GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LAMENTATIONS 3:28-30
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28 Let him sit alone and be silent
since the LORD has laid this on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust.
Perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him have his fill of injuries.
Here the second cross, the cross of Christ’s suffering, is so clear, front and center, that we have to tear our eyes away from Golgotha just to consider the first cross. The Jews in their Babylonian exile had the burden of silence at times, especially those who were far away from any family, friends, or countrymen. Their crosses often involved physical abuse– verse 30 is proof of this. But there was still the hope of deliverance, and the greater hope of eternal life, through faith in their Savior and ours.
Under the second cross, the cross of Jesus, we see our Savior suffering once again: “Let him sit alone and be silent since the LORD has laid this on him” (verse 28). Here is Jesus before his accusers, as Mark reports: “Then the high priest stood before them and asked Jesus, ‘Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?’ But he was silent and did not respond” (Mark 14:60-61). There was nothing for Jesus to accomplish with any defense. He had come into the world to lay down his life for his sheep (John 10:15), and therefore any real defense he put forward could only get in the way of his mission and his role as our Savior. Isaiah foresaw: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
Our prophet says: “Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him have his fill of injuries” (verse 30). Micah prophesied, “They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod,” and this is what happened as he was tried. In the home of Caiaphas, “They spat in his face. They hit him and some slapped him. They said, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you?’” (Matthew 26:67-68). And in the Praetorium next to the temple courts, the Roman garrison “spat on him and took the reed and hit him on the head” (Matthew 27:30). And before these things, the night before, in the house of Annas the former high priest, “One of the officials struck him in the face” (John 18:22). Let no one ever say that he did not receive punishment for our sins– and these examples are minor things, incidental when held up against the flogging he received from the Roman whip and the crucifixion itself. “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). And again: “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
We might clear something up here. Regarding Christ being slapped at the home of Annas, there are some Church fathers who claim or speculate that this man who hit Jesus was none other than Malchus, the man whose ear had been sliced off by Peter’s wild blow and who had been healed by Jesus (Luke 22:50). The speculation is that “he wanted to ingratiate himself while at the same time casting off any suspicion that was inclined to be kindly disposed towards Christ for doing this kind deed for him,” and this is why he hit Jesus who answered Annas’ questions by saying “Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said” (John 18:21). Since Malchus had indeed heard Jesus, at least in the Garden, he might have been afraid that his master would turn on him and accuse him of being a secret follower of Jesus. However, all of this is based on an assumption that cannot be proven, namely, that the unnamed man who struck Jesus in the house of Annas was the same man who had been healed by Jesus less than an hour before. The Gospel is clear and glorious without this additional idea.
Let us turn to the third cross, the cross of our own troubles and suffering. There can be silence and suffering in our lives every day as we are pummeled by the devil’s attacks. Seemingly minor things can mount up into a ruined afternoon or a ruined day, but pray that the Holy Spirit would not let things grow worse than that. “Perhaps there is still hope” (verse 29) is best seen from a “glass half full” point of view. Consider how blessed we are as God’s creation to exist at all in his glorious world. Think of the love God has for us, which is genuine affection and kindness (Romans 2:4; Titus 3:4). He has such love for his people, a love that God has and gives simply because he is our loving God. It truly is as simple as that. It is a wonderful thing that God created us to populate his world. It is only by his mercy that we exist. Consider his terrible wrath over sin and idolatry. “Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols” (Hosea 10:6); “On account of your idols I will send you into exile beyond Damascus” (Amos 5:26); and “I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile” says the Lord (Nahum 1:14). But he is merciful with us even though we sin and sin again. “It is the goodness of the Lord not only that we still are, but also that we are at all!” (Hoenecke, Lutheran Dogmatics II:146).
Praise God for his love and mercy. Praise him even for the cross you bear, for it turns your attention to his cross and to his love and mercy, and it is only through his compassionate love and mercy that we have life– life here below for a day, and life hereafter for all eternity.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Archives at St Paul’s Lutheran Church https://splnewulm.org/daily-devotions/ and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: www.wlchapel.org/connect-grow/ministries/adults/daily-devotions/gwfy-archive/2025
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Lamentations 3:28-30 Let him offer his cheek