Luke 19

Zaccheus Converted

1 He ¹entered Jericho and was passing through.

2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.

3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable * because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.

4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a ²sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.

7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."

8 Zaccheus stopped and said to ³the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have ⁴defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back ⁵four times as much."

9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is ⁶a son of Abraham.

10 "For ⁷the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Parable of Money Usage

11 While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because ⁸He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that ⁹the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

12 So He said, "¹⁰A nobleman * went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.

13 "And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this until * I come back.'

14 "But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'

15 "When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.

16 "The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.'

17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been ¹¹faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.'

18 "The second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.'

19 "And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'

20 "Another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief;

21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.'

22 "He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

23 'Then why * did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?'

24 "Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

25 "And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.'

26 "¹²I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

27 "But ¹³these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and ¹⁴slay them in my presence."

Triumphal Entry

28 After He had said these things, He ¹⁵was going on ahead, ¹⁶going up to Jerusalem.

29 ¹⁷When He approached Bethphage and ¹⁸Bethany, near the mount that is called ¹⁹Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,

30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one * yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here.

31 "If anyone asks you, 'Why * are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.' "

32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them.

33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

34 They said, "The Lord has need of it."

35 They brought it to Jesus, ²⁰and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it.

36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road.

37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of ²¹the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to ²²praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

38 shouting: "²³BLESSED IS THE ²⁴KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and ²⁵glory in the highest!"

39 ²⁶Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."

40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, ²⁷the stones will cry out!"

41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and ²⁸wept over it,

42 saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

43 "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will ²⁹throw up a barricade against you, and ³⁰surround you and hem you in on every side,

44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and ³¹they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because * you did not recognize ³²the time of your visitation."

Traders Driven from the Temple

45 ³³Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling,

46 saying to them, "It is written, '³⁴AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' ³⁵but you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."

47 And ³⁶He was teaching daily * in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people ³⁷were trying to destroy Him,

48 and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.

Luke 19 Commentary

Chapter 19

The conversion of Zaccheus. (1-10) The parable of the nobleman and his servants. (11-27) Christ enters Jerusalem. (28-40) Christ laments over Jerusalem. (41-48)

Verses 1-10 Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus' house. Wherever Christ comes he opens the heart, and inclines it to receive him. He that has a mind to know Christ, shall be known of him. Those whom Christ calls, must humble themselves, and come down. We may well receive him joyfully, who brings all good with him. Zaccheus gave proofs publicly that he was become a true convert. He does not look to be justified by his works, as the Pharisee; but by his good works he will, through the grace of God, show the sincerity of his faith and repentance. Zaccheus is declared to be a happy man, now he is turned from sin to God. Now that he is saved from his sins, from the guilt of them, from the power of them, all the benefits of salvation are his. Christ is come to his house, and where Christ comes he brings salvation with him. He came into this lost world to seek and to save it. His design was to save, when there was no salvation in any other. He seeks those that sought him not, and asked not for him.

Verses 11-27 This parable is like that of the talents, ( Matthew 25 ) . Those that are called to Christ, he furnishes with gifts needful for their business; and from those to whom he gives power, he expects service. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to ( 1 Corinthians. 12:7 ) ( 1 Peter. 4:10 ) account required, resembles that in the parable of the talents; and the punishment of the avowed enemies of Christ, as well as of false professors, is shown. The principal difference is, that the pound given to each seems to point out the gift of the gospel, which is the same to all who hear it; but the talents, distributed more or less, seem to mean that God gives different capacities and advantages to men, by which this one gift of the gospel may be differently improved.

Verses 28-40 Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praises of Christ, but they cannot; for as God can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham, and turn the stony heart to himself, so he can bring praise out of the mouths of children. And what will be the feelings of men when the Lord returns in glory to judge the world!

Verses 41-48 Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But let every one remember, that though Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he executed awful vengeance upon it. Though he delights not in the death of a sinner, yet he will surely bring to pass his awful threatenings on those who neglect his salvation. The Son of God did not weep vain and causeless tears, nor for a light matter, nor for himself. He knows the value of souls, the weight of guilt, and how low it will press and sink mankind. May he then come and cleanse our hearts by his Spirit, from all that defiles. May sinners, on every side, become attentive to the words of truth and salvation.

Cross References

• 1. Luke 18:35
• 2. 1 Kings 10:27; 1 Chronicles 27:28; 2 Chronicles 1:15; 2 Chronicles 9:27; Psalms 78:47; Isaiah 9:10; Luke 17:6
• 3. Luke 7:13
• 4. Luke 3:14
• 5. Exodus 22:1; Leviticus 6:5; Numbers 5:7; 2 Samuel 12:6
• 6. Luke 3:8; Luke 13:16; Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7
• 7. Matthew 18:11
• 8. Luke 9:51
• 9. Luke 17:20
• 10. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27
• 11. Luke 16:10
• 12. Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18
• 13. Luke 19:14
• 14. Matthew 22:7; Luke 20:16
• 15. Mark 10:32
• 16. Luke 9:51
• 17. Luke 19:29-38: {Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10}
• 18. Matthew 21:17
• 19. Luke 21:37; Acts 1:12
• 20. Luke 19:35-38: {Matthew 21:4-9; Mark 11:7-10; John 12:12-15}
• 21. Matthew 21:1; Luke 19:29
• 22. Luke 18:43
• 23. Psalms 118:26
• 24. Matthew 2:2; Matthew 25:34
• 25. Matthew 21:9; Luke 2:14
• 26. Matthew 21:15
• 27. Habakkuk 2:11
• 28. Luke 13:34, 35
• 29. Ecclesiastes 9:14; Isaiah 29:3; Isaiah 37:33; Jeremiah 6:6; Ezekiel 4:2; Ezekiel 26:8
• 30. Luke 21:20
• 31. Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6
• 32. 1 Peter 2:12
• 33. Luke 19:45, 46: {Matthew 21:12, 13; Mark 11:15-17;} John 2:13-16
• 34. Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17
• 35. Jeremiah 7:11
• 36. Matthew 26:55; Luke 21:37
• 37. Luke 20:19

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. fig-mulberry
• [b]. Lit "rejoicing"
• [c]. Or "to find lodging"
• [d]. Lit "am giving"
• [e]. Lit "am giving"
• [f]. A mina is equal to about 100 days' wages
• [g]. Lit "while I am coming"
• [h]. Or "an embassy"
• [i]. Lit "Lord"
• [j]. V 13, note 1
• [k]. V 13, note 1
• [l]. Lit "lord"
• [m]. Lit "Out of your own mouth"
• [n]. Or "hill...Olive Grove;" Mount of Olives
• [o]. Lit "lords"
• [p]. Lit "rejoicing"
• [q]. Or "works of power"
• [r]. Lit "from"
• [s]. Lit "and"
• [t]. I.e. a dirt wall or mound for siege purposes
• [u]. Lit "cave"
• [v]. Lit "what they would do"
• [w]. Lit "Him, listening"