ISB ~ Luke 19 v42 - 44

Jesus foresees what eventually took place in A.D. 70, when the Roman army laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed it (21:20). Its conquest will be a sign that God is visiting his judgment on the wayward city.

• Jesus clothes his solemn words with the language and imagery of OT prophecy (Is 29:1-3; Jer 6:6; Ezek 4:1-3). Because Jerusalem has become a repeat offender, it will again suffer the devastation that befell the city in 586 B.C. with the Babylonian invasions.

• Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Hom. in Evan. 39):Christ continues to weep for sinners who, like Jerusalem, run after evil and refuse to make peace with God. Their sins hide from their eyes the judgment that is coming, otherwise they would weep for themselves. When it arrives, demons will besiege the soul and the Lord will visit them with his dreadful punishment.