Matthew 23:29-39 Because Jerusalem has rejected the prophets, God will reject Jerusalem
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
“Therefore, you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
What must it have been like for Jesus to enter Jerusalem? Even as the crowd was shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord!” the very stones of Jerusalem must have been crying out because of the blood of martyred prophets and the blood of innocent victims slaughtered due to the idolatry of their neighbors. Even today, Jerusalem is a special city; however, its streets still cry out with silent voices.
Remember that before Jesus was born as a baby, he was reigning in heaven with his Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. During that time, Jesus would have been fully aware of all the glories and all the shame that occurred in Jerusalem. When the prophet Isaiah was being sawed in half at the order of wicked King Manasseh, Jesus was there. When Jeremiah was being lowered into a well full of muck that threatened to suffocate him, Jesus was there. And when Ebed-Melech, a royal servant, courageously went to King Zedekiah pleading to be allowed to save Jeremiah, Jesus was there helping turn a weak king’s heart to pity a righteous prophet. There were undoubtedly many more prophets whose stories remained untold who had been viciously slaughtered or stoned.
Now Jesus the Messiah has come with divine discernment. When Jesus looks at these religious rulers, he can immediately recite every bit of their lineages, including those wicked ancestors who killed the prophets. Now these current rulers are attempting a massive cover-up by building tombs for the prophets and disowning their ancestors. But all these efforts are useless, for Jesus knows all the details and realizes it’s all a show. The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land, and these men, their ancestors, and their successors have shed the blood of prophets and will continue to do so right up until the day the Romans take Jerusalem and reduce it to rubble. Jesus can already hear the cries of future martyrs rending the air, even as he knows that he is about to be crucified unjustly.
Given such information, most of us would simply be incensed and ready to take vengeance, but Jesus’ reaction is quite different. Although Jesus rebukes the religious leaders for their posturing and hypocrisy; nevertheless, he weeps over Jerusalem.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Had the citizens of Jerusalem heeded the prophets and repented, God would never have allowed Jerusalem to be overrun by the Babylonians or by the Romans. But because the city as a whole has failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, once he ascends to heaven, they will never see him again until the day he returns.
The Messiah always fulfills three functions, prophet, priest, and king. Here Jesus is speaking prophetically, for he already can see what the Romans will do to Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and he is grieving over the coming destruction, not only physical destruction but also spiritual destruction.
What we will only know in eternity is the number of faithful who have survived all this warfare. God always has a remnant, people who love Him and fear Him. Will God reject us forever? When we repent and repudiate our disbelief, God will also forgive us. But here Jesus is grieving over Jerusalem because he knows that many of its inhabitants will actively and persistently reject him and persist in wickedness. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God would like nothing better than for all the inhabitants of Jerusalem to repent and turn to Him; however, He knows that they will not. Jesus also knows these things because God the Father has revealed them to him.
What can we as disciples learn from the sad example of Jerusalem? We should be vigilant to remain in close communication with the God whom we serve. We should not refuse correction or teaching when God sends prophets to us, even when their messages are unpleasant. We should always strive to please God, not because we are earning our way into heaven, but because Jesus has already died for our sins and we obey out of gratitude. May God help us so that we never grieve His Father Heart!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to listen to You so that we receive Your Word and apply it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment