lamented

June 1, 2019

Jesus wept over the city (Lk 19:41-19:41)

“As Jesus came near

He saw the city.

He wept over it.”

 

Καὶ ὡς ἤγγισεν, ἰδὼν τὴν πόλιν ἔκλαυσεν ἐπ’ αὐτήν,

 

Luke uniquely said that as Jesus came near (Καὶ ὡς ἤγγισεν) to Jerusalem, he saw the city (ἰδὼν τὴν πόλιν) and wept over it (ἔκλαυσεν ἐπ’ αὐτήν).  However, this was the second time that he lamented about the situation in Jerusalem as he had earlier in chapter 13:33-34 about Jerusalem killing its prophets.  Jesus sadly entered the city after the rousing entrance in the preceding verses.  He was acutely aware of the sufferings and problems to come for himself, the city, and its people.  Have you ever wept over a city?

July 17, 2018

Peter remembers Jesus’ words (Mt 26:74-26:75)

“At that moment,

The cock crowed.

Then Peter remembered

What Jesus had said.

‘Before the cock crows,

You will deny me

Three times.’

He went out.

He wept bitterly.”

 

καὶ εὐθὺς ἀλέκτωρ ἐφώνησεν.

καὶ ἐμνήσθη ὁ Πέτρος τοῦ ῥήματος Ἰησοῦ εἰρηκότος ὅτι Πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με· καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἔξω ἔκλαυσεν πικρῶς

 

This is almost word for word in Mark, chapter 14:72, except that Mark has the cock crowing twice instead of once.  In Luke, chapter 22:60-62, not only does the cock crow, but Peter sees Jesus look at him to remind him of his failures.  John, chapter 18:27, has only the simple remark that the cock crowed when Peter denied Jesus the 3rd time, without Peter weeping.  Matthew recounts that at that moment when the rooster cock crowed (καὶ εὐθὺς ἀλέκτωρ ἐφώνησεν), Peter remembered what Jesus had said (καὶ ἐμνήσθη ὁ Πέτρος τοῦ ῥήματος Ἰησοῦ εἰρηκότος).  Before the cock or the rooster crowed (ὅτι Πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι), he would deny, disown, or repudiate Jesus 3 times (τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με).  Thus, Peter went out and wept or lamented bitterly (καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἔξω ἔκλαυσεν πικρῶς).  The early followers of Jesus, the primitive Christian community, were in shambles.  Both Peter and Judas, two of the 12 leaders, had betrayed Jesus, while Jesus himself was about to be led off to death.

November 22, 2017

Wailing for the countryside of Judah (Mic 1:8-1:9)

“I will lament!

I will wail!

I will go barefoot!

I will go naked!

I will make lamentations

Like the jackals!

I will mourn

Like the ostriches!

Her wound is incurable.

It has come to Judah.

It has reached

To the gate

Of my people,

To Jerusalem.”

Next Micah lamented and wailed about the countryside around Jerusalem.  Micah was going to go barefooted and naked in his lamentation, just like the jackals or the ostriches that put their head in the sand.  This was an incurable wound to Judah that had reached the gates of Jerusalem, the holy people.

May 27, 2017

The mourning lamentation for Tyre (Ezek 27:30-27:32)

“All these seamen

Wail aloud

Over you.

They cry bitterly.

They cast dust

On their heads.

They wallow

In ashes.

They make themselves

Bald

For you.

They put on

Sackcloth.

They weep

Over you,

In bitterness of soul,

With bitter mourning.

In their wailing,

They raise

A lamentation

For you.

They lament

Over you.

‘Who was ever destroyed

Like Tyre

In the midst

Of the sea?’”

All these seamen onlookers lamented and mourned for Tyre. They wailed loudly and cried bitterly over Tyre. In typical mourning fashion, they put dust on their heads and wallowed in ashes. They made themselves bald and put on sackcloth. They wept with a bitterness of soul in their mourning. They lamented over Tyre. They wondered if anyone had ever been destroyed on the high seas like Tyre.

February 19, 2017

The unclean Jerusalem (Lam 1:9-1:9)

Tet

“Her uncleanness was

In her skirts.

She took no thought

Of her future.

Her downfall was

Appalling.

She had no one

To comfort her.

‘O Yahweh!

Look

At my affliction!

The enemy

Has triumphed!’”

Jerusalem’s skirts were unclean. She never thought about her future. Her downfall was appalling. No one was there to comfort her. Then suddenly, Jerusalem begins to speak or address Yahweh. Jerusalem wanted Yahweh to look at her affliction and what the enemy had done to her. Instead of lamenting about Jerusalem, Jerusalem now lamented about itself. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Tet. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.

November 18, 2016

Another personal lament of Jeremiah (Jer 17:14-17:18)

“Heal me!

Yahweh!

Then I shall be healed.

Save me!

Then I shall be saved.

You are my praise!

See how they say to me.

‘Where is the word of Yahweh?

Let it come!’

I have not run away

From being a shepherd

In your service.

I have not desired

The fatal day.

You know

What came from my lips.

It was before your face.

Do not become a terror to me!

You are my refuge

In the day of disaster.

Let my persecutors be shamed!

But do not let me be shamed!

Let them be dismayed!

But do not let me be dismayed!

Bring on them

The day of disaster!

Destroy them

With a double destruction!”

Jeremiah lamented about the fatal day of destruction. He wanted to be healed and saved by Yahweh because he praised him. He was taunted by others for his connection to Yahweh. However, he had not run away from being a shepherd or leader in the service of Yahweh. He had not desired this fatal day of destruction. Yahweh knew what he had said in front of him. He did not want Yahweh to scare him on this future fatal day. Instead, he wanted his persecutors to be ashamed and dismayed, but not him. He wanted to bring on this fatal day to them with a double dose of destruction.

 

May 9, 2015

Funeral of Judas Maccabeus (1 Macc 9:19-9:22)

“Then Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judas and buried him in the tomb of their ancestors at Modein. They wept for him. All Israel made great lamentation for him. They mourned many days and said.

‘How the mighty have fallen,

The savior of Israel!’

Now the rest of the acts of Judas, his wars, the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness have not been recorded, but they were very many.”

The 2 brothers of Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan and Simon took his body and buried him in the tomb of their father at Modein. They wept for their brother, while all of Israel lamented and mourned. This Israelite lamentation is almost the same as when David found out about the death of King Saul in 2 Samuel, chapter 1. On the other hand the phrase about the life of Judas “How the mighty have fallen” is reminiscent of the style of 1 Kings, chapter 11, which began with the death of King Solomon. Everything was written in the acts or annals of the individual kings. However, Judas was not king. Besides, his acts were too many to be written down in one place.

 

 

 

March 19, 2015

The Israelites pray to God to surrender (Jdt 7:23-7:29)

“Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children, gathered around Uzziah and the rulers of the town. They cried out with a loud voice. They said before all the elders.

‘Let God judge between you and us!

You have done us a great injury,

In not making peace with the Assyrians.

Now we have no one to help us.

God has sold us into their hands,

To be strewn before them in thirst and exhaustion.

Now summon them!

Surrender the whole city as booty,

To the army of General Holofernes and to all his forces.

It would be better for us to be captured by them.

We shall indeed become slaves,

But our lives will be spared.

We shall not witness our little ones dying before our eyes,

Our wives and children drawing their last breath.

We call to witness against you heaven and earth,

Our God, the Lord of our ancestors,

He punishes us for our sins,

And the sins of our ancestors.

Do today the things that we have described!’

Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly. They cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice.”

The Israelites wanted to surrender and live as slaves. They cried out to God in front of all the leaders. They were blaming the leaders for not making peace with the Assyrians. They felt that God had sold them out by letting them die of thirst. They would rather be living slaves, giving up their belongings than watch their children die of thirst with their last breath. They realized that they were being punished for their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They wanted the leaders to surrender so that they could live. They lamented all that had happened. They cried to God with a loud noise.