Passion: The Weeping Daughters of Jerusalem

The Lord had spoken in His Word about a mourning people. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). This world is a valley of tears. We see the widow of Nain on the way to the grave to bring her only son. She weeps. There is weeping because of grief and sorrow of heart.

On the way to Golgotha we also see weeping women. Not only Jesus’ enemies surrounded Him, but there were also others who were moved with compassion. They saw Jesus suffering and how He nearly perished under the heavy burden laid upon Him. They probably knew that He went round about the country, healing those who were oppressed by the devil, and that He had performed many miracles. Now they saw this Benefactor on the way to the cross. They feel there is injustice in this punishment. It is not right that He has to suffer so heavily. Finally there seemed to be some support for the Lord Jesus. The disciples had caused Him sorrow. They slept in Gethsemane. They denied Him and left Him. Now these women wept. The original word means to raise an outcry, to weep loudly. They were deeply touched and showed their sympathy with the suffering Man of Sorrows. They showed compassion.

We would say that this must have been balm in Jesus’ wounds. But no, we read that Jesus said, “Weep not for Me, but for yourselves.” We see here tears which He rejects. He is not pleased with this kind of weeping. In fact, it was a temptation for Him. If He could be lead to self-pity, Satan would have the victory, for a person with self-pity resists the leading of God and disagrees with Him. There was a temptation in the weeping of these women. There was a protest against His suffering. Although these women felt pity and compassion and felt hurt that this Man was treated so cruelly, though they were offended by all those rough dealings, and they showed their soft heart, yet they did not weep rightly. They wept because of what others did to Jesus, but they did not weep because of their own sins.

They had an affected heart, but not a broken and a contrite heart. In fact, they were stumbling blocks on His way. So was Peter when he said, “Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee” (Matt. 16:22b). These women also did not agree with this way. We can see the sin and guilt of others, while we are blind for our own corrupt heart. We can shed tears like Esau and Orpah did, while yet our enmity has not been broken, so that we still say with Pilate, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). In this weeping there was no self-abasement, self-humiliation, or repentance, although they were moved or touched by seeing this suffering. How many might also have been touched when they heard about the suffering of the Mediator, when they heard about His pain, His grief, and about the cruel treatments and dealings with this great Prophet? Oh, how we are inclined to make a foundation and ground of such feelings and of our tears! We would rather wash ourselves in our tears than in the blood of Christ.

These women, instead of complaining about human injustice, should have seen that it was above all the hand of God’s justice because of the sins of His people. We can have pity and sorrow. We can weep like these women, but then our tears are tears of enmity and rejection. We read of the rich young man that he left Jesus and was very sorrowful, for he was rich. Such tears do not fall in God’s bottle, but are shed because of the consequences of sin. There may be tears of impressions and convictions, but, friends, we need more than this. We need a broken and a contrite heart. We need first to weep for ourselves. They are the tears which He desires. Stony-hearted hearers may be deeply touched. Temporary faith may show great emotion, and there may be joy or sorrow.

Augustine, while still an idolater, an unbeliever, sometimes heard Ambrose. He said he was often greatly affected when hearing him, even unto tears. It was not because of the heavy nature of the subject, but because of the abilities of the speaker. Our heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Therefore it is so dangerous to rest upon the tears which we shed because of our emotions, we being stirred, even by the message of the gospel. We need to become the cause of His suffering ourself. We need to see that the chastisement of our peace is upon Him. He was bruised for our iniquities. We need to weep for ourselves. We read in the Word of God, “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for His only Son” (Zech. 12:10). When the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, they see their dangerous and sad condition — the separation between God and their soul, their guilt and what they have done against God. The Lord works godly sorrow. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10).

What a difference between the tears of these women and the tears of such an awakened and discovered soul! This is a weeping because there is life. The Lord has given a new heart “A new heart also will I give you” (Ezek. 36:26). Because of that light we see the darkness in our understanding. We see the corruption of our will and our rebellion. We see the wickedness in our affection. We see that we are evil, born in sin. Since we love God, we weep because we are missing Him. We have offended Him. We have grieved Him. We love His people, His day, His ordinances, and we weep when they are persecuted and when they suffer. We love our neighbor, not only our spouse and children, but also others. We weep because of their unconverted state. We love God’s church and are sad when there is decay — when there is darkness spread upon it and when there are divisions among those who love God. We mourn as Jeremiah because of the ruins of Jerusalem. We weep especially when we see that our sins have caused Christ to suffer. We see Him bowed down under the wrath of God because of our sins.

We weep because we hope. Those who are not strangers of the opening of the gospel and have God’s precious promises spoken to their soul hope in Him, in Christ, and in His work. Yet they weep when He is hidden and when He does not speak to the soul for a long time. They mourn because they hope for the extension of God’s kingdom among heathen and Jews, and they weep when there is so little fruit. They weep, for they see themselves becoming more and more sinful. They become greater sinners while committing less sin. They hope to enter into His glory, but the journey is so difficult and long for them, and they weep. They weep when they see their unfaithfulness, their denying of Him, their giving of reasons to the enemies to blaspheme God’s Name. They mourn because of their barrenness.

Peter left the hall of Caiphas weeping bitterly. David mourned because of his sin. He knew what it was to have a broken and a contrite heart. Such a mourning such a weeping He desires. “Weep for yourselves.” We see that we have put those nails through His hands and feet, we have filled that cup. We have put that crown of thorns on His head. We see that we have denied and left Him days without number. We see that we have brought all that suffering upon Him. “Weep not for Me, weep for yourselves.”

We need to weep for ourselves.

The Lord also says in Isaiah 66:2, “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, that trembleth at My word.” For such weeping ones there is hope —for such ones who weep because they learn to know themselves as corrupt trees which bear no good fruits. They see that the axe is laid at the root of the tree. Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. They are but dry trees worthy to be cast into the fire of God’s wrath, but here is the Lamb of God. Here is the Green Tree, the Savior, who will be burned in the wrath of God. For Him there was no hiding place. He was bruised for our iniquities. Then they may by the eye of faith behold Him, the Lamb of God. Then they hear, “I for you. I have given My body to the death of the cross. I shed My blood for you.” They may see that He was bound that we might be free from our sins. He suffered innumerable reproaches that we might never be confounded. He was innocently condemned that we might be acquitted.

He was nailed on the cross. He fixed thereon the handwriting of our sins. He has taken the curse due to us that He might fill us with His blessings. He was forsaken of God. Here is complete salvation for lost sinners. It is not because of their weeping, also not their weeping for themselves — even if they have mourned here because of their barrenness and unfruitfulness. It is only because of this perfect Mediator who stood in their place and descended into the darkness so that it might be light for them! Their tears may be wiped away. If that may be seen, we may behold the Lamb of God with other tears — tears of joy, of adoration, of humility. Then we may behold the King in His beauty. Then we do not view Him as a martyr, as a poor victim, but we may behold Him as the Greater Judah who has said, “I will be surety for him, of my hand shalt thou require him” (Gen. 43:9).

Dear friends, do we know something of this weeping because of what we did? Did we ever become the cause of this suffering? Did we ever see that we, like Barabbas, are sentenced to death and deserve this? Oh, blessed are they who have learned to know that there is no other Name, no other way, no other hope, than this Lamb of God, and may have beheld Him with the eye of faith, as the Man of Sorrows! Then their sorrow will be turned into joy, and they will say, “I will praise Thee, for Thou hast heard me, and become my salvation” (Psa. 118:21). The days of their mourning will be ended when they will behold Him at the right hand of the Father. Then they will begin to be merry.

Oh, in these passion weeks, may the Lord work in our hearts a godly sorrow, weeping for ourselves and fleeing unto Him. Losing our life outside of Him, may we find everything in Him alone. One day they will profess His goodness in the midst of the great congregation, and may humbly praise Him.

Rev. C. Vogelaar is pastor of the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Church of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

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