Honor Christ

Luke 19: 28-32
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, March 26

Life Question: How can I show my dedication to Christ?

You could sum up the sole purpose of following Christ by saying we are to make much of Him in everything. In other words, all of life is about putting on display the glory of Jesus Christ (Col.3:17). This is the acid test of our own profession as Christians: If we value Christ most then we will love Christ most, and if we love Christ most then our lives will be spent to make much of His worth in all things.

This means wherever we are in this world, it will be evident to those around us that Christ is our greatest treasure seen in lives marked by uncompromising obedience, unashamed worship, and selfless devotion.

Obey Christ as Lord (Luke 19:28-32)

In the present passage Jesus has reached His final destination. Having set His face towards Jerusalem (see Lk.9:51), He has now arrived at the great city. The significance behind this event is that it is the final week leading up to the cross. Yet, He does not first enter Jerusalem as a lamb to be sacrificed but as a King to be worshiped. And the details of this royal entrance were all prepared by the sovereign decree of Jesus Himself (vv.30-31).

Now what stands out in this passage is the omniscience of Christ. He told His disciples where to go, what they would find, the inquiry made by their arrival and how they should respond. The Scripture says that the disciples did exactly as Jesus told them and to their amazement, everything happened “just as [Christ] had told them” (v.32). Jesus was giving a snapshot of His glory as the eternal, all-knowing, sovereign God.

The inference of this passage, however, is a lesson in obeying Christ without exception. We do not see the disciples doubting Jesus or wavering in their response to His command. They obeyed Christ as Lord ... no questions asked! Does Christ expect the same uncompromising obedience from us? Of course He does. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Nothing has changed about His Lordship. In salvation, we have not only been forgiven but we have also been made disciples of Christ. He is our Savior and Lord. We no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and rose again (II Cor.5:15).

Praise Christ as King (Luke 19:35-40)

What a scene is now before us! Jesus enters Jerusalem with the eruption of spontaneous praise and joy to God filling the air. Matthew and John tell us that Jesus was fulfilling divine prophecy as He rode in on a young donkey. It was the anticipation of Messiah coming as the Prince of peace (see Matt.21:4-5; Jn.12:14-16). Furthermore, “the whole multitude of disciples” were telling one another of “the mighty works they had seen” (v.37). The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the mute could speak, and the dead were raised to life again. In fact, their anthem of praise for Jesus centered around the Messianic Psalms (v.38), affirming their conviction that Jesus was indeed God’s promised King and Savior for His people.

Now of course not everyone shared in this genuine enthusiasm. A great multitude in the crowd who were caught up in the moment of excitement, would be found a few days later calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. Then there were the Pharisees (v.39) who simply detested everything Jesus said and did. But for those who truly knew Christ and followed Him as their Lord and Redeemer, they had the eyes to see the truth of His Kingship. Therefore, without apology or shame they praised Him openly before all. Do we praise Jesus as our King? If we are true followers of Christ then there is never a place or circumstance where our praise for Him should be silenced.

Share Christ’s Concern (Luke 19:41-44)

Turning from a scene of celebration we are now confronted with a scene of lamentation (v.41). Luke tells us that when Jesus “saw the city [He] wept over it.” This weeping was not the shedding of a few tears. Jesus had burst into wailing over Jerusalem. He was sobbing profusely because Israel did not know “the time of [their] visitation.”

Their long awaited Messiah had finally come. God was before them in the flesh! Redemption could not have been any closer. Yet their hearts were hard and their eyes were blinded (v.42). They wanted deliverance from Rome but not salvation from sin. Thus, by their own rejection of Christ judgment would be imminent (vv.43-44). Through tears out of a broken heart, Jesus prophesied the coming doom of the Jews: God would give them over to be destroyed by their enemies. In A.D. 70 this divine judgment was fulfilled when the Romans besieged and sacked Jerusalem, slaughtering thousands and not leaving “one stone upon another” (v.44).

Yet what must strike us here is the sincerity of Christ weeping over the hardness and unbelief of lost men and women. Jesus would rather the people had known and received Him, for then they would have received God’s everlasting blessing (vv.41-42). Although the Jews were given what they deserved, Christ still did not take pleasure in their destruction. It broke His heart (see Ezk.33:11).

In the same way, our own hearts should be filled with grief over the spiritual deadness and lostness of people around us perishing in their sins. No matter who they are or what they have done, if we are moved with the compassion of Christ for sinners, then we will pray for them and seek to win them to the Savior. Think about it: It is only God’s grace that makes any of us differ from the worst of sinners. Thus, our hearts too should lament with great compassion over their plight even as Jesus did.