I want you to pay careful attention to the compassion of Christ. Can you imagine being present the day that God wept? This passage is so revealing of the humanity of Christ and to the compassionate heart of God.
Why did He weep? The verses that follow make it very clear:
- He wept because they did not know the things that make for their peace.
Jesus knew that the children of Israel didn't have a clue. He had spent 3 years of His earthly life trying to teach them the way to God but they refused to listen. He had explained to them God's purpose in His coming, and how the road to eternal life did not come through a religious system but through a relationship with Him. He had healed the sick, raised the dead, caused blind eyes to see, lame men to walk, and demons to be driven out and yet they could not see Him. He was their peace but they only saw Him as the carpenter's son.
How many people in the world today refuse to see who He really is? They think of Jesus as a prophet, a teacher, or just some obscure figure in history. No - He is the "Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world."
- He wept because of the destruction that would come.
Jesus knew what the future held for Jerusalem. He knew that the city would be attacked, and what would happen to everyone there. He wept because they were blind to the events that were getting ready to take place. Every day someone slips into a God-less eternity. They spent their entire lives living for themselves and not accepting the message of Christ's death. Do you think that God is pleased to see someone enter into hell? The Bible tells us that, "He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance."
- He wept because they did not know the hour of their visitation.
Once again we are brought to this understanding. Just as I said yesterday, they did not know that God had come in the flesh. They missed the coming of the Messiah because they rejected how He came.
Dear friends, please hear the compassion of God. I truly believes that He weeps over us even today. He has done all that He can do for our salvation and yet people still do not know. Some don't know because they have never been told. That is why missions is so important - so that all may know! However, there are those who don't know because they have rejected the salvation offered to them through Jesus Christ.
If Jesus wept over the "lostness" of Jerusalem shouldn't we weep over the lostness of America and the world? Too often we are standing in our "holy huddles" talking about how bad the world is instead of taking the message of the gospel to them. Jesus journey to the cross began with tears. The tears were not for the pain He would endure but for the condition of men's hearts.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior - do it today! You don't know the eternity that you face. Jesus died upon the cross to pay the penalty of our sins. All you have to do is confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved.
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