When Jesus Wept


As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

 

There are three times that Scripture says that Jesus wept. We find one reference in John 11:35; another in Luke 19:41, the passage we just read; and a third in Hebrews 5:7. John 11:35 simply says, “Jesus wept.” That, for those of you who like trivia, is the shortest verse in Scripture. On that occasion, Jesus wept when he met Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, who were mourning the death of their brother. He wasn’t weeping because Lazarus had died—Jesus knew he would bring him back to life—so it had to be some other reason. What could the reason be? I’ll leave that for you to figure out.

 

On this, the second occasion that Scripture records Jesus as weeping, he is approaching Jerusalem. He is entering the city like a conquering hero, with people all around him singing praises and laying palm branches on the road. However, instead of being jubilant, as you might expect, Jesus weeps. Why? Unlike, in the case of Lazarus, we don’t need to speculate because going by what Jesus says as he weeps, we find two reasons. One reason was the impending destruction of the city of Jerusalem. In 70 AD more than a million residents of Jerusalem would die in one of the most brutal sieges in human history. 

 

Another reason, and this is what really accounted for his sorrow, was that the destruction of the city was brought about by the hard-heartedness of the people. They, as Jesus said, “did not recognize their visitation from God.” Accepting Jesus as the promised Savior was the way to life. Rejecting him was the way to destruction. The destruction of Jerusalem was metaphorical for the spiritual destruction they faced which was far worse. God was in their midst, but they didn’t recognize him. I think we might have wept too if we were in Jesus’ place. But see now, here is the thing. If Jesus were to have come today instead of 2000 years ago, how many of us would have recognized him? 

 

I really hate to say this but I think many of us — most of us? — would not have recognized Jesus. Because, like the Jews, we too are blinded by our own ideas and belief systems. And, with his radical notions about love, Jesus would have been a threat to all of us who prefer to hate. With his advice to serve instead of being served, he would have posed a challenge to every one of us who likes to lord it over others. With his exemplification of humility and holiness, he would have put most of us to shame. And I think we might have wanted him dead too. 

 

And looking at us, he would have wept. No?


Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/POzbkS_g5Mc

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me...
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Isr...
Read more

Dying and Killing

  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earl...
Read more