Jesus Wept...Twice?

Luke 19:36-37, 41-42, ESV

As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

….

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.”

The account of Palm Sunday is recorded in all 4 gospels, but only Luke gives this little glimpse into the heart of Jesus as He approached the city of Jerusalem.

As Jesus descended the Mount of Olives with a multitude of disciples honoring Him, the city of Jerusalem came into view—and He was thinking of the lost.

And He grieved—and He wept.

He was about to clear the merchants and money changers from the temple in righteous anger, but he wept over them first. He wept for the spiritually blind, and He wept for a people He loved.

He wept for the city that would soon send him to the cross.

So this year, as we approach Palm Sunday and the Easter season, let’s pray that we would have a heart like Jesus for the world around us. 

May our grief for the lost always come before any anger we experience over their unrighteous actions. May even our righteous anger be founded upon a heart of love for every soul who has not experienced the love of Jesus.