A Prayer about Jesus’ Compassion and My Blindness
As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace— but now it is hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:41–42 NIV)
Dear Jesus, everything about Holy Week reveals the depth of your compassion for sinful, broken people just like me. The tears you wept coming into Jerusalem, even the anger you showed in driving the money changers out of the temple— every encounter, parable, and action gives staggering clarity to Paul’s words, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6–8 NIV).
Paul was writing about me. I’m the powerless, ungodly sinner for whom you died, demonstrating God’s incomparable and irrepressible love for me. I was God’s enemy when you reconciled me to him through your death on the cross (Rom. 5:10). May I never believe otherwise.
I would still be blind to what alone brings me peace if you hadn’t opened my eyes to see my need of you and your death for me. The gospel would still remain hidden from my eyes unless you had given me sight to behold you as the Lamb of God who takes away my sin. I can’t and I won’t sneer at a single Pharisee, Sadducee, priest, teacher of the law, or anyone else who tried to trick or trap you during Holy Week. I am just as worthy of judgment as they.
How I long for the day when I will no longer even be tempted to look for peace, for shalom, anywhere else but in you, Jesus. I yearn for the day when I will see you as you are and I will be made like you (1 John 3:1–3). This is my great hope. Until that day, keep healing the eyes of my heart of all spiritual myopia, astigmatism, or anything else that keeps me from seeing the magnificence of your glory and the full measure of your grace. I pray in your tenacious and tender name.
Amen.