by esther phinias | 2 September 2019 08:46 pm09
Shalom!
In Luke 23:27–29, the Bible says:
And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!
(Luke 23:27–29, NKJV)
Understanding the Context:
These were prophetic words Jesus spoke on His way to be crucified. A group of women followed Him, weeping in sorrow over the pain and injustice He was enduring. But Jesus, in His compassion and divine foresight, told them not to weep for Him — but for themselves and their children.
Why? Because Jesus foresaw the impending judgment and destruction that would soon fall upon Jerusalem. His words were not just emotional, but deeply prophetic.
The Prophecy Fulfilled in 70 A.D.:
Just 37 years later, in A.D. 70, the Roman army under General Titus besieged Jerusalem. The result was catastrophic: the city was starved, burned, and completely destroyed. Over 1.1 million Jews were slaughtered, including countless women and children. Josephus, a Jewish historian, described horrifying scenes of famine, cannibalism, and mass executions. In that chaos, mothers who had children witnessed unspeakable horrors. In such conditions, it truly seemed a blessing to have never given birth.
Jesus had earlier prophesied this destruction:
For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.
(Luke 19:43–44, NKJV)
This devastation was divine judgment because the nation of Israel rejected their Messiah. They did not recognize the time when God came to them in the person of Jesus Christ.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
(John 1:11, NKJV)
But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!
(John 19:15, NKJV)
Theological Insight: Judgment for Rejecting the Messiah
The destruction of Jerusalem was more than a historical tragedy — it was a judicial act of God upon a nation that had rejected its Savior. Jesus had longed to save them:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!
(Luke 13:34, NKJV)
Because of their stubbornness and rebellion, their house — the Temple and the city — was left desolate (Matthew 23:38). This is a sobering reminder that rejecting God’s grace has eternal consequences.
A Foreshadowing of the Great Tribulation:
Even more sobering is the fact that this judgment was a type or shadow of a much greater judgment to come upon the entire world — the Great Tribulation, spoken of by Jesus and the prophets.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
(Matthew 24:21, NKJV)
This coming tribulation will be God’s final outpouring of wrath on an unbelieving world — a time of intense suffering, famine, war, plagues, and divine judgment (see Revelation 6–18). It will be a time so dreadful that people will cry out for mountains to fall on them to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:15–17).
Just as the Jews of Jesus’ time rejected the Messiah, many today continue to harden their hearts against Christ. The result will be far worse than what happened in Jerusalem.
The Only Escape — Jesus Christ:
The only way to escape both the coming judgment and the eternal wrath of God is by turning to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. Jesus is not only the Judge — He is also the Savior who laid down His life for sinners.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12, NKJV)
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
(John 3:36, NKJV)
Before the Great Tribulation begins, Christ will return to rapture His Church — those who truly belong to Him:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout… And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, NKJV)
This is why Jesus’ warning remains urgent today. Now is not the time to delay or ignore your eternal destiny. The door of grace is still open — but it won’t remain open forever.
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
(2 Corinthians 6:2, NKJV)
Conclusion:
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the barren…”, He was not encouraging barrenness, but expressing the sheer terror of what was about to come. In times of divine judgment, the natural blessings of life — like having children — would turn into sorrow. That statement was both a historical warning and a spiritual wake-up call.
Let His words stir us to repentance and readiness. Will you be among those who meet the Lord in the air? Or among those who will face the wrath to come?
May the Lord bless you and give you wisdom to prepare your heart.
Shalom.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2019/09/02/what-did-jesus-mean-when-he-said-blessed-are-the-barren-the-wombs-that-never-bore-and-the-breasts-that-never-nursed/
Copyright ©2025 Wingu la Mashahidi unless otherwise noted.