Dominus Flevit

  The phrase means “The Lord Wept”. 

 The Daily Audio Bible on April 19 speaks about this place, based on Luke 19: a little chapel to commemorate where Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He knew the consequences that would come to those who reject the Lord's salvation. His tears extended beyond Jerusalem to all those who reject the things “that make for your peace.” (Luke 19:42)

A recent sermon spoke about emotions that may cause us to doubt God. Too often we forget that God also weeps. The Scriptures say that Jesus was a Man of Sorrows, well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). The verse following, Isaiah 53:4, is sometimes translated as “He carried our sorrows”, and “It was our sorrows that weighed Him down”, and “He took up our pain and bore our sorrows”.

Are you disappointed, sorrowful, even in pain? Jesus weeps with you. It is not ungodly to sorrow, for Dominus Flevit; Jesus wept.

Isaiah 53 goes on and says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

In context, this well-known passage seems to indicate that His wounds were not merely to pay the penalty for our sins, but more profoundly, that His bearing of our transgressions, iniquities, and chastisement was for our peace and our healing.

Dominus Flevit, a chapel 
shaped like a teardrop, 
 is built along the descent
to Jerusalem, a memorial
to the place where
Jesus wept.

In other words, He suffers and grieves with us, not with mere sympathy, but empathy. If we hurt, He hurts, and when God Incarnate hurts, weeps, and cries, He shares and carries and lifts our hurts, our tears, our wails.

I have wailed in sorrow. I’ve been dazed by hurts. I’ve seen griefs from afar and pains so point blank it burned a forever scar. And so have you.

But Jesus never sees a hurt from afar. Every hurt, every senseless tragedy and horrifying pain is as close to Him as it is to those in humanity who are the closest to that suffering.

And if we can fathom it, He stands even closer.

He bears the sorrow of the victim and bears the blame from the mourners. He listens alongside of those who are anguished beyond being able to bear the pain. He gives breath to those who otherwise could not breathe because of the weight.

And He carries them and the weight of sorrow. Luke 19 says,

⁴¹ Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, ⁴⁴ and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

In Hebrews 5, the writer records that Jesus offered up prayers with vehement cries and tears. The marvelous hymn of “My Savior’s Love” misses a profound point. Jesus indeed did have tears for His own griefs. Yes, He did indeed “sweat drops of blood for mine” but He very much a human. He felt pain as we do. That does not diminish His marvelous and wonderful love for us. It makes Jesus, the Son of God, more human.

⁷ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸ though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Let the Son of God bear your sorrow and the Son of Man share and carry your grief. 

Be Like-Minded

 Early in ministry, I worked with someone that no matter what I asked, no matter how many favors I did for him, no matter the need I or someone else had, he had one stock answer:

“I’d really like to, but I just can’t.”  

It wasn’t just a time or two. And it wasn’t just me. Others would also say he was not a team player.

It was at that time, I came across Philippians 2 and committed it to memory: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others,” Philippians 2:4.

It’s not just this verse but it’s all over chapter 2. It is a great “team-building” chapter to memorize, especially in the work of the church.

The chapter begins, “Therefore, if there is…” and here Paul lists five things that should bind us together as a church. You will have to look them up for yourself. Go ahead, get your Bible, I’ll wait.

Got your Bible? As I was saying (or writing, er, typing), those five encouragements lead to three dependencies, beginning and ending with our mindset, the others being our heart and our actions.

“being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, (being) of one mind.” And then here is the kicker: “in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.”

That couldn’t be right. I’m okay with “but also look out for the interests of others,” but esteem others better than myself? I looked up the word in Greek, and sure enough Paul used the same word three times in the same letter. It means “others as more supreme”. The word is “hyper-echo” with the implication that you have to say it and hear it over and over again: “esteem others higher, esteem others higher.”

As if that wasn’t enough, if you still have your Bibles open, keep reading: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Yep, he did it. He played the Christ-card. Three times in verses 2 and 3, Paul talks about mind-set, and then he mentions our mind-set should be like Christ’s.

Paul talks a lot about being one-minded. Look back at Philippians 1:27. Being one-minded makes our conduct “worthy of the gospel.” Why? Because that was the mind-set of Jesus. That was the prayer of Jesus (remember John 17:22, “may they be one, just as We are one…”)

Look also at Philippians 2:15, “…have this mind, and if in anything you think otherwise…” and then in 2:16, “let us be of the same mind.”

I’m seeing a pattern here. If you don’t see it, look once more, now at verse 20: “for I have no one more like-minded,” than Timothy. Lowly Timothy, who felt inferior because of his youth. Obedient Timothy, who went to EXTREMES in his service (just read Acts 16:3). Everyone else seeks after their own, but not Timothy. He sincerely cares for your estate.

If you don’t think this applies to you, read Philippians 2 again, or do what I am doing and memorize the chapter. Maybe it will change your mind!

The VOICE of the Lord Psalm 29

From April 4, 2020...

 Are you wondering where God is in all of this Coronavirus crisis?

Read Psalm 29 (It’s short, only 11 verses).

1 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, ​​Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 ​​Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; ​Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
​3 ​​The voice of the LORD is over the waters; ​​The God of glory thunders; ​​The LORD is over many waters.
4 ​​The voice of the LORD is powerful; ​​The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 ​​The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, ​​Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 ​​He makes them also skip like a calf, ​​Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 ​​The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
​8 ​​The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; ​​The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 ​​The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, ​​And strips the forests bare; ​​And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 ​​The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, ​​And the LORD sits as King forever.
11 ​​The LORD will give strength to His people; ​​The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Have you had silent times from God? I have.

There are times when God seemingly cannot be found.

Imagine Job when he said, “I cry to you for help and you do ...not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.” (Job 30:20).

Just a few chapters earlier than Psalm 29, Psalm 22 shows David crying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”

You probably know this, but isn't it interesting that Jesus also had times of “silences from God,” even though He was God in the flesh.

Certainly when John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus felt the thunderous silence of God.

When he was alone in the desert and being tempted of the devil, there is no evidence that God was speaking.

When He was on the cross, we even read that He quoted Psalm 22, questioning why God would have forsaken Him.

Yet, there were also times when He also heard the Voice of the Lord, a literal voice, while others heard only thunder.

At His baptism, as well as on the mount of transfiguration. Even when the Greeks came to Him, the voice of the Lord thundered.

There also were times when He heard His Father's voice but not with physical ears, but the ears of the Spirit. We too must listen for the voice of the Lord but also for the silence of the Lord.

Both His voice and His silence can be ear-shattering, spiritually speaking.

Both the silence of the Lord and the voice of the Lord are needed for our spiritual growth. Both should be expected.

And both should be welcomed.

Is God near? Listen for His voice.

Does seem distant? He promises that He is not (Read Psalm 37:28 and Heb. 13:5).

His silences quiet us so we can then hear The Voice of the Lord.