Luke 23:29

My Notes

What Does Luke 23:29 Mean?

On the road to the cross, Jesus turns to the women mourning for Him and delivers one of His most startling prophecies: days are coming when women will say "blessed are the barren" — when not having children will be considered a mercy. In a culture where barrenness was the deepest shame, this is a terrifying reversal.

The prophecy points to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The suffering will be so severe that mothers will wish they'd never had children. The wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed will be envied by those who have to watch their children suffer through the siege.

Jesus is carrying His own cross while delivering this warning. He's on His way to die, and His concern isn't for Himself. It's for the women of Jerusalem and what's coming to their city. Even on the Via Dolorosa, He's still the prophet.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does Jesus' concern for others while carrying His own cross challenge your self-focus during suffering?
• 2.What does the reversal ('blessed are the barren') teach about how dramatically circumstances can change?
• 3.Does the historical fulfillment (70 AD) of this prophecy strengthen your trust in Jesus' other predictions?
• 4.When have you been so consumed by your own pain that you forgot to notice someone else's — and how does Jesus' example challenge that?

Devotional

"Blessed are the barren." Jesus says this while carrying His cross to Golgotha. And the women He's speaking to have no idea how true it will become.

In a culture where barrenness was shame — where a woman's value was measured by the children she bore — Jesus says a day is coming when the barren will be called blessed. When mothers will wish they'd never had children. When the worst thing you can imagine (having nothing to lose) becomes the best thing you can hope for.

This was fulfilled in 70 AD. The Roman siege of Jerusalem produced famine so severe that — according to the historian Josephus — a mother ate her own child. The suffering that fell on Jerusalem's families was so extreme that childlessness became a mercy. You can't watch your children starve if you don't have children.

Jesus is saying this on the way to die. With a cross on His back. Bleeding. Exhausted. And His concern is still for them. "Weep not for me," He says (verse 28). "Weep for yourselves, and for your children." He's the one dying, and He's still warning. Still prophesying. Still caring about the city that's killing Him.

The compassion of Christ on the Via Dolorosa is almost too much to take in. He's the victim, and He's counseling the bystanders. He's the one suffering, and He's warning about their suffering. Even while dying, He's still the Shepherd.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture