Luke 13:34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
When Jesus talks of Jerusalem here, he is using it as a symbol of the whole nation just like when we talk about trade talks between Washington and Beijing. He is probably also speaking in unity with God the Father who had a long history of being rejected by the people he longed to care for. When someone cares deeply for another who does not return the sentiment, we call it unrequited love. Literature is full of stories of such relationships. I found one website that listed their top twenty-five stories in this category and another that went to 50. Who didn’t have a crush in their youth that was not returned (remember Charlie Brown and the Little Red-Haired Girl?). But we seldom think of God having his heart broken by the disinterest of those he loves- us. Is it possible that the above verse indicates that God “longs” for an intimacy with us that we leave unrequited? This week, how will you respond to a “longing” God?
Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church 