Verse 41 A parade of people are following Jesus into Jerusalem, but the fanfare did not flatter his heart. As they crested the Mount of Olives hill, a full scope of the city came into view and Jesus wept. Amid the people rejoicing that their Messiah was here, Jesus laments over the moral decline of this beloved, once a holy community.
Jesus knows he won’t be the political deliverer and military Messiah they want. The people will turn their backs on Him. He knows the betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion they will inflict on him.
Their actions toward Jesus reflect the pain they are living in. They need saving from the burdens of the Roman government. They think this Savior needs to break the yolk of physical oppression. Jesus came to break the yolk of spiritual oppression, which is at the heart of all physical oppression. Because Jesus doesn’t fit their expectations, the people will disregard Jesus and his gospel message (which is salvation through Jesus, peace with God, and eternity secured).
Verses 42-44 Peace is right here. Jesus is the beholder of peace. But because they do not recognize it, the Truth will be hidden from them. Jesus gives this warning and prophecy to Jerusalem.
They will reject Jesus as they bring him to trial, and as a result, God will hand the city over to judgment. Jerusalem’s enemies will surround her, level, and bury her.
This is what Jesus saw. He came but here was a city that didn’t accept him. They didn’t know God was in their midst. They are blind, and they will be destroyed.
Kings would ride horses, a symbol of war. Jesus rode a donkey into town, a symbol of peace. He came to make peace, not war. Peace between men and God. Jesus was interested in the inner man, not the outer man. He wasn’t trying to change the politics, He was trying to change hearts.
Jesus is Peace. It is here available for all of us to accept and claim as our own. Strained relationships is not the peace Jesus came to offer. Those who refuse forgiveness and grace in their relationships are refusing the Peace that is here and available to give. They are said to be blind to the Truth. And this lack of Peace in their lives will destroy them.
We should be lovers and pursuers of peace, understanding and accepting the ways of Peace. The ways of Jesus. He stands for grace and forgiveness. He calls for love and serving others. We should do what it takes to make peace with God and others, surrendering to whatever it takes so that we may benefit from peace in our lives.
Our present and future health and happiness rests in Peace.
There is nothing more unsettling than not having the answers or understanding we need in our lives. It is the grace of God to have his Word powerfully preached to us, and his Spirit awakening our minds, striving and pouring out to help us receive it, understand it, and apply it to our lives. His message of peace, when accepted and applied, becomes the peace in our lives.
The grace of God gives us many opportunities for peace in our lives.
There’s a fatal consequence for those given the graces of His Word, an enlightened heart, and yet disregard it. Jesus reveals the way to peace, but they refuse to walk in it.
Carelessness, stubbornness, and pride prevent peace.
They refuse to open their eyes and instead turn their backs to the ways of peace.
Some even let salvation slip through the cracks of carelessness, stubbornness, and pride. They run toward their own ruin. Contempt for his grace and these opportunities of peace grieve Jesus. It is sin and the sign of a lost soul.
Where are we holding onto stubborn thoughts and refusing to walk in peace with those around us? That is where we are refusing peace with Jesus.
Where are we careless with His grace upon our lives, not extending that to others and living with grudges?
When we die of our sinful nature, we live fully free in Christ. Turn from the pain, look to Jesus on the cross, and stay focused on what matters most.
For Jerusalem, the city’s ruin will be the repercussions of her rejection of Jesus. He says the things of peace were now hidden from their eyes. They had opportunities to believe in Jesus and walk in his ways, but they clung to their opinions, preconceived ideas, hardened hearts, and anger.
Jerusalem’s consequence for rejecting Jesus came less than 40 years later in A.D. 70 when the Romans decimated the city. Jerusalem failed to recognize her Messiah, even when he was in her midst.
Prayer
Jesus, have mercy on me and my stubborn, hardened heart that is tempted to hold grudges against those who hurt my heart and hurt others. You are my Peace, and you offer forgiveness through your blood shed on the cross for me. Open my eyes to your gospel, awaken my mind, pour out your Spirit and help me receive your truth. My carelessness, stubbornness, and pride prove I am captive in the enemy’s prison of lies. Help me understand your gospel message and apply it in my life. And give me the words to share my testimony with others trapped by the enemy. Sin hides the truth from their hearts; help me, Holy Spirit, reveal the gospel Truth and set prisoners free.
Jesus, you are my Peace in the chaos. You are light in the darkness. You are my freedom from the bondage feelings and Truth that cuts through the lies. Open the eyes of (Speak the names of those who come to mind) those lost in sin and those who refuse to seek You over their own opinions. The gates of hell rattle as I lift them up to you, Jesus. Open their eyes, flood their minds with your Spirit, and convict their hearts with your Truth. Spark a sense of urgency in their core to seek Peace with you, God. Beat against their hearts with conviction and let them not escape it. Burn a flame of Truth that consumes every thought. Rage against the lies with groans for Truth, freedom, and life. Penetrate the darkness with your light. Break strongholds, unveil Truth, and set these captives free for eternity with you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.