Bible Commentaries
Luke 19

Verses 1-10

1. Intro:
   1. Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
      1. Spurgeon wrote likewise: "If you are not seeking the Lord, the Devil is seeking you. If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment is at your heels."
      2. In the pursuit of the Christian life, it's not enough simply to wake up & visit church. You are called to run to Jesus!
         1. Let’s meet a man who ran to see who Jesus was!
2. UP A TREE! (1-10)
   1. ZACCHAEUS THE SINNER! (1,2)
   2. (1) Jericho – 17 m. E/NE of Jerusalem.
      1. In Jesus day it was famous for its balm (an aromatic gum known for its medicinal qualities)
      2. It was also the winter capital, which made it a wealthy city.
   3. (2) Chief tax collector – He was in the service of the government or foreign bankers who had bought the privilege of collecting Taxes. (LKGNT)
      1. They weren’t salaried but lived by farming taxes w/many chances for fleecing
      2. He was the proverbial “middle-man”!
   4. Zacchaeus was morally lost (he was sinful); he was intellectually lost (he did not know who Jesus was); he was socially lost (he was of the despised class being a tax collector).
   5. ZACCHAEUS THE SEEKER! (3,4)
   6. (3) Sought – the imperfect tense pictures his continual effort.
   7. Sought to see who Jesus was – He obviously didn’t know who He was.
   8. Crowd – the blind man heard it, he saw it.
   9. Short stature – Or, in the Greek, “vertically challenged”! ☺
      1. He didn’t let anything get in his way: not the crowd; not his reputation; not his wealth; not even his little man condition.
   10. (4) Sycamore tree – Fig-mulberry tree. (leaves like mulberry, fruit that of a fig)
       1. And this tree was about to bear fruit!!!
   11. Zacchaeus showed the same determination to contact Jesus, as Bartimaeus.
   12. ZACCHAEUS THE SOUGHT! (5-7)
   13. (5) Though Jesus was surrounded by a great crowd of people, Jesus took time for individuals,…He even saw a man up a tree!
       1. Jesus even called him by name.
   14. But, why call Zacchaeus? There were better men in the city. Why him?
       1. Simply because the call of God comes to unworthy sinners.
       2. There is nothing in man that can deserve this call; nothing in the best of men can invite it.
       3. So, the very question shows we still think there is???
   15. Together they traveled to Zacchaeus’s home.
       1. We don’t know their conversation, but he emerges a changed man.
   16. Wait! Who found who? (maybe this story will help)
       1. There was a man who had a hunting dog for that he loved dearly. One time while out hunting they were separated. No matter how loud the master whistled the dog would not come. The man had an appointment in town & needed to leave. Would he ever see his best friend again? He did a trick an old trainer told him. He took off his coat & the removed his tee-shirt & placed his shirt on the ground under some small branches of a bush. The man returned the next day to find his dog cuddled up on the tee-shirt, with his nose under the sleeve.
          1. Who found who? – The dog sniffed out the scent of the master & waited, but it was the Master who returned to seek & save the dog.
   17. (6) He obviously didn’t come out of mere curiosity or with any skepticism, but w/an openness to Jesus’ message. (Shepherd’s Notes; pg.69)
   18. (7) The curtain falls for a little while. I almost don’t want to ruin such a wonderful story with “these grumblers”.
       1. Wait, He was accepting hospitality from a rogue? No, He asked for it! ☺
       2. It was thought to be wicked to eat the fruit, of a person whose earnings were tainted. What was Jesus doing?
          1. Well, the very next verse shows his intention to make restoration, which indicates his repentance, & makes it possible for Jesus to eat w/him w/o contamination. (LKGNT)
   19. Did those murmuring ever stop for a minute & ask, “hey I wonder why He didn’t want to come to my house?”
       1. Jesus found shelter within the gates of a sinner, to whom others had utterly given over & considered hopeless!
   20. Well, let’s open back up the curtains.
   21. ZACCHAEUS THE SAVED! (8-10)
   22. (8) His spontaneous act of repentance revealed the work of grace in his heart, & proved that he was now a son of Abraham.
       1. Christianity is not a sphere of life, but its very atmosphere!
       2. Christianity is not a section of life, but an influence that pervades the whole field of it.
       3. It changed this man to the very core of his being.
       4. My Zacchaeus experience: (1978-1980) I ran a parking lot for a guy named Gene Selznick (His son Dane is Kerry Walsh & Misty May’s coach; Beach V.B.)
       5. I collected all the tips of the evening & then we’d get paid hourly. But when you ran the evening no one knew how much came in. Myself, & the other couple guys who ran it would take from $80-$100 off the top. Then I got saved! I didn’t take ½ of what I stole & give it to the poor, nor did I restore 4-fold to Gene (I really never thought of that)…but I started turning in all my tips from that point on. And the other guys were pretty upset w/me because it became very noticeable that when I ran it, my nights were always huge!
       6. Christianity should change all of your life!
       7. If we hold to the Golden Rule in all our business, we will once again be communicating the Law of Love in life!
       8. Hudson Taylor said, “If Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!”
       9. Paul said, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
   23. He made 2 promises/resolves:
       1. [1] To give ½ of his possessions to the poor.
       2. [2] To pay back 4 x’s in cases where he had defrauded someone.
       3. I give! - I restore! [He went in mastered by the passion to get. He came out swept by a compassion that gives!]
          1. The core of his personality changes to “I give, I restore”!
          2. Not like the Rich Young Ruler, “I keep, I go”!
   24. What diligence, what determination: He ran ahead of the crowd; he climbed a tree(not to dignified); he hurried down the tree; he received Jesus joyfully; he stood(8); he gave; he restored.
   25. But what exactly happened inside?
       1. We don’t have to speculate…Jesus answers it in the next verse.
   26. (9) Listen to Jesus’ testimony of Zacchaeus’s being a saved man.
       1. [1] Today salvation has come to this house.
       2. [2] He also is a son of Abraham (not just a seed of Abraham/i.e. a Jew)
          1. A spiritually true descendant of the “father of the faithful”.
   27. This is the 2^nd to last conversion recorded. (thief on cross)
   28. (10) This verse is illustrated in the experience of Zacchaeus:
       1. Jesus came to him, sought him, & saved him. (Warren Wiersbe; pg.682)
       2. The whole gospel is in this simple sentence(10); & there is not a word that has even two syllables!
   29. Ezek.34:16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick…”
   30. If the devil loads your mind w/accusations like, “you are a great sinner”, just agree with him & say, “Jesus came to save sinners, & thus he came to save me.”
   31. If he says you are lost altogether say, “Jesus came to seek & save that which was lost.”
   32. Salvation is free. But discipleship is costly.
       1. Zaccheus not only illustrated the power of faith in Jesus to bring new life, but also introduced the cost of discipleship.
       2. What did the disciple decision cost Zaccheus? Everything!
       3. His life had been built on $. His goals, his purposes, his very identity as a person were built on the importance to him of wealth and material success.
       4. The core of his personality, the values that had given him direction in life, had suddenly shifted.
       5. Shockingly, people became more important than dollars. Honesty became more important than gain.
       6. Zaccheus had become a different, new man!
   33. He is still the seeking Savior, but now he uses your eyes & lips!
       1. If we are to win souls we must seek them.
          1. The hunter knows his game will not come to the window of his house to be shot. (well, sometimes at Eric’s in Tennessee)
          2. The fisherman knows that the fish will not come swimming up to his house.
          3. No, they must go out & seek! - And so must you & I!
       2. I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market place
          As well as on the steeple of the church, I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles:
          But on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap;
          At a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek…
          And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, & thieves curse & soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about.
          And that is where Christ's men ought to be, and what church people ought to be about. George MacLeod
   34. Q: Are you feeling spiritually short of stature? (i.e. not measuring up to Gods righteous standard)
   35. Maybe this morning you recognize you are like Zacchaeus as you’ve recognized you’re morally lost (sinful); or intellectually lost (you don’t know Jesus); or feel even socially lost.
       1. See, “lost” usually excites pity, alarm, or grief.
       2. Examples: A lost dog; a lost child; a lost hiker; a lost ship.
          1. Q: But what are the greatest physical losses compared w/the loss of the soul? {Lost fellowship w/God; lost to life’s highest purpose; lost to life’s purest joys?}
   36. George Whitefield, one of America’s greatest evangelist, had a brother that was backslidden. One day he found himself sitting at tea with the Countess of Huntingdon. He said, “I know what you have said is very proper, & I believe in the infinite mercy & goodness of God. But I do not believe in its application to me, for I am a lost man.” the Countess put down her tea & said, “I am glad to hear it, Mr. Whitefield!” “Madam,” he said, “I did not think you would rejoice & glory in a thing so terrible as that.” “I am glad to hear you say you are lost Mr. Whitefield,” she said, “for it is written that Jesus Christ came to seek & to save that which was lost.” His eyes sparkled, & he said, “I thank God for that text, & for the extraordinary power with which it has now come into my heart.” He died later that night. (Spurgeon #1863)
       1. Until a man is lost he cannot be found!
       2. Take your place as a sinner this morning, & trust Christ to save you & give you an abundant life. [Until a man is lost he cannot be found!]

Verses 11-27

1. Intro:
   1. In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide before it could make it to port. The term for this situation in Latin was ob portu, that is, a ship standing over off a port, waiting for the moment when it could ride the turn of the tide to harbor. The English word opportunity is derived from this original meaning. The captain and the crew were ready and waiting for that one moment for they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. Shakespeare turned this background of the exact meaning of opportunity into one of his most famous passages. It’s from Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3: There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. [Missed Opportunities!]
   2. If last week was The Day of Salvation! (Zacchaeus 19:1-9) And next week is The Day of Visitation! (Palm Sunday 19:28-44) Then this week is The Day of Evaluation! (19:11-27)
   3. There are 3 possible relationships with the King(Jesus):
      1. [1] Reject His rule & be an enemy, but that leads to judgment.
      2. [2] Accept His rule & be unfaithful, but that leads to loss of reward.
      3. [3] Accept His rule, do His will faithfully, & receive His reward.
   4. Key: you are not to protect what He gives, but to invest it for His glory.
      1. This section deals with present responsibilities of the followers of Jesus; & about future judgments.
2. ASSIGNMENTS! (11-14)
   1. The parable of the 10 Minas/Pounds.
      1. Also, it is similar to but different from “The parable of the Talents”.
      2. The shekel was the basic unit of weight in the Hebrew system.
         1. Talent = 3,000 Shekels; Mina = 50 Shekels.
         2. Multiples of the Shekel was: the Mina & the Talent.
   2. Parable of Talents dealt w/ability(diff amounts given); Parable of Minas deal w/Faithfulness!
      1. The talents represent opportunities to use ability; and since we all have different abilities, we are given different opportunities.
   3. Jesus gave this parable to correct a false conception, that He was going to set up the Kingdom immediately; & to teach that His supreme requirement of His followers is faithfulness.
      1. Since they were close to Jerusalem, Jesus wanted to dispel any disappointment on the part of His followers.
      2. Also, Passover was right around the corner, where Josephus tells us that about 2 million people would descend upon Jerusalem & its surrounding areas.
         1. Passover always the energy that “something was going to happen”!
   4. WHY THE NOBLEMAN IS LEAVING! (12)
   5. He’s leaving to be crowned King.
      1. Rome, being the rulers of all Israel & Syria, would appoint natives to rule over small territories. - They were tetrarchs who ruled in the name of Caesar. - Often these positions were insecure, & depended largely on favors received from the new ruler. - This often times caused special trips to Rome to secure their kingdom & rule.
   6. After Herod the Great’s death, his kingdom was divided among 3 of his sons. Philip had East of Jordan, & between Caesarea Philippi and Bethabara; Antipas had Galilee and Peraea; while Archelaus had Judea and Samaria.
      1. Jericho was the site of Archelaus’ palace.
      2. Herod had died, & Archelaus had to journey to Rome to obtain the kingdom from Emperor Augustus.
   7. Nobleman, or officials of high rank, would entrust their entire business to their servants.
      1. At a certain time of the year he would return & demand an accounting for their transactions, all profits & losses.
      2. If a servant was to lose through carelessness he would be held responsible, personal property confiscated, maybe even discharged.
         1. This would even cause some to just hide it & return it later.
   8. His absence was of course the time between the Ascension & His 2^nd Coming!
   9. WHAT THE NOBLEMAN IS LEAVING! (13)
   10. His servants – Note the Lord’s claim on our lives.
   11. He leaves each servant 1 Mina & orders each to wisely invest that $.
       1. Each servant gets an equal amount. (He’s an equal opportunity employer!)
       2. To every man a pound!
       3. It’s the little things: Summer showers are more effective than hurricanes, but they get no publicity.
   12. Do business till I come – (ESV) “engage in business till I come”. Trade w/it; keep it busy.
   13. What business did he leave us behind?
       1. He has entrusted us with the gospel. He wants us to multiply His message so the entire world will hear it.
       2. It is our obligation to be faithful stewards of the message He has entrusted to us, until Jesus comes again.
          1. “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” 1 Tim. 1:11
       3. God wants us to multiply His message so that the whole world will hear.
   14. HOW THE PEOPLE FEEL! (14)
   15. Another group of people did not want him to be king.
       1. This group represented the religious leaders in particular; and the nation in general.
   16. Historically: The Jews were very hostile to Archelaus & did this very thing against him, by sending a delegation to Rome.
       1. This delegation informed the Emperor they didn’t want him.
       2. The difference with Jesus is in the very next verse He explains, HE WAS going to return!
3. ACCOUNTING! (15-27)
   1. 1^st SERVANT! (15-17)
   2. (15) Time for the P & L statement (Profit & Loss).
   3. Report – His Mina earned 10 more. Reward – He is given charge over 10 cities.
   4. Great principle of Christian living: Faithfulness in ordinary life brings about infinitely great results by the grace of God.
   5. 2^nd SERVANT! (18,19)
   6. Report – His Mina earned 5 more. Reward - He is given charge over 5 cities.
   7. The Christian worker who does 2^nd best –
      1. Maybe like Rom.16:12 “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord.”
      2. Also see Neh.3:5 [context: rebuilding walls of Jerusalem by family/group]
      3. (5b) the “nobles” of Tekoah. {little town in Judah}
      4. They didn’t put their “shoulders” to the work of their Lord!
         1. Q: What would keep a ruler from helping out? (Pride. Too low of a job for them to do. “My employees can’t see me humble myself to this place, they’ll loose respect for me!”)
         2. Q: Any areas that you are too good for?
         3. Here also is the contrast of the rest from Tekoah.
      5. (5a) The “men” from Tekoah were very hard workers.
         1. Example: Back in the mid-70’s our family helped out a Vietnamese family get settled here in Amer. My dad had a Catering Company & so hired Mr. Nguyen. He was asked once to “clean the parking lot”. My dad returned to find a 10x10 square sparkling white! (He used a small hand brush) What an incredible work ethic!
         2. Q: How is your work ethic?
   8. 3^rd SERVANT! (20-26)
   9. Report – He hid his Mina, & has no increase to report.
   10. Rebuke – His Mina is taken away, & the servant is sent away in disgrace.
   11. Oh, the handkerchiefs that are wrapping up the pounds of Jesus in the world today.
       1. He refused the responsibility.
   12. It was carefully kept – not foolishly spent. [He didn’t solicit a prostitute, didn’t steal $, didn’t…]
       1. It wasn’t what he did, but what he didn’t do!
       2. Here is inactivity in its finest hour!
       3. In the parable of the talents in Mt.25:26, Jesus called the man there who hid his talent in the ground a “wicked & lazy servant”.
       4. 2^nd class Christians do the same with the Gospel.
          1. They keep it well kept & well hidden.
          2. They learn, study, & become expert in the gospel.
          3. Then seal it in a glass case, & bury it deep within their handkerchief heart. Ready to return it to its original owner.
   13. (21) The unfaithful servant had no excuse; his fear paralyzed him when it should have mobilized him into service! (Warren Wiersbe; Outlines; Luke 19.)
       1. Big difference in the fear of God & being afraid of God!
       2. The fear of God sets us free to live; being afraid of God paralyzes us & reduces us to existing.
   14. His justification? He distrusted his Master’s character. (blame shifting)
       1. Great, so you preserved the gospel & missed its Owner!
   15. (23) If he were right then he should have at least banked the money - then the king would have received his money back with interest.
       1. The implication was that the servant didn’t really expect the king to come back.
       2. He wasn’t at all concerned about the king’s return, so he didn’t bother with the king’s business. /
   16. To Christian’s, this is concerning distortion of character; non-use of opportunity; neglect of what we possess(even w/o glaring sin).
       1. Some have asked, “What must I do to miss out on rewards? Answer, “nothing”!
   17. They will be left with nothing but their own salvation.
       1. Here is the “being saved so as by fire”!
   18. (24-26) Use it, or lose it!
   19. Q:Why given to the one who has 10? [why not even it up better, give to the other guy]
       1. They felt the same way(25).
       2. We like equity, all things to even out in the end!
       3. If God can help more people by entrusting you, w/far more than He gives to me, He will. (Erwin McManus; Uprising; pg.188.)
       4. It’s not about how much you or I get; it is about what we will do with what we have!!!
       5. Small stuff matters! – The great things of God come out of the small acts of faithfulness.
       6. The Master began by entrusting His servants with money & concluded with giving them charge over cities.
       7. He began by entrusting them with things, then over people!
       8. How they served exposed how they’d lead!
   20. The difference between the 3 guys was due to faithfulness or lack of it!
       1. God’s gifts are intended for service, not for selfishness, & definitely not for shrinking.
   21. Our position is one of: personal responsibility; full liberty; ample opportunity; & future accountability.
   22. THE LAST GROUP! (27)
   23. This group didn’t have anything to do with the servants above.
   24. Their hostility was futile & fatal. {destruction of Jerusalem in less than 40 yrs.}
   25. Death & destruction is always the end of those at enmity w/God.
   26. Q: What group are you in? Have you been faithful with being entrusted with the Gospel? How well could you articulate the gospel? How comfortable are you with sharing it?
   27. In 1883 the Marines adopted the motto Semper Fidelis Latin for forever faithful.
       1. Wouldn’t it be right for s to adopt the same? Semper Fi!
       2. You have 1 Mina…Use it or Lose it!

Verses 28-44

1. Intro:

1. 1. We have one week left of Jesus life on earth. This topic being 1 week before his resurrection.
      1. A.K.A. The Triumphal Entry, or also, Palm Sunday.
      2. Jesus now enters Jerusalem, His city of destiny.
      3. I wish I could do this better on our Israel trips because to me it is a very emotional place! (Where often someone flippantly asks, “oh was that which we just walked the Palm Sunday Road?”)
      4. I also remember Palm Sunday from growing up as a child in the Catholic Church. (explain the Palm Leaf given to each)
   2. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in pre-Christian times. The Romans rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military successes with palm branches. - Early Christians used the palm branch to symbolize the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul, as in the Palm Sunday festival celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In Judaism, the palm represents peace and plenty, and is one of the 4 Species for the Feast of Booths.
   3. Why do you think that in the space of 1 short week Jesus could go from being the most popular person on the planet to public enemy #1?
   4. Jesus, Why the Donkey?
   5. Jesus, Why are you crying?
2. A BORROWED DONKEY, USED CLOTHES, & DEAD BRANCHES! (28-40)
   1. THE PREPARATION! (28-34)
   2. Though it might have been a triumphal entry in some peoples eyes, I believe it was more of a personal presentation of the King of Israel in God’s eyes.
   3. THE CELEBRATION! (35-38)
   4. THE CROWDS PREPARE HIS PATH! (35,36)
   5. As He approaches Jerusalem his following grew.
      1. Though welcomed by many, still criticized by the religious leaders.
   6. THE CROWDS PROCLAIM HIS PRAISE! (37,38)
   7. There were 3 special groups in that Passover crowd:
      1. The native Judeans who were suspicious of Jesus; the Galileans who followed Him; and the visitors from outside Judea who did not know who Jesus was (Matt.21:10-11 “Who is this?”).
   8. So, what’s this all about? –
   9. The 1^st mention of a donkey is found in Genesis 22, where Abraham saddles his donkey to go to Mt. Moriah to offer his one and only son as a sacrifice.
   10. Judges 5:10 “You who ride on white donkeys…” (Song of Deborah; speaking of rich merchants, chieftains). [all thru Judges, the Judges would have their 30 sons on 30 donkeys]
   11. But here is our answer - Read Zech.9:9
       1. It wasn’t saying that he was lowly/humble BY riding in on a donkey!
       2. The Pharisees had an issue with “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” because, what designated him as a King was because he was riding on a donkey. [to approach Jerusalem this way was approaching high treason against the Roman Power]
          1. Riding in regal majesty, mounted as kings were mounted!
          2. At His 2^nd coming He will ride the charging white horse of war.
          3. Jesus provoked this demonstration; He chose this mode of transportation!
   12. The statement that “the crowd that cried ‘Hosanna!’ on Palm Sunday ended up crying ‘Crucify Him!’ on Good Friday” is not true!
       1. It was primarily the Jerusalem Jews, influenced by the priests, who asked for His blood (Matt. 27:20).
   13. The phrase Peace in heaven is important because, peace on earth does not happen until you’ve made peace w/God, i.e. in heaven!
   14. THE DENUNCIATION! (39,40)
   15. THE PHARISEES REBUKE & THE SAVIORS REPLY!
   16. Rebuke them? What’s happening is so great that if there’s no human voices, the stones themselves will give shout!
3. WHEN GOD CRIED! (41-44)
   1. ​​​​​​​TEARS! (41)
   2. What was Jesus looking for? What did he desire to see?
      1. He was looking for the lost(19:10 “I’ve come to seek & save the lost”); He’s looking for worshippers (Jn.4:23 “the Father is seeking such to worship Him”); He’s looking for fruit in our lives (13:7 “I’ve come seeking fruit on this Fig tree & find none”); He’s looking for faithful servants (“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none”)
   3. Q: Why Are You Weeping, Jesus?
      1. Wept - Serious crying here, “the heaving of the bosom, & the sob & the cry of a soul in agony”. (Morgan)
   4. Imagine Angels seeing their God cry over rebellious humans???
   5. Imagine seeing in advance, the destruction of a whole city…YOUR city?
      1. So Christ sees their ruin foreseen. Certainty of punishment.
   6. Imagine being aware of where you’ll meet your death?
   7. Imagine what the city was, & is now?
      1. Ps.48:1-3 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.”
      2. Now the city infected, the Temple polluted(no glory, no understanding of their feats), the people contaminated (w/sin, & indifference).
   8. Imagine what the city could have become! (also, your life!)
      1. They say love is blind; but Divine love is farseeing!
      2. He sees the potentiality of people.
   9. As He thought of the terrible judgments that would come to His people, Jesus wept over the city.
   10. Finding his newly-appointed pastor standing at his study window in the church weeping as he looked over the inner city's tragic conditions, a layman sought to console him: "Don't worry. After you've been here a while, you'll get used to it." Responded the minister, "Yes, I know. That's why I am crying."
       1. Q: Have we gotten used to it?
   11. (42) The Message Bible, "If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late.”
       1. Jesus was saying that the way to peace was standing at their door, but they would not let him in because of the hardness of their hearts.
       2. They preferred to move forward in their own understanding, in their own desires, and in their own strength.
       3. The King of the Jews was a stranger in his own house, a fact the apostle confirms, “He came unto His own, and His own received him not.” Jn.1:11
   12. LAMENTATION! (42)
   13. Jesus came to bring peace (2:14), but the people rejected Him and declared war!
   14. PREDICTION! (43,44)
   15. Pilate and Herod 5 times had declared Christ innocent of the charges brought against Him and seemed determined to release Jesus:
       1. The rulers, the priests, and the people united in accepting responsibility for the death of Christ, saying, "Let his blood be on us and on our children"(Mt.27:25).
       2. 30 years later, on this very spot, judgment was pronounced against the citizens of Jerusalem. Of the 3,600 victims of the governor's fury, not a few were scourged and crucified! The house of Annas was destroyed some years later; Caiaphas was deposed 1 year after the crucifixion; and Pilate was soon after banished to Gaul and there died in suicide.
       3. When Jerusalem fell, her wretched citizens were crucified around her walls until, in the historian's grim language, "space was wanting for the crosses, and crosses for the bodies." The horrors of the siege of Jerusalem are unparalleled in history.
   16. They missed the time of their visit! They wasted their opportunity!
       1. There is peace with God for those who trust the Savior.
   17. Don’t forget the place of tears was also the place of ascension & commission!
       1. (i.e.) Mount of Olives.
       2. Example: Just like in Joshua 7, where Achan had stolen things God had designated for Himself, & hid them in his tent.
          1. He was killed there, & the new name for that valley was the Valley of Achor, or the Valley of Trouble!...until Hos.2:15!
       3. Hos.2:15 “There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor, “a door of hope”. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”
       4. Only God can give new meaning to old names, & wipe out painful associations w/old places.
          1. Here the Valley of Trouble where Achan was stoned became a door of hope! (a valley of hope)
       5. This place of tears will become the place of ascension & commission!
   18. Jesus still weeps today!
   19. Jesus has approached the church, us His people, and is standing outside, because we will not let Him in.
       1. He is looking at His people and they sound like they know Him, they look like they know Him, they are even doing religious things for him, yet there He stands without looking in and crying.
       2. He knows each of our hearts this morning.
       3. Maybe He is saying, “If you had only recognized, even you, the things for you to have My peace! [now you get to finish the end A or B]
          1. [a] “But, now, they’re hidden from you.” Or,
          2. [b] And now, today, you’ve accepted My Peace! Welcome!”
       4. Why let Jesus weep?
          1. Why stay out from within His out stretched arms?
   20. They missed 4 things: (Don’t miss these!)
       1. [1] Your day – your opportunity/time is brief!
       2. [2] Your peace – your reconciliation w/God!
       3. [3] Your eyes – your life is dependent on “looking to Jesus”!
       4. [4] Your visitation – your visit with the Savior seeking to save you!
       5. Be very clear, today is “your day”!
   21. Believers: Maybe you’ve never led someone to Christ – Maybe because you’ve never let your heart be touched like this. Try sincerely weeping for the lost 1^st!

Verses 45-48

1. TEMPLE TEACHING! (19:45-48)
   1. The house of God was turned into a place of traffic for personal enrichment.
      1. Jesus restores it, for a brief hour at least, to its original purpose.
   2. I always thought it interesting that He calls the Temple a house of prayer, & then turns it into a house of preaching.
      1. He teaches each morning, Mon-Thurs. (see Lk.21:37)
      2. He leaves Jerusalem & spends the night on the Mount of Olives. 2.2.2.1. The city rejected Him. He rejects the city.
   3. According to G. Campbell Morgan, a den of thieves is “a place where thieves run to hide after they have committed their wicked deeds”.
      1. The only place given to Gentile to worship the one true God was an animal market.
      2. The one place that God has specifically assigned to Gentile evangelism was rendered ineffective.
   4. Q: Are you attentive to hear him today?