THE SON OF MAN WEEPS
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Luke 19:41-44 |
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And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, “If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” KJV |
As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 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. 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. 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 recognise the time of God’s coming to you.” NIV |
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Luke 13:34 |
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O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! KJV |
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. NIV |
I wonder how many of us truly understand the meaning behind these Scriptures and what was to happen to the Jews who had rejected the Messiah.
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem He wept.
YES, THE SAVIOUR OF THE WHOLE WORLD WEPT!
They had rejected Him as the Messiah. If only they had received Him, it would have meant peace. But they did not recognise Him and did not appreciate the fact that He was the very source of peace. Now it was too late. There are many who will lament over their decision to reject the Saviour, and it includes those who know of Him but choose to ignore Him. Also, those who want nothing to do with Him, choosing instead to put their trust in themselves, other gods and evil entities.
Not only had they rejected the Son of God, but they had already determined in their hearts and minds what they would do with Him. The spiritual condition of Jerusalem, that Holy City, was catastrophic and wretched. They worshipped other gods and refused to recognize and accept Jesus. They had already killed some of the prophets and stoned them, and had done away with those who brought nothing but the good news of their coming King! and what’s more, the city would soon condemn Him to death and accuse Him of perverting a nation!
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Luke 23:13-14 |
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And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, “Ye have brought this Man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and behold I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this Man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him”. KJV |
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this Man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him.” NIV |
And yet Jesus arrived on the back of an ass offering Salvation and deliverance from sin and was charged with perverting His own nation!
- They Delivered Him up.
- Pilate Determined to let Him go.
- They Denied
- They Desired, in His place, a murderer.
Personally, I find it almost unbelievable that the people of that day chose to have a convicted murderer released in place of our Precious Saviour, and that they actually went ahead and watched Jesus being beaten, mocked and nailed to a Cross and left to die.
We now need to pause a moment and ponder what Jesus did and why: He wept because of the unbelief of the people of Jerusalem. Can we fathom the depth of Love and Concern He had for His people?
Let us sit at Christ’s feet until we learn the secret of His tears, and beholding the sins and sorrows of the city and countryside, weep over them too. W. H. Griffith Thomas
In verses 43 and 44 of Luke 19, Jesus gives a solemn foretaste of what was to come 40 years later in the form of Titus, a Roman General, who in AD70 encircled Jerusalem and the siege began. The Temple was destroyed by Titus and his soldiers left no stone upon another. Over 1 million people were brutally slaughtered, many of them Passover visitors. The details of this massacre vividly portray the terrible consequences of denying the Saviour. During the last war Hitler was determined to exterminate the Jews, which resulted in the Holocaust. None of these occurrences were freak accidents, because they were as a result of deliberate choices, as so many of our National and International catastrophes are. The Lord Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem because they rejected Him. He was their Saviour and He knew all things and saw the miseries and the destruction they were bringing on themselves.
It is my prayer that you will seek out the Saviour and find Him before it is too late. The Bible is very clear that time is short and that the time for Salvation is NOW!