Jesus wants to heal his lost sheep so much that it makes him cry.
43 "Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”
The nation of Israel has been called lost sheep for a long time, the Bible calls them lost sheep over and over again, it started way back in 1 Kings 22:17. Our Savior saw the lost sheep from the beginning of his ministry, he was moved with compassion and now as his ministry comes to it's end, he is still looking at lost sheep all over the place. (Matthew 9:36)
Most of them had rejected the shepherd, they had only accepted him for the political gain that they sought after, only a small crowd had accepted him as Messiah in the previous verses known as the "Triumphant Entry" Jesus longed for them to know peace, he longed to heal their wounds, if they would just come to him and accept him. The Good Shepherd had offered them true lasting peace but they didn't accept him. (Romans 5:1).
Jesus told them that it was too late for them now, their spiritual blindness had kept them from seeing the Good News that our Savior had brought to them, the benefits of a personal relationship with him were out of reach now. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
| Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. |
Thank you Lord for healing my greatest wound. Sin no longer has a death grip on me thanks to your willingness to be the sacrificial lamb.
