39: Blinded Welcome of the King (Luke 19:28–48)

Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as her King, yet did not understand what He had come to do—to bring them peace with God. This was hidden from their eyes, so they would crucify their King. 

👉 Read Luke 19:28-48

Q1. What words did His disciple say to the owner of the colt that he let it go? 

The Lord needs of it.

It is not sure whether Jesus pre-arranged it or miraculously the owner moved at that moment, Jesus wanted to declare that He was entering Jerusalem as the Messianic King, acts with that kind of authority. In the ancient Near East, kings could requisition animals or services for official purposes. Luke's wording, "The Lord needs it," fits this theme well. The owners' compliance foreshadows the recognition of His kingship.

"The crowds were willing to welcome Jesus as King, but they did not understand the kind of King He was. The leaders, however, were unwilling to accept Him because they did not recognize that He was the promised Messiah. Both were blinded: the people misunderstood His mission, and the leaders rejected His identity."

Q2. As Jesus was approaching the city along the road descending from the (          ), His (      ) began to rejoice and praise God, saying, “Blessed is the (      ) who comes in the name of the Lord! (      ) in heaven and glory in the highest!”

As Jesus was approaching the city along the road descending from the ( Mount of Olives ), His ( disciples ) began to rejoice and praise God, saying, “Blessed is the ( King ) who comes in the name of the Lord! ( Peace ) in heaven and glory in the highest!”

The other Gospels (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:9; John 12:13) record that they shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Luke interprets the meaning of the term “the Son of David” as “the King” to help his Gentile readers understand its meaning.

At Jesus’ birth, the angel sang, “peace on earth.” Here, they shouted, “peace in heaven.” Also, verse 42 says that they did not know the work that brings peace. Their understanding of peace was different from the peace Jesus was going to bring.

The people expected the fulfillment of God’s promise to David—the restoration of Israel through the coming King. That’s why, by sending the Messiah, they believed that God could now fulfill His promise. In human terms, He was released from the obligation of covenantal duty. That’s why they shouted ‘peace in heaven.’ 

However, the place where peace was truly needed was the earth—especially the hearts of people. The shalom of God's kingdom had to be restored among humanity. Yet, to bring this peace, Jesus had to be rejected and crucified. The very work to bring true peace was hidden from their eyes.

Q3. The residents of Jerusalem suffered calamity because the work that brings (     ) was hidden from their eyes, and they did not recognize the time of their (      ) from God.

The residents of Jerusalem suffered calamity because the work that brings ( peace ) was hidden from their eyes, and they did not recognize the time of their ( visitation ) from God.

The time of their visitation: the day of God’s assessment upon their religious life.

In verses 42-44, the repeated use of “you” and “your” shows that Jesus’ warning is directed at Jerusalem as a collective community. The coming judgment is corporate in nature, meaning that the city and its inhabitants would suffer together because they failed to recognize God’s visitation. Thus, even some righteous individuals could experience the consequences of the judgment that came upon the city.

Q4. ‘(    ) will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into (       )

‘( My house ) will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into ( a den of robbers!)

The verdict of judgment upon the Jerusalem temple is this. 

Two Kinds of Failure. In this passage, the people were blinded and did not know what their Messiah would do or what kind of peace He would bring. Thus, they welcomed Jesus as their King, but later they would shout for Him to be crucified. The religious leaders, however, rejected Jesus from the beginning and even sought to kill Him. Surely, they were the ones represented by the delegation that rejected the nobleman as their king in the parable of the ten minas.

Verse 48 points out that it was God’s plan for Jesus to be crucified. The religious leaders did not dare to kill Him during the feast, and the people wanted Him to be their king. Yet God’s plan was that Jesus would be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb to deliver His people from the slavery of sin, just as the first Passover marked Israel’s deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.