For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
Fainting beneath the cross on the way to Calvary, Jesus answered the wailing women with tender compassion and told them to weep not for Him but for themselves and for their children. The green tree is Himself, the innocent Redeemer full of life, and the dry tree is the guilty, impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren like dry wood fit for burning. If God permitted His wrath for the sins of the world to fall on the innocent by death through crucifixion, far greater misery, judgment and condemnation will come on the guilty who slight the mercy purchased by His death. It points first to the destruction of Jerusalem, when those then weeping would perish with their children in the siege under the doom invoked in crying for His blood, and beyond it to the wider condemnation of all the impenitent at the coming of the Son of man, which Jerusalem's destruction foreshadows. In another sense it warns that if such cruel killing is done to Him who is innocent, still worse will be done to His followers who bear testimony that He came from God, when they are hated, betrayed and put to death for His name.
Words and Setting
On the way from the judgment-hall to Calvary a vast multitude that had flocked to the crucifixion followed Jesus after the news of His condemnation had spread throughout Jerusalem among people of all classes and ranks, and because the priests and rulers were bound by promise not to molest His followers if He Himself were delivered to them, disciples and believers from the city and the surrounding region joined the throng, including the weeping daughters of Jerusalem who were undesignedly in the procession and were moved by human pity. He was then bearing the cross prepared for Barabbas, laid upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders, too weak to carry it after taking neither food nor drink since the Passover supper, agonizing in Gethsemane, enduring betrayal and the desertion of the disciples, being taken to Annas then to Caiaphas then to Pilate then to Herod then again to Pilate, and suffering insult upon insult and mockery upon mockery through the night without failing. After the second scourging and the crown of cruel thorns that pierced His temples and left traces of blood upon His face, with a purple robe and a reed put upon Him in mockery, human nature could bear no more and He fell fainting beneath the burden while the crowd that followed showed no compassion but taunted Him. His own nation was clamoring for His blood, forcing the Roman governor to carry out the will of the priests and rulers, choosing the murderous Barabbas in His place and lifting Him up to die as a malefactor.
He answered the wailing women with tender compassion and did not despise their sympathy, telling them to weep not for Him but for themselves and for their children. Those women were not believers in Him as one sent from God and did not lament Him as such, but were moved by human pity at His suffering. The green tree is Jesus Himself, the innocent Redeemer, full of life, their divine Lord, God in human flesh whose glory was so completely veiled by humanity that even His disciples struggled to believe in Him. He had no friend to defend Him except the admission of His innocence by the heathen Pilate. The dry tree is the guilty, the impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren and lifeless like dry wood fit for burning, who slight the mercies of God purchased by the death of His Son.
In another sense taught by some, the dry tree is those who bear testimony that He came from God and was God in human flesh.
Warning and Fulfillment
The saying reasons from the lesser to the greater: if God permitted His wrath for the sins of the world to fall upon the innocent Redeemer in death by crucifixion, far greater suffering, misery, judgment and condemnation will come upon the guilty who reject the mercy purchased by that death. The green is the innocent One full of life, the dry is the impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren and lifeless like dry wood fit for burning, who slight the mercies of God purchased by the death of His Son. It pointed first to the destruction of Jerusalem, for from the scene before Him He looked forward to the time when many of those then weeping for Him would perish with their children in the siege under the doom blindly invoked in crying for His blood to be upon them and their children. Beyond Jerusalem it points to a wider judgment at the end of the world, when all the impenitent will suffer condemnation for their sins at the coming of the Son of man attended not by a murderous mob but by the mighty hosts of God, of which Jerusalem's destruction is the foreshadowing.
It was also spoken beforehand to His disciples about what He must suffer at the hands of wicked men, warning that if such cruel acts and killing are done to Him who is innocent and full of life like a green tree, still worse will be done to His followers who bear testimony that He came from God. The green tree is their divine Lord Himself, God in human flesh, whose glory was so veiled by humanity that even His disciples struggled to believe, who had no friend to defend Him except the heathen Pilate's admission of His innocence. The dry tree in this sense is those who witness for Him, and the guilty and lifeless like dry wood, who will be brought before councils and rulers, betrayed by family, hated and even put to death for His name. This belongs to the time when Satan's agencies have their last chance to display their true character before the world, angels and humanity.
The disciples remembered this warning after His death, and His suffering in rejection, condemnation and crucifixion made the warning vivid to them. Lonely and sick at heart because their hope that He would redeem Israel had perished, they applied it to themselves, believing their beloved Teacher's fate might at any time become theirs at the hands of the same powers. So in grief, trouble, loss and fear of being seized and killed they met together in the upper chamber with doors closed and fastened, their faith tried and their hope and courage failing. This was the time when the Bridegroom was taken away and they had cause to mourn and fast, as He who bore their hopes of eternal life descended into the depths of humiliation into the hands of wicked men. Their grief kept them from seeing the hope of His resurrection already close beside them, even while the warning that if such suffering comes while the tree is green, still full of life, far worse will come when it is dry, belonged to their sense of trouble and loss.
His agony and sacrifice on the way to the cross and at the crucifixion show that giving up all for Him is not too great a cost, and His suffering is the measure by which self-denial is seen. His bearing of the cruel cross to Calvary is the basis for the appeal not to burden others with what God would release them from.
Fainting beneath the cross on the way to Calvary, Jesus answered the wailing women with tender compassion and told them to weep not for Him but for themselves and for their children. The green tree is Himself, the innocent Redeemer full of life, and the dry tree is the guilty, impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren like dry wood fit for burning. If God permitted His wrath for the sins of the world to fall on the innocent by death through crucifixion, far greater misery, judgment and condemnation will come on the guilty who slight the mercy purchased by His death. It points first to the destruction of Jerusalem, when those then weeping would perish with their children in the siege under the doom invoked in crying for His blood, and beyond it to the wider condemnation of all the impenitent at the coming of the Son of man, which Jerusalem's destruction foreshadows. In another sense it warns that if such cruel killing is done to Him who is innocent, still worse will be done to His followers who bear testimony that He came from God, when they are hated, betrayed and put to death for His name.
Words and Setting
On the way from the judgment-hall to Calvary a vast multitude that had flocked to the crucifixion followed Jesus after the news of His condemnation had spread throughout Jerusalem among people of all classes and ranks, and because the priests and rulers were bound by promise not to molest His followers if He Himself were delivered to them, disciples and believers from the city and the surrounding region joined the throng, including the weeping daughters of Jerusalem who were undesignedly in the procession and were moved by human pity. He was then bearing the cross prepared for Barabbas, laid upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders, too weak to carry it after taking neither food nor drink since the Passover supper, agonizing in Gethsemane, enduring betrayal and the desertion of the disciples, being taken to Annas then to Caiaphas then to Pilate then to Herod then again to Pilate, and suffering insult upon insult and mockery upon mockery through the night without failing. After the second scourging and the crown of cruel thorns that pierced His temples and left traces of blood upon His face, with a purple robe and a reed put upon Him in mockery, human nature could bear no more and He fell fainting beneath the burden while the crowd that followed showed no compassion but taunted Him. His own nation was clamoring for His blood, forcing the Roman governor to carry out the will of the priests and rulers, choosing the murderous Barabbas in His place and lifting Him up to die as a malefactor.
He answered the wailing women with tender compassion and did not despise their sympathy, telling them to weep not for Him but for themselves and for their children. Those women were not believers in Him as one sent from God and did not lament Him as such, but were moved by human pity at His suffering. The green tree is Jesus Himself, the innocent Redeemer, full of life, their divine Lord, God in human flesh whose glory was so completely veiled by humanity that even His disciples struggled to believe in Him. He had no friend to defend Him except the admission of His innocence by the heathen Pilate. The dry tree is the guilty, the impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren and lifeless like dry wood fit for burning, who slight the mercies of God purchased by the death of His Son.
In another sense taught by some, the dry tree is those who bear testimony that He came from God and was God in human flesh.
Warning and Fulfillment
The saying reasons from the lesser to the greater: if God permitted His wrath for the sins of the world to fall upon the innocent Redeemer in death by crucifixion, far greater suffering, misery, judgment and condemnation will come upon the guilty who reject the mercy purchased by that death. The green is the innocent One full of life, the dry is the impenitent and unbelieving, spiritually barren and lifeless like dry wood fit for burning, who slight the mercies of God purchased by the death of His Son. It pointed first to the destruction of Jerusalem, for from the scene before Him He looked forward to the time when many of those then weeping for Him would perish with their children in the siege under the doom blindly invoked in crying for His blood to be upon them and their children. Beyond Jerusalem it points to a wider judgment at the end of the world, when all the impenitent will suffer condemnation for their sins at the coming of the Son of man attended not by a murderous mob but by the mighty hosts of God, of which Jerusalem's destruction is the foreshadowing.
It was also spoken beforehand to His disciples about what He must suffer at the hands of wicked men, warning that if such cruel acts and killing are done to Him who is innocent and full of life like a green tree, still worse will be done to His followers who bear testimony that He came from God. The green tree is their divine Lord Himself, God in human flesh, whose glory was so veiled by humanity that even His disciples struggled to believe, who had no friend to defend Him except the heathen Pilate's admission of His innocence. The dry tree in this sense is those who witness for Him, and the guilty and lifeless like dry wood, who will be brought before councils and rulers, betrayed by family, hated and even put to death for His name. This belongs to the time when Satan's agencies have their last chance to display their true character before the world, angels and humanity.
The disciples remembered this warning after His death, and His suffering in rejection, condemnation and crucifixion made the warning vivid to them. Lonely and sick at heart because their hope that He would redeem Israel had perished, they applied it to themselves, believing their beloved Teacher's fate might at any time become theirs at the hands of the same powers. So in grief, trouble, loss and fear of being seized and killed they met together in the upper chamber with doors closed and fastened, their faith tried and their hope and courage failing. This was the time when the Bridegroom was taken away and they had cause to mourn and fast, as He who bore their hopes of eternal life descended into the depths of humiliation into the hands of wicked men. Their grief kept them from seeing the hope of His resurrection already close beside them, even while the warning that if such suffering comes while the tree is green, still full of life, far worse will come when it is dry, belonged to their sense of trouble and loss.
His agony and sacrifice on the way to the cross and at the crucifixion show that giving up all for Him is not too great a cost, and His suffering is the measure by which self-denial is seen. His bearing of the cruel cross to Calvary is the basis for the appeal not to burden others with what God would release them from.