John Calvin Commentary Luke 23:28

"But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." — Luke 23:28 (ASV)

Weep not. Some have thought that the women are reproved because they foolishly and inconsiderately poured out tears to no purpose. On the contrary, Christ does not simply reprove them, as if they were weeping improperly and without cause, but warns them that there will be far greater reason for weeping on account of the dreadful judgment of God that hangs over them; as if he had said that his death was not the end, but the beginning, of evils for Jerusalem and for the whole nation; and in this way he intimates that he was not abandoned to the wickedness of man so completely as to cease being the object of Divine care. For, from the punishment that immediately followed, it was clear that the life of Christ was dear to God the Father, at the time when everyone imagined that he had been completely forsaken and cast off.

These words indeed plainly show with what exalted fortitude Christ was endowed; for he could not have spoken in this way if he had not advanced to death with a steady and firm step. But the principal object is to show that, under this humble and repulsive appearance, he is still under the eye of God, and that wicked men, who now proudly triumph as if they had obtained a victory, will not long enjoy their foolish joy, for it will quickly be followed by an astonishing change.

This doctrine is useful to us even now, as we learn that Christ was no less dear to his Father, even though for a moment he was deprived of his Father's aid. We also learn that God set so high a value on our salvation that he did not even spare his only-begotten Son. God gave a remarkable proof of this when he razed to the foundation and destroyed, along with its inhabitants, the Holy City, in which he had chosen his only sanctuary. Let us learn from this to rise to meditate on the cause of Christ's death; for since God avenged it with such severity, he would never have permitted his Son to endure it, unless he had intended that it should be an expiation for the sins of the world.