THURSDAY HOMILY : 33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
THEME: VALUE THE MESSAGE OF PEACE.
BY: FR. KARABARI PAUL
‘When Jesus drew near and saw the city He wept over it, saying, “would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!”‘
The Gospel of today (Luke 19:41-44) presents an unusual emotional scene of Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem with its glories was meant to be a city of peace. When King David made this city the capital of Israel about 1000 years before Christ, he chose it because of its excellent location. It was located right on the border between the tribal territories of Benjamin and Judah. Since his predecessor, King Saul had been from the tribe of Benjamin, while David himself was from the tribe of Judah, there would be a feeling that Judah had taken over the royal rights of Benjamin. Jerusalem’s location on the border between them would therefore help to bring peace and reconciliation between the two rival tribes.
Furthermore, the city of Jerusalem was located high up on top of a mountain ridge and it was blessed with its own sources of water from several good springs. From a military point of view, this would make it like a natural fortress, and all who dwell in it should feel quite safe and secure from all enemies, and be able to enjoy peace. That is perhaps why it was named, ‘Jerusalem’ which means, ‘The City of Peace.’ And in Psalm 122:6 God’s people are exhorted to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’
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But history has shown that Jerusalem has not been a city of peace even until recent times. In its turbulent history spanning 3,500 years, Jerusalem has seen so little peace. At least 118 major conflicts have taken place over it, and rivers of blood have been shed to possess it. It has been besieged no less than 32 times, attacked and plundered by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, and finally the Ottoman Turks. And even when Israel re-acquired Jerusalem in recent times, it has become a terrible bone of contention between the Palestians and the Jews. The ongoing war with Hamas is a testimony. Blood is still shed in terrorist attacks and bombings. It is no wonder that some have called it “the most contested piece of real estate on Earth.”
Instead of being a city of peace, Jerusalem has therefore become a city of weeping. In fact, it has the wailing-wall. It has perhaps caused more weeping than any other city in the world.
This helps us now to understand why Jesus wept over the city. He wept in full sympathy with those who have been longing for peace in Jerusalem, a peace that should have been possessed by Jerusalem, which is supposed to be the city of Peace! He felt the anguish and sorrow of the city and of the nation it represents; the nation of Israel.
And now, as our Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ desires for us to be blessed with the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that is ours through being His people. He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27). And because He desires this peace for us so much, we can be assured that He weeps with us when we are troubled and bereft of peace. The tears that Jesus shed on earth reminds us that we have a Saviour who understands our feelings.
His tears must also remind those who are still unsaved not to forsake the opportunity for peace with God that Jesus came to bestow on us. As the Prince of Peace He alone can bring sinners into a permanent state of peace with God (Romans 5:1) and grant them the perfect peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Jesus has given opportunity after opportunity to many of the unsaved to possess this peace. And yet strangely, many choose to forsake that opportunity or to despise it altogether!
That is exactly what Jerusalem did. The Jews could have had such blessed peace, but they did not have it because they missed their opportunity! As John 1:11 says, ‘He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.’ And now, because they received Him not, the things that belong to their peace are hidden from their eyes. This speaks of the blindness of Israel to the Gospel message, and it explains why the vast majority of Jews have responded to the Gospel with unbelief or hardened hearts until this day.
It is understandable why Jesus would weep over the city. It was to be a terrible destruction, with great loss of life. In the year AD 70, as a result of a Jewish rebellion, Titus, the Roman General and son of Vespasian the Emperor, captured the city of Jerusalem and razed it to the ground. The destruction by the Roman armies was so complete that all that remained of the glorious Temple was just a wall.
Today, it is known as the Wailing Wall because many Jews go there to weep and wail over the destruction of their beloved city. That destruction in AD 70 eliminated the Jewish nation for almost 2000 years, and scattered the Jews throughout the whole world.
The tears that Jesus shed for Jerusalem truly reveal His great unbounded love for His own, a love that never ceases to seek earnestly after their welfare and salvation. This same Jesus who wept tears of love at that time, weeps also out of love for us today. Have we been like Jerusalem, in a backslidden condition, unwilling to listen to His many calls to us, His calls to obey Him and to renew our first love for Him? Have we grown cold toward Him, refusing to respond to the many tender appeals and warnings He has been giving to us again and again through His Word? If you have been like this, you must respond to His love. Let it draw us back to the Lord. Let His love bind us with a new commitment and resolve to walk with Him each day, and to live for Him each day. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world and land, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning
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