Reflecting on Luke 19:41-44“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42)
Jerusalem is the center of God’s covenant people, the ‘church’ of that day.
Jesus knows what is happening, how the religious leaders are conspiring.
They think they are serving and protecting religious and political peace.
They are actually disturbing the beast, and unleashing the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD).
I can’t help but see parallels to what is happening in the U.S. right now.
Many christians there support their leader as a prince of peace.
They support a Caesar who uses bullying and warfare to crush his enemies.
They think they are serving Jesus’s cause, but they’re not following His way.
His peace did not come by unleashing epic fury (10,000 angels) on His opponents.
He did not drive out the undesirables and build walls to keep people away.
It is not surprising that the world sees Jesus’s way of peace as weak and foolish:
Turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, love and forgive and bless your enemies???
What is surprising is that so many christians also see His way as weak and foolish.
I weep for the state of churchianity today; it seems blind to Jesus’s way of peace.
Makes me wonder: are we also heading towards our own ‘destruction of Jerusalem’?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, how have we become so blind to You and Your Way? As we ponder what happened to You in Jerusalem so many years ago, I fear that the same thing is happening in Your church today... crucifying Your way of peace!
When I see what is happening in the world today we cerainly renot living the Jesus way. The focus is the downward look – self – and not the upward look- Jesus. We all need to put Him first. Ten we would have the peace and joy and love that only God can give. Not my way Lord, but lead me to live Your way each day sharing Your love, being like Christ unto others.