Do Not Weep for Him, Luke 23:27-28
There were women in the crowd who fell in step behind Simon of Cyrene, who was walking behind Jesus, carrying his cross. Jesus turned to the women in the crowd and told them not to weep for him, but to weep for themselves and their children. Women and children were among the oppressed of the society of that time. We, too, are to weep for the oppressed of our society. Women and children remain overly represented in that category. We are to weep for the poor and the oppressed as if we were weeping for Jesus, for he relates to them and walks among them. We are to weep for the oppressed and for those who, in their ignorance and arrogance, oppress them. Jesus brings grace and mercy into the picture, even though the world seems to cultivate oppression. Weep, says Jesus, for your children are being born into such a world. Weep and live grace and mercy into the world. The condemned Jesus knows the plight of the oppressed. He calls us to kinship with the oppressed.
Daughters of Jerusalem, Weep
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep.
Weep not for me,
But for yourselves and your children;
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep.
Weep for yourselves,
For the sources of your tears.
Weep for your children,
For their fate in coming years.
Weep for yourselves,
Your destruction and disgrace.
Weep for your children,
From their fate you’ll turn your face.
Sing your lament; sing your sorrow and oppression.
Sing your lament; sing abuse and its frustration.
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep. I know your tears.
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep.
Let us feel kinship with the oppressed of the world.
Let us work for mercy and grace.
A word about the series
The Lenten season has always inspired many people to create everything from poems, art and music to a completely new direction in their lives. This Lenten season Tabernacle will be exploring many of those creations in the hope of inspiring you to compose in a medium that is natural for you. The paintings in the Sanctuary are of the Biblical Stations of the Cross. The artist, Grieg Leach, completed them in 2010. They will help us to visualize the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus. In addition to the paintings there is a Lenten devotional booklet, Return to Me, which is available in print or online. The Stations of the Cross also inspired these devotions, written by Terry York of Baylor University. Living with these two bodies of artistic expression based on the Biblical Stations of the Cross throughout the season of Lent should help us as we seek to return our lives to God by walking with Jesus though his final days.
Pray, read, think and return to God.
All scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible.
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