What does Luke 23:28 mean?

Roman soldiers are marching Jesus to the cross. Simon of Cyrene is carrying the crossbeam. A "great multitude of the people" are following the spectacle. And in the crowd, women are mourning and lamenting (Luke 23:26–27).

Scripture offers no precise details about who these women are. They might be Jesus' supporters, including His mother, aunt, and Mary Magdalene. That seems unlikely considering the quietness these women embody during and after the crucifixion (John 19:25–27; Luke 23:49, 55–56). Perhaps they are women from Jerusalem who had come to believe in Him during His stay the prior week (Luke 19:47–48).

Some have suggested the women are professional mourners—though there is no hint as to who would have hired them or why. This was an expected part of funeral rites in that era. The mourners don't have to be sincere. Those who came to Jairus's home when his daughter died quickly switched from wailing to laughing at Jesus (Luke 8:52–53). Jesus' response supports this. He warns them that things are going to get worse, as if to say their insincere cries today will turn to terror in the future.

He tells them to weep for themselves and their children, not for Him. He is beaten and bloody—so weak He apparently can't carry the beam for the cross. He is about to die a humiliating, torturous death. But they need to focus on their own futures. Before long, they will wish they were barren and dead. Today, they have the freedom to mockingly mourn the death of a man the Romans condemned to die. Soon, they will be the victims (Luke 23:29–31).

Note that "daughters of Jerusalem" doesn't necessarily mean they are from Jerusalem. The term could be another way of calling them Jewish.