Luke 19:28-40
Introduction
In Luke 9:51, after declaring to his disciples that he would be betrayed into the hands of men, Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem. Even though the opposition was growing and becoming more violent, he focused on fulfilling his purpose. He knew that death awaited him in Jerusalem, but he allowed nothing to deter him from obeying his heavenly Father. No one could take his life from him, but he chose to give it willingly to redeem all who would receive him.
The Preparation
Today we step back in time in regard to the passion account of Jesus. “The Via Delarosa: A Walk to the Cross” sermon series began with the account of the cleansing of the temple. Today we are examining the pericope prior to the cleansing of the temple. On this first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, inaugurating the week of his passion.
Two of Jesus’ disciples, they are unnamed in all the synoptic accounts, were sent to make preparation for Christ’s entry into the city, as he completed the journey he began in Luke 9:51. As the Messiah and his followers drew near to the city, they approached Bethphage and Bethany at the placed called the Mount of Olives, which located directly east of Jerusalem and is 2,660 feet above sea level. From this vantage point the disciples could see the city ahead. To journey to Jerusalem from this location, they would proceed west down the mount through the Kidron Valley, and into the temple through the eastern gate, later called the Golden Gate. Jesus sent the two unnamed disciples ahead of him to village of Bethany that was just ahead of them. These disciples were enlisted to find a young colt on which no one had ever sat and bring it to Jesus. Such an animal met the qualifications for a sacred to perform a sacred task. Further, Jesus told them that if anyone asks why you are untying the colt, tell them that the Lord needs it. The disciples left on their mission and found the colt just as Jesus told them they would. The owners asked why they were untying the colt and they told them, “The Lord needs it.” Then they were allowed to go on their way with the colt.
This raises the question, “How did Jesus arrange for the colt to be released to his disciples. Historically, the text allows that Jesus could have made prior arrangements with the owners of the colt.[1] However, it is also feasible that the Lord who is God could have foretold this scene because it had been revealed to him supernaturally. Either option is reasonable. Regardless, the disciples were successful in their mission and brought the animal to Jesus.
The Entry of the King
After the disciples through their robes on the colt, they help Jesus mount the colt. As Jesus rode on the path to Jerusalem, a crowd of his disciples spread their robes on the road. The prominence of the colt in this pericope suggests its important role in the story.[2] Jesus deliberately chose a young colt, not a powerful stallion, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The Old Testament prophet declared, “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” (Zech 9:9b, ESV). The stallion was the steed of a conquering king like King David. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. He did not have a temporary military kingdom in mind, but an eternal, spiritual kingdom. The Prince of Peace rode into Jerusalem on a colt, a sign of peace. He came in humility seated on a colt to the city where he would encounter and conquer death in order to save those who were very far from God, separated from him because of their sin. As the city came into view on their journey, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all that the Messiah had done. They shouted with one voice, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38, ESV). It is important to note that this response of praise and worship came from his disciples, not the leaders of Jerusalem. The humility of Jesus reminds us of the birth narrative where he was born in a stable and laid in a manger. In the birth event praises were sung by both the angels and the shepherds (Luke 2:14, 20).
The Opposition
In the midst of the celebration of the coronation of King Jesus, the sinister Pharisees had their last public confrontation with Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. There are some cases in the Gospel where the Pharisees are pictured in a positive light (in Luke 13:31 the some of the Pharisees warned Jesus to leave because Herod wanted to kill him), but here are portrayed negatively. They desired to squelch the disciples’ praise of God calling on Jesus to rebuke his disciples, but this was Jesus’ day. He told the Pharisees if the disciples ceased their praise, the stones would cry out their praise for God. On this day there would be no silencing the welcoming of Jesus, Israel’s King.
Applications
- Be resolute in your commitment to be obedient to God. Jesus knew what awaited him in Jerusalem. Still he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem and to the cross that awaited him. He was unwavering in his commitment to be obedient to the Father.
- Refuse to allow opposition to deflect you from being obedient to the Father. The opposition of the religious leaders to Jesus’ mission grew stronger and more violent in nature, yet he remained faithful unto death, even death on the cross (Phil 2:5-11).
- Be aware that God provides for our needs. Even as he provided what the two disciples needed to complete their mission, he provides for our needs in the midst of this corona virus pandemic. We do not face this crisis alone. God is with us and he will meet our needs.
- Praise the Lord, the King of kings, for he is good. No one else is worthy of our praise.
Epilogue
Last week, the message focused on the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. The last pericope in chapter 23 of Luke’s Gospel addresses the burial of Jesus (Luke 23:50-56). Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, did not agree with the plot to execute Jesus. He was a righteous man. He went to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, and asked for the body of Jesus. Joseph took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped in him linen cloth, and placed him in a new tomb that had never been used cut out of a rock. He placed the body of Jesus there. The women from Galilee that had been at the crucifixion observed where the body was laid. Then they went home to prepare spices and perfume to anoint the body of the Lord. They rested on the sabbath, obeying the law. Even in the midst of the grief, these women demonstrated faithfulness to the covenant by observing the command to rest on the sabbath day to keep it holy following the Lord’s example in creation.
This is where traditional Good Friday services end, in despair. The Lord is dead and buried. Hope is gone. Even though Friday ended in despair with the death of the savior, take courage. Resurrection Sunday is coming.
[1]Robert H. Stein, Luke, The New American Commentary, vol 24 (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992, 479.
[2]Ibid.