Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem: Prophecy, Destruction, and the Cost of Rejection (Luke 19:41-44)
“When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had known on this day the things that would make for your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will erect a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” Luke 19:41-44
Luke reports that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The view of Jerusalem coming down the side of the Mount of Olives is magnificent. We can imagine that as Jesus made one of the turns down the winding road toward the city, it came into full view. The moment elicited from Jesus a deeply felt and honest reaction. His heart was full of grief, not for the sufferings that awaited him, but for what he knew awaited the city.
What did Jesus foresee that made him so sad? He saw a missed opportunity for the city and the nation. Jesus’ arrival offered the possibility of peace, and it hinged on their acceptance of him. Sadly, he knew they would not receive him, but in rejecting him, they abandoned the way of peace. The name Jerusalem comes from the root word for peace, “Shalom.” In rejecting their Messiah, the City of Peace was turning away from its only hope for the future.
The words of Jesus are prophetic and accurately describe the destruction of Jerusalem under Roman general Titus. In April of 70 A.D., Titus came to Jerusalem and began to besiege it. Because it was the Passover, over a million people were trapped inside the city. The Romans set up siege works against the city walls and systematically began to batter them. They broke through the outer wall in May and began work on the inner one. The Jews fought back fiercely but were outmatched. Inside, there was terrible famine, disease, and intertribal violence. It was as horrible a five-month period as can be imagined. When the Romans broke through the final wall in August, the soldiers were so angry that they murdered young and old indiscriminately. Jewish historian Josephus records that over one million Jews lost their lives, and 97,000 were taken captive. Before Titus left, he burned the magnificent temple and systematically destroyed the city. He left only a portion of one wall standing – what is today the Western Wall in Jerusalem. For the rest, as Jesus said, he left no stone standing on top of another.
How is it that the city’s rejection of Jesus led to its destruction? Josephus reports that the 60s A.D. were a time of great social chaos and anarchy in Jerusalem. Violent factions, like the Zealots and Sicarii, were at war with each other. Jerusalem became a lawless place, with the murder of political opponents taking place in broad daylight. False prophets promised the people that God would protect them from the Romans even if they rebelled. The corruption of the high priesthood and religious establishment grew worse. There was internal corruption, civil war within the city, religious desecration, and increasing moral decay. This is an outcome that we cannot imagine if the city, including its religious leaders, had accepted Jesus as its long-promised Messiah. Christianity would have brought a different spirit, attitude, and morality to the city. We can easily believe that it would have prevented the people’s rebellion against Rome which brought their eventual destruction.
We see, in the tears of Jesus, that God’s wrath is not callous. It breaks God’s heart. Jesus allowed himself to feel deeply and was not embarrassed to express it. He is the perfect example of an authentic life, deeply invested in others, and lived authentically in the world. In a world that strives for happiness and avoids the negative, Jesus’ example reminds us that mourning has a place in the life of faith.