SECTION 7 God's Only Beloved Son (19:29-21:38).
Throughout Luke the glory, and power, and uniqueness of Jesus has been revealed, and especially His uniqueness in His relationship with God. And now the central idea of this Section is that Jesus has come as God's only and unique Son (Luke 20:13). He reveals His authority in His ride into Jerusalem (Luke 19:29-40), in His cleansing of the Temple (Luke 19:45-46), in His decisive teaching (Luke 19:47 to Luke 20:8; Luke 20:19 to Luke 21:4), by His direct claim in the parable of the wicked tenants (the wicked husbandmen - Luke 20:9-18), and in His final prophecies concerning the future of Jerusalem and the world (Luke 21:5-38), all of which reveal that He is God's Chosen One.
In chapter 19 Luke puts all this together in such a way as to emphasise Jesus' glory even more strongly.
· Twice he stresses that Jesus is entering as ‘the Lord' Who has the right to commandeer His means of travel as He will (Luke 19:31; Luke 19:34, compare Luke 20:41-44).
· He reveals that He is proclaimed in terms of ‘the King Who has come in the name of the Lord' (Luke 19:38) Whose entry is such that if men were silent the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40).
· Then he portrays Him as the Prophet Who is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem because it has not responded to His coming (Luke 19:41).
· And finally he reveals why this is necessary by depicting Jesus as entering the Temple and clearing ‘His House' of unscrupulous traders, calling it ‘a Den of Robbers' (Luke 19:45), when it was intended by Him to be a House of Prayer.
The full significance of all this is brought out in the way that Luke presents the material, for the events themselves were partly veiled, and at the time were not all fully understood.
Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem, And Reveals Himself As God's Only Son, Which Finally Results in His Description of His Triumphant Return (19:29-21:38).
The Section may be analysed as follows:
a After initial preparations Jesus rides into Jerusalem in triumph on a colt revealing Himself as the Messianic King. If the people had not welcomed Him the very stones would have cried out (Luke 19:29-40).
b Jesus weeps over a Jerusalem which will be desolated, thus revealing Himself as the Messianic Judge. Not one stone will be left upon another (Luke 19:41-44).
c Jesus enters the Temple, in which Israel trusts, revealing Himself as its Lord, and as God's Cleanser, of the Temple, as a warning against the unworthiness of the chief priests, who have forfeited their authority, and of the state of their Temple which is subject to condemnation as a Den of Robbers, thus revealing Himself as the Messianic Purger (Luke 19:45-46).
d The chief priests and scribes and elders seek to destroy Jesus but could not, revealing that they lack any real authority (Luke 19:47-48).
e Jesus is challenged as to His authority and reveals their inability to judge levels of authority, because they are fearful of being stoned (Luke 20:1-8).
f The parable of the vineyard - Jesus is revealed as the only Son and the Head Cornerstone, the One in supreme authority. He is the Great Cornerstone on which His people will be established, but on which His antagonists will stumble (Luke 20:9-18).
e Jesus challenges His questioners use of Caesar's image, and reveals that their authority comes only from Caesar (Luke 20:19-26).
d The Sadducees seek to undermine Jesus' teaching, but could not, and have to admit His authority (Luke 20:27-40).
c Jesus as David's Lord, the Messiah, Who has come with authority from God, is contrasted with the unworthiness of the Scribes who claim that authority and yet desolate others, for they will receive the greater condemnation in that they have forfeited their authority. They in turn are contrasted with the poor widow (Luke 20:41 to Luke 21:4).
b Jerusalem is to be desolated. Not one stone will be left upon another (Luke 21:5-7).
a After initial preparations Jesus will come back in triumph to the world (Luke 21:8-36).
“But you, watch at every season, making supplication, that you may prevail to escape all these things that will come about, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).
Note that the section commences in ‘a' with the ride in triumph into Jerusalem and in the parallel it ends in the return in triumph to the world. In ‘b' Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, not one stone will be left on another and in the parallel Jerusalem is to be devastated, and not one stone left on another. In ‘c' Jesus as God's Messiah cleanses the Temple as an indication of the unworthiness of the Jewish leaders, and in the parallel He demonstrates that David had declared Him to be the Messiah, and that the Scribes are unworthy. In ‘d' the Jewish leadership conspire to destroy Jesus but could not, and in the parallel they seek to undermine His teaching, but could not. In ‘e' Jesus is challenged concerning His authority, and in the parallel He challenges whose authority the leaders are under. In ‘f' He reveals His unique sonship and the unworthiness of the present Jewish leadership.