The Quest for Peace


	The Quest for Peace And as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it saying, 'If you knew in this day, even you, the things that are for your peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.' (Luke 19:41-42). Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem? The people of Jerusalem, in general, were skeptical about this Nazarene. Though Jesus was highly appreciated in the region of Galilee, He was scorned and rejected by most of the learned men. Nevertheless, the Lord wept over Jerusalem. These tears were not a result of hurt feelings, or of discouragement. His tears were of love and pity. Seeking Yet Rejecting the Prince of Peace The Bible calls Jerusalem a city of peace because it was the city of God, the site of God's habitation, the holy temple. This city should have abounded with peace. However, history and the Bible record that there was no peace in Jerusalem at this time. The Jewish people were under the despotic rule of Rome; their political and human rights had been wrenched from them. The thought among the Jewish leaders was that they could not live peacefully and happily until they were freed from Rome's control. They thought peace would come when they were free of foreign rule. Consequently, they expected their Messiah to ride triumphantly to their rescue. Their Christ would once and for all establish an earthly kingdom in which the nation of Israel would rule over all the nations. But Jesus Christ had come to bring another kind of peace, a peace that would begin within their hearts. This peace was Himself. This peace was the result of allowing Christ to live within them to bring them genuine peace, a peace that transcends any human environment. However, because the religionists had their own idea of peace they did not recognize the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. An Elusive Peace Today the story is the same. Admittedly, all seek peace. We seek it in the form of happiness, security, rest, comfort, and satisfaction. Yet peace remains elusive. And when we do find peace, it is temporary. The irony is that while we anxiously seek peace, God is also eager to supply us eternal peace. But it is not the peace we perceive it to be. God's peace is a Person. God's peace is Christ Himself. Why do we find peace so elusive? The answer is painfully simple. It is because we only understand the peace as the world defines it. We only seek the peace the world advertises. Even if we do ask God for peace, we still ask for the world's definition of peace. This is the same reason the Lord wept over Jerusalem. Now He even weeps over us. He desires to give peace. But He finds few takers. The Peace of GOD As long as we seek the peace as the world defines it, we will never know the eternal peace of God. God does not merely parcel out peace as a commodity to solve our problems or give us a happy feeling. The peace He gives is a living person, Jesus Christ. God's peace is unrelated to people, places, or events. Good circumstances do not cause or enhance peace, nor do negative ones preclude it. God's peace is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:16). Jesus Weeps Two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, Jesus wept over the Jewish people. He wanted to give them the peace for which they longed. But they would not receive Him because they had their own ideas about the peace they wanted. In our own times, Jesus still weeps. He weeps because many of us struggle for peace. Our restless hearts agonize over peace. He longs that we may turn our heart to Him and pray, "Lord Jesus, I need You. Only You are Peace. Only You have borne my guilt, shame, and anxieties. Only You can satisfy my restless heart. Lord Jesus, come and dwell in my heart."