Luke 19:41-44 New International Version (NIV)
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Big Idea: Jesus is saddened by the rejection of truth
Jerusalem had the opportunity to witness the coming of the Messiah, God incarnate, Jesus Christ. But the city of Jerusalem rejected Jesus because He wasn’t what they wanted Him to be. Jerusalem, as a city, rejected their only hope of peace.
But this passage isn’t about Jerusalem. It is about Jesus. Our tender hearted savior did not get angry at their foolish cruelty. Rather he wept over it. This city, these people were making a choice that would condemn them all. They authored their own downfall and Jesus loved them anyway.
Application: Worldliness hardens our hearts. When confronted with sin and the rejection of God, are you angry or is your heart still soft enough to feel sorrow? Be quick to hear and slow to anger today. If you want to be Christ in someone’s life today, be willing to cry for them, rather than annoyed. Because while we were still the enemies of God, Christ died for us.
