Recognize the time

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

RECOGNIZE THE TIME

Luke 19:41-44

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 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. 43 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. 44 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." 

NIV

From history we know that Jerusalem was attacked by the Roman general Titus. This general had an embankment over five miles long built around the city of Jerusalem to helm the people in. They could not escape the city, nor could any supplies be brought into the city, thus the people were starved to a point they could not defend themselves. When Titus entered the city he had a plow put to the temple, every stone was laid bare, only portions of the foundation were left. This happened in 70AD. This is what Jesus was talking about because they refused to see the peace of God, Jesus as their Savior, their Messiah. He prophesied then what we know is history now. But how does this relate to us today? We could see the city as compared to each person. We all must know on some day what would bring us peace, peace with God. We have to come to the day we see Jesus as that peace, accept him as our Savior, our Messiah, and the redeemer of our soul. For those people who, like the people of Jerusalem, refuse to see the peace of God, Jesus, they will be hemmed in on all sides by the enemy of their souls. He will build an embankment of false truths around them, so they cannot escape, nor can any truths, any nourishment of the word of God, get in. But they are not without hope in this case, for Jesus said that he would build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Yet there are people who are hemmed in but the embankment of Satan. He is against the people. After he has starved them sufficiently, he will enter to crush them, to tear down every fiber of their being, leaving nothing behind, but portions of their foundation. Jesus makes it clear that because they refused to see him for who he was, they would be destroyed and taken captive. This is the fate of all who refuse to see him for who he is. But we can praise God for once we were within that wall, that embankment of darkness that was all around us, we were doomed to starve to death, literally and figuratively. Without the word of God we starve to death. Without Jesus we are doomed to be captive of another prince and that will only bring us death. But praise God we have been set free, we no longer are held by the bonds of slavery to sin. We have been brought the peace of God, and we accepted him. Because we know the peace of God, no embankment can ever hem us in. Because we recognized the time of God coming to us, we live free.