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I don’t know why, but many of us are uncomfortable crying in front of others. Maybe we think it makes us look weak. Maybe we have a hard time expressing our emotions. Maybe we are afraid of opening up and being vulnerable.

A few weeks ago we took the youth group to see a powerful movie about a young man who was struggling to believe. All kinds of bad things were happening in his life, and he was angry with God. By the end of the movie he came to a place where he was ready to accept Christ, but there were some really sad moments along the way. I have to admit I was getting a little misty-eyed for a few seconds. Okay, it was more than a little; I couldn’t hold back the tears. I kept wiping my eyes with my sleeve, trying to compose myself. Thankfully the theater was dark, and there weren’t many people sitting beside me. I looked around to make sure none of the youth were watching. I didn’t want anything thinking, “Is that our pastor bawling over there? What a softie. We can’t take him anywhere.” After it was over, we looked at each other and said, [sniveling] “Good movie huh?” [sniveling] “Yes, it was really good.”

You know something? It is okay for us to cry. God made us as emotional creatures. That’s one of the ways we bear his image. He is a God of emotions. We shed tears when we are sad, or when we suffer loss or when we feel empathy for the pain of others. There are moments when all we can do is cry.

That was the case for Jesus in our passage, in . He wasn’t afraid to display emotion in front of his disciples, even though they couldn’t understand why he was crying. He wept, because he his heart was filled with sorrow looking out over the city that would soon reject him as Savior.

That was the case for Jesus in our passage, in . He wasn’t afraid to display emotion in front of his disciples, even though they couldn’t understand why he was crying. He wept, because he his heart was filled with sorrow looking out over the city that would soon reject him as their Savior.

I’m sure the disciples were confused when they saw the tears of Jesus. This was supposed to be a time of joy. They were on their way Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, one of the most sacred festivals of their faith. It was a special event for the Jewish people. Every year families from every part of Israel would make the journey to the Holy City where they would worship in the temple courts remembering how God delivered their ancestors from slavery. Historians tell us that during the week of Passover, the population of Jerusalem would temporarily swell from its ordinary size of about 600,000 to more than 2,000,000 people.[i] We can imagine how crowded the highways would have been. Most people traveled together in large caravans. You could hear the sound of hoof beats on the road. There were donkeys loaded with luggage, and some worshippers brought lambs from their flock to give as a sacrifice and to eat for the Passover meal. There was much excitement along the way: some were singing songs of praise, others were talking about the festivities they had planned.

I’m sure the disciples were confused when they saw the tears of Jesus. This was supposed to be a time of joy, and celebration. They were on their way Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, one of the most sacred festivals of their faith. It was a special event for the Jewish people. Every year families from every part of Israel would make the journey to the Holy City where they would worship in the temple courts remembering how God delivered their ancestors from slavery. Historians tell us that during the week of Passover, the population of Jerusalem would temporarily swell from its ordinary size of about 600,000 to more than 2,000,000 people.[i] We can imagine how crowded the highways would have been. Most people traveled together in large caravans. You could hear the sound of hoof beats on the road. There were donkeys loaded with luggage, and some worshippers brought lambs from their flock to give as a sacrifice and to eat for the Passover meal. There was much excitement along the way: some were singing songs of praise, others were talking about the festivities they had planned.

I’m sure many of the people traveling along side of Jesus and the disciples recognized him. “Hey, do you know who that is? That’s Jesus! I saw him in Galilee, and was there when he fed the multitude.” Or, “I was there when he healed the leper. I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe he will do something amazing during the festival.”

The road passed by several small towns, including Bethphage and Bethany, where pilgrims would often stop for supplies. That’s where Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead for a special errand. “Go into the village, and you’ll find a young donkey tied to a post outside someone’s home. Tell the owners, ‘the Lord needs it,’ and they will let you take it.” Jesus wasn’t asking them to do this because he was getting tired, or because his feet were aching from the long walk, or because he wanted to take it easy the rest of the way. This was intended as a symbolic act.

· In the OT, when Solomon was anointed king, he rode through the streets of Jerusalem on his father’s colt, while the crowds formed a procession, sounding the trumpet shouting, “Long live the king” (). In a sense, Jesus was reenacting that event, signifying that he was the rightful king, the Son of David.

· But there was more to it than that. The prophets spoke of the coming Messiah who would enter the city the same way, riding on a donkey. (NIV84) says, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This prophecy was being fulfilled when Jesus came to Jerusalem at the triumphal entry.

All throughout his earthly ministry, the crowds were constantly asking the question, “Could this be the Messiah? Could he be the one we’ve been waiting for?” Now, Jesus was acknowledging his true identity as the Messianic King.

All throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus, the crowds were constantly asking the same question, “Could this be the Messiah? Could he be the one we’ve been waiting for?” Now, Jesus was acknowledging his true identity as the Messianic King.

The people responded with excitement. Some ran ahead, spreading their cloaks on the road. Others laid out palm branches on the ground, as if they were rolling out the red carpet. A crowd surrounded Jesus chanting, “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” As the procession made its way towards the city, some of the bystanders were wondering what all the commotion was about. “Who is that man, riding on the donkey? Why is the crowd carrying on like this?” Others recognized Jesus, and ran out to join them.

I’m sure the disciples were smiling from ear to ear, as they walked beside him. They expected Jesus to revel in the praise, pumping his fist in the air, waving to all of these cheering fans. But Jesus was not celebrating. Instead, he began to cry. These were not tears of joy, but tears of sadness. He paused, as the road descended towards Jerusalem, and looked out across the city. From here you could see the streets full of people, the busy shops, and the rows of houses where people lived. You could see the temple, in all of its glory. This was a spectacular view, but when Jesus saw it, he broke down and wept at the sight of the city (v.41).

I’m sure the disciples were smiling from ear to ear, as they walked beside him. They expected Jesus to revel in the praise, pumping his fist in the air, waving to all of these cheering fans. But Jesus was not celebrating. Instead, tears of sorrow began to stream from his eyes. He paused, as the road descended towards Jerusalem, and looked out across the city. From here you could see the streets full of people, the busy shops, and the rows of houses where people lived. You could see the temple, in all of its glory. It was a wonderful view, but when Jesus looked down he wept at the sight of the city (v.41).

More than a few tears streamed from his eyes. The word that is used in the passage means to lament, to wail, to cry loudly. His heart was overwhelmed with sorrow, and he could not hold back the emotion.

[i] Riddle, A. D. (2016). The Passover Pilgrimage from Jericho to Jerusalem. In B. J. Beitzel & K. A. Lyle (Eds.), Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Why did Jesus weep? He wasn’t thinking of himself, or the tremendous suffering he would endure at the end of the week. This was the reason he came, to offer his life as a sacrifice for our sin. He was thinking of the people below, how the vast majority would reject him as their Savior, and it broke his heart.

1. The Lord weeps because of humanity’s blindness.

A. In verse 42, Jesus said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

B. Jesus knew the cheers of the crowd wouldn’t last. Their enthusiasm would quickly fade. They were looking for a different kind of messiah, and he would not fit those expectations. The people wanted a mighty king who would conquer their enemies. But he came as a humble king to save us from our sin. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to do the things they wanted him to do, they fell away.

Illustration – It is like fair weather fans, at a baseball game. They are excited, enthusiastic, cheering their hearts out so long as the home team is winning. But that enthusiasm fades if the game doesn’t seem to be going their way, and they might even get up and leave early.

C. By the end of the week, these cheering fans would disappear. The prince of peace was standing in front of them, but they did not recognize him. They couldn’t see their need for a Savior, and so they rejected him.

[i] Riddle, A. D. (2016). The Passover Pilgrimage from Jericho to Jerusalem. In B. J. Beitzel & K. A. Lyle (Eds.), Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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