Luke 19

26 See Matthew 25:29; Mark 4:25 and comments.

27 See Matthew 25:30 and comment.

(Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11)

28-40 See Mark 11:1-11 and comment.

41-42 Jesus entered Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (verse 37). From the Mount of Olives He could see the whole city laid out before Him. He knew that the Jewish leaders had rejected Him. He knew that the people of Jerusalem would soon cry out for His death (Mark 15:12-15). And He also knew that a great disaster would soon come upon the city and its people because they had killed the Son of God.

Therefore, He wept over the city (verse 41). He said, “If you … had only known on this day what would bring you peace.” If only the people of Jerusalem had repented and welcomed Christ,⁴⁴ the city would have been spared. There would have been peace for the people of Jerusalem.⁴⁵ “But now peace is hidden from your eyes,” said Jesus. Their chance to repent was lost. Their hearts were hardened, their eyes were shut. They did not recognize the time of God’s coming (verse 44)—that is, the coming of God’s Son Jesus (see Matthew 23:37-39 and comment).

43-44 Then Jesus prophesied that, instead of peace, a sword would come to Jerusalem. Enemy armies would surround the city and destroy it completely and kill all the inhabitants (Jeremiah 6:6; Luke 21:6,20-24). This prophecy was fulfilled forty years later, in 70 A.D., when the Roman army came and utterly destroyed Jerusalem.

God is a loving God. He calls people and cities and nations to repent. He has great patience. God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But in the end, if men do not repent, He will come as a judge and destroy them.

God spared the great city of Nineveh, because its people repented (Jonah 3:3-10). But He did not spare Sodom. He promised Abraham that if He found ten righteous people in Sodom He would spare it; but He could not find ten people who would repent, and so He destroyed the city (Genesis 18:20-33). God cannot be mocked; what we sow, we shall reap (Galatians 6:7-8). If we do not repent, we shall be destroyed. The time of God’s coming is now. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Tomorrow may be too late.

(Matthew 21:12-19; Mark 11:15-19)

45-48 See Mark 11:15-19 and comment.