Formerly, we followed Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem with the apostles. Along the way, He strengthened them, so that they could carry on their evangelic mandate to spread His Gospel after He would ascend to heaven. (See Jesus is the Guiding Light Drawing People into Heaven.)
Continuing their journey, the apostles became fearful over the unknowns that would manifest in Jerusalem. As Jesus perceived this, He illuminates the coming sequence of events:
“Listen carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled and completed.” Lk. 18:31 AMP
“Listen carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and they will [judicially] condemn Him and sentence Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles (Roman authorities) to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised [to life] on the third day.” Mt. 20:18, 19. AMP
Jesus is telling them that the culmination of all the Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament will now come to pass – from Moses’ time to His imminent death and resurrection. Taking all this into account, we should be overwhelmed with gratitude for the love of Jesus Christ for God’s children:
(Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].
Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Heb. 12:1-3. AMP)
How did the apostles receive all this revelation? Didn’t understand a word.
Moreover, (remember that Jesus just recently taught them about the importance of humility[1]), John and James approach Him and asked for the privilege of sitting next to Him to receive honor in heaven. Christ responds:
“You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” Mk. 10:38 NLT
So, Jesus is warning them here, about them about the magnitude of the suffering that He must suffer, before and during His death.
These same two apostles have the temerity to say that they would be able to handle it. Jesus replies that that fate will certainly befall them.[2]
(Indeed, James would be the first apostle to be martyred, and John would be persecuted and exiled.)
Jesus answers them again:
“…to sit on My right and on My left this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” Mt. 20:23 AMP
At this point, the other apostles overhear this exchange, and they turn their anger towards James and John. Jesus steps in the middle of this opposition:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your [willing and humble] slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin].” Mt. 20:25 – 28. AMP
Again, He is driving home the importance of being humble and having a servant’s heart, as a prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of God, which is best done by emulating Him.
Traveling on towards Jerusalem, they are pass through the city of Jericho, whereupon they begin to walk past a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, sitting on the side of the road. The blind man shouts:
“Jesus, Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” Mk. 10:47 AMP
Jesus heals him on the spot, saying:
“Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road. Mk. 10:52 AMP
A crowd gathers and follows Jesus et.al., when He sees a man in a tree, trying to get a glimpse of Him. The man was named Zacchaeus, a tax collector (at the bottom of the social stratum in Jewish culture). Christ calls him by name and tells him to go prepare his house, because He will be His guest this very day.[3]
Zacchaeus was thrilled at the prospect; but the crowd frowned upon Jesus’ decision to consort with a ‘sinner’. He looks at Jesus and says (loud enough for the crowd to hear), that he was going to give half of everything he had to the poor. And, Zacchaeus said that if he had cheated anyone, that he would restore their losses fourfold. So, what he is doing is demonstrating genuine repentance.
This doesn’t slip by Jesus, who addresses the crowd:
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [[spiritual] son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Lk. 19:9, 10. AMP
(…all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. Acts 26:20 NLT)
All Jews were descendants of Abraham. Jesus was telling the crowd that it was sinners He came to save – those with a true repentant heart.
Then, Christ began to see that many in the crowd had an inner hope / delusion, that He was the Messiah that the Jews wanted – a military man who would come to overthrow the oppression of the occupying Roman army in Jerusalem. They also hoped that He arrived to set up a physical kingdom of God in the here and now.
To dispel their errors in thinking, He teaches them the ‘parable of the Minas’[4] (being a physical measure of money.) It begins with a nobleman who is going to travel to a foreign country to redeem a kingship to rule over the subjects within.
Before he journeys off, he gives his 10 servants 10 minas each, telling them to invest it wisely. Upon his return, he assesses his servants’ obedience. One managed to multiply his allotment tenfold; another fivefold. But the third servant told his master that he hid his allocation, telling him that he was an ‘exacting man’, so much so, that he was afraid he might lose some of it and be punished.
His master rips into him, telling him that he should have at least put it in the bank to gain interest. So, he gave the fearful servant’s money to the one who made the tenfold increase.
What is Jesus trying to convey to the crowd? First, that He will ascend to heaven to receive His kingship. And second, when He returns, He will judge each of God’s children according to what they did with the inner gifts that God gave each of them to advance His kingdom.
(For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.2 Co. 5:10 NLT)
Passover is approaching; and all of Jerusalem is abuzz about whether Jesus would show up. The priests and Pharisees have spies everywhere, so that they might arrest Him.
It is now Sunday, (‘Palm Sunday’ as it would come to be known) – the beginning of the week before Christ’s heavenly transformation. He has reached the town of Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem. Christ is ready to make His grand entrance!
First however, He sends two of the apostles to a nearby village, where there will be a colt tied to a post, that has never been ridden. And that’s exactly how it happened!
Much to the apostles’ surprise, Jesus mounts the colt, (fulfilling an Old Testament messianic prophecy)[5], and rides into Jerusalem – publicly proclaiming Himself as the Messiah!
A crowd gathers, laying clothes and palm branches on the path before Him, shouting as He passes by:
“Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!” Mt. 21:9 AMP
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” Lk. 19:38 NLT
(‘Hosanna’ means ‘save now’).
As you would expect, the crowd’s reaction brings the ire of the Pharisees, who tell Jesus that He must quiet the crowd. Jesus retorts that if He did that, the rocks themselves would cry out with praise – He’s legitimizing their praises and exhortations.
Yet, as Christ approaches the city proper, He is struck with grief over the Jews who still reject Him:
“If [only] you had known on this day [of salvation], even you, the things which make for peace [and on which peace depends]! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
For a time [of siege] is coming when your enemies will put up a barricade [with pointed stakes] against you, and surround you [with armies] and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you. They will not leave in you one stone on another, all because you did not [come progressively to] recognize [from observation and personal experience] the time of your visitation [when God was gracious toward you and offered you salvation].” Lk. 19:42 – 44. AMP
Heavy words. God has given the Jews countless opportunities to return to Him through His Son. But they rejected Jesus, thus rejecting the Father who sent Him. They had their chance, but they blew it in a catastrophic way.
Jesus was also prophesying about the total annihilation of the Temple in Jerusalem, which would occur in 70 A.D. at the hands of the Roman general Titus.
At the end of the day, Jesus and the apostles returned to Bethany. So, it begins…
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Lk. 18:14
[2] Mk. 10:39
[3] Lk. 19:5
[4] Lk. 19:11-25.
[5] Zec. 9:9