The Entry into and Weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44)

Luke concludes the Jerusalem journey account with what is often referred to as the triumphal entry. Jesus sends His disciples into the village to get a colt, predicting the circumstances they will face. They follow His instructions exactly, and Jesus rides into Jerusalem fulfilling the prophecy of Zecharia 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Interestingly, and contrary to many a sermon you may have heard growing up, this is not the same crowd that will one week later shout. “Crucify him!” Luke makes it pretty clear that it is a large crowd of Jesus’s disciples celebrating His entry. They correctly understand He is the arriving King, even if they misunderstand the nature of His mission in Jerusalem at this point. (Despite His many predictions!)

As Jesus approaches the city, He is overcome with emotion. He has been warning the crowds along the way that they need to recognize the coming of the Messiah, but He knows that the nation is going to largely miss out on the coming salvation. To this day, God’s called nation mostly denies the Messiah who has fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies predicting His arrival.