Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the city did not know the things that made for peace. In Luke 19:41-44, as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, saying that if they had known what would bring them peace, they would have recognized Him as the Messiah. However, their eyes were blinded, and they did not understand. Jesus knew that the destruction of the city and its people was imminent, and His heart was filled with compassion and grief for their spiritual blindness and the judgment that was coming upon them.