“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”
Jerusalem was the capital city of God’s chosen people, the ancestral home of David, Israel’s greatest king, and the location of the temple, the earthly dwelling place of God. In was intended to be the center of worship of the true God and the symbol of justice to all people. But Jerusalem had become blind to God and insensitive to human need. Here we see the depth of Jesus’ feelings for the lost people and for his beloved city, which would soon be destroyed. The people will indeed say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” on Palm Sunday, the day Jesus is presented as the True King. But one week later, they will hand him over to the Romans to be crucified, which he did and the reason for His coming, so that men can be forgiven their sins and be reconciled to God.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, the depth of our sins overwhelm us. It is as though we cannot choose good over evil and our pride bursts at its seams. By Your grace and with Your power, deliver us from our own self. Let us not continue to walk in the darkness of the flesh, but instead be revitalized by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we no longer quench His power, but instead turn our lives around. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.
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