“Today’s reading is one of the most touching and surprising moments in the Old Testament. Saul is dead. Jonathan is dead. And David weeps.
But here is what makes this scene powerful: Saul was David’s enemy. Saul hunted David. Saul wanted David killed. Saul made David’s life miserable for years.
Yet when David hears of Saul’s death, he does not rejoice. He does not say, “Finally! Justice!” He does not say, “Now I can rest.”
Instead, Scripture tells us: David tore his garments, mourned, wept, and fasted.
This is extraordinary. This is not normal human reaction. This is a holy reaction. And this is why this passage is very important for us today.
1. David refused to rejoice over the fall of his enemy
David could have celebrated. Many people would have. But David understood something very deep: Saul was still God’s anointed. Saul was still part of God’s story. Saul was still a life that mattered.
David did not see Saul only as “the one who hurt me.” He saw Saul as “the one whom God once chose.”
How often do we do the opposite?
When someone who hurt us falls…
when someone who opposed us fails…when someone we dislike suffers…something inside us quietly says, “He deserved that.” “That’s karma.”
David shows us a different heart. A heart that does not celebrate the humiliation of others. A heart that can grieve even for those who wounded him.
This is a very Christian heart. Because this is the heart of Jesus, who prayed on the cross: “Father, forgive them.”
2. David remembered the good, not the bad
Listen to David’s words: “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely… swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.”
This is amazing. David remembers Saul not for his jealousy, not for his cruelty, not for his madness — but for his greatness. David chose what to remember.
This is something we must learn. We often remember people by their worst moments. David remembered Saul by his best moments.
This is mercy. This is charity. This is spiritual maturity.
A small heart remembers offenses. A great heart remembers goodness.
3. David’s grief for Jonathan: the pain of losing someone you love
David’s lament for Jonathan is very personal: “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; very dear to me was your love.” Behind David the future king… is David the friend.
This reminds us: even the strongest leaders, even the holiest people, still feel deep human pain. Grief is not weakness. Weeping is not lack of faith.
David teaches us that it is holy to mourn. It is holy to feel. It is holy to love deeply. Because only those who love deeply can grieve deeply.
4. What does this teach us today?
This reading challenges us in three very concrete ways:
First: Do I secretly rejoice when someone I dislike fails?
Second: Do I remember people by their mistakes or by their goodness?
Third: Is my heart capable of compassion even toward those who hurt me?
If we are honest, this is very difficult. But this is exactly the kind of heart God wants to form in us.
A heart that does not take revenge. A heart that does not keep score. A heart that remains gentle even when wounded.
Final Thoughts
David, in this moment, already reflects the heart of Jesus.
Because Jesus did not rejoice over sinners. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Jesus died for those who crucified Him.
To be a true disciple is not just to pray, attend Mass, or know Scripture. It is to have this kind of heart.”