Lent: Jesus' Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44 begins with this statement: “After Jesus said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem” (19:28). So what did Jesus just say? He just told the parable about “a man of noble birth” who “went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return” (Luke 19:11), and which ended with this statement: “But those enemies of mine who did not want to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me” (19:27). When the disciples heard these statements, coupled with the fact that they were entering Jerusalem, they probably thought that the time has come for Jesus to sweep away the Romans and reclaim His rightful throne as the Messiah as soon as they enter Jerusalem.

The disciples were even greatly delighted when Jesus called two of them, and said, “I am sending two of you ahead, OK?” (19:29c). The other disciples who were seeing this should have been further hyped up. They knew something really momentous was about to happen. The instruction given to them was very clear: “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” (19:30). The instruction that the colt has never been ridden points to the fact that it would be used for sacred reasons. For instance, the instruction to the Israelites was that the red heifer (a young female cow) to be used in ceremonies of cleansing was to be one that had never bore a yoke (Num 19:2; Deut 21:3). Another instance is the cart on which the ark of the covenant was to be carried had to be one which had been used for any other purpose (1 Sam 6:7). When the disciples heard Jesus’ instructions, their suspicion about Jesus as the Messiah who will start something awesome at the capital was further intensified.

Even the fact that they had to borrow the donkey was actually giving a political signal. This was just common practice. When a political figure is arriving at a town, they would often borrow a mount to ride. For the people, it was such a privilege to have their horses or animals be used by a king or a prince or a general or a famous teacher riding to town (see Gen 49:10-11). This is how we can understand the next verses: “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘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’” (19:31-34). And just like that, they obtained a colt. For the owner of the donkey, he was being given a rare privilege to have his animal ridden by an important person. Again, for the disciples, the fact the Jesus asked them to borrow a colt meant that Jesus thought of Himself as someone important riding into town.

If Jesus’ most immediate parable pointed to a king exercising authority and dominion, His command to secure an unridden donkey pointed to both a sacred task and a political statement. If we add the fact that they are now entering the royal capital city of Israel, we can understand how the disciples felt excited. Everything seemed to be in place. It was very clear to the disciples that Jesus was coming in to Jerusalem as the returning king.

Even the people were thinking precisely what the disciples were thinking. Their actions indicated that they saw Jesus as a royalty, and they welcomed Him as such: “They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road” (19:35-36). In other passages, “the people took palm branches” (John 12:13) “while others cut branches of trees and spread them on the road” (Matt 21:8). In Luke, the people “threw their cloaks” and “spread their cloaks on the road” (19:35-36). This spreading of cloaks was a Jewish custom of paying respect to royalty, something which their ancestors already did for King Jehu: “They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!” (2 Kings 9:12-13). So the people were conscious of the fact that Jesus was king entering Jerusalem. They were even shouting praises to Him as king:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38)

“Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13)

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matt 21:9)

The disciples, maybe walking alongside Jesus Christ, were really overjoyed. Their thoughts were being confirmed by the people. It was obvious that the people were thinking the same thing as them. Surely, this was a divine affirmation.

With all these festivities going on, Jesus’ reaction was quite extraordinary: “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it” (19:41). Why did Jesus weep? Amidst all the attention and praise He was receiving from the people, why was the first recorded reaction that of grief? The clue to the answer is found in 19:29, where Jesus is said to have passed by Bethpage and Bethany, places which literally meant “House of Unripe Figs” and “House of Many Figs.” It would seem as if He was going to Jerusalem to find out whether Jerusalem was either a house of unripe figs or a house of many figs. And when we read of Jesus finding a fig tree that does not even have a single fruit, Jerusalem is portrayed neither as a house of unripe figs nor a house of many figs, but a house of fruitless figs (Matt 21:18-19; Mark 11:13-14). Jesus wept because He found Jerusalem a fruitless city.

But also, Jesus was weeping because like His words to Peter, He found that the citizens of Israel did not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns (Mark 8:33). When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, what Jesus was thinking was different from what the disciples and the people were thinking. “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it,” and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’” (19:41-42).

Obviously, Jesus wept because He saw that Jerusalem was barren. But He was also grieved because the people of Israel were looking for peace. He knew that they felt oppressed. He knew that they were crying out for freedom. He knew their hearts’ desires. He knew that they wanted peace more than anything else. When they saw Jesus Christ, they saw a faint ray of light, that maybe the Messiah has come to bring peace. This was why they shouted: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (19:38).

But Jesus was grieved. In response to their shouts for peace, He said: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (19:42). At least the people and Jesus Christ were thinking about one same thing: peace. The difference was on how such a peace will be obtained for them. The Jews were looking for peace, but for them, true peace meant the overthrow of their political oppressors. They did not recognize that the path of peace is through self-less sacrifice, not revengeful rebellion. The peace the Jews envisioned was a peace obtained through shedding the blood of their enemies. They did not recognize that the path of peace is through the blood of the Lamb. The peace they were looking for is achieved through violence; the peace that Jesus brings is achieved through sacrifice. The peace the Jews wanted was the absence of external control. They did not recognize that the kingdom is about submission to the will of God.

What the disciples were thinking was different from what Jesus was thinking.

What the people were thinking was different from what Jesus was thinking.

The irony is that when the Prince of Peace went to Jerusalem, they opposed Him with violence. In the words of Jesus, they “did not recognize the time of God’s coming” to them (Luke 19:44). What Jesus did in Galilee and Samaria—healing the sick, setting people free from oppression (of demons), preaching the kingdom, and offering forgiveness—these are the same things that He wanted to do for the people of Jerusalem. But unfortunately, the people did not recognize the time of God’s coming in their midst. The people had their own agenda, and they were not willing to listen and obey God’s agenda. They preferred to follow their corrupted visions of salvation, so they were blind when God was acting in their midst.

The same is probably true about us. We have our own agenda. We have our own desires. We want to achieve these things and we want to use Jesus to attain them. But Jesus retaliates. He escapes our grasps. He moves in His own mysterious ways. But even in the midst of all these misunderstandings and misjudgments, God shows His lavish grace. He still brings peace to violent people.

He entered Jerusalem to bring peace, because it was peace that the people were looking for. Five days from now, we will celebrate Good Friday, when we will commemorate what He did to “reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Col 1:20). This is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for even though the people did not understand Him, and the people did not receive Him, and the people crucified Him, and yet in His love and mercy, He willingly went to the cross (Isa 53:7; Acts 8:32) so that through Him, we have peace with God (Rom 5:1). The number of people was quite astonishing. How did such a great number of people gather? John 12:17-18 explains: “The crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.”