Luke 19:28–48

Family Bible Study
University Relations, Samford University; Southwestern Seminary graduate

Honor Christ
Luke 19:28–48
The life of Jesus comes full circle as He arranges His entry into Jerusalem. On the night of His birth, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the Highest, And on earth peace and good will among men” (2:14). In this episode in Chapter 19, the people sing, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the Highest!” The call for peace is prominent in both of these times in Jesus’ life.

Jesus was a master storyteller, always fitting and wording His parables to the situations to trouble the comfortable and to comfort the troubled. Jesus was also a master at the use of symbols. He recognizes the importance of this moment as He enters Jerusalem for this Passover feast. The crowds are clamoring for a leader, a king — perhaps one like David — to lead them once again. Yet Jesus knows that by the end of the week, He will hang dead from a Roman cross. As a director of the theater, Jesus selects a young colt, a symbol of humility and peace, to ride upon as He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The heart of Jesus weighs heavy for Jerusalem and its people. He foresees and predicts that in the not too distant future, Jerusalem’s “enemies will throw up a siege-wall and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another …” To paraphrase Jesus’ thought, “I am the Prince of Peace! Throughout My life and work, I have sought to teach you the things that make for peace!” The Roman armies did come in A.D. 70 to destroy Jerusalem and to scatter the Jewish people from their homeland.

In order to properly honor and obey Jesus who is set forth in this episode, we must acknowledge and embrace what He is revealing about who He is and what He is seeking to accomplish. Jesus came in peace and He came to establish peace on earth, both among His people and among the entire world’s people.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus first brings peace into the relationship between God and an individual believer, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). We can honor and obey Christ by learning to share the way of salvation and then actually to be intentional about winning people to faith in Christ. By doing this, we work to bring peace into the world.

Once a believer has peace with God, he or she is challenged to seek peace in all of their relationships, “If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18). To honor and obey Christ in our relationships, we may need to learn principles and techniques of conflict resolution. What a timely Discipleship Training class that would be! Finally, to return to the words of Jesus, He declares, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). Christians are to seek peace even in larger national and international settings. This calling to honor and obey Jesus as the Prince of Peace in these settings may be the most difficult and demanding of all tasks.

In order to seek peace in the national and international arenas, we must keep several truths and realities in mind. First we live in a fallen and sinful world where evil can prevail and innocent people suffer unjustly. Second we must seek peace with justice and not simply seek to appease a situation. This may require the use of disciplined force to establish peace. Third every fruitful, nonviolent means to establish peace must be first considered and pursued in the effort to establish peace.

A Chinese proverb declares, “When people run out of ideas, they begin to strike one another.” Indeed let us honor and obey this One who came riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a colt. Let us learn the things that make for peace to win people to Christ, the Prince of Peace, and to establish peace in all of our relationships. Let us pursue this peace even unto and among all peoples of the world, always seeking to use every fruitful means to bring about this peace. Let us unleash the strength and power of God’s love upon the earth to give peace a chance to be recognized and embraced by all peoples.