Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

Rev Gideon Lee

Luke 19:41-44

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

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.”

Before these verses was  Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was Jesus' last week on earth. It is the culmination of his 3½ years of ministry. You must imagine it was a time when Jesus knew he had little time left here.

The last time Jesus wept was when he heard news of his best friend's death, Lazarus. So it is not often Jesus wept. That was the shortest verse in the Bible.

Happiness was of  prime importance for people in the nineties. There was this song "Don't worry be happy". By the way the composer committed suicide. Today we know happiness is not all good for us. Sometimes, challenges and setbacks are good for us.

Jesus was not someone who swings from happiness to sadness.

1. Jesus wept for unrepentant sinners
2. Jesus warns unrepentant sinners

First I want to look at why Jesus wept for unrepentant sinners.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they rejected him. What would bring us peace? Jesus came to bring us peace with God, to bring us salvation so that we can now be at peace with God. God has no wish that any should perish. But there will be those that are unrepentant. When they reject him there is no other choice for them.

Today I want to rekindle our concerns for the lost and the sinners. How many of us are concern for them? In the seventies there was a wave of evangelism for the lost. We will just go out and share the gospel. I'm not saying we don't share. It's just not the same and I pray the church have not lost that. Not just TOP but many other churches too.

I pray that we will not be so comfortable in church. Do you weep for the lost and those that do not know the Lord? Have we done our part.

I have a childhood friend name Daniel. At a young age, he was a sickly boy. His sickness causes him to have jaundice. I don't exactly know what was the cause. He was exceptionally yellow. He was not accepted and people made fun of him. He was frail. He was my best friend even until adulthood.

There were many times when I tried to share with him but he held on strongly to his believe. Because of his parents.He just felt obligated. They pray to the Japanese god. And he got healed when young so he continued to pray to that Japanese god.

I shared with him and he saw the light in me. He knows how bad I was and how I turned my life to God. Every time I shared to him he'd say no. I tried my best. There was one time when he was sick I visited him at hospital. I asked God for one last time to share with him.

I shared my best and gave it my best shot. But at the end of the day he said I can't.  Sad to say my friend Daniel passed away without the Lord and it grieved me until today. He passed away at a very young age.

This morning Jesus wept. He came to give peace yet they rejected him. Do we view people as walking trees? That it's their choice, just another human being. Do we weep for unrepentant sinners? So much so that we'll go out of the way to invite them to church.

My friend Daniel death took me by surprise. The mother said he just came back one day from work and laid on the sofa and never woke up. I pray that we will sob for unrepentant sinners. To sob is to wail aloud, that's to sob. Jesus wailed.

Have you seen people at a funeral? For someone dear to them that passed away? Maybe we don't wail because we don't care.  My prayer is that I want you to be a people that is good in soul winning. This is something that the church have lost.

Verses 43 and 44

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.”

Jesus warns the unrepentant sinners. What Jesus spoke was fulfilled when general Titus laid a siege on Jerusalem. Only three pillars were left to show what's left of Jerusalem.

If we want to see TOP move to the next level it needs some sacrifice from us. Let's come early to church. For those that is early, let's come earlier. And as we come early let's prepare ourselves. No point we come early and check our phones and WhatsApp. Let's come early and prepare ourselves to worship God. Let's come early. And bring your Bible. So that we are not distracted and use other apps.

I have seen in a church a person bringing up the Sunday paper to read in church. I really had to control myself. We come to church because of him. Let's not do that. In another case I saw no band in church. The band was at the side. The keyboard the drums, they were all at the side of the church. The worship leader and back up singers were at the front but they faced the front and the stage was empty. There was no performance. Just worship. People was not looking at the worship leader or the stage which was empty. That was awesome. First time I saw in my life. Maybe we should do that in TOP.

Sometimes we are so conditioned. Is our heart conditioned for the Lord?

I pray that God has put someone in your heart that you will not eat or sleep until you reach that someone. I pray that we will not be too complacent.

I want to end with this. This was how Jesus must have felt.

A bomber killed 168 people by driving a truck outside the Federal building in Oklahoma City to bomb it. A church opposite built a great Wall with 168 gaps to represent the voids left by each life lost. And they sculptured a weeping Jesus in front of the wall facing away from the devastation, covering his face with his hand. Jesus wept for those of them who have not come to know him. I pray we will not see Jesus like that. He has taken all those suffering for you and me. I will be the last person to let him weep for me again.

As we celebrate the Christmas musical, let us invite a non Christian friend. I don't want to do this for us. Those who want to come invite a non Christian friend. It's by ticket. It is evangelistic and for Christmas if we don't share Christ I think we have lost the plot. Invite your non Christian friend. Go and hear Amy Yeoh on YouTube. She's as good as Juwita Suwito except not so well publicised. She's a Christian and she's a Penangite. And how many of you remember Rev Ronald? He was our camp speaker at Kampar. Let's bring someone and let them know who Jesus is. Can we do that? Amen.