Luke 19:41-42 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.

As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, just days from being scourged and crucified, He wept, not for Himself but for the city. We have trouble wrapping our minds around all that Jesus did for us, so it’s very good that we take time every year to think specifically about it. We get so familiar with the story that we are in danger of taking it for granted, but that is a terrible loss. Josephus recorded that Jesus was known for mood swings, and this particular incident is an illustration of that. Today He would probably be diagnosed as bipolar, at least! However, He had to deal with the impossibility of all of God’s emotions manifesting at once. There was the great joy of the disciples welcoming Him as King, but there was at the same time the awareness of all that was going to happen, to Him and to the city and its inhabitants. I certainly don’t think I could have handled that! Jesus’ commitment, His sacrifice, was total, as the events of Passion Week make clear. We need to respond with equal commitment, offering ourselves totally to Him, as He did for us.

Of course I’m talking to myself here. If I think of this in the abstract, simply as something to preach, then I will miss out on the benefits. I will indeed be preaching this morning, and the very topic sounds very theological: substitutionary atonement. If I fail to bring it down to where we live, and most particularly, if I fail to apply it to my own heart and life, then it will all be a futile, intellectual exercise. I need to speak out of a very deep awareness that Jesus died for me, not simply “for mankind.” Until I grasp, not just in words, that it was my sins that nailed Jesus to the cross, then I am no better than a talking head, possibly interesting but of no major concern. We all need that awareness, and there is a high probability that there will be people physically present, not to mention over the Internet, who do not know Jesus as Lord at all. I need to let the love of God flow through me by His Spirit, so that all may be drawn to You for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May I indeed not just write about it, but put it into practice. May today be the spiritual birthday of many, not just here but around the world, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!