As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace —
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Lk 19:41-44)
When we picture Jesus, most people see Him as a great leader. Most see Him teaching the crowds. Most see Him healing the sick or raising the dead. Most see Him confronting evil and injustice.
In short, most people see Jesus acting powerfully.
Most people do not picture Jesus crying. That is why they often have troubles with gospel passages such as today’s.
It is alarming to picture our great and powerful God weeping. For many people, weeping is a sign of weakness. They do not like to picture Jesus as being weak.
Jesus was far from weak. However, He definitely had a soft spot for His people. When they were hurting or lost or confused, Jesus’ heart went out to them. He loved them too much to see them hurt.
Nothing hurts people more than seeing someone they love hurting themselves.
Jesus looked upon Jerusalem and saw its imminent destruction. He knew that His people were headed on a course to ruin and there did not seem to be anything that He could do about it. Short of taking away their free will and making them repent, Jesus knew that Jerusalem would fall — all because the people would not change their ways.
What do you think Jesus feels when He looks upon you? Does He see a person headed to ruin or does He see someone who is honestly trying to embrace His will? Do we give Jesus cause to celebrate or to weep?
FAITH ACTION: Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the things that keep you from Him so that you may not lose sight of the road that leads to the Kingdom.