This Holy Week, I’m going to be blogging each day, tracing the tears Jesus shed for Jerusalem to the tear filled eyes who first saw the Risen Christ. Throughout I’ll be following prompts from #OurHolyWeek
Hosanna.
They welcomed Jesus into the city like a king and yet he chose a donkey.
They cried ‘save me’ and then called ‘crucify’.
They thought they were witnessing the beginning of a political revolution, a plot to overthrow Roman rule.
They didn’t understand that Jesus was coming to offer Himself as the lamb that was slain.
Their King was not a warrior, but a weeping servant.
Because as he approached his destination; perhaps as the hosannas were still ringing in his ears; he wept.
He wept because he knew what was coming for his city; he knew that in rejecting him, they were rejecting peace.
He wept because he knew he was facing rejection and crucifixion.
Two thousand years later, Jesus’ tears for his city have become our tears for our cities.
When I look at our cities; I can feel tears prick my own eyes.
The way of peace is not being chosen.
For so many fear-filled people, the answer seems to be to make others fearful.
Fear of knives leads people to arm themselves.
Fear of radicalisation leads to yet more fear and further radicalisation.
Following the way of the Saviour who weeps is the only way we can find peace.
We can lament and weep to our Saviour because first wept and lamented to the Father.
Jesus’ tears showed a new way to face agony; and as we trace his tears through Holy Week, I think we can see that in the upside down kingdom of God it was only a weeping Saviour who triumphed over the grave.
And the years of our sorrow
Have rolled on and on
And the wars of our pride
Never cease
We have ravaged the earth
With our envy and greed
Tell me when will we
Welcome his peace
When will we welcome His peace?
Oh when we will we welcome the Prince of Peace
Graham Kendrick, Rumours of Angels
Rachael Newham 
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