you did not recognize the time of your visitation

Luke 19:28-48 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Triumphal Entry

²⁸ After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹ When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ They said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. ³⁷ As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, ³⁸ shouting:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” ⁴⁰ But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

⁴¹ When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, ⁴⁴ and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

How many disciples did Jesus have? Today's text says: As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, ³⁸ shouting: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”    The King James Version says:      And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; ³⁸ Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

Jesus had a crowd, a multitude of disciples even without the aid of any kind of technology or social media, He had in a few short years developed a large following of disciples. In Luke 6 it describes Jesus calling of the 12.  It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 

The word "Apostle", from the Greek apostello "to send forth", "to dispatch", has etymologically a very general sense. Apostolos (Apostle) means one who is sent forth, dispatched--in other words, who is entrusted with a mission...  Not everyone who is called to be a disciple is called to be an Apostle.  Ephesians 4:11-13 says: And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 

Even here the gifting of all believers are not listed. These that Paul mentions here are the "equipping" ministries, their purpose is to build up the body of Christ. In Romans 12 Paul lists the gifts of believers more extensively. Romans 12:5-8   so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.     All of these, the Ephesians callings and the Romans gifts, are God given and Holy Spirit empowered. None is greater than the other. All of them are needed to serve the body and fulfill the mission and commission of the church. The  important thing is for each believer to faithfully  " exercise them accordingly  "

If we return to our text we see something else that each believer, every disciple of Christ is called to do.  the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,  shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”     Regardless of what our gift or calling, what place we have in the body, each of us, every believer is called to be among the multitude who praise God. We are to be joyful and recognize the miracles that we have seen. Even if you have never witnessed or experienced the miracle of a physical healing, there are countless miracles that surround us each day. For all of those we should joyfully praise God.

On that day there was an effort to silence the praise of Jesus.  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” Today we see in a similar way there is an effort throughout the world, even in the nations who proclaim freedom, to silence the praise of Jesus. Even here in the U.S., where we say "In God We Trust", there is an effort to silence those who praise and give glory to Jesus, God's Son.

 Jesus had an answer for them that day.  But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”   Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.(Hebrews 13:8)   Even if they succeed in silencing the multitude the stones and all of the rest of creation will cry out!  Come what may, no stone is going to take my place. Like the Psalmist declares: I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
(Psalm146:2)

As we finish with today's text it says Jesus:  saw the city and wept over it,  saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.... you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

There is a visitation of God happening throughout the world. You won't hear about it on the news or most of social media. Throughout the world in small gatherings of faithful believers God is doing miraculous things, healing bodies and changing lives. It is happening. Jesus Christ will not be denied. The Fathers will, will be done and His kingdom will come. We can choose to be part of the current visitation, glorifying and praising God. We can live, love and serve with all the gifts God has given us,  being faithful to "exercise them accordingly ". Or we can sit back, let a stone cry out, let another take our place here and now during this visitation of Christ.

May it not be said of us, you did not recognize the time of your visitation

His kingdom has come!