Several years ago, you may have seen the illustration that was being E-Mailed all over the place. (The very last part of this illustration is some real ‘food for thought.’) Briefly, it went like this.

Suppose you hear on the radio that there is an epidemic that is sweeping across the world. Rapidly, it becomes evident that tens of thousands of people are dying. And, within a few short days, hundreds of thousands of people are dying. The entire world is in jeopardy of succumbing to this terrible disease.

It is then discovered that this disease can be cured, if a very, very rare blood type can be found. And so, in an emergency effort, everyone, (including the residents of your town), is told to go to the hospital.

And so, you go with your family to the hospital. There at the hospital, everybody receives blood tests, to see if they have this very, very rare blood type. As the numbers of the dead are mounting and mounting, people are praying that somehow there would be someone found, who has this rare blood type, so that there would be a cure.

All of a sudden, rushing through the hospital doors come doctors and nurses, with excited looks on their faces. Some have tears of joy streaming down their faces. They call out the name of your young son, your five-year old son. When you go to talk to the doctors and nurses, they say, "Your son has the rare blood type! This is the cure that we have been looking for! You will need to sign this piece of paper, because we will need to use his blood to make the cure for the whole world."

As you look at the paper, and start to sign it, you ask, "Wait a second. How much blood will you need?"

The doctor says, "Well, we will need all of it."

You ask the doctor, "Isn't there any other way?"

The doctors and nurses begin to plead, "No. We had no idea it would be such a young child with a small body. We need all of it. We need it now, before the whole world dies."

And so, you sign it.

As they rush your son away, he looks at you, and says, "Dad! Mom!"

The cure is made and the world is saved.

(Now we get to the part I want you to think about.)

The next week, the world holds a ceremony to honor your son. Very few people show up.

Some of them want to go to the lake.

Others would like to go to the mall.

And, some are tired, so they sleep in.

Some do show up, but as they sit through the ceremony, they fall asleep.

Others sit through the ceremony, but they are not paying attention, because they are thinking about other things.

Wouldn't you want to stand up and cry out, "My son died for you. Don't you care?"

Which gets us to today's scripture reading. In today’s scripture reading we see God’s heart toward those who reject His Son. Today's scripture reading shows us the heart of Jesus. In the heart of Jesus, in this lament of Jesus over the city of Jerusalem, we see Jesus portraying the very heart of God.

We also see this, in the book of Ezekiel, where God says,

"The Lord says,

‘I do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked,

but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.’"

That is the heart of God - the wicked turn from their ways and live.

Again, we see the heart of Jesus, when under divine inspiration, Paul, speaking to Timothy says,

"God wants all men to be saved

and come to a knowledge of the truth."

That is the heart of our Savior. Jesus wants all to be saved. He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but wants all the world to be saved.

And so, we see our Savior stand, as He looks out over the city of Jerusalem, and what does He say? He says, "Oh Jerusalem. Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I would have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

You

were not willing.

Here we see the heart of our Savior. He longed to gather that city of Jerusalem and her children together. What mercy He had. This is a city that had a history of putting to death the prophets of God, those who came to call the city to repentance, to call them to trust in God. And the city’s history was to put the prophets to death, to stone them, (the very thing that they were going to do to the Lord, Himself). And yet, His heart is a heart of love. "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I would have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

Our catechism asks a very chilling question. The chilling question is this:

"Does God want anybody to be dammed?"

The answer is:

"No. God does not want anyone to be dammed."

Then it quotes a Bible verse,

"Thus saith the Lord,

‘I do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked,

but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.’"

Then it quotes another passage,

"God wants all men to be saved

and come to a knowledge of the truth."

But then it asks the question,

"Why then, are some dammed?"

A chilling question. To which it gives this answer.

"Those who are dammed are dammed only because they do not believe in Christ."

Then it uses the passage that we are looking at today, as a proof text.

Those who are dammed are dammed only because they do not believe in Christ.

God does not want them to be dammed.

God does not will them to be dammed.

God wants them to be saved.

God died for their sins.

God sent His Son.

God gave them scripture.

God gave them the Word.

God sent the Holy Spirit into the world.

God does not want them to be dammed. God wants them to be saved. Jesus says, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

You were not willing.

The city of Jerusalem brought destruction on itself, not because it was Jesus' wish, but because they rejected their Savior. The same can happen to an individual. Instead of Jerusalem, Jesus could say an individual’s name, couldn't He? It could be somebody in this congregation. It could happen here, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. It could happen to one of us, if we are not careful. For example, if your name is Fritz, Jesus could look at you and say, "Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

It could happen to an individual. We could resist the Holy Spirit. We could resist Jesus.

I want everybody sitting here today to think about

how much Jesus loves you,

how He has pursued you,

how He has come after you,

and how He has called you.

Think about how Jesus has died on the cross to pay for your sin.

Think about the price He has paid.

Think about the fact that He has seen to it, down through the centuries, at great cost to many of His followers, (some of them their lives), the truth has been passed down so that you could hear the truth.

Think about how He loves you and has seen to it that you knew someone, (whether it was your mom, dad, or someone else), who told you about Jesus, who brought you here to church.

Think about how He loves you so much that He pursues you, day after day, week after week, with the Word of God.

And yet, it could be that someone could sit here, in these pews, and reject Jesus. There could be somebody here today who is here just because Mom and Dad brought him/her, but you really do not believe in Jesus, as your Savior from sin.

"Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

There could be someone here who is just at church because it is the thing to do. Your wife comes, or your husband comes, but you really don't believe in Jesus, as your Savior, even though He sits here, holding out His arms to you.

"Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

There could be someone here today, who knows that he/she has fallen into a sin. You have pushed away your Savior, and you have chosen a sinful lifestyle. Only God and you may know it, but you have chosen that sinful lifestyle, and have rejected your Savior. You love that sin, and you are unrepentant. Jesus says to you,

"Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

It could be that there is someone here who has fallen away from the use of the Word. You have neglected the Word, absented yourself from the Lord's Supper, the sacrament of the altar. And over time, you have fallen away from faith in Christ, as your Savior. To you, Jesus says,

"Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

Oh, you know we all have that sinful nature in our hearts, wanting to stay away from the Word of God. You know, last week, something happened to my family and me that has not happened in a very long time. We did not come to church. Most of you did not go to church last week, either. We did not have church services last week, because of the snowstorm. And you know what? Toward the end of the day, I found myself thinking, "Boy, that was kind of nice. It was a long day. I got a lot done. I got to stay home." I can see how people could get into the habit of falling away from the Word and Sacrament.

"Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

If we have fallen away from our Savior, who calls to us, even today, now is the time, now is the day for us to run back under the wings of our Savior. He uses such a beautiful picture of His love for us. The beautiful picture He uses is that of a mother bird who spreads her wings over her chicks. Though the danger comes, though the fire comes, and destroys that mother bird, yet she sacrifices her life so that those chicks can live. That is the picture that Jesus wants you to know and you to have. He loves you so dearly that He has done that for you! He has spread out His arms, on the cross. There, on the cross, He has taken everything that you deserve, because of your sins. Your sins are fully, completely, and totally paid for. Nothing can hurt you or harm you, when you are under His wings. Nothing can.

Your sins cannot condemn you, when you are under the wings of Jesus. Your sins are paid for.

Death cannot hurt you, when you are under the wings of Jesus, because Jesus is the victor over death, and He will take you to Heaven, when you die.

Nothing in this world can hurt or harm you, when you are under the wings of Jesus, because Jesus is in control over all things. And, He will not let anything happen to His people that would hurt or harm them spiritually.

Let us fall under the wings of our Savior, Jesus, and cling to Him. And then, let us have the heart of Jesus that He has toward the lost. It is so awesome, to me, to think that Jesus stood looking out over the city of Jerusalem, knowing that was the city that would put Him to death, knowing that they would kill Him. And yet, He spreads out His arms to that city and He still longs for every one of their salvation.

"Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

What a love our Savior had for the lost! And even though He knew what they would do to them, He went to that city, and He died for them. Let us have a love in our hearts for the lost that Jesus has.

Look at the love that Jeremiah had for the lost. Jeremiah went to the city of Jerusalem, and he knew that his life was being threatened. And yet, he, out of love for his Savior and love for the lost, said, "I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right." But then, he called them to repentance and faith. He had a love for the lost.

Look at the love for the lost that Jesus' disciples had. Peter died spreading the message of salvation. Paul died spreading the message of salvation. James died spreading the message of salvation. And we could go right down the list of the disciples that died for spreading the message of salvation. They were willing to put themselves at risk in order to bring the message of Christ to those who did not come to Jesus and did not believe in Jesus.

You know people who Jesus could look at, right now, and say, "Oh Fritz, Fritz, how often I have longed to gather you under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but, you are not willing."

You may know somebody like that. It could be somebody in your family. It could be somebody in your neighborhood. Let's have a love for the lost. And even though it may be costly to us, let us speak to them about sin. Let us speak to them about our Savior, and with a prayer that they, too, come under that protection of the wings of Jesus.

Amen.