King of Peace

Intro

For over a year, we have been looking at the life of Jesus as recorded by Luke. Throughout the gospel, we have read the accounts of Jesus performing many signs. He has healed the sick, given sight to the blind, cleansed lepers, raised the dead. In the Old Testament, the prophets, sharing what God had declared would come to pass, said that when the blind receive sight and the lame walk, this is how it would be known that the Messiah, the Savior, the King, had come. We have heard it proclaimed that the blind have recieved their sight and the lame walk. The facts have been presented that Jesus is the Messiah. And just as we can come to this conclusion, so many who were with Jesus were concluding the same thing. The King had come to His people. Now the King was nearing Jerusalem.

Luke 19:28–40 ESV

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that 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 in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Luke 19:28 “28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”

Jesus has just finished the parable about the minas and His explanation that those who are faithful will be rewarded and those who reject Him will be punished. Now, He is going up to Jerusalem. Since chapter 9 of Luke, we know that Jesus has set His face to Jerusalem. This has been a reoccurring theme throughout Luke that we have noted time and time again. From now on, we will not need to make mention that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem because He has made it. Jesus has come to the city whose name means “foundation of peace”. He is at the center of Israel, the city of David, the city of the King.

Luke 19:29–31 “29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ””

Jesus then gives a couple of His disciples very specific instructions. He tells them to go to a specific village where they will find a colt tied up. A colt is another name for a young horse or donkey. We know from the other gospel accounts that this colt is a donkey. Jesus says that this colt will be one that no one else has ever ridden. To us, it may not seem like a big deal if anyone had ever ridden on the donkey before, but in the Law, it is written that animals that were to be used for or offered to the Lord had to be pure. This means that they had not been used for any type of work. To the people of this time, that is a big deal. Animals were kept so that they could benefit the owners in some way. Many were used as pack animals, or livestock, or for farming purposes. An colt that had not been ridden was undefiled, pure. Jesus continues to give them instructions on what to do if they are questioned about what they are doing. They simply need to say the Lord needs it and there will be no problems.

Luke 19:32–34“32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.””

The disciples find everything just as Jesus had said. The colt was in the village just as He said it would be. This colt had never had anyone sit on it before, just like He said. The owner asks what they are doing just like Jesus said, and they respond accordingly. The disciples are allowed to take the colt. All of this is taking place according to the Divine Plan. If anything had not been as Jesus said, He would be a liar, but instead all happens according to His word.

Jesus gives the prophecy and is the prophecy

Long before this, God the Father, Son, and Spirit came up with a plan to bring peace to their people. In this plan God chose that the Son, the King, would come into Jerusalem on this donkey. In Genesis 3, when the redemption was first spoken by God to man, this colt was in God’s mind for this purpose. Jesus planned this. Jesus prophesied this. Jesus fulfills the Divine plan because He is the Divine plan. God is the one who devised the plan and completes it all. We see this as we keep reading...

Luke 19:35–36 “35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.”

The disciples put their cloaks on the colt and set Jesus on the colt to enthrone Him as King. Many people would have just ridden bare back, but putting their cloaks on the donkey was a sign of respect, honor and esteem. This same thing is done for Solomon when he is anointed as king. 1 Kings 1:33 “33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.” Solomon rides into Jerusalem on a donkey to announce his kingship. Just as some of the kings of old rode in on a donkey to declare peace, so it would be when the awaited Messianic King came. Zechariah 9:9“9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” It is prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah, their king would come to them on a donkey. The donkey was a symbol of peace and humility and the horse was a sign of power and war. Jesus coming on a donkey shows that He is not coming to bring war, but peace. He is making the statement that He has not come to overthrow Rome as many hope, but to bring peace on earth and in heaven. He is not coming in great worldly power or strength, but gentle and humble. The disciples place their cloaks on the rode, celebrating the entry of their ruler into the city. The people of Israel do this for Jehu when he is anointed king of Israel 2 Kings 9:13 “13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”” This is a way they would show honor and respect to their king.

Luke 19:37–38 “37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that 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!””

The way in which Jesus entered the city is very significant. In Ezekiel 10 and 11, the glory of the Lord leaves the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. He leaves through the eastern gate of the temple, then through the eastern gate of the city, to the Mount of Olives. Later in Ezekiel 43, the Lord returns to Jerusalem from the Mount to the east of the city. The glory of the Lord once again fills the Temple. Ezekiel hears a voice saying He will dwell with His people Israel forever and they will sin against Him no longer. Jesus is fulfilling prophecy as He enters Jerusalem seated on a donkey from the mount to the east. This is God’s plan to bring peace. He will return to His people and they will no longer sin against Him. The whole multitude of disciples know these Scriptures and shout for joy! They believe that Jesus is the Messiah. They believe that He is going to bring peace. But they think peace will come by the Messiah overthrowing their oppressors. They are celebrating the coming of their king. Their praise echos that of Psalm 118:26 “26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.” . It also sound similar to the praise of the angels at the birth of Jesus Luke 2:14 “14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” Even though the crowd does not understand what Jesus is doing, they still are doing what they are called to do: worship. When the king comes, people are to rejoice greatly and worship loudly. They believe that Jesus is coming to rule according to earthly terms, and so they praise. Despite the misconceptions of man, God is still glorified.

God’s plan is accomplished despite human error

It has always been this way and will be this way until Jesus returns. From the beginning, humanity has been missing the mark, yet God’s purpose has never been foiled. In fact, despite all of our mishaps, God’s plan is fulfilled down to the smallest details, like a donkey in a village. Then, people rejoice greatly at the entry of King Jesus just as Zechariah predicted, though their understanding of His kingdom is greatly flawed. God’s plan will not be stopped.

Luke 19:39–40 “39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.””

Those who oppose Jesus the most step in to stop what is happening. They believe that only God is to be worshiped, and so to their understanding, Jesus should not receive this praise. Jesus responds by saying that if the people didn’t praise Him, then the rocks themselves would give Him glory. God will receive the glory due His name, whether we are willing to give it to Him or not. Jesus points this out to the pharisees, further showing that He is the king of the universe, and everything created is for His glory.

Jesus is King, who brings peace.

He comes to the city named peace, riding on a donkey the symbol of peace, coming to accomplish peace with God. In a way, Jesus did come to conquer, but not earthly kingdoms. Jesus came to bring peace by conquering sin. Unlike other kings, Jesus came to bring peace by laying down His own life rather than take the life of others. The reason that it was necessary for Jesus to lay down His life was because of sin. Simply put, sin is disobedience to God, and ever since Adam, every person has chosen to disobey God. Because we disobey God, we cannot be near Him, because He is holy, set apart, perfect. This is why His glory leaves the Temple, because Israel had turned away from Him in sin. After His glory left Jerusalem, the city was destroyed and the people were exiled, because sin has consequences. The consequence for sin is death, eternal separation from God. Instead of every person being separated from God for all eternity, God Himself took our place. Jesus, God the Son, died so that all who believe could live forever with God as His people. Jesus entrance into Jerusalem was triumphant because He knew what was going to take place. He knew what was going to take place because He planned it. Jesus planned it and He accomplished it. He accomplished everlasting peace between God and all who believe. No longer do we have to fear God’s wrath and punishment because Jesus brought peace by taking that wrath and punishment Himself. Where there used to be enmity, there is peace with God through Christ for all who believe in Him.