![]() But here? Only one of Jesus’ tears contains a galaxy. I remember thinking, On a clear night, constellations above the earth reflect on the still surface of the sea. Pure, clear water spilled from its banks and flowed down a mountainside, leaving a myriad of new stars, like flowers, blooming and rising in its wake. His tear trickled down his cheek, and a spring burst forth at my feet. ![]() Jesus groaned, and the heads of angels and saints turned to look down upon the earth in wonder. I stood in the midst of those who watched and waited for all things to be set right. It was, at first, almost imperceptible, even to those standing closest to Him.īut His sigh shook the universe, and the place where I was quaked. His was a sigh and a groan and a single salty tear. His was not the loud, frantic keening of the women who mourned outside my tomb. Amen.“Before He called me forth from the grave, Jesus wept. O Lord, may my heart be broken by the things that break your heart. Forgive me for getting so wrapped up in myself that I fail to see and feel as you do. I can forget that so many people don’t know you, while others have rejected your kingdom. PRAYER: Lord, how easy it is for me to go about my life and neglect the pain and suffering of the world. QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What things in this world break your heart? What difference does this make in the way you pray? In the way you live? Are you willing to pray in the mode of Bob Pierce: “Lord, may my heart be broken by the things that break your heart”? In his grace, God will reach out with his healing love, not only comforting us but also using us to comfort others and to extend the peace of his kingdom. ![]() We will find ourselves praying in the way of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” In our grief, we will call out to God for mercy, for ourselves, for others, and for our world. I have put up on my website some photos from my trip to Israel, including a large panorama of the city from the Mount of Olives and a couple of photos of the Western Wall.)Īs you and I grow in our relationship with God, our minds and hearts will become more like the mind and heart of God. Though I did not weep, I did feel a deep sadness for the state of Jerusalem and, indeed, for the brokenness of our world. As I looked upon the city, I could feel the tension that lurks there, the centuries of conflict and hatred. In its place is the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest Islamic sites. Jerusalem is much larger today than it was in the first-century A.D., and the Jewish temple is no longer the dominant feature of the landscape. Of course, the view I saw differed significantly from that which Jesus observed almost 2,000 years earlier. My first view of Jerusalem came as I reached the top of the Mount of Olives, the place where Jesus “saw the city ahead” and “began to weep” (19:41). ![]() This past summer, I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Israel. Thus, Jesus wept, not only about the suffering that was to come, but also about the unwillingness of his people to embrace his kingdom message of peace. He foresaw that siege of Rome that would ultimately lead to the defeat of Jerusalem and the utter destruction of the temple. As he gazed upon the Holy City, he knew that God’s people had rejected the way of the kingdom, the way of peace. In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over this destruction about 40 years before it happened. Among these prayers, they lament the destruction of the temple in A.D. Jews offer prayers at the wall, facing it and often touching it with their heads. The Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall, is a remnant of the actual wall that once surrounded the Jewish temple. Within Jerusalem today, there is a place set apart for weeping over the city and its brokenness.
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