GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LAMENTATIONS 2:11-12
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11 My eyes are worn out from crying;
my guts churn;
my bile is poured out on the ground
because of the destruction of my dear people,
because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.
12 They cry to their mothers,
“Is there bread? Something to drink?”
as they faint here and there like wounded men
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out on their mothers’ bosom.
These two verses can be taken together since they both describe the condition of Judah’s infants and babies. The prophet vomits just thinking about what he has seen (literally, his liver “empties itself” onto the ground). His eyes hurt from crying so much. What has he seen? Babies fainting, passing out, from malnutrition, thirst, and hunger. Their little voices cry out for bread and “wine,” although we doubt whether a nursing infant would be given much wine. More likely it would be grape juice in the months when it was available (no juice was possible in March or April, since there was no refrigeration). The children were staggering like “wounded men” and fainting in the streets. The smaller little ones, the babies still nursing, died on their mothers’ breasts.
The consequences of unbelief, atheism, and open sinfulness do not just apply to the sinners themselves, but their families will be affected as well. For Judah, it meant this terrible scene of some of their children perishing in the streets. Not all; some children were carried away into exile. Those who did, survived. Jeremiah foresaw: “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands” (Jeremiah 42:11). And again: “If you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, then the sword you fear will overtake you in Egypt, the famine you dread will follow you there in Egypt, and you will die there” (Jeremiah 42:16).
There will be other passages in Lamentations about mothers, babies and children (4:4; 5:3) and some of them quite gruesome (2:20; 4:10) which we will try to handle as delicately as possible, but this is the time to go to Calvary to listen to a son speaking to his mother as he aches on account of his thirst. Here is where Jesus looked down and saw Mary with one of his disciples and said, “Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26). But he wasn’t talking about himself. We know this because he used exactly the same language and grammar to say to the disciple, “Here is your mother” (John 19:27). He was handing the care of his mother, especially her spiritual care, to his dear friend rather than to any of his brothers (his brothers did not believe in him until after his resurrection, John 7:5).
When we consider his crucifixion in its context, we have many things to ponder besides this little moment between mother and son. But consider it now, all by itself. We usually talk about the way Jesus saw to the needs of his mother at this point, but he also gave a gift to John. The mother of John and James was of course still living at this time. In fact, she was with them there at the cross, and she went with the other women to look after Jesus’ body after his burial (Matthew 27:56). But John received Mary into his home, and perhaps he took care of both of these women, since John’s brother James was soon to be an early martyr of the faith (Acts 12:2).
So as Jesus suffered, he still saw the pain of his mother and his friend, and knew the anguish of their souls (Psalm 31:7). He placed them together in a bond of faith and love, and in a loving companionship closer to the bonds we will share with everyone in heaven than any of the bonds we share on earth, including marriage. He united them in faith, so that they might look after one another.
Are we able to see to the spiritual needs of our families and friends even as we bear up under our crosses of troubles and pains? This is a prayer we should consider and work on: a prayer for strength to be helpful to the people who surround us, to always build up their faith and never do anything to damage it, whether through temper or words or sinful actions or sinful inactions. Consider this kind of payer, and put it into your own words, and into your own life and circumstance. The desire we have is to build one another up in love. As John said: “Love one another, for love comes from God” (1 John 4:7).
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Lamentations 2:11-12 Love comes from God