Apocalypse 5:1-10 / Luke 19:41-44
It was April 1865. The slain body of Abraham Lincoln lay in state for a few brief hours in Cleveland, Ohio, on its final journey to Springfield, Illinois. A poor black woman held her child up to see the 56-year-old president's face. As she did, she said slowly and reverently,
"Take a long, long look, honey. That man died for you." What that poor black woman said to her child could be said to all of us about Jesus. "Take a long, long look, honey. That man died for you." Unfortunately, after a while, we tend to take for granted the basic truths of our faith. And one of them is that Jesus purchased us with his own blood.How frequently do we meditate on the crucifixion of Jesus? "Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my lord?" Negro spiritual.****
Usually in apocalyptic literature the opening of seals announces the coming of calamities. Here it is the key to the victory and peace that will come to God’s people through the Lamb, who died and rose again and, in this way, overcame death.****
In the year 70 AD, the city of Jerusalem was captured after a long siege and destroyed by the Roman army, and the Temple which took 46 years to build was razed to the ground. Needless to say, the revolting Jews were slaughtered and the rest of the survivors were deported. It was certainly a great tragedy for the Chosen People of God. Yet it was not the first time that it had happened. Back in the 586 BC, the city was captured by the Babylonians and the grand Temple of Solomon was razed to the ground and the inhabitants were deported to Babylon. We can't help asking "What was wrong? Why must this happen to the People of God?" The key to that question lies in what Jesus said today - if only the message of peace is understood. Yet it seemed to be hidden from the eyes of the people and Jesus even shed tears over this.