The Last Week
Luke 19 New King James Version
Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House
19 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all [d]complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The Parable of the Minas
11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten [e]minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”
The Triumphal Entry
28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”
32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”
34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
37 Then, as He was now drawing near 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 they had seen, 38 saying:
“ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house [i]is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
This chapter begins the last week of Jesus’ life here on Earth before the crucifixion. There are several great teachings within the chapter so I will just break down my thoughts as I read through.
My Take
In the first section with Zachaeus, we see a man desperate to see Jesus. It makes me wonder just what it felt like to see Him face to face. I suppose the way it feels to be in the presence of the Holy Ghost. Possibly better. Something that stuck out to me here though was when Jesus said in verse 10; The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
He didn’t come for the perfect ones, those who have it all figured out. He came for imperfect people who needed saving. In case you were wondering, that is every single one of us. We are all born into sin and need a savior because without Him we are indeed very much lost.
Hindering Ourselves?
As we move on to the parable of the minas I had a thought, can we hinder what God wants to do in our lives, how He wants to use us in ministry, is it affected by how we handle our finances? I know that paying tithes is a must because God’s word instructs us to do so , but what about massive debt? Can that hinder us? It is a form of bondage.
I know the usual take away in this area is that if you can be trusted with little, you can be trusted with much. Clearly that doesn’t just apply to finances, but it is worth meditating on.
Bittersweet
Jesus enters Jerusalem and it’s almost bittersweet. We know what’s coming. The thought of what He went through can be saddening. The beating, the mockery. But knowing He did it all for us should bring us all into a prayer of thanksgiving for His sacrifice.
Flipping Tables
Finally, the section we love to misuse, Jesus flipped some tables.
I did a devotion about this scriptures a while back and I still feel the same about it. Jesus was angry because they had turned the temple into some version of an over priced flea market . Just as I said before I feel we do the same things in our churches when we have our conferences. We have booths set up for books and jewelry, t-shirts and other clothing . Tables are set up in foyers every time there is a guest singer or speaker so they can sell their merchandise.
I believe Jesus would have flipped those tables, I really do. And it breaks my heart to know I, at one time, participated in such a thing.
Read, study & Pray
Reading God’s word for yourself is so important. What He speaks to me may be different from what He lays on your heart at the moment. I can share what I get from something but reading and studying personally is what makes that personal relationship with the Lord.
I encourage each person to spend time reading, studying and praying over God’s word, so that you can have a firm foundation in Christ.
**Lord thank You for Your word that speaks to me every time I read it. I ask for the determination and the strong desire to spend time with You in Your word every single day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. **
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