Setting: Contemporary Worship
Length: 33:00
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Title: Dominus Flevit "The Lord Wept"
Occasion: Palm Sunday
Commentary: Dominus Flevit means "The Lord Wept". It is the name of a building on the Mount of Olives which commemorates the time when Jesus stopped and wept over Jerusalem. The entire building is in the shape of a tear drop and faces Jerusalem as Jesus once faced.
Main Scripture: Luke 19:41-44
Main Topics: Palm Sunday, triumphal entry, the final week, Jesus wept, the suffering of Jesus
As you listen, select, copy, and paste the following outline:
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. 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 dash 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 God's coming to you.” Luke 19:41-44
-let’s take out Bibles and calculate how much space is given to
the final week of His life
-Matthew:
-8 out of 28 chapters = 29%
Mark
-16 chapters in Mark, so that 6 out of 16 = 38%
-38% of the book is given to one week in His life
Luke
-chapter 19 kicks off the final week
-24 chapters in all: 6 out of 24 = 25 %
John
-chapter 12 starts it
-20 chapters in all: 9 out of 21 = 43% on one week !
-in fact, 5 of those chapters is dedicated to just a few
hours of that final week…think about that !
-Let’s begin the Final Week with….Sunday…we call it Palm Sunday
-Jesus is on the Mount of Olives
-there on that mountain, Jesus acquires a donkey to ride into Jerusalem
-not because He is tired but all this is a fulfillment of Zechariah’s
prophecy of how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem on the final
week of his life riding on a donkey
-I remember walking up and down the Mt. of Olives on my visit there
-I remember the walk so well….because I had so much ankle and lower leg pain
-at some points, the hill was more than 45 degrees
-we came to a mid point towards the bottom of the hill
-at that point, I wasn’t thinking about much of anything…except
the pain in my legs and how I should’ve worn sneakers that day
and how I wished I had a nice cold water bottle and….
-then suddenly, our leader, a OT professor who teaches in Jerusalem tells us to be quiet…shhhhhh….
-we had come to an iron gate
-I did not know where we were
-he tells us we have to come to a building called: Dominus Flevit
-which means “The Lord Wept”
-this is site where people believe that Jesus stopped and was weeping over Jerusalem
-a church is built there in 1891
-notice the whole building is in the shape of a tear-drop
-notice on the 4 corners, there are 4 “tear vases”
-in fact, the whole building is shaped like a tear drop
-going inside, it is basically a chapel
-looking to the front of the stage, you can see a window
-the window faces Jerusalem
-so that we could see what Jesus saw when He wept
-Luke is the ONLY one who records this event
-Jesus rides towards Jerusalem on a donkey
-but he comes to a point on the mountain where you can see the entire city in panoramic view
-the people are already getting excited
-his reputation precedes him
-the great prophet from God has now arrived in the great city of
Jerusalem
-the prophet who spent most of his time in Galilee….deliberately staying away from Jerusalem…until the right time…now the appointed time has come
-the people are filled with messianic hope
-they believe Jesus is the one who will deliver them from Rome and bring peace to the land
-and so, they line the mountain road leading to the city and shout as if it is a parade
-climb the palm tree and cut down its branches
-taking off their outer garments and lining the street
-this is the red carpet treatment for their future king
-this is his parade
* but Jesus will rain on his own parade
-yes, the people will shout
-but Jesus will….weep
-as he surveys the city, His heart breaks and He begins to weep
-the people are celebrating, but Jesus is in no mood to receive the
celebration
He saw the city and He wept over it
-the word in the original Greek means a loud wail
-I’m sure it must have stunned the disciples and others pressed against him
-this is not a picture of Jesus that we are familiar with
-we know the loving Jesus, the angry Jesus, the compassionate Jesus, but the weeping Jesus?
-there are only 2 places in the NT where Jesus’ tears are recorded
-here and……when Lazarus died: John 11:35
-only 2….that makes these 2 moments very special
-here the tears are for the city
-a city that refused to believe
-sure the city is shouting hosanna now….but at the end of the week, this same city will shout “crucify Him”
-from the same lips, they will praise Him and later ridicule Him
-Jesus knew their hearts
-they can shout nice things all they want
-they can shout hosanna all they want
-but Jesus is able to read hearts
-for 3 years, Jesus preached about the kingdom of God and how it is
near
-and how to enter that kingdom of heaven
-by placing their faith in Him as their savior
-but for 3 years, the leaders of Israel and the people who followed
them….they refused to believe
-and now, it’s the final week….only 7 more days left
-of course, they could believe even after He dies
-but things don’t look good….
-the unbelief is too strong
-such unbelief breaks heart of Jesus, God’s messenger
-that has always been the case
-God’s messengers did not just deliver a message, they got all wrapped
up in the message
-and if the message was not received, their hearts broke
-Elisha wept in 2 Kings 8:11 because Israel was rebellious
-the writer of Psalm 137
-weeps over the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC
-Jeremiah in Jer. 13:17 wept over the unbelief of Israel
-the prophets were deeply involved with the people and their
compassionate hearts broke many times over
-and Jesus, the ultimate prophet of God is no different
-He weeps
** sobbing over a lost opportunity
Such lost opportunity has it’s consequences
-prophets cannot just cry and walk away!!
-they deliver the message of salvation but if the people do not repent,
then they have to spell out the consequences
-that’s the way it has always been, especially since Moses, the
proto-typical prophet was around
-and especially since the book of Deuteronomy which spells out what happens when you rebel against God
-hey, you refuse to believe, there will be consequences
-and so, the prophet of God had a certain way of speaking when the
consequences of unbelief were spelled out
-this way of speaking had 3 parts to it
-most prophets, especially since the days of Elijah followed
that 3 part style
Jesus, in tears, follows this same prophetic 3 part style…..
1. The Address
-in tears, Jesus addresses the city directly
-it’s a personal address…
-notice in v.42 He uses the 2nd person…. “you”…. you, even you
-He is speaking directly to the city
-in fact, I want you to do this….count how many times Jesus uses the 2nd person when He addresses the city: count all the “you ’s” and “your ‘s “ in vvs.42-44
42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes.
43 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.
44 They will dash 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 God's coming to you."
* 14x in 3 verses ! that’s a lot !
* every verse is punctuated with…..YOU
-the great prophet of God speaks directly to the city…..applying the message is a deep and personal way
-that was part 1 of the standard prophetic style
-then comes the 2nd part of the prophetic speech
2. The Indictment
-in tears, Jesus moves in the second part…the indictment
-the indictment is what they did wrong
-hey, that has to be spelled out so that there is no confusion
-Israel must understand what their crime was before the punishment is
carried out
-and this is spelled out 2 times
-2x Jesus spells out what they did wrong:
a. Indictment #1: failure to understand peace, v.42
"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…
-Jesus is indicting them for not knowing what would
bring them peace
-back in v.38, they are shouting for peace
-as Jesus is riding on the donkey, they are shouting for peace:
38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
-but, they were clueless about real peace and who can bring it
-they wanted peace from Rome, but Jesus wanted them
to see beyond that to a spiritual kingdom that is not of this world
-true peace is not freedom from Rome but freedom from sin and a right relationship with God
* and embracing the true Prince of Peace: Jesus
-they did not recognize that….
-and now….Jesus says….it is hidden from your eyes.
-meaning, they unbelief is so strong, the truth is now
hidden from their eyes….they can’t see it
-they are spiritually blind
b. Indictment #2: failure to recognize their savior, v.44
…because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to
you."
-Jesus came to them, but they did not recognize God’s coming
-Jesus spoke of this problem right before he rides into
Jerusalem
-right here in the same chapter, he tells a parable of such rejection
-19:11-14….
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
12 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.
13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'…
* We don’t want this man to be our king….. !
* and so, indictment #2: failure to recognize their king
-in other words, all this shouting during the parade
38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!"
-Jesus is saying….you are shouting the right words, but
there is no genuine faith in your hearts
-No matter what they shout…the truth comes out in the end
Luke 23:18-25
18 With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!"
19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them
again.
21 But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
22 For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.
24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
-The disciple John would look back on the life of Jesus and write in John 1:11
-and Jesus came to His own but His own did not receive
Him
* for 3 years of his ministry, he preached that the kingdom of heaven is
near
-that it is here
-now, this is the final week…..7 more days to go
-and the people as a whole did not have the ears to hear….
* the indictment is clear
-and so, the great prophet of God…in tears…moves to the 3rd part of His prophetic speech:
3. The Pronouncement
-in tears, he talks about their future
* this is what’s going to happen to you
-all great prophets did that….they all announced a day coming….
Isaiah 39:6 The time will surely come…
Hos.9:7 The days of punishment are coming…
Zech.14:1 A day of the LORD is coming…
-Jesus speaks like a great prophet in v.43:
The days will come upon you
-in other words, it’s going to happen….it’s inevitable
-and what He describes is a most disturbing picture of judgment in the
hands of a future enemy
-unfortunately, this prediction of doom brings back painful memories
of past failures
-for you see in the past, Israel suffered exactly this way because of their
unbelief
-in the past, they sin against God
-they refuse to listen to God’s messengers
-they even kill God’s messengers
-messengers like Elijah have to run and hide behind bushes
-enough is enough
-God punishes them by sending Israel’s enemies to destroy them
-probably the most painful memory was in 586 BC when God sends
Nebuchadnezzar to clobber Jerusalem and take the people as prisoners
into exile
-and Jesus brings back painful memories of how such attacks were done in the past
43 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.
44 They will dash 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 God's coming to you."
-Jesus describes how cities are typically captured…through what is called Siege warfare
-how are you going to take a city way up on a hill like Jerusalem?
-the enemy would have a hard time…..
-it is literally an uphill battle !
-and it could take years to destroy a city
-the enemies will….look at v.43
…build an embankment against you and encircle you
and hem you in on every side….
-they will build up dirt…hills as high as the city walls
-around the city
-hem them in…..surround them so that no food and water
can go inside that city
-the city would slowly begin to starve….and become very
weak
-this could take years….driving the people in the city crazy
-the enemy sets up camp outside your city and
watch you go crazy…
-I have to say…studying siege warfare was one of the most disturbing things for me. I cannot speak from the pulpit some of the things I’ve learned….it is too disturbing to even mention
-when the city is sufficiently weak, they will cut down trees and
use them as battering rams against the walls and gates
-the people inside will throw down fire and boiling water
and even boiling oil
-the enemy will throw fire at the gates and try to chop at the
gate with axes
-eventually, if the enemy is strong, they will break in
-foot soldiers will rush in, soldiers on horse will ride it
-and what happens next is not a pretty sight as the people are
systematically slaughtered or taken as prisoners
-Jeremiah who saw his share of horror in siege warfare describes the capture of a city as like the hurling of a stone in a sling: Jer. 10:17-18
-that’s how quickly the victims are killed….and the city
is cleaned out….
-when this happened to Jerusalem in 586 BC, all the people cried out to
God and wondered why God did not protect them
-why did God not keep His promises to take care of them
-and the prophets were there…in tears….telling them that all that
they went through was because of their own sin
-and now, Jesus…in tears…the prophet par excellence…makes it clear
that judgment will come again because of their sins
-and about 40 years later…
-Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome in AD 70
-Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian was sent to destroy the city
-estimated 600,000 Jews were killed
-the city was burned
* Titus spared only the Western wall…..
-and it stands to this day….people visit that wall
* The sins of the past have a way of recycling itself if the people don’t change
-we see that in our lives as well
And so, Jesus is about to enter the city….a parade is waiting for him
-palm branches are lifted to be waved at him
-cloaks are laid down on the streets for him to pass over
-and as he gazes upon this confused city, He weeps
-Our Lord weeps
Dominus Flevit
-what a compassion savior He is!
Back at Dominus Flevit
-I remember standing there…inside the building
-looking out the window
-seeing what Jesus sees….the holy city….
-suddenly out of nowhere a man wearing a robe comes up and says to
us all….would you like to sing a song….he gets on a old beat up organ….and starts playing
-he didn’t tell us what he was going to play
-he just started playing
-and we immediately knew the song….Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
-only a handful of people were singing with him
-the rest of us were too busy weeping as we looked out the window
-and looking through that window, I say to myself…..Jesus, you wept, but you still went ahead and gave your life
-your grace…..is truly amazing
The following is an abbreviated-devotional version.
This one does not contain a verse by verse exposition.
Listen to the following sermon on the actual triumphal entry
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