Jesus' Great Love for Jerusalem

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

FROM CHRISTENDOMS earliest centuries, an attitude of Adversus Judaeos !A"ainst
the #e$s%& sha'ed Christian theolo"( and influenced the $a( $e read the )i*le e+en
toda(,
The Church $as considered heir to the 'ro-ises of the Old Testa-ent, #esus $as +ie$ed
as an o''onent to #udais- rather than in continuit( $ith it, And the destruction of
#erusale- $as seen as .ods final re/ection of Israel, The !Ne$ Israel% the Church& too0
'ossession instead of a su'erior 1hea+enl( #erusale-,
St, 2u0es "os'el, fortunatel(, 'ortra(s the historical #esus and #erusale- in 3uite a
different li"ht, The Messiah is rooted fir-l( and 'ositi+el( $ithin the fertile soil of
Second Te-'le #e$ish life and +alues, and his lo+e for #erusale- is dee' and a*idin",
2u0e infor-s us, for e4a-'le, that e+er( (ear #esus de+out 'arents too0 hi- u' to
#erusale- for 5asso+er 6:78&, 9hat $onder-ent -ust ha+e filled this #e$ish child fro-
a s-all +illa"e of 'ro*a*l( 6::;<:: 'eo'le in the .alilee $hen he $ent u' to the
-a"nificent Te-'le in #erusale-= It $as one of the $onders of the ancient $orld > *ut
-ore i-'ortantl(, it $as his Fathers House,
At a"e t$el+e, 2u0e descri*es a *ri"ht (oun" #esus sittin" in the Te-'le courts en"a"ed
in so'histicated ra**inic;st(le, 3uestion;for;3uestion discourse $ith the sa"es 6:7?;7@&,
He notes further that in the final $ee0 of his life #esus a"ain is at his *elo+ed Fathers
House in #erusale-, teachin" dail( in the Te-'le courts 8A:7@&,
)efore de'artin" the .alilee for his final /ourne( u' to #erusale-, 2u0e tells us that #esus
is $arned *( the 5harisees that Herod Anti'as is out to 0ill hi- 8<:<8&, At the -ention
of his loo-in" destin( at #erusale-, he *rea0s into heartfelt la-ent o+er the Cit( of the
.reat Bin": !O #erusale-, #erusale- C Ho$ often I $ould ha+e "athered (our children
to"ether as a hen "athers her *rood under her $in"s C% 8<:<7;<D&, #esus is *urdened
$ith the fore0no$led"e that #erusale- $ill re/ect his 'ro'hetic call for re'entance and
for"i+eness of sins, and that her house $ill *e left desolate,
2u0e re'orts that $hen #esus a''roaches #erusale- for 5asso+er, fro- the Mount of
Oli+es he *eholds the cit(, His disci'les *urst forth into Messianic 'raise 8A:<@;<E&, *ut
he *rea0s into tears, #esus $ee's o+er #erusale- in 'ro'hetic 'athos 8A:78&, Rather than
shalom $ithin her $alls, he "rie+es that the da( is co-in" $hen #erusale- $ill *e
he--ed in on e+er( side *( ene-ies and !torn to the "round% 8A:7<;77&,
Four da(s later #esus is handed o+er to the Ro-ans for e4ecution as a seditionist > as
!Bin" of the #e$s%, On the $a( to the cross, e+en after e4tre-e a*use and torture *(
la$less -en, #esus cautions the $o-en -ournin" his dreadful condition: !Dau"hters of
#erusale-, do not $ee' for -e, *ut $ee' for (oursel+es and for (our children, For
*ehold, the da(s are co-in" $hen C the( $ill sa( to the -ountains, 1Fall on us, and to
the hills, 1Co+er us, For if the( do these thin"s to a "reen tree, $hat $ill ha''en to the
dr(F% 2u0e 6<:6E;<8&, The an"uished Messiah alludes to 'ro'hetic te4ts in Hosea 8::E&
and EGe0iel 6::7?ff& to fore$arn #erusale- of its co-in" desolation,
Fort( (ears later, in @: C,E,, those 'ro'hetic $ords found 'ainful fulfill-ent $hen the
cit( $as !trodden do$n *( the .entiles% 2u0e 68:67&, Titus sac0ed #erusale- $ith four
le"ions of Ro-an soldiers, utterl( de-olishin" the Te-'le, !lea+in" not one stone u'on
another% 8A:77&, And the #e$ish 'eo'le $ere left lon"in" for the !ti-es of the .entiles%
to *e co-'leted 68:67&,
ON #HNE @, 8A?@, for the first ti-e in nearl( t$o -illennia #e$s stood freel( $ithin the
"ates of the Old Cit( and 'ra(ed /o(ousl( at the 9estern 9all, Christians should
cele*rate the 7:th anni+ersar( of this historic e+ent, re-e-*erin" #esus "reat lo+e for
#erusale-,
Than0s to 2u0es "os'el $e can see our 2ord in stron" solidarit( $ith the #e$ish 'eo'le
and $ith "reat affection for #erusale-, His la-ents o+er the cit(, li0e the an"uished cries
of the 5ro'het #ere-iah *efore hi-, s'ran" fro- a dee' attach-ent to the cit( he lo+ed,
The Fathers 'assion for His house and His 'eo'le $as full( e-*odied in His son,
I 6:87 The Center for #udaic;Christian Studies,
All ri"hts reser+ed,