Luke 19:28-44 “’ Arrival at ”

Introduction: This passage is often summarized as being an account of Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. However, this description of the passage is misleading in two ways. First, the passage does not record the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem; it only records Him drawing close to Jerusalem. Second, and more importantly, the word “Triumphal” suggests that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem to either celebrate a triumph, or to accomplish one. However, this is not an account of a victorious warrior king who conquers the national enemies of His people. Instead, this passage records the climax of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem to fulfill His destiny as the Lamb of God. Jesus was coming as a king as an envoy of God’s peace; He was not coming to engage in warfare with Israel’s enemies.

I. The Preparation: (vs.28-35) Luke opens this passage by writing; “When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem” (vs.28). The pronoun “He” of course refers to Jesus, and the words “when He said this” refers back to the parable that Jesus told to those who were travelling with Him, who had drawn the conclusion from Jesus’ interaction with (vs.8-10) that the kingdom of God was about to be established once Jesus reached Jerusalem. The parable (vs.12-27) was designed to teach these followers that what lay ahead was not a time of reward, but a time of responsibility. Now, having told the parable, Jesus was continuing on His uphill trek to Jerusalem. Luke continues the account by observing the next thing that happened on the journey to Jerusalem; “And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and , at the mountain called Olivet” (vs.29a). The old Roman road that wound its way up the hillside from to Jerusalem took a south-westerly route that passed by Bethany, a small town approximately two miles from Jerusalem. Bethany was the village in which Lazarus, and his sisters and Mary resided. What Luke does not record is that it was at this point in the journey that Jesus stayed a couple of days with these friends of His, and of course while there, raised Lazarus from the dead (John ch.11). Jesus had arrived in Bethany in the early evening on Friday shortly before the beginning of the Sabbath, and departed not on Sunday (as the tradition of Palm Sunday assumes), but on Monday. It was on Monday then that Luke’s narration resumes. The village of Bethany was on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, as was another village; Bethphage. Though, the exact location is unknown, rabbinic references to the town suggest that it was further down the road to Jerusalem, past Bethany. Luke records that in preparation to continue with the journey to Jerusalem; Jesus gave the following instruction to His disciples; “that He sent two of His disciples, 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. And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it'’” (vs.29b-31). We read here that Jesus sends two of His disciples on an errand. There are a number of interpreters who believe that the two disciples were Peter and John. However, in none of the is there enough information to confirm this. It is best to simply think of them as two anonymous disciples. The village is also unnamed; however, most likely the town of Bethphage was mentioned earlier so the reader would assume that this was the village to which these two disciples were sent. An attentive reader of a Biblical narrative like this one should be aware of both what is said, and also what is not. In this case we see little concern on Luke’s part to inform us which disciples are going, nor any effort to make clear which village they were sent to. However, there is a lot of detail given about this colt (even though Luke omits reference to the adult donkey that we are told about in Matthew’s account of the story). All this tells us that these details about the colt are very important. The details are as follows:  The colt is in the village they are sent to (vs.30)  They will find the colt tied (vs.30)  The colt had never been ridden (vs.30)  They were to untie it (vs.30)  They were to bring it to Jesus (vs.30)  If asked why they were doing this, it was because the Lord needed it (vs.31) But why so much detail about the colt, when many other details about this part of Jesus’ journey are left out? The purpose was to demonstrate Jesus’ knowledge and control of what lay ahead. As the narrative of the passion week continues, more and more, Luke will make it clear that everything that transpires, did so because it was ordained by God, and was foreknown by Christ. This is an important theme, for the story is predicated upon the reality that Christ’s death and suffering were not setbacks that hindered God’s purposes, but was the realization of God’s purposeful redemptive plan. Luke then records what happened when the two disciples went on the errand that Jesus had given them; “So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, ‘Why are you loosing the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of him.’ Then they brought him to Jesus” (vs.32-35a). The first thing that Luke tells us is that the disciples “found it just as He had said to them”. This continues the emphasis of Jesus foreknowledge of the event. Many interpreters suggest that the owners of the colt must have been friends or followers of Jesus, and that Jesus had pre-arranged with them to borrow the colt and donkey. However, not only is there nothing in the Gospels that suggest that Jesus had ever spent any time previously in this village; more importantly, the observation Luke made about things being as Jesus said they would be, makes it clear that a pre-arranged event is not in view. Jesus, as Lord, had ordained this, and having done so, He could tell the disciples with certainty how things would transpire. Just as Jesus prepared them, the disciples were asked why they were taking the colt by those who owned it. The answer they had been instructed to give was “the Lord has need of him”. Throughout this Gospel, Jesus is referred to as “Lord”, and so at this point in the Gospel, the reader should come to expect that when the title is used, and the context does not show that anyone else is in view, that the reader is to assume that the reference is to Jesus. There is nothing in these verses to suggest that the man knows Jesus. Instead, this seems to be an authoritative expression of Jesus’ word. The man obeys and allows the disciples to take the colt, because he must. This part of the story is brought full circle, when we read that the disciples fulfilled their assignment, and brought the colt to Jesus. With the arrival of the colt; Luke tells us about one last act of preparation that was done; “And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him” (vs.35b). The pronoun “they” refers to the apostles. They laid their outer cloaks on the back of the colt. In the ancient world, doing this was often symbolic of expressing one’s submission to a ruler. Therefore, this is an overt act on the part of the apostles, expressing their belief that Jesus was the promised messianic ruler sent from God.

II. The Celebration: (vs.36-40) Luke then goes on to narrate what took place as Jesus continued with His journey; “And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road” (vs.36). The “many” seem to be disciples and followers who followed the example of the apostles. Laying out one’s garments for a king to walk or ride upon was similar to how in the modern world we roll out a red carpet for a celebrity of some sort. However, this was something done exclusively for royalty, as this, like laying garments to sit upon, were symbolic expressions of submission. Unlike Matthew, Luke does not refer to the prophecy of :9; however, the event would call this prophecy to mind for any who witnessed it. Zechariah wrote:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The prophecy foretells of a time of rejoicing that the oppressed people of Judah could look forward to. The arrival of the messianic king, coming on the back of the colt of a donkey; coming in humility and bringing salvation to His people. Jesus’ choice to enter Jerusalem this way would have had an explosive impact on the population of the city; a city that was overflowing with pilgrims who were staying in and around the city to celebrate the Passover feast. It is a clear messianic message, and the response of those around make it clear that this message was both understood, and joyously received. In the ancient world, the imagery of riding into town on the colt of a donkey would speak of peace, rather than war; for a king coming to make war would ride upon a horse in armor. Next, Luke records the response of those coming into Jerusalem with Jesus and the twelve; “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” (vs.37). The reason for the reference to “descent” is because the road that led into Jerusalem went over the peak of the Mount of Olives that was higher in elevation than the city itself. So, now, with the city in view ahead, the entourage moved down the other side of this hill toward the city gates. Luke records that the multitudes that surrounded Jesus were His disciples. However, Matthew, Mark, and John make more general observations, implying that the number was very large and consisted of more than simply dedicated disciples. Therefore, it is best to see the inner circle as real disciples, and the rest as those who would have called themselves followers of Jesus, and still others who were simply caught up in the excitement of the moment. The crowd is said to praise God with one voice, being overjoyed by the arrival of this momentous event. For centuries the Jews had anxiously awaited the coming of the Messiah, and in the past few generations, that anticipation had grown to a fever pitch. So, with this overt act of Jesus, filled with messianic symbolism, the crowd erupts with celebration. The praise is to God, because the arrival of the Messiah would be proof of God’s faithfulness to His ancient promises. Luke tells us that the main catalyst for the jubilant praise of God were the mighty works that God had done through Jesus. In the , we are told that the primary miracle on the crowd’s mind was the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn.12:17-18). Since He had done such an incredible miracle, it would be easy for these people to believe that Jesus was genuinely the Coming One promised by God. Luke then records what the crowd of disciples were saying; “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (vs.38). These words reflect a portion of the Psalms that were recited by the Jews when they ascended to Jerusalem for the festivals (Psalms 113-118). The specific citation recorded here is from Psalm 118:26:

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

This portion of the Psalm was also used as a greeting directed to the Davidic king of Judah as he approached the Temple. The insertion of the title “king” in place of the pronoun “he” in this citation emphasizes the royal sense of this proclamation. The proclamation about peace, was meant to convey the idea that God who dwells in heaven had established peace for His people, and in doing so had glorified Himself in a superlative way. This declaration mirrors the angelic pronouncement that was made about Christ at His birth (2:14), with one significant difference. The pronouncement at Jesus’ birth spoke of peace on earth, while the praise here refers to a peace that dwells in heaven. Though it is not certain (since this is said by the crowd rather than Jesus), but this might suggest that the arrival of this peace on earth will be delayed for some time, rather than coming immediately. Then Luke records the response of those who were not celebrating Jesus’ arrival; “And some of the called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples’” (vs.39). This is the last reference to the Pharisees in the . As with the vast majority of the references before this, we read of their opposition to Jesus and His disciples. These Pharisees were in the midst of this large crowd celebrating Jesus, which was not unusual as they frequently placed themselves in crowds that were listening to or interacting with Jesus. These Pharisees call upon Jesus to rebuke His disciples. In other words, they demand that He silence them. Many interpreters think that the Pharisees would have been concerned about how the Romans would respond to this open display of messianic fervor (since similar events in the past had led to rebellious movements against them). Though there is good reason historically to suggest this; the problem is that the text here does not give us the sense that this is the concern, as nothing is said about the political implications of this celebration. It is more in harmony with what the verse says to simply understand that the Pharisees are opposed to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, and they are calling upon Him to stop encouraging His disciples to see Him that way. This conclusion is supported by the fact that while the crowd speaks of Jesus as “king”, the Pharisees address Him as “teacher” (meaning a rabbi). The radical contrasts between titles show the difference between their view of Jesus, and that of the crowd. To the Pharisees, for one to proclaimed as Messiah, who wasn’t one, would be borderline blasphemy. Luke next records Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ demand; “But He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out’” (vs.40). It is not clear which stones that Jesus is referring to, nor that He was necessarily saying that this would literally happen if He did silence His disciples. This seems to be a proverbial response. Jesus was expressing that this moment in history was so pregnant with meaning that it was not one that God would let pass by without some acknowledgement. In essence, He was saying that it was impossible for the Pharisees to stop what was happening; because God Himself had ordained that this celebration of God’s faithfulness was to take place. The idea of inanimate objects recognizing and praising God for His great works would also serve to emphasize the spiritual blindness of these religious leaders of Israel who completely missed the significance of the moment.

III. The Confrontation: (vs.41-44) The next scene in this narrative serves as a contrast with the jubilant mood of the disciples and the surrounding crowd; “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it” (vs.41). As others rejoice at His approach, anticipating messianic glory; Jesus is filled with sorrow and weeps over the city. The Greek word translated as “wept” is a strong one that conveys sobbing or wailing, and not just the shedding of a few tears. In the next three verses we read why , while those around Him celebrated joyously. Luke records that as He wept Jesus said; “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). Jesus was speaking about the Jewish people, and was saying that the Jewish people did not really understand the things that would lead them to enjoying the peace He had come to bring. The celebration reflected that the people were anticipating a political peace and a deliverance from their human enemies; particularly the Romans. But the peace Jesus had come to bring related to a holistic salvation that would bring them into harmony with their God and that would eventually set everything right in Creation. That the Jews did not know these things is what brought Jesus to tears. The words “even you” have an emphatic position in the sentence, indicating that the truth He had come to deliver was something that the Jews should have been able to understand better than any other peoples on earth, because it was promised throughout their Scriptures (the Hebrew ). And particularly on that day; the day when the long-awaited Messiah was finally set forth before them, they should have known what it was that Jesus came to do, and should have welcomed it. Instead, Jesus says that the truth of what was actually being offered was hidden from their eyes. The passive voice of the verb implies that it is God who hid it from them. God did not do this because He lacked compassion for His people. The reason is always the same when God withholds truth from people; it is a judicial response to the sin of rejecting the truth when it was offered. Over and over again through their history, and particularly in the past three plus years of Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish people had received many profound revelations concerning what was true. However, over and over again, right up to the present they chose their own way over God’s way. Soon it would be too late to repent. Soon grace would give way to judgment. Luke records that Jesus then went on to explain what lay ahead for the people of Jerusalem; “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another” (vs.43-44a). Jesus says that a time was coming when their enemies would build earthen structures to surround the city. Their enemies by doing this would cut them off from all outside aid, and at the same time, prevent any from escaping. Their enemies would not only level their city (destroying every standing structure), they would also slaughter the populace (the “children” of the city). When they were done, nothing would be left standing. Using wording borrowed from prophetic descriptions of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Still focused on political deliverance; still not seeing forgiveness for their own sins as their greatest need, the Jewish population would be persuaded to try to liberate themselves from their Roman overlords. The result was a terrible loss of life, the destruction of all they owned, and the end of the Jewish nation. Luke closes this passage by recording Jesus’ words that explained why this terrible fate awaited His people; “because you did not know the time of your visitation” (vs.44b). A “visitation” refers to a Divine coming. This visitation can either be with the intent of providing rescue or judgment. In this case of course Jesus had been sent to provide salvation. However, the Jewish people did not recognize or want what He was offering, because they were so sure that they had a better idea of what they needed from God. The statement is yet another way the NT speaks about the deity of Christ; for the visit of God, came in the person of Christ. Therefore, when the Jewish people rejected Jesus to be their king; they rejected God and the salvation that He was offering.

Conclusion: There are a number of elements in this passage that bear further explanation in light of the as a whole. First, the point that the overall point that the passage makes is brought into sharp focus in the contrast between Jesus’ sorrow on the one hand, and the joyous celebration by His disciples on the other. They were at the same event, and they, as His disciples were espousing that they were living according to His teaching; so why such a different reaction to their arrival at Jerusalem. The contrast in particular, along with the Gospel as a whole, pictures the disciples as not truly understanding Jesus’ purpose any more than the general populace until after Jesus death and resurrection. The disciples see what appears to be the city for the most part welcoming Jesus. Informed as they were by their own biases regarding the coming of the Messiah, the disciples failed to properly understand what Jesus had come to do and expected the kingdom to be successfully established very soon. Jesus saw beyond all that and understood that the celebration and joy at His arrival was focused around the belief He was going to do something different than what He was actually planning to do. When this became clear to the people of Jerusalem, the apparent receptivity to Jesus would vanish, and the truth that they would not want Jesus to rule over them would be revealed. The second issue that arises in this passage is closely linked to the first. It is the question of how the crowd would go from being wildly supportive of Jesus and proclaiming Him to be Messiah, to calling for His death five days later. Many interpreters solve this problem by saying that the group that celebrated Jesus’ coming were only His disciples, while those who called for Jesus’ crucifixion were an entirely different group. This conclusion tends to rest on the assumption that it is very improbable that people would change that much in regard to their assessment of Jesus in such a short time. However, this ignores two realities. First, human nature. People can change very quickly if they feel threatened or cheated in some way. In this week they would see Jesus fail to deliver what they mistakenly thought He promised. Second, this conclusion ignores that this crowd never really embraced Jesus in truth; they only embraced the illusion they had about Him. When it became clear that He was not the political deliverer they assumed He was, they turned on Him. Later in this Gospel, and also in the others we find references that demonstrate that the crowds (and not simply the disciples) embraced Jesus during most of the week. This is best illustrated by references in the Gospels to the religious leaders’ fear of arresting Jesus when He taught in public (22:2), if Jesus’ only supporters were His disciples, the religious leaders would have had nothing to fear in moving against Jesus. The fact that they were afraid, meant that the crowds surrounding Jesus were favorably disposed toward Him. A third issue is Jesus’ reference to “this your day” (vs.42). The day was special because the Messiah was offering Himself to the nation. However, there was a historical reason why the Jews should have recognized that Jesus must be the Messiah of prophecy. That is because on that day, Daniel’s prophecy of the 69 weeks of years (483 years) that would precede the Messiah, had been fulfilled. The date of the start of that period was March 5, 444 B.C. when a decree went out to restore Jerusalem, and the period came to an end on March 30, A.D. 33, the day of Jesus’ presentation of Himself as the Messiah. If the Jews had been diligent and faithful in regard to focusing on God’s actual words, rather than their own hopes; Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem on that day should have left no doubt that He was the one that Daniel foresaw as the One coming like the Son of Man (Dan.7:13- 14). This reminds us of the truth that we are not called upon to believe what the Bible says, just because it claims to be God’s Word. Rather, throughout its pages we are told that what it asserts rests upon objectively fulfilled prophecy, and eye-witness testimony of miraculous interventions by God. We are to believe what the Bible asserts because God has given us conclusive evidence that it is trustworthy. A fourth issue is the focus on Jesus’ foreknowledge seen in both the description of how and where the colt would be found, and the coming destruction of Jerusalem. These details are not included simply as interesting facts; they are included to help the reader recognize that Jesus was not a victim of either a fickle crowd or a corrupt judicial system; He was in control of these events, living out God’s intended purpose for Him. He could not be harmed until it was God’s purpose for Jesus to be crucified; and it ultimately took place because that was what God ordained to happen, not because evil men chose to sin. A fifth issue is the contrast here with the rest of the Gospel. Up to this point Jesus instructed His disciples not to disclose to people at large that He was the Messiah. Yet here, Jesus engages in an audacious display intended to identify Himself to all as the Messiah. The reason for the change was that at this point, the moment of decision had arrived; the crucial hour of the revelation of God’s purpose in Jesus had come. Jesus did what He did here to make sure that what happened was available for all to see, so as to give a very public face to what would be the circumstantial foundation of the Gospel. A sixth issue is the question of whether or not Jesus made a real offer of the kingdom of God to Israel. Some interpreters say that any notion of a geo-political kingdom is contrary to the kingdom that Jesus was announcing. However, that reduces the OT prophecies about it to nonsense. Others take the opposite position and argue that Jesus offered the Millennial Kingdom to the Jews, and the only reason it did not come was because they rejected it. The problem with this proposal is that it creates a situation where we must conclude that Jesus really did not ever plan to provide what He was offering. This is because without the cross, there could be no salvation, and thus no citizens in the kingdom. The Jews had been prophesied to be the one’s responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion, therefore it was pre-ordained that the nation would reject Him. Therefore, Jesus would have known the Jewish nation would not repent. Offering something you really don’t intend to provide is deceitful. Since Jesus is God He is not a liar (Heb.618), and thus He would never deceive. So, what did Jesus offer? The answer is that Jesus offered to all the Jews the same thing He offered to the apostles and all those who believed in Him. He offered them eternal life and citizenship in the kingdom, but the fullness of that kingdom would not come until Jesus’ second coming. The seventh and last matter that relates to this passage, is understanding the chronology of Jesus’ last week on earth. The following chart sets out what happened and when during that week:

Day of the Events of that Day week 1-Friday Arrive in Bethany six days prior to Passover (Jn.12:1) March 27, 33 2-Saturday Sabbath, no mention of this day in the Gospels March 28, 33 3-Sunday Jesus in Bethany teaches a great crowd gathered at the home of Simon the Leper March 29, 33 (Jn.12:9-11) 4-Monday Triumphal Entry, Jesus goes to the temple, in the evening returned to Bethany March 30, 33 (Matt.21:1-11; Jn.12:12-19) 5-Tuesday The cursing of the fig tree; Jesus cleanses the Temple; religious leaders plot to kill March 31, 33 Jesus (Matt.21:12-19; Mk.11:15-19) 6-Wednesday Disciples see withered tree; Jesus confrontation of the religious leaders; the Oliver April 1, 33 discourse (Matt.21:23-25:46) 7-Thursday Passover observance & teaching in upper room (Matt.26:17-30; Jn.13-17 April 2, 33 8-Friday Arrest, trials, (Matt.27:1-66; Jn.18:28-19:27 April 3, 33 9-Saturday Sabbath-Jesus’ body in the tomb April 4, 33 10-Sunday The resurrection (Matt.28:1-13; Jn.20:1-31) April 5, 33