ReAD Luke 19:28-42 and Matthew 23:37-39
Have you ever watched someone important to you make decisions you knew would not be for their good? What did you feel? What did you do? Sometimes these situations lead me to consider how God must feel toward all of us when we live in ways contrary to God’s guidance and, thus, not for our good.
We catch a glimpse of the divine response in Jesus through today’s Scripture texts. Traveling toward Jerusalem near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus sends disciples ahead to gather a donkey for Him that He might ride into Jerusalem upon it. As Jesus draws near the Mount of Olives, there is a tense encounter where the crowd acclaims Him as Messiah, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38), even as some religious leaders who see this acclamation as blasphemy urge Jesus to rebuke them. Shortly after this exchange, we are told: “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it” (19:41).
Jesus’ tears here seem to convey His longing for people to be brought back to God; these are the tears of mercy. In another passage echoing this story, Jesus says: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 22:37). Here we see parallel realities that we as humans often turn away from God and that God longs to gather us in with love and care.
This is the mercy of God, which is often paired with the compassion of God we explored two weeks ago (see Exodus 33:19; Deuteronomy 13:17; James 5:11). What is shocking is that God is not content to watch us and our world from a distance but is moved outwardly with compassion and mercy toward a broken and sinful world.
This Lent, may we both be moved by God’s mercy toward us and may God’s mercy move us toward others as a reflection of God’s heart.
For Reflection:
- Each Sunday we include discussion questions on the sermon insert that can be used for deeper reflection and/or small group discussions. You can find a digital version online at eastbrook.org/tearsofJesus.
By Pastor Matt Erickson
Family Talk: Week 3
Object Lesson: Play a “Trust What I Say” Game
- Place a small treat in front of each child and tell them they could eat it, BUT it would be better not to eat it.
- Present each child who chose NOT to eat the small treat with a larger treat and tell them they should eat this one.
- If every child ate the first treat, show them the treat that would have been theirs if they had trusted what you told them in the first place!
Say
This is just a silly example, but if you had trusted what I told you, then you would have received even more than you thought. In the same way, because we don’t know everything, there are times when we will miss the good things God has for us when we trust ourselves more than we trust Him. This can hurt us, and it hurts God too.
Read
Luke 19:41-44 and Matthew 23:37-39
Connect
Just as we miss out—or even get hurt—when we ignore wise guidance, the people of Jerusalem were missing out in Jesus’s day. “Jerusalem” means “city of peace,” yet Jesus wept because they didn’t understand the way to peace. They thought they knew God, but they didn’t recognize Him even when He stood—or rode a donkey—right in front of them. Caught up in their own ideas and desires, they didn’t take time to truly know or trust Him. Jesus compares Himself to a mother hen longing to protect her chicks, but they run off, unaware of danger. That’s how He felt about Jerusalem—His deep mercy turned to sorrow when He saw them choosing paths that would harm them. But even when we ignore Him, His compassion remains. He is always ready to forgive, comfort, and bless us when we turn to Him. No matter how familiar we are with Scripture, we still need to seek God daily, trust Him, and remember His longing for our good.
Family Storytelling:
- Parents: Share about a time when you did not follow good advice (or God’s word) and it led to a bad outcome for yourself or others. What did you learn about God’s mercy in that situation?
- Kids: Share about a time when you did something because you thought it was a good idea, but later learned it was a really bad idea (or unsafe). Do you believe you still have a lot to learn?