Who Shall Be Able to Stand?
Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which 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 in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” (Luke 23: 26-31)
The multitude witnessing a wounded Jesus, mourned and lamented Him. Yet the Lord, one more time, amazes us with His prophetic words:
“Do not weep for me, but for yourselves and for your children”. God’s judgment was imminent over the people of Israel. Years later, what Jesus was experiencing would seem easier to bear compared to the suffering of the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. The women would desire to be barren, to avoid seeing their children being slain by soldiers.
Then, the Lord points them further into the future, “They will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”, and to the hills, “Cover us!” The Lord is citing here Hosea 10: 8, referring to the day of wrath that will come over the earth, prophesied in Revelation 6: 12-17:
“At the opening of the sixth seal, a great earthquake will sake the foundations of our planet; the sun will become black, and the moon red, and the stars of heaven will fall unto the earth. The heaven will disappear as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island will be moved out of their places. Then, the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, will hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and they will say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great Day of His wrath will come, and who shall be able to stand?”
Jesus was not focused on His suffering. At that very moment, when He was about to be slain; to hang on that cross and die in the most cruel, painful way, He was thinking about you and me. He died, so we could live. He bore our sins so we could be forgiven. He stood between God and us, and took all the blame and shame in our place, so that we may be able to stand before Him at His second coming. So, how your story will end? Will you be one of those who will be by Jesus’ side at His return, or of those who will have to bear the full force of His wrath? Will you be able to stand in Christ’s presence?
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24: 30)
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