WHEN HE SAW THE CITY + Daily Devotion + Sunday, April 1, 2012

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

Luke 19:41“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it…”

SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 19:29-44

  ²⁹And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

 ³⁰Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

 ³¹And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

 ³²And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

 ³³And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

 ³⁴And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

 ³⁵And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

 ³⁶And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

 ³⁷And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

 ³⁸Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

 ³⁹And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

 ⁴⁰And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

 ⁴¹And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

 ⁴²Saying, 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.

 ⁴³For 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,

 ⁴⁴And 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.

REFLECTION: 

To a crescendo of praise Jesus headed to Jerusalem for His final Passover.  “Hosanna!” His faithful shouted.  “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Word spread along the way.

His disciples took their clothing and laid it on the path as the Lord rode toward the Holy City on a colt.  Some took branches from nearby palm trees and waved them in celebration. I suppose that some of the children whom Jesus loved were there. “Forbid them not!” Jesus invited.  No doubt there were some in that crowd whom Christ had healed. Eyes that had never before seen witnessed the majesty of that moment.  The lame that Christ had touched now ran to participate.  Perhaps there were some of the 5,000 whom Christ had fed with five loaves and two fish.  I cannot imagine that Lazarus, whom Christ had raised to life only a few days earlier, would have missed this moment.

The critics were there too.  “Master, rebuke thy disciples!” they shrieked.  They could not see Christ for who He was. They would not. He just didn’t fit their expectations. 

But this was our Lord’s day.  He said, “if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40)

As the procession rounds a turn in the path, the city appears in panoramic view. Jesus halts. The sound of praise turns to hushed tones.  A warm tear courses down our Savior face. Those who were closest heard Him, “If only you had known…”  Staring off into the future the Savior whispers, “The days will come…your enemies will compass you…keep you in on every side…lay you even with the ground, and your children…not leave one stone on another…”

He knew what was coming.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” He warned, “You kill the prophets, stone them that are sent to you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wing, and you would not.” (Luke 13:34)

In the year of our Lord 70, forty years after that first Palm Sunday, the Roman ruler Titus laid siege to Jerusalem. Conditions inside the city walls deteriorated. There were even reports of cannibalism among the starving inhabitants. For some unexplained reason Titus lifted the siege for a short time.  The Christians, remembering what our Lord had said, fled for their lives.  Those who remained were devastated when the full force and fury of the Roman military was unleashed on the city.  Listen to Jesus.

Looking down the road, Jesus saw the future for the Holy City.  Looking down the pathway of our lives, Jesus sees our destiny.  Is there a tear in His eye? Is He crying, “If you had only known…”  Does our Lord see you refusing His Word, ignoring His witnesses, and denying His love? Does Christ see destruction in our future? 

The Lord knows our destiny.  But it is we who determine our destiny.  He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

PRAYER: Our Father, We pause again to thank you for your great faithfulness.  We thank you for caring.  We thank you for loving.  We thank you for demonstrating your compassion.  We thank you for warning us.  We pray that our eyes would be open, that our ears would be listening, that our hearts would be willing ,and that our feet would be walking on the highway of holiness.  May it be that when we stand before you there would only tears of joy, as we hear the Lord say, “Welcome home.”  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.  “Our Father, &c.”