The King Who Offers Peace (Luke 19:28–44)

The traditional calendar for the events of our Lord’s last week of ministry looks like this: Sunday—Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Monday—Cleansing the temple

Tuesday—Controversies with the Jewish leaders

Wednesday—Apparently a day of rest

Thursday—Preparation for Passover

Friday—Trial and Crucifixion

Saturday—Jesus rests in the tomb

Sunday—Jesus raised from the dead

Keep in mind that the Jewish day went from sundown to sundown, so that our Thursday evening would be their Friday, the Day of Passover.

I. Preparation (vv. 28–36).

28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.

A. He sent two of his disciples.

They stopped until the way could be prepared so that when Jesus entered the city people would know He was presenting Himself as the Messiah. His command to two of His disciples was to find a colt and bring it here. Jesus was fulfilling Zechariah 9:9–10, which predicted the Messiah would ride on a donkey.

The plan was executed quietly because the Jewish leaders had let it be known that anyone confessing Christ would be excommunicated. If Jesus prearranged this, then the messianic character of the triumphal entry is heightened, for this means that Jesus intentionally sought to fulfill Zech 9:9 by riding into Jerusalem on a colt that never had been ridden.

Yet it is quite possible that Luke and his readers might not have interpreted this text in so historical a manner. They might have thought that Jesus, the Lord, knew that a colt would be there because of his supernatural knowledge.

B. Why did Jesus ride the colt?

We think of the donkey as a lowly animal, but to the Jew it was a beast fit for a king.

The fact that the colt had never been ridden and yet submitted to Jesus indicates our Lord’s sovereignty over His creation. The laying of garments on the animals and on the road and the waving and spreading of branches were all part of a traditional Jewish reception for royalty.

II. Celebration (vv. 37–40).

37 Then, as He was now drawing near 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 they had seen, 38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

A. They praised Jesus as king.

This is the only time that Jesus permitted a public demonstration on His behalf, and He did so for at least two reasons. First, He was fulfilling prophecy and presenting Himself as Israel’s king. How much of this the crowd really understood we cannot tell. No doubt many of the Passover pilgrims thought that Jesus would now get rid of the Roman invaders and establish the glorious kingdom.

The second reason for this demonstration was to force the Jewish religious leaders to act. They had hoped to arrest Him after the Passover, but God had ordained that His Son be slain on Passover as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Every previous attempt to arrest Jesus had failed because “His hour had not yet come”. When they saw this great public celebration, the leaders knew that they had to act, and the willing cooperation of Judas solved their problem for them.

III. Lamentation (vv. 41–44).

41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

A. As Jesus looked around.

While the crowd was rejoicing, Jesus was weeping! No matter where Jesus looked, He found cause for weeping. If He looked back, He saw how the nation had wasted its opportunities and been ignorant of their “time of visitation.” If He looked within, He saw spiritual ignorance and blindness in the hearts of the people. They should have known who He was, for God had given them His Word and sent His messengers to prepare the way.

Jesus saw religious activity that accomplished very little. The temple had become a den of thieves, and the religious leaders were out to kill Him. The city was filled with pilgrims celebrating a festival, but the hearts of the people were heavy with sin and life’s burdens.

B. As Jesus looked ahead.

He wept as He saw the terrible judgment that was coming to the nation, the city, and the temple. In A.D. 70, the Romans would come and, after a siege of 143 days, kill 600,000 Jews, take thousands more captive, and then destroy the temple and the city.

Why did all of this happen? Because the people did not know that God had visited them! “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). “We will not have this man to reign over us!” (Luke 19:14) Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept because it had destroyed itself.