Luke 19:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

NIV: Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!'

NASB: And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!'

CSB: Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."

NLT: But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, 'Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!'

KJV: And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

NKJV: And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

Jesus is riding on a donkey to Jerusalem. The crowd around Him is shouting, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Luke 19:38). They are laying palm fronds and their cloaks on the ground so even the donkey Jesus rides won't set foot on the dirt (John 12:13; Luke 19:36).

In this instance, what the Pharisees say makes a lot of sense. Pharisees are often portrayed in a shallow, cartoon-like way: as deeply wicked, stupid, or ignorant men. While most rejected Jesus out of pride and arrogance, their sect was respected for a reason. The Pharisees had enough sense to know how this scene would look to the Roman occupiers. Among their great fears is that men like Jesus will inspire the Romans to react with violence.

Above them, on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, is the Antonia Fortress where a Roman tribune commands hundreds of soldiers and horsemen. On the other side of the mount is Pilate's residence. Pilate is a brutal governor who will do anything necessary to keep the peace and prevent a revolt. The Pharisees don't like the Romans, but they don't believe Jesus can expel them. He's an itinerant teacher swarmed by a few hundred farmers, servants, and townsfolks. Plus, they don't like Jesus. They don't want Him to be king because they can't control Him.

From the Pharisees' point of view, to continue this noisy proclamation of Jesus as "king" is to tempt fate. If Pilate comes to believe that the people are joining a Jesus-led revolt against the Roman Empire, the results will be horrific. Hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the empire flood into Jerusalem on the Passover. Pilate—infamous for his cruelty and excessively violent responses—might destroy them all.

But both Jesus and Pilate see things differently. Pilate sees Jesus as a curiosity, not a threat (John 18:33–40). Jesus knows He is the King of the Jews, but He's not going to overthrow the Romans any time soon. He accepts the accolades of the crowd as His due, but He knows another crowd—probably including some of these same people—will soon call for His death (Luke 23:18–25).

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.