Luke 19:28-40 Commentary

King Jesus has come. Palm Sunday makes the first explicit connection to Jesus’s kingship in the Gospel of Luke, but it’s a truth that’s been woven into the very fabric of his existence. From the prophets of old to the heavenly hosts at his birth, through the details of his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus is a king.

And that’s what makes him so dangerous. As the Pharisees watch the parade made up by people putting down cloaks along the road on which Jesus will ride his colt, they are afraid of what this will bring. Declaring yourself a king while you’re under Roman occupation is a dangerous threat to the quasi-peace and authority that the pharisaical regime has established with the Empire. Jesus’s welcome as “king” to the important city is a direct threat to the stability of the region.

But it’s not only politically worrisome for the Pharisees. There are the clear religious sentiments fuelling this parade. Along with the fact that a king never rode an animal that someone else had already been on, the fact that this colt “had never been ridden” carries another undertone, one of sacred purpose—like the first fruits and animals for sacrifice. There is something being said here about holiness and purity as it is used by God for God’s purposes. Yes, it’s a statement about purpose: this is all happening for a purpose, on purpose, intentional and perhaps even inevitable.

Then there’s the praise for God (as in Yahweh) that bursts forth from the crowd as they remembered all that they have witnessed in their time following Jesus. It leads them to alter Psalm 118 to specify Jesus as King: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Consider the words that follow in the psalm: “From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.” (This is the psalm that also references the palms being waved as part of the procession.) These words are weighted with meaning that are not fully appreciated by their proclaimers; they speak of a purpose that has been at work in their midst even as it has been beyond their comprehension.

And yet, they know some things about it because they have seen so much from Jesus. And these aren’t even the twelve chosen disciples! This is a crowd of disciples who have taken to the way of Jesus, and even though they are removed from the inner circle, they have witnessed enough to be spurred to praise.

The second half of their shout returns praise that first came from heaven back to heaven: when Jesus was born, the heavenly host of angels sang to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” Now, they return the proclamation of peace, grateful for having received it from Jesus, recognizing in that instant, that wielding peace, not power, is the true calling of a king.

When it comes to understanding, it’s a flash in the pan. It’ll all go sideways and the praise will turn into condemnation. The truth they’ve just proclaimed in word and deed has not yet taken hold and displaced all of the other fears, ideas, and demands God’s people have for God (or the pressures we put on one another). The Pharisees are not alone in their disposition to question the way God has chosen to act.

Thankfully, they (we humans) are not the only ones who bear witness to the purposes of God in the world, or in this moment. The religious leaders tell Jesus to quiet his disciples, but Jesus says that if his human followers don’t shout the truth, then the rocks will take up the call. This is a moment that needs to be remembered and marked. This is a purpose that needs to be witnessed. God’s purpose will be told by his creation. The world must bear witness to God, must return the grace and glory and peace it receives to the one in heaven who sent it down.

Lent is the season of reflecting on our calling from God and our failures to follow. What a wonder that for a moment the large crowd of Jesus followers lived fully into their calling to praise and see Jesus as their true King. They welcomed him as the representing the peace of heaven, joyful about the “deeds of power that they had seen.” The whole of creation keeps this calling much better than we—except for the ways we have altered and damaged its design, which is its own sad reality of sin. But as we close the season of Lent, maybe we have the chance to get it right again, to contemplate on the proclamations we make in word and deed about God’s purposes for us and our world.

Textual Point

A couple of the commentaries I read for this week’s selection made it a point to connect Jesus’s arrival as king to his parable about a king in Luke 19.11-27. And not a few think we should include 19.41-44 (or even 48) with this week’s passage as well. Each of these choices emphasises particular themes, so after you’ve decided which direction you’ll be going, you may want to at least give these surrounding passages a read.

[Note: In addition to these weekly sermon commentaries on the CEP website, we also have a resource page for Lent and Easter with more preaching and worship ideas as well as sample sermons on the Year C Lectionary texts.]

Illustration Idea

Stones have been marking important events throughout the history of the world. Anyone who has visited a historical site in North America has likely read about it from a plaque adhered to a stone. Our own spiritual ancestors raised their ebenezers to mark places that ought to be remembered. Across cultures, stone memorials have been used to tell our stories; ancient examples are called steles. In a very real way, the stones of the earth tell the geological story of creation. The power of stones shouting the praise of God comes from the fact that their stories last much longer than our voices and are far more reliable than our own memories.