As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” ~ Luke 19:41-44

The shortest verse in the Bible is from the Gospel of John - "Jesus wept." It was over the death of his friend, Lazarus.
But it wasn't the only time Jesus wept.
He weeps here for the whole city of Jerusalem. It is the city of his people - a people he loves dearly.
I think he weeps for us as well.
Jesus weeps for a city that has ignored God's chosen one and thwarted God's bearing of peace into their midst. They have chosen a way of violence and anger and distrust instead.
Those never lead to peace.
Do we lean into peace now? Or like the people of Judah, does fear drive us toward anger and violence? The Jewish people wanted to throw of the bonds of their Roman oppressors, but instead of trusting God's peace, they gave in to fear and anger.
In the end, it destroyed their way of life. Their temple. Their home.
Jesus wept for that. And weeps for us when we fail to embrace God's peace.
Weeps for the inevitable harm we bring upon ourselves.
Move me toward your peace, Holy One, and move me to create peace in all the places of anger I encounter. Amen
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