Entering the City (Luke 19:28-44)

After telling the parable of the minas, Jesus led the disciples along the road to Jerusalem. The journey was uphill because Jericho is located below sea level and Jerusalem is above it, and the temperature would have been very warm. The distance between Jericho and Bethany is about fifteen miles and the scenery is barren. We are not told how long the journey took but it could have been done in a day.

John tells us that Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover and stayed with Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 12:1). He spent at least the Sabbath with them because John says that it was on the following day that the entry into the city took place. Luke does not mention this detail. Jesus would travel between Bethany and Jerusalem on each day of the final week of his life until Friday.

Receiving the colt

Bethany was a village close to Jerusalem, the distance being described as a Sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12), which was the distance the Jewish religious leaders allowed people to travel; going further was regarded as work. The distance was about a kilometre in length, but there is no biblical support for this requirement.

Bethphage was another village attached to Bethany, but it was closer to Jerusalem. So Jesus had only travelled a short distance on this day when he asked the disciples to fetch the colt.

The obvious lesson from this incident is the importance of obedience to the commands of Jesus even if the instruction looks unusual. There are many commands in the Bible that some regard as unnecessary, but the fact is that all of them are paths to blessing, which Peter and John discovered on this occasion. For example, from the point of view of some, why would the servants at the wedding in Cana have to fill the pots with water? Only because Jesus said so, and we know the blessing that happened consequently.

Another detail that this part of the story highlights is the knowledge that Jesus had – here he revealed that the colt would be tied near to the entrance of the village. How did Jesus know those circumstances? There are two possible answers to the question. First, he would have known about the circumstances because he is divine and therefore has omniscience. In this sense, not only did he know where this colt was, but he would know where every colt was. The other possible answer is that he had arranged it with the owner while he was in Bethany; after all, he would have known about the prophecy of Zechariah that had to be fulfilled.

Moreover, we should observe that Jesus was certain that the colt would still be tied at its position when the disciples would reach the location. This suggests that he was in control of the circumstances, ensuring that everything was in place for his arrival in Jerusalem on this occasion. So even in this incident we see three important matters: obedience to him, awareness of what was happening, and control of events. That is certainly a powerful description of a king about to arrive in the city of Jerusalem.

Rejoicing on the road

We are told that a royal parade was quickly arranged. In addition, to putting some cloaks on the colt, the disciples and the crowd also covered the road with cloaks meaning that there was what we could call a gigantic carpet welcoming the royal Visitor. We should observe that people contributed individually to the making of the road, and they also contributed spontaneously to it. When people contribute individually and spontaneously to a communal event in praise of God it will be a happy occasion.

This occasion was the fulfilment of a prophecy found in the Book of Zechariah: ‘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’ (Zech. 9:9). The prophecy was a literal fulfilment, and fulfilled prophecy is major evidence of the truth of scripture. Moreover, it was a visible fulfilment. There are some literal fulfilments that are not visible to us. For example, when Jesus said he was forsaken by God, it was a literal fulfilment, although people could not see the forsakenness. All they heard was his cry; they could not describe what was going on in his soul. But many people could describe what they saw when he rode into Jerusalem.

The sight that the people observed revealed a different kind of ruler from what they would have seen at other times. Usually, triumphant processions would exhibit the pride and self-promotion of the ruler. Jesus here was a king riding into battle, although that information was not known by the people in general. Jesus had told his disciples on several occasions that there would be trouble leading to his death, but they had ignored his predictions. The feature that Jesus revealed on the colt was his humility and his righteousness. He was not sitting on a warhorse or in a chariot indicating pomposity.

Why was his humility so obvious? Because that was his consistent character since his birth. He was humble everywhere and at all ages. On no occasion, did he reveal pride. Although he was ultracompetent, he engaged in his activities and teaching dependent on the ongoing help of the Holy Spirit. His humility was one of his arguments when presenting himself as a suitable teacher for burdened people to follow.

How do we imagine this event? Do we think Jesus was smiling and waving to the crowd or was his face marked by seriousness? After all, he knew where he was going as he rode into the city. He was not going to a palace to reign instead of Pilate but to be condemned unjustly by Pilate. His visit would take him to the cross of shame close to the waste area of the city where he would pay the penalty for sin by bearing the wrath of God.

As is always the case with Jesus, a choice must be made about him, and such choices were revealed on this occasion. Some rejoiced in his arrival and praised God that the Messiah had come. They cried with gladness, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest,’ which was a quotation from Psalm 118. They had seen remarkable things in recent days as they made their way to Jerusalem in the company of Jesus, and their hearts and voices were full of praise as they saw him heading into the city.

Some Pharisees, as expected, objected to this expression of veneration because they would have regarded the praise as idolatry. They recognised that Jesus was a teacher, but that was all that they were prepared to say about him. They did not believe that he was divine or that he was the promised Messiah. Such contrasting opinions still happen today whenever people hear the gospel. Jesus inevitably causes a choice to be made about him. Even a basic level it comes down to whether he is worth trusting for salvation. Our response to that reality indicates what we think about him. Is he the Saviour of sinners or is he only a good teacher able to inform about spiritual matters?

Jesus, although he was humble, did not regard the expressions of praise as inappropriate. Indeed, he said that such praise was an essential response to his presence. His reference to the possibility of stones speaking is a reminder that he should be the object of praise for the entire creation. He knew he was the eternal Son, and he accepted worship from people because it was what he was due on that occasion, and on every occasion.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

This is the second time that Jesus responded to what was taking place in Jerusalem. On the previous occasion, he said, ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ (Luke 13:33-35). Is this second occasion the time that Jesus predicted?

Usually when a ruler came to a city, he would make a speech, perhaps outlining his plans for the future. People would listen to see what announcements he would make because the announcements would certainly affect them. Jesus makes an announcement of what the city was going to experience because of their rejection of his offer of peace.

It is important to note what Jesus is not saying. He does not say that if the citizens had accepted his offer of peace he would not have gone to the cross. The only way for there to be peace was through what he would do at the cross. But his sufferings were only part of his message. He had also spoken of his resurrection and his return to heaven, and they too were connected to the peace that he could have provided for them. Because they had rejected him, they had become spiritually blind, both wilfully and by divine judgement.

What do we see in this incident? First, we see the heart of Jesus as he weeps over what will happen to Jerusalem in forty years’ time. There may have been several reasons contributing to the sorrow of Jesus. He was an Israelite and Jerusalem was their city. He had attended the services in the temple there since he was young, and he would have had pleasant memories of them. It was in Jerusalem that Simeon announced that the Saviour had been born. It was in Jerusalem that he had offered himself as the water of life to the inhabitants. Jesus has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

Second, we see the horror of refusing the Messiah. We don’t know the longterm outcomes even in this life of failing to follow Jesus. The inhabitants had made a choice, and from then on, step by step, they wandered further away from Jesus and became involved in other goals and aims. Eventually, they would join the rebellion against the Roman authorities, for which the authorities would wreak terrible vengeance. If they had listened to the teachings of Jesus, they would have taken steps in a different direction. Think of Paul. Where would he have been at that time if he had not become a follower of Jesus. Being a disciple is not only an expression of dedication, it can also lead to deliverance from many sorrows.

Third, there is the example of Jesus, of how he wept over sinners. Those who are most like him follow his example. Paul had great sorrow for his fellow Israelites because they had turned their backs on the great blessings that God had given to them. He informed the Philippians that he was weeping even as he wrote about those who were giving false messages to people, messages that were against the cross of Christ.

Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be known as the man of sorrows. His prophecy indicates that we should not limit his tears to the three occasions mentioned in the Gospels. Yet they are recorded for our learning. In John 11, we read the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept. He wept out of sympathy for his friends Martha and Mary even although he knew that within a few minutes he would raise their brother Lazarus from the dead. He wept with strong crying and tears when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane and anticipated the awful distress that he would experience at the cross. The thought of the punishment of God should make us weep. And as we have been thinking, he wept when he saw what would happen to the residents of Jerusalem.

One of the Beatitudes that Jesus taught states that ‘blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. No doubt, there are many reasons for mourning, and one of them is the lost around us. If we mourn for such, the comfort will include conversions. In Psalm 84, the spiritual life is likened to the valley of Baca along which believers travel to Zion. A cause of their sorrow is that so few are travelling to a better world, but they fill the valley with tears as they move along. Tears are expressions without words which often say much more than words.

As we think about this amazing day in the life of Jesus, we should be filled with wonder. What a sight to see him humbly approaching the city that would reject him, what a sound of praise greeted him as he rode along to the city, and what sobbing came from his heart as he thought of the future of the city.