April 28, 2022
“When He approached the Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42
Only here in the Gospel of Luke does it record that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem and their lost state. In Matthew 23:37 and here in Luke chapter 13 verse 34 we learn that He grieved over the city, but only this verse records Him weeping. The timing of His weeping may seem strange given that in just a few hours he would be entering the city with massive crowds hailing Him. But what this reveals is the utter superficiality of the hearts of the people. The mood of Christ here is anything but triumphant or giddy. He knew that this very same crowd would soon be demanding His death.
When I read this passage, I am always deeply convicted over my own concern, or lack thereof for the lost of my own city. How often do we pause in our busy lives to consider that most of the people we interact with on a daily basis are just like the people of Jerusalem two-thousand years ago, in that they are lost? They are lost and headed straight to an eternity in hell. Like our Savior we should be deeply grieved by this, and that grief should drive us to the action of boldly and compassionately proclaiming the truth of the gospel.