Tears for the City

If you grew up in church, you probably remember the week before Easter pretty well. You got to cut out palm branches and throw them everywhere. If you had a really cool teacher, you were told to yell words you'd never heard, like, "Hosanna!"

In Luke 19, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the last time before His death. Even though he rode into the city on a lowly donkey, nobody seemed to understand. He was hailed as a king. While the donkey was a sign of humility, it was also a symbol of peace. A conquering king rode into the city on a white horse, but Jesus chose a donkey.

I think the most challenging part of Luke 19 comes after the palm branches and shouting. In Luke 19:41-42, we see what Jesus was thinking in this moment:

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’”

Jesus, just seeing the city, begins to weep because they don't get it. They are distracted and blinded. They're looking for a political savior, and they don’t see the truth of God. Jesus weeps for them.

Here’s the question:

Do we see our world the same way that Jesus saw His?

A couple of years ago I went down to Auburn to go to a football game. I’ve tried to go to at least one game a year since I graduated. I went to the game with one of my close friends, and we met up at his parents' tailgate. When we got there, his mom and dad introduced us to two Chinese students that had been staying with them. They had given them tickets to the game, but were curious about their experience. My friend's mom asked if we would show them around campus, tell them about American culture, and explain the football game to them.

I was so excited. I never actually got to be the Student Ambassador tour guide while in school, and now was my chance. I couldn't wait to tell them everything about Auburn. As we walked around campus, I showed off all my trivial Auburn knowledge. I was telling them about when certain trees were planted, every campus legend I knew, and the history of different buildings. They loved it. They asked us questions about our culture, our jobs, and our schools– they were eating it up. I thought it was the greatest thing ever.

As we walked by the stadium, my friend asked them about Christianity. Very naturally, he started a conversation with them about Jesus.

I was crushed.

Throughout our entire conversation, I hadn't even considered talking to them about my faith. They asked me about my culture, and I told them about everything but Jesus. I was so focused on my school and how the game of football worked that I completely missed the opportunity to speak up about God! I didn’t think to talk about Jesus!

Sometimes, I don't see my world the same way Jesus saw His. I don't weep for those who miss the truth. I just thought, ‘Oh they’re from a different place,” and missed the opportunity to participate in the telling of the great story of our forgiveness through Christ.

For many of us, this is our experience. We live life with people that we know do not know Christ, but we don’t see it. We don’t recognize the significance of their unbelief. Do we see it? Do we have any tears for the city?

It's easy to feel like I felt while listening to my friend talk about Jesus. I felt guilty. But, God uses our failures to point to His strength.

Pray this with me today:
God, help me love my world. Give me compassion. Help me see the need around me and point to You above anything else. AMEN.