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The Ninth Sunday After Trinity
Coliseum Park Nursing Home Bible Study
Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem
July 30, 20087

NKJ Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." 45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
 
Much has been said over the centuries concerning this passage—some teach that Luke wrote this after the siege of Jerusalem—and it is not a prophecy by Jesus of the experience that was coming—the great siege of Jerusalem—those that teach that it is not prophecy need to explain to us these verses in the Book of Isaiah
 
NKJ Isaiah 29:1 "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as Ariel. 3 I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, And I will raise siegeworks against you. 4 You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium's, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.
 
The city Ariel is a symbolic reference to the city of Jerusalem—the word ariel is from the Hebrew meaning lion of God—Jerusalem is a city of Judah—Judah is called a lion by Jacob
 
NKJ Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
 
Hence Ariel—a city of Judah—a city of Judah the lion—Jerusalem
 
And now we return to our lesson—Jesus’ Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem—the people run and shout with joy—Jesus weeps for them—but allows them to have their joy around Him
 
TEXT:  NKJ Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
 
Jesus knew what was in store for Jerusalem—consider Jerusalem’s fate—it could happen to us
 
There are two methods Christ uses to preach against despisers of the Word
 
          1.  Threats
 
NKJ Matthew 11:21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
 
          2.  Showing of love and compassion
 
He weeps; He shows sympathy—Jesus knows what the people are about to endure
 
 
TEXT:  NKJ Luke 19:43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
 
The Jews were stubborn—they believed God promised them His security forever—they owned the temple—God dwelt in the temple
 
The Lord is talking about the city of Jerusalem—but He is really warning all who have God’s Word—but despise it—take it for granted—do not trust it
 
We must guard ourselves against every sin—especially the sin of despising God’s Word—God reveals His Word to us by way of the Holy Spirit
 
NKJ John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
 
Don’t just listen to God’s Word and ignore its teachings—listen to the Word—learn from the Word—live according to the Word
 
To emphasize His teachings, Jesus chooses to use Jerusalem as an example—this was God’s hometown—where God Himself was present in the temple—the city where God’s angels appeared—where Jesus preached—the focal point of the Jewish religion—where Jesus the Son of God, walked, preached, healed the sick, would die, be buried, and be resurrected—where the Holy Spirit would be given to believers
 
If God would destroy Jerusalem, how much more would He destroy any other city?—these Jews were the blood relatives of Jesus—how many times have you heard someone say “Our God is a loving God—He couldn’t condemn good people?”—if God could destroy Jerusalem and His people—He can condemn sinners as stated in Scripture
 
Jesus wept as He entered the city because He knew it would be destroyed as an example to all believers—an example of God’s wrath—not one stone was left upon another—complete devastation—the people refused to change their ways—Josephus says there were 3 million in the city at the time of the Roman siege—1 million were killed—so many were made slaves that they were sold 30 for a penny
 
 
Jesus knows what is about to happen—to Himself—to Jerusalem—why didn’t He stop and warn the people?—God already did—in the Scriptures—this is part of God’s plan to spread His Church—this is also an opportunity for God to demonstrate His patience—to give the people an opportunity to change their ways
 
The lesson of this text: 
 
          God considers the sin of not acknowledging His Day of Judgment the greatest sin of all!
 
LEARN THIS LESSON WELL!!
 
As Jesus approaches the city—He thinks about the fate of Jerusalem—He had sent prophets—He had sent the apostles—He had come and preached Himself—He had healed the sick—raised the dead—but the people didn’t heed the warning
 
We magnify all our sins by not recognizing the Day of Judgment—Jesus knew that—He had tried everything to get through to the people of Jerusalem
 
Now, as He approaches the city, He knows He cannot save the people—the people refused to heed God’s warning—God refused to listen when the people pleaded for mercy—not one stone was left upon another—complete destruction
 
Punishment for sin is not always swift—sometimes we don’t get caught or punished right away—we repeat or escalate the sin
 
NKJ 2 Peter 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation …
 
God is patient because He wants all men to be saved
 
NKJ 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
 
NKJ 1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
 
When God delays our punishment He does it for our good—God’s delay gave Jerusalem a chance—then He destroyed it as punishment
 
Jerusalem might still be standing today if the Jews had repented
 
Let us accept God’s Word and change our ways—hear the Word—read the Word—ask God for understanding through the Holy Spirit—and be prepared for the Judgment Day
 
Our Lord has come—He defeated death so we might also have victory over death—we are here at His pleasure—to serve His purpose—stay in the Word—stay prepared to do His will—be vigilant to His call—and keep His will foremost in your life—and what is His will?—listen to the inspired words of the Apostle John
 
NKJ 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!