What Jesus longs for

Scripture

Luke 19:37-44 ESV As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 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. 43 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 44 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.”

Bible Study Questions

The first open display of Jesus Majesty

Jesus had hidden His majesty all through His ministry. The people wanted a King and their physical kingdom restored. Jesus wanted them to repent of their evil, pride and self-righteousness and return to God. What is more important for us, to have our physical circumstances rescued by God, or our eternal relationship with Him restored?

Luke 19:37 ESV As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

John 4:48 ESV So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

John 6:14-15 ESV When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Do we respond with grateful humility?

Some of the people who followed Him recognised His claim and responded by humbly acknowledging Him through the chanting of the Scriptural prophecies about the appearance of the Messiah. How did they know how to respond?.

Luke 19:38 ESV saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Zechariah 9:9 ESV Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Daniel 9:26 ESV And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

Psalms 118:24-26 ESV This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.

Do we respond with self righteousness?

Some didn’t recognise Jesus claim to be Messiah because of ignorance, but still others who knew the Scriptures recognised His claim to be Messiah but responded in self-righteousness. Why did they reject Jesus as Messiah, what were they afraid of?

Luke 19:39 ESV And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

John 9:32-34 ESV Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

John 11:47-48 ESV So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Jesus weeps longingly

Jesus longs for all to be saved, those who follow Him, those who are ignorant of Him and even those stubborn sinners who’ve wasted all their chances and deliberately rejected Him. What does that tell us about the love of God in Jesus Christ, and will there be any excuse if we reject that love?

Luke 19:41-42 ESV And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!

Luke 13:33-35 ESV Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Hosea 4:6 ESV My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Hard hearts are made harder

Stubborn hearts that harden themselves to God, can go past the point of return. Why did God not only allow His people to reject Him, but eventually harden their hearts so that they were blind to Him and could not accept Him?

Luke 19:42b ESV But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Exodus 9:12 ESV But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

Romans 11:25 ESV Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Total destruction is coming

Complete destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple came after centuries of warning and discipline, and has still not been restored. What was the fate of Jerusalem, and what is it’s current position? What is the only thin that they can do to change it?

Luke 19:43 ESV 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 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you,

Matthew 24:1-2 ESV Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Luke 13:35 ESV Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

The price of ignoring God’s grace

The ultimate sin of Jerusalem, or of it’s collective people, was refusing the grace of God in the day that He came nearest. Does God still visit us? In what ways can we be guilty of the same awful sin?

Luke 19:43b ESV because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 1:67-68 ESV And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people