LUKE 19

When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, wanted to see Him; but because of his short stature, he had to climb a tree to get a good look at Him as He passed by. But Jesus stopped under the tree and said, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And Zacchaeus did so and "received Him joyfully." 

Meanwhile, some complained that Jesus went to spend time with a sinner. But Zacchaeus was already making restitution, and he told Jesus that He was going to give back to all those he had stolen from. Jesus told him

Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Then Jesus told a parable to those who thought that He was to bring His kingdom to earth immediately:

A nobleman was to receive a kingdom, and He gave ten of his servants minas to do business for him until he returned. Meanwhile, a delegation of citizens went after him to oppose him (more on that later). However, when he returned for his kingdom, he called his servants to collect what was his. Several of his servants had traded his minas and gained more in return, and he rewarded each, saying, "Well done, good servant, because you were faithful in very little, have authority over ten cities (or five cities)." 

But one servant returned his master's one mina and said he kept it in a handkerchief. "For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow." Therefore, his master called him a wicked servant and judged him. He ordered his mina to be given to the one who had more. The master said that to those who have more will be given and from those who do not have, what he has will be taken away. And to the delegation that opposed him, he ordered them slayed.

Now Jesus made His way into Jerusalem and He commanded His disciples to retrieve a colt for Him, which they did. And they threw their clothes on the colt, and Jesus sat upon it. As He went toward Jerusalem, His disciples began to rejoice and praise God:

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. 

The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke His disciples. But He said that if He told them to be silent, the stones would cry out. When He drew near the city, He wept, saying, "If you had known...especially in this...day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden...for days will come...when your enemies will build an embankment....surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave...one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." 

In the temple, Jesus drove out those who bought and sold, saying, "It is written, My house is a house of prayers, but you have made it a den of thieves." He had been teaching daily in the temple, and the chief priests, scribes, and religious leaders would have destroyed Him but for the people who wanted to hear Him teach. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus knows why He is going through Jericho because there are specific sinners whom He wants to talk to. One of them was Zacchaeus. The only way we know that Zacchaeus had been converted by Jesus was through his declaration that he was going to restore above and beyond what he stole from those whom he collected taxes, and that he was going to give to the poor. His restitution demonstrates his faith and salvation. He had become a new man. 

Close to Jerusalem, many of Jesus' disciples believed He was going to set up His kingdom. At this point, He told another parable about a nobleman who was acquiring a kingdom for Himself from no one. But the people rejected Him. (This is exactly what the people were going to do to Jesus once He went to the cross.)

The parable represented how believers are given stewardship roles. It could be over a whole city, a home, or a family, and believers are to be steadfast in these responsibilities. When He returns, He will reward them according to their faithfulness. 

Jesus came into Jerusalem three consecutive times, once per day. First on Saturday. He entered as Priest. The second day was Sunday, which was the day He cleansed the temple of the corrupt money changers. He entered as King. The third day, Monday, He wept over Jerusalem, entered the temple and taught. He entered as Prophet. 

At the entry into Jerusalem on the colt, the people expected Jesus to set up His kingdom. This would provoke the Roman rulers, particularly because Jesus accepted the people's worship and He did not silence them. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and prophesied that the Romans would level the city in A. D. 70 and slaughter its inhabitants.

Destruction of Jerusalem Temple by Francesco Hayez, 1847

  

Jeremiah 1

 The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah when Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah were kings of Judah, "until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive..."

The Lord said to Jeremiah: 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. 

Jeremiah doubted and said he could not speak because he was only a youth.

But the Lord replied:

...you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you.

And the Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth with His hand, and said:

...I have put My words in your mouth...I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.

Then the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw, and he saw the branch of an almond tree. This meant that Jeremiah was ready to perform God's Word. A second time the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw, and Jeremiah saw a boiling pot facing away from the north. This meant that the Lord would send an enemy from the north (Babylon) to bring judgment upon Judah for their wickedness, because they had forsaken the Lord, and worshipped the works of their own hands. 

The Lord told Jeremiah to prepare to speak to them all He commanded. Jeremiah was made for this day. "...they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you."

COMMENTARY

McGee gives us some reference for the book Jeremiah: Hilkiah, father of Jeremiah, was the high priest who found the book of the Law, which set off a revival, during the reign of Josiah. 

Jeremiah's ministry began in the thirteenth year of Josiah. He was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, and he did not feel experienced enough or qualified to be a prophet. But God set Jeremiah apart from the time of his conception in his mother's womb for this very purpose. 

God told Jeremiah that the people will reject his message and ignore him, and being a tender man, it broke his heart. Maybe this was why God used Jeremiah because He wanted His people to know how much He loved them, that He wanted to save and deliver them. 

God did not want Jeremiah to be concerned about his ability or effect to deliver the message because it was God's words; all he had to do was give the message. Jeremiah was not responsible for the response or lack thereof. He was only responsible for being obedient to God and giving God's word with authority, as God gave it to him. Remember, God uses the weak things of this world to do His will.

God asked Jeremiah on two occasions what he saw. Once he saw an almond tree, which represented a "waker" or "watcher." Jeremiah was to be a waker of the people, though they wanted to hit the snooze button too many times and stay asleep.

The other object Jeremiah saw was a boiling pot from the north, which represented the rising power of Babylon. That would be the warning the people would disregard.

McGee gave more references to the other prophets and where they were or are on the timeline with Jeremiah. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, and Nahum, contemporaries of Isaiah, are no longer "on the scene." Zephaniah and Habakkuk may still be living during the time of Jeremiah. Ezekiel and Obadiah were contemporaries of Jeremiah, but they do not prophecy until AFTER the captives are in Babylon. And Daniel will come later. But Jeremiah will deliver the judgments of the Lord alone.

God told him they won't listen, but continue to give the messages. The Lord will put His words into Jeremiah's mouth. How unworthy Jeremiah felt, but there is no excuse bigger than God's calling. 

 

from Love God Greatly