Visitation

A peculiar word caught my attention several days ago as I read through Luke chapter 19.  Jesus stands weeping over Jerusalem.  He knows the devastating destruction which will soon overtake his beloved city. 

He has spent the last three years feeding the hungry, healing the sick, calling people to repentance and inviting them to follow Him.

Now, about to face a torturous end,  Jesus  weeps, not for Himself, but cries out in anguish for the people He came to save: 

               "You did not know the time of your VISITATION!"

The word 'visitation' catches me off guard.  It evokes images of angels appearing, or even an encounter with a U.F.O.

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​Perhaps a little investigation is in order... 
​    What exactly does Jesus mean here?                        Why is He so grieved?
             How does this relate to me?

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There are times when I struggle to see Jesus as a real, flesh and blood person, but tend to think of Him in a more generalized, spiritual sense.  It helps to read the Gospels in the first person, imagining I am right there, witnessing His encounters with people.  What would His voice sound like?  Does He have unique mannerisms?  How tall is He?  Would I recognize Him? Would I dare look Him in the eye?

Come with me as we follow Him from Galilee to Jerusalem,  a three day journey by foot.  This time of year the daytime temperature is around 80 F (26 C).  The Roman roads are well traveled and dusty.  Jesus enters a village and is immediately greeted by the desperate cry of ten lepers: 
                                             "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
They are outcasts, untouchable, so they keep their distance.  They know their need for Jesus' touch.  He answers: 
                                 "Go, and show yourselves to the priest."  
Will they go?  If they are not healed they will face the humiliation of hearing the priest crying out in Hebrew, "tawmay!" (meaning 'contaminated' or 'foul').   Hope overshadows their uncertainty, so they go.
                                      And as they go they are healed!  
                                The lepers knew the time of their visitation.

On His way to Jerusalem Jesus will encounter Pharisees, religious people who think they are righteous in their own right.  They follow the rules and try to be good people.  They do not see a need for Jesus, but ooze  condescension and even contempt. 

Jesus will welcome little children and challenge each of us to come to Him as they do, humble and helpless. 

A wealthy young man will approach him, hoping to discover a simple formula for earning his way to heaven. Jesus' challenge to part with his wealth is unimaginable for him.  He will sadly turn away to enjoy a short life of privilege then regret his choice for all of eternity.  Jesus laments, how difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom!
                 The Rich Young Ruler did not know the time of his visitation.

Jesus will meet another rich man, a chief tax collector, as He approaches Jerusalem for the last time. Like most tax collectors, Zacchaeus is hated by society. Jesus will find this man hanging from the branches of a sycamore tree, hoping to catch a glance of the long-awaited Messiah.  Jesus catches his eye and calls him down from the tree: 
         "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down!  I must stay at your house today."
Zacchaeus is undone by Jesus' unconditional love and acceptance.  He confesses his sin and promises to repay those he has cheated. His encounter with Jesus has transformed him
​                                   Zacchaeus knew the time of his visitation.

Both the Hebrew and Greek words for "visitation" imply an official oversight, an inspection by someone in authority.  The term is used both for individuals, as well as societies. 

Israel experienced a "visitation" from God in the judgment following Korah's rebellion. 

The prophet Jeremiah uses the term eight times, describing the coming judgment of Egypt, Moab (Jordan) and Babylon. Those living in modern Babylon the Great, take heed.

Jeremiah warns in chapter 48 that there will be no means of escape at the time of our "visitation"...
                            "He that flees from fear shall fall into the pit;
            and he that gets up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: 
                   for I will bring...the year of their visitation, saith the Lord."
                                                               (Jeremiah 48:44)

A time of "visitation" is coming for us individually, and for the nations. One look at the headlines reminds us that our future here on earth is uncertain. 

                  "Am I ready for final inspection by El Roi, The God Who Sees?"