28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:28-40 KJV)
The Triumphal Entry
We have here the same account of Christ’s riding in some sort of triumph into Jerusalem, which we had before in Matthew and Mark.
Jesus Christ was willing to suffer and die for us. He went forward, bound in spirit, to Jerusalem, knowing what would happen to him there, yet he led the way (Luke 19:28). He was at the front of the company, as if eager to reach the place, to engage, to act. Was he so ready to suffer and die for us, and shall we shrink back from any service we can do for him?
It was not inconsistent with Christ’s humility or his present lowly state to make a public entry into Jerusalem shortly before his death. This made him more noticed, and his death more disgraceful in the eyes of the world.
Christ has a right to all creatures and may use them as he pleases. No person has ownership of anything that overrides Christ’s claim. He sent for a donkey and its colt from their owner’s home when he needed them and had every right to do so, for all the animals of the forest—and the tame ones too—belong to him.
Christ has all people’s hearts both under his eye and in his hand. He influenced the donkey’s owners to consent immediately when they were told, “The Lord has need of them.”
Those who go on Christ’s errands are sure to succeed (Luke 19:32): they found everything as he had said, and the owners were willing to give them up. Christ’s messengers can be comforted that they will obtain what they are sent for, if the Lord truly has need of it.
Christ’s disciples, who obtain for him what others possess, should not stop there. Whatever they themselves have that can honor him, they should also be willing to use. Some are glad to serve Christ at others’ expense but will make no personal sacrifice. But those disciples not only brought the colt for him—they laid their own garments on it as a saddle.
Christ’s triumphs are the subject of his disciples’ praises. When he neared Jerusalem, God stirred the hearts of a large number of his disciples—not just the twelve, but many more—to rejoice and praise God (Luke 19:37). Spreading their garments on the road (Luke 19:36) was a common act of celebration, like at the Feast of Tabernacles.
They praised God for all the mighty works they had seen—especially the raising of Lazarus, which brought other miracles to mind (John 12:17-18). New blessings should remind us of past ones.
They cried out (Luke 19:38): “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” Christ is the King, coming with divine authority to give law and proclaim peace. “Blessed be he.” Let us praise him. “Peace in heaven”—may God grant success to his mission, and then there will be “glory in the highest.” This glorifies the Most High God, and even the angels will give him praise. Compare this with the song of the angels (Luke 2:14): both praise God in the highest.
The angels say, “Peace on earth,” rejoicing in the blessings Christ brings to humanity; the saints say, “Peace in heaven,” rejoicing in the reconciliation Christ brings above. There is communion between us and the holy angels. As they rejoice in peace on earth, we rejoice in peace in heaven—peace God makes in his high places (Job 25:2), all through Christ, who has reconciled all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven.
Christ’s triumphs, and his disciples’ joyful praises, provoked the Pharisees, who were enemies of Christ and his kingdom. Some of them in the crowd were offended and, assuming Christ would be too humble to allow such acclamations, asked him to rebuke his disciples (Luke 19:39). But Christ, who despises the scorn of the proud, welcomes the praise of the humble.
Whether people praise Christ or not, he will be praised (Luke 19:40): “If these should keep silent, the stones would cry out.” This was almost literally fulfilled when, as people mocked Christ on the cross and his disciples were silent, the earth quaked and the rocks split. Though the Pharisees tried to silence Christ’s praise, they could not succeed. Just as God can raise children for Abraham out of stones, he can bring perfect praise from the mouths of those children.