Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Luke 19:1) And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
Jesus and His disciples had been journeying toward Jerusalem and He now entered into Jericho and passed through it.
(2) And behold, a man named Zacchaeus who was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
There was a man there named Zacchaeus who was the head of the tax collectors and was very rich.
(3) And he sought to see Jesus who he was and could not for the crowd because he was little of stature.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and know who He was but could not get to Him because of the crowd of people around Jesus, and also because he was a short man.
(4) And he ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way.
Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree that was beside where Jesus would be passing.
(5) And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for today I must abide at your house."
When Jesus came to the place at the sycamore tree, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus and spoke to him, calling him by name. He told him to hurry down because He needed to stay at his house.
(6) And he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully.
Zacchaeus was surely very happy that Jesus had noticed him and asked him to come down from the tree and prepare for Him to stay at his house. He hurriedly came down and received Jesus joyfully.
(7) And when they saw, they all murmured, saying that He had gone to be a guest with a man who was a sinner.
When the people saw that Jesus had gone to be with Zacchaeus, they all murmured about his going to be a guest at the home of a sinner, for the Jews considered the tax collectors to be the lowest of sinners.
(8) And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore fourfold."
Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and in the hearing of the people to say that he would give half his goods to the poor, and if he had ever wrongly taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he would make it up to the victim fourfold.
(9) And Jesus said to him, "This day salvation has come to this house for he is also a son of Abraham."
Jesus said to Zacchaeus in the hearing of the people that salvation had come to his house that day. Jesus was the literal Salvation; there is salvation in no one else. Because of his repentance, salvation of his eternal soul had come that day. As a Jew, he may have been a descendant of Abraham, but being saved by His faith in Jesus, he was then worthy to be called a son of Abraham.
(10) "For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
As if to answer the people who were murmuring about His fellowshipping with sinners, Jesus said that He had come to search out and save the ones who were lost.
(11) And as they heard these things, he added and spoke a parable because he was near to Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
While the people were listening and hearing what He said, Jesus went on to add a parable, mainly because they were nearing Jerusalem and He knew the people were expecting a temporal princely kingdom to appear.
(12) He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return."
Therefore Jesus began His parable. He told of a nobleman who went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then he would return. In those days a prince or king would have to go to Rome to receive recognition of his right to the kingdom by the Roman emperor. This is symbolic of Jesus ascending into heaven far away receiving His kingdom from the Father after having done His will and with the plan to return.
(13) "And he called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds and said to them, 'Occupy until I come.'"
The nobleman called his ten servants and gave them each one pound of gold or silver. He told them to occupy until he returned. Again this is symbolic of Jesus ascending to faraway heaven and asking His people to occupy until His return. Each servant of Jesus is given certain gifts or talents to use until His return.
(14) "But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'"
The citizens of that kingdom rejected the nobleman as their king just as the Jews rejected Jesus.
(15) "And it came to pass when he returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called to him, to whom he had given the money that he might know how much every man had gained by trading."
Rejected or not, the nobleman received the kingdom, just as Jesus, whether men want to acknowledge it or not, is Lord of His kingdom, and He will return just as the nobleman did to receive an account of His servants. The nobleman's servants dealt in money, working to enrich the nobleman's kingdom. Jesus's servants deal in spiritual gifts that enrich the kingdom of God on earth.
(16) "Then came the first, saying, 'Lord, your pound has gained ten pounds.'"
The first servant came to the nobleman and told him that with the pound he had been given, he had increased it to ten more pounds. Notice the servant said, "your pound." This is symbolic of the gifts God gives each of us. Anything we receive is on loan to us from God as it is all His. We are to take the gifts we are given and use them to increase the kingdom of God.
(17) "And he said to him, 'Well, good servant, because you have been faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'"
The nobleman told the first servant he had done well, and because he had been faithful in the little he had given him, he would then entrust him with authority over ten cities. Likewise, our rewards in heaven will be proportionate to our faithfulness in increasing God's kingdom on earth.
(18) "And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has gained five pounds.'"
The second servant came to the nobleman and told him that he had increased the one pound he had been given an additional five pounds. As servants of Christ on earth, some of His servants will do more than others.
(19) "And he said likewise to him, 'You be also over five cities.'"
The nobleman gave that servant authority over five cities, as Jesus will reward His servants in proportionate amounts according to their faithfulness in increasing His kingdom on earth.
(20) "And another came, saying, 'Lord, behold your pound which I have kept laid up in a napkin. (21) For I feared you because you are an austere man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.'"
Another servant came to the nobleman and gave him back his pound which he had saved in a napkin, doing nothing with it. He said he had been afraid because he saw the nobleman as a stern and cruel man who took more than his fair share. This is similar to what some people think about God; they see Him as a cruel God who takes from them more than they think is fair. They have had no desire to learn the truth about Him, that in everything He asks of us, He gives us the grace and strength to do what He asks, and the benefits we receive are immensely more than anything we feel we have given up. This servant was symbolic of the person who does nothing with the talents God gave him to advance the kingdom of God, but comes back to Him in the Judgment still possessing the talents, but having done nothing with them of any real lasting value.
(22) "And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth will I judge you, wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow. (23) Why then did you not put my money in the bank that at my coming I might have acquired mine with interest?'"
The nobleman told the servant that he would judge him by the servant's own opinion of the nobleman's character. If he thought he knew him to be a severe and strict man taking what was not his, then why wouldn't he at the very least put his pound in the bank to at least collect a little interest? Likewise, if a person considers God to be a cruel God, then by his own logic, he should fear God and do the very minimum not to anger Him. But, of course, that is merely an excuse to ignore God's laws and to live selfish sinful lives.
(24) "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take from him the pound and give to him who has ten pounds.'"
The nobleman told the others who stood by to take from the wicked servant the pound he had given him and give it to the one who had ten pounds. Regarding the kingdom of God, this is not to be taken literally in every instance, that the talents of one who does not use them for the kingdom will be taken away and given to another. However, it is certainly possible that certain grace and blessings that had been given to one in order to do the will of God might be taken away and given to another in order that God's will be done. But generally, I believe this just means that the one doing the will of God and advancing His kingdom will be given more and more blessings.
(25) (And they said to Him, "Lord, he has ten pounds.")
This is meant to be a parenthetical statement interrupting Jesus's parable. The bystanders listening to His parable are the ones who pointed out that that servant already had ten pounds, inferring that he had no need for another. Perhaps their reasoning was that he should give it to one who had fewer pounds.
(26) "For I say to you that to everyone who has will be given, and from him who has not, even that he has will be taken away from him."
Jesus answered saying that anyone who had gifts and blessings of the Lord would be given more, that is if he was using them righteously, and anyone who had nothing to show for himself would lose that which had been given him. This is similar to what Jesus had said in Luke 8:18, "Take heed therefore how you hear; for whoever has, to him shall be given, and whoever has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have." In that instance, it was regarding truths and doctrines they would hear from Jesus; whoever had the spiritual gifts to understand and spread the doctrine of Christ would be given more, but those who did not have true spiritual knowledge would have even what they thought they had taken away, in that case so they would not pass on false doctrines that would endanger the souls of others. In like manner, whoever had the talents and gifts to increase the kingdom of God on earth would be given more, and those who had none that they used for God's kingdom, would lose even that which they had.
(27) "But those my enemies who did not want that I should reign over them, bring here and slay them before me."
The nobleman in the parable turned his attention to those citizens who hated him (verse 14), and commanded that they be brought before him and slain. That is what would soon happen to the Jews who hated and rejected Jesus Christ; they would be slain by the Roman soldiers. Likewise, in a sense, that will happen at the Judgment when Christ's enemies will be cast into hell.
(28) And when He had thus spoken, He went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
When Jesus finished His parable, He went on ahead on His journey to Jerusalem. As Jerusalem was built on higher ground, He ascended up to Jerusalem.
(29) And it came to pass when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount called Olivet, He sent two of His disciples (30) Saying, "Go into the village opposite where at your entering you shall find a colt tied on which never a man sat; loose him and bring him."
When Jesus came to Mount Olivet, or the Mount of Olives, near Bethphage and Bethany, two tracts of land that reached from the mountain to Jerusalem, He sent two of His disciples ahead to go into the village opposite them. He foretold that they would find a colt upon which no man had ever sat, and they were to loose the colt and bring it to Jesus.
(31) "And if any man asks you, 'Why do you loose him?' you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of him.'"
Jesus went on to instruct the two disciples that if someone asked them why they were loosening the colt, they were simply to tell him that the Lord had need of it.
(32) And they who were sent went their way and found just as He had said to them.
The two disciples went into the village as they were commanded and found things just as Jesus had said they would.
(33) And as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why do you loose the colt?"
As the disciples were loosening the colt, its owners indeed asked them why they were doing so.
(34) And they said, "The Lord has need of him."
The disciples answered just as Jesus had told them to, that the Lord had need of him. Mark 11:6 told us that they indeed let them go with the colt.
(35) And they brought him to Jesus, and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus on it.
They brought the colt to Jesus and cast their outer garments over it for Jesus to sit upon.
(36) And as He went, they spread their clothes on the road.
As Jesus went forward on the colt, people spread their clothes before Him on the road.
(37) And when He was come near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, (38) Saying, "Blessed the king who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
When Jesus had come near the other side of Mount Olivet at the descent of it, all of His followers began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had witnessed. They shouted acknowledgment that Jesus was King who came in the name of the Lord, and there would be peace in heaven because He came to reconcile God to man. They shouted that glory be given to God for the salvation and life brought by Jesus Christ.
(39) And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said to Him, "Master, rebuke Your disciples."
There were some Pharisees among the people who told Jesus to rebuke His disciples, for they probably found it unbearable that the people publicly bestowed such honor on Jesus. They would undoubtedly call it blasphemy what the people did and pride and vanity in Jesus to allow such a display.
(40) And He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
However, Jesus told them that even if those people were to hold their peace and not shout their praises and proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah, the stones would shout it, for it was impossible that these declarations not be made at that time. One way or another, God would make known at that moment in time who was entering into Jerusalem!
(41) And when He was come near, He beheld the city and wept over it.
When Jesus had come near to Jerusalem, He looked at the city and began to weep over it. He, of course, knew what was soon to happen to the city and its inhabitants, and He had compassion for it and for them.
(42) Saying, "If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."
As Jesus wept over Jerusalem, He lamented that Jerusalem had not known up to that day what would have brought them, Jerusalem's people, peace. He had tried to bring them that peace that they had not known for a long time, but they had rejected Him. Now it was too late; their fate was cemented, and Jesus wept for them.
(43) "For the days will come upon you that your enemies will cast a trench around you and surround you and keep you in on every side, (44) And will lay you even with the ground and your children within you, and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Jesus foretold how the days would come when Jerusalem's enemies, the Romans, would surround the city and level it to the ground with all the people in it. There would not be one stone left upon another, it would be so flattened and destroyed, and that was because they had not known and understood, neither did they believe, that their Lord God had come to visit and save them.
(45) And He went into the temple and began to cast out those who sold in it and those who bought, (46) Saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'"
Jesus then went into the temple and began to drive out all the vendors who had set up to sell sacrificial animals and tokens of worship and to cast out the buyers, as well. The account in John went further to add that Jesus had even made "a scourge of small cords" (John 2:15) to drive them out. He quoted parts of Isaiah 56:7 that the Lord's house would be called a house of prayer and of Jeremiah 7:11 that it had become a den of robbers.
(47) And He taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy Him.
Jesus then taught in the temple and continued to teach every day until the Passover came. However, the chief priests and scribes and the elders of the people conspired about how to destroy Him.
(48) And could not find what they might do for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
Though they conspired to destroy Jesus, the chief priests and scribes and elders could not find a way to do it because all the people constantly crowded around Him very attentive to what He had to say, and left them no opportunity to do what they wished to do.
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