March 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Luke 23:27–31

Devotional

There is a significant difference between the multitudes and the daughters of Jerusalem that Jesus speaks of as recorded in Luke 23. The multitudes cried, “Crucify Him.” But these women cried in sorrow. They felt sorry for the Lord Jesus and they must have thought about all the good works He had done. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. With tears of compassion they followed Him to mourn for Him.

These tears may have been refreshing for the suffering Christ to see. His own disciples left Him and denied that they even knew Him. They did not outwardly show compassion for their Surety but these women showed their feelings towards the Lord Jesus. It can be comforting to know that someone feels sorry for you. According to His human nature, Christ might feel likewise.

And yet the tears of these women did not originate from heaven. It was Satan who caused them to weep. The tempter desires Jesus to feel sorry for Himself. If Christ joins in with this weeping, then He will mourn for Himself. He would be suggesting that God was showing injustice to Him by causing Him to bear the curse of sin. Behind the women, we recognize Satan, who to the very end tries to undo the atoning work of the Savior. The devil is opposed to man’s salvation and to God’s honor.

In actuality, these women should mourn for themselves. They mourn for Christ without knowledge of themselves. Their tears come from blind eyes. It is wrong to mourn falsely about someone else, without realizing your own misery. The worst part here is that they were mourning for the Surety, who was made sin because of our own sin, and that this sin had never become their own personal guilt. They should weep, for they desperately need a Savior. They should not weep because He is going to die. Here man, in spite of all his tears, must still perish.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.