Luke 19:41-44

Luke 19:41-44

And as He approached, after seeing the city, He wept upon it, saying, “If you knew in this day also the things to peace!  But now it was being hidden from your eyes.  Since days will come upon you, your enemies will throw up a rampart to you, they will encircle you, they will grasp you from all direction, they will raze you and your children in you, they will not send away a stone upon a stone in you – against which you did not know the time of your inspection.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As Jesus looks to Jerusalem, He mourns.  This is an element to maturity that I personally haven’t understood until recently.  When I was younger, it was easy to feel anger against enemies.  As I got older, some of that anger was replaced with disappointed understanding.  Still older and more anger was replaced by genuine sorrow for the state of sinfulness in the world at all.  But only recently have I truly been able to put aside the anger and simply feel sorrow for my enemies.  I respect Jesus for knowing what is coming yet still being able to mourn for Jerusalem and its leaders.

Are you able to mourn your enemies without feeling anger towards them?  What truly makes that possible in your life?

Second Thought:

What is it that Jesus mourns?  He mourns that they do not know the ways of peace.  They don’t know God’s ways.  They don’t know love and forgiveness.  They don’t know relationship.  They don’t kindness.  They don’t know acceptance towards the foreigner.  Perhaps worse, not only don’t they know; they aren’t going to know, either.  Their choice to oppose and condemn Jesus will blind them from future growth.

Have you ever been blind to the ways of peace?  What is able to enter your life and blind you to the ways of peace?

Third Thought:

Jesus gives a prediction.  Jerusalem will be surrounded, thrown down, and pulled apart.  This is a pretty consistent teaching of Jesus.  Those who use the sword will die by the sword.  The people who reject Jesus will themselves be rejected.  We know this happens.  The Romans do come and overthrow Jerusalem.  But the spiritual ramifications of this teaching should stay with us.  When we find ourselves on the wrong side of Jesus, we can expect the world to pull us apart.  When that happens, if we have rejected Jesus, who will be there to put us back together?

When have your actions led to negative consequences?  What can our moments of such failure teach us about our need for God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 19:45-48