The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of His own suffering. Just before Him was Gethsemane, where soon the horror of a great darkness would overshadow Him. The sheepgate also was in sight, through which for centuries the beasts for sacrificial offerings had been led. This gate was soon to open for Him, the great Antitype, toward whose sacrifice for the sins of the world all these offerings had pointed. Near by was Calvary, the scene of His approaching agony. Yet it was not because of these reminders of His cruel death that the Redeemer wept and groaned in anguish of spirit. His was no selfish sorrow. The thought of His own agony did not intimidate that noble, self-sacrificing soul. It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of Jesus--Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty miracles, and was about to take His life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted Him who alone could heal her wound. He had come to save her; how could He give her up?

Jesus græd ikke på grund af den lidelse, som ventede ham. Getsemane var lige foran ham, hvor det store mørke snart skulle overskygge ham med sin rædsel. Også fåreporten var inden for synsvidde, hvorigennem offerdyrene gennem århundreder var blevet ført. Porten skulle snart åbne sig for ham, den store virkeliggørelse af forbilledet, imod hvis offer for verdens synd alle disse ofringer havde peget hen. Lige i nærheden var også Golgata, skuepladsen for hans kommende dødskval. Dog var det ikke på grund af disse påmindelser om hans grusomme død, at Frelseren græd og sukkede i sjæleangst. Hans sorg gjaldt ikke ham selv. Tanken om hans egen kval skræmte ikke denne ædle, selvopofrende sjæl. Det var synet af Jerusalem, der skar Jesus i hjertet Jerusalem, som havde forkastet Guds Søn og ringeagtet hans kærlighed, som nægtede at lade sig overbevise ved hans vældige mirakler, og som nu forberedte sig til at tage hans liv. Han så, hvordan den var blevet ved at forkaste sin Frelser, og hvad den kunne være blevet til, hvis den havde taget imod ham, som var den eneste, der kunne læge dens sår. Han var kommet for at frelse den. Hvordan skulle han kunne opgive håbet?