Reflections
Jesus is now on the last stage of his mission. He approaches Jerusalem, which will be the scene for the last great act of his life – his passion, death and resurrection. From here, too, will rise up the new community founded in his name, commissioned to continue the work he had started. As he approaches the city, he weeps over its tragic end. He implies that, if the city had received him as Lord and King, it might not have met the fate that was in store for it. “If only you had known the path to peace this day; but you have completely lost it from view.” Many failed to recognize him as God’s visible presence coming to visit them. Probably those who rejected Jesus did so because they believed that they had perfectly good reasons to do so, drawn from what they saw as their religious fidelity to Israel. They were blinded by the power of the religious and cultural system. They gave their allegiance to their own rules and beliefs rather than to Jesus who was offering a different image of God – not a judgmental God but a God of compassion and mercy. Jesus had called for a change of heart, a whole change of mindset from the familiar to the uncertain. Such a movement is not easy; it requires the need to pursue the inner journey, to listen to the inner restlessness, to become familiar with the deepest desires of the heart, to be deliberately open to the gentle breath of the Spirit. Only in that way can we recognize the time of God’s intervention on our behalf. We miss his active presence in our lives when we are more caught by our own cultural, ideological and religious blindness.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018