Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Christ: Lamented Over

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Jerusalem holds a significant place in the biblical narrative, particularly in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. One of the poignant moments recorded in the Gospels is Christ's lament over the city, reflecting His deep sorrow and compassion for its people and their spiritual state.

Biblical Context

The lamentation of Christ over Jerusalem is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. This event occurs as Jesus approaches the city, aware of the impending rejection and the consequences that would follow. His lament is both a prophetic declaration and an expression of His profound love and concern for Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37-39 :
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’"

In this passage, Jesus addresses the city with a double invocation, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," emphasizing the gravity of His message. He laments the city's history of rejecting the prophets and messengers sent by God. The metaphor of a hen gathering her chicks under her wings illustrates Christ's desire to protect and nurture the people of Jerusalem, yet they were unwilling to accept His offer of salvation.

Luke 19:41-44 :
"As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, 'If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.'"

In Luke's account, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, a rare glimpse into His emotional response to the city's spiritual blindness. He prophesies the destruction that would come upon Jerusalem, a foretelling of the Roman siege and destruction in A.D. 70. The lament underscores the tragedy of the city's failure to recognize "the time of your visitation from God," referring to the coming of the Messiah.

Theological Significance

Christ's lament over Jerusalem reveals several key theological themes. It highlights the persistent rejection of God's messengers by the people of Israel, culminating in the rejection of Jesus Himself. The lament also underscores the theme of divine judgment, as the city's unwillingness to accept Christ leads to its desolation.

Moreover, the lament reflects the heart of Christ, full of compassion and longing for His people to turn to Him. It serves as a reminder of God's desire for reconciliation and the peace that comes through accepting His Son.

Historical and Prophetic Implications

The lamentation over Jerusalem is not only a reflection of the historical reality of Jesus' time but also carries prophetic implications. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 fulfilled Jesus' prophecy, serving as a sobering reminder of the consequences of rejecting God's offer of salvation.

In the broader biblical narrative, Jerusalem remains a focal point of eschatological hope, with prophecies pointing to its future restoration and significance in God's redemptive plan. Christ's lament, therefore, is both a moment of sorrow and a call to repentance, urging the people to recognize the Messiah and embrace the peace He offers.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 19:41
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Daughters of Jerusalem
... of women, which[1] also bewailed and lamented Him." Some ... the emotion of the daughters
of Jerusalem; and we ... a moving account of the sufferings of Christ; and we ...
/.../stalker/the trial and death of jesus christ/chapter xi the daughters of.htm

Communion with Christ and his People.
... We have also communion with Christ in our emotions. ... are holy tears, and contain the
same ingredients as those which Jesus shed when He lamented over Jerusalem. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/communion with christ and his.htm

Christ Crucified
... Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see
and ... It was the custom of the daughters of Jerusalem, who lamented Him as ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 15 21-32 christ crucified.htm

The Declensions of Christianity, an Argument of Its Truth. .
... of consequences, his disciples "wept and lamented, and the ... fulfilled in the destruction
of Jerusalem by Titus ... Christ's coming to judgment, is often foretold in ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon iii the declensions of.htm

The Wisdom of God's Counsels
... Apostles themselves presided over the church at Jerusalem! ... in other words, "fulfil
the law of Christ.". ... and manners, (Dr. Owen,) deeply lamented over them, as ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 68 the wisdom of.htm

Bourdaloue -- the Passion of Christ
... and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him ... upon this nation, the ruin of
Jerusalem which followed ... of the authentic prediction which Jesus Christ made to ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/bourdaloue the passion of.htm

Presence in Absence
... Surely they wept and lamented then. ... expressly by St Luke that they "returned to
Jerusalem with great ... Plainly they did not consider that Christ was parted from ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xii presence in absence.htm

Howe -- the Redeemer's Tears Over Lost Souls
... Jerusalem had her day; but that day had its period, we ... to him"if discourses of God,
and of Christ, of death ... And that it was lamented by our Lord is in the ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/howe the redeemers tears.htm

Matt. xxiv. 16-18.
... touching these things; but having first lamented over the city ... say unto you, Lo,
here is Christ, or there ... Having finished what concerned Jerusalem, He passes on ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxxvi matt xxiv 16-18.htm

The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother ...
... of the people heard, and mourned, and lamented for him ... see death until he should
see the Christ in the ... James that wrote this history in Jerusalem, a commotion ...
/.../unknown/the protevangelium of james/the birth of mary the.htm