Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 33

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:29-48

Common wisdom of the day would look at the actions of Jesus and say that things are not going to end well for him.

We know differently but could certainly see where they were coming from.

As he enters Jerusalem, we must remember that the Passover is nearing.  This is a Jewish holiday where lots of people come from all over to visit the Temple.  It is a time when they remember how God led them out of captivity from Egypt.

If you were a foreign occupier of Jerusalem, this religious observance would make you nervous for sure!

Jerusalem is ripe for riot and revolt.

When Jesus enters Jerusalem in a kind of procession, they are calling him "King" and "Lord".  The Pharisees were calling for cessation in that they didn't want the army coming in and killing a bunch of civilians caught up in the moment.  The cleansing of the Temple wouldn't have toned this down at all.

When Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, Luke has already seen (or at least heard of) the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD.  All of the things Jesus says in this paragraph have essentially already come to pass.  Some see this as prophetic utterings by Jesus while others see it as editorial commentary by Luke.  Regardless of which you believe, we see an important message shared.

If only we could recognize the things that make for peace.  

This is true in our world today as we try to figure out Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It is true in our country today as we wrangle over politics from the federal level down to school board elections.

It is true in our denomination today as some seek to leave for perceived greener pastures.

It is true in some of our families as they disagree over any of the above!

When you're in a war zone,
all you want is peace.

So, we do know that violence is not the end-all.  But rather resurrection speaks a
louder message.  We are reminded that if we are silent, the very stones will cry out!

This phrase is a good reminder that truth will eventually come out.  

Some day.  

But if we can occupy a place for peace in the world, maybe "some day" could come sooner.  Then maybe Jesus wouldn't have to weep over our lost chances for peace today.

Prayer for the day:

God, we often pray for peace.  All of the chaos and turmoil is tiring.  If people would just get on our side, all of this disagreement could end!  We struggle over keeping our ideals to bring healing to a hurting world and getting along with those with an alternate philosophy.  The balance is excruciating.  Help us to remember the root of this word as we approach Holy Week.  In Christ's name we pray.  Amen.

Photo by manhhai via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.