04/09/2026- “And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” Luke 23:27 // Spurgeon’s one sentence summary takeaway: “In nothing behind the holy women in debt, let me not behind them in gratitude or sorrow.”
“Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to his doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations–fit music to accompany that march of woe. When my soul can, in imagination, see the Saviour bearing his cross to Calvary, she joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief–cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought. They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted, love bleeding, meekness about to die; but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn. My sins were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders, and crowned with thorn those bleeding brows: my sins cried “Crucify him! crucify him!” and laid the cross upon his gracious shoulders. His being led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity: but my having been his murderer, is more, infinitely more, grief than one poor fountain of tears can express.
Why those women loved and wept it were not hard to guess: but they could not have had greater reasons for love and grief than my heart has. Nain’s widow saw her son restored–but I myself have been raised to newness of life. Peter’s wife’s mother was cured of the fever–but I of the greater plague of sin. Out of Magdalene seven devils were cast–but a whole legion out of me. Mary and Martha were favoured with visits–but he dwells with me. His mother bare his body–but he is formed in me the hope of glory. In nothing behind the holy women in debt, let me not be behind them in gratitude or sorrow.”
“Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears his feet I’ll lave–
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for him who died to save.”
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Soli Deo Gloria!
Comment:
At our Saturday past men’s prayer breakfast, a brother brought up a comment that I resonate with, thinking back to my youth: “Why do we call it “Good Friday”. It was good for us but not for Jesus.” So, in his kingdom, no more wailing in sorrow, but here still in this world, we wail on Good Friday. And on other days as the Holy Spirit leads us.
I wail still in prayer for brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria, suffering to point of martyrdom for our Savior! Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson had a so called expert guest named “Amesterdam” that maintained it all was fake news, that it is not christian persecution, but a case of tribal warfare, unrelated to religious faith. Tucker just replied: “I don’t know, but I believe you.” The Christian organizations across Africa have reported this for years. Amsterdam in fact works for a notorious Nigerian muslim government official. As a young Dad friend of ours conveyed: “We are standing on our faith; for that is all we have right now!”
Just FYI going forward: I just recently broke habit and just attached the link, so both morning and evening devotions can be read. The reason I don’t by habit or today, is that if someone goes back years from now and clicks on the post, it will not represent the actual post for that day in the calendar year.