Last year during Holy Week, I shared a story about my daughter, Naomi, who reminded me of the other time Jesus cried (I had already remembered Him crying at Lazarus’ grave, but forgot about when He cried in the garden before being arrested.)
This year, God brought to my mind another instance where Scripture says that Jesus cried. Yep, that’s right–Jesus cried three times in the Gospels! (At least, my tally is now up to three!) When Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, Luke 19:41 says He wept over the city, because they didn’t understand who He was or the significance of what He was about to do on the cross.
I often get frustrated when it seems like people don’t “get it.” When they don’t get who Jesus is, what He did on the cross, what it means for Jesus to be Savior, what it means for Him to be Lord, what it means that He offers us His Holy Spirit and eternal life. Yet, I have to ask myself, have I EVER cried over someone who doesn’t “get it”? With this supposed passion of mine, where is my compassion?
I think that without compassion for people, my frustration will only increase, because people don’t respond to frustration, but rather to compassion. Of course, just because I have compassion, that doesn’t mean they will respond. Jesus clearly had compassion, and yet many didn’t respond to Him. Even so, for my own spiritual health and spiritual health of others, I am praying that I will be able to literally (not figuratively) cry for those who have yet to “get it.”
One response to “Holy Week Thoughts, Part 2”
That’s beautiful, and you’re absolutely right.
Just a thought I had… I wonder if that compassion you mention, if one way it starts is by contemplating the Passion of our Lord, not so much from the point of view that this was necessary for salvation, to fulfill the just wrath of God (which of course it was), but from the perspective that this horrific ordeal was endured by someone I love so very much. I recently watched the film “The Passion of the Chirst” for the first time, and then a couple weeks ago read the book that Mel Gibson used as a primary source–“The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” by Anne Catherine Emmerich and I’ve been thinking a lot about what Jesus went through physically and emotionally and spiritually on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and just how devastating it all was–there’s a reason (many reasons actually) that Isaiah calls Him the Man of Sorrows. Maybe some of the sorrow and compassion I feel towards Jesus over the intense suffering He endured, maybe that will someday spill over to His lost children?