Saturday, April 4, 2020

Luke 19:28–44

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. 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.” 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.”

Commentary
 Vs. 28When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”

The Lord Jesus having foretold the slaying of those enemies of His who did not want Him to reign over them (Luke 19:27), now moves with purpose towards Jerusalem.

Vs. 29-31 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.’ ”

Having then drawn near to Bethpage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, Jesus now sends two of His disciples into a village opposite them, to secure for Him a colt upon which no one has ever sat. For Jesus is preparing to fulfill the Prophetic Word of the Lord which states that,
5Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
(Matt 21:5; Zechariah 9:9)

Now in this Jesus not only tells then how will they find this colt exactly as He describes it to them, but also Jesus foretells them what its owners will say and do when they lose it, and so He tells them that all they have to say to them is that the Lord has need of it. All these things then have been prepared for by the Lord for his entry into Jerusalem as its heralded King.

Vs. 32-36 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.

The two disciples then went and did just as Jesus told them to do, and so when they came to the place, they found it just as Jesus had said to them (Vs. 32). Now as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “why are you loosing the colt?” (vs. 33). And so, they said to them “The Lord has need of him,” just as Jesus told them to say, and with that the owners of it made no more inquiry of them (vs. 34). And so once again in these events we see the Sovereign hand of God working once again to fulfill His Word. Having then secured the colt they brought it to Jesus, and then they threw their own clothes on it, and they set Jesus on him (vs. 34-35). Now as Jesus was led out on the colt towards Jerusalem many spread their own clothes on the road before Him. In so doing they were marking Jesus as heavens royalty, as the One who was Israel’s Everlasting King!

Vs. 37-38 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!”
Now as Jesus drew near the descent of the Mount of Olives, and thus with Jerusalem now in clear view and straight ahead of Him, 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!” They then are now openly and joyously worshiping the Lord Jesus as He is making His way to the gates of the city. Now unlike when the angels heralded in Jesus’ birth, here the crowds are not saying peace on earth, but rather peace in heaven, for Jerusalem will not receive Jesus in peace, but rather they will Crucify Him, and so their peace will also be taken from them (vs. 42-44). Peace in heaven and glory in the highest then will be Christ’s and everyone who believes in Him eternal dwelling place and destiny.


Vs. 39-40 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.”

Now the Pharisees in the crowd when they heard these things, they called out to Jesus saying, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” (vs. 39). However, Jesus will not silence His disciples, nor the crowds when they rightly worship Him, and so He now says to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” For neither heaven nor earth will be silent about its chosen King coming to its chosen city to be declared as such.

Vs. 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.”

In this most poignant scene Jesus foresees the upcoming fall of Jerusalem. Its fall though here prophesied by Him did not need to occur, because as Jesus says: “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.” Vs. 42 Jerusalem then had no excuses nor recourse because from Jesus Christ’s birth to now His imminent Crucifixion death, He had come to them and been revealed to them, and yet because He didn’t fit their prescribed mold for Him, they rejected Him, and thus His offer of salvation for them. And so now Jesus tells them that the things that make for their peace will be hidden from their eyes. For in rejecting Jesus Christ as God’s Son and their Savior Messiah King there can be nothing more shown them, or done for them. Therefore, with their rejection of God’s Son (come in the flesh to them) and His rule over them; whom they will openly reject and Crucify; they too will now be given over to destruction. Thus, Jesus in great sadness and sorrow of heart now describes the horrible siege and fall of Jerusalem that will take place by the hand of Titus the Roman emperor. Therefore, please know the time of God’s visitation in your own persons and lives and seize it, believe in and receive the Lord Jesus Christ for yourselves so that you may have everlasting life and peace by being reconciled to God through faith in Christ!  

Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson

No comments:

Post a Comment