What an emotional time! Jesus sent his disciples to get a colt so he could ride it into Jerusalem as its rightful king. Only it was colt. Most kings road a conquering stallion. Jesus rode a colt.

As he entered Jerusalem, it was clear that he was doing so as a king. Cloaks were thrown on the colt, people spread out their cloaks before him, and the disciples were shouting joyfully.

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,  “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.  As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.  As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

It was an amazing time of celebration! Except not for all. The Pharisees were really ticked off. Because Jesus was being treated like a victorious king. In, it almost looked like worship.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

Jesus was having none of it.

 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

But then as Jesus approached Jerusalem, his heart began to hurt. He began to weep because he saw AD 70 coming. AD 70 was when the Romans decimated Jerusalem and the Jews were scattered to the nations until 1948. But he says here why this happened. And why it was breaking his heart knowing it was coming.

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.  The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.  They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus wanted so badly to bring them peace. The peace of a right relationship with God. The peace that comes in our hearts with him. And the peace that looks to God in times of distress and sees deliverance.

But it was hidden from their eyes. They simply refused to believe in Jesus and who he was.

Destruction was coming. It could have been averted if they only saw Jesus as the Messiah and put their trust in Him. The Old Testament is full of miraculous stories of deliverance.

But they did not.

They chose not to believe.

They “did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Perhaps something is to be said of this. God’s coming to them was equated with Jesus’ coming to them.

The Jews especially had every reason possible to see. There were hundreds of prophesies that Jesus fulfilled. But it either seemed to good to be true. Or they refused to believe out of envy and hardness of heart.

AD 70 did come. It happened just as Jesus said it would.

So there was great and extravagant celebration and worship. Jesus was coming to them.

And great and terrible sadness. Because the people refused to see and believe and find the peace they so desperately wanted.

He wasn’t weeping knowing he was going to die. Even though he told them over and over that is why he was going to Jerusalem. He was weeping because people refused to receive Him. And in doing so they were forfeiting the peace that could be theirs.

The same is true today. We have even more reason to believe with all the prophesies at a click of a button, all the verification that can be researched, and all that we need to know.

And yet many still refuse to believe. And it breaks the heart of God that we refuse Him and refuse to receive His peace.

Recently I had a significant encounter with the Living God. It was subtle but not small. The fruit? Peace. Deep peace. I’ve been enjoying that peace and joy for weeks now.

It. Is. Glorious.

It is what Jesus wants to give to all peoples.

Will you turn to him?