The Tears of God

 

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44 ESV).

 

My memory of early childhood is spotty at best; however, the later years of older adolescence and teens are vivid when it comes to my experiences with my Dad. We often did things together. He loved to fish and hunt and passed those devotions on to me. I also learned many other things from him. I suppose it’s not as common as I think it ought to be, but I also know how to butcher virtually any kind of animal. It was not uncommon for us to render wild game as well as beef, pork, and poultry. The first frost of every year was always a time when we would see the farmers and their trailers of hogs start arriving at the meat market. It is quite a process to take a live hog from “on the hoof” to all of its edible parts. I always assumed everyone knew how to do that. He taught me about life and work. Most of all he taught me the value of family. However, he did not teach me how to “feel.” He was not an emotionally demonstrative man. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing him cry. Perhaps that’s because his generation viewed that as a great weakness.

 

I can say I have tried to develop a strength that allows me to demonstrate emotion appropriately, even though I still hold back from crying as much as possible. Somewhere, down deep, I think I need to be stronger than that. I can tell you there have been times when all the strength in the world could not keep me from weeping. These are those overwhelming experiences that simply cannot be contained with a stoic approach. When I see Jesus weeping, I take notice. When He weeps, I wonder why such a thing should happen. Our reading today gives us one of those moments.

 

Actually, there are many reasons for Jesus to cry. The agony of the cross lies before him. The crowds that are cheering him now will be calling for his death in just a few days. The people who know him well will also desert him. On top of that, the religious leaders who should have stood with him have turned their backs on him. Soon Jesus' heavenly Father will do that as well. However, the reason Jesus gives for his tears is that he is filled with grief for the people around him. They are tragically and chronically blind to their need for the work that Jesus is there to do. I also picture it as an expression of the love that brought Jesus to the cross in the first place. It is this grief that I will always remember with gratitude. He shows us the real path of mercy and compassion for others. Can we do any less?