Speaking to Women
Notes
Transcript
We’re on our journey to the cross. The road from Gethsemane to Golgotha has been one of prayer, betrayal, a sword cutting off an ear, arrests, a got-away leaving his outer garment, abandonment, denials, the mocking of Jesus, three trials, a flogging, and last week we began the journey of actually carrying the cross with Simon of Cyrene compelled to carry it for Jesus.
We’re on our way to the place where Jesus will be nailed to the cross and lifted up for display to all.
In the scene we have in our scripture this morning we see a “great multitude following him” and the first question that arises is who is this multitude?
Remember it’s the time of Passover, the temple is in Jerusalem, so many are no doubt people who have come to Jerusalem for the Passover. We also know there was a crowd of people at the trial before Pilate in his third trial, stirred up by the religious leaders (chief priests and rulers). A few verses earlier they were yelling, “crucify”, as Pilate was seeking to release him. The Gospel of Matthew reports that a riot was beginning as the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
Washing his hands Pilate said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And the people answered, “his blood be on us and on our children!”
Clearly they don’t understand the implications of what they’re saying.
As we’re traveling along, within this multitude there are a group of women.
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of WOMEN WHO WERE MOURNING AND LAMENTING FOR HIM.
Jesus turns to them.
Before I talk about the passage specifically I do think it’s important to note who Jesus “sees”.
In our culture today it is a common phrase to say, “I see you.” Politicians say it. People in minority groups will plead, “See me”. People in racial minorities, in the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, etc.
Does God see you?
If you’re reading through the Gospels I encourage you to watch for the people Jesus sees: The tax collector, the women, the diseased, the outcast, the lame, the blind, the mourning, the weak… The list goes on.
Does God see you?
“God is like Jesus.
God has always been like Jesus.
There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus.
We have not always known what God is like—
But now we do.”
Brian Zahnd
Our call is to be more like Jesus. Who do you see? Who do you avoid seeing? That’s exactly what the religious people of the day did. Do you see the person pan handling in the street? Standing on the freeway exit? Sleeping in the doorway of a shop on the street?
Think about who you see and who you avoid seeing.
We walk past people daily and as soon as we make eye contact we look away. What if instead we smiled and gave a nod silently saying, “I see you.”
As we continue in our journey Jesus has seen the women, and they are mourning and lamenting for him. v. 28:
But …
There it is again, that contrarian word. This little conjunction negates everything that came before.
Yes, Jesus has been betrayed, left alone, mocked, suffered a flogging, and is now on the way to the cross and the crowd is jeering him and there’s a group of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. And now Luke is going to negate all of that with what comes next…
But…
But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
Wait a minute Jesus, you’re the one who’s suffering. You’re the one on your way to certain death. You’re the one who is being humiliated here. You’re the one bleeding. And Jesus says, “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children”?
Why?
Jesus goes on -
For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Okay, Luke, what the heck are you saying? This seems so cryptic. It feels like something from the book of Revelation. Clearly there is symbolism here. So what does it mean?
First there’s a prophecy: “The days are coming…”
For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’
Why would someone who has had no children consider themselves blessed? The only reason might be because they wouldn’t have to see them suffer. The lament that follows is an echo of the prophet Hosea when he predicts God’s wrath in the final judgment.
You see Jesus knows whats coming. These women are caught up in the moment. They don’t like what they’re seeing, and they don’t know what they will see. It would be 40 years laters that the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans in August of AD 70.
It also points to the time of the final judgment. Jesus throughout his ministry spoke of a time coming when judgment would come to Israel and to the world.
That moment has yet to come and we still know will come.
Jesus knew exactly what his journey to the cross, and what the cross would represent not only for the Jews, but for all of us.
This journey to the cross is not only Jesus journey, it is our journey.
Our journey to the cross is partially recognizing the invitation throughout the Gospels to see ourselves as the characters that are there. To recognize we are no different than any of them.
We too are the pharisees and elders - as the religious people of our day.
We too are the lame - limping along in our daily life often no recognizing our need for healing.
We too are the blind and deaf - not seeing or hearing the truth from Jesus.
We too are the social outcast - the leper, the samaritan, the lost - perhaps feeling left out and despised, and Jesus sees us
We too are the women - often not seen by the culture but fully seen and heard by Jesus.
We too are the dead that Jesus raises to life.
As I read our passage I think perhaps the greatest lesson in the midst of all of this is who Jesus sees.Psychologists tell us we need to feel seen, valued, and understood.
Jesus sees you
Jesus sees you
Jesus sees us, Jesus invites us, Jesus opens the way for us.
Jesus demonstrates God’s love for us, and invites us to join him in loving others.
Again, how many people do we walk by daily and not see. I know I’m guilty of this. My nephew asked me if I remembered a friend of his, of course I said, “yes.” Then he added, he works at Costco in Bonney Lake and sees you all the time, but doesn’t think you remember him. Now I’m looking for him.
But what about those people we may not see -
I already mentioned the homeless, individuals with disabilities, the people standing on the end of the freeway, etc. Do we acknowledge them?
What about the person you adamantly disagree with, or that person you just can’t stand. How do you acknowledge, and even love them in the midst of those disagreements or negative feelings?
Jesus example as always raises the bar exceedingly high, and he invites us to be like him.
I’ve shared it before but its worth repeating when I experienced genuine “seeing” at an AA meeting. A few rows ahead of me sat a man sort of disheveled would be a polite way of putting it. His clothes were worn and in multiple layers perhaps revealing he might be homeless. His hair and beard looked like they’d not seen a comb for days. He was not clean and sat there in sort of a heap, his head down and eyes seemingly focused on the floor. I only noticed him because there was no one sitting with him. He sat alone and didn’t seem to want to be seen by anyone as I was at the very back of the room, and he was only a few rows ahead of me.
As I sat scribbling notes for my class that had assigned us to attend such a meeting, another man entered. He could not have been further from the man I just described. He wore a brown three piece suit. He wore gold cufflinks to fasten his sleeves, his hair was curly, but very neat. His shoes, highly polished. One would have expected him to find someone like him to sit with, but instead he lit up when he saw the disheveled man I just described. He walked quickly to where the disheveled man and they greeted one another warmly. Almost immediately the well dressed man offered the other a cigarette which was gladly accepted and then signaled for one more, which he tucked carefully in his pocket.
Producing a lighter brown suit man lit both cigarettes and they carried on for the 10 minutes before the meeting began. There was no judgement, no condemnation, there was laughter, and at times intense conversation. Clearly these two knew each other. Whats more, they cared for one another.
When I think of being seen I often think of these two.
Who are you not seeing? Jesus sees you. Who are you seeing as Jesus sees?
The reality is if we’re not seeing, we’re not loving. If we’re not loving how can they know us by our love? How are you shining the light of Christ if you are not seeing?
Let us go forth and see!
