MARCH 21, 2005

THE UNHOLY CITY
by Pastor George Van Alstine

In the not-too-distant past, tourists have been seduced by brochures that glamorized Jerusalem as “The Holy City.” Now, threats of terrorist attacks cause vacation-planners to have second thoughts abut risking such a trip, and Israel’s tourist trade has fallen off considerably. The city is tarnished by hatred and conflict.

If we were to go back a millennium in history, we might encounter a group of zealots trying to recruit people for one of the great Crusades. The attraction was largely the spiritual magnetism of “The Holy City” Jerusalem, the mother of the Biblical faith. When the crusaders arrived, however, they were met with fierce resistance from powerful Muslim leaders, possibly even an ignominious death.

If we could move backwards through time another millennium, we would arrive in Jesus’s day. Then, too, Jerusalem was known as “The Holy City,” and many pilgrims traveled hundreds of miles to experience a few days during a festival time, such as Passover.

That’s the setting for Jesus’ arrival on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. He felt the religious fervor of the pilgrims arriving along with him, and he shared some of their excitement as the unique spiritual atmosphere of “The Holy City” surrounded them.

But Jesus also felt something else. He expressed it in these words recorded by the Gospel writers:
“As he came near 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 . . . You did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’ ” (Luke 19:41-2, 44)

“ ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’ ” (Matthew 23:37-39)

Actually, he himself had just a day or two before come into the city, and people had shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” But they didn’t mean it, and Jesus knew their hearts. The “day of visitation” for Jerusalem had come, and Jerusalem missed it entirely.

Sadly, “The Holy City” was not holy, and that’s what made Jesus weep; just as it made 11th century crusaders weep; just as it makes modern tourists weep. In critical moments of her history, Jerusalem has proven to be “The Unholy City.” In the city’s darkest moment, Jesus was crucified. His blood was shed on that city’s soil.

“The Unholy/Holy City” is a great parable of belief and unbelief, for Jerusalem is a picture of the human heart. Like the city, the human heart was formed so that God could dwell there, but it is all too often very inhospitable to him. When he visits, the heart-gates are often closed. And even when he is enthusiastically received, the “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” can soon be replaced by “Crucify him!”

Our hearts are as fickle as the mob in Jerusalem.