Chapter 19 deals with personal faith. Jesus emphasized that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham, pointing to the individualization of salvation versus national salvation. After the people heard about Him speaking to Zacchaeus, He addressed the misconception about the literal Kingdom coming now and that it would be postponed – they still failed to understand His purpose of the death and atonement.

In the parable of the ten servants, Jesus emphasizes that all have been given gifts to invest in His Kingdom and eternity. It’s how we use these gifts that matter to God, because the Messiah will leave and the servants will be left behind to carry out the ministry. He will return and reward according to how we invest what God gave us to do, and the citizens will be judged.

With the triumphal entry, Jesus had rescinded the offer of the Kingdom to “that generation,” who had committed the unpardonable sin (Lk 12:10), causing the Kingdom to be postponed. Hence, the purpose of this ride into Jerusalem was not to officially present Himself as the King. The calendar date was the 10th of Nisan, the day of the month on which the Jewish people were to set aside the Passover Lamb, importantly from the 10th to the 14th, and the lamb was tested to ensure that it was spotless and without blemish. Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem occurred on the same day of the month that the Jewish people picked out a spotless lamb. When John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the Messiah, he could have chosen from numerous titles; but the one he chose was “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

The Messiah wept over Jerusalem for not recognizing the time of her visitation – which if the Shepherds of Israel of that time had taught the Scriptures instead of the Talmud (additional teachings on the Hebrew Bible), they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but instead will experience judgment from God (see Daniel 9:24-27).

Questions for Reflection:
Meditate on the parable of the ten minas (v. 11-27). Do you believe you are using the gifts that God has given you to serve others and the church? What steps do you need to take to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you?