Before Passover in AD 30, Jesus began to tell His disciples that He would soon be taking His last journey to Jerusalem, and that once inside the city, He would be handed over to the religious leaders and then to the Romans for crucifixion. And, of course, He added that after His burial, He would rise from the dead after three days.
After leaving Galilee, Jesus and the disciples traveled south along the Jordan River to Jericho, just northwest of the Dead Sea. While in Jericho, Jesus healed Blind Bartimaeus and later had dinner at the home of Zacchaeus. Jesus and His disciples would later make a stop in Bethany, where He would raise Lazarus from the dead, which really caught the attention of the religious leaders. And that’s when they began to make plans to kill Jesus in order to prevent the Jews from making Him King and the Romans from taking away their positions of authority and power.
On Palm Sunday, after the disciples acquired a colt for Jesus to ride upon, He entered the city to the praises of the people, who were ready to crown Him as the new King of Israel who would provide endless supplies of food and force the Romans out of Israel. But, as you know, Jesus never wanted nor did He ever speak of an earthly kingdom. In spite of these facts, some of today’s theologians insist that He will one day sit on an earthly throne in Jerusalem (just as an added note, there is not one New Testament prophecy that suggests that this will ever be the case). At any rate, as jesus approached the city walls, the multitudes waved palm branches and said,
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38).
As the Pharisees in the multitude complained, Jesus told them,
“I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40).
He was not going to let the religious leaders stop the people from celebrating the true King of the Jews, and assured them that if He told the people to stop, even the stones (which in their current state could not carry a tune!) would take up the celebration.
As Jesus drew closer to the eastern gate,
He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day, the things that would bring you peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41-42).
Jesus, the One who had shown compassion on the multitudes in Galilee, now cried tears of compassion over the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem. Why? Because He knew what was coming. Not only would they reject their own Messiah whom the Father has sent to redeem them, but they would be forever known as the wicked and adulterous generation that would lead to the formal end of the Old Covenant. And here is what Jesus prophesied about the coming Roman onslaught during the last days of that evil generation in AD 70:
For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up an embankment before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation (Luke 19:43-44).
In every biblical occurrence in the Old Testament, the “time of visitation” was always a time of judgment and punishment. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem just didn’t recognize it because they were so caught up in their own self-seeking agenda. If you read the historical account of the fall of Jerusalem in August of AD 70 (forty years after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection), you will find that Jesus’ prediction was fulfilled to the letter. Jesus knew ahead of time what would happen to the once “holy city,” the city that had rejected their own Messiah who had come to save them.
So, let’s ask the question: “What are those things that would have made for their peace?” In addition, “What are those things that make for our own peace today? After Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, Jesus would later meet with His disciples in the Upper Room where He would share with them:
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27).
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus promised to leave His “peace” with them, and in fact, to actually “give” it to them. The Apostle Paul wrote of two kinds of peace, each one pointing to two different theological words and concepts. The first, is the “PEACE OF JUSTIFICATION,” as the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
Therefore, having been justified by grace, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
Justification is a legal term in which the judge or magistrate declares someone “righteous” in spite of past sins. That declaration from Jesus Christ comes as a result of one’s repentance and faith, and it is given as a free gift of God’s grace.
The second is the “PEACE OF SANCTIFICATION,” as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
For all who have been “justified” and have “peace with God,” they are now called to grow in their faith and experience the “peace of God.” Become more like Jesus involves learning to pray, and to pray with thanksgiving. Giving thanks let’s God know of your faith, that God has heard your prayers and that He will process them and answer them according to His will and His timing. With prayer coupled with thanksgiving, God’s peace will overwhelm the one who prays. Paul goes on to say,
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).
Regarding the “PEACE OF SANCTIFICATION,” did you notice that it comes through two different means: 1) prayer with thanksgiving; and 2) the deliberate focus of our minds on all those things that are worthy of praise.
So friends, what are those things that, as Jesus said, “make for peace.” First, it is being justified by faith bringing us into a right relationship with God through Christ, and second, it is living out our faith through prayer with thanksgiving, and focusing our minds on the “things of God.” If you haven’t taken the first step, it’s never too late to do so. Just come to Him through repentance (recognition and confession of sin) and faith (believing that if you confess your sins, they will be forgiven according to 1 John 1:9).
For those of you who have already been “Justified by faith,” let’s live out our faith by praying with thanksgiving, and allowing our minds to always be focused on those things that are glorifying to God.
Hope to see you next week.
