Luke 19:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As 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,

NIV: When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

NASB: And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

CSB: Now he came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

NLT: When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

KJV: 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;

NKJV: 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,

This is a bittersweet moment. Jesus is King, and His followers know it. After a long period of subtlety and discretion (Luke 5:14; 8:56; 9:21), Jesus is now ready to publicly claim His title as the Promised One. His followers rightfully praise God for the miracles Jesus has done, not least of which was the recent raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Jesus had many followers in Galilee, and it seems they traveled with Him. Added to that are those who witnessed or heard about Lazarus. It is a giant, joyful crowd accompanying their King.

Naturally, some think this is "the moment" for which they have been waiting. They assume that Jesus is going to go to Jerusalem, that God is going to expel the Romans, and the Jews will have their nation again. The crowd shouts, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38; Psalm 118:26). Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), is the expression of God's kingdom on earth and peace in heaven. "In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). "And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near" (Ephesians 2:17). He did not come to free the triumphant crowd from Rome, but to free people from their sins and reconcile them to God (Romans 6:17–18; 8:1–4; Ephesians 2:1–10). Jesus will one day return as conquering King, not to free people from human oppression but to usher in a new heavens and a new earth where those who belong to Him will dwell with Him for eternity (Revelation 19—22).

As the crowd crests the Mount of Olives and descends into the Kidron Valley, Jesus will look to Jerusalem—at the mount where God's temple sits—and weep. He weeps that He will sacrifice Himself for these people, this city, and they will not understand. In about forty years, the city will be destroyed and the temple disassembled, stone from stone (Luke 19:41–44). It is good that the people proclaim Him king, but Israel is God's people as a nation. When the national leaders reject Him—kill Him—they signal the nation of Israel's total rejection of their own Savior.

Luke 19:28–40 is the account of the triumphal entry when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for His final Passover. Jesus presents Himself as the King of the Jews, challenging His followers, the religious leaders, and the many celebrants to choose whether to accept or reject Him. The triumphal entry is the first passage in the so-called "presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem" (Luke 19:28—21:38) where Jesus declares His authority (Luke 19:28—21:4) and reveals the future (Luke 21:5–38). The triumphal entry is one of the few events recorded in every Gospel (Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–15).

Jesus approaches Jerusalem by way of Jericho. Along the road, he encounters Zacchaeus: an unusually short man and infamous tax collector. Zacchaeus responds to Jesus' invitation and demonstrates humility and repentance. Jesus gives a parable explaining a believer's obligation to encourage the spread of the gospel. Jesus enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, upsetting local Pharisees. As He rides, Jesus weeps to think of the future destruction in store for the city. He once again drives corrupt businessmen from the temple grounds. His enemies are furious, but too afraid of the adoring crowds to take direct action.

Luke 19 finishes the "travelogue of Christ to Jerusalem" and introduces His first actions there (Luke 9:51—19:27). This long passage semi-chronologically records Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the theological reasons why He must go to the cross. It finishes here, in this chapter, with Jesus meeting Zacchaeus and the parable of the ten minas. The chapter continues with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as its king—the triumphal entry. Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, its rejection of their Messiah, and its coming destruction in AD 70. He also cleanses the temple and teaches there. In the next segments, Luke covers the last hours of Jesus' earthly life (Luke 22—23) as well as Jesus' resurrection (Luke 24).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.