Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44
It was at the end of His life on earth that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were happy to see Him. They had listened to Him for three years and saw His miracles; some of them probably received healing from Him themselves. He was good news personified! Jesus was always welcome everywhere because everybody knew good things happened wherever He went. Seeing Jesus at work was a privilege like no other ever!
Peter, looking back, said this about Him:
…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38
While a crowd welcomed Him that day with excitement, not everybody was glad to see Him. The religious leaders rebuked the masses and asked Jesus to silence them, but He would not. What happened that very day was spoken of by the prophets of old in great detail:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9
The problem with the leaders was that they, who were supposed to know the Scriptures, were so blinded by their religious attitudes and self-importance, that they totally missed the greatness of the event. Even the psalmist, way back in history, wrote about His coming, but instead of receiving Him, they became the builders who rejected Him:
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:22-24
The ordinary folks saw the goodness of God in Him, and rejoiced, but their leaders were filled with jealousy and hatred for Him. The Lord had a word for them: “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
Such tragic words! The very day that God spoke about for centuries was upon them, yet they failed to recognize it. They were too occupied with their own priorities and opinions. Like every word Jesus spoke, these words were not without meaning. A day came when Jerusalem was destroyed and the people scattered abroad. A huge tragedy, simply because they missed the specific day “that the Lord has made.”
We live at a time of which the Bible has more to say than any other time since creation. A day that can be recognized by many signs given to us in great detail, is about to break. If there is something you still need to do before the sun fully rises on that day, you must do it before it is over. Bear in mind that only what you did for Christ will count on Judgment Day.
There is also the example of the people who lived in Noah’s day. For 120 years they listened to his warnings about a day of vengeance that was about to come. He called them to repentance, but they were too busy with their daily lives, looking for marriage, making money, and raising children. Life was too busy to pay attention to Noah’s strange warning. Then the flood came, and wiped them all out.
Jesus said that the last days will be like the days of Noah. So many believe that tomorrow will be like today, and next year like this year. Nothing will change; they say the world has gone through some tough times before, and always pulled out of it again. Apostle Peter pointed to this very thing:
…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3,4
Life is busy. Getting settled in life, starting and raising a family and providing for them, has become a consuming challenge. Keeping your priorities straight with eternity in mind, is not so simple. However, it doesn’t change anything; pretty soon we will find ourselves standing before the judgment seat of the Lord to give account of our lives on earth. It won’t be too long before we will enter His final rest, with gratitude that we laboured even while the shadows fell. The closer we get to that Day, the brighter our lamps must be shining. So many who lost their way in the darkness, are looking for the Light that shows the way to the path that leads to eternal life.
This is our day! Today is filled with opportunities to shine. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time missed their opportunities altogether; the folks of Noah’s day were focused on the busyness of their lives, and the people at the time of Lot lived only for temporary pleasure — and all of them paid a heavy price for it. There is only one way to escape the sad lot of all those people, and it is to recognize our day for what it is: today is still the day of salvation for you — and everyone around you.
May today forever stand as a witness of a life lived with foresight. Jesus is coming!
