Luke 19:28-40:                                                              Luke's record of the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday.  

The preparation ( 19:28 -34)

The men ( 19:28 -29): Jesus instructs two disciples.

John 12:1: "Then Jesus, six days before the Passover" - probably after sunset on the Friday Evening, or at the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath, which preceded the Passover - "came to Bethany , where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead." There He would spend His last Sabbath among friends who were dear to Him. It  was on the day following, which was the First Day of the Week, that He made His triumphal Entry into Jerusalem . This corresponded to the tenth day of the month Nisan. In the Jewish year, the day on which the paschal lamb was separated from the rest of the flock, and set apart for sacrifice. It was "kept until the fourteenth day," on which "the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel were to kill it in the evening".  This was hardly a coincidence. Whoever observes how every act in the final scenes was arranged and carried out with a calm dignity cannot doubt that "Christ our Passover" who was to be "sacrificed for us”, set Himself forth as set apart for sacrifice. Accordingly, He never after this properly left Jerusalem , merely sleeping at Bethany , but spending the whole of every day in the city.

Luke 19:29. And it came to pass…. he sent two of his disciples.

Their orders ( 19:30 -31):                                                           They are to fetch a colt from a nearby village for the Saviour to ride on. He sent two of his disciples, 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.

Their obedience ( 19:32 -34): They do exactly as Jesus has instructed.

And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. "And they went their way (says Mark), and found the colt tied by the door in a place where two ways met; and they loose him." The particulars of this grand entry into Jerusalem burned themselves into the memory of those disciples that were honoured to take part in the preparations for it. If they had not such unimportant details would never been recorded.

 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him - "and (says Mark) they let them go."

And they brought him to Jesus. Matthew here gives an important particular, omitted by the other Evangelists. He says "they brought the donkey and the colt." Of course, the unbroken colt would be a bit more relaxed by having its dam along with it. The bearing of this minute particular on the prophecy about to be quoted is very striking.     

The celebration ( 19:35 -38)

And they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon - He allowed them to act the part of attendants on royalty for the first and only time. This was fitting because He was now openly proclaiming that He was the Messiah.

Matthew here notes the well-known prophecy which was fulfilled in all this. "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet (Zech 9:9), saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion", here quoting another Messianic prophecy from Isaiah 62:11 in place of Zechariah's opening words, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee." The prophet adds, "He is just, and having salvation" but the Gospel writer omits this and passes on to what relates to the lowly character of His royalty: "meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass." It was upon the foal that our Lord sat, as Mark and Luke expressly state. While the horse was an animal of war, the donkey was used for purposes of peace. Here it is in His royal capacity that the prophet says Jerusalem 's King is to ride upon an ass. While other rulers may ride richly decorated horses the Lord rode on a borrowed ass, which had never been broken in. The clothing of His followers supplied the saddlecloth, and His attendants were people, whom the world regarded as a mob and a rabble. It was the meekness of majesty which was manifested, entering the city with royal authority, but without all the external grandeur that usually accompanies such authority.

On this remarkable prophecy we notice, first, the familiar name given to the chosen people, "The daughter of Zion ”, and next, the prophetic call to the chosen people to "Rejoice greatly" at this coming of their King to His own city.

The joy with which Jesus was welcomed on this occasion into Jerusalem was all the more striking a fulfilment of this prophecy because it was the same people who would later shout “Crucify Him”. It is impossible to account for their ardour except by a mysterious impulse from above, sweeping over the great crowd, in conformity with God’s arrangements, to give the King of Israel a visible, audible, glad welcome to His own city.

 And as he went toward the city, they spread their clothes on the road, that is, the gathering crowds did so. They were probably attracted in the first instance, by the novelty of what was happening, but eventually they came a higher understanding of it.

They spread their cloaks on the road. The immense multitude spread their garments in the waywhile others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them over the road. This casting of their garments beneath His feet was an ancient way of expressing the homage of a people toward their sovereign. This was their example of the Red Carpet Treatment. Many of you will also remember the gallantry of Sir Walter Raleigh

 The crowds then proclaim his praise ( 19:37 -38).

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives (just as He approached the city), the whole multitude of the disciples that went before and that followed" began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. The language here is intended to express admiration far wider and deeper than ever had been witnessed before in spite of all the mighty works or miracles that they had seen. The last and most noticeable of these miracles was the raising of Lazarus from the dead but this only crowned a large number of unparalleled wonders. Saying, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” Ps 118:25.

Peace on earth and glory in the highest the multitude of the heavenly host said at His birth. (Luke 2:14). This earthly multitude say, "Peace in heaven." A great truth but uttered in ignorance. Christ's entry into Jerusalem now meant peace in both senses; but they did not know the things that belonged to their peace. In uttering the grand Messianic words of Ps 118:25 which lie at the heart of the rich anticipation that formed part of the Great Hallel, or Passover-Psalms, that would be sung by all the people during the days immediately following. These were understood to refer to the Messiah. They acted unconsciously, as the representatives of the true Church welcoming Her King, and of Israel , who will one day hail Him with great joy, but mingled with weeping. A very important addition is made in the Fourth Gospel. John 12:16-19. "These things understood not His disciples at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance that these things were written of Him. This refers to the prophecies just quoted from Ps 118 and Zech 9, and also to those Messianic portions of the Old Testament which until then had been overlooked. The Holy Spirit, when He descended on them at Pentecost, opened their eyes suddenly to the true sense of the Old Testament and brought vividly to their recollection this and other Messianic predictions which,  to their unspeakable astonishment showed them that they, and all the others in these scenes, had been unconsciously fulfilling those predictions.

 The Pharisee's rebuke ( 19:39 ):                                 "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"

The Saviour’s reply ( 19:40 ): "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"

THE PROPHECY OF JESUS ( 19:41 -44)

His pain ( 19:41 ): And when he was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it. "My eye", said Jeremiah,the weeping prophet, "affects my heart" (Lam 3:51 ), and the heart in turn fills the eye. Under this law of the relation of mind and body, Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted just like us. This was in contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! But Jesus yielded Himself alike freely to both.

He said, “If thou had known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from your eyes”.

Note the words if and thou. This "If" is most emphatic, “If even you had known but now they are hid from your eyes. Thou is  very personal. This was among His last open efforts to gather them, but their eyes were closed.

His prediction ( 19:42 -44):  Jerusalem will be attacked and utterly destroyed by her enemies.

For the days shall come....  This took place under Titus, the Roman general, 70 A.D., about thirty years after this was spoken.

Josephus informs us that Titus, in order that he might compel the city to surrender by starving them out, built a wall around the whole circumference of the city. This wall was nearly 5 miles in length, and was furnished with thirteen castles or towers. This work was completed with in only ten days.

The design of this wall prevented anyone escaping from the city when the Roman Army flattened it to the ground. Titus then caused a plough to pass over the place where the temple had stood. All this was done, says Christ, because Jerusalem knew not the time of its visitation, that is, did not know, and did not want to know, that the Messiah had come. His coming was the time of their merciful visitation. That time had been predicted, and invaluable blessings promised as the result of his advent; but they would not know it. They rejected him, they put him to death, and it was a just punishment when they and the city were destroyed.

Many today are in a similar situation. They have heard the Gospel and understood it but have chosen to neglect it or reject it. The Bible gives fair warning that the time of judgment will come when many will share the eternal consequences of those who have ignored the Saviour’s pleading.