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Luke 19 verses 41-42. “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If only you, even you, had known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.’”

Although Jesus arranged his entry into Jerusalem in a very public way, he did not expect the city to recognise him or receive him as their King. The Passover was approaching and the city was filling up with pilgrims and strangers from all over the empire. There was too much excitement and one wonders how many of the thousands in the city would have noticed his entry except for the people mentioned in the text. But would they have represented the whole city? Hardly.

Jesus now makes two statements. In the first he laments the city’s failure to receive him. They do not know who he was, they fail to recognise him. “If you had only known”, says Jesus, “on this day what would bring you peace”. And because of this rejection divine judgement would fall on the city. As our Lord contemplates this awful consequence, he weeps. Remember, Jesus came, according to Zechariah 9 v 9 “ as one having salvation”. Jerusalem needed him but alas, they did not know him. In the old days the city’s walls were not protection against their enemies unless God was with her. Now she rejects her God sent King, and soon her walls would fall again.

But our Lord’s second comment bears thought. Why did Jerusalem not recognise him? Because she was spiritually blinded.

Notice the words at the end of verse 42 “but now it is hidden from your eyes”. Compare this with verse 44, “You did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you”.

Her blindness did not mitigate her guilt nor did it in any way lessen the tragic consequences that came upon her in AD 70 when the Roman armies overran the city.

Think of how many people there are in our world who live without God. Many of these people have an encounter with a Christian who tells them the Gospel and they refuse. How many of them ever think about that moment as “the time of God’s coming to them”. It was THE moment when God would meet them. But sadly they turned away.

Pray for your loved ones. Ask God to “come to them” and ask him to help them recognise their moment.