Lamentations 1:12–The Cross Neglected Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Jeremiah has been styled “the weeping prophet” and in this chapter we may see why. He is lamenting the state of his own people, especially the city of Jerusalem. The biblical history tells us that there was a downward spiral after the death of the godly king Josiah until some twenty years later the city, under siege, was captured by the Babylonians. In the Book of Jeremiah the prophet gave the people warning: in the Book of Lamentations he is mourning. Jerusalem, once so great, is now afflicted by famine and death. Jeremiah declares the reason: “Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed” (v.8). How we need such faithful men today, when our own nation is in danger! Ministers who will sound the alarm to a disobedient people, make known the causes of our decline and the consequences that will surely follow if we do not repent. Preachers who will plead with God to remember mercy in the midst of wrath. In this chapter we note a remarkable thing. Jerusalem is personalised or given the character of an individual. The city becomes a suffering widow woman. So we may certainly understand our text as Jerusalem complaining of her grief as she experiences God’s judgments. Oh that our own land would at least acknowledge that her present ills have to do with her wilful provocation of the Lord! But there is another sense to our text. There is a deeper meaning. It is one we discover in many portions of the Old Testament. Here we meet the Messiah. Jesus explained to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Messiah was bound to suffer cruel crucifixion and death because the Scriptures foretold it. “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Jeremiah was one of those prophets in whom the Spirit of Christ “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1Pet.1:11). These words then may be understood as Christ lamenting His own sufferings: He was crucified at Jerusalem; His sorrows were indeed unique; and His affliction was primarily at the hand of God. It was definitely the most important event in all human history. Yet how do men react to it? They pass it by. They ignore, reject and despise the cross. This was literally true at Calvary. It is true today when the preaching of Christ crucified is scorned and the gospel set at nought. Why, oh why, do men pass by the cross? We may give three common reasons. The first reason that men neglect the cross is that they will not submit to any authority beyond themselves. Sin has made us self-centred in our thinking and living. Does not pride fill our hearts? We imagine that wisdom begins and ends with us, that we are the best judges of what is right and true, that we always know best. We hate to be told that we are wrong and that we need to think again. This is exactly how it is with the sinner and God. When it comes to the great questions of life, death and eternity we are wholly dependent upon another authority. We cannot discover the answers by ourselves. God has spoken and we must listen. We must humble ourselves and put aside our own knowledge, for Scripture says “receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jam.1:21). Otherwise we will be guilty of despising Christ crucified, the power and wisdom of God. The second reason that men neglect the cross is that they regard this life as more important than the next. This is so very common today. We have such freedom, wealth and opportunity to pursue every interest and indulge every desire known to us. We tend to live as though our lives will last forever. We give material and temporal things more importance than spiritual and eternal things. We should remember that “here have we no continuing city” (Heb.13:14). God has given to each man a conscience, and deep down we all know that this life is not all that there is. Yet we try to shut out the thought of a day of judgment and instead we spend our brief span of years seeking to satisfy our senses rather than save our souls: “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die” (1Cor.15:32). This is to pass by the cross and to enter into a lost and undone eternity. The final reason that men neglect the cross is that they never see the exceeding sinfulness of sin. This is the great problem. Sin is dismissed as a light thing, a failing which a little remorse or a few good works will fix. Friend, if this is your thought then you need to think again. Do you wish to know how a holy God regards sin? You may go to His law. There all manner of sin is forbidden and punishment is threatened against the transgressor. Or you may look into hell. There the divine wrath is visited upon unrepentant sinners. But there is another place you should see. You should also study Calvary. You may have passed it by many times. You may have missed its message. It too shows us what sin deserves and its lessons are more instructive than any other. Here is a man suffering uniquely: “see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.” Here is a man punished uniquely: “wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.” Surely sin must be a serious matter! But there is far more to Calvary than this. What shall we say when we learn that “this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41)? that Jesus Christ was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb.7:26)? With the word of God to guide us we can say only one thing. We say: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1Pet.3:18). And by faith we go as sinners to this Saviour, turning from our sins and placing all our hope for eternity upon Him. May the Lord make you pause in your present path and consider carefully. May He direct your gaze to the cross. By the grace of God may Christ crucified not be nothing but everything to you.