Luke 23: 26 – 31 The Way of the Cross

Luke 23: 26 – 31 The Way of the Cross

As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed.


In my Bible this only has a small resemblance to The Way of the Cross as most Catholics know it – that is the thirteen meditations found around the walls of a church depicting the passion and death of Christ. Luke emphasizes two events in particular of that difficult, agonizing journey – Simon of Cyrene being made to carry the cross and Jesus’ meeting with the “daughters of Jerusalem”. In the first case the drafting of Simon seems pretty straightforward. The soldiers, now firmly in charge, do not want to be robbed of their spectacle. If Jesus expires before they can crucify him they and the throngs of bystanders will be sorely disappointed. In the second case, the result is less clear. Women are weeping for Jesus along the route. Jesus tells them not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. It seems like a dire warning. I’m sure that down through the ages various anti-Semitic groups have used this passage as an excuse to persecute Jews. What can Jesus mean? It is true that his ordeal is almost ended and his reward is at hand while theirs is not. Is it as simple as that? Or is Jesus commenting on the plight of any group that lacks power - as the women and children of the times seem to do – living with the consequences of “the deciders” in this case the men? I have to admit I am grasping at straws. Turns out that God will not protect us from the consequences of our own bad decisions. We have only to look around us to see that playing out all around us in the environment, in our economy, in our culture. I am decidedly feeling gloomy today on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. What do you think?