Posts
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 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. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 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."
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
- Luke 19:41-48
In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'" So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has need of him." Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothing on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it . . . Here, my study bible says, "Jesus wept over the Holy City because, in spite of its beauty and spiritual significance, it lay in unbelief and impending judgment."
. . . 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. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 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." My study bible explains, "Luke recounts two occasions of Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem [see the reading for Luke 13:31-35]. The second half of the name Jerusalem means 'peace,' but the things that make for peace are hidden from its eyes because of unbelief. The predicted destruction occurred in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans, who recaptured Jerusalem by storm and burned the temple. The time of your visitation is Christ's ministry as a visitation from God, either for salvation or judgment."
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Again, my study bible explains: "Into the temple refers to the temple area, where a precinct was used for the selling and buying of animals offered in sacrifices. This was regulated by the Law, but to Jesus the atmosphere reeks of commercialism." Jesus' first act upon entering into Jerusalem is to cleanse the temple. What is the temple for? It is a house of prayer. As Son, as Messiah, He is the One to do this work of cleansing.
And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. It's important that we understand this is what Jesus does in Jerusalem. He teaches daily in the temple. He is the Good Teacher, He is our Teacher. As in all the other Gospels, as Jesus teaches, the crowds listen. They are delighted with what He teaches, and especially when He takes part in disputes with the leadership. We get the sense of a people feeling oppressed from many sides, from the outsiders, the Romans, and also from their own leadership, locked in a system that placed burdens on the people, and, as Jesus has exposed in the cleansing of the temple, worked in some ways to hurt especially the poor among them.
There is so much vivid color in the Gospels! As Jesus enters into Jerusalem, we get the sense of a city in turmoil, of the hustle and bustle of the place, of so many people jostling one another, under an oppressive yoke of foreign rule, under a daily regime of listening for signs from the leadership of what is happening, of so many interests including that of Herod and those who rule together with the Romans. And in this mix, in the midst of all of it is Jesus. You have a people who have an ear open for the Teachers and for the Prophets such as John the Baptist, those who will tell the truth, who are strong enough and holy enough to challenge what is happening, who are "no respecter of persons." In the Gospels, the events at Jerusalem are so vivid, focused and distilled, a concentrated energy in which one never knows what will happen next. And into this comes the story of Jesus and what will unfold as His Passion. For now, He is teaching daily in the temple. His acts are fearless -- and thus, like John the Baptist before Him, He is revered as a holy man, a Good Teacher, and enters as Messiah (see yesterday's reading). But we know what will happen. Our understanding of the events to come colors the way in which we see these scenes. We know of His death, and we know of His Resurrection. Today the city of Jerusalem remains without peace, and a site holy to several religions and to all Christian denominations. As we await His return, let us remember the peace of Jerusalem. It perhaps still serves as a model for our problems, for what we need, for the mess and scandal of the world, and its people await One who will reconcile all things. It is still a holy city, that reminds us where we have failed and how we fail, and yet awaits the holy things that belong to its beauty, for which many people yet wait in hope. Let us remember that Jesus began by cleaning His own house, calling it a "den of thieves." Do we know the things that make for our peace? How do we await His return?
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it . . . Here, my study bible says, "Jesus wept over the Holy City because, in spite of its beauty and spiritual significance, it lay in unbelief and impending judgment."
. . . 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. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 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." My study bible explains, "Luke recounts two occasions of Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem [see the reading for Luke 13:31-35]. The second half of the name Jerusalem means 'peace,' but the things that make for peace are hidden from its eyes because of unbelief. The predicted destruction occurred in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans, who recaptured Jerusalem by storm and burned the temple. The time of your visitation is Christ's ministry as a visitation from God, either for salvation or judgment."
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Again, my study bible explains: "Into the temple refers to the temple area, where a precinct was used for the selling and buying of animals offered in sacrifices. This was regulated by the Law, but to Jesus the atmosphere reeks of commercialism." Jesus' first act upon entering into Jerusalem is to cleanse the temple. What is the temple for? It is a house of prayer. As Son, as Messiah, He is the One to do this work of cleansing.
And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. It's important that we understand this is what Jesus does in Jerusalem. He teaches daily in the temple. He is the Good Teacher, He is our Teacher. As in all the other Gospels, as Jesus teaches, the crowds listen. They are delighted with what He teaches, and especially when He takes part in disputes with the leadership. We get the sense of a people feeling oppressed from many sides, from the outsiders, the Romans, and also from their own leadership, locked in a system that placed burdens on the people, and, as Jesus has exposed in the cleansing of the temple, worked in some ways to hurt especially the poor among them.
There is so much vivid color in the Gospels! As Jesus enters into Jerusalem, we get the sense of a city in turmoil, of the hustle and bustle of the place, of so many people jostling one another, under an oppressive yoke of foreign rule, under a daily regime of listening for signs from the leadership of what is happening, of so many interests including that of Herod and those who rule together with the Romans. And in this mix, in the midst of all of it is Jesus. You have a people who have an ear open for the Teachers and for the Prophets such as John the Baptist, those who will tell the truth, who are strong enough and holy enough to challenge what is happening, who are "no respecter of persons." In the Gospels, the events at Jerusalem are so vivid, focused and distilled, a concentrated energy in which one never knows what will happen next. And into this comes the story of Jesus and what will unfold as His Passion. For now, He is teaching daily in the temple. His acts are fearless -- and thus, like John the Baptist before Him, He is revered as a holy man, a Good Teacher, and enters as Messiah (see yesterday's reading). But we know what will happen. Our understanding of the events to come colors the way in which we see these scenes. We know of His death, and we know of His Resurrection. Today the city of Jerusalem remains without peace, and a site holy to several religions and to all Christian denominations. As we await His return, let us remember the peace of Jerusalem. It perhaps still serves as a model for our problems, for what we need, for the mess and scandal of the world, and its people await One who will reconcile all things. It is still a holy city, that reminds us where we have failed and how we fail, and yet awaits the holy things that belong to its beauty, for which many people yet wait in hope. Let us remember that Jesus began by cleaning His own house, calling it a "den of thieves." Do we know the things that make for our peace? How do we await His return?
