TUESDAY
In the second part of the Triumphal Entry narrative in Luke, we come to Jesus’ reaction as he rides into Jerusalem. The way he responds is rather surprising, given the picture Luke has thus far painted. Jesus is the humble king riding into his kingdom on a donkey instead of a war horse. He is greeted by the people with joyous praise. The people are rolling out the red carpet for him and waving palm branches in the air. One would expect Jesus to react with joy or be pleased in some respect. Instead, he weeps.
Luke 19:41–48 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.”
Jesus weeps at what should be a joyous occasion. Why does he weep? “For the days will come,” in verse 43, implies a future judgment of God. Jesus foresees what will happen in AD 70 when Rome will march on Jerusalem, lay siege to the city and ultimately decimate it, destroying the temple. Since that day, almost two thousand years ago, the temple has never been rebuilt.
The reason for this judgment, Jesus indicates, is their rejection of him. As we saw yesterday, there were differing reactions to Jesus, the king. The leaders of Jerusalem rejected him and turned him over to the Romans to be executed. In verse 42, Jesus is essentially saying, “If you only knew that accepting me would bring peace.”
Acceptance of Jesus is the only path to peace with God. Then, in the literal sense for Jerusalem, they could have been spared the judgment to come if they had only accepted Jesus. Today, in the spiritual sense, we can be spared the eschatological judgment of God if we believe in Jesus as our king.
This text has two primary applications:
- Rejection of Jesus results in judgment. Because of our sin, we are all under the wrath of God. Belief in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross which atones for our sins is the only way to escape the final judgment. God has mercifully provided a way of salvation for us in Jesus. It is a free gift that we must believe and trust in to be saved.
- Our reaction to those who reject Jesus should be the same as Jesus’. He weeps for them. Jesus weeps for the very people who will soon turn him over to be crucified. Their rejection meant his suffering and death. When people reject Jesus in our time, it comes at a far less personal cost to us, yet our response is often less compassionate. Instead of weeping for the lost, we fight a culture war with them. Instead of weeping for the lost, we get annoyed at their brokenness. Instead of weeping for the lost, we pridefully attempt to prove ourselves right with no regard for their persuasion. To weep for the lost, we must understand the horrible plight of God’s judgment. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31) The potentiality of this judgment should lead us to, first, weep for the lost and, second, share the good news of Jesus with them.
Reflection
If you don’t currently believe in Jesus, I invite you to put your faith in him for your salvation to escape the judgement to come. It’s no small thing to be at odds with God. But God has graciously provided a way of salvation. When we believe that Jesus has taken our sin upon himself on the cross. When we pledge our loyalty to him as our Messiah and King, we enter into right relationship with God. This is a free gift of grace that we need only to accept.
If you’re a believer in Jesus, reflect on your heart towards the lost, even the religious lost. Can you weep for them like Jesus? Pray for God to give you a heart of compassion.