Luke
19:28-44
Key Verse –
Luke 19:38
Introduction:
Today’s passage is about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a colt after
a long journey. It was God’s divine mandate, centered on a colt, that Jesus was
willing and determined to follow. Whatever it was, Jesus’ followers accepted it
and welcomed him, riding on a colt, as their king. However, the Pharisees
rejected him as the king sent by God. So through today’s passage, we will
answer three questions: what was God’s mandate for His Son, Jesus, which
necessitated him riding a colt? What does it mean to accept Jesus as a king
riding on a colt? What does it mean to reject him as king? We will look into
these three questions and learn what it means to accept Jesus as our king.
I.
The Lord
needs a colt (Luke 19:28-34).
Jesus
started his final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. At the border between
Samaria and Galilee, the Samaritans rejected Jesus and he crossed a mountain
range, eastward to the other side of the Jordan River. Along the river, he went
south and crossed the river again, travelling westward towards Jericho, where he
healed a blind man. His next stop was in Bethany, about 4 miles east of Jerusalem,
east of the Mount of Olives. From there, Jesus and his disciples went another
two miles to Bethphage, on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Here, they
could see a full view of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley.
“As he approached Bethphage and
Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you
will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring
it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord needs it."”
(Luke 19:29-30).
As Jesus neared
Bethany, he told two of his disciples to get a colt from the village ahead. He
did not explain why he needed it or who would give them a colt. He simply said
that they would see a colt tied to a pole and were to bring it back to him. If
the owner asked, they were to say ‘the Lord needs it’. Who was the Lord in this
context? It is possible that Jesus was referring to himself. If so, then this
was the first time he called himself ‘the Lord’, implying that he is the King. Though
there were many times when Jesus alluded that he was the Messiah and coming
king, he never openly and explicitly affirmed either to his disciples or anyone
else that he was the Lord, the King. Through this, he openly wanted to present
himself as the king of Israel for the first time, as he was entering Jerusalem,
the city of God. So this was his open declaration as the Lord, King, and
authority for the nation of Israel, and he was going into this city to claim
Jerusalem as God’s city.
At the
same time, it was possible for Jesus to call upon God the Father’s will, which
was not only for him as the Son, but also for all of his followers. Though he followed
God’s will in everything that he did, such obedient submission was most
prominent in the last stage of Jesus’ life, i.e. what he did in Jerusalem as he
was suffering and dying.
“And being found in appearance as a
man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
(Philippians 2:8).
So, this was God’s divine will, as Jesus
recognized and upheld. He needed a colt and it was God’s divine will. What was
the divine will in this?
Just as
Jesus asked them to, two of his disciples followed his command and found a
colt.
“Those who were sent ahead went and
found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners
asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The
Lord needs it."” (Luke 19:32-34).
They went
and found a colt as Jesus had told them. Also, the owner released the colt, as
Jesus said he would, and they brought it to him. In this way, God’s divine will
was confirmed. All of these indicate one thing: Jesus needed a colt in order to
enter Jerusalem and that necessity was provisioned by God. Why did Jesus need a
colt to present himself to Jerusalem? What was God’s will in this? Matthew
understood this event to fulfill Zechariah’s prophesy:
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to
Daughter Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and
on a colt, the foal of a donkey."” (Matthew 21:4-5).
Since Jesus
did not explain why he needed a colt, it was to be reasoned according to God’s
perspective and be understood by faith. God’s perspective on this is found in
two passages. As Matthew said, it was to fulfill the word prophesied by
Zechariah. Also, we will look at what Jacob said in his blessing for his son
Judah in Genesis 49:10-11.
a.
The righteous,
victorious, and lowly King
This
prophecy is from Zechariah 9:
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and
victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His
rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
(Zechariah 9:9-10).
Zechariah, a
post-exilic prophet who lived in the late 500s BC, announced the coming of the
king, the Messiah. The newly risen Medo-Persian Empire had taken over the Babylonian
Empire, and Israel saw little hope for their own kingdom being restored. In this
situation, God gave His word to Zechariah, in Ch. 9:1-11:17, about the anointed
king’s coming and his rejection by his people. Zechariah 9:9-10 is the
highlight of how the anointed king would present himself to the nation Israel.
According to
v9, the coming king would be righteous, victorious, and lowly. There
are three distinctive characteristics of the coming king.
First, he would be righteous (NAS: just). When Luke says Jesus is
righteous, this can be understood in two ways according to Jesus’ handling of
his people, reigning in righteousness and justice. The other, from God’s perspective,
is that he would be righteous and just. Jesus’ righteous rule over his people
was revealed when he ministered to people with love, kindness, and compassion.
He taught the truth and laid out what it meant to be God’s children. So, in his
dealings with people under sin’s power, he demonstrated his righteous
character. However, here it is more about his righteousness in the eyes of God
the Father. When considering man’s righteousness, King David was one of the
best. He was one of Israel’s most revered kings, ruling his kingdom with true righteous
character. God also said that David was a man after His own heart.
Nevertheless, David committed the sins of adultery and murder, and hid his sin
from the eyes of men. He was not righteous through and through! He failed to be
perfect in God’s eyes, but the coming king would be righteous before the Lord,
from beginning to end. He would be perfectly righteous and just in God’s eyes.
“he did it to demonstrate his
righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies
those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25 NIV).
The second characteristic is that the king would be victorious (NIV). The NASB
version translates this phrase as “endowed with salvation”. It is better
translated to ‘make salvation happen’ for the people. NIV translated
‘victorious’ in the sense that the king would bring victory over the enemy of
his people. More specifically, the coming king would overcome the power of sin
and death. This is the confidence and spirit of victory we have in him as
believers. Thus, Jesus said this to his disciples, before he was arrested (John
16:33).
"I have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NIV).
Jesus
overcame the power of sin and death, not just in the sense of having power to
defeat an enemy but also in the certainty of God’s grace and mercy that comes through
obedience and faith. When we are confidence of God’s grace in letting us to
rise to be His children, we are victorious. No one has ever had such
confidence, overcoming the power of sin and death. But here, for the first time
in human history, the coming king would be victorious because he shall overcome
the power of sin and death, delivering us in salvation! No death, fear of
death, or suffering should threaten the coming king!
Third, the coming king will be lowly. We can say that ‘lowly’ means
being humble. However, this word is often lost by the common idea in our society
that says humility is the virtue of all men. For men, it is necessary to
recognize the limitations or finite nature of one’s own ability or to give
respect and honor to others. However, the meaning here is not just a mental attitude
but more of referring to the ‘poor’ or ‘afflicted’. Simply, the
king does not have much means to uphold his authority and power. This
reminds us of Philippians 2:
“Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather,
he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:1 NIV).
As
shown in this passage, obedience and humility are the backbone of the Son’s power
and authority. Those distinct characteristics are well reflected in how Jesus
presented himself to the city of God, Jerusalem. He rode
in on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey, as had been prophesied.
In order to make sure his disciples understood what he must ride, three words
were used to describe the donkey he needed. The first description is simply “a
donkey”, a class of animal. The second word, ‘colt’, can be understood as a young
donkey, mule, or horse. In order to clarify and emphasize, he repeated this
concept as ‘foal of a donkey’. Transliteration of this phrase is ‘a son of a
female donkey’. In this way, Jesus made
sure that it was a young, never ridden, male donkey that he was to ride in his
presentation as the lowly king. In order to make the meaning of this clear, a
contrasting idea is stated in the next verse (v10):“I will take away the
chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 9:10).
Chariots and horses were used for war and were symbols of military power. It was
like displaying many transcontinental missile warheads or tanks with a large
number of soldiers marching in the president’s procession. God removed those symbols
of power and prestige and Jesus rode on a donkey. In this way, his riding on a
colt was a full representation of the nature of his kingship (i.e. righteous,
victorious, and lowly). It was God’s divine will that Jesus ride on a donkey, a
colt, a foal of a donkey, and that he present himself to be the kind of king
that is right (just), victorious (surely delivering salvation), and lowly!
There was
another will of God embodied in the colt. Long before Zechariah, the patriarch,
Jacob’s, blessing on Judah was connected to a colt.
b.
The
king riding on a colt leads mankind to an abundance of blessing
Long before
Zechariah, God had already planned this king’s coming, as He chose Judah to
bless men as the source of their coming salvation. When Judah’s father, Jacob,
blessed all of his children, he said this to him (Genesis 49:11):
“He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes
in the blood of grapes.” (Genesis 49:11 NIV).
Here, ‘he’ refers
to the ruler who would come as the ultimate king, indicating the coming
Messiah.
(“Out
of Judah’s descendant a ruler will come. The scepter will not depart from Judah
…until he to whom it belongs shall come.” Genesis 49:10).
When he came,
he would tether his donkey to a vine and his colt to the choicest branch. In
other words, when the ruler, the Messiah, came, he would lead his donkey, a
colt, to the richest blessing, i.e. the choicest vine. It reward would be so rich and abundant that
they could wash the king’s royal garments in wine and his robes in the blood of
grapes. Here again, two words appear: donkey and colt. Here “colt” is a
translation of “a son of a female donkey”. As we noted before, a colt is a
symbol of a king’s humility or lowliness. He would lead his people into rich
blessings, symbolized as a choice branch or abundant blessings. So here, the winepress
of the choicest vine is a metaphor for God’s abundant blessing. A similar
winepress metaphor appears in Isaiah 6:3-6. Here, the coming Messiah trampled his
enemies and their blood spattered on his clothes. However, there was no one to
help the Messiah in his suffering.
So the divine
necessity of a colt was a means for God’s divine blessing to be accomplished, which
preceded the coming Messiah’s lonely suffering at the hands of sinful men
(Isaiah 63:3-6). This was God’s wisdom and plan. The Lord needed a colt and
Jesus must ride it into the city of God! The king riding on a colt was a sign of
righteousness, victory (achieving salvation), and lowliness. This king would lead
all mankind into the abundance of God’s blessing, from which an abundance of
redeeming blood flowed, to wash the sinner’s garments white as snow.
c.
A
donkey’s journey
As we have noted,
the animal Jesus was to ride must be a donkey, specifically the foal of a donkey.
Donkeys were very useful animals and many biblical figures, including Abraham
Jacob, Esau, and Job, possessed donkeys as part of their assets. Donkeys were
also used by prophets, kings, and priests, and to carry loads and goods. They
were not clean animals and could not be used as a sacrifice. If the firstborn
donkey was to be sacrificed, it must be redeemed by sacrificing a lamb. If a
lamb were not available, its owner was to break its neck (Exodus 13:13; 34:20).
Through these observations, we can conclude that donkeys were animals very
close to man and were very useful. Yet it was considered unclean in God’s eyes.
It was the only animal that must be redeemed by a lamb. Jesus needed a donkey’s
foal, which was tied to a pole or post. This donkey was brought to Jesus and he
rode it. There, Jesus washed his clothes out of the abundance of wine.
Upon careful
examination of Zechariah 9:9, two different clauses can be identified; the king
is righteous and victorious and he (In NIV, ‘he’ is missing) is lowly and
riding on a donkey. These clauses are set in contrast to the compounded meaning
of each clause. We can understand this as the king is righteous and victorious and
yet he is lowly and riding on a donkey. Even though he was more
righteous than any man and died to secure salvation for all, he was lowly and riding on a donkey! This
was evidence of his incarnational spirit and life-giving love. So Jesus
riding on a donkey is a picture of God’s righteousness, filled with mercy and
grace leading to mankind’s salvation. What if the donkey is a man, who
is willing to let Jesus ride on him, towards where the abundance of redeeming
blood flows!
II.
Blessed
is the king who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:35-38)
As soon as
the colt was brought, people responded this way:
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their
cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their
cloaks on the road.” (Luke 19:35-26).
The disciples
threw their cloaks on the colt. Not only that, but also they put Jesus on it!
There was no saddle, noseband, or harness. It was their willing submission to
this king that caused them to uphold Jesus as their Lord. They were full of
willing hearts toward this gentle king, Jesus! Their willing hearts were
further expressed as they also laid many of their cloaks on the road for him to
ride over. Likewise, the crowds paved the way for this gentle king with their
full commitment to follow him!
According to
their understanding, who was Jesus that they showed such willing submission and
honor to him as their king?
“When he came near the place where the
road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully
to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (Luke 19:37).
The entire
crowd descended from the top of the Mount of Olives. Jesus was riding on a colt
in front of this crowd. On both sides of the road a large number of people were
celebrating and welcoming the coming king. As they came down a full view of
Jerusalem and the temple was in front of them, rising above the Kidron Valley. This
was an exciting moment for them, with a new king coming into the city of God.
So they all shouted:
"Blessed is the king who comes in
the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the
highest!" (Luke 19:38).
Jesus was
the king who came in the name of the Lord. They shouted praises out of the
depth of their hearts’ belief. They believed that this humble Jesus was from
God and was the Son of God, the Messiah! They also shouted "Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest!" They believed that this humble king
would bring peace in heaven as well as glory to God. The phrase “Peace in
heaven” appears only here in Scripture. This stands in contrast to what the
angel said at Jesus’ birth - "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
rests." (Luke 2:14 NIV). Luke noted what Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem
during the coming days. The primary purpose of his work in Jerusalem would be bringing peace in heaven, as well as
giving glory to the Lord. The clue for what this means may be found in
Colossians 1:
“and through him to reconcile to
himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:20 NIV).
But here, as
Jesus was about to suffer and die as a ransom sacrifice, a strong sense of
appeasing God’s wrath was expressed in the peoples’ proclamation of “peace in
heaven”. When Jesus came to the earth as a baby, he had been prophesied to
bring peace on earth. As he was giving his life on the cross, he brought peace
to heaven as well. So these two praises - peace in heaven and glory in the
highest - are all focused heavenward, i.e. towards God Almighty. As Jesus
entered Jerusalem, he would face fierce opposition to his authority as king. So
the entire picture of a lowly king riding on a donkey’s foal is reflective of his
work in order to appease God. Whether this crowd of believers knew it or not, by
shouting this, they were calling for God’s forgiveness and peace. We can even
say that Jesus, riding on a donkey, and the crowd along with him was marching
toward the city of God, God’s temple, seeking His mercy and peace, as they were
bringing Him the ultimate sacrifice. We need redemption and peace with the
Lord! We are bringing Jesus, the Son of God as our redeemer and peace maker!
Where did
they get such hope and insight? Luke noted something that Mark and Matthew did
not:
“for all the miracles they had seen”
(Luke 19:37b).
These people
saw many of Jesus’ miracles. The power displayed through these miracles
was proof of God’s presence with Jesus. So Jesus was from God,
according to His promise. However, the miracles they saw say something more
than the fact that Jesus is from God. All miracles were for the purpose of saving
people from what they were suffering. All of the miracles he performed, i.e. healing
all sicknesses, raising the dead to life, rescuing them from stormy sea, and
driving out demons, were to undo the ill-effects of man’s fall. Also,
though Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders many times, he never used
his power to bring judgment or curses upon them. He can and will undo all of
sin’s ill-effects! The Pharisees saw it and knew that Jesus’ power was for
saving of men! (There was one miracle unrelated to God’s saving work, the
cursing of a fig tree. This was to give his disciples a sign of God’s impending
judgment on Israel). Thus, Christ’s miraculous power was redeeming in
nature. Those miraculous healings spoke amply of his redeeming grace.
Riding on a colt captured that spirit and power. The crowd was filled with joy
and praised him as their coming king! Their understanding, belief, and hope in
Jesus, after his three years of ministry, are summed up here in their praise!
Also, faith and a willing heart would carry these people through the coming trials
they and their king would soon face! In this way, Jesus finished the second
stage of his ministry successfully, even as he was making inroads towards Jerusalem
and the end of his life’s journey.
What does
this teach us? We ought to recognize and accept God’s mandate that “the Lord
needs a colt”. The next several days would be the most treacherous of Jesus’
life. However, he accepted that mandate and was willing to serve and give his
life for mankind. A man grows to be a godly man when he recognizes and accepts
God’s mandate. Certainly, God’s servants must have His mandate hidden in the depths
of his heart. So we must examine our hearts to determine if there are any
mandates God has for us to abide by. Are they of my own making or of the Lord’s?
What is God’s mandate on my life? Jesus had to ride on the foal of a donkey. God’s
mandate for us should be something that goes along with this!
III.
Rejection
of the lowly king (Luke 19:39-44)
There were
some who were not willing to accept this humble and lowly king!
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd
said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"” (Luke 19:39).
The Pharisees
did not accept Jesus as the king. To them, he was neither a king nor the
messiah, and was not worthy to receive such praise and honor as the Lord. If
one worshipped him as such, it was blasphemy! So they felt that those who were
shouting in praise and honor of Jesus must be rebuked! Outwardly, they seemed so
loyal and devout to God, but in the depths of their hearts, was a
heart unwilling to obey the call of repentance or submit
to God’s truth and grace in Christ. Their minds were framed by the power
to rule and control; there was no room for justice, much less for such a humble
and lowly king! God’s truth was not in them!
But Jesus
said this to them:
“"I tell you," he replied,
"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."” (Luke 19:40).
Jesus is
coming to restore and rescue, not only human beings, but also the world. What
does this mean? Even as the whole world is currently going through a tough time
because of men’s sins, the entire world, even the stones, will one day rejoice
in Jesus’ coming, as the redeemer and restorer of the earth. The joy that Jesus
was bringing to the world was so great that those who know of it cannot contain
it within themselves. The first to experience such joy was Mary. When she became
pregnant with the Son of God, she sang this song of joy:
“And Mary said: "My soul
glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been
mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will
call me blessed,” (Luke 1:46-48 NIV).
Such joy
cannot be contained! But then why did these Pharisees miss out on this joy?
Jesus lamented the fact that these religious leaders would miss out on that
blessing and joy.
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the
city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this
day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes.”” (Luke
19:41-42).
The
Pharisees were given many chances to believe in Jesus, but they missed them
all. Here, they were given one final chance to believe who he really was, but they
missed that also. There wouldn’t be any more chances for them; from that point
on, Jesus would claim his authority and power! They were not ready to welcome or
accept that authority and power! Jesus’ primary purpose was to bring peace; however,
they failed to accept and know this, despite all that he had done out of his
grace and mercy for the people. There is still an unwillingness to accept the
king of peace today. When someone rejects the king of peace, their outcome will
be very disastrous!
““The days will come upon you when
your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you
in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within
your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not
recognize the time of God's coming to you."” (Luke 19:43-44).
This was
Jesus’ prophecy of what was yet to come, Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.
According to Josephus, the governor of Galilee at that time, as well as a historian
and a captor of the Roman army, wrote about the situation in Jerusalem during the
city’s final days.
·
Attempting to escape from the city meant death
either from the rebels on the inside or from the Romans on the outside.
·
Titus erected a four-mile circumvallation around
Jerusalem, with troops stationed at posts along the wall to prevent provisions
from reaching the famine-starved inhabitants.
·
Josephus claimed that 1.1 million people were
killed during the siege, the majority of which were Jewish, and that 97,000 others
were captured and enslaved.
Jesus is the
just, life-giving, and lowly king. When one accepts him as their Lord and King,
they will see God’s glory. We must be willing to serve Jesus, the lowly
king, and to pave his way with our garments.
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