majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 19:41-44,
"As he [Jesus] 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 recognize the time of
God's coming to you.'"
As Jesus approached Jerusalem at the end of his time here, he first
displayed great sorrow for the city and then pronounced horrific
judgment against it. This was literally fulfilled, just as he
prophesied, about 40 years later when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in
70AD. The historical accounts left us speak to the remarkable accuracy
of Jesus' prophecy here in exactly what took place when the city was
destroyed.
Jesus provides the cause of his great sorrow and the judgment of
Jerusalem in these verses, as the cause is one and the same for both.
Jesus had brought the good news of the kingdom of God to Israel, a
legitimate offer from God to Israel… and Israel refused it. Jesus lays
the blame for this at the Jews feet. They failed to "recognize the
time of God's coming" to them. In their rejection of God's Son they
insured their own destruction. Now they had placed themselves in a
position where the knowledge of what would bring them peace, that is
peace with God, was hidden from them and they would face their
indomitable adversaries, God being the chief.
We see Jesus actively focused on offering the kingdom to Israel. In
Luke 8:1 we read, "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and
village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God."
In Luke 9:1-2 we see Jesus sending out the Twelve to participate in
the effort, "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them
power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and
he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."
Later he sends out the Seventy-two, "After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town
and place where he was about to go." Luke 10:1. Their mission was
"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near
you.'" The focus of Jesus ministry for three years was to make this
offer of the kingdom of God to Israel and to lay the groundwork for
"Plan B", the church that would be brought into the world following
his ascension into heaven and the arrival of the Holy Spirit on that
Pentecost, Acts 2.
What grips my heart in this passage is the sorrow expressed in Jesus'
tears for the city as he pronounced judgment on it. As I think of the
great White Throne judgment of sinners at the end of the age,
Revelation 20:11-15, I can't help but think of the great sorrow the
Lord will harbor in his heart as he carries out his horrific justice
on all who failed to avail themselves through faith of the forgiveness
provided by Jesus' sacrificial death.
Even with the destruction of Jerusalem, following the Jew's failure to
embrace God's Son, God is not done with Israel. There seems to be some
confusion about this. However, Paul provides us with insight into this
in Romans 11:25-32, "Israel has experienced a hardening in part until
the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be
saved, as it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will
turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.' As far as the gospel is concerned, they
are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they
are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call
are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God
have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too
have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive
mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men
over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."
In considering what he was saying, Paul burst into an outpouring of
praise for God in one of the many wonderful doxologies captured in the
Scriptures, Romans 11:33-36. As I consider God's dealings with Israel,
I both understand and share in Paul's wonder and fascination with God.
But, perhaps what grips my heart most is the picture of Jesus in tears
as he pronounces his judgment on Jerusalem. It tells me of his complex
and multifaceted heart. It is my perspective that as we read of the
great White Throne judgment where all who rejected God's offer are
cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, he will do so in tears and
with a heavy heart.
God's love of mankind is just as passionate and heart-felt as his
judgment is horrific.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment