Dear Christian friends:

Last month in our newspapers, in Life magazine (hold up the June 23, 1967 issue) and on TV we have seen and read and heard a lot about Israel and Jerusalem. Since the time of King David, three-thousand years ago unto this day Jerusalem ha been a very important city.

Three great religions have their holy places there: the Jews, the Muslims and the Christians. During the last three-thousand years God has used Jerusalem for His purposes.

In our text today Jesus cries about Jerusalem. When somebody cries about something or some person we know that he cares about that thing or person. If he did not care, he would not cry. Here we see Jesus crying over Jerusalem. It shows that He cares very much and that He loves Jerusalem very much.

So today from our text I want to preach to you about the theme:


When Jesus cried over Jerusalem for whom was He crying? Was He crying for the houses? No! Was He crying only for the Jewish people who lived there that year and day? No! True, He was crying for them, but for many more than that. He was crying for His Church, for all the people who once believed in Him and then strayed away or turned to love other Gods. Jerusalem means His holy Christian Church or the people who know better and should be His Church.

The Bible often calls the Church, "Jerusalem, Israel, Zion, sons of Jacob." It does not mean the Jewish nation, but the Christian Church on earth.

When Jesus cried over Jerusalem two-thousand years ago, He cried for you and me, all of us who have His name, Christian. All of us who say we believe in Him. When Jesus cried for Jerusalem He cried for you. He is trying to tell you something very, very important.

What? Why did Jesus cry for Jerusalem? Why does Jesus cry for His Church? He cries, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you murder the prophets and stone those sent to you." Only Jerusalem, God's chosen people, the church kills the prophets. The people outside the church do not kill the prophets. They don't care. (refer to verses 31-33 and explain) Jesus says, "a prophet can't be killed outside of Jerusalem." (verse 33)

Who killed the Old Testament prophets? The Jewish Council. Who crucified Jesus Christ? God's chosen people. The people to whom He gave His Word with whom He made a covenant. They broke their promise to Him and stabbed Him in the back. The church really hurts God when it is not true to His Word and promises when it no longer loves Him and serves Him. When it teaches false things and loves false gods.

Only my wife can really hurt me, because she is my wife and has made an agreement with me in holy marriage and I have put my trust in her. If she breaks her vow she hurts me very much. Other women can't hurt me because they have no agreement with me, no vows and no covenant.

It's the same with the Church: With the Church God has made His agreement in the New Testament, in Baptism and Confirmation. He gives us His promise and truth and we give ours to Him.

When, we, His Church fail Him and do not keep His Word and no longer love Him and serve Him and no longer remember His Word and support our church and missions we stab Jesus in the back. We are like a wife who does adultery. In the Bible God often called His church a harlot or whore when she broke her promises and loved and worshipped worldly things.

Maybe you think we are not like that today. Maybe you excuse yourself and say, "I love Jesus and I am true to Him. I still believe the Bible and try to support the church and missions. Do you? Don't lie to yourself. Don't deceive yourself. Search your heart and confess your sins.

By His crying for us Jesus shows very strongly that He still loves us. Although like a wife who does adultery and deserves to be forsaken, Jesus still cares for us and cries for us. His crying for us is His invitation to us to confess our sins and believe in Him for our forgiveness of sins.

His crying invites us to renew our vows to Him and to ask His power and Holy Spirit to change us and help us to be more true to Him in the future.

If we don't care about His crying; If we doubt His mercy and think He can't forgive there will be no hope left for us. He says your house is left empty.

May God show mercy to us and call us to faith and help us to love Him very, very much.

Amen.