8th April - Jesus Enters Jerusalem

Luke 19:28-44

The Triumphal Entry

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Reflections by Sarah Gho

My childhood was mostly spent with my grandmother who is a fervent Christian. She took me to all her church activities and my bedtime stories were a repertoire between Moses, Joseph’s dreams, David and Goliath, and Daniel and the lion’s den. There were many events when God slowly revealed himself to me over the years. However, going to Church on Sundays was more of a weekly routine that I never questioned than a time of worship. It wasn’t until early high school that I began to engage with the gospel in English and realised that if God is real, his Scriptures are real too. I couldn’t believe in an all powerful God and treat the resurrection of Jesus like a myth, or the stories of the Old Testament like legendary old tales. It was all real stories, of real people, that happened here on this earth. God can bring his people to salvation, time and time again, and he does through Jesus’ resurrection. It was a truth I could no longer dismiss. 

What jumps out at you from this reading?

There is a deep sense of sadness and irony as the disciples praise God for “all the mighty things they had seen” [v.37] during ‘The Triumphal Entry’ and without clearly understanding how Jesus is the promised Messiah. It’s also striking to read about Jesus’ sorrow as he weeps over Jerusalem. It reveals how foolish and sinful we are like the Jews as they don’t recognise Jesus as their true King and Saviour. It also reveals God’s heart as his people reject his Son.

What questions does this reading raise for you?

It questions me to seek the Father’s heart as Jesus did. How can I live faithfully seeking God’s perspective and how can this shape my prayer life?

What do you think the writer is urging his readers to believe or do?

To look beyond ourselves and lift our gaze to God and his plan. God is truly the object of our worship, not ourselves! 

What in this reading would you talk about with a friend and why?

Jesus’ humble response to the Jews’ rejection of him. He is sorrowful and not angry with them. God is so merciful to see his people with a heart of compassion, even upon their foolishness.