After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. 29 As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. 30 He said, “Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will answer, ‘The Master has need of it.’” 32 So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying this colt?” 34 They answered, “The Master has need of it.” 35 So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. 36 As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; 37 and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. 38 They proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” 41 As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. 44 They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Jesus was completing his journey to Jerusalem which began in Luke 9:51. After his Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, his disciples would finally come to understand all that he tried to teach them. We were previously made aware of Jesus’ coming passion (exodus) in the Transfiguration (Lk. 9:28-36) when, “Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem (Lk. 9:30-31).” Jesus had foreknowledge of the events that were about to unfold. He knew his Father’s plan and willingly traveled to Jerusalem knowing what awaited him there.
When he was approaching Bethpage and Bethany, two villages at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead with specific instructions. His disciples obeyed his instructions and returned with a young colt that was never ridden. They placed their cloaks on the donkey for Jesus to sit on which was a gesture of homage and recognition of his kingship. A cloak was the most expensive garment a person owned, and Luke used the cloak instead of palms to indicate the esteem to which Jesus was held by his disciples. As Jesus rode along on the donkey, people spread their cloaks on the road a gesture of respect and honor usually reserved for royalty.
Jesus entered Jerusalem from the east, descending from the Mount of Olives, the place from which Jesus ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:9-12). The crowd praised God for the “mighty deeds (v. 37)” that Jesus had done as foretold by the prophet Isaiah and read by Jesus in the Temple (Is. 61. 1-2; Lk. 4:18-19). The crowd chanted from the Psalms, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Ps. 118:26)” and Luke combined that with Mark’s version, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest (Mk. 11:10)” and proclaimed the kingship of Jesus.
The Pharisees, uncomfortable with the praise and acknowledgment of Jesus' kingship, wanted Jesus to order his disciples to be silent. Jesus responded that if the disciples were to be silent about the truth of his ministry, the very stones would testify on his behalf and cry out in praise of his kingship (Hab. 2:11).
Jesus wept as he saw Jerusalem because he knew its fate. The name Jerusalem is often interpreted to mean “city of peace.” He told the crowd that Jerusalem would not know peace because they did not know what leads to peace. The religious leaders and most of the Jews rejected Jesus, the mediator of peace, because they did not recognize the opportunity for peace and reconciliation that he offered. Using OT language (Is. 29:3), Jesus told them that Jerusalem would be surrounded and totally destroyed primarily because they did not recognize him as the Messiah, the manifestation of the kingdom of God in their midst, and respond to God's visitation with repentance and faith (Lk. 7:16).
Almighty God, grant us the grace to welcome Christ into our hearts as our King and Savior. Help us to follow his teachings, to embrace his message of peace, and to recognize the times he visits us to lead us to you. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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