If Only I Had Known

This past Sunday was known as Palm Sunday and my pastor, appropriately enough, preached from Luke 19:28-44, which is the account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem upon a donkey.  Assuming you are familiar with this story, I want to share with you the one verse that leaped out at me as never before--verse 42, "(Jesus) said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace'".  The statement absolutely pierced my heart. 

The Amplified Bible says it this way;
⁴²Exclaiming, Would that you had known personally, even at least in this your day, the things that make for peace (for ^[j]freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin and upon which your peace--your ^[k]security, safety, prosperity, and happiness--depends)!

I cannot get this thought out of my head, two days later.  The Bible says in the previous verse that Jesus was looking over Jerusalem and wept as He made this statement.  My mind can almost visualize Jesus, standing over the span of my life, weeping over the temporary things that I have chased in pursuit of peace.  Jesus says to me, Angela, had you only known what would really bring you peace. 

I love the definition of peace that the Amplified Bible offers--freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin.  What an incredible deceiver Satan is!  How is it that he is able to package the very thing that leads us to distress as what will bring us peace?

SIN -> DISTRESS -> ABSENCE OF PEACE

JESUS CHRIST -> FREEDOM FROM SIN -> NO DISTRESS -> PEACE

John Lennon encouraged us to "Give Peace A Chance".  But the only true peace (freedom from distress) will be found in a life resolved to reject sin and embrace Jesus.