And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Luke 19:41-44

What a heart-rending sight!

Jesus, Who is 100% God is also 100% man. And in His human nature He weeps over natural Jerusalem knowing how they have turned against God and what they will soon face as the result.

There had been so many things done in and around Jerusalem proving that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus and John the Baptist (as well as the disciples) had taught so plainly that the people needed to repent, but the city remained in arrogant impenitence. 

Jesus gives a clear prophecy of what would take place about forty years later because of their rejection of Him. The Roman army will dig great trenches around the city and lay siege to it. They will starve the citizens and eventually enter the city and raze it to the ground!

Many focus on this portion of scripture and use it to try to scare people into repentance. This is not the intent of this or any other scripture. The threats of eternal punishment will not sway the wicked. This scene actually proves that. 

No, this scene teaches us how we, as born again children of God, should view the world around us. Rather than looking at sin around us and adopting a self-righteous attitude, we should weep for the sins of others and our own community or country. 

A heart touched by the grace of God weeps over sin, all sin. We should not quench the spirit. We should remember:

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

To view the sins of others in a self-righteous way is to act like the Pharisees and other leaders in Jerusalem in the first century. These people did not recognize the Christ! Rather than looking down our noses at the sins of others, we should weep like our Savior weeped. We should mourn for what man has done to God’s glorious creation. 

God will not leave us comfortless.