The King Draws Near

Opening Comments:

Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word this morning in Luke 19:28–44. Page 825 in our church provided Bibles.

Our passage this morning is not one you’d normally expect to hear on the first Sunday of a new year. It’s mostly associated with Palm Sunday, the week leading up to Easter.

But as we’ve been walking through Luke’s Gospel together verse by verse, this is where the Lord, in His providence, has brought us today.

And while this passage isn’t usually preached in January, there is something fitting about beginning the year here. Luke shows us Jesus drawing near to Jerusalem, the destination He has been moving toward deliberately and purposefully for a long time.

As we begin a new year together as a church, this passage presses us to consider how we respond to Jesus as He draws near, not just how we mark a date on the calendar, but how we follow Him with clarity, obedience, and faith on a daily basis.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Luke 19:28–44 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.” 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Introduction:

In Luke 9:51 we were told that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

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Luke 9:51 ESV

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

From that point to now, Luke has organized his account around Jesus on the road moving resolutely toward Jerusalem, teaching, warning, rebuking, calling people to repentance, healing, and preparing his disciples for what awaits them once they reach the city.

This event takes place largely as Jesus descends the Mount of Olives, crosses the Kidron Valley, and approaches Jerusalem. As Jesus draws near, we will see Him make a deliberate claim, receive praise from those following Him, and then stop, look at the city, and weep.

That movement shapes the passage before us, and it will shape how we walk through it together this morning.

1.) The King’s Claim (v. 30–34)

In v.30 Jesus sends two of his disciples ahead of him with some very clear instructions.

Luke 19:30 ESV

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.

Colt- is a young donkey not a horse.

This is an important and intentional detail that shouldn't be overlooked. Jesus is acting in direct fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

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.

By choosing this animal, Jesus is openly identifying Himself as the promised King. This is not subtle. It is a deliberate, Scripture-shaped claim.

Luke also notes that no one had ever sat on the donkey. In Scripture, what was set apart for sacred use was kept unused until the moment it was needed.

Everything about Jesus’ approach into Jerusalem is intentional. Nothing here is accidental.

After giving them the instructions about the animal, he then prepares for an inevitable question

Luke 19:31 ESV

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ”

Now Jesus is claiming his authority by name.

Lord (kurios)- Master, owner. The one with rightful control.

By v.34, the question is asked. The answer is given and the donkey is released.

Jesus is entering Jerusalem openly as the promised King of Scripture, the Messiah Israel had long anticipated.

Application: Jesus doesn’t enter Jerusalem quietly. He defines his identity out the outset and acts openly according to God’s word, claiming His authority as Lord.

He presents himself as King and that demands a response.

This is where the passage hits home for us.

Jesus makes His claim as Lord over our lives, there is no doubt about that. The question is whether we’re willing to receive that claim in full or not?

It is entirely possible to admire Jesus from afar, to have respect for Him, and even follow him for a time all while keeping his authority over your life at an arms length.

So the question this moment asks is simple and unavoidable:

Will I submit to Jesus as Lord, or resist the authority He already claims?

As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, Luke shows us how those following Him respond to that claim.

2.) The King’s Praise (vv. 35–40)

Once the donkey is brought to Jesus, the response is immediate.

Luke 19:35–37 ESV

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,

Spreading cloaks on the animal and along the road was a gesture meant for royalty.

They understand the claim He is making, and they respond by honoring Him as King.

The praise rises from the multitude of His disciples, those who have been traveling with Him and seen His mighty works along the way. Their praise grows out of experience.

Notice what they say.

Luke 19:38 ESV

38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

This language comes directly from Psalms 118, a psalm Israel sang as pilgrims approached Jerusalem for the Passover. It celebrated God’s saving work and anticipated the arrival of His anointed King.

By placing these words on Jesus’ lips and in the mouths of His disciples, Luke makes the claim unmistakable: they are identifying Jesus as the King sent by God, the one who comes with divine authority and divine approval.

A.) Why This Praise Alarms the Pharisees

Luke 19:39 ESV

39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

The Pharisees are upset for two reasons, and both are serious.

The theological weight-The words being sung come from a psalm Israel used during Passover as pilgrims approached Jerusalem. It celebrated God’s saving work and looked forward to the arrival of His anointed King.

To apply that psalm to Jesus, on the road to Jerusalem, during Passover week; is to identify Him publicly as the Messiah.

For Jesus to receive this praise without rebuke is to accept that claim. In the Pharisees’ minds, that is blasphemy.

The political danger- Jerusalem is already swollen with pilgrims. Passover celebrates deliverance from foreign oppression. Rome keeps a close watch during this feast precisely because messianic hopes run high.

Publicly declaring a “King” on the road into Jerusalem is the kind of thing that draws Roman attention, and Roman attention is never gentle.

It threatens the fragile order the Pharisees have worked hard to preserve, along with their own authority within it.

So when they demand that Jesus silence His disciples, this is not about decorum. It is about fear of theological consequences, and fear of political fallout.

And Jesus refuses.

B.) Jesus’ Unqualified Acceptance

Luke 19:40 ESV

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus isn’t exaggerating. He is saying that what is happening here is necessary. God’s truth cannot be muted.

His words echo Habakkuk 2:11, where creation itself cries out against injustice when human voices refuse to speak. In that context, stones testify when wrongdoing is ignored.

Here, Jesus applies the image differently but powerfully: if God’s appointed King is revealed and His people are silenced, creation itself will bear witness. The truth of who Jesus is does not depend on human permission.

C.) Right Words, Incomplete Expectations

The praise offered by Jesus’ disciples is biblical, sincere, and rooted in what they have seen. They are speaking truth about who He is.

But they are not prepared for what kind of King He is about to be.

They celebrate a King who fulfills prophecy, but they are not ready for a King whose path leads through suffering and a cross.

They speak rightly about His identity while expecting Him to accomplish something He has never promised, political deliverance instead of redemptive sacrifice.

Application: This is a warning to us that praise shaped primarily by experience will struggle when obedience becomes costly.

The disciples praise Jesus because of what they have seen Him do. They have watched Him heal, teach with authority, and display power. But when His path leads toward suffering and the cross, that praise is going to be tested.

And the same danger exists for us.

It’s easy to worship Jesus when He aligns with our hopes. When He heals, provides, rescues, or blesses, but then struggle when following Him requires surrender, patience, or loss.

Jesus does not reshape His mission to match our expectations, even when those expectations are voiced in worship.

He remains faithful to the cross.

And as the praise continues, Jesus draws even closer to the city, and what He sees moves Him to tears.

3.) The King’s Tears (v. 41–44)

Jesus pauses on the approach to Jerusalem. From that place, He can see the city in its entirety, the walls, the temple, the people who live there. And He weeps.

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Luke 19:41 ESV

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,

Jesus knows what is coming. He knows how this story will end. His tears rise from that knowledge.

A.) Jesus Weeps Over a City That Refused Peace (v. 41–42)

Luke 19:42 ESV

42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He offered peace with God through repentance and forgiveness. He called people to follow Him. Jerusalem heard His words, saw His works, and rejected Him.

Now, in grief, Jesus speaks of “the things that make for peace” being hidden from them.

This is judgment expressed as blindness. A city that repeatedly turned away from the truth is now unable to see it.

What was once clear has become obscured because peace was persistently refused.

B.) Jesus Announces the Coming Judgment (v. 43–44) 

Luke 19:43–44 ESV

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you,…”

This prophetic judgment would come to fulfillment in A.D. 70, when Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem, cut off supplies, and ultimately destroyed the city and the temple. Thousands were killed in the process.

Jesus declares that this devastation will come

Luke 19:44 ESV

…because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The King had drawn near to them, stood in their midst, offered peace, and they rejected Him.

C.) What Jesus’ Tears Tell Us About Judgment

Jesus weeps because He takes no pleasure in what is coming. His tears show that judgment flows from holiness joined with compassion. He announces destruction because it is true, not because He delights in it.

The same King who warns Jerusalem is the King who came to bring peace. His grief reveals the heart of God toward a city that refused Him.

Application: This passage warns us against confusing exposure to Jesus with submission to Jesus.

Jerusalem was near Him.

Jerusalem heard Him

Jerusalem praised Him.

And still missed Him.

Peace is lost when repeated resistance to Jesus dulls the heart, until what was once clearly offered can no longer be seen and judgment is announced.

That doesn’t usually happen all at once. It happens slowly.

It happens when someone hears the call to repent and thinks, “I’ll deal with that later.” When conviction comes, but it’s pushed aside because the timing isn’t convenient. When obedience is delayed often enough that delay begins to feel normal.

It happens when someone sits under God’s Word week after week, hearing it, agreeing with it, even appreciating it, but never submitting to it. Truth is received as information, not authority.

It happens in churches where people grow familiar with Jesus but not yielded to Him. Where worship is sincere, attendance is faithful, but repentance is rare. Where grace is celebrated, but lordship is quietly resisted.

And over time, something changes. What once felt clear becomes blurry. What once stirred the conscience becomes easy to ignore. What once invited repentance is eventually met with indifference.

Jerusalem didn’t lose peace because Jesus was absent. They lost peace because He was near and resisted long enough for their hearts to grow hard.

Conclusion

Luke has brought us to the edge of Jerusalem and left us standing there with Jesus this morning.

We have watched Him make His identity clear, receive praise openly, offer peace genuinely, and pronounce judgment with tears.

The King came exactly as Scripture said He would. He was praised with words Scripture provided. And He was still rejected when He did not meet expectations.

This passage leaves us with a question we cannot avoid:

What do we do with a King who comes on God’s terms rather than ours?

Invitation

If you are here this morning and you have admired Jesus, spoken well of Him, respected Him, but never submitted to Him, this passage confronts you.

Proximity is not peace.

Familiarity is not faith.

Praise without repentance does not reconcile you to God.

The King has come.

Peace has been offered.

Today is a day of visitation.

Do not delay. Do not redefine Jesus on your terms. Turn to Him in repentance and faith. Receive the King as He truly is, and you will find the peace Jerusalem missed.

And for those who belong to Christ:

This passage searches us as well.

Where have expectations gone unchecked?

Where has obedience been delayed?

Where have we praised Christ with our words while resisting His rule in practice?

The King we follow is humble, obedient, and cross-bearing and He calls His people to walk the same path.

Lay down what needs to be surrendered. Receive His rule fully. There is joy in yielding to the King.

Let’s take a moment to pray.

Prayer: Father, thank You for drawing near to us in Your Son. Where we have admired Him without submitting to Him, bring repentance. Where we have heard Your Word but delayed obedience, soften our hearts. Help us to recognize this day of visitation and to receive Jesus as King, trusting Him fully for forgiveness, life, and peace. For those who belong to Him, renew our obedience and deepen our surrender. We ask this in His name. Amen.