23:37 I wanted…but you were not willing! God is utterly sovereign and
therefore fully capable of bringing to pass whatever He desires (cf. Is.
46:10)—including the salvation of whomever He chooses (Eph. 1:4, 5). Yet, He
sometimes expresses a wish for that which He does not sovereignly bring to pass
(cf. Gen. 6:6; Deut. 5:29; Ps. 81:13; Is. 48:18). Such expressions in no way
suggest a limitation on the sovereignty of God or imply any actual change in Him
(Num. 23:19). But these statements do reveal essential aspects of the divine
character: He is full of compassion, sincerely good to all, desirous of good,
not evil—and therefore not delighting in the destruction of the wicked (Ezek.
18:32; 33:11). While affirming God’s sovereignty, one must understand His pleas
for the repentance of the reprobate as well meant appeals—and His goodness
toward the wicked as a genuine mercy designed to provoke them to repentance
(Rom. 2:4). The emotion displayed by Christ here (and in all similar passages,
such as Luke 19:41) is obviously a deep, sincere passion. All Christ’s feelings
must be in perfect harmony with the divine will (cf. John 8:29)—and therefore
these lamentations should not be thought of as mere exhibitions of His humanity.
John MacArthur, ed.,
The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville: Word Bibles, 1997), 1437–38. “…I personally bear full responsibility for all the notes in
The MacArthur Study Bible because they all have come from me and through me…” (ibid., xi).
It was never God’s ultimate plan and desire for His people to be punished but for them to return to Him in faithfulness and devotion. “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,” Jesus lamented. He longed to draw Israel to Himself and protect her just as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings to protect them from a storm that would batter them or a hawk that would devour them. There was a beautiful intimacy and tenderness in Jesus’ words and no doubt in His voice as He mourned over His people. He had come “to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).
David exulted, “How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings” (Ps. 36:7). It was God’s great desire that all men, especially His beloved children Israel, would take refuge under His wings. At many times and in many forms Jesus had often given invitations such as, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29).
But you were unwilling, He said. He came to His people in truth and light and love and offered them the kingdom God had long promised, but they rejected the King and forfeited the kingdom. Instead of inheriting the blessing God proffered for their faith, they inherited the judgment He promised for their unbelief.
Nothing in Scripture is more certain than the truth that God is sovereign over all things; but God’s Word nowhere teaches determinism, as this verse makes clear. God was abundantly willing for Israel and all men to receive and follow His Son, but most of them were unwilling. They did not turn from Christ because of fate but solely because of their own unwillingness. When a person rejects Christ, it is never God’s desire or God’s fault but always his own.
John F. MacArthur Jr.,
Matthew, vol. 3 of
MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 401.
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