Lk 19:41-44
Jerusalem destroyed: Luke records a unique lament over Jerusalem and a prediction concerning its destruction. He is here attempting to deal with the historical destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple after the Jewish-Roman war, which resulted in the leveling of the city and the Temple in 70 A.D. Luke ties the destruction of the city and the Temple to the rejection of Jesus by the Jews.
In Jewish thought, the Temple in Jerusalem was the dwelling place of God on earth. The city should not have been destroyed, but it was. This fact sent a shock-wave throughout the world.
According to Luke, in Jesus God had come to his people, but they did not recognize the time of their visitation. God was not recognized. When Jesus, the peaceable king entered the city to the cry of the crowd—“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (19:38)—the people chose rebellion and violence, which resulted in the destruction of the city of peace.