On a hill above the city of Jerusalem stands a church knows as Dominus Flevit, The Lord Wept. Tradition holds that this is the spot where Jesus uttered the familiar words, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stoned those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling." (Lk 13: 34).
I stood in that church in July of 1977 and can attest to the view of Jerusalem and the Latin inscription on one of the walls of the church.
Today this passage resonates with the troubles still going on in the Middle East and Jerusalem, but could also be applied to the troubles going on within each one of us. We insist on carrying our burdens and transgressions and ignoring the mercy Jesus extends to us. If he were willing to forgive those who killed the prophets, how much more is he willing to forgive us? The image of the hen gathering her young is powerful and reassuring: Jesus sheds tears for us, not for our sins, but for our unwillingness to accept his mercy and be gathered under those tender wings. May we set aside our fears or our self-sufficiency and allow the mercy of Jesus to set us free and put us on a new road of inner peace, trust and confidence.
Bro. Rene
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