The Weeping King

Luke 19:37, 38, 41

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives— the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it...

...............

What are things that make me weep?

Exhaustion, weariness, frustrated plans, shame over my own sin, sympathy for a friend who is painfully sick or mourning the loss of family. These are all fitting things to weep over.  But, how frequently do I weep for the spiritual condition of my city? For the blindness that causes people to curse God or simply ignore his kindness in their lives.

Why does a king weep?

In Luke 19, Jesus enters Jerusalem with a throng of supporters declaring his coming kingship. Luke describes this crowd by citing their eager expectation of an immediate political regime change (19:11). We then see the symbols of the donkey and the palm branches, traditional elements of coronation ceremonies in that culture. And the Pharisees demand that Jesus put a stop to what they see as treason and blasphemy and insurrection! But Jesus accepts the adoration, for it is perfectly fitting - a foretaste of his eventual exaltation.

Eventual.

In the meantime, he must face the cross and death and the penalty of mankind's sin - all for a wicked, ungrateful, and blind generation. That's enough to make a king weep, which is exactly what he proceeds to do.

He weeps for one reason: their judgment is coming, and they are too blind to see that he himself is the way of escape. The time of his visitation is arrived, but they bicker and quarrel. The Creator himself has come down and revealed the beauty and power of heaven! And they sell animals in the temple for a quick profit. The pathway to peace is among them, but they choose strife, pride, envy, greed, and violent abuse of enemy and friend alike. 

Jesus weeps for them, even as they stand rightly condemned before his holiness and authority. The king has come down from his throne to die like a lamb for those who barely pay attention or notice.

Do I weep for those not worthy of tears? If not, then do I really know the heart of God?

Redeemed!

Psalms 31:1-5

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; 

let me never be put to shame; 

in your righteousness deliver me! 

Incline your ear to me; 

rescue me speedily! 

Be a rock of refuge for me, 

a strong fortress to save me! 

For you are my rock and my fortress; 

and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; 

you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, 

for you are my refuge. 

Into your hand I commit my spirit; 

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. 

...............

Daily life can be a battle.

The enemies are without and within. When I wake up each day, there are troubles and temptations waiting for me. Every hunger, every discomfort, every annoyance, every complaint, every broken plan or broken promise, every desire for something more, something better, every opportunity to speak poorly of a co-worker or think negatively of my dearest friends & family, every chance to blame others and play the victim - the day holds these enemies in store for me.

But I have two secrets that can keep me safe from these enemies. 

One, I know the war exists - I am not resigned to fall into these pits and despair of life itself. I know there is more. I know I can see victory and joy even in the midst of all this. 

Second, I do not fight alone. I have a partner, a fellow soldier, a friend in this battle, a rescuer and redeemer who is both willing and perfectly able to protect and restore me. He is faithful, and I can commit my life into his trustworthy hands and know that my path is sure. I will look to him and cry out to him and he will hear me in my distress. He cares for every detail and listens to even my trite and trivial fears.

He helps me see how worthless are the idols which clamor for my attention. He replaces them with himself and meets the deepest desire of my heart.

When Jesus hung on the cross, his last breath was used to quote this psalm:

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:44-47)

This quote from Jesus could be easily overlooked. Short, and simply describing his acceptance of the end. But, when you see the context of Psalm 31, you realize that Jesus was making a bold claim of confidence in his Father, right in his darkest hour, when anyone else would have despaired and cursed God. 

The second half of verse 5 of the psalm says "You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God." Jesus' confidence in his redemption was so strong that he could use the present-tense to describe what was really a future reality. He was dying, drawing his last breath, but he was so sure of his "faithful God," so sure he would breathe again and rise from the tomb, that he could say "you have redeemed me."

I pray that I can walk in such confidence, knowing that he is faithful, that he will be with me in the daily battles against sin and death, and that my victory and resurrection are so certain that I need never worry or fear.

For, you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God, and I will walk in your faithfulness with a certainty and a hope that cannot be shaken. Amen.