Were you to find a note from me that began, “Four score and seven years ago he was born. His labor on this continent was to be a farmer in this nation conceived in Liberty. And in all his actions, he was dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” then someone who was unfamiliar with American history but somewhat observant might say, “Well, he’s obviously telling details about his grandfather’s life. Notes about his grandpa fill each sentence. And, he’s using fancy language to do it.” However, someone familiar with details of American history might say, “No, this is more than fancy language. He’s using language from the Gettysburg Address.”
In the same way, we could read our text this morning and say, “This is obviously a text about Jesus traveling to Jerusalem.” In each section of our text, Luke gives us an indicator that Jesus is moving toward Jerusalem, as he is on the last leg of his journey there. In 18:31 we read Jesus saying to his disciples, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” Then, as Luke continues through our text this morning we read similar statements throughout. In 18:35 Luke notes, “As he drew near to Jericho,” in 19:1, “He entered Jericho and was passing through,” in 19:11, “Because he was near to Jerusalem,” in 19:28, “Going up to Jerusalem,” in 19:37, “As he was drawing near – already on the way down the Mount of Olives,” and in 19:41 he writes, “When he drew near and saw the city.” Clearly Luke links each of these texts as that which occurs as Jesus draws near to Jerusalem.
However, there is another theme here as well in which Luke is showing the reader that Jesus is the King whom God promised David would come. He is the King in the line of David. The issue, however, is that it is a bit more subtle as Luke makes numerous allusions that would be clear to one who knew the Old Testament well. Therefore, as we move through each of the sections in our text this morning, we’ll see this again and again. For these reasons, I do believe that our text this morning, Luke 18:31-19:44, is more than just a combination of smaller texts we’ve decided to group together for the sake of preaching. Rather, I think Luke is showing us something about who Jesus is, what is his mission, why the events that will soon take place in Jerusalem are going to happen, and how we need to let this reality affect our lives. Therefore, I want us to begin where our text begins, with the details of 18:31-34. Here, we see that Jesus clearly declares that he will suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day.
Back in Luke 9:51, Luke told us that Jesus had set his face to go to Jerusalem. He was on a mission that concluded there. However, when we arrive at 18:31, Jesus is now on his last leg in this journey, if you will. He is ready to enter the city so that he might complete the purpose for which he came. Therefore, we read him saying to the twelve, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise” (18:31-33).
Once again, Jesus makes clear to his disciples that he will suffer, be killed, and be raised. But Luke says, “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from then, and they did not grasp what was said” (18:34).
Now, I don’t think this means they didn’t understand the words he was using. Of course they did. It wasn’t as if Jesus just mumbled or said it real fast. They knew the meaning of the words, no doubt. The problem was that they could not grasp how Jesus’ statement of what would happen to himself fit with the plan of God for the Messiah. They couldn’t mesh Jesus’ statements about himself with their understanding that the Messiah would be a conquering King who would destroy God’s enemies and save his people. God had not granted them the ability to see and understand this clearly, and he would not until after the resurrection and pouring out of the Spirit.
So then, the question is: “Why?” Why will Jesus go to Jerusalem only to undergo suffering, murder, and resurrection? That was the question the disciples could have asked, and it’s perhaps a question we might ask. After all, why couldn’t Jesus simply have arrived in Jerusalem and sat on a throne as the reigning and conquering King? Why did his mission involve death and resurrection in Jerusalem? I believer Luke connects these following sections in our text to this first section because they answer this question. That is, Luke follows these verses by answering the question, “Why did Jesus have to die and be raised in Jerusalem?”
And the answer falls in two parts. The first is found in two stories in 18:35-43 and 19:1-10. These two stories show us that Jesus set out to Jerusalem to die and be raised because he is the great shepherd, coming to gather his lost sheep.
In 18:35-19:10 we find two stories that in many ways involve men of opposite status: an impoverished blind man who is left to be and a wealthy tax collector. However, they also involve two similar men in similar circumstances. Each man is a social outcast who will do what is necessary to be blessed by Jesus’ presence.
In the first story, 18:35-43, we read that as Jesus drew near to Jericho on his journey to Jerusalem, he leads the crowd by a blind man. This obviously draws the man’s attention, as the noise of the crowd makes clear that something is going on, but because he cannot see, he does not know what it is. Therefore he asks those around him what is happening, and they reply, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by” (18:37). Their answer is that Jesus, the one born of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth who has produced a great following, that one is passing by. However, the blind man hears more. Instead of crying out, “Jesus of Nazareth” he cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (18:38). That is, the blind man is recognizing that Jesus is nothing less than the Messiah, David’s promised Son, God’s promised King. And he asks him to have mercy on him.
His cries, however, weren’t met with the crowd saying, “Yeah, that’s a good thing” and joining him so that Jesus might come on over. Rather, they tell him to shut his mouth and be quiet. But this only drives him all the more and he cries out louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (18:39). This man obviously believes that Jesus is the promised Messiah and doesn’t mind saying it and saying it loud. He doesn’t care who knows. He is not embarrassed; he is making his conviction known. So Jesus stops the crowd, has the man brought to him, and asks him what he wants. The man answers, “Lord, let me recover my sight” and Jesus responds, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well” (18:41-42). Then, Luke adds, “And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God” (18:43).
The second story is of a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was rich. And we should not forget that he was rich because as a tax collector, he lied and, in essence, stole from people so that he might have much.
As Jesus enters Jericho and is passing through, Zacchaeus knows he is coming through and wants to see him. But there is a problem. Zacchaeus was short; he was a wee little man. Therefore, he could not see over the crowds to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Therefore, he runs on ahead of Jesus and climbs up in a sycamore tree so that when Jesus comes by he’ll get to see him.
However, instead of simply catching a glimpse of Jesus, Jesus catches a glimpse of Zacchaeus and comes right up to him. As he comes to him, Jesus declares, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (19:5). This is no doubt not what Zacchaeus expected when he climbed up in that tree, but he joyfully comes down the tree and receives Jesus into his house.
This was not a popular move, however, on Jesus’ part. Many standing around grumbled because Jesus had basically invited himself over and was a guest in Zacchaeus’ home. Now, we can easily think their grumbling silly, but perhaps we might put ourselves in a similar situation. What is there were a man in this city whom we knew cheated people out of their money. Perhaps he scammed old people out of money they were saving for their children, took advantage of people who had no money to give, and basically cared not what damage he inflicted on others as long as he got rich. And worse yet, imagine in the government was protecting him and allowing these actions to continue. We would despise this man in our city.
Now, it is that man that Jesus chooses to eat with on this day. This is why the people grumbled. But Zacchaeus had been changed by Jesus, and it showed in his actions. Luke tells us that he went on to declare to the Lord that day that he was about to give half of his goods to the poor. Now, in that culture, giving away twenty percent of one’s resources was considered quite generous. Giving more than that was just not prudent. But Zacchaeus doesn’t care. His heart has been changed by the Lord, and he will give half of what he has to the poor. In addition, he tells Jesus that anything he has gained by defrauding someone he will restore fourfold. This is obvious repentance. Therefore, Jesus declares, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:9-10).
Now, obviously, these are two stories that display Jesus’ mercy and ability to transform someone’s life. In both stories we have social outcasts with whom Jesus is willing to converse and bless. But I think Luke is wanting us to see something more than that Jesus is one who has mercy on those whom others would simply rather go away.
First, in the story of the blind man, the blind man twice calls Jesus the Son of David. Now, when we read certain texts where individuals call Jesus “Lord” we might say, “Well, they didn’t necessarily mean ‘God’; they were just showing Jesus respect.” However, there is no other way of understanding the blind man’s declaration in calling Jesus “Son of David.” He is declaring that Jesus is the promised Messiah. He is the Christ of God. He is the one God promised David would come and reign forever.
Then, in the story of Zacchaeus we see something similar. Jesus announces that salvation has come to Zacchaeus’s house and then adds, “Since he also is a son of Abraham.” Why does he say that? Salvation comes to Zacchaeus’s house he is a son of Abraham? It appears to make no sense. However, Jesus then adds, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Now, where is Jesus getting this language of coming to seek and save the lost? I believe the answer is Ezekiel 34. In Ezekiel 34 God pictures his people as sheep and declares, “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so I will seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. … I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezek. 34:11-12, 15). Obviously God leaves no room for doubt. He, he himself, will come and gather his people that they might be saved. However, he later notes in that chapter, “I will set up over them [i.e., his sheep] one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and will be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23).
Having already reminded us in the story of the blind man that Jesus is indeed the Shepherd from David, now Luke shows us in this text that Jesus is the one coming for God’s sheep. He is the promised servant, David, God’s shepherd coming for the sheep. However, we know from Ezekiel 34 that none other than God himself is coming to save the lost. He alone will be their shepherd. Therefore, when we hear Jesus’ words in Luke 19:9-10, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” we can understand Jesus as saying, “Just as God promised to come, seek, and save the lost sheep of the house of Israel, so I have come to seek and save them as God, the Son, as God’s servant, the Son of David. And because Zacchaeus is one of these sheep, he has been saved. Jesus is saying nothing less than that as the great one promised from David’s line, he is nothing less than God, coming to save his people.
So when we back up to 18:31-34 and ask ourselves, “Why does Jesus have to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day, part of the answer is because he is coming to save his people, and this is the means by which they must be saved. Who could have predicted that the Shepherd who would come to save his lost sheep (no one less than God himself) would lay down his life for his sheep? That’s what the disciples couldn’t understand. That part of the plan of God was hidden from them so that they couldn’t grasp what Jesus was saying, but that’s exactly what Jesus was coming to do. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die and be raised because he is the Great Shepherd, coming to save his lost sheep.
Let us pause here then and do two things. First, marvel at this reality. He who is equal with God humbled himself and died so that we might have life. Yet how many of us refuse to risk any suffering on our part so that others might hear the good news and believe because we think highly of ourselves? Let us repent of this, this morning. Let us delight in forgiveness. And then let us pray and go forth in obedience, following our great shepherd who did what was beyond comprehension that we might be saved. Let us surrender our lives and how others in our culture view us so that God’s sheep might hear his good news and be saved, even if those sheep are social outcasts.
But there is another answer to why he’s going to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and be raised. It is because this is the means by which he will be exalted as the great King over all the earth.
The next two sections of our text are linked together as well. First, Jesus tells a parable about a man going to receive a kingdom. It was common in that day for someone to travel to Rome, receive his authority of kingship, and then return to the land to reign as King. That’s what Jesus is talking about. So, a certain nobleman is going to receive his right to reign as king. However, two things happen as he leaves. First, he calls a number of his servants and gives them different amounts of minas (a decent sum of money) so that they might engage in business until he returns. Second, a group who do not want him to be king over him send a delegation after him to make sure he knew that they hated him.
However, nothing can stop him. He goes, receives his right to reign, and then comes back to the land to reign as their king. First, he comes to his servants, and we hear his conversation with three of them. The first one comes to him and reports, “Lord, your mina has made ten minas more” (19:16). The king says to him, “Well done.” And he also announces that this had been a time to prove himself, and because he was faithful in this task he will now reign alongside the king being responsible over ten cities. The second then comes to him and reports that he has made five minas. Again, the master blesses him and tells him that he will reign over five cities. A third came, however, and reported that he feared the master and had done nothing with his mina. The master was not pleased by this at all, saying, that if he feared him then he should have worked to bring an profit off his many. Now, even the mina he has will be taken from him, and he will have nothing over which to be responsible in the king’s land.
But if we think that is tough to take, the king then deals with those who opposed him and did not want him to reign over them as their king. Their opposition could do nothing to sway him from becoming king. So now that he is king he calls for them to be brought to him and slaughtered before him.
Now, we might respond to that by saying, “Neat story.” But Luke wants us to see that this is much more than a neat story, so he follows it with a story of Jesus’ actions as he finally draws near to enter the city. He turns to his disciples and tell them to go get a colt that is tied up. If anyone asks what they’re doing they need only say that the Lord has need of it. They go, everything goes as Jesus said it would, and they bring the colt to Jesus. Jesus then sits on the colt, and as he heads toward Jerusalem, coming down from the Mount of Olives the people lay their cloaks on the road in front of him and declare, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (19:38). They give him the treatment of a king and make no mistake about it. They believe that their king is entering Jerusalem. However, some Pharisees do not like the cries and ask Jesus to silence them, but Jesus responds, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (19:40). That is to say, all of creation should recognize that God’s King has come, and his name is Jesus of Nazareth.
In fact, in Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah had prophesied of God’s great king coming to his people, writing, “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.” It was no mistake that Jesus was coming on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He was saying, “I am God’s King, coming to God’s people.”
So there is now a second reason Luke gives us for why Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to suffer, be killed, and be raised from the dead. It is because he is God’s King. That is to say, the means by which God was going to declare his Son his King is by allowing him to die for his sheep and then raising him from the dead. That’s why the parable is set alongside this event. Jesus wasn’t coming to Jerusalem because he was going to walk in and be king; he was coming to Jerusalem because it was the means by which he was going to receive his right to reign, his right to be king over all the earth. This is why when Paul writes of Jesus humbling himself to the point of death he adds, “Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). It’s why Jesus declares after his resurrection, “Behold, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). To the one who was obedient to the point of dying at the hands of Gentiles in Jerusalem, God has given the right to reign over all things. By raising him from the dead God has declares, “This is my King who reigns over all.”
So now we see the real significance of this parable. If Jesus is God’s King who has ascended into heaven and will return to reign over all the earth, making a new heavens and new earth, then what does this mean for us? It means that we have been given responsibility in this time that he is away. We have been given life, abilities, gifts, talents, resources, everything we have so that when he returns he might see if we’ve been faithful in using it to glorify him, build up his church, and advance his kingdom. And if we have, then we will be given great responsibility on a new earth over which the Lord will reign forever. But if we are not, then even the responsibility we have been given in this world will be taken from us, for “to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (19:26).
For us as believers this is a reminder that Christ has come to save us and has left us with responsibility in his absence, until he comes to reign forever. Therefore, let us be faithful, and labor. Will our labors require risk? Of course they will, but they will mean eternal blessing. However, if you are scared and refuse to labor according to the gifts Christ has given, then you will be like the man who had his mina taken. In other words, this time is a time to prove ourselves faithful with little so that we might be faithful with much in an eternal world, in a new heavens and new earth. So, please, feel the weight of this and commit today to using everything you are and everything you have to honor the Lord, bless his people, and build up his kingdom. Use your life, time, and resources to seek out the lost, sharing the gospel so that others might believe. Let us express this commitment even as we come to the table.
What about those who do not believe? If you have not made Christ your Lord, then you are his enemy. And when he returns as King, your judgment will be horrendous. This judgment was pictured even in the ending of our text. As Jesus draws near the city so that he can see Jerusalem Luke tells us that he was weeping. But why? It’s because they did not see Jesus as God’s promised King. They had rejected him by not making him their Lord. Therefore, Jesus says, “Days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (19:43-44). He will return and judge his enemies, so today, repent of your sins before him, believe in him, and follow him as your Lord. Don’t put this off and face him as his enemy. Be saved today.
Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem to die and be raised? It’s because he came to save his people and reign as God’s King, and this was the means by which these things were accomplished. Therefore, as we come to the table, let us be thankful, and let us always remember the responsibility we have in light of these truths that Christ has come to gather his sheep, and one day will return as King, looking as how we’ve been responsible with our gifts in his absence. Amen.