What does Luke Chapter 19 mean?
Luke 19 contains the end of Jesus’ traveling ministry and the beginning of what some scholars refer to as “the presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem.” The so-called “travelogue to Jerusalem” began in Luke 9:51 and ends in Luke 19:27. It covers a long collection of narrative, miracles, and parables giving the foundation for understanding the kingdom of God. In Luke 19:28—21:38, through a series of confrontations and discussions, Jesus will give Jewish religious leaders one last opportunity to accept Him as their Messiah.
Luke 19:1–10 is the famous story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. As Jesus is traveling through the area around Jericho, an especially short man hears that He is coming. To see over the crowd, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree. Jesus notices him and invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house. Zacchaeus is honored and by the end of the evening, he has repented of his sins. As a result, he promises to give half of all he owns to the poor and repay his theft victims four times over. Jesus declares that “salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
In Luke 19:11–27, Jesus tells the parable of the ten minas. He and His disciples are approaching Jerusalem. His followers still think the kingdom of God is coming soon. Jesus tells a story about how they need to be faithful with what He will entrust them. He is like a nobleman who will leave to receive a kingdom. They will not know when He will return. Those who are diligent to use His gifts well will receive great honor when He returns. Those who don’t prove they don’t really follow Him; they will be destroyed. The parable is like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30.
Luke 19:28–40 records the triumphal entry. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, as would a peaceful traveler, rather than on a warhorse like a conquering king (1 Kings 1:33; Zechariah 9:9–10). The people around Him cry out the traditional praises to God given when climbing the hill to the temple for Passover. The Pharisees understand what is happening and rebuke Jesus for letting His disciples carry on in such a manner. Jesus tells them that if they were silent, the rocks would cry out. Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–10, and John 12:12–15 also cover the triumphal entry.
In Luke 19:41–44, as Jesus looks upon Jerusalem and the temple Mount, He is overcome by what will happen. The Jewish religious and civil leaders will reject Him, their Messiah, bringing a spiritual destruction upon the nation. Then, about forty years later, the city itself will be destroyed by the Roman army. The thought of all that loss brings Him to tears.
In Luke 19:45–46, Jesus sees merchants have filled the Court of the Gentiles around the temple. Some are selling animals and other items traveling Jews must buy for their sacrifices; others are money changers for those who need to pay the temple tax. What Jesus sees is apparently upsetting: the temple grounds are being used for crass commercialism and sincere pilgrims are being taken advantage of. Jesus drives all the businessmen out. Matthew 21:12–13 and Mark 11:15–19 also record Jesus cleansing the temple. John 2:13–22 is similar but probably records an event early in Jesus’ public ministry. It might even be that Jesus evicted the same general group of men twice on two separate occasions.
Luke 19:47–48 is a synopsis of how Jesus will spend the week. He will go to the temple and teach everyone willing to listen. As His popularity grows, the Sadducees, chief priests, and city elders will grow increasingly concerned. They conspire to destroy Him. First, however, they need to get Him away from the people.
Luke 20 contains some of the discussions Jesus has on the Temple Mount during this week. In Luke 21, He warns the disciples of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, the persecution they will face, and His eventual return. Luke 22–24 covers the Last Supper; Jesus’ arrest, trials, crucifixion, and resurrection; and some of the reunions He shares with those who love Him. From there, Luke continues the story of the church in the book of Acts.
Chapter Context
Luke 19 finishes the “travelogue of Christ to Jerusalem” and introduces His first actions there (Luke 9:51—19:27). This long passage semi-chronologically records Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and the theological reasons why He must go to the cross. It finishes here, in this chapter, with Jesus meeting Zacchaeus and the parable of the ten minas. The chapter continues with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as its king—the triumphal entry. Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, its rejection of their Messiah, and its coming destruction in AD 70. He also cleanses the temple and teaches there. In the next segments, Luke covers the last hours of Jesus’ earthly life (Luke 22—23) as well as Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24).
Verse by Verse
Verse 1. He entered Jericho and was passing through.
Jesus and a crowd of His disciples are passing through Jericho, east of Jerusalem, on their way to celebrate the Passover. “Jericho” consists of a city and a set of ruins. The ruins are what’s left of the original city which God destroyed when Joshua and the Israelites marched around it (Joshua 6). The city was rebuilt hundreds of years later (1 Kings 16:34).
This short section (Luke 18:35—19:27) contains three powerful stories. In the first, Jesus completely changes a man’s life by restoring his eyesight. The man started his day as a beggar on the side of the road; now his future is wide open (Luke 18:35–43).
Here, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector: a Jewish man who supervises payments from other Jews to the occupying Romans. Men in this position were generally hated by their fellow Israelites; the fact that many were corrupt and deliberately overcharged for their own benefit made this reputation even worse. Yet Zacchaeus is eager to repent, including whatever greed and theft he might have committed. Jesus gives him just a little attention and he readily gives half his possessions to the poor and compensates his victims fourfold in keeping with the Mosaic law (Luke 19:8–10; Exodus 22:1).
Jesus’ disciples have just seen two impressive restorations: sight to the blind and godliness to a fallen Jewish man. It’s no wonder the disciples are more convinced than ever that Jesus is going to Jerusalem to take His rightful place as king. But Jesus responds that there’s much more to do. He is leaving soon, but He is entrusting His followers with His business. Their faithfulness with His charge will reveal their faithfulness to Him. When He returns, they will be rewarded—or punished—accordingly (Luke 19:11–27).
Context Summary
Luke 19:1–10 continues a pattern of stories which begin with a miracle and record Jesus teaching about the kingdom of God. Jesus has already healed blind Bartimaeus in the twin cities of Jericho (Luke 18:35–43). Now, He calls down Zacchaeus from a tree. The diminutive tax collector proves hungry for a chance to repent and follow Christ. The next, final story of the “travelogue to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51—19:27) is the parable of the ten minas: an illustration of faithful living despite Jesus’ imminent departure (Luke 19:11–27).
Verse 2. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
Jesus is walking through Jericho; the region consists of the ruins of the original site (Joshua 6) as well as the rebuilt city (1 Kings 16:34). He has just healed a beggar who, despite his blind eyes, recognized Jesus as the Son of David: the rightful king of the Jews (Luke 18:35–43).
Now, Jesus meets Zacchaeus. Jesus has met tax collectors before. In fact, He’s infamous among His self-righteous critics for eating with them. His disciple Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector (Luke 5:27–31). When the Pharisees rebuke Jesus, He points out, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
Zacchaeus is a “chief” tax collector, or “publican” as translated in the KJV. He had made bids to collect revenue for the Romans, then hired other men (Luke 18:13) to go into the community and get the money. “Chief” may mean he held a high rank or the term may refer to his great wealth, which he accumulated by adding his commission onto what his contractors took from the people.
Zacchaeus doesn’t seem to know Jesus, but he is very curious. He may have heard from other tax collectors about this teacher who associates with people on the margin, especially people like him: Jews who do not devoutly follow God. He works with pagan Romans, which means he was frequently ceremonially unclean. He takes money from Jews for their occupiers and extorts more for himself, making him a traitor to his people. Whatever he is hoping to find from Jesus, he receives much more.
Verse 3. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
“Jericho” refers to an area near to both ruins of a conquest (Joshua 6) and an existing city (1 Kings 16:34). Jesus is walking through this territory (Luke 19:1). He’s surrounded by a crowd of His disciples, bystanders, and others traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover. A chief tax collector named Zacchaeus has heard that Jesus is nearby (Luke 19:2).
Luke’s writing often hinges on contrasts and comparisons. Zacchaeus has a significant role in society: he is powerful and he is rich. He bids to collect revenue for the Roman government and adds a healthy fee on top for himself. But he is physically small, inverting his social stature. At the same time, Luke positions this story adjacent to the story of the blind beggar (Luke 18:35–43). In the same area, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46–52) heard a crowd and asked what was happening. The crowd told him Jesus was coming through. Like Zacchaeus, Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus but presumably had never met Him.
The comparisons continue. The blind man cried out, yelling until Jesus heard and called him to approach. Zacchaeus climbs a tree so he can rather passively watch, but Jesus calls him down. The crowd attempted to silence the blind man so Jesus couldn’t hear him. Some in this crowd—possibly Zacchaeus’ victims—criticize Jesus for associating with a tax collector. Jesus restored physical sight to the blind man. Zacchaeus receives spiritual sight and repents. The blind man used his newfound sight to follow Jesus. Zacchaeus uses his to pay recompense to his victims (Luke 19:4–8).
Verse 4. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
Zacchaeus is a Jewish man who works for the Romans. He’s around the Jericho area and has heard the man named Jesus is nearby. Unfortunately, he’s quite short (Luke 19:1–3). He can’t see above the crowd. So, he climbs a tree. This not only indicates how small he must have been, but it also speaks to his commitment. Especially since he was already hated, as a tax collector, he was probably mocked for needing to do something undignified just to see over other people.
We don’t know what Zacchaeus has heard about Jesus or why he’s so interested. Since early in Jesus’ public ministry, He has allowed no confusion about how He feels about tax collectors: He loves them. Levi, also known as Matthew), one of Jesus’ first disciples, was a tax collector. When Levi invited Him to his home for a feast, Jesus gladly went and even more gladly interacted with Levi’s friends. The Pharisees grumbled about Jesus eating with “tax collectors and sinners,” but Jesus merely responded that He had come for the lost, the sinners who needed to repent (Luke 5:27–32).
It’s easier for those who live under society’s condemnation to see their need to repent, as compared to someone who thinks they obey the law flawlessly. This was the moral of Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). The two men go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee is arrogant and self-aggrandizing; the tax collector is contrite and repentant. Both got what they wanted: the Pharisee got attention from the people around him, and the tax collector received God’s forgiveness.
At this point in the story, we don’t know Zacchaeus’ motives. Perhaps he is actively looking for Jesus so he can learn to repent. Or he may just be curious. Jesus doesn’t ask. He calls Zacchaeus down and invites Himself to the man’s home, and Zacchaeus joyfully responds (Luke 19:5–8).
Sycamores, related to “fig-mulberries,” grow extremely tall and have good branches for climbing. The word used here is related to those applied in the New Testament to similar plants (Luke 17:6).
Verse 5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
By placing the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–4) right after the story of the blind beggar, Luke shows how the two are strikingly similar, despite their social disparity (Luke 18:35–43; 19:6–10):
Both are social outcasts. People in Jesus’ era often believed handicaps such as blindness were God’s punishment for sin (John 9:2). The people also hated tax collectors.
Both men require other people’s money. The blind man begged for alms. Zacchaeus, as a tax collector, took taxes with the authority of the Roman government—and then took more for his own commission.
Neither man can see Jesus: the blind man had to shout for Jesus’ attention and Zacchaeus needed to climb a tree.
Jesus called both men to Him.
Both men face opposition. the crowd tried to shush the blind man so Jesus wouldn’t hear him. A different crowd doesn’t believe a tax collector has the right to host a revered teacher.
Jesus opens both their eyes. The blind man can now see physically. Zacchaeus gains the ability to recognize his fallen spiritual state.
Both men react appropriately. The blind man follows Jesus. Zacchaeus returns the money he stole, with generous compensation of his own.
The text doesn’t explain how Jesus knows Zacchaeus’ name. It’s possible this was something perceived through the Holy Spirit. Maybe Jesus had heard of the unusually small tax collector of Jericho. Or the name may have come up from the crowd or others as Jesus passed by. Jesus says He “must” stay with Zacchaeus; it is a necessity. Jesus’ request is bold to Western eyes, but as is common in the Middle East, Zacchaeus is honored to host.
Verse 6. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector. He’s a contractor for the Roman government. He hires others to collect the people’s taxes, adding on a hefty fee for himself. He’s an extraordinarily rich man, but his job has made him very unpopular to other Jews, partly because he steals from his own people and partly because of his proximity to the occupying force (Luke 19:1–2).
We don’t know if he’s from Jericho, if he’s traveling through Jericho to go to Jerusalem for the Passover, or if he’s just visiting, but he’s in the Jericho area and learns that the teacher named Jesus is nearby. He’s never met Jesus, but he’s heard of Him. Unfortunately, he’s so short he can’t see over the crowd. So, he climbs a sycamore tree (Luke 19:3–4).
To his shock, Jesus sees him. Then Jesus demands that he come down at once and host Him (Luke 19:5). Zacchaeus can’t get down the tree fast enough! He’s absolutely overjoyed to be chosen to host this revered teacher.
In the Middle Eastern culture, it is a great honor to have guests in one’s home. For Zacchaeus, there’s probably something more. He may know that one of Jesus’ disciples, Matthew, was once a tax collector. Or that Jesus frequently visits the homes of tax collectors and feasts with their less-than-respectable friends. Jesus’ kindness and presence in his home compels him into joyful repentance (Romans 2:4). He repays what he has unlawfully taken, adding the maximum fine given by the Mosaic law. Jesus affirms that salvation has come to Zacchaeus and calls him a son of Abraham (Luke 19:8–10).
Verse 7. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Jesus is traveling through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, to eventually face the cross. He notices a small man in a sycamore tree on the side of the road (Luke 19:1–5). Whether through divine inspiration or the man’s own notoriety, Jesus knows this is Zacchaeus, a rich chief tax collector.
Jews in this time despised tax collectors, perhaps especially those who were also Jewish. It was bad enough when Jews collected money from their fellow Israelites—including a fee for themselves—on behalf of the hated Romans. Zacchaeus is worse. He’s the man who contracts out those local tax collectors. He made a bid, promising to collect more revenue for the Roman government than the other bidders. And he adds his own commission onto what his contractors must collect. Not only does he use the authority of the Roman government to make himself rich at the expense of his countrymen, but that role means he interacts with Gentiles, making him ceremonially unclean.
When Jesus calls Zacchaeus out of the tree and demands to stay with him (Luke 19:5–6), the crowd is watching and they’re horrified. Jesus claims to be a teacher of God. His miracles and His teaching have made the crowd think He’s their champion against the hardships and injustices in their difficult lives. How could He betray them by dining with someone they believe is so clearly far from God and who makes their lives more difficult?
They should know Jesus has a soft spot for tax collectors. One of His first disciples, Levi (Matthew), used to be one. Jesus met many of Levi’s friends, despite the Pharisees’ warnings (Luke 5:27–30). Jesus clearly explained His goal, saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31).
Not long before, the crowd tried to keep a blind beggar from Jesus’ attention. When Jesus called to him, anyway, and healed him, the crowd rejoiced, giving praise to God (Luke 18:35–43). It doesn’t appear they have the same grace towards Zacchaeus when “salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
Verse 8. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
Later, the apostle Paul will write, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). This certainly seems to be the case with Jesus and tax collectors. Since the beginning of His ministry, Jesus has shown kindness and grace to tax collectors, who were hated in that era. Enough of these men have responded with humble repentance that Jesus made a parable comparing them to the self-righteous Pharisees (Luke 5:27–32; 18:9–14).
Zacchaeus is a tax collector who takes money from other Jews for himself and the Roman government. He works for the Gentile occupiers and uses their authority to get rich off the money of his fellow Jews. His association with the Romans has made him unclean ceremonially and socially, and the crowd can’t figure out why Jesus wants anything to do with him (Luke 19:1–7).
We don’t know what kind of conversation Jesus and Zacchaeus had before this point, but it was powerful. Zacchaeus wholeheartedly repents of his sin. He not only offers to pay people back, but he also adds a fee equivalent to the strongest penalty found in the Mosaic law, one reserved for someone who stole an animal and didn’t return it either because he sold the animal or it died (Exodus 22:1). And he promises to give half his possessions to the poor.
Zacchaeus is the foil for the rich young ruler who longed for eternal life but not at the expense of his worldly comfort (Luke 18:18–23). And he is a spiritual cousin to the blind beggar whose desire to meet Jesus resulted in life-changing sight (Luke 18:35–43).
Jesus is days from His experience on the cross. But even with such a short time to live, He seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10).
Verse 9. And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
This is a beautiful restoration. Jesus is in the home of the Jewish tax collector, Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus chose money over God-worship; he chose the Romans over his own people (Luke 19:1–4). A short time with Jesus, however, has brought him back (Luke 19:5–7). He has repented of his sin and promises to give back the money he has taken unjustly, including the most severe fee included under the Mosaic law (Luke 19:8–9; Exodus 22:1).
Jesus has restored him as a son of Abraham (Romans 2:28–29). God made a covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation and bless the nations of the world (Genesis 12:1–3). To be identified with Abraham is to be a true Jew. But some Jews had betrayed that identity.
When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he cried out, “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:9–10). Descendancy from Abraham doesn’t make someone a true child of Abraham.
Later, Paul will deal with legalistic Jewish Christians who want Gentile Christians to follow the Jewish law as well, particularly circumcision. Paul points out that God gave Abraham His covenant before Abraham was circumcised. It isn’t circumcision that makes someone a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:7–9).
Zacchaeus learns that to be a child of Abraham means to follow his example. “Abraham, ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’” (Galatians 3:6). As John the Baptist said, it is those who “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Zacchaeus fits that description.
Jesus publicly affirms Zacchaeus’ position before God, as He often does when restoring someone (Luke 8:44–48; 13:10–16; 18:40–42). The crowd may grumble that Zacchaeus doesn’t deserve such grace (Luke 19:7), but “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Verse 10. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus is walking through Jericho when He sees a small man in a sycamore tree, peering at Him over the heads of the large crowd. Jesus calls the man down and tells him, “I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). The man hurries down, delighted to host Jesus (Luke 19:1–6). The man is a tax collector named Zacchaeus. He works for the Roman government taking money from the Jews to fund their occupation. In addition, he adds a hefty fee for himself. He has betrayed his countrymen on several different levels.
When he meets Jesus, however, everything changes. He repents of his extortion and proves it by returning what he has taken unjustly—with substantial interest. Jesus declares he is restored as a child of Abraham (Luke 19:7–9).
This statement is especially poignant considering the situation. Directly following, Luke records the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). He begins, “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11).
Only recently, James, John, and their mother asked Jesus to give the sons favored positions in His kingly court. This, directly after Jesus told the disciples—again—that when they reach Jerusalem, the chief priests and scribes will betray Him and have Him crucified (Matthew 20:17–23). The other disciples heard and were angry at James and John. Jesus told the entire group, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Here, Jesus repeats the sentiment with a slightly different emphasis. He hasn’t come to be king—yet. He has come to save the lost, like Zacchaeus. The triumphal entry will be a glorious and appropriate reaction to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28–40), but during the rest of that week, the Jewish leaders will reject Him as their Messiah and crucify Him.
Christ’s kingdom is coming, but His disciples need to be patient and faithful. He will give them significant responsibilities. Their faithfulness with those responsibilities will reflect their faith in Him and determine their positions in His future kingdom (Luke 19:11–27).
Verse 11. As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
This is the last story before Jesus enters Jerusalem on His way to face crucifixion. He is traveling from the east, from Jericho. He has just brought physical sight to a blind man and spiritual sight to a tax collector (Luke 18:35–43; 19:1–10). Crowds surround Him, including a great many of His disciples who think He is going to establish His kingdom and drive out the Romans. The Twelve think He is going to install them as princes.
Jesus tells the parable of the ten minas to prepare them for what’s really going to happen (Luke 19:11–27). To rule the kingdom, He can’t take it; He must receive it. It will take time before He returns to assume His place as King. Until then, the members of the crowd need to figure out what they believe and if they’re willing to commit to that belief.
This is remarkably like the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). In both cases, a man goes on a journey and entrusts servants with his resources. When the man returns, he rewards or punishes the servants depending on how well they served him.
Yet, there are important differences. In the parable of the talents, the servants receive different amounts of money; this represents their different abilities, time, and spiritual gifts. Here, they all receive the same amount of money, representing the one thing all Jesus’ followers share equally: the gospel. Another difference is that in this parable, the servants face resistance (Luke 19:14). There’s a faction within the land that does not want the nobleman to return as king. This isn’t just an issue of faithfulness, stewardship, and responsibility. The servants will have to keep a great deal of loyalty to continue to publicly serve a master who is so opposed.
Context Summary
Luke 19:11–27 is the final passage of a series of stories about the kingdom of God. In a parable, Jesus explains that He cannot take the kingdom now; He must leave to receive it. His followers will be those who have understanding about His kingship: the gospel. Those who faithfully spread that message will be greatly rewarded. Those who plot against Him will be destroyed. This parable is about responsibility with the gospel; the similar parable of the talents is about responsibility with resources like time and spiritual gifts (Matthew 25:14–30). Next comes the triumphal entry (Luke 19:28–44).
Verse 12. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem for the Passover and, afterwards, the cross. Adoring crowds surround Him. He has given sight to a blind man (Luke 18:35–43) and brought a tax collector to repentance (Luke 19:1–10). Around this time, He also raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11).
No one seems to grasp the coming timeline, except perhaps Mary of Bethany (John 12:1–8). Jesus will not march into Jerusalem to capture it; He will allow the leaders to kill Him. This must happen if He is to receive—not take—the kingdom. He will then ascend to heaven and return when “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25).
Jesus has spent three years teaching and preparing people to understand that He is the Messiah. When He rises from the dead, they will have no excuse. They need to decide what to do with that understanding in the face of His absence and those who oppose Him (Luke 19:14). Will they accept Him as King and expand His kingdom or reject Him and rebel against His reign?
Jesus isn’t vague about the repercussions of their choice. When He returns, He will conquer evil, take His throne, and rule justly. He will reward His servants based on their faithfulness. And He will send His enemies to eternal torment (Revelation 20:11–15).
That Jesus receives His kingdom when He ascends to the Father is expressed by the theological concept of “now and not yet.” Jesus’ birth inaugurated the kingdom of God. His death and resurrection assured it. In heaven, He does reign. But the culmination of His reign and the kingdom of God will occur at the end of the tribulation when He defeats Satan’s and the Antichrist’s forces and takes the throne in Jerusalem.
Verse 13. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’
This parable warns the surrounding crowd that their expectations are premature. They think they are marching on Jerusalem to establish Jesus’ kingdom. He’s telling them there will be a delay. He will first have to leave, and they have a decision to make before He returns.
In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27), a nobleman must leave to receive a kingship from a higher authority. He selects ten servants and gives each of them a single mina, telling them to invest them wisely until his return; he expects them to make a profit. A mina is about the equivalent of four months of a laborers’ wages.
Most of the servants do well. At least one makes ten minas from the one, and another makes five. They are given ten and five cities to rule, accordingly. One servant hides the mina, afraid that if he loses his capital, the nobleman will be angry. The nobleman is angry, anyway, that he didn’t at least put it in the bank and make interest (Luke 19:16–23).
Unlike the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), each servant receives the same amount: one mina. In a similar way, each member of the crowd has received the same treasure: all the proof they need that Jesus is the Messiah and the King of the Jews. His resurrection will confirm it. But will they be faithful with that information? Will they accept Him as their King and build His kingdom during His absence?
Verse 14. But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
Jesus is telling the parable of the ten minas to prepare a crowd for His absence between His ascension and His second coming (Luke 19:11–27). He compares Himself to a nobleman who must go away to be granted kingship of the territory. The nobleman entrusts ten servants with one mina each and charges them to invest it well in his name. Then he leaves.
Unlike the similar parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), this nobleman is opposed. There are many who do not want him to be king. His enemies send a delegation to try to convince the emperor. Their plan doesn’t work. The nobleman is installed as king, and when he returns, the rebellious ones are executed for treason.
In the same way, when Jesus returns to earth and the kingdom of God is fulfilled, those who rebelled against Him will have to bow their knee and confess He is Lord before they will get their wish and be removed from His presence forever (Philippians 2:9–11; Revelation 20:11–15).
The practice of appealing to a high authority about an unwanted ruler was common at the time. When Herod the Great died, his son Archelaus was meant to be king. Fifty Jews traveled to Caesar Augustus and convinced him to moderate Archelaus’ power. Instead of “king,” he became an “ethnarch.” After the time of Jesus, Pilate faced a similar problem. Because of his intense cruelty, Samaritans protested his appointment as governor of Syria. Pilate was called to Rome and possibly exiled to France.
Verse 15. When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.
In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27), Jesus compares Himself to a nobleman who must go away to be given a kingship. Before he leaves, the nobleman entrusts ten servants with a mina: a measure of money worth four months’ wages. He expects them to invest the money well and make a profit. The newly crowned king returns and calls his servants to account.
The parable of the ten minas is like the parable of the talents, with a few exceptions. One is that Jesus is speaking here to a crowd, not just His disciples. Another is that each servant here receives the same amount—one mina—not different amounts of money. That suggests that this parable is for disciples and those on the fringe, and that they all receive the same treasure.
There is one thing they have all received: proof that Jesus is the Messiah. When He rises from the dead, that proof will be incontrovertible. But then He will leave: He will ascend into heaven (Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:8–9). What will His listeners do then? Will they accept Him as their king and remain faithful to His charge to expand His kingdom—to symbolically invest their mina? Or will they rebel against His reign (Luke 19:14)?
Jesus spends four verses setting up the story and twelve judging the work of the servants. That’s going to make the following commentary very repetitive, but more importantly, it reveals the point Jesus is trying to make. His listeners need to be responsible with the knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah. They need to spread the gospel. When He returns, He will call them to account.
This responsibility highlights the theological concept that the kingdom of God and the kingship of Jesus is “now and not yet.” Jesus’ birth established the beginning of God’s kingdom on earth. When Jesus goes to the cross and rises again, God’s kingdom will be sure. The Son of God has broken into the world and done the work needed to save it. But the kingdom will not be fulfilled, and Jesus will not fully reign, until His second coming (Revelation 19:11–16). Until then, His servants need to be faithful to Him.
Verse 16. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’
A nobleman has had to leave his land to go to his sovereign and be crowned king. Before he left, he entrusted ten servants with one mina each, telling them to invest it wisely and make a profit. He has returned and calls his servants to report what they have accomplished (Luke 19:12–15).
The first servant made a ten-fold return on his investment. This is a significant accomplishment since many in the kingdom do not support the new king (Luke 19:14). Because of the servant’s faithfulness with the little he was given, the king grants him ten cities to rule (Luke 19:17).
In the parable of the ten minas, Jesus is explaining to a crowd that even though they are approaching Jerusalem, and even though He has been talking about the presence of the kingdom of God, He is not coming to take His kingdom, yet. He isn’t even crowned, yet. He can’t take the kingdom. First, He must carry the weight of the world’s sins on His shoulders as He is nailed to a cross. Then, He will go away and be crowned.
Until then, the people need to be responsible with the precious treasure they’ve been given: strong evidence that Jesus is their Messiah. Once He rises from the dead, that evidence will be proof. After His ascension and before His return, they need to be responsible with that information. They need to “invest” it by telling others and growing Jesus’ kingdom. Those who do will be handsomely rewarded. Those who don’t, who hide the treasure, prove they do not accept Him as their King.
Verse 17. And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
One day, a nobleman called ten of his servants before him. He gave each the equivalent of four-months’ wages and told them to invest it wisely, being sure to make a profit. He had to leave for a time, so he could be crowned king. But he would return and reward the servants according to their work (Luke 19:12–14).
The king has returned and calls his servants to report how they have done (Luke 19:15–16). The first servant approaches and shows he took that money, invested it, and made ten times as much as his investment. The king is delighted. Because the servant has shown faithfulness, loyalty, and industry, the king makes him the ruler of ten cities.
This is part of the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). The nobleman represents Jesus, and the servants are members in the crowd who are following Him. He must leave them—ascend to heaven (Acts 1:8–9)—to be crowned King. In the meantime, each person in the crowd is responsible to carefully handle what He has given them: proof that He is the Messiah. They are to “invest” that understanding by spreading it to others. When He returns to take His rightful place on the throne, He will reward each of His followers accordingly.
Paul talks about this later, applying the concept to the work of Jesus’ followers in building the church. Jesus is the foundation. Each person who builds well will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:10–15).
Verse 18. And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’
Jesus and a crowd of disciples are approaching Jerusalem for the Passover. He has spent a significant amount of time talking about the kingdom of God, how it has already come, and the place His disciples have in it. Right now, they’re headed to Jerusalem. The people think He is about to do something grand, like drive out the Romans. They don’t know He is marching to His death. Even after His resurrection, He will not claim the kingdom as they expect; He will return to His Father for a time. There’s going to be a wait, and they need to be ready.
So, He tells them the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). A nobleman gives ten servants the same amount of money. Then he leaves to be crowned king. When he returns, he calls on the servants to report how they have invested the money and what profit they have made.
The first servant is wildly successful. He took his one mina and made ten more. As a reward, the king gives him authority over ten cities. The second servant did very well, also. He made five more. Despite being less than the first servant, it’s still an incredible feat. The king gives him authority over five cities.
Each servant received the same amount—the same treasure. Each member of the crowd has also received the same treasure. They’ve seen or heard of Jesus healing the blind (Luke 18:35–43) and restoring the sinner (Luke 19:1–10). They’ve heard Him teach. Soon, they will hear of His resurrection. All these are proof that He is the Messiah come to reconcile them to God. They need to accept that truth and spread the good news. When He returns, He will reward each person according to that person’s faithfulness (1 Corinthians 3:10–15).
Verse 19. And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’
The parable of the ten minas is an allegory for how Jesus will reward His followers when His kingdom is established on earth (Luke 19:11–27). He describes Himself as a nobleman who must leave to be crowned king of the territory he rules. The nobleman gives ten servants one mina each and orders them to invest it wisely and make him a profit. Later, the newly crowned king returns to his kingdom and calls his servants. How did they fare?
The first does an incredible job, making ten minas. The king grants him ten cities to rule over. This second servant also does very well. He took the one mina and made five. The king gives him authority over five cities.
Jesus tells this parable because the crowd He’s surrounded by believes their march to Jerusalem for Passover will inaugurate Jesus’ kingdom: His reign over the Jews. They don’t understand He is marching toward His death on the cross, which is necessary for Him to be made King. Then He will have to leave for His coronation (Luke 24:50–53).
Until He returns, they need to take what He has given them—understanding that faith in Him saves—and invest it in other people. He’s more explicit right before He ascends to heaven:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Those who spread the gospel will be rewarded.
Verse 20. Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief;
In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27), a nobleman gives ten of his servants one mina each. This is equivalent to the income a laborer would make in four months. He then tells them he must leave to be crowned king. He expects his ten servants to carefully invest his money and make him a profit. When the king returns, the first servant presents his investment: the one mina has made ten minas more. The king gives him ten cities to rule. The second servant has made five minas with the one. The king gives him five cities to rule.
Now, the third servant steps up. He hasn’t made anything. This is not because he failed in a valiant effort; the man did nothing with the resources. He hid the mina instead of investing it. He knew his master was a phenomenally successful investor and would be angry if he failed. So, he didn’t try. The king is livid. The least the servant could have done is put the mina in a bank to earn interest. Because of the servant’s unfaithfulness, the king takes his one mina and gives it to the man who has proved the most responsible.
In the parable, Jesus is the king and the mina is the gospel: the truth that He is the Messiah and will bring reconciliation between people and God. For members of the crowd, the most immediate proofs are the healing of the blind beggar (Luke 18:35–43) and the radical repentance of a successful tax collector (Luke 19:1–10). In addition, at some point around the same time, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11).
This servant represents someone who has witnessed Jesus’ ministry and understands the truth but refuses to have faith. John describes these people. “Though he [Jesus] had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37). Even worse, “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42–43).
Verse 21. for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
The third servant is feebly attempting to defend his actions. His master had given him and nine other servants one mina each, the amount of money a laborer would earn in four months, telling them to invest it wisely and be sure to make a profit. Then the master went away on a long trip. When the master returned, he had been crowned king. He called his servants and asked how they had done with their commission. The first servant had taken one mina and earned nine more. The second had earned four more. They were both rewarded with cities to rule (Luke 19:11–20).
The third servant had been too afraid to try. He hid the money in a piece of cloth. He knew his master made money with ease and dealt with people severely. The servant thought it best not to even try; what if he lost everything? He apparently decided it would be better not to fail than to try for success.
Jesus is telling the crowd the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27) for two reasons. First, even though they are traveling to Jerusalem, that doesn’t mean Jesus is about to be crowned King of the Jews. He is not going to drive out the Romans or give the Jews an independent nation at that time. In fact, He is going to go away and won’t return for some time.
Second, they have a job to do while He is gone. They each receive the same treasure: miracles of healing, expelled demons, and inspired teaching that give strong evidence He is the Messiah. Soon, He will die and be raised again, giving proof that He is their King. They need to take that “mina” and invest it: spread it around so more people know. They need to build His kingdom.
But the third servant is too afraid of losing what he had.
Many Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ era were in a similar situation. They listen to Jesus and hear stories of what He has done. They know He is from God (John 3:1–2), but they will not admit it or teach it. They are too afraid of the Pharisees and others who do not want Jesus to be king (Luke 19:14) “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43).
The servant believed his master was going to be made king, but he couldn’t accept him as his king. So even what he had was taken away (Luke 19:24).
Verse 22. He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
Within a parable told by Jesus (Luke 19:11–21), a king is angry. Before he left, he had entrusted ten servants with one mina each, commanding them to invest wisely and make him a profit. At least two have: one a tenfold increase and the Coming Soon! other a fivefold increase. Accordingly, they received ten and five cities to rule. Another servant, however, hid his mina in a handkerchief. He didn’t even try to invest it. His defense is that he knew his master was a successful businessman and he was afraid of losing what little he had.
The king uses the man’s defense to condemn him. He doesn’t denounce the man for failing to make a spectacular return on an investment. Rather, he criticizes the servant for doing nothing with what he was given. The king asks, “Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?” (Luke 19:23).
Jesus is telling the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27) to a crowd who is traveling with Him to Jerusalem for the Passover. They seem to think that when He arrives, He will take over, become king, and free the Jews from the Roman occupation. He is telling them that, like the king, He will have to leave for a time. During His absence, the members of the crowd—in fact, all Jews who witnessed His ministry—will have an important job to do.
They have been given a gift: the gospel, the “good news” that Jesus is the Messiah. They need to invest that gift by telling others so Jesus’ kingdom can grow. The more faith they have that Jesus is the Messiah, the more their message will spread, and the more Jesus will reward them when He returns.
Those who have all the information about Jesus but do nothing with it prove that although they intellectually understand Jesus is King, they don’t want to lose what they have. For many Jewish religious leaders, it was the approval of the Pharisees and their place in the synagogue (John 12:42–43). For the Pharisees, it was the love of the people (Matthew 6:5; 23:1–7).
The King James Version uses “austere” instead of “severe,” which is more in line with Greek etymologically but doesn’t always reflect the impact of the Greek. Here the term is meant to imply strictness, while in English we more often use “austere” to mean “plain.”
Verse 23. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
Jesus’ parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27) is a study in what people do with the understanding that He is the Christ. The “mina” the ten servants receive is basically the gospel. Two servants, who readily accept that their master will be king, invest their treasure wisely and earn great returns—they spread the gospel widely and bring many into God’s kingdom. The third servant hides his treasure, afraid of losing what he has.
Here, the king is angry with the third servant. The very least the servant should have done is earn interest on the money. His inaction proves he is not loyal to the king. He has no place in the kingdom. The mina he was given is taken from him and given to the more loyal servant (Luke 19:24).
Jesus’ audience has seen or at least heard of His miracles—how He heals and drives out demons. They understand on some level that He is the King of the Jews and/or the Messiah. Jesus is warning them they need to be responsible with that information between His ascension and His second coming. They need to spread the gospel and expand the kingdom of God. If they don’t, they prove to love what little treasure they have more than Him. This is the case of the Pharisees and many of the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ era (John 12:37–43). They understand who Jesus is, but they won’t accept it. They forfeit rewards in eternity for human praise.
Jesus isn’t asking us all to be great evangelists, just as the king didn’t expect every servant to earn tenfold on their investments. The least the servant could have done is put the money in the bank and earn interest. The least we can do is accept Jesus as our Savior, let our changed life reflect our faith, and be ready with an answer as to why we have hope (1 Peter 3:15).
Verse 24. And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’
This is a tricky statement, because taken out of context it could be used to imply that someone can lose their salvation if they don’t evangelize. However, there is more to the situation than that. In this parable, the mina symbolizes the gospel, not necessarily salvation. Even so, it may seem disconcerting that one of these men is having his “mina” taken away.
Jesus is in a crowd, headed for Jerusalem. Many in the crowd think He’s going to become the king of the Jews in the next few days. He’s explaining that He will first have to leave to be crowned King, but He will return. Before He leaves, He will entrust His followers with a precious treasure: the understanding that He is the Messiah. While He is gone, they need to invest that treasure by spreading the gospel, building the church, and adding to God’s kingdom on earth (1 Corinthians 3:10–15).
Jesus is explaining this through the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). A nobleman gives ten servants one mina, then leaves to be crowned king. When he returns, he judges how his servants have invested his money. Two do very well. One wouldn’t even put the money in the bank to earn interest; he was too afraid of losing what he had, so he hid it. The king commands that the one mina be taken from the faithless servant and be given to the one who earned the most.
If the mina is the gospel, it seems to say the gospel can be taken away from someone if they don’t evangelize. That’s not what’s going on. The third servant knew the gospel, but he didn’t accept it. He is like the ancient religious leaders who would rather kill their Messiah than lose their reputation with the people or lose their reputation with the Pharisees (John 12:37–43). These are people who know who Jesus is but will not accept Him as their Savior.
It’s equally important to note that people can be in this state for a time, but it doesn’t mean it’s permanent. After Jesus’ ascension—even after the Sanhedrin beat the apostles for spreading the gospel—”a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). So long as you are alive, there is always the opportunity to accept Jesus’ offer to forgive your sins and reconcile you with God (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Verse 25. And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’
Jesus is explaining that even though He is surrounded by a great crowd traveling to Jerusalem, He isn’t going to take His rightful place as King of the Jews yet. In fact, He’s going to have to leave to be crowned King. He explains this using the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27).
A nobleman must travel to his sovereign to be made king. Before he leaves, he gives ten of his servants one mina each; this was equivalent to the wages a laborer earns in four months. He tells them to invest it wisely. When the king returns, the results are mixed. One man has made ten minas more; another has made five. The third only has his original one mina. The king is furious. The servant had just as much time and opportunity as the others, but he was so afraid of losing it that he hid it. He didn’t even put it in a bank to earn money. So, the king takes the mina and gives it to the man with ten.
When Jesus ascends into heaven, He won’t leave His followers with money. He’ll leave them with the knowledge that He is the Messiah and salvation only comes through Him (Acts 1:1–8). The crowd, however, is filled with people of various understanding. Some are Pharisees who don’t want Jesus to be the Messiah, just like the people who didn’t want the nobleman to become king (Luke 19:14, 27). Others, perhaps, have witnessed Jesus give sight to the blind man (Luke 18:35–43) and raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11) but don’t quite know what to think.
This man represents anyone who saw or heard of Jesus’ miracles and knows He fits the description of the Messiah yet refuses to accept it (John 12:37–43). He could have put his faith in the “bank:” taking responsibility for it and letting it guide his actions, even if he’s making no effort to increase it. Instead, he completely hid it. He did not allow himself to accept the gospel.
Because the servant who turned one mina into ten was so faithful with the kings’ commands, he receives the mina of the unfaithful servant. The king replies, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Luke 19:26). The unfaithful servant has understanding, but he does not have faith or loyalty, so even his understanding will be taken away.
Verse 26. ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
The king in the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27) is talking about an unfaithful servant who refused to publicly represent the king by investing the money the king entrusted him with. Jesus is talking to a crowd about the treasure He has given them—the understanding that He is the Messiah—and challenging them to invest that treasure wisely.
What will the crowd members do? Many think they do have faith, but theirs is an assumption that Jesus will march into Jerusalem and return independent rule to the Jews. But what happens to their faith when He is hanging on the cross, or dead? Even when He is resurrected and their faith is restored, what happens when He ascends to heaven (Acts 1:1–8)? Will they remain faithful to represent Him, invest the treasure of the gospel by spreading the good news, and wait patiently until His return?
Some will, for sure. Others, like the unfaithful servant, will refuse to let understanding become faith. They will fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 6:10: their blinded eyes and hardened hearts will not accept their own Messiah. These include the Pharisees who do not want to lose their influence and some of the rulers who do not want to lose the approval of the Pharisees (John 12:37–42). “For they [love] the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43).
This passage is not saying someone loses their salvation if they don’t evangelize. It’s not saying someone can lose their faith at all. It’s saying that a saving relationship with Christ means more than simply intellectually agreeing to certain facts about Him. Salvation does not come by approving the idea that Jesus is the Son of God and died to take away the sins of the world. To be saved, one must accept their need for salvation, and of Christ as their Savior. Those who resist and stop at surface-level understanding may find their understanding of Jesus slipping away.
Verse 27. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
Jesus finishes the parable of the ten minas with a horrifying conclusion (Luke 19:11–27). In the parable, a nobleman leaves to meet the ruler who will crown him king. When he goes, those of his citizens who did not want him to be king send a delegation to the ruler to try to stop the coronation. Their protest doesn’t succeed; the nobleman is now king and is ready to execute his traitors.
The parable impacts our lives on several different points. Jesus is not going to rule from His earthly throne immediately; He will have to die, be resurrected, ascend to heaven, and wait until the time is right for His return (Luke 24:50–53; Revelation 19:11–16). Until that time, we need to decide whether we believe that He is our Savior enough to identify with Him and spread the gospel.
Additionally, there’s more than one way to reject Jesus. There’s the way of the third servant who understood the nobleman was going to return as king. Yet he had no trust and the lack of faith led to a lack of action. He was afraid to invest the mina he’d been given for fear of losing it. He represents the leaders of Jerusalem who knew Jesus was the Messiah, “but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42–43).
And there’s the way of the rebellious who do not want Jesus to reign over them (Luke 19:14). This is an apt description of the members of the Sanhedrin and other religious leaders who are jealous of Jesus’ following and convince Pilate to crucify Him (Matthew 27:15–25).
The punishment sounds harsh, but it is just. Jesus is King of the Jews. He is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. If someone has enough information to know that but refuses to submit to Him because of selfishness, pride, and/or envy, they are Christ’s enemies. In the end, they will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:11–15).
Verse 28. And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
This is a summary statement for the next large section, sometimes referred to as the “presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem” (Luke 19:28—21:38). The previous section, sometimes called the “travelogue to Jerusalem,” began, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). During the travelogue, Jesus prepared His disciples for His death, resurrection, and ascension as well as for their commission to go on and build the church. Now, His arrival is imminent.
For Jesus, the road to Jerusalem has included miracles, parables, acceptance, and rejection. The week ahead will be eventful. First, a great crowd will accompany Him up the hill to the Temple Mount, crying His praises as king (Luke 19:36–38). But along the way, Jesus will catch sight of the city of Jerusalem and weep over its coming destruction by the Romans (Luke 19:41–44). Next, He will enter the temple courts and find them filled with merchants and venders hawking items visitors need for the Passover in the area reserved for faithful Gentiles (Luke 19:45–46).
The days will continue with Jesus arguing with the religious leaders. Women will anoint Him for His death. Jesus will take time to reinforce to His disciples that a spiritual war is coming. They need to be prepared and keep their eyes on God and His coming deliverance (Luke 21:5–38). And then, Luke records the Last Supper and the cross.
“These things” are in the same theme. Jesus had just told the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). The Jews will have all the information they need to decide if He is their Messiah. Only those who commit to Him will live in His kingdom.
Context Summary
Luke 19:28–40 is the account of the triumphal entry when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for His final Passover. Jesus presents Himself as the King of the Jews, challenging His followers, the religious leaders, and the many celebrants to choose whether to accept or reject Him. The triumphal entry is the first passage in the so-called “presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem” (Luke 19:28—21:38) where Jesus declares His authority (Luke 19:28—21:4) and reveals the future (Luke 21:5–38). The triumphal entry is one of the few events recorded in every Gospel (Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–15).
Verse 29. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
Jesus is traveling west from Jericho to Jerusalem (Luke 18:35). Bethany and Bethphage are between the two cities on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, also called “Olivet,” which is directly east of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. From this point on, Jesus camps on the Mount of Olives and finds rest in Bethany.
Neither Mark nor Luke indicate which town is “in front” of the disciples, but Matthew 21:1 only mentions Bethphage. Jesus sends two disciples there to find a donkey colt to carry Him to Jerusalem, fulfilling the image of Zechariah 9:9.
Bethany is the name of several vaguely identified towns to the east and south of Jerusalem. The Bethany Jesus frequents during Passion Week is almost two miles east of Jerusalem. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus live there. Possibly the night before, Mary anointed Jesus in their home (John 12:1–8). Right before the crucifixion, either Mary or some other woman will anoint Jesus at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany (Mark 14:3–9). And it is near Bethany that Jesus ascends after the resurrection (Luke 24:50–51).
“Bethphage” means “house of early figs” in Aramaic. Accounts vary as to its location, but it was probably closer to Jerusalem than Bethany, a little over half a mile west of the peak of the Mount of Olives.
Verse 30. saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.
A crowd of disciples have left Jericho with Jesus (Luke 18:35) and are approaching Jerusalem from the east, directly opposite the Temple Mount. They are on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives at Bethphage (Matthew 21:1).
Jesus knows exactly where the donkey and its mother are tied (Matthew 21:2) and what those nearby will say (Luke 19:31). No note is made if the disciples paid for the use of the donkey, but it may have been an animal available for hire.
Matthew 21:2 mentions that the colt is with his mother and the mother comes with the disciples, as well (Matthew 21:7). This addition isn’t a contradiction, it just provides more detail. Matthew 21:5 explains that Jesus is fulfilling Old Testament prophecy: the king of Zion is humble and rides a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). This is an image the disciples won’t recognize until later (John 12:16).
That the donkey is still with its mother and that the mother accompanies it suggests it is quite young. That has led some to fear it was too immature to hold Jesus’ weight. Whatever the age and condition of the colt, we can be sure its Creator and Sustainer made sure it was strong enough for the job (Colossians 1:17).
Verse 31. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
Jesus is at or near Bethphage (Matthew 21:1) on the Mount of Olives. A great crowd of disciples surrounds Him. Some have been with Him since the beginning, some came with Him from Galilee, and some from Bethany witnessed or heard how He had raised Lazarus from the dead. He is sending two disciples—Luke does not say which ones—into a village to obtain a donkey for His entrance into Jerusalem. Jesus specifically wants a donkey colt no one has ridden, along with its mother (Matthew 21:2; Mark 11:2).
Assuming Jesus had not made some previous arrangement with the donkeys’ owners, He has shown His supernatural abilities by telling the disciples where to find the donkeys. Now, He tells them what will happen when they untie the animals. We don’t know who the donkeys belong to or who it is that will challenge the disciples. People did often keep animals to rent to travelers, but we don’t know whether the disciples paid.
The point of the gesture is the donkey, itself. Although the disciples won’t realize the connection until later (John 12:16), Zechariah 9:9 describes the king of the Jews: “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.” The crowd may think that Jesus is planning to expel the Romans and give Israel political independence. His goal is much grander: He is going to die for His people and rise again.
Mark and Luke record Jesus’ words a little differently. Mark 11:3 says, “If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Luke’s version has Jesus say, “Why are you untying it?” Though some claim this is a contradiction, it’s merely the difference between a direct quote or a paraphrase. Scholars call these “ipsissima verba” and “ipsissima vox,” respectively. Ipsissima verba means “the very words” and applies to word-for-word records. Ipsissima vox means “the very voice,” or a summarized version of the words carrying the same meaning. Both Luke and Mark convey the point Jesus is making, which is not dependent on the exact phrasing He used.
Verse 32. So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.
Jesus and His disciples are east of Jerusalem around the area of Bethany and Bethphage. They have come for the Passover feast along with thousands of other Jews. Until this point, they have most likely walked; there’s no mention of the disciples riding or even using a pack animal. Now, however, as they prepare to enter Jerusalem, Jesus tells two disciples to “Go into the village in front of you” and bring back a donkey colt. So, they walk to the village and find the colt, just as Jesus said (Luke 19:28–31).
Matthew and Mark add other details. The colt is with its mother and the disciples bring both, suggesting the colt is quite young (Matthew 21:2, 7). The donkeys are tied up outside, in the street; they aren’t inside a house or in a corral in a livery (Mark 11:4).
The point isn’t in the details, however. It’s that Jesus knows where the colt will be and the disciples trust Him enough to get it. When they are challenged, as Jesus warns will happen, they simply repeat the words He gave them: “The Lord has need of it,” and they are allowed to take the donkeys (Luke 19:30–31, 33–34). Maybe the disciples act so willingly because they’ve just heard or witnessed how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Remaining faithful during Jesus’ trials and crucifixion proves to be a much harder exercise of trust (Mark 14:50).
Verse 33. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
Two of Jesus’ disciples—we don’t know which or even if they were from the Twelve—have followed Jesus’ instructions to go to a nearby village and bring back a donkey and her colt (Matthew 21:2). Jesus has told them that they will be challenged and what they are to say. Apparently without questioning, the two obey (Luke 19:28–32).
Some commentators suggest that Jesus had already interacted with the donkeys’ owner beforehand, which is why He knows where it will be. That theory would not be contradicted by this verse; the owners may be expecting Jesus and don’t immediately recognize His disciples. The text isn’t clear enough to say one way or the other.
Both Mark and Luke mention the owners asking about the colt, not its mother (Matthew 21:2; Mark 11:2, 4–5). It seems the owners don’t have a problem with the disciples taking the mother, but don’t understand why they want a colt. That the colt is with his mother, and that Jesus wants both, suggests the colt is quite young. The fact the owners seem to think the disciples would naturally take the mother without the colt suggests the colt is being trained to be apart from its mother. Donkeys are social animals. It’s very possible the colt is already weaned and ready for training. So why bring the mother? The colt is about to go into Jerusalem, surrounded by a massive crowd of shouting people (Luke 19:37). His mom’s presence will go a long way in easing his anxiety.
Verse 34. And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
Two of Jesus’ disciples are in a village east of Jerusalem. Jesus has sent them there to find a donkey and her foal (Matthew 21:2) and bring them back to Him. He told them that if anyone asked what they were doing, they were to say, “The Lord has need of it” (Luke 19:29–31). So that’s what they do.
Jesus chooses to ride a donkey colt to fulfill Zechariah 9:9: “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.” Conquering warriors would arrive on war horses, as a modern victor might sit in a tank or armored transport. Kings who came in peace came on donkeys (1 Kings 1:33). Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey is His declaration that He is King. The disciples won’t understand the symbolism until after Jesus is resurrected (John 12:16).
“Lord,” here, is from the Greek root word kyrios. It means “sir” or “master.” The disciples anticipate that Jesus will be king—much sooner than it will actually happen—but they don’t understand Him as Lord and Savior yet. From the point of view of the owners, these are servants of someone in authority who needs the donkeys.
We don’t know why the owners acquiesce. Some think Jesus had gone to the village earlier and spoken to them. That may be why the donkeys are waiting in the street, ready to go (Mark 11:4). Maybe the culture is such that loaning out animals is normal. Maybe they had heard of Jesus, His miracles, and His teaching. Or maybe the Holy Spirit worked in them to give the animals to strangers. We don’t really know.
Verse 35. And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
Jesus and His disciples are on the Mount of Olives, possibly around Bethphage. Two of His disciples have returned from a village with a donkey and her colt (Matthew 21:2; Luke 19:28–33). Now, they prepare the colt for Jesus to ride.
Unlike horses, whose backs are relatively flat along their spine, donkeys’ spines protrude above the level of their ribs. The colt’s owners were confused as to why the disciples wanted to take the colt (Luke 19:33–34), suggesting they hadn’t started training him to ride and that he came unsaddled. With a colt, whose ribcage hasn’t yet filled out, it would be like riding a smallish tree branch. The cloaks might protect Jesus’ robe from hair—and add a touch of nobility—but there aren’t enough cloaks to make the ride comfortable.
The phrase “they set Jesus on it” might have a couple of different connotations. Considering the lack of a saddle, Jesus may have ridden side-saddle, requiring help to get up without jumping onto the colt and hurting him. If Matthew 21:7 and Mark 11:7 describe Jesus’ action and not just His position, Luke’s “they set” may be metaphorical, representing the act of declaring Jesus as King, readying Him to ride into His city: Jerusalem.
Verse 36. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
Jesus is entering Jerusalem like a peaceful king. He rides a donkey, like Zechariah 9:9 prophesied:
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.
Donkeys are excellent for work, but terrible for war. Warlords would be expected to sit on a horse to show their power, as a modern victor might pose atop a tank or armored transport. Jesus’ entry is like a man sitting in the back of a small pickup truck: reflecting humility and peace, rather than conquest.
The disciples have placed their cloaks on the donkey (Luke 19:35), and the people put their robes on the ground the donkey walks on, much like the men who affirmed Jehu’s reign in 2 Kings 9:13: “Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’”
In addition, they take palm fronds to cover the path (John 12:13) and paraphrase Psalm 118:26, shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38).
Luke identifies the people as “they,” inferring the disciples which are the main group in the passage. Matthew has “most of the crowd” and Mark has “many” (Matthew 21:8; Mark 11:8). The crowd of disciples is much more than just the Twelve. Luke 10:1 mentions seventy-two. Likely, many more followed Jesus from Galilee (Luke 18:36) and even more locals followed Him after He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:45).
We don’t know why Luke doesn’t mention the palm leaves, as the other Gospel writers do. It’s possible Theophilus (Luke 1:1–4) would be unfamiliar with the custom, and so Luke left it out.
Verse 37. As he was drawing near — already on the way down the Mount of Olives — the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
This is a bittersweet moment. Jesus is King, and His followers know it. After a long period of subtlety and discretion (Luke 5:14; 8:56; 9:21), Jesus is now ready to publicly claim His title as the Promised One. His followers rightfully praise God for the miracles Jesus has done, not least of which was the recent raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Jesus had many followers in Galilee, and it seems they traveled with Him. Added to that are those who witnessed or heard about Lazarus. It is a giant, joyful crowd accompanying their King.
Naturally, some think this is “the moment” for which they have been waiting. They assume that Jesus is going to go to Jerusalem, that God is going to expel the Romans, and the Jews will have their nation again. The crowd shouts, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38; Psalm 118:26). Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), is the expression of God’s kingdom on earth and peace in heaven. “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:17). He did not come to free the triumphant crowd from Rome, but to free people from their sins and reconcile them to God (Romans 6:17–18; 8:1–4; Ephesians 2:1–10). Jesus will one day return as conquering King, not to free people from human oppression but to usher in a new heavens and a new earth where those who belong to Him will dwell with Him for eternity (Revelation 19—22).
As the crowd crests the Mount of Olives and descends into the Kidron Valley, Jesus will look to Jerusalem—at the mount where God’s temple sits—and weep. He weeps that He will sacrifice Himself for these people, this city, and they will not understand. In about forty years, the city will be destroyed and the temple disassembled, stone from stone (Luke 19:41–44). It is good that the people proclaim Him king, but Israel is God’s people as a nation. When the national leaders reject Him—kill Him—they signal the nation of Israel’s total rejection of their own Savior.
Verse 38. saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Jesus is sitting on a donkey colt’s back, barely padded by His disciples’ cloaks. More cloaks, as well as palm fronds, cover the road. He is going down the west side of the Mount of Olives. Soon He will reach the Kidron Valley and ascend again into Jerusalem. A massive crowd of His disciples surround Him, shouting in celebration (Luke 19:28–37).
Luke keeps the chant short and culturally neutral for his Greek audience. Matthew quotes, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). Mark’s is similar: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9–10). John has, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13). Likely, different people are shouting different things, including praising God for the miracles they have seen Jesus perform (Luke 19:37), but the gist is the same: Yahweh’s chosen king, in the line of David, is coming to take His rightful throne in Jerusalem.
Many in the crowd are Jesus’ disciples. Yet any crowd in Jerusalem will include Pharisees. They are horrified by the spectacle. They have been trying to destroy Jesus since His public ministry began (Mark 3:6). They tell Jesus to control His disciples. He replies, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:39–40). What neither the crowd nor the Pharisees understand is that Jesus is not coming to re-establish the earthly kingdom of David. He is continuing His work to establish the kingdom of God. He is going to the cross, not a throne. The stones recognize their Creator-God-King.
The first part of this call is from Psalm 118:26 but specifies that the one who comes in the name of the Lord is the king. Luke likely leaves out the part about David because Theophilus (Luke 1:1–4) needs to remember Jesus is his King, not just the King of the Jews.
Verse 39. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
Jesus is riding on a donkey to Jerusalem. The crowd around Him is shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). They are laying palm fronds and their cloaks on the ground so even the donkey Jesus rides won’t set foot on the dirt (John 12:13; Luke 19:36).
In this instance, what the Pharisees say makes a lot of sense. Pharisees are often portrayed in a shallow, cartoon-like way: as deeply wicked, stupid, or ignorant men. While most rejected Jesus out of pride and arrogance, their sect was respected for a reason. The Pharisees had enough sense to know how this scene would look to the Roman occupiers. Among their great fears is that men like Jesus will inspire the Romans to react with violence.
Above them, on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, is the Antonia Fortress where a Roman tribune commands hundreds of soldiers and horsemen. On the other side of the mount is Pilate’s residence. Pilate is a brutal governor who will do anything necessary to keep the peace and prevent a revolt. The Pharisees don’t like the Romans, but they don’t believe Jesus can expel them. He’s an itinerant teacher swarmed by a few hundred farmers, servants, and townsfolks. Plus, they don’t like Jesus. They don’t want Him to be king because they can’t control Him.
From the Pharisees’ point of view, to continue this noisy proclamation of Jesus as “king” is to tempt fate. If Pilate comes to believe that the people are joining a Jesus-led revolt against the Roman Empire, the results will be horrific. Hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the empire flood into Jerusalem on the Passover. Pilate—infamous for his cruelty and excessively violent responses—might destroy them all.
But both Jesus and Pilate see things differently. Pilate sees Jesus as a curiosity, not a threat (John 18:33–40). Jesus knows He is the King of the Jews, but He’s not going to overthrow the Romans any time soon. He accepts the accolades of the crowd as His due, but He knows another crowd—probably including some of these same people—will soon call for His death (Luke 23:18–25).
Verse 40. He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Riding a donkey, Jesus comes into Jerusalem, an image of the king prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. His disciples, including new followers who heard He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11), shout His praises and place their cloaks on the road like He’s a king of old (2 Kings 9:13). The Pharisees are horrified and tell Jesus to quiet His followers, lest the Romans think it’s a revolt and come for blood (Luke 19:28–39).
Jesus’ choice of illustration is interesting. Usually, when the Bible describes nature praising God, it is the heavens and earth (Psalm 96:11–12). Jesus claims the stones would cry out. We don’t know exactly what He is referring to, but there are at least three possibilities.
In Joshua 3—4, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. In memorial, God tells the people to gather twelve stones from the Jordan and make a monument where they lodged (Joshua 4:1–8). Joshua set up a similar monument where the feet of the priests had stood when God parted the waters (Joshua 4:9). God told them to tell their children the monument commemorates how God stopped the waters of the Jordan so they could safely pass into their new home. This was a sign of God’s faithfulness: His promise to give Abraham’s descendants the land came true (Genesis 15:13–21). Jesus may have meant that if the people hadn’t celebrated the coming fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, when a descendent of David is recognized as Israel’s eternal King, the stones around them would have cried out as an audible memorial.
Habakkuk 2:11 has a completely different context. It is part of a curse against people who harm others when attempting to build a safe house. “For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.” If Jesus is referring to this passage, He may be saying that the walls of the temple He is riding toward would testify to who He is with the same zeal.
The final possibility is just that Jesus is using simple hyperbole: exaggeration for effect. He’s highlighting the importance of the moment, and suggesting that the most mindless, inanimate object of God’s creation has more spiritual understanding than the Pharisees.
Verse 41. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,
Jesus is in the middle of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28–40; Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–16). He is riding a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. The road is lined with cloaks and palm fronds. The people around Him are celebrating the arrival of David’s promised heir. They are going to celebrate the Passover, a feast in honor of God’s miraculous rescue of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt.
And Jesus is weeping.
The Pharisees have set the scene better than the multitudes of Jesus’ disciples. They told Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples” (Luke 19:39). In this moment, they represent the Jewish leadership who will not follow the crowds in welcoming Jesus’ arrival. They will reject their King and Messiah and manipulate the Roman governor to crucify Him.
The people are rejoicing, shouting, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). Jesus laments, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). The Jewish leadership refuse to see who Jesus is. And so, after He is crucified and resurrected—which must happen no matter what—the priests and elders will not take their rightful place as leaders in spreading the worship of Jesus and salvation through grace to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Genesis 12:1–3). Jerusalem will stand just long enough for Christianity to gain a toehold in Gentile countries, and then Rome will destroy the city and the temple (Luke 19:43–44).
Context Summary
Luke 19:41–44 records the scene as Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. He is on a donkey, riding toward the city. Soon, He will be mocked, beaten, humiliated, and crucified. Right now, however, He looks over the mighty walls and thinks about the city that holds the temple of God. The people there—the nation—will not accept Him as their Messiah. Then, in AD 70, Romans tear down the very stones. In the next passages, Jesus cleans out the temple and the Sanhedrin plot against Him, parallelling the conditions that will bring Jerusalem’s destruction. Both Luke and Matthew record Jesus similarly lamenting over Jerusalem (Luke 13:31–35; Matthew 23:37–39). But Luke is the only Gospel writer to include this depiction of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and its future.
Verse 42. saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
Sitting atop a donkey, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. He descends the west slope of the Mount of Olives. He will cross the Kidron Valley and then climb into the city, to the temple. He is surrounded by a multitude of disciples, shouting their praises to God for the miraculous works they have seen, including Lazarus coming back to life (John 11). They are honoring Jesus as a king, covering the road with their own cloaks so His donkey colt’s feet won’t even touch the ground.
But as Jerusalem comes into view, Jesus begins to weep (Luke 19:41). He doesn’t want to be crucified, but it must happen, so He goes willingly. What breaks His heart is the spiritual blindness that prevents people from seeing the rescue He provides. Jesus knows that while some in the crowd will accept the meaning of His crucifixion and the salvation He offers, Israel as a nation will not. The Jewish leadership as a group will not. The leadership will not lead the people of God into their role as lights on a hill, teaching the Gentiles to find eternal life in Jesus’ name (Matthew 28:19; Acts 15:6–11; Galatians 3:8).
The proper response of the people and city leadership when their victorious king returns from battle is to go out, meet Him, and escort Him in. The Jewish leadership doesn’t do this. They don’t recognize their King. The final battle Jesus will fight for their protection and freedom is on the cross. But the priests and elders don’t understand the significance (Luke 19:47). And so, they will be destroyed—the people, the city, and their temple (Luke 19:43–44).
Verse 43. For the 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
Many of Jesus’ prophesies are subject to interpretation. Here, readers may wonder if He’s speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, less than forty years after His triumphal entry (Luke 19:28–40). Or perhaps He is speaking of the tribulation and end times. In this case, we know Jesus is talking about AD 70.
Josephus explained that the initial unrest between the Jews and the Romans was caused by several factors, many having to do with money. Because of decades of Roman taxation, the Jewish peasants were destitute. The craftsmen in Jerusalem were out of work after the temple renovations were completed in AD 63. The Jewish leaders had a working relationship with the Romans and were normally able to control the populace; yet the peasants believed their leaders were corrupt. Added to that, in AD 66, Nero told the Roman governor of Judea to raid the temple treasury for money. When some Jews mocked the governor but couldn’t be found, the governor had random people arrested and crucified.
Jewish militias began attacking Roman outposts, eventually taking Judea and Galilee. Nero brought in General Vespasian who brought his son Titus. By AD 68, they had retaken Galilee. Meanwhile, the Zealots and the Sadducees were fighting in Jerusalem; many Jews left Jerusalem and Vespasian decided to wait and let the Jewish leaders weaken themselves before attacking the well-fortified city. Before Vespasian was ready, Nero killed himself, and Vespasian left for Rome to become emperor.
Titus was inexperienced, but his lieutenant was not. They besieged Jerusalem during Passover in AD 70, a time of year when the city’s population was at a maximum. For a time, the factions in Jerusalem kept fighting each other, delaying a unified defense. Eventually, they reconciled and the Romans learned the Jews were capable defenders. Titus changed tactics, withdrew, and waited. He crucified anyone who tried to escape Jerusalem: some five hundred a day. Over a hundred thousand Jews died of starvation during the siege.
The Romans finally managed to retake the Antonia garrison. They disassembled the stones to reach the Temple Mount and set fire to the porticos. By mid-August, the temple was aflame. The money in the treasury and some of the sacred vessels were taken to Rome, but much of the gold and silver fittings melted between the cracks in the stones, leading the Roman soldiers to literally take them apart one by one (Luke 19:44) to get to the precious metal.
The great irony is that when Jesus finally reaches the temple, He sees the same problems. With the priests’ approval, the Court of Gentiles is filled with thieving merchants (Luke 19:45–48). The lust for money and the corruption of the leadership are normal on the Temple Mount.
Verse 44. 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.”
Jesus is on a donkey, riding into Jerusalem. The crowd around Him chants that the kingdom of David has come (Luke 19:28–40). Instead of celebrating, when Jesus sees Jerusalem, He weeps. He knows the leadership of the Jews will not accept their King and Messiah. They will fail in their responsibility to lead their people to salvation. And so, they will forfeit their city and their temple.
Within forty years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the next generation of Jewish leaders will have a hand in Jerusalem’s destruction. There will be so much infighting that when the Roman leader Vespasian finally sees a clear route to take his army to Jerusalem, he waits. Jewish political differences have turned violent, and Vespasian is willing to watch them wear themselves out.
When Vespasian returned to Rome to become emperor, his son Titus followed his father’s lead. It’s difficult to say what might have happened had the Jewish leaders set aside their differences earlier and fought against Rome together. In the end, the Jews made a valiant effort, and it took the Roman army longer than they expected to take the city. As they finally breeched the eastern wall, the Romans stole the coins and some of the implements in the temple, then set the building on fire. What metal the Romans didn’t easily extract melted into the seams of the stone floor. When the soldiers realized it, they tore apart the temple, stone by stone, and scraped the gold and silver from the cracks.
The in-fighting between the Jewish factions probably resulted in many unnecessary deaths. Titus besieged Jerusalem during Passover, one of the three yearly feasts that filled Jerusalem with travelers. When Jews tried to flee Jerusalem and evade the Romans, they were caught and crucified. Some accounts indicate five hundred a day died this way. More than one hundred thousand died of starvation. Over the span of the entire war, nearly as many Jews were captured; the Romans forced some to become gladiators, enslaved many, and burned others alive.
Jesus sees the future: siege works, mass graves, and starving people. Even more, He sees the hundreds of thousands of Jews who will come for the Passover and spend eternity in torment because their leaders will give into envy, refuse to see how He fulfills the prophecy of the Messiah, and lead their people away from their God.
Verse 45. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,
At some point after the triumphal entry (Luke 19:37–40), Jesus enters Jerusalem and climbs to the Temple Mount. The courtyard of the temple is lined with covered porticos where rabbis teach those gathered around them. The bulk of the court, south of the temple, is reserved as a place for Gentiles to worship the Jewish God. By the west wall on the north side is the temple. On the northwest corner is the Antonia Fortress: the Roman army garrison.
This being Passover, tens of thousands of Jews have come from Judea, Galilee, across the Jordan, and everywhere else in the Roman Empire. They all need a lamb for Passover. They need to convert their Roman coins into half-shekels for the temple tax. And those who do not get to Jerusalem often will need animals, wine, oil, salt, and birds for the personal sacrifices they have missed.
Sacrificial requirements, everything from oxen to salt, is being sold in the Court of the Gentiles (John 2:14). The prices are marked up for a large profit. The money changers charge fees for themselves and for the high priest’s family. The place that God meant for Gentiles to worship Him is filled with animal waste and haggling merchants extorting money from the devout.
Mark 11:15 says Jesus “overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.” John 2:15 describes Jesus making a whip of cords, while Jesus might have done something similar here, the event recorded in John likely happened early in Jesus’ ministry. Matthew 21:12 and Mark 11:15 only mention moneychangers and pigeon sellers, so it’s possible Jesus’ work in John 2 convinced those who sell larger animals to stay outside the Temple Mount.
Unfortunately, these passages have been misapplied to justify a militant defense of Christianity. Some claim Jesus’ actions justify fighting against government restrictions or unpopular laws. That completely fails to grasp the context of these events. Jesus isn’t driving out the Romans. A truer parallel would be driving out those who exploit other Christians and make unbelievers feel unwelcome, all with the approval of church leaders.
Luke wrote his Gospel before Jerusalem’s destruction by Rome in AD 70. He doesn’t know that less than forty years after Jesus enters Jerusalem, decades of Roman taxation will cause Jewish farmers to lose their land. Nor is he aware that Nero will order the local governor to raid the temple treasury. In response, disgruntled Israelites will portray the governor as a poor beggar; the governor will crucify by-standers when he can’t find the perpetrators.
Financial hardship is only one of many reasons the Jews will start rebelling against the Romans in AD 66. Another is corrupt Jewish leadership seeking its own gain and power rather than leading the people well. To this, Luke also finds a parallel in Jesus’ experience. The Jewish leaders hear Him preach. They know He fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. But they are jealous, so instead of fighting the real enemy, in this case Satan, they destroy their one chance at salvation (Luke 19:47).
Context Summary
Luke 19:45–48 records Jesus cleansing the temple of merchants and money changers after His triumphal entry. It also contains the growing threat of religious leaders who oppose His teaching. It’s as if Jesus is a living prophecy of how the Romans will rob the temple and roll over the corrupt Jewish religious leaders when they sack Jerusalem in AD 70 (Luke 19:43–44). More detailed versions of this story are in Matthew 21:12–13 and Mark 11:15–18.
Verse 46. saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Jesus has entered the Temple Mount. The Courtyard of the Gentiles, where non-Jews are supposed to be welcome to worship God, is filled with merchants selling sacrificial necessities and trading money with exorbitant up-charges. Jesus is angry with both the way they discourage Gentiles from worshiping and how they cheat Jewish travelers who need pigeons for sacrifices and shekels to pay the temple tax.
Jesus responds with a reference to Isaiah 56:6–7:
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Jesus then references God’s strong words through Jeremiah to those who came to worship before the Babylonian captivity: “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:11).
The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write this Gospel around AD 60. This was six years before the Jews revolted against the Romans, and ten years before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and burned the temple. He also inspired Luke to place this passage right after Jesus’ prophecy about Jerusalem’s destruction. He knew, and Jesus knew, although Luke did not, how connected the two passages are.
One reason the Jews started rebelling against the Romans in AD 66 was money. The Romans exacted exorbitant taxes against Israelites, leaving many former landowners in poverty. When the people ran out of money, Nero instructed the Judaean governor to take it from the temple. In AD 70, when the Roman army finally reached the Temple Mount, they stole the gold and silver implements and coins from the temple treasury and set fire to the temple. When the metallic plate on the fixtures melted into the seams of the walls and floor, the soldiers ripped the stones apart to dig out the gold: exactly as Jesus had prophesied (Luke 19:44).
The courtyard God designed for Gentiles—including Roman soldiers—to worship Him is instead filled with opportunistic merchants. The businessmen extort money from travelers with the approval of the priests who look on. Had the priests invited the soldiers into right worship of God, including identifying their Messiah, the Romans may not have come to the temple and stolen everything the priests accumulated.
Verse 47. And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,
Luke continues to show Jesus living out a visceral representation of His prophecy in Luke 19:41–44. In the moment, Luke is summarizing Jesus’ activities in the week before His crucifixion. This mostly consists of teaching in the temple while the leaders of Jerusalem stand in powerless fear of the people who love Jesus. But just as Jesus’ clearing of the merchants in the Court of the Gentiles foreshadows the Roman army looting the temple of gold and silver, the Jewish leaders foreshadow their next generation’s actions.
Two characteristics of the Jewish religious and civil leaders contributed to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem and the temple: corruption and a blatant disregard for the welfare of the people. The leaders of Jesus’ day allowed merchants to cheat the travelers who needed materials for sacrifices. These pilgrims also needed top exchange coins for Jewish shekels for the temple tax—in part because the high priest received kickbacks. In AD 66, the Jewish people understood the ruling class of Sadducees were in league with the Romans who taxed the people into poverty.
As the Roman army approached Jerusalem, the leadership disregarded the safety of the people and spent several years fighting amongst themselves, wasting time they could have used to prepare for war. In the time depicted by Luke, the priests, experts in the law, and civil elders nurse their own jealousy of Jesus and plot to destroy Him. That is their choice, rather than acknowledging that He is the prophesied Messiah and leading their people to their intended salvation.
In a week’s time, the Sanhedrin will think that they’ve won. Even when rumors spread that Jesus has risen from the dead, even when the disciples refuse to stop preaching Jesus’ resurrection, they will still rule Jerusalem and the Jewish people. They don’t know that by rejecting Jesus, they have refused God’s plan for them to bless the Gentiles (Genesis 12:2–3), pulled their people away from their own Messiah and King, and set the stage for the destruction of their city and temple.
Verse 48. but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
God chose Abraham to be the father of a people: a great nation that would bless the world (Genesis 12:1–3). Several hundred years later, when Moses found himself overwhelmed by the complaints of the people, his father-in-law Jethro told him to create a council of judges who could take some of the burden. About forty years later, God refined Jethro’s instruction, telling Moses to choose seventy men to judge the people. At the time of Jesus, this council—the Sanhedrin—is still in effect. It is comprised mostly of Sadducees. This sect follows only the first five books of the Old Testament. They have friendly financial relationships with the Romans. Also in the Sanhedrin are some Pharisees: devout and well-loved by the people. Other Sanhedrin are elders, civil leaders, and businessmen in Jerusalem.
Somewhere between Moses and Jesus, the focus of the Sanhedrin changed. If they led the people to God, it was to prevent another exile. Instead of encouraging the people to bless the Gentiles, they gloried in their own power. And yet, they were afraid of the people. Various rebellions over the centuries had taught them that the people did not easily submit to their authority. If Jesus led the people to rebellion, the wrath of the Roman army would come down on Jerusalem, which would be especially irksome for the elders and Sadducees who got rich off their occupiers. For their part, the Pharisees were jealous; until Jesus came along, they’d had the hearts and praise of the people.
Each sect within the Sanhedrin had their own motives to destroy Jesus. But to keep their influence and authority, they must do it in a way that won’t upset the people. Jesus is too popular. So, they hatch a plan. They try to discredit Him (Luke 20:1–8). Then they try to trick Him into either breaking the Roman law or the Mosaic law (Luke 20:19–26). When that doesn’t work, they try to catch Him in a contradiction (Luke 20:27–40). Jesus not only passes their tests, but He makes them look like fools for their trouble (Luke 20:41–47).
End of Chapter 19.
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Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 
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