Sunday School Lessons: Luke 19

Luke 19

19:1He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus is continuing on his way to Jerusalem. (Lazarus raised in Bethany)

Zaccheus: a Jew. Zaccheus was a common name at that time. He was a chief tax collector. (he had other publicans serving under him) Christ came to save even the chief of publicans.

He was rich. After Jesus had spoken to the rich young ruler, he said that it is hard for rich people to enter heaven. Zaccheus was in the same situation as the publican who stood afar off and prayed, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” He had given up his place in the community of believers when he became a tax collector. He had given up access to the temple. Zaccheus wanted a mercy seat. He wanted to come back to God. He wanted to see Jesus so he ran ahead and climbed the tree and hid among the branches.

When Jesus came to the tree, he sought out Zacccheus and commanded him to ‘hurry and come down, and invited himself to his house. Zaccheus did not expect this. He just wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus, but Jesus saw him in the tree and he saw his heart. Notice that he called Zaccheus by his name. Jesus knows His own. Zaccheus received him with joy. This represents Zaccheus believing on Jesus.

The gossips in the crowd grumbled. They complained that he was going in to eat with a sinner. They did not realize that they were sinners, too. That is why Jesus came; to seek and save the lost. They did not realize that Zaccheus had changed.

The evidence that he had changed is indicated in his response: he promises to give half his goods to the poor, and repay anyone he had defrauded four times what he had taken. (according to the Mosaic Law Ex 22) By this, he proves a change of heart because there is a change in his behavior (James 2:18) He showed his faith by his works. His resolutions are in line with the second table of the Ten Commandments that we looked at last week; the ones that address man’s relationships with other men.

What is Jesus’ response to Zaccheus’s declaration? He says that salvation has come to Zaccheus’s house. Zaccheus did not think he was earning his salvation through his works. He was responding to the change that had occurred by his belief in Christ.

He that is greedy of gain troubles his own house, and brings a curse upon it (Hab. 2:9), but he that is charitable to the poor does a kindness to his own house, and brings a blessing upon it and salvation to it, temporal at least, Ps. 112:3.

11As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

Many of his followers, including the disciples, thought he was coming to Jerusalem to set up his kingdom on earth. They thought he was going to rule and reign as King. But he was going to Jerusalem to die; he was going to offer himself up as the final sacrifice for sin. They did not understand.

12He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas,and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Jesus is the nobleman. He will receive his kingdom from his Father. The first time he came as our Savior; the second time he will come as King and Judge. Every person has been entrusted with blessings and possessions and opportunities. We must all be faithful to what he has entrusted to us. We are stewards and we must be faithful, whether we are given a little or a lot. When he comes, he will reward those who have been faithful and punish those who have not. Those that are faithful in a little shall be entrusted with more.

28And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Matthew and Mark also record Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Jesus Christ was willing to suffer and die for us. (Hebrews 12:2) He went ahead, as if was anxious to arrive and complete his work on our behalf.

Jesus had authority to command the use of the donkey. Some people think that this was a miracle. Other people think that this was prearranged. The important thing to remember is, whether it was a miracle or not, Jesus has authority over all of creation and that includes all our possessions. Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a colt, just as it had been foreseen in the OT. The multitude rejoiced and praised God. They threw their cloaks on the road before him in a demonstration of honor and joy. They praised God for the mighty works they had seen. Jesus had come to Jerusalem from Bethany, the scene of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. (John 12)

Matthew Henry: How they expressed their joy and praise (v. 38): Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord. Christ is the king; he comes in the name of the Lord, clothed with a divine authority, commissioned from heaven to give law and treat of peace. Blessed be he. Let us praise him, let God prosper him. He is blessed for ever, and we will speak well of him. Peace in heaven. Let the God of heaven send peace and success to his undertaking, and then there will be glory in the highest. It will redound to the glory of the most high God; and the angels, the glorious inhabitants of the upper world, will give him the glory of it. Compare this song of the saints on earth with that of the angels, ch. 2:14. They both agree to give glory to God in the highest. There the praises of both centre; the angels say, On earth peace, rejoicing in the benefit which men on earth have by Christ; the saints say, Peace in heaven, rejoicing in the benefit which the angels have by Christ. Such is the communion we have with the holy angels that, as they rejoice in the peace on earth, so we rejoice in the peace in heaven, the peace God makes in his high places (Job 25:2), and both in Christ, who hath reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Jesus received their praise and would not rebuke them. This angered the Pharisees. He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” This was literally fulfilled when Jesus was dying on the cross. When wicked men abused him and jeered at him and even his own disciples were silent, there was a great earthquake and men were resurrected, giving praise to God.

41And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

As Jesus was coming down from the Mount of Olives, he could see the entire city laid out before him. Why did Jesus weep over the city? Was it because he knew he was going to suffer and die there in just a few days? No, it was because he knew that most of the inhabitants of the city were lost. They did not recognize their messiah. They rejected the Gospel. He was hidden from their eyes. Then he foretold of the destruction of Jerusalem to come. In less than 40 years, his prophecy was fulfilled when Titus destroyed the city in 70 AD.

45And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

47And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Why did Jesus drive out the money changers and merchants? The temple was meant to be a place of prayer, set apart for communion with God.

Jesus taught daily in the temple. There were two different responses to his teaching the chief priests and scribes and ruler sought to destroy him, but the people listened to him eagerly.

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students. You can find lessons for previous chapters here . All scriptures are taken from the ESV.