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Luke 19: 41-44 As Jesus drew near to the city of Jerusalem he wept over it saying "If you had known, even you,especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side and level you and your children to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
This event of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, shows us the compassionate side to Jesus nature. He knows full well what is her destiny, in the time after he will be put on trial and sentenced to death by the gentiles. Jesus is not only moving to the climactic point of his earthly ministry, he is a man riding to his death and knows this all too well. But that is not what Jesus is weeping about. He is weeping over the people not knowing the things which would bring them peace. He knows from what he said in Luke 21:22 that these are the days of vengeance. Gods judgement will soon come upon them to annialate the city and all who dwell in her. For when they reject Him as their King and deliver him up to the gentiles to put him to death,then their fate will be sealed. It is much like a man standing outside of Coventary in the English midlands as he watched it been bombed and flattened during the second world war. It would probably have torn that persons heart and caused them to weep uncontrollably from the pain and emotion of what was happening to his people. Jesus was in the unique position of knowing what would happen to Jerusalem forty years after his death in Jerusalem. With this vision of Israels future in mind, Jesus proceeds into Jerusalem. This shows that Jesus was all to aware of the significance of his ministry to Israel and all that Israel had hoped for was caught up in his life and ministry. . What is very significant is that Jesus says "All this is going to happen to Jerusalem because you,Jerusalem, never knew the time of your visitation. So then what is Jesus saying? If we are to understand Jesus ministry, we recognise that it is caught up in the promises of God to restore Israel when God visits them in Zion. We are told in Isaiah 51 and 52 that when YHWH restores Zion and forgives her sin, that he will visit her. So Indeed God has been visiting and comforting Israel and redeeming and restoring her in the life and ministry of Jesus. If we do not see God visiting Israel as he promised, then we cannot understand Jesus ministry in the context of the hope of Israel. Also when God comforts Israel and visits her, He promises to redeem Jerusalem. As we saw in the beginning of Luke where Luke set forth the hope of the redemption of Jerusalem. When Jesus enters Jerusalem there will be many who will be saved before and after the cross. Part of Jesus ministry to Jerusalem is to redeem her. But before he redeems Jerusalem, he will console believing Israel even as we read in the beginning of Luke that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Alas after redemption will come Gods judgement on unbelieving Israel. Now you must be confused, because Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of the terrible calamity that was to come upon her. Now I am talking of Jerusalem being redeemed. Jerusalems destruction only came upon her in AD 70 some forty years after Jesus ministry to Jerusalem. Before that great and terrible judgement, Jerusalem was indeed redeemed. It was in Jerusalem that all the great and mighty acts of God took place in the cross and resurrection and ascencion to the right hand of God. It was in Jerusalem that the first church of the people of Christ came into being. It was in Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit was poured out making many into new Creations. So the restoration of Jerusalem is very much to do with the people being restored to God. Yes Jerusalem will be fully redeemed in the New heavens and earth when all who dwell in her will be righteous and belong to Christ our God. Jerusalem will in her glory be the capital city of the new world. So this is the great mystery of Christ, that God was in Christ visiting Zion, comforting or saving her and restoring her to God. However those who rejected Gods visitation to Israel in Jesus Christ would suffer Gods vengeance and pay the consequences in the destruction of Jerusalem and Israel again was to be taken away captive to all the nations. |
