He Who Cares, Cries

“And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Lu 8:8 AV)

I don’t know exactly why this struck me this morning.  It’s not like this is the first or only time the Bible tells us that God cries out.  The word here means to declare rather loudly and obviously as a signal or warning.  Like a rooster that can be heard for quite a distance declaring the rising of the sun, to cry out here means to call out at the top of one’s voice.  I don’t know if I expected a more measured action by the Son of God, or if it is the object of His calling that strikes me as odd.  They were deaf to the truth of the Messiah.  Perhaps that is why He cried out.  Like I wrote above, this is not the first time.  Proverbs chapter eight tells us the wisdom of God cries out.  Mostly to an obstinate crowd.  Ya think God does not care?  He shouts as loud as He can in a voice that can be heard by faith to repent of sin.  He calls out the souls of the human race to trust Jesus.  He cries out to the wayward saint in a voice of concern and passion.  God does care and His elevated voice is proof of that love.

For a King to raise His voice is quite extraordinary.  For the King to raise His voice, the circumstances must be quite severe.  It is not normal for a King to raise His voice.  The authority of His position should suffice.  So, for a King to cry out, He either feels He is in danger or someone else stands at the precipice of complete and horrible destruction.  The book of Proverbs tells us the individual who does not control their spirit and emotions is like a city without walls.  No protection, no significant direction, no real identity.  A city without walks is subject to whatever influences it.  The man who controls his spirit is a man who can determine the course of his life.  This is why a king remains in a state of self-control.  It is stately to remain temperate in all things.  A measured response is always the right response.  Many wars are lost because the leader could not control himself.  Many nations come to ruins because its leaders are self-indulgent or simply undisciplined.  To rule well, one must rule one’s self first.  So, to see the Son of God cry out can only mean one thing.  The emotional reaction to the parable He just spoke about is measured and appropriate.

What I see is a God who cannot, nor will, restrain His love and concern for the sinner.  Jesus could have simply spoken the word to the congregation and left it at that.  He could have instructed them in the prudence of applying the word of God and moved on.  Jesus could have expounded on their pending doom and simply traveled to His next speaking engagement.  But He loved those to whom He was sent to cry out.  He pled with the multitude.  He warned them with passion and conviction.  He cried out to hear the word of God because it is the whole point and end of life.  Their soul lies in jeopardy and if they do not heed the word of God, they will share eternal damnation with the devil and his angels.  No wonder Jesus cried out.  He put aside the decorum of a King and at that moment; he shared the vulnerable side of His love.  Will they not hear?  Will they not consider?  Their eternal soul lays in the balance.  Will they not believe?  The crying out of the Savior of the world is His heart heard from the mountain top.  This crying out is the Savior’s compassion coming through loud and clear.  This crying out is the deep sorrow over the loss of even one soul.  This crying out is not limited to the congregation assembled at the time.  This crying out is for you.  It is for me!