Jesus Wept Again: Luke 19:41-44

Focus Passage: Luke 19:41-44 (GNT)

 41 He [Jesus] came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it, 42 saying,
         If you only knew today what is needed for peace! But now you cannot see it! 43 The time will come when your enemies will surround you with barricades, blockade you, and close in on you from every side. 44 They will completely destroy you and the people within your walls; not a single stone will they leave in its place, because you did not recognize the time when God came to save you!

Read Luke 19:41-44 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In the gospel record of Jesus’ life, we have two recorded instances where Jesus cried. The passage we are focusing on today includes one of these two occasions, but for this journal entry, I want to focus on something we can learn by looking at both of these occasions side by side. By looking at these two verses side by side, there is an interesting side of Jesus’ character that we can discover.

Without delay, here are the two verses:

  • “He [Jesus] came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it, . . . ” (v. 41)
  • “Jesus wept. ‘See how much he loved him [Lazarus]!’ the people said.” (John 11:35-36)

These are the only two verses that I am aware of where Jesus cries, and when we look at the contexts, they are very distinct.

In Luke’s passage, Jesus is weeping over Jerusalem (His city & His chosen people) and about how they have continually rejected Him.

In John’s passage, Jesus weeps over the lost life of someone He loved – a friend. This is a strange place for Jesus to “cry”, especially knowing that Lazarus will not remain dead for much longer. This makes me wonder if there is something else going on in this passage that we don’t initially see.

When we place these two passages side by side, looking at what causes Jesus to cry, we get the following big thought: Jesus cares deeply over both His chosen people, and His close friends. He loves every single being (person, animal, angel) that has ever been created/born, and He does not want anyone to perish. He also loves the people who He (God) has set apart to be a light to the rest of the world.

We can bring great joy to the heart of God when we follow Jesus both individually and collectively.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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