Blake Allen
Dunbar Cave Campus Pastor
Luke 19:37-39
“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.”
Just before this account, Jesus told a parable of a nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. He sent ahead of him 10 of his servants to engage in business on his behalf. But they hated him and did not want him to rule over them. When he returned, he called his servants to see how progress was going. For the ones who multiplied the investments he entrusted to him, they receive more. They were rewarded and entrusted with more. For the one who did not do anything with what he was entrusted with, he was punished along with those who did not want the nobleman to reign over them.
Following the account, we see the whole multitude of the disciples crying out Hosanna and recognizing Jesus as Lord. They wanted Jesus to save and rule over them. But the Pharisees on the other hand, like the servants in the parable, did not want Jesus ruling over them. This is why many came worshiping Jesus during His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, but the Pharisees were in an uproar. In fact, some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples for calling you Lord.”
They do not recognize Him as the promised Messiah and fulfillment of Scripture. This is why they called Him “teacher” in this passage. “ They were more interested in seeking something from Jesus rather than submitting their lives to Jesus. Simply put, they missed it. In spite of centuries of reading and studying the Old Testament, their eyes were blinded to the truth of who Jesus was. How often do we allow our traditions and church expectations blind us from the heart of Jesus? We can attend our modern day synagogues and still miss out on Jesus. Friends, don’t miss Jesus.