Heart for the City
Luke 19:37-44
Today is Palm Sunday which celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. More than 200,000 people descended on Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover each year. Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. One of those pilgrims converging on the Holy City is Jesus, the one whom everyone has been talking about, because of his miracles and teaching, and in particular the resurrection of Lazarus just weeks before. So all of Jerusalem was abuzz. Jesus and the disciples stayed at Jesus’ best friend’s home in Bethany, that of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It is from here that Jesus begins his walk to the Holy City and the Temple of God. Two of Jesus’ disciples are dispatched to go ahead to the next village called Bethpage to obtain a donkey, a walk which climbs a very steep hill and takes about 20 minutes. If there was a part of the journey into Jerusalem where Jesus might need or desire the help of an animal, this would be it because from Bethpage, it’s all down hill to Jerusalem. But instead, Jesus walks to Bethpage where Jesus he climbs a rock to mount the donkey they have brought to him. The sight of Jesus riding a beast of burden must have recalled in the disciple’s minds the coronation of King Solomon who did the same thing and the fulfillment of a prophecy by Zechariah more than 500 years before: “Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey….”
Bethpage was considered the city limits of Jerusalem. Today, we would call it an outer suburb. This was the furthest point where bread could be made for use in the Temple. So if Jesus was going to enter the city on a donkey and identify himself as the Messiah, he had to do it beginning at Bethpage as he entered the city limits. And when he did, the crowds who had gathered saw clearly this messianic sign of the Messiah riding a donkey. In addition, the belief was that the Messiah would come from the East, from the Mount of Olives and where the sun rises. So of the eight gates leading into the city, Jesus chose the one from East. It is one reason why the cemetery next to the Mount of Olives is the most expensive place in the world to be buried because the belief is that these will be raised from the dead first when the Messiah comes. Finally, add in the resurrection of Lazarus, another sign of the Messiah, and the crowd has no doubt Jesus is the Messiah, their King.
The people lined the streets and waved palm branches as the long awaited Messiah processes into the city. The palm branch was a symbol of freedom for the Jewish people starting in the second century BCE. Judea had fallen under the control of the Syrian King, Antiochus IV who decided to bring Greek civilization and thought to the Jews. When he insisted that they change their religious practices to the Greek gods, a revolt broke out, led by the Maccabaean brothers. Israel gained their independence and was free to rule itself for the first time in more than 500 years. The coins that were minted in this new kingdom had a palm tree printed on one side which became a symbol of rebellion, freedom and Jewish nationalism, especially in light of Roman occupation. So as Jesus processes into the city, the people gather to wave palms and it is readily apparent that in the eyes of the crowd, this is a political rally welcoming a new King and not a spiritual gathering welcoming a Messiah or High Priest.
There is an exhilaration and excitement in the air, joy and smiles on the faces of the people. People are laying down their cloaks on the ground for Jesus and the donkey to walk on, a sign that royalty was passing by them. There are non stop shouts of “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” It was such an electric atmosphere, that the religious officials worried a riot might break out. So they tell Jesus to rebuke or quiet down the celebration. Jesus responds, “I tell you if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” What did Jesus mean? Jesus was a master at drawing on his surroundings for his teaching. If you’ve never been to Israel, there are rocks everywhere! https://israeltours.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/trees-and-rocks-hermon.jpg So Jesus says if he quiets the crowd, the roar from all of the rocks in Israel would be deafening compared to what the religious leaders are seeing and hearing now from the crowd of people.
From the hilltop of Bethpage, Jesus looks out over the people lining the road and the tens of thousands of people descending on the city of Jerusalem. He hears the fervor and cries of the people and sees the waiving of palms in the air. And then a curious thing happens: Jesus begins to weep. On a day to which we attribute great joy and celebration, Jesus is experiencing anything but that. Instead his heart is broken, so much so that it moves him to tears. Can you picture in your mind for a moment the loud celebration and jubilant crowd and Jesus is mounted on a donkey, weeping as he descends down to the city of Jerusalem? This brings to mind the only other occasion when Scripture tells us Jesus was moved to tears. In John 11, Jesus receives news that his best friend, Lazarus, had died. When he gets to Bethany and finds himself in the midst of Mary, Martha and their friends grieving over the loss of their brother and friend, Jesus is deeply moved and he begins to weep with them. Why? He knew he had come to raise Lazarus from the dead for Jesus said to the disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” John 11:11 and “for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” John 11:15 If he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, then why did he weep? Because he was moved by the grief and tears of Mary, Martha and all of their family and friends. That’s why Jesus wept.
First, we see Jesus’ love and compassion. Jesus says, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Verse 42 In these words, Jesus reveals the reason for his tears: love and compassion. As he looks upon the crowd with their shouts of joy, he knows they don’t get it. They’re looking for a King who would lead the people in revolution against the Romans and bring freedom, peace and prosperity. And his heart is broken because they had failed to recognize their long awaited Messiah, the one they had prayed for and longed for and His true purpose. So as he approaches the city, Jesus speaks a message of loving warning the city: “The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” The judgment Jesus was talking about was the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem that would come 40 years later in 70 AD. The Romans laid siege to the city, built a retaining wall around it so no one could escape and then constructed a ramp of earthen dirt to scale the 39 foot tall wall of the Temple mount. They used a battering ram to knock down the walls and then stormed the city and completely leveled it to the ground as they set it on fire, killing everyone whom they could not sell into slavery. The people did not listen to Jesus.
What’s interesting is that there was another prophet named Zechariah who arrived in the city of Jerusalem in 63 AD and preached for several years the destruction of the Temple and city but still the people did not listen! And so Jesus weeps over the city because his heart is broken. He offers them spiritual salvation but all they want to do is take physical salvation or freedom into their own hands. What moved Jesus on that day was love and compassion.
Second, we see Jesus’ grief. In both circumstances where Jesus weeps, we see his grief. In the first, it’s when he encounters the grief of Mary and Martha and their family and friends over the loss of Lazarus and Jesus is deeply moved. When those close to us hurt, we hurt. And our God hurts. In today’s Scripture, Jesus looks upon the crowd and experiences this deep sense of loss over what could have been in their lives. They had the Messiah in their midst and they knew him not nor did they understand him. Have you been there? When you grieved over what could have been, if only you had said something different, done something different or if the circumstances had been different. This passage not only allows us to see Jesus’ grief but know that Jesus understands our grief because he has experienced it himself. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Our God doesn’t stand at a distance, but actually steps down into our story. God knows our pain, weeps with us and not only suffers with us, but on our behalf. Gods knows our pain, he knows what a mess our lives are and he knows how much we need his grace and strength. God grieves over how we often misunderstand His will and purposes, how we are blind to His work in our lives and he grieves over the sin in our lives. Even in our blindness and rebellion, he walks beside us.
So let me ask you a question, “Have you wept over our city?” When you look at our city, do you see only your little secure corner or do you see the city and its crime, the struggling educational system, the homeless living on the streets, the children who go hungry and those living in poverty. Do you look at the spiritual condition of our city which is reflected in the declining moral fabric as seen in its crime and violence and how people treat one another on a daily basis. Do you see the churches closing and the empty pews and weep? As much as I love New Orleans, I have to admit that it is a pretty broken place. Many of you don’t live in the city proper. Instead, you live in Jefferson Parish. Some of you moved here out of the city to escape the problems of New Orleans. But the problems that once were confined to New Orleans are now a part of Jefferson Parish. And know this, how the city of New Orleans goes, so goes Jefferson Parish. Do you weep over the city. Do you weep over Jefferson Parish?
When I got appointed to Aldersgate UMC in Slidell, my wife and I were living Uptown. We loved living there and the home we had bought. I had hoped to talk to my senior minister about commuting to Slidell. Lay people do it all the time but he said no. And I remember moving to Slidell and on the drive over tears just streaming down my face because I had to leave the city. For months thereafter, I felt a profound sense of guilt in leaving New Orleans, a city that needed people living in it and committed to it. Have you wept over your city?
I don’t know about you, but I want things to change. I want things to be different and that change begins with us sharing God’s heart for our city. We are called to be visible demonstrations of God’s love, faithfulness and compassion to a city that desperately needs it, the city that care forgot. What we see in Jesus is a God who is personally and emotionally invested in what happens here. Following Jesus is going to require that we embody this compassion to the city and the people around us. What New Orleans, and even Jefferson Parish, really needs isn’t sympathy or a bunch of resources, or money. What they really need is Jesus. They need the Gospel and who is going to deliver this Good News? You. Me. Us. But that changes first with what you see and even who you see when you look at the city.
Pastor Danielle Strickland tells of flying from South Africa to Zambia in 2003. A group of Muslim women got on board in full burkas, the full black head covering the Muslim women wear. All you could see were their eyes. One sat down right next to her. Being an extrovert, she said, “Hi I’m Danielle.” The young woman replied her name was Asma. And then since she didn’t know what else to say, she asked, “So, what do you think of Osama Bin Laden?” And Asma said, “I’m with him.” She clarified that she wasn’t in his group, Al Qaeda, but that she agreed with his beliefs and actions. Danielle asked her, “What is it that you don’t like about us?” “You’re infidels,” she said. “I went to a fundamental Islamic school. I’m an evangelist. My specialty is converting Christians.” Danielle told her she was Christian pastor and told her to “Go ahead. Tell me why I should be a Muslim” which Asma proceeded to do. Eventually she said to Danielle, “Okay, it’s your turn.” Rather than share her theological arguments, Danielle shared her faith story and what Jesus meant to her. Asma then looked at her and said “Would you like to see my face?” Danielle said yes. If you understand anything about conservative Islam, a woman showing her face to an infidel just isn't done. So, there was a real connection made. Asma looked to see if her mom was looking and lifted her burka. Danielle said she was young and cute, with dimples, and a beautiful smile. After a minute Asma asked, “Was I what you were expecting?” And Danielle said, it was like she was saying, “How do you see me? Do you see me at all?” And then she said, “If we are serious about the Gospel, we are going to have to change the way we see!!”
