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Commentary on Luke 19 verses 41–48
The great Ambassador from heaven is here making his public entry into Jerusalem, not to be respected there, but to be rejected; he knew what a nest of vipers he was throwing himself into, and yet see here two instances of his love to that place and his concern for it.
I. The tears he shed for the approaching ruin of the city (Luk 19:41): When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. Probably, it was when he was coming down the descent of the hill from the mount of Olives, where he had a full view of the city, the large extent of it, and the many stately structures in it, and his eye affected his heart, and his heart his eye again. See here,
1.What a tender spirit Christ was of; we never read that he laughed, but we often find him in tears. In this very place his father David wept, and those that were with him, though he and they were men of war. There are cases in which it is no disparagement to the stoutest of men to melt into tears.
2.That Jesus Christ wept in the midst of his triumphs, wept when all about him were rejoicing, to show how little he was elevated with the applause and acclamation of the people. Thus he would teach us to rejoice with trembling, and as though we rejoiced not. If Providence do not stain the beauty of our triumphs, we may ourselves see cause to sully it with our sorrows.
3.That he wept over Jerusalem. Note, There are cities to be wept over, and none to be more lamented than Jerusalem, that had been the holy city, and the joy of the whole earth, if it be degenerated. But why did Christ weep at the sight of Jerusalem? Was it because "Yonder is the city in which I must be betrayed and bound, scourged and spit upon, condemned and crucified?" No, he himself gives us the reason of his tears.
(1.)Jerusalem has not improved the day of her opportunities. He wept, and said, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, if thou wouldst but yet know, while the gospel is preached to thee, and salvation offered thee by it; if thou wouldest at length bethink thyself, and understand the things that belong to thy peace, the making of thy peace with God, and the securing of thine own spiritual and eternal welfare - but thou dost not know the day of thy visitation, Luk 19:44. The manner of speaking is abrupt: If thou hadst known! O that thou hadst, so some take it; like that O that my people had hearkened unto me, Psa 81:13; Isa 48:18. Or, If thou hadst known, well; like that of the fig-tree, Luk 13:9. How happy had it been for thee! Or, "If thou hadst known, thou wouldest have wept for thyself, and I should have no occasion to weep for thee, but should have rejoiced rather." What he says lays all the blame of Jerusalem's impending ruin upon herself. Note, [1.] There are things which belong to our peace, which we are all concerned to know and understand; the way how peace is made, the offers made of peace, the terms on which we may have the benefit of peace. The things that belong to our peace are those things that relate to our present and future welfare; these we must know with application. [2.] There is a time of visitation when those things which belong to our peace may be known by us, and known to good purpose. When we enjoy the means of grace in great plenty, and have the word of God powerfully preached to us - when the Spirit strives with us, and our own consciences are startled and awakened - then is the time of visitation, which we are concerned to improve. [3.] With those that have long neglected the time of their visitation, if at length, if at last, in this their day, their eyes be opened, and they bethink themselves, all will be well yet. Those shall not be refused that come into the vineyard at the eleventh hour. [4.] It is the amazing folly of multitudes that enjoy the means of grace, and it will be of fatal consequence to them, that they do not improve the day of their opportunities. The things of their peace are revealed to them, but are not minded or regarded by them; they hide their eyes from them, as if they were not worth taking notice of. They are not aware of the accepted time and the day of salvation, and to let it slip and perish through mere carelessness. None are so blind as those that will not see; nor have any the things of their peace more certainly hidden from their eyes than those that turn their back upon them. [5.] The sin and folly of those that persist in a contempt of gospel grace are a great grief to the Lord Jesus, and should be so to us. He looks with weeping eyes upon lost souls, that continue impenitent, and run headlong upon their own ruin; he had rather that they would turn and live than go on and die, for he is not willing that any should perish.
(2.)Jerusalem cannot escape the day of her desolation. The things of her peace are now in a manner hidden from her eyes; they will be shortly. Not but that after this the gospel was preached to them by the apostles; all the house of Israel were called to know assuredly that Christ was their peace (Act 2:36), and multitudes were convinced and converted. But as to the body of the nation, and the leading part of it, they were sealed up under unbelief; God had given them the spirit of slumber, Rom 11:8. They were so prejudiced and enraged against the gospel, and those few that did embrace it then, that nothing less than a miracle of divine grace (like that which converted Paul) would work upon them; and it could not be expected that such a miracle should be wrought, and so they were justly given up to judicial blindness and hardness. The peaceful things are not hidden from the eyes of particular persons; but it is too late to think now of the nation of the Jews, as such, becoming a Christian nation, by embracing Christ. And therefore they are marked for ruin, which Christ here foresees and foretels, as the certain consequence of their rejecting Christ. Note, Neglecting the great salvation often brings temporal judgments upon a people; it did so upon Jerusalem in less than forty years after this, when all that Christ here foretold was exactly fulfilled. [1.] The Romans besieged the city, cast a trench about it, compassed it round, and kept their inhabitants in on every side. Josephus relates that Titus ran up a wall in a very short time, which surrounded the city, and cut off all hopes of escaping. [2.] They laid it even with the ground. Titus commanded his soldiers to dig up the city, and the whole compass of it was levelled, except three towers; see Josephus's history of the wars of the Jews, 5.356-360; 7.1. Not only the city, but the citizens were laid even with the ground (thy children within thee), by the cruel slaughters that were made of them: and there was scarcely one stone left upon another. This was for their crucifying Christ; this was because they knew not the day of their visitation. Let other cities and nations take warning.
II. The zeal he showed for the present purification of the temple. Though it must be destroyed ere long, it does not therefore follow that no care must be taken of it in the mean time.
1.Christ cleared it of those who profaned it. He went straight to the temple, and began to cast out the buyers and sellers, Luk 19:45. Hereby (though he was represented as an enemy to the temple, and that was the crime laid to his charge before the high priest) he made it to appear that he had a truer love for the temple than they had who had such a veneration for its corban, its treasury, as a sacred thing; for its purity was more its glory than its wealth was. Christ gave reason for his dislodging the temple-merchants, Luk 19:46. The temple is a house of prayer, set apart for communion with God: the buyers and sellers made it a den of thieves by the fraudulent bargains they made there, which was by no means to be suffered, for it would be a distraction to those who came there to pray.
2.He put it to the best use that ever it was put to, for he taught daily in the temple, Luk 19:47. Note, It is not enough that the corruptions of a church be purged out, but the preaching of the gospel must be encouraged. Now, when Christ preached in the temple, observe here, (1.) How spiteful the church-rulers were against him; how industrious to seek an opportunity, or pretence rather, to do him a mischief (Luk 19:47): The chief priests and scribes, and the chief of the people, the great sanhedrim, that should have attended him, and summoned the people too to attend him, sought to destroy him, and put him to death. (2.) How respectful the common people were to him. They were very attentive to hear him. He spent most of his time in the country, and did not then preach in the temple, but, when he did, the people paid him great respect, attended on his preaching with diligence, and let no opportunity slip of hearing him, attended to it with care, and would not lose a word. Some read it, All the people as they heard him, took his part; and so it comes in very properly as a reason why his enemies could not find what they might do against him; they saw the people ready to fly in their faces if they offered him any violence. Till his hour was come his interest in the common people protected him; but, when his hour was come, the chief priests' influence upon the common people delivered him up.
And because they had committed these crimes, and had failed to understand that Christ "was to be found" in "the time of their visitation," their land has been made "desert, and their cities utterly burnt with fire, while strangers devour their region in their sight: the daughter of Sion is derelict, as a watch-tower in a vineyard, or as a shed in a cucumber garden,"-ever since the time, to wit, when "Israel knew not" the Lord, and "the People understood Him not; "but rather "quite forsook, and provoked unto indignation, the Holy One of Israel.
All the blessings which Jesus pronounced in His Gospel He confirms by His own example, as having declared, Blessed are the meek; He afterwards sanctions it by saying, Learn of me, for I am meek; and because He had said, Blessed are they that weep, He Himself also wept over the city.
I do not deny then that the former Jerusalem was destroyed because of the wickedness of its inhabitants, but I ask whether the weeping might not perhaps concern this your spiritual Jerusalem. For if a man has sinned after receiving the mysteries of truth, he will be wept over. Moreover, no Gentile is wept over, but he only who was of Jerusalem, and has ceased to be.
When our Lord and Savior approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept.… By his example, Jesus confirms all the Beatitudes that he speaks in the Gospel. By his own witness, he confirms what he teaches. "Blessed are the meek," he says. He says something similar to this of himself: "Learn from me, for I am meek." "Blessed are the peacemakers." What other man brought as much peace as my Lord Jesus, who "is our peace," who "dissolves hostility" and "destroys it in his own flesh"? "Blessed are those who suffer persecution because of justice."No one suffered such persecution because of justice as did the Lord Jesus, who was crucified for our sins. The Lord therefore exhibited all the Beatitudes in himself. For the sake of this likeness, he wept, because of what he said, "Blessed are those who weep," to lay the foundations for this beatitude as well. He wept for Jerusalem "and said, 'If only you had known on that day what meant peace for you! But now it is hidden from your eyes,' " and the rest, to the point where he says, "Because you did not know the time of your visitation."
He here declares that His coming was to bring peace to the whole world. For unto this He came, that He should preach both to them that were near, and those that were afar off. But as they did not wish to receive the peace that was announced to them, it was hid from them. And therefore the siege which was shortly to come upon them He most expressly foretells, adding, For the days shall come upon thee, &c.
But how these things were fulfilled we may gather from what is delivered to us by Josephus, who though he was a Jew, related each event as it toot place, in exact accordance with Christ's prophecies.
These things took place in this way in the second year of the reign of Vespasian in agreement with the prophetic pronouncements of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By divine power, he foresaw these events as if already present and wept over them and mourned, according to the writings of the holy Evangelists. They add his own words, when on one occasion he spoke as if to Jerusalem itself. “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! Now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.” On another occasion, as if concerning the people, he said, “There will be great distress in the land and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captives into all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the nations be fulfilled.” Again he says, “When you shall see Jerusalem encircled by an army, then know that its desolation is near.” If one should compare the words of our Savior with the other narratives of the historian, how could he help but marvel and confess the truly divine and supernaturally wonderful foreknowledge and prophecy of our Savior?
For Christ had compassion upon the Jews, who wills that all men should be saved. Which had not been plain to us, were it not revealed by a certain mark of His humanity. For tears poured forth are the tokens of sorrow.
That the overthrow of Jerusalem which was accomplished by Vespasian and Titus, the Roman princes, is described while the Lord weeps, no one who has read the history of that destruction is unaware. But first we must ask what it means that is said: "Seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you." For the Redeemer first wept over the ruin of the faithless city, which the city itself did not know was coming upon it.
But since we know that Jerusalem has now been destroyed and through its destruction has been changed for the better, we ought to draw some likeness inwardly from external things and fear the ruin of morals from the ruined buildings of walls. For seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you. This he did once, when he announced that the city would perish. This our Redeemer never ceases to do daily through his elect, when he considers that certain people have passed from a good life to wicked ways. For he mourns those who do not know why they are mourned, because, according to the words of Solomon: "They rejoice when they have done evil and exult in the worst things." If they had recognized their damnation which hangs over them, they themselves would mourn with the tears of the elect.
(Hom. 39. in Ev.) The merciful Redeemer wept then over the fall of the false city, which that city itself knew not was about to come upon it. As it is added, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou (we may here understand) wouldest weep. Thou who now rejoicest, for thou knowest not what is at hand. It follows, at least in this thy day. For when she gave herself up to carnal pleasures, she had the things which in her day might be her peace. But why she had present goods for her peace, is explained by what follows, But now they are hidden from thy eyes. For if the eyes of her heart had not been hidden from the future evils which were hanging over her, she would not have been joyful in the prosperity of the present. Therefore He shortly added the punishment which was near at hand, saying, For the days shall come upon thee.
(ut sup.) By these words the Roman leaders are pointed out. For that overthrow of Jerusalem is described, which was made by the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus.
This too which is added, namely, They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, is now witnessed in the altered situation of the same city, which is now built in that place where Christ was crucified without the gate, whereas the former Jerusalem, as it is called, was rooted up from the very foundation. And the crime for which this punishment of overthrow was inflicted is added, Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
(ut sup.) For our Redeemer does not cease to weep through His elect whenever he perceives any to have departed from a good life to follow evil ways. Who if they had known their own damnation, hanging over them, would together with the elect shed tears over themselves. But the corrupt soul here has its day, rejoicing in the passing time; to whom things present are its peace, seeing that it takes delight in that which is temporal. It shuns the foresight of the future which may disturb its present mirth; and hence it follows, But now are they hid from thine eyes.
(Hom. 39. in Ev.) Or else; The evil spirits lay siege to the soul, as it goes forth from the body, for being seized with the love of the flesh, they caress it with delusive pleasures. They surround it with a trench, because bringing all its wickedness which it has committed before the eyes of its mind, they close confine it to the company of its own damnation, that being caught in the very extremity of life, it may see by what enemies it is blockaded, yet be unable to find any way of escape, because it can no longer do good works, since those which it might once have done it despised. On every side also they inclose the soul when its iniquities rise up before it, not only in deed but also in word and thought, that she who before in many ways greatly enlarged herself in wickedness, should now at the end be straitened every way in judgment. Then indeed the soul by the very condition of its guilt is laid prostrate on the ground, while its flesh which it believed to be its life is bid to return to dust. Then its children fall in death, when all unlawful thoughts which only proceed from it, are in the last punishment of life scattered abroad. These may also be signified by the stones. For the corrupt mind when to a corrupt thought it adds one more corrupt, places one stone upon another. But when the soul is led to its doom, the whole structure of its thoughts is rent asunder. But the wicked soul God ceases not to visit with His teaching, sometimes with the scourge and sometimes with a miracle; that the truth which it knew not it may hear, and though still despising it, may return pricked to the heart in sorrow, or overcome with mercies may be ashamed at the evil which it has done. But because it knows not the time of its visitation, at the end of life it is given over to its enemies, that with them it may be joined together in the bond of everlasting damnation.
Again, when our Lord descends from the mount of Olives, the multitude descend also, because since the Author of mercy has suffered humiliation, it is necessary that all those who need His mercy should follow His footsteps.
And as He drew near, seeing the city, He wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you. Because it is written that the Lord wept at this destruction of Jerusalem which was undertaken by the Roman princes Vespasian and Titus, no one who reads the history of its overthrow can be unaware. But one must first inquire what is meant by: Seeing the city, He wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you. The merciful Redeemer indeed wept over the ruin of the faithless city, which the city itself did not know was coming. To which it is rightly said by the Lord weeping: If you had known, even you, meaning: you would have wept over what you now exult over, because you do not know what is coming. Hence it is also added:
That is, of my coming. For I came to visit and to save thee, which if thou hadst known and believed on Me, thou mightest have been reconciled to the Romans, and exempted from all danger, as did those who believed on Christ.
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SUMMARY
Luke 19:41 captures a poignant moment during Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. As He draws near the city, instead of reveling in the adulation of the crowd, Jesus is overcome with profound sorrow. He beholds Jerusalem, the spiritual heart of Israel, and weeps openly over its spiritual blindness and the impending judgment that would befall it due to its rejection of Him as the Messiah. This act reveals His deep compassion, prophetic insight, and the tragic consequences of failing to recognize the time of divine visitation.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Luke 19:41 is rich with literary devices that amplify its emotional and theological impact. Foreshadowing is prominent, as Jesus' tears and subsequent lament directly precede His prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction, which would be fulfilled in 70 AD. This moment serves as a grim premonition of the city's tragic fate. Irony is also powerfully present; amidst the joyous shouts of "Hosanna" and the celebration of His triumphal entry, Jesus weeps. The crowd celebrates a king, but the King Himself mourns the very people who acclaim Him, knowing their ultimate rejection and the consequences. This stark contrast highlights the spiritual blindness of the masses. Furthermore, the scene is imbued with profound Pathos, evoking deep pity and sorrow. Jesus' public display of grief for a city that would crucify Him creates a powerful emotional resonance, inviting the reader to share in His sorrow and understand the gravity of Jerusalem's spiritual condition. His tears also serve as powerful Symbolism, representing God's heart of compassion and sorrow over humanity's sin and rebellion, even as He pronounces judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41 is a profound theological statement, revealing the very heart of God. It demonstrates that God does not delight in judgment, but rather grieves over the consequences of humanity's sin and rebellion. This moment underscores the divine pathos—God's deep emotional engagement with His creation. It highlights the immense cost of spiritual blindness and the tragedy of rejecting divine grace. Despite His omnipotence and knowledge of what was to come, Jesus' tears reveal a loving God who yearns for His people's repentance and salvation, even when they turn away. This lament is a powerful reminder that God's justice is always intertwined with His compassion, and that His warnings are born out of love, not malice.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jesus' tears over Jerusalem serve as a timeless call to spiritual awareness and compassionate action for believers today. Just as Jerusalem failed to recognize "the time of its visitation," we are challenged to examine our own lives and our generation: are we discerning God's presence, His invitations, and His warnings? Are we spiritually awake to the opportunities He presents for repentance, faith, and service? This verse compels us to cultivate a heart of compassion for those who are spiritually lost, blind, or resistant to the Gospel. Jesus' deep anguish should stir within us a similar burden for the unsaved, motivating us to prayer, evangelism, and merciful outreach. It reminds us that our mission is not merely to proclaim truth, but to do so with the tender heart of our Savior, who wept over those destined for judgment. Finally, Luke 19:41 is a sobering reminder of the serious consequences of rejecting God's truth and His Son. It underscores the profound importance of responding to divine grace with humility and faith, lest we too miss the time of our visitation and face the inevitable consequences of unbelief.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem, especially during a time of celebration?
Answer: Jesus wept over Jerusalem not out of personal sadness for Himself, but out of profound divine sorrow for the city's spiritual blindness and its impending judgment. While the crowds celebrated His Triumphal Entry, Jesus' prophetic insight allowed Him to see beyond the immediate joy to the tragic future awaiting Jerusalem. The city, despite being the center of God's chosen people, had largely rejected Him as the Messiah and failed to recognize "the time of their visitation" (Luke 19:44). His tears were an audible lament (klaíō in Greek), expressing God's grief over their unbelief and the devastating consequences that would follow, culminating in the city's destruction by the Romans in 70 AD. It was a demonstration of His deep compassion and His sorrow over the lostness of His people.
What does "the time of their visitation" mean in this context?
Answer: "The time of their visitation" (Luke 19:44) refers to the period when God, in His grace, sent His Messiah, Jesus Christ, to His people Israel. It was the crucial moment when God was "visiting" them with His presence, His truth, and His offer of salvation. For Jerusalem, this visitation was embodied in Jesus Himself, His miracles, His teachings, and His very presence as the long-awaited King. Jesus' lament signifies that Jerusalem, as a whole, failed to recognize or respond positively to this divine visitation, leading to their spiritual hardening and the tragic consequences of judgment. For us today, it implies that God continually "visits" humanity through His Word, His Spirit, and His Church, and there is a critical time to respond to His call before opportunities are lost.
Does Jesus' weeping mean that God is sorrowful or emotional?
Answer: Yes, Jesus' weeping in Luke 19:41 is a powerful demonstration of God's emotional depth and sorrow. As the Son of God, fully divine and fully human, Jesus perfectly reveals the character of the Father. His tears show that God is not a detached, impassive deity, but one who is deeply grieved by sin, rebellion, and the suffering that results from humanity's rejection of His love. This moment, along with other passages like Isaiah 63:9 and Hosea 11:8, reveals a God who experiences profound compassion, regret, and sorrow over the choices of His creation, particularly when those choices lead to destruction. It underscores His relational nature and His longing for humanity's reconciliation with Him.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41 is a poignant foreshadowing of His ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment. His tears reveal the heart of the Messiah, who, though destined to be rejected and crucified by this very city, still grieved over its spiritual blindness and impending judgment. This lament is a microcosm of His entire mission: to seek and to save the lost, even those who would scorn Him. The peace that Jerusalem failed to recognize (Luke 19:42) was the peace He came to offer through His atoning sacrifice. His sorrow over Jerusalem's desolation prefigures His greater suffering on the cross, where He would bear the full weight of humanity's sin and rejection, not just for one city, but for the entire world (Isaiah 53:4-6). Ultimately, while Jerusalem rejected its King, Jesus' weeping leads to the establishment of a new, spiritual Jerusalem—the Church (Hebrews 12:22-24), and ultimately the New Jerusalem of Revelation (Revelation 21:2-4), where true peace, righteousness, and the presence of God are eternally realized for all who embrace Him as Lord and Savior. His tears over Jerusalem reveal the depth of a love that would go to the cross to secure the peace that the city so tragically missed.