A Free Online Commentary of the Bible.
To view commentary for each chapter, click desired chapter number.
Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Seeking and Finding
19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it.
Continuing His journey to Jerusalem Jesus passes through Jericho.
19:2 Now a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.
Living in this city was a very rich man named Zaccheus (his name means pure) who chief of the tax collectors in the region.
19:3 He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.
He wanted to have a look at Jesus as He passed by but be very short he could see above the crowds.
19:4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was going to pass that way.
He was determined to see Jesus and would use any means open to him to do so. Seeing a sycamore tree he runs ahead and climbs it knowing that Jesus would have to pass that way. Note that he did not consider belittling himself to order to achieve his purpose.
19:5 And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today."
When Jesus arrived at the spot He immediately looked up into the tree for He knew already that Zacchaeus had hid himself there. Calling him by name He tells him to come down for He was going to be a guest in his home today.
19:6 So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully.
Zacchaeus did not need a second bidding he quickly climbed down and in great excitement and joy.
19:7 And when the people saw it, they all complained, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
The people were not very pleased about this and grumbled amongst themselves because Zacchaeus was a tax collector and therefore a sinner.
19:8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!"
I do not think that it was out of mere curiosity that Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus I believe that he realized that he had a need. Therefore when he was in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ a conviction of his sins came upon him and in a roundabout way he confessed this when he told Jesus that he would give half his accumulated wealth to the poor and would give back anything four times the amount he had robbed from people.
19:9 Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!
Jesus who knew all about the life that Zacchaeus had lived received his confession of sin and tells him that Salvation had come to him today. Zacchaeus had shown himself to be a true son of faith of Abraham (Rom. 4:16).
19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
For this purpose did Jesus, the Son of Man come into the world to seek out those that are lost in sin and to save their souls (Matt. 1:21, Matt. 9:12-13, and Rom. 5:6).
Responsibility
19:11 While the people were listening to these things, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.
As the people heard what Jesus said to Zacchaeus and as He was drawing near to Jerusalem He tells them a parable concerning responsibility. For they thought that the Kingdom of God was about to appear.
19:12 Therefore he said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
There was a certain man of noble birth who went away into a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom and then return. By this is meant the Lord Jesus Christ coming to earth and then after accomplishing His mission returned to heaven and will come again.
19:13 And he summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business with these until I come back.'
Before leaving he called ten of his servants to him and entrusted them with 10 pounds of silver to be used until he comes back to earn interest for him.
19:14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be king over us!'
But the people hated him conspired against him and sent a delegation saying that they would not have him to be their king. These people are the Jews who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and who would not have Him as their king (John 19: 15).
19:15 When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted to know how much they had earned by trading.
After the nobleman had received his kingdom he return and summoned those servants to whom he had given the responsibility to put his money to good use to give an account of how much they had increased it by.
19:16 So the first one came before him and said, 'Sir, your mina has made ten minas more.'
The first one came an reported that he had doubled the ten ponds of silver taht had been entrusted to him.
19:17 And the king said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities.'
This servant was highly praised and told that because he had been faithful in the little that had been given to him his reward would be to be governor over ten cities (Col. 3:4 and 2 John 1:8).
19:18 Then the second one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has made five minas.'
The second man came and told his master that he had earn five more pounds of silver.
19:19 So the king said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
For his faithfulness he was rewarded governor ship over five cities.
19:20 Then another slave came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina that I put away for safekeeping in a piece of cloth.
The third servant came and returned the exact amount of silver that had been given to him wrapped up in an handkerchief (James 4:17 and Prov. 26:16).
19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.'
The remarks of this third servant is a contradiction. He says that he knew that his master was a hard man and because of this he feared what he might do to him if he had lost all the silver that had been entrusted to him. Yet he was not afraid of what his master would do to him if he had not put his money to good use thus increasing it.
19:22 The king said to him, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! So you knew, did you, that I was a severe man, withdrawing what I didn't deposit and reaping what I didn't sow?
By his own confession of his irresponsibility, his laziness, he will be judged.
19:23 Why then didn't you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest?'
The least he could have done was to but his master's money in the bank to obtain an interest by the time he returned.
19:24-25 And he said to his attendants, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.' But they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten minas already!'
Turning to those who were close by he told them to take from this man the silver that had been given to him and give it to the one who had double his money. But they
told him that this man already had ten pounds.
19:26 'I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
Jesus said that everyone who has received a gift and uses more will be given to them; and those who do not what they have even this will be taken from them.
It is to be noted that Jesus was telling this parable to the Jews who had objected to his dealings with Zacchaeus, the Pharisees and Scribes particularly. They had been entrusted with the scriptures and had been given the promises of God but they did not fulfill the responsibility that went with it. It can be applied to Christians who are joint heirs with Christ but to not fulfill the commission that Jesus Christ gave to His followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15 and Matt. 28:19-20).
19:27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and slaughter them in front of me!' "
As for those who had rebelled against him and did not want him to rule over them he commanded those to be executed.
Jesus Comes to His Own
19:28 After Jesus had said this, he continued on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
When Jesus had finished saying these things to them He continue His journey to Jerusalem.
19:29-30 Now when he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, telling them, "Go to the village ahead of you. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
As He came to the villages of Bethphage and Bethany on the mount of Olivet He sent two of His disciples to go into the village. He told them that as they entered the village they would find a young donkey tied up; they were to release it and bring it to Jesus.
19:31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say, 'The Lord needs it.' "
If anyone were to ask them waht they were doing they were to tell them that the Lord needed it. This was not a pre-arrange by the owner of the donkey by Jesus; He knew where it was and that it would be sufficient to say to anyone who question them that "the Lord has a need of it".
COPY TEXT FROM DEREK CH 19 end
(Luk 19:32) So those who were sent ahead found it exactly as he had told them.
(Luk 19:33) As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying that colt?"
(Luk 19:34) They replied, "The Lord needs it."
(Luk 19:35) Then they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus get on it.
(Luk 19:36) As he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
(Luk 19:37) As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen:
(Luk 19:38) "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
(Luk 19:39) But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."
(Luk 19:40) He answered, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!"
(Luk 19:41) Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it,
(Luk 19:42) saying, "If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
(Luk 19:43) For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side.
(Luk 19:44) They will demolish you — you and your children within your walls — and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."
(Luk 19:45) Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling things there,
(Luk 19:46) saying to them, "It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of robbers !"
(Luk 19:47) Jesus was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate him,
(Luk 19:48) but they could not find a way to do it, for all the people hung on his words.
If you need free Bible study online, then you can Study the Bible with our online Bible study fellowship. At Bible Studies Online we offer free online Bible study lessons, low cost Bible study books and gospel tracts free, as well as printed gospel tracts at low cost. We are the home of free Bible study. View hundreds of free online Bible studies and a free online Bible commentary!
