Lucas 19
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 19
Constable adds that in this parable Jesus "repeated His coming rejection and future return, and He clarified the time when the kingdom would appear. He also explained the duty of His disciples during His absence from the earth. Both the nation of Israel and the disciples had duties to Jesus. This parable summarizes Jesus’ teaching on this subject. The parable also prepared the people for the postponement of the kingdom. (ED: CLEARLY EVEN JESUS DISCIPLES FAILED TO GRASP THIS POINT - cf Acts 1:6 discussed below)" Tannehill - In Lk 19:11 the disciples are pictured as expecting something that should have been and could have been apart from the rejection of Jesus. But because of this rejection, the messianic kingdom for Israel does not come immediately, as the disciples mistakenly hoped. We see that in Luke-Acts the problem of eschatological delay is intertwined with the problem of Jewish rejection.” (Borrow Luke by Tannehill, Robert C 13 ratings) It is fascinating as you study the Gospels that this idea of an earthly kingdom resurfaces again and again in the minds of the Jews, despite the fact that Jesus repeatedly emphasized that His first coming was not to establish a literal earthly kingdom. As discussed in prior notes the meaning of the phrase the Kingdom of God must be established by the context. In some contexts this phrase refers to a present spiritual Kingdom (in which Jesus rules in the hearts of all who believe in Him -cf Lk 17:20-21+) and a future literal, earthly Kingdom (in which King Jesus rules over the entire world) and finally a future kingdom in the New Heavens and New Earth (cf 1 Cor 15:24-25+). In the present passage, Luke's allusion to the Kingdom of God is clearly referring to the literal, earthly Kingdom which the Jews were hoping Jesus would set up when He arrived at Jerusalem. Imagine for a moment that you were a Jew following Jesus on this last lap of His journey to Jerusalem. Your heart would have been in a continual state of excitement and expectation as you thought "Surely, this is the moment we have been waiting for. All of the evidences of Jesus' power over demon forces. All of His miraculous healings and other demonstrations of His power over the forces of nature. Now all this power would be brought against the pagan oppressors from Rome whom Jesus would defeat and then establish His Messianic reign as our King, the King of the Jews." Admittedly, while I am taking some liberty to imagine what the Jews were thinking, there is ample evidence to support the premise that this genre of thinking was widespread among the Jews following Jesus. The teaching that there would be a future literal nation of Israel with Messiah as King is found both in the Bible (cf just a few of Jehovah's many immutable prophetic promises to His chosen nation of Israel [Dt 7:6+, the literal nation of Israel and not the Church as is taught in replacement theology], prophecies like Zech 14:4,9+, Zech 8:23, Dt 30:1-4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9+, Zeph 3:17-19, 20+; Click here for numerous additional passages that prophesy the literal restoration of the nation of Israel.) and the extra-Biblical Jewish writings (cf Maimonides below). In fact, this is the very subject Luke says prompted the present parable - the Jews were thinking Jesus was going to establish the Kingdom of God immediately upon His arrival at Jerusalem. Additional support that the Jews were expecting a King and a Kingdom is the fact that as Jesus began to enter Jerusalem the Jewish crowds were shouting "BLESSED IS THE KING." (Lk 19:38) They were calling Him King because they were sure that now He would set up His Kingdom. The name "King" clearly implies that there is a place over which to rule or a "Kingdom!" As alluded to above, numerous Old Testament prophecies described that the Messiah would come and set up His earthly kingdom! What the Jews failed to comprehend and what orthodox Jews to this day still fail to understand, is that there were two comings of the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. They misinterpreted the prophecies that described His death in sections like Isaiah 53:1-12, Psalm 22:1-31 and Psalm 16:10 (see The Jewish Tradition Of Two Messiahs). So Jesus now teaches the Jews a parable that relates to His two comings, for He describes a nobleman who went away to procure His Kingdom and would return. This parable clearly relates to Jesus' impending death, burial, resurrection and ascension back to the right hand of His Father to receive His coronation and His Kingship. And so as Jesus describes the nobleman's return to take account of how they handled his money, so too Jesus will (soon - see Imminency) return as King of kings (Rev 19:11-15, 16+) and all will have to give an account to the King (believers at the Bema - 2 Cor 5:10+), for at "the Name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Php 2:10-11+). This begs an urgent question dear reader - Have you bowed your knee to Jesus as your Savior and Lord? "Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION” (2 Cor 6:2)! He was near Jerusalem - As noted above Jericho was about 17 miles from Jerusalem. And since the Passover would soon be celebrated in Jerusalem and (according to Josephus) there were as many as two million Jewish pilgrims in the city. The nearer Jesus came to Jerusalem, undoubtedly the greater the Messianic expectations of the Jews grew that the Messiah was coming to set up His Kingdom. However failing to understand the Two Comings of the Messiah, the Jewish expectations were in error as George MacDonald expresses in this poem They were all looking for a King, To slay their foes and lift them high. He came a little baby thing, That made a woman cry. LOOKING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD They supposed (dokeo) that the kingdom (basileia) of God was going to appear (anaphaino) immediately (parachrema) - As explained above the Jews believed the Old Testament teachings that said Messiah would set up the Kingdom of God on earth and restore Israel to her former position of prominence among all the nations of the world. The Jews were well aware of the words of Moses in declaring to Israel that "you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth...and He shall set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor." (Dt 7:6, 26:19) One can only imagine their excitement at the thought that Israel's restoration to world prominence was just over the hill ascending into Jerusalem! Kent
Lucas 19
Constable points out that "The repetition of Psalm 118:26 from Luke 13:35+ points to one fulfillment of that messianic prophecy here. There will be another fulfillment at the Second Coming.
Lucas 19
Constable writes that the Master "was looking at what was best for himself. Obviously what is best for God is more important than what is best for His servants. Still the master’s action was also fair to his servants since the servant who glorified the master most received the greatest reward. Zaccheus, who was listening to this parable, had just promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and to reimburse anyone he had defrauded four-fold (Lk 19:8+). Jesus’ teaching here would have encouraged him to follow through on his commitment. He would have a great reward, much treasure in heaven, if he so served the Master faithfully."
Lucas 19
Constable writes that "This person represents someone who does nothing of eternal value with his life." Morris on placing the mina in a handkerchief - This did not comply even with the minimum requirements for safety, which required burial in the earth (Talmud, Baba Metzia 42a) (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) Handkerchief (4676)(soudarion) is from a Latin loan word sudarium from sudor (sweat) transliterated into Greek soudarion which is a sweatcloth handkerchief or napkin. (Luke 19:20; Acts 19:12). In Acts 19:12 the sweatcloths (“handkerchiefs,” KJV, NIV, NASB) Paul apparently tied around his head while making tents were taken to heal the sick (Bruce, New International Commentary on the New Testament, Acts, p.384). In John 11:44 and 20:7 the “cloths” were used, according to Jewish custom, to cover the faces of the corpses of Lazarus and Jesus (cf the "Shroud of Turin"). Soudarion is found in papyrus marriage contracts as part of the dowry. Soudarion is used only 4 times in the NT - Lk. 19:20; Jn. 11:44; 20:7; Acts 19:12 and there are no uses in the Septuagint. J G Bellet - I doubt not that the case of these two rich men (Rich Young Ruler in Lk 18 and Rich Tax Collector in Lk 19) suggests some principal features in the parable that follows, "the nobleman that goes into the far country." The parable itself is suggested by another circumstance, as we learn (Luke 19), but some of the features of it arise hence, as I have said. For in the unprofitable servant we see a picture of the young ruler, and in the other servants we see Zaccheus. The moral difference between them is this: the unprofitable servant religiously owns the seriousness of a day of judgment and of reckoning, and is careful for his own sake, to provide, as he judges, against it. He lays up his Lord's pound in a napkin, dreading the account he may hereafter have to make of it. But this is all. He has no heart for Christ or His service at all--but having saved himself, as he hoped, against the results of a day of reckoning, he goes forth and spends his activities on himself, or for his own interests. And such an one was the young ruler--he feared judgment, but had no heart for Christ, serving himself in the world. The other servants had no calculations about judgment at all, but they thought about their Lord and His kingdom. It was their Lord who gave impulse to their activities. They set His service before them when they went forth to do business, they took His talent with them, and not their own. That is, they traded in the world for Him and not for themselves. Altogether the opposite of the unprofitable servant this was. The Lord's talent was not left at home, but carried abroad. Whatever was done by these servants was done for Christ, and not for themselves, whether it was more or less. And such an one was Zaccheus. He looked on his goods and with full purpose of heart used them for his Lord, either by restitution or by alms-deeds serving His glory in the world. Hope Laid Up for You in Heaven - William Henry Griffith Thomas- "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven..." (Col. 1:4-5). This hope is said by St. Paul to be "laid up" for believers "in the heavens," and the verb is particularly worthy of notice because of its use elsewhere. Thus, a crown of righteousness is said to be "laid up" for those who love Christ's appearing (2 Tim. 4:8, ASV), while it is also recorded that it was "laid up" for men once to die (Heb. 9:27). Another solemn contrast is drawn in our Lord's parable of the pounds, where the unfaithful servant "laid up" his master's gift instead of using it (Luke 19:20). In two Old Testament passages, moreover, it is declared that the Lord has "laid up" His goodness for those who fear Him (Ps. 31:19) and "sound wisdom for the righteous" (Prov. 2:7). No Christian life, then, is complete which does not include in it this forward look of joyous certitude toward a bright future, for hope as a grace is not a mere spirit of what we call hopefulness, or a natural buoyancy of temperament. It is a distinctly Christian virtue, the result of union with God in Christ; and it has for its immediate object the Lord Jesus at His glorious appearing, and for its ultimate, eternal and exhaustless substance the glories of heaven and God as our all in all. Luke 19:20 - Giving What We Have - J.R. Miller Luke 19:21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.' NET Luke 19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.' CSB Luke 19:21 because I was afraid of you, for you're a tough man: you collect what you didn't deposit and reap what you didn't sow.' ESV Luke 19:21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' NIV Luke 19:21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' NLT Luke 19:21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.' NRS Luke 19:21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' YLT Luke 19:21 for I was afraid of thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and reapest what thou didst not sow. I was afraid of you: Ex 20:19,20 1Sa 12:20 Mt 25:24,25 Ro 8:15 2Ti 1:7 Jas 2:10 1Jn 4:18 because you are an exacting man: 1Sa 6:19-21 2Sa 6:9-11 Job 21:14,15 Eze 18:25-29 Mal 3:14,15 Ro 8:7 Jude 1:15 Luke 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 19:11-27 Doing Business for Jesus - Steven Cole Luke 19:11-27 Fitting Rewards from the Returning King - John MacArthur A WRONG KIND OF FEAR I was afraid of you because you are an exacting man - While the other two slaves were motivated by love for their Master, this slave is dominated by fear of his Master. He was fully aware that his day of reckoning would come and he feared that day in the presence of his Master. Not only that, but he also seeks to shift the blame from himself to the master but describing him as an exacting man, a Greek word which as discussed below gives us our English word austere which means of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor and "cold" in appearance. It describes one who is uncompromising as well as severe in discipline. Incredible! This wretched slave accuses the king of being severe, harsh and unfair! I. H. Marshall writes “The servant appears to have feared that he would get no return for his work: all the profit would have been taken by the master. At the same time, he may have feared that if he incurred a loss on the capital he would have to make it up to the master.” I was afraid (5399)(phobeo from phobos = fear source of our English "phobia") means to be in an apprehensive state that can range from mild uneasiness to stark terror as when one is frightened, terrified or alarmed. Phobeo can refer to a shaking, quaking type of fear as is the case of this slave, but a confer a positive sense of reverential awe (cf Lk 1:50, 23:40). One of the most common uses of phobeo is Jesus comforting words "do not fear" (Mt 10:26, 28, 31, 14:27, 17:7, 28:10, Mk 5:36, 6:50, Lk 5:10, 8:50, 12:4, 7, 32, Jn 6:20, 12:15, Acts 18:9, 27:24, cf angels - Mt 28:5,Lk 1:13, 30, 2:10. Gentiles were referred to those who had a fear of God ( Acts 10:35 Acts 13:16, 26). Detzler notes that "the root word phobos - In ancient Greek the word phobos came from the word phebomai meaning to flee, or to be startled. Thus phobos meant flight or terror, and was connected with fear of the unknown, fear of the future, and fear of authorities." (New Testament Words in Today's Language) Other translations of exacting man - "severe man" (NET, ESV), "austere" (KJV), "hard" (NIV, NLT), "tough" (CSB), "demanding" (NAB), "harsh" (NRSV). God's Word Translation paraphrases it "I was afraid of you. You're a tough person to get along with. You take what isn't yours and harvest grain you haven't planted." Exacting (840)(austeros from auo = to dry up) means rough to the taste, stringent, then figuratively severe or austere (used only in Lk 19:21,22). This word in Latin is austeros and in English is austere which speaks of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor, cold in appearance or manner, forbidding in aspect. Austeros was often associated with honor, meaning earnest and severe, but not so with sklerós which always conveys a harsh, inhuman character (Mt 25:24; Jn 6:60; Acts 9:5; Jas 3:4; Jude 1:15). Harsh in flavor, then in disposition" (Bruce). Gilbrant - This adjective was used to speak of food which was stringent to the taste, of unripe fruit, and of people who were harsh or severe. The word could be used in a favorable or unfavorable manner. A favorable use of this adjective would be to refer to one who was simply strict in his business affairs. The word was used of a strict government finance inspector. In the context of this servant's remarks, it probably refers to a master who is harsh and exacting in what he expects from his investment. He looked at his master as one who took advantage of others for his own personal gain. Vine says austeros means to be "dry, stringent to the taste, like new wine not matured...harsh, severe". This was the attitude of the servant toward the king, not only his opinion of his methods.
Lucas 19
Constable adds that "The Triumphal Entry is only the second incident in Jesus’ ministry that all four evangelists recorded, the first being the feeding of the 5,000. This indicates its great importance in God’s messianic program." Blanchard writes "The annual Feast of the Passover was now approaching and for Jesus to enter Jerusalem at a time when the authorities would be particularly alert showed great courage. There was an undisguised determination to kill him and people doubted whether he would risk attending the feast at all (see John 11:53–57). But Jesus knew that this was his God-ordained pathway and he was determined to follow it (see Lk 9:51). Not only did he enter the city openly, but his choice of transport was vividly significant. An Old Testament prophet had made it clear the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a young donkey (see Zechariah 9:9) and here was Jesus fulfilling that prophecy to the letter. When they put all of this alongside the many miracles they had seen him perform (v. 37), the crowds went wild with delight, even shouting words from a messianic psalm to express their feelings (link Lk 19:38 with Psalm 118:26)." Recall that Jesus has just finished a short but fruitful stop in Jericho (Lk 18:35-19:27) and in this section we come to the beginning of "Passion Week" which goes from Luke 19:28-23:56, followed by the story of the Resurrection and Ascension in Luke 24. Jesus' final journey to the Cross ironically begins with a "Pseudo-Coronation" as the crowds first acclaim Him as King but quickly turn on Him and deny Him as their King before the week is over! And so Jesus' "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem is a critical act in this final drama so it is not surprising that it is one of the few incidents in Jesus' life reported in all four gospels (Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:29-38, John 12:12-19). John's Gospel records some additional detail regarding the Triumphal Entry... On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION (PREVIOUS QUOTED FROM J; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.” (John 12:12-19) After - This is an expression of time and means "in the time following." It helps mark the sequence of events. He had said these things - These things should prompt the question "What things," which forces you to examine the context. Clearly it is following the "Parable of the Minas" that described God's timing of setting up the Messianic Kingdom on earth, explaining that it would not occur until the Messiah had gone away and received His royal crown. While the King was gone, the King's subjects were to redeem the time and give out the "Gospel mina" for which He would reward them upon His return. Jesus knew that the Jews would not recognize the time of their visitation and would reject the Messiah as their King. In John 19:15 "They therefore cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." (They hated the Romans...talk about hypocrisy...it's amazing what you are willing to compromise on when you are not willing to submit to His rule in your life!) He was going up to Jerusalem - He was ascending to Jerusalem (17 miles from Jericho with a steady upward elevation). Jesus was taking the lead, for since Luke 9 He "was determined to go to Jerusalem;" even "journeying with His face toward Jerusalem." (Lk 9:51, 53) Mark 10:32 describes Jesus "on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them." Martin - Everything He did over the course of these days was designed to call attention to the fact that He is the Messiah. What the Bible Teaches - "Ascending up" to Jerusalem is the way the journey was described no matter from which direction the traveller came. From Jericho it was a physical climb of 3,000 feet. Luke can be divided into five periods in the life of our Lord by similar expressions. He was growing up (chs. 2, 3); raising up in the miracles of chs. 4 to 9; going up to Jerusalem in chs. 10 to 19; offered up in chs. 20 to 23, and raised up in ch. 24. (What the Bible Teaches – Luke)