The Lord Jesus came from heaven to make possible the bringing of those that are lost to God. Having made this provision, He has gone into a far country to receive for Himself a Kingdom and return in great power. He has endued His followers in the world with advantages and capacities of serving the interests of His church until He returns to receive it, when all shall render account to Him and receive their reward accordingly.
Luke 19
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
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.
41 ¶ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
Luke 19:1 – J. Vernon McGee
Luke 19:2 – J. Vernon McGee
Luke 19:3-7 – J. Vernon McGee
Luke 19:8-10 – J. Vernon McGee
Luke 19:11-48 – J. Vernon McGee
Luke 19:1-10 – The Sinner and His Guest
For long, we may suppose, the better things had been striving against the worse in this man’s character. John the Baptist had wielded great influence over Zaccheus’ class and perhaps over himself. Zaccheus was a dissatisfied man. His dishonest acquisitions added to his wealth but subtracted from his peace of mind. He knew that the least he could do would be to repay those whom he had robbed. But his soul required more, and longed for salvation, such as only Jesus Christ could give.
The Lord knew this, and therefore halted beneath the tree and invited Himself as a guest to the publican’s home. The one man in all Jericho who most needed the Savior was discovered by Him and saved. The grace of God is ever in search of those who have gone as far as their light will carry them.
What a blessing it is that the Lord is willing to be our guest! See that He is welcomed to the guestroom of your heart. Stand to serve Him. He brings salvation for you and yours. —Through the Bible Day by Day
EVICTED!
Here are two tenants who seek to occupy every human heart and make it their place of residence. One of them is the Spirit of Good, the other is the Spirit of Evil. Jesus Christ is the personification of one; Satan is the personification of the other. It is within the power of every one to say whether his spiritual castle shall be the abode of righteousness and truth or whether it shall be the foul dwelling of sin and falsehood. If, perchance, the latter, by accident or un-watchfulness or even by our deliberate choice, has obtained control of our affections we may through the help of God cast out the unworthy tenant together with all his chattels of pride, envy, intemperance and their kindred brood, and turn over the House of Man-Soul to that other spirit whose mark thenceforth will adorn the door plate as a pledge that the dwelling will be forever impregnable against the assaults of sin.
Luke 19:9
Luke 19:10 – Without the Son of Man our daily duties and pleasures are the aimless wanderings of men lost in a trackless existence. Under His guidance they are marches to a definite end. If that end is not always clear to us or to others it is to Him. He not only comes to seek, but to save. We respond to the seeking voice, and at once the work of salvation begins. (A. Brooks)
Luke 19:11-27 – Doing Business for God
In many respects this parable differs from that of the ten talents. In that, the servants are entrusted with different amounts; in this, the same amount is allotted to each. Obviously, the former deals with our powers and opportunities for service, which greatly differ; whereas the latter deals with those ordinary gifts which are common to all, and especially with the gift of salvation. All have the opportunity of using and enjoying the same bestowment of life which is in Jesus Christ for those who believe, Jude 3.
Some make the greatest possible use of our “common salvation.” They increase its blessings by much prayer and faith and experience. They speak of it to others and spread the knowledge of the heights and depths of God’s love. The more they do this, the more it grows on them. Others pass through life without realizing or enjoying Christ’s gift of eternal life. They hope that they may be saved; but they have no deep experimental knowledge of His love. These are they who misuse their pound! What a contrast between such and Paul or Luther or Wesley! —Through the Bible Day by Day
Luke 19:28-40 – The Welcome of the King
This humble triumph is a further revelation of our Lord’s character. The lowliness of it, which exposed Him to the sneers and ridicule of scribe and Pharisee, greatly pleased the simple folk from Galilee, who recognized Him as their own, and were proud to identify themselves with Him. See Matthew 21:11. It is thus that Jesus pursues His way through the ages; the princes of this world know Him not, but His character is appreciated and His claims are recognized by babes, Matthew 11:25; I Corinthians 2:8. Are you in the Master’s procession?
Jesus’ royalty is not of this world. It is based on character. It is ignored by the proud, but welcomed by the poor. It is fairest to those whose eyes are anointed to penetrate the veil and discern the eternal realities, and of their enthusiasm, praise to God is the irresistible expression. Note that their song is an echo of Luke 2:14. Oh, to glorify God to the highest degree!
The Lord’s need is the master-motive. We can hold nothing back from His request, whether child, or money, or life. Let these words ring in our hearts: The Lord hath need. —Through the Bible Day by Day
Luke 19:34—They said, The Lord hath need of him.
Oh, could I hear Thee say as much of me, my blessed Lord! Here, where two ways meet, I have been standing long, waiting for a purpose worthy to fill my soul, and task the powers that are, as yet, only in the first burst of young life.
Thou needest much and many in thy great redemptive work. The boat to cross the lake; the line to catch the fish; the bread and fish to feed the crowds; the baskets to gather up the fragments; the chalice to hold the wine; the dish to hold the sop; the little child to be the text for thy sermon; the clay for the blind man’s eyes; the tender women to minister of their substance; the apostles to preach thy Gospel. Canst Thou not find a niche for me also?
Thou requirest undivided loyalty.—Born of the Virgin’s womb, laid in death where man’s dust had never come, Thou must have a colt on which none had ever sat. I cannot give Thee a heart which has never known another; but I profess to Thee that there is no rival now. Thou mayest have all. Thine is the Kingdom.
Thou requirest patience and humility.—But these, also, Thou hast taught. I have waited patiently till this glad hour, and am quieted and humbled like a weaned child. No longer do I seek great things for myself. It is enough for me to be and do anything, if only Thou shalt be glorified.
Thou requirest, perhaps, but one brief service.—To serve Thee always with increasing fervour would be my choice; but if Thou needest only one brief, glad hour of ministry, like that the good Ananias did to thy Church when he ministered to Saul, then be it so. To prepare for it, and revert to it, would be my satisfaction in having lived. —Our Daily Homily
Luke 19:41-48 – The Doom of the Royal City
Our Lord loved the city of His race; and when it finally rejected His appeals, He knew that nothing could avert its downfall. Hence His tears! Each nation, city and individual has one day which is the crisis of existence. We cross the equator without knowing it. There is one hour in each God-forsaken life when, as in the Temple before its fall, watchers hear the words, “Let us depart,” and there is the rustle of wings! Notice that God visits us in mercy before He comes to us in wrath.
It was a startling act when Christ cleansed the Temple for the second time, John 2:13, etc. If there had been daily papers in those days, they would have chronicled it in great headlines. Extraordinary that this meek and lowly man should break out so vehemently! But His zeal for God’s house sustained and bore Him along. Let us ask Him to cleanse the temple of our heart.
These priests and scribes had vested interests to conserve, which blinded them to the beauty and glory of Christ. If we place a coin, however valueless, against the eye, it will blind us to the sun. —Through the Bible Day by Day