I'm not much of a crier. My husband will tell you that when I do cry, it tends to really scare him because I do it so rarely. As far as I have seen, Jesus cried twice in scripture. Once, over His friends grief about the death of Lazarus, and then here, in our reading today, over the fate of Jerusalem. It's easy for us to breeze past this. We tend to view Jesus through our "Gentile" lens, but Jesus was a Jew, and as such Jerusalem would have had a very special place in His heart.
Jesus would have traveled there often growing up and even as an adult. He would have gone to Jerusalem several times a year for the festivals and to offer sacrifices. At those festivals, He would have enjoyed fellowship with friends and family, visited perhaps with priests, and worshipped with His fellow countrymen. His memories there would have been sweet and poignant. He would have known many people there. The best thing I can relate it to is knowing that your favorite vacation spot was going to be destroyed. The vacation spot you went to year after year and took many friends with you when you went. Imagine knowing that those friends would betray you. Imagine knowing that no matter what you say, no matter what you do, even at the expense of your own life, these people and this town wouldn't listen to you about how to save themselves. Wouldn't you cry? Out of hurt, anger, sadness, frustration...all of the above make a rather potent emotional cocktail. Beyond that, through Jesus we can get an important look at how God feels.
It grieves Him when His people don't know Him. It grieves Him to know His people will have to suffer. It grieves Him to know that we turn away from Him. Do I grieve God? How many small ways do I turn away from His guidance and love on a daily basis? Do I make decisions that will only hurt me, turning away from His life giving wisdom?
It angers Him when we don't show the proper respect for His house of worship. Jesus' anger was due to the fact that the people selling animals for sacrifice there were selling them for outrageously high prices. They were basically extorting people out of money for their own selfish gain. It makes me think of the notorious televangelists who are constantly convincing people to give money in exchange for "blessing" or for "ministry" that never happens. They take advantage of people in the name of God. He has no tolerance for this. He has no tolerance for people who make it harder for others to find Him. Does my life make it easy for people to find Jesus?
God displayed His earnest desire to be in a relationship with us by sending His son to both make that possible, and show us who He is in a way that we can bear it. Today, and in this season especially, I'm reminded to be so thankful for a God who loved us "so much."
