“As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’[b] 31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Luke 23.26-31
Much is happening in these six verses. A simple search returns paragraph after paragraph of commentary on their meaning and significance.
Jesus is carrying the cross to his own crucifixion. At some point the soldiers seize Simon of Cyrene—Cyrene was in what is now Libya, in North Africa—most likely a Jew of the diaspora visiting Jerusalem for the feast, and they put the cross on him. Luke is careful to say that Simon is made to carry it behind Jesus. That small word is an insight into discipleship: we too are called to take up our crosses and follow him. (An insight about Simon I had not seen before.)
A large crowd follows Jesus, including women who mourn and wail for him. That is why he says, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.” The Twelve are not with him on this road. The women remain. Jesus turns their lament into a warning of coming destruction. The fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70 would come about four decades later. The city’s life and worship would be shattered. He had already wept over Jerusalem for this. The warning is tied to the rejection of God’s Son as Messiah.
Six verses, and so much meaning, consequence, and a warning of judgment. The lesson is not complicated, but it is searching: follow Christ, or we walk toward our own ruin. Jesus went to the cross so that we might be saved, and salvation comes to those who believe in him. That invitation is held out to all. For those who have not yet heard, it is our responsibility to take the message of the cross to the world. As disciples of Christ, we take up our cross daily and follow him. Like Simon, we are asked to carry the burden of the cross—not so that we might save ourselves, but that we might imitate him, humble ourselves, and become like Jesus.
That is a lot. And it is heavy. But we find joy in the journey. I find it today in Colorado, in the fall, when the aspen trees change from green to yellow and orange. The leaves are beautiful and the colors so vibrant. In the same way, so is the life we have with God—abundant, brilliant life today, and incredible eternal life to come.
Let us live in the promise of Christ, take up our cross, and walk as he walked, so that the world might know and God might be glorified.
“O Lord God, you are good and faithful. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for saving humanity and for the opportunity we have to have life in you. Come now, Holy Spirit. I praise your name. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen.