39 - Luke 13:35
’Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ -Luke 13:35.
Thus the Lord apostrophises Jerusalem while yet at a distance. Afterwards he goes up to Jerusalem, and multitudes come forth to meet him, shouting these very words, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Was that the fulfilment of the prophecy couched in these words, quoted from Psalms 118:26.? No. For after those hosannas had died out, Christ quietly repeated the same declaration: "Ye shall not see me until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." If a mere literal fulfilment had been all that was wanted, that was afforded; but the prophecy demanded more than a literal fulfilment. The passage in Luke, the subject of our remarks, evidently points to something beyond what occurred at the beginning of the Passover week; for Jesus said just before, "It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem; Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." He has distinctly in view his rejection by the people of Jerusalem, and their subsequent national desolation. The original passage (Psalms 118:1-29.) is in immediate connection with another prophecy repeatedly quoted by Christ: "The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner." Whom with wicked hands they crucified, him God raised from the dead, and exalted to his own right hand, giving him a name above every name.
Christ came in the name of the Lord, the legate of the most High God, laden with such wealth of blessing as God saw needed; and the Father bore testimony from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." Mighty signs and wonders, works of purest beneficence, words of grace and truth, a life of unimpeachable holiness, declared that he came in the name of the Lord. But he brought not to men the particular blessing on which they had set their hearts, and they disdained his proffered help. They were politically depressed; they were in subjection to a Gentile power; in the comity of nations they were far from having an exalted place. They who had plumed themselves on being the chosen people of God, favoured and distinguished above all nations, and who looked that all the tribes and families of earth should be compelled to see their glory and supremacy, and sue to them for light and power, found it inexpressibly galling to be made thus of no account, and be domineered by idolaters. Their circumstances declared with sufficient emphasis the sort of Saviour that they needed, one that should first of all give them their own proper national independence, and restore them to the unimpaired enjoyment of their privileges as God’s peculiar people, with dignity and power and renown such as no other nation had ever dreamed of; after that, spiritual blessings as many as he would. And had not their own prophetical books taught them to look for this national splendour and glory? Surely their expectations were not like the delusive dreams of the unchosen nations. Was it likely, was it conceivable, that God would send to them at such a time a Saviour meek and lowly, pacific, long-suffering, a mere teacher of righteousness, exerting his powers not in paralyzing the Roman Governor and his minions, but in cleansing a few miserable lepers, opening the eyes of blind beggars, healing demoniacs, assuring his disciples at the same time that they should be hated of all men, and persecuted to death?
No; God’s choice was not their choice. This was not the Deliverer on whose head they were ready to invoke blessings, whom they would greet with gladdest acclamations. Here was not their heart’s desire. This was not the Messiah whom they had seen in the prophecies. Not on such a stone as this would they build their temple. They must put him out of the way, and wait for another, the man after their own heart, who should make all their enemies his footstool.
’Very well, I go to the Father, and ye see me no more. Ye shall not see me until God’s choice has become yours. Ye wish not to see me, and ye shall not see me. Enemies will come and make this place desolate; unparalleled horrors shall meet in this devoted city; it shall be given to famine, fire, and sword; ye shall be carried captive into all nations; centuries shall become millenniums, still Jerusalem shall remain a desolation in the hands of your enemies, and you shall be dispersed over all the earth, and have in many lands a sore struggle for existence. But the Messiah whom you pant for shall never come; the Deliverer you dream of shall never arise. When you shall turn with a broken and a contrite heart to God, then shall you see that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Messiah, and that he is not thirsting for vengeance upon you, but for the opportunity of giving you imperishable blessings.’
Yet we must not overlook the glorious fact that thousands and myriads have said from the heart, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Even in Jerusalem thousands had their spiritual sight purified by the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pentecost and afterwards, so as to see the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. A goodly company gathered from every nation, tribe, and tongue are before the throne of God and the Lamb.
How is it with thee, reader? Hast thou yet said, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord? Hast thou learned to see in him that which thy soul requires? To value his promises! to receive his testimonies and precepts? to delight in his guidance? to find your friends among his people? to put on the armour of his soldiers? to strive for the amaranthine crown which he will give? Woe unto those who insist upon having a Christ according to their own notion. They shall find many to help them in these days; many Christ-makers are risen up saying, Lo here! and lo there! But blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, and in him is our only blessedness.