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Click here for other messages in the series: The Road to Jerusalem
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Luke 19:28-40
INTRODUCTION: For the last four weeks we have been following Jesus and his disciples on the road to Jerusalem. After Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, instead of going straight to heaven he set us his face towards Jerusalem and resolutely set out towards the city. His disciples followed him as he walked the long road to the cross, preaching and teaching in the various towns along the way. It was on this day, what we call Palm Sunday, that he finally reached his goal. This is the week that he entered the city of Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world. But you would hardly know it from the amazing reception he received as he entered the city.
This scene in Jesus’ life is often called the Triumphal Entry. Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem accompanied by the waving of palm branches, the cheering of the crowds and great anticipation. If you were a visitor to Jerusalem on this day, unfamiliar with Jesus’ life and teachings, you would probably be wondering what this was all about. Well, let’s take a closer look at this passage and find out for ourselves.
I. Jesus presents himself as Messiah (verses 28-34)
The first thing we learn from this passage is that at the triumphal entry Jesus presented himself as Messiah. The Messiah was the coming Deliverer that God had promised to the Jewish people many years before. The entire Old Testament looked forward to the coming of Messiah, and Messianic expectation ran high among the Jewish people of Jesus’ day. Jewish history was a long sequence of freedom and captivity to other nations. The Jewish people were currently under Roman rule and longed to be free again. They believed that when Messiah came, he would deliver them from the Romans and set them free.
This was also a significant week in the Jewish calendar. This was Passover week when the Jewish people celebrated God’s miraculous deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians under the leadership of Moses. Crowds of traveling pilgrims traveled to the holy city of Jerusalem for this annual event. Religious fervor and zeal was high. Part of the Messianic hope was that God would send another one like Moses to deliver his people. And now here comes Jesus, a prophet widely known for his miracles and teaching, walking the road to Jerusalem along with his disciples and a growing crowd of fellow pilgrims.
There was already wide conjecture that Jesus might be the Messiah. Jesus had already told his disciples that he was. Now as he prepares to enter Jerusalem at the beginning of this holy week, Jesus presents himself as Messiah to all the people of Jerusalem.
Look at verse 28 with me: “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” (Luke 19:28) Verse 28 begins with the words, “After Jesus had said this.” Luke is referring back to the parable of the ten minas that we looked at last week. In that parable Jesus told the story of a nobleman who went to a distant land to be made king and then later returned. In the meantime his servants were to work and to serve until he came back.
Luke says that Jesus told that parable “because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.” (Luke 19:11) Jesus knew that he was about to present himself as Messiah, and before he did so, he wanted to communicate that the kingdom of God was not going to come in its fullness at this time, but after he ascended to heaven and then returned.
A. The Mount of Olives (28-29)
How did Jesus present himself as Messiah? There are three details of particular significance in these next verses. The first is the mention of the Mount of Olives. Look at verse 29: “As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ahead.” (Luke 19:29)
The Mount of Olives was more than just a geographical marker. The Mount of Olives had Messianic implications. When Ezekiel in the Old Testament prophesied to the Jewish exiles who were held captive in Babylon, he prophesied about the restoration of Israel to the land even as he beheld in a vision the glory of the Lord departing from the temple and then from Jerusalem. We read in Ezekiel 11:23: “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.” (Ezekiel 11:23) This was the Mount of Olives. It marked the departure of God’s glory from Jerusalem. Later in Ezekiel’s vision he sees the glory of the Lord returning to Jerusalem from the east (Ezekiel 43:1), implying that God’s glory would re-enter Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives even as it had left.
Zechariah was another Old Testament prophet. He prophesied to the group of exiles who returned to Jerusalem after the exile was over and encouraged them in the rebuilding of the temple. In the final chapter of his vision he foretells the Day of the Lord when the Lord will return to fight for his people. We read in Zechariah 14:4: “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.” (Zechariah 14:4)
And so the people expected that when Messiah came to deliver them, he would come from the Mount of Olives. It was no accident that Jesus began his entry into Jerusalem from the east at this very location. He was intentionally, deliberately presenting himself as Messiah.
B. The tethered colt (30)
A second detail of significance is the tethered colt. Look at verse 30: He sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.” (Luke 19:30)
There are two things important about this colt. The first thing is that it was tied up. Now that may not seem significant to us at first, but it would have had significance to the Jewish people of Jesus’ day, steeped in the Old Testament scriptures and fervently waiting for Messiah.
You might wonder, “What does a tethered colt have to do with the Messiah?” Well, one of the earliest prophesies about Messiah comes in the book of Genesis in chapter 49. Jacob was an old man and dying, and he gathered his sons around him and prophesied about each one and their descendants. Of particular interest is his prophecy about Judah. King David came from the line of Judah, and later Old Testament prophecy made it clear that the Messiah would also come from Judah in the line of David. We read in Genesis 49:
“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.” (Genesis 49:10-11)
For the Jewish person meditating on Messiah, the tethered colt would evoke associations with this prophecy in Genesis and further their association of Jesus with Messiah.
The fact that the donkey had never been ridden was also significant. Animals that were meant for sacred or royal use were not used for ordinary tasks but set apart for their greater purpose. This young donkey that had never been ridden had been set apart by God for the sacred and royal task of carrying the Messiah into the holy city on this first Palm Sunday.
C. The name “Lord” (31-34)
There is a third way that Jesus presents himself as Messiah in this passage and that is through his use of the name “Lord.” Look at verses 31-34. He told his disciples whom he sent on ahead: “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” (Luke 19:31-34)
The word “Lord” had several meanings in Jesus’ day. It could refer to God, or to a master, or even just to the owner of something. In fact when Jesus first instructs his disciples to say, “The Lord needs it,” the meaning could have been as simple as saying, “His owner needs it.” Luke is careful to point out, though, that the donkey’s actual owners are the ones who ask the disciples why they are untying the colt. The word “Lord” then takes on a deeper meaning, when they reply to the owners, “The Lord needs it.”
The name “Lord” was a messianic title. Psalm 110 is a messianic psalm. It begins with these words: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” (Psalm 110:1) After Jesus enters Jerusalem, he will use this very verse to engage the Pharisees concerning the title of “Lord” as it applies to the person of the Messiah. (Luke 20:41-44) Jesus often used the word “Lord” for himself and freely accepted that title from the lips of others. And here at the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, it was just another way that he presented himself as Messiah.
II. The people proclaim Jesus as Messiah (verses 35-38)
Jesus not only presented himself as Messiah at the Triumphal Entry. The people also proclaimed Jesus as Messiah. We see this in a number of ways.
A. The entry on the donkey (35)
First of all, Jesus’ entry on the donkey is highly significant. Look at verse 35: “They brought it [the donkey] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.” (Luke 19:35) Notice that the disciples put Jesus on the donkey. Jesus sent them to get the donkey for this purpose, but they put him on the donkey themselves for his entry into the city.
So why is Jesus riding on the donkey important? First of all, by placing Jesus on the donkey for his entry into the city, the people were proclaiming him as king. Now not everyone who rode a donkey into town would be considered a king. But being placed on the donkey and riding into town in a celebratory processional such as this was an unmistakable sign of kingship.
For example, in the Old Testament when David proclaimed his son Solomon king, we find a very similar scenario. We read that they “put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.” (1 Kings 1:38-40)
Secondly, it is significant that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey rather than a horse. The horse was a military animal, and when the king rode into the city on a horse, it signaled military victory. The donkey was used for civil ceremonies and peaceful occasions. By choosing a donkey rather than a horse, Jesus showed that he was coming in peace. This should have been a sign to the crowd and the disciples that he was not entering Jerusalem to overthrow the Roman government at this time.
Thirdly, the donkey figured prominently in one of the Messianic prophecies of Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) In these verses Zechariah directly prophesied Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but the gospels tell us: “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.” (John 12:16)
And so Jesus’ entry on the donkey was highly significant. By placing him on the donkey and processing before him into the city of Jerusalem, the people were proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and king.
B. The spreading of the cloaks (36)
The spreading of the cloaks was also significant. Going back to Luke 19 we read: “They threw their cloaks on the colt … and as he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.” (Luke 19:35-36) It is interesting; Luke does not mention the palm branches at all, just the spreading of the cloaks. In fact, Luke is the only gospel that does not mention the branches. So here we are on Palm Sunday, and we are reading the only gospel that doesn’t even mention the palm branches! The palm branches were used in celebrations. They were also used as symbols of military victory, which shows that the people still thought that Jesus was coming to deliver them from Rome.
So what did the spreading of the cloaks signify? The spreading of the cloaks was a sign of respect for the king. We read in the Old Testament that when Elisha the prophet anointed Jehu as king, the people “hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’” (2 Kings 9:13) The symbolism of spreading your cloaks under the feet of the king was that of submission. It indicated your willingness to bow before the king and yield the right of your possessions to him and his rule. This was yet another way that the crowds proclaimed Jesus as Messiah and king.
C. The praises of the people (37-38)
And then thirdly, there are the actual praises the people sang as Jesus entered Jerusalem. We read in verses 37-38: “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices 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!’” (Luke 19:37-38)
The whole crowd joins in this chorus of praise in loud voices of celebration and joy. The first phrase comes from Psalm 118, which reads in part: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 118:24-26) Notice how they have changed this slightly to say, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38)
The second phrase is reminiscent of the song the angels sang at Christ’s birth. Look at these verses next to each other:
- The angels’ song at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
- The people’s declaration at his entry into Jerusalem: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
The main difference is the change in phrasing from “peace on earth” to “peace in heaven.” Did the people even realize the significance of what they were saying? Probably not. But God in his sovereignty knew that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem would result in his dying on the cross for sin. And Jesus’ sacrificial death would bring peace in heaven between God and man for all who would put their faith in Christ. The praises of the people was the third way that the people proclaimed Jesus as Messiah as he entered Jerusalem.
III. Jesus accepts their praise of him as Messiah (verses 39-40)
Jesus presented himself as Messiah at his triumphal entry. The people proclaimed him as Messiah. And finally, Jesus accepted their praise of him as Messiah.
A. The objection of the Pharisees (39)
Not everyone along the road to Jerusalem was happy about Jesus’ triumphal entry. Look at verse 39: “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’” (Luke 19:39) The Pharisees knew what was happening. They saw Jesus coming into the city from the east. They saw him riding on the donkey as the people waved their palm branches and laid their cloaks on the rode before him. They heard the people praising God and proclaiming Jesus as king just as he passed by the Mount of Olives. They understood the implications of all these things. The people were proclaiming Jesus as Messiah. And so they tell Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
B. Jesus’ affirmation of the people’s praise (40)
And you know what? Any good teacher who was not the Messiah would have rebuked the disciples right then and there. But Jesus did not rebuke them, because he was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In fact, instead of rebuking them, he actually affirmed the people’s praise. “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
I love that phrase. It is wonderfully ambiguous, and yet at the same time such a clear affirmation that Jesus accepted the people’s praise of him as Messiah. What did Jesus mean that the stones would cry out?
- One interpretation is that Jesus is saying it is just as impossible for the disciples to keep quiet as it would be for the stones to cry out. The Messiah is here. How can they not rejoice?
- A second interpretation would be that Jesus is worthy of praise, and if we do not give it to him, God will find some other means, even if it means making the stones cry out his praises instead.
- A third interpretation sees the stones crying out not in praise but rather in judgment of those who do evil. We find parallels to this in the Old Testament, for example in Habakkuk 2 where we read: “The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. ‘Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime!’” (Habakkuk 2:11-12) In this interpretation the stones would be crying out in condemnation of either the disciples who withhold their praises or perhaps the Pharisees who seek to silence them.
I like the second of these interpretations best, that if the disciples remain silent, the stones will cry out the praises of Jesus instead. But whichever Jesus meant, it is clear that he affirms the peoples’ praises over the Pharisees’ objections. Jesus presents himself as Messiah. The people proclaim him as Messiah. And Jesus accepts their praise.
CONCLUSION: What does Jesus’ triumphal entry mean to us today? Let me leave you with three words of application.
1) Believe that Jesus is the Messiah. What the people proclaimed about Jesus on that first Palm Sunday, I now proclaim to you. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. He is the Savior. He came in fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies. He came not to deliver Israel from the power of Rome, as the Jewish people thought. He came to deliver all people everywhere from the power of sin. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
2) Serve him as King. As Messiah, Jesus is not only Savior, but Lord. He is the king of the universe who entered Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday, “righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) The people spread their cloaks beneath Jesus’ feet as a sign of their submission. Will you bow your knee to Christ? Will you submit to him as Lord and serve him as your king? When Jesus comes back from heaven, he will not be riding a donkey in peace. He will be riding a white horse of victory as he comes in battle to defeat his enemies. He will strike down the nations with the sharp sword that comes out of his mouth. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:11-18)
3) Proclaim his praises. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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 2:7-11) Jesus is worthy of all praise. If we do not praise him, the very rocks will cry out.
Believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Serve him as King. Proclaim his praises.
© Ray Fowler
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