sincere remorse about sins, not tears as a result of an emotional touch. He seeks sorrow that leads to repentance (2Cor 7:10), not sorrow that gives the human feeling a certain satisfaction.

He calls on the women to cry about themselves and their children. He wants them to understand the malicious crime of which they are guilty. The Son of God is about to be murdered, proving man’s supreme wickedness. There is no greater wickedness imaginable than the rejection of the Son of God Who, in love and grace, showed on earth Who God is.

The Lord predicts that there will be days when they will wish to be childless. What will come on them and their children is terrible. The enemy will come to destroy Jerusalem and their children in them. They will wish they had never given birth to children when they experience how these children die in judgment. That judgment is imminent. The enemy, the Romans, who will destroy Jerusalem in the year 70, will rage fiercely and with unimaginable hardness. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will ask the mountains and hills to fall on them and cover them (Rev 6:16), so that the enemy can no longer inflict his cruelty on them.

The reason for these horrors is what they are doing to the green tree at this moment. The green tree symbolizes the Lord Jesus (Psa 1:3 ; Psa 52:8; cf. Psa 102:24a). In Him is life and His life is all fruit for God. They reject Him. If they reject Him, what will happen to the dry tree? The dry tree is a tree without life. It is Judaism without God, without fruit for Him. This dry wood will be burned in the fire of God’s judgment.

With Him, two criminals are led away to be killed just like Him. They are mentioned to indicate how much He is seen as a criminal. Of Him is spoken ill as if He were a criminal (cf. 1Pet 3:16) and thus He is condemned, while no evil deed of Him can be mentioned (1Pet 4:15). He is the One Who truly and only did good deeds. This is how He went through the land (Acts 10:38).