Luke 19
Jesus’ Visited Zacchaeus; The Parable of The Ten Servants; The Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem; Jesus Cleared The Temple
After the account of Zaccheaus (which connects well to the previous chapter), this section emphasized Jesus’ final arrival in Jerusalem. Though He was well-received by those who anticipated a Messianic mission to liberate Israel from Rome, Jesus knew that His reign would be delayed by His people’s rejection.
Jesus Visited Zacchaeus, The Tax Collector
A Rich, Short Tax Collector
Vs. 1-2 - He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
As Jesus continued his final journey to Jerusalem, He was “passing through” Jericho with a crowd of disciples when he encountered a “chief tax collector” who really wanted to meet Him. Commentators note that Jews who collected taxes for the Romans became very rich but also very despised by other Jews.
Vs. 3 - He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man.
The details about Zacchaeus’ height and his willingness to climb a tree to see Jesus seem to demonstrate both humility and determination. Perhaps Luke wanted us to note that Zacchaeus was less concerned about dignity than what became his divine appointment.
A Sinful Man
Vs. 7 - All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.”
The grumbling starts again when Jesus decides to lodge at another tax collector’s house; however, Zacchaeus vindicates Jesus’ decision by demonstrating the reality of his repentance. - Thomas Schreiner
Salvation Has Come
Vs. 8 - But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.”
The tax collector’s response seems dramatic, even abrupt in this account. But Zacchaeus’ repentance was evident in his proclamation of guilt and his promise of restoration. According to the Mosaic law, the repayment for extortion or fraud was twenty percent more than had been taken (Leviticus 6:1-5). Perhaps in an effort to demonstrate his sincerity and gratitude, Zaccheaus promised to repay over and beyond the required amount.
Zacchaeus was determined to do far more than the law demanded. He showed by his deeds that he was a changed man. - William Barclay
Vs. 9-10 - “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus assessed Zaccheus’ promises as an evidence of saving faith. Salvation had come to that house because Zaccheus had exercised saving faith and had thereby proved to be a genuine descendant of Abraham, the spiritual father of all believers. - Thomas Constable
This ["He also is a son of Abraham"] will seem to be an irrelevant remark unless we recognize that the principal tension in the story is caused by the rejection of Zacchaeus by the Jewish community. - Tannehill
Commentators note that Luke placed this story just after Jesus’ shocking claims (in chapter 18) that it was almost impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom. Zacchaeus is a great example of how “what is impossible with man is possible with God” (18:27) and that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of The Ten Servants
The Parable of the Ten Pounds is similar to the Parable of Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, but there is no agreement on the literary relationship between the two parables. In Luke, the context of the parable is the expectation that the consummation of the kingdom is imminent. - Thomas Schreiner
The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) teaches us that God gives everyone a different amount to invest for his glory. Some people have more intelligence or talent or money than others. The parable of the minas teaches that God gives all His servants the same opportunity to invest for His glory. Both believers and unbelievers play a part in both parables. Both parables advocate belief in Jesus, faithfulness, and preparedness, and they both show that God will deal with all people justly, graciously, and generously. - Thomas Constable
They Thought
Vs. 11 - As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.
As Jesus drew nearer to Jerusalem, those with him became excited, thinking he was about to establish a world-conquering kingdom. Jesus corrected their misunderstanding by telling them a parable. He was like a man who was entitled to a kingdom, but who had first to go to the seat of power in a distant country to have his kingdom confirmed, after which he would return to claim it. - Don Fleming
Even though Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom, he has not completed it. The parable implies an interval of time before the kingdom is consummated. - Thomas Schreiner
A Nobleman and His Servants
Vs. 12-13 - Therefore he said, “A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king and then to return. He called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’
Before he (the nobleman) left for the distant country, he gave an equal amount of money to each of ten trusted servants, who were to use it to promote their master’s interests during his absence. The meaning was that Jesus would soon leave the world, but he gave to each of his servants the task of living for him in such a way that his kingdom would continue to grow. - Don Fleming
Each servant is given one mina. One mina was approximately four months of wages, so this is not a small amount of money. One mina is about one-third of your annual salary. The charge given to the servants is to make money, to put the money to work so as to make a profit. This is the idea of their charge being to “engage in business.” - Brent Kercheville
To Everyone Who Has
Vs. 26- 27 - I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.
Most scholars note two primary lessons from this parable: (1) The importance of the wise stewardship of resources, and (2) Jesus’ kingdom reign was delayed because His people did not receive Him.
The point of the parable is not that God is harsh and cruel but that He will judge those who waste the resources he has given to them. - Thomas Schreiner
The teaching of the parable is quite clear. Jesus was not going to begin His reign as Messiah immediately. He was going away and would return later to reign. During His absence His servants, believing disciples, need to invest what God has given them for His glory. He will reward them in proportion to what they have produced for Him. This parable teaches that everyone is accountable to God, and everyone will receive what he or she deserves from the King. It provided a warning for the unbelievers in Jesus’ audience as well as believers in view of the postponement of the kingdom. - Thomas Constable
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-19)
Though Jesus had been healing and teaching for years at this point, His ministry had mostly been in the shadows and outside of the direct eyes of Rome. Commentators note that Jesus frequently visited Jerusalem to attend feasts and celebrations. But this visit was different. The time had now come for Him to publicly declare His identity.
Jesus finally arrives at Jerusalem, and the culmination of his life’s work is at hand. - Thomas Schreiner
The Triumphal Entry is only the second incident in Jesus’ ministry that all four evangelists recorded, the first being the feeding of the 5,000. This indicates its great importance in God’s messianic program. - Thomas Constable
You Will Find A Colt
Vs. 29-30 - As he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
We must be careful to note just what he was doing. There was a saying of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9), "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, and riding on an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass." The whole impact is that the King was coming in peace. In Palestine, the ass was not a despised beast, but a noble one. When a king went to war he rode on a horse, when he came in peace he rode on an ass.
It was a conqueror's welcome they sought to give to Jesus, but they never dreamed of the kind of conqueror he wished to be. - William Barclay
As the messianic king, the son of David, Jesus then entered his royal city of Zion. He came not riding a horse as a conquering warlord, but sitting on a donkey as a king of peace, as the Scriptures foretold (see Zechariah 9:9). - Don Fleming
1 Kings 1 recounts David’s plan to announce to Israel that his son with Bathsheba would be his successor, the true king. Solomon’s entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey across the Kidron Valley and the Gihon Spring (1 Kings 1:33, 38) declares the true king. It announces that the priestly leader Abiathar—and all the religious leaders following him—are phonies. It announces that the military leader Joab—and all his military powers—aren’t in charge. This one, this king on a donkey, is the true son of David.
On Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus retracing Solomon’s path across the Kidron Valley and entering Jerusalem on a donkey. It’s certainly a picture of humility—entering on a donkey instead of a war horse (Zech. 9:9). And it certainly evokes a contrast between God’s kingdom and the sort of entrance that Herod or Pilate would’ve received as they entered the city that week.
But as a reflection of Solomon’s coronation, Jesus’s triumphal entry teaches us even more. It testifies that the scribes and Pharisees—the religious leaders who opposed him—are phonies. Like the sons of Eli, they are disqualified from representing the true and living God (1 Sam. 2:31). And it also says that Rome with all its military might isn’t in charge. Even the blind could see (Matt. 20:30–31) that Jesus, this king on a donkey, is the true son of David. Here, at last, is the true king. - Matthew Westerholm
Blessed Is The King
Vs. 36-38 - As he was going along, they were spreading their clothes on the road. Now he came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, His followers made a great scene of the event. They likely felt that Jesus was finally assuming His royal role. From all four Gospel accounts, we know that they spread their clothes on the road, waved palm branches, and praised God by quoting a Messianic section of Psalm 118.
Psalm 118:26 - He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
Commentators note that Luke did not mention the word “Hosanna” in his account, likely because it would have meant little to his audience.
People who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, along with local residents, welcomed him as the Messiah. They may not have understood the nature of his messiahship, but they were enthusiastic in their acceptance of him.
Jesus, however, was not deceived by this enthusiastic welcome. He knew that when people properly understood the nature of his messiahship, they would turn against him. The nation as a whole would reject him, and in the judgment to follow, Jerusalem would be destroyed (Luke 19:41-44). The significance of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was not political but spiritual, and therefore he went not to the palace but to the temple. - Don Fleming
No incident so shows the sheer courage of Jesus as this does. Any man who tries to tear up by the roots a people's nationalistic dreams is in for trouble. But that is what Jesus deliberately was doing. Here we see Jesus making the last appeal of love and making it with a courage that is heroic. - William Barclay
The Time When God Visited You
Vs. 39-40 - Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”
Jesus refused to silence the disciples. They spoke the truth. This clear messianic claim is unique to Luke. It shows the blatant rejection of Israel’s leaders in the face of indisputable evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. - Thomas Constable
Vs. 41-42 - As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”
Vs. 43-44 - For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.
Only Luke recorded this particular lament over Jerusalem. This was the Lord’s final visit to the holy city, and His heart was heavy for His people.
From the descent of the Mount of Olives there is a magnificent view of Jerusalem with the whole city fully displayed. As Jesus came to a turn in the road he stopped and wept over Jerusalem. He knew what was going to happen to the city. The Jews were even then embarking upon that career of political manoeuvre and intrigue which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the city was so devastated that a plough was drawn across the midst of it. The tragedy was that if only they had abandoned their dreams of political power and taken the way of Christ it need never have happened. - William Barclay
The enemies in view proved to be the Roman soldiers under Titus who besieged Jerusalem as Jesus described, breached its walls, and finally leveled it in A.D. 70. - Thomas Constable
John noted that even Jesus’ disciples failed to understand what He was doing at this time. Every faithful Jew was expecting the Messiah to conquer, not to be crucified.
John 12:16 - His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
Jesus Cleared The Temple (Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19)
At the beginning of his public ministry Jesus had cleansed the temple (see John 2:13-25), but old practices had returned. Now that he had come to his messianic city he cleansed it again. By his action he showed God’s judgment on those who had forgotten the real purpose of religious exercises and used them chiefly to make money (Matthew 21:12-13). - Don Fleming
House of Prayer, Den of Thieves
Vs. 45-46 - He went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling, and he said, “It is written, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”
Without doubt, this is a far cry from what the place of worship should have been, and Jesus wouldn’t have it. Turning heads by his claim of authority, Jesus spoke for God and turned over tables. And central to it all was what he quoted from the Old Testament, from Isaiah and Jeremiah. - Jonathan Parnell
Isaiah 56:7 - I will bring them to my holy mountain and let them rejoice in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Jeremiah 7:11 - Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it. This is the Lord’s declaration.
Because the people in Jeremiah’s day are coming to the temple to worship, they think they are saved even though they are committing all kinds of sins. Jesus imports that imagery into his day and tells them that nothing has changed. - Brent Kercheville
The court of the Gentiles, the place designed all along for foreigners to congregate, for the nations to seek the Lord, was overrun with opportunists trying to turn a profit. And the Jewish leaders had let this happen. The worship of God’s people was so out of line with God’s purposes that zeal consumed God’s messiah. It had to stop. - Jonathan Parnell
A Way to Kill Him
Vs. 47 - Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill him
The Pharisees were annoyed at the welcome Jesus received and unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to silence the people (Luke 19:39-40). As the news of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus spread, more and more people flocked to see him. The thing the Pharisees most feared was happening before their eyes (John 12:17-19). - Don Fleming
John 12:17-19 - Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify. This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign. Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”
