Westside Church of Christ

The clouds of rejection gathered quickly. The long-anticipated Savior had come to His own people, and they did not receive Him. They resisted Him, and came to hate Him. He never intended anything but good for them, but they would have nothing to do with Him. The

religious enthusiasts could not handle the truth when it came into conflict with their traditions. He looked over the city, sadness gripped His heart, and Jesus wept (Luke 19:41-44).

We might have expected anger or frustration. He would have had every right to call down fire from heaven. It would have been totally understandable for His wrath to destroy that city. They had history as God’s people. They had the revelation of the Lord. Yet, they had a faulty expectation. If only they knew what they were missing and what lay ahead for them. He wanted to gather them to protect them, but they would have none of it. The compassionate Son of God would soon give His life for them, but first Jesus wept.

A weeping Messiah seems so unlikely. He never was what they expected. Omnipotence wrapped in human clothing is impossible to second-guess. He never rejected the outsiders. He loved them with embraces that obviously embarrassed the spiritual elite. He had a heart for the dejected and the outcasts. He came searching for sinners. There has never been anyone like Him. People rebel and reject. Jesus wept.

He loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He received word that the man was ill (John 11). He knew what this was all about. Death would not be the end of the story. God’s glory would be. That was information that Mary and Martha did not have, and they were disillusioned. His delay in coming confused them. He could have helped and didn’t come. His beloved friend was dead. They didn’t understand.

The air was heavy with grief when He finally arrived. Four days had passed since the death of Lazarus. It was too late for Him to do anything about it, or so they thought. That is obvious from a very limited human perspective. In the middle of it all, the emotions of the people touched Him in a deep way. Grief grabbed Him, too. He knew exactly what was coming, but His dear friends hurt so bad that He felt it, and Jesus wept.

The tears of the Savior. He hurt for the people who rejected Him and those who loved him. His enemies and His friends stirred His soul. The death of a loved one is so hard to take. It touches us way down inside. It touched Him, too, and He sobbed. We are surrounded by a nation that has rejected their only eternal hope. If they only understood what they were missing and what was ahead. Surely, He sees and weeps, again.

Call to Praise: Acts 2:43-47

His word on it: Acts 4:32

Sermon: “United We Stand”