Knowing The Word in Luke 19:41-44

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

19:41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Comments

The pericope of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem is peculiar to Luke. Jesus, however, did not cry as we might think with a tear rolling down his check. He wailed and burst into loud sobbing. Jesus made a play on words. Jerusalem means “City of Peace,” not just any kind of peace but peace with God. Jesus envisioned the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. The city failed to see that God had visited it, and the people’s failure to find peace with Jesus meant their destruction was now unstoppable. Rejection of the Messiah meant rejection of the city by God. This was what brought tears to Jesus’ eyes.

Application

Have you considered that the Roman siege and plundering of Jerusalem in AD 70 was God’s judgment on the city—its leadership and people—for what they did to his Son? There is much to say about the purposes of Jerusalem in the purposes of God, but with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the purposes of Jerusalem came to an end, and God destroyed the city using the army of Rome.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, use us today for your purposes to love others by sharing the good news of Jesus in word and deed. Nudge me today to walk in the way of him who gave his life for us.