CHAPTER 19
Luke 19.1 Jesus having entered Jericho, was passing through the city. Jesus had entered the city and (such is the power of the imperfect tense) was then busy crossing it. It seems that, without the interesting encounter he soon had, he would not have stopped this time in Jericho. Several exegetes (Stier, Schegg) are wrong to give "crossing" the meaning of the preterite, and to suppose that the following scene took place outside the walls.
Luke 19.2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and wealthy, – And there you have it.. St. Matthew's favorite adverb could not have been better used. "Luke draws the reader's attention to the admirable thing he intends to relate," F. Luke. – The hero of this story is described by his name, his profession, and his station. – 1° A man named Zacchaeus. The Greek word corresponding to "man" (similarly in verse 7) indicates in advance a person of a certain distinction. Zacchaeus, a Hebrew name with a Greek or Latin ending, means "pure" (cf. the ancient Christian name "Innocent") and appears from time to time either in the Bible (Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 7:14, etc.) or in the Talmud. He was chief tax collector. The corresponding Greek word is found nowhere else; therefore, it is difficult to determine its precise meaning. Perhaps it designates the district's general receiver, having all the collectors under him; but it is also possible that it represents a lower title, such as that of comptroller or customs officer. A major transit point due to its location, and a source of immense agricultural resources thanks to the fertility of its land (its balsam in particular and its fruits were exported far and wide; Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 14, 4, 1; 15, 4, 2; Justin, History 36, 3; Pliny, Natural History 12, 54), Jericho naturally had a small army of tax collectors within its walls. And very rich… The rest of the story (v. 8) suggests that he had become wealthy through the exercise of his profession.
Luke 19.3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn't because of the crowd, since he was short in stature. Charming details, naively depicted. It searched The time indicates repeated efforts, but constantly frustrated… Let's see who Jesus was ; That is to say, according to Maldonatus and several others, "to distinguish him in this dense and confused crowd"; more simply and much better, we believe, "What did his face and his manner of dress say about him?" A perfectly legitimate desire, in any case, for people like to see famous men in person, and Jesus then had an unparalleled reputation. But, as the Fathers tell us, it was not only natural curiosity that led Zacchaeus to contemplate Our Lord up close: a beginning of faith stirred in his heart toward the One whom he knew to be, contrary to popular belief, the devoted friend of tax collectors. "A seed of salvation multiplied within him because he desired to see Jesus," Titus Bostr. (Cat. D. Thom.).
Luke 19.4 Running ahead, he climbed a sycamore tree to see it, because he had to pass by there. The story becomes increasingly picturesque, like the scene itself. Obstacles only intensify Zacchaeus's holy desires, and he hurries toward a place he anticipates the procession will pass. He climbed onto a sycamore. This should not be understood as our false sycamore of the West, but rather as the "Ficus sycomorus" or "Ficus aegyptia," which combines characteristics of both the fig and the mulberry, as its name indicates: fig in its fruit, mulberry in its leaves. It grows only in the warmest parts of Palestine, especially in the deep, tropical Jordan Valley. (See 1 Kings 10:27; 2 Chronicles 1:15; Amos 7.) It is easy to climb, thanks to its short trunk and its broad lateral branches, which spread out in all directions. Because he had to go that way. The rationalist Keim, in his Jesu von Nazara, vol. 3, p. 17, protests against the implausibility of this detail, from which he concludes that the whole episode of Zacchaeus is legendary: we think on the contrary that such details are not invented.
Luke 19.5 When Jesus arrived at that place, he looked up and, seeing him, said to him, «Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.» – Jesus raised his eyesAnother picturesque detail. The one who had supernaturally read Nathanael's heart despite the thick foliage of a fig tree (John 1, 48), reads in the same way into the soul of Zacchaeus despite the shadow of the sycamore tree. “Jesus… needed no testimony about man; for he himself knew what was in man,” John 2, 25. – He said to him: Zacchaeus. He already knew him. Someone in the audience had named him, according to Paulus. A petty idea. As if the Good Shepherd didn't know the names of his sheep. John 10:3. "The impression we get from the account supports the supposition that Jesus recognized Zacchaeus by a kind of immediate and miraculous intuition: he read in his eyes what no one else could see," says Mr. Reuss very well (Hist. Évang. p. 542), who is a good exegete when he is not prey to his rationalist prejudices. Because today, placed prominently in front, explains the come down quickly : it's a hospitality The immediate request Jesus makes. I must remain…The house of Zacchaeus was to be the Savior's resting place that day, according to the providential designs of God his Father. Jesus invites himself in a truly regal manner: nowhere else in the Gospel do we see him act in this way, a circumstance that enhances the honor bestowed upon the tax collector of Jericho. Blessed Zacchaeus. «You wanted to see me pass by, and today you will find me resting in your house,» St. Augustine, Sermon 113. But, the same Father continues, «He received Christ into his house, for he already dwelt in his heart.» Moreover, «Even if Jesus had not heard the voice of the one who invited him, he would still have seen the disposition of his soul,» St. Ambrose, 113.
Luke 19.6 Zacchaeus hurried downstairs and received him with joy. – Zacchaeus hurried Echoing the command given by Jesus, v. 5. We can easily understand this joyful eagerness. How much is contained in the few words of this verse! St. Ambrose shows us Zacchaeus falling from the sycamore tree like a ripe fruit, at the slightest tremor imparted to the tree by Jesus. "Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree is the new fruit tree of a new age," (Exposition in Luke 9:90).
Luke 19.7 Seeing this, they all murmured, saying, "He has gone to stay with a sinner."« Not everyone shared in Zacchaeus's happiness; on the contrary, it aroused a multitude of envy. The murmurs were unanimous and continued for a long time. He had gone to stay with a fisherman.In Jericho, a priestly city, there were a very large number of priests (cf. Matthew 10:31 and the commentary), almost as many as in Jerusalem, says the Talmud, and instead of asking one of them...hospitalityJesus established his residence with a hated tax collector, whose profession was regarded by the Jews as a grave crime.
Luke 19.8 But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, «Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.» This touching scene, according to various commentators (Olshausen, Schleiermacher, etc.), took place only the following morning, as Jesus was setting out for Jerusalem. It is much more natural to place it either immediately, in the very street, in front of the insulters, or shortly after the Savior entered his host's home, for example, at the end of the evening meal (cf. the current wording of verses 5 and 9). Zacchaeus, standing before Jesus, publicly makes a generous vow, an indication of his complete conversion. It is wrong to sometimes see in the use of the present tense the enunciation of a prior and habitual act, as if Zacchaeus meant to say: "Lord, I am less wicked than people think: look at my usual practices. I give… I repay…" According to almost universal opinion, the present tense stands for the future, as a sign of the unwavering nature and imminent execution of the resolution. The matter is so certain that it can be considered morally as already accomplished. – I give half my possessions. From a rich man, this was an enormous sacrifice. “Behold, the camel, having laid down the burden of its hump, passes through the eye of the needle. That is to say, having rejected love "He has relinquished his riches and trampled fraud underfoot; he receives the blessing of the Lord's welcome," Bede the Venerable. And if I've wronged someone. In Greek: to extort money by means of false accusations. Cf. 3:14 and the commentary. Could the phrase "what if" be a kind of euphemism behind which Zacchaeus half-masks his faults? Modern exegetes have often asserted this, though quite wrongly, in our opinion. What interest would Zacchaeus have had in not making a humble and complete confession? We therefore suppose, based on his language, that he is unaware of having willfully infringed upon the rights of his neighbor. But he knows how delicate his duties are, and how easily material, if not formal, injustice can creep into them (cf. the Italian proverb: There is no great river in which a little murky water has not entered): he is ready to make amends for all his wrongs, if any are discovered. And with what generosity he will make amends! I will pay him back fourfold. Jewish law only required four times the value of the stolen item in certain cases, for example, when the stolen object had been sold by the thief or had perished in his possession (Exodus 22:1); ordinarily, one was only required to return double the value (Exodus 22:4-9), and even when restitution was made voluntarily, it was sufficient to add one-fifth to the value. As for Roman law, a special article, "concerning tax collectors," required only simple restitution from these officials, although common thieves were required to make four times the value.
Luke 19.9 Jesus said to him, «Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. – Jesus speaks directly to Zacchaeus, although he refers to him in the third person. Salvation has come…Sweet reassurance for Zacchaeus and his entire household, who, like him, had received the Savior's visit with fervent feelings of faith. A son of Abraham. Ancient and modern authors (St. Cyprian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, Maldonatus, Stella, Reuss, Curci) have concluded from these words that Zacchaeus must have been a pagan by origin; but this is certainly not their direct meaning. There is no reason not to take them literally, and it is in a literal way that they are generally interpreted today. Zacchaeus was Jewish, as his name proves (note to verse 2); but, by becoming a tax collector, he had degraded himself in the eyes of his fellow citizens, he had in a way renounced his precious lineage: now converted, he has recovered all his rights to the salvation promised to Abraham, his illustrious ancestor.
Luke 19.10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.» – Jesus continues to respond to the crowd's reproach. He justified his conduct with a first motive, based on Zacchaeus's rights; he now presents a second, which consists of the general indication of his own role as Messiah: The Son of Man has come…Didn't he come expressly to seek the lost sheep and bring them back to the fold? See Matthew 18:11 (cf. the commentary) for a reproduction of this thought. Here, the verb seek is a peculiarity of St. Luke. – What became of Zacchaeus after his conversion? Ancient authors believe that he immediately attached himself to the person of Jesus. Some (following Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4, 6) identified him with St. Matthias, who later became an apostle in place of Judas. Others make him the first bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine. But an ancient tradition, “confirmed by a great number of testimonies, and especially by the authority of the pope Martin V in his bull of the year 1427”, (Proper of the breviary of Tulle, on September 3), demonstrates that Zacchaeus emigrated early to Gaul, and that he finally settled in a wild and picturesque place (Roc-Amadour) which today belongs to the diocese of Cahors, where he is honored under the name of St. Amadour (Amator).
Luke 19:11-28. The parable of the minas.
On the difference which, despite numerous analogies, exists between this parable and that of the talents, preserved by St. Matthew, 25, 14-30, cf. commentary St. Matthew. From the first centuries, Ammonius of Alexandria, Eusebius and St. John Chrysostom made them two distinct pieces.
Luke 19.11 As they listened to this speech, he added a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was about to appear. – A brief historical introduction, valuable for understanding the true purpose and meaning of the parable. See 18:1 and 9. We are still in Jericho (see verse 28), and probably in Zacchaeus's house. He was near Jerusalem. Jericho is indeed only 25 kilometers from Jerusalem, that is to say, a short day's walk (about 6 or 7 hours). the people thought…For some time now, enthusiasm has been steadily growing among Jesus' followers. (cf. 14:25; 18:31, 38; 19:1-3) Even the most enlightened among them persist in believing that if he is now going to Jerusalem, the capital of the Theocracy, it is to establish there without delay, to make the Messiah's kingdom shine forth with its inevitable attendant human glories. Jesus responds to these crude expectations by showing, through this beautiful poetic composition, 1) that a long time will still pass before the decisive crisis that will definitively establish his reign, 2) that his friends will have to devote these centuries of waiting to serious work if they wish to be rewarded on the last day, 3) that his enemies, especially the Jews who oppose him, will not escape his justice.
Luke 19.12 He said, "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be invested with the kingship and then return. – A man of high birth : a worthy figure of Our Lord Jesus Christ who, «although he became a servant, is still noble according to the ineffable origin he holds from his Father,» St. Cyril, in Cat. D. Thom. Or rather, «He is not only noble according to divinity, but also according to human nature, since he is of the seed of David,» St. Basil, ibid. He went away to a distant land : as far as there is from earth to sky, which implies a prolonged absence. To take possession of a kingdomThe image is borrowed from the customs of the time. How many petty princes, in Palestine and around Palestine (in Judea, Chalcis, Abila, Emesa, Damascus, Commagene, etc.), had to go to Rome to receive their investiture from the Senate or the Emperor? First Book of MaccabeesIn Revelation 8:13, Herod the Great offers a significant reflection on this subject: “Those whom they (the Romans) wished to make kings reigned, and they dispossessed whomever they wished of the kingdom.” This is how Herod the Great had undertaken the journey to Rome to obtain the title of King of the Jews; how his son Archelaus had gone, albeit in vain, to court Augustus so that he might be granted to retain this dignity. Similarly, Jesus was about to ascend to heaven before returning at the end of time in a state of royal glory and power. – The hero of the parable of the talents is a simple family man, who aspires to no dignity.
Luke 19.13 Having called ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas and said to them: Put them to good use until I return. – Having called ten of his servants. Not "his ten servants," as if he had no more. He intends to test their loyalty during his absence: that is why he entrusts each of them with ten minas, eager to see how they will make them bear fruit for his benefit. The "mina" was not a real, legal tender: after having served as a weight, it had become a fictitious currency, like the talent. It is likely that this refers to the Attic mina, which contained 100 drachmas, equivalent to three months' wages. What a difference from the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:15 ff., where the master divides his entire fortune, which was considerable, among only three of his servants. Make them count "Do business." Jesus meant, by the servants who received the minas, his own disciples. "Business consisted of nothing other than extending his kingdom to all mortals, thanks to the preaching of his disciples" (Eusebius, ap. Cat. D. Thom.). This, therefore, still applies to all priests.
Luke 19.14 But his fellow citizens hated him, and they sent messengers after him saying, "We do not want this man to rule over us."» – But his fellow citizens hated him. Jesus' fellow citizens were obviously the Jews, since he was like them a member of the theocratic state, John 4:22; Romans 95. Their hatred towards him is all too evident on every page of the Gospels. They sent after him…The messengers were to protest with all their might against the elevation of the noble pretender to the supreme dignity, pointing out to the overlord that this act would be entirely impolitic, since it was contrary to the wishes of the entire nation. We learn from the historian Josephus, Ant. 17, 11, 1 (cf. The War (Jews, 11, 2, 1) that things happened exactly in this way when Archelaus went to Rome to claim his father's inheritance. We don't want this man… A disdainful expression: this man whom we hate. The Jews, on at least two occasions, spoke in this way to Pilate against Jesus, when they shouted: «We have no king but Caesar,» and «Do not write: King of the Jews,» John 19:15, 21. All these details are specific to the parable of the minas; nothing similar is found in that of the talents.
Luke 19.15 When he returned, after being invested with the kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. – Despite so much opposition (which became even more intense after the death of Our Lord, cf. Acts 12:13; 13:45; 14:18; 17:5; 18:6; 22:22; 23:12, and from the Jewish world, it spread to the whole world, which continues to this day), the candidate for the throne saw his rights recognized. Now he returns, endowed with full powers, which he immediately puts to two uses: he rewards his friends and takes revenge on his enemies. He summoned the servants.… See, for a detailed explanation, St. Matthew, for it is here especially that the two parables are similar. However, the mining system still has notable variations, reflecting the diversity of its purpose and general structure. – … To find out what benefit each person had derived from it. These are two questions in one: who had become rich, and from what?.
Luke 19.16 The first one came and said: Lord, your mine has gained ten more mines. 17 He said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you have been faithful over a little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”. – The servants, at least the three specifically mentioned in the story, presented themselves to the king in an order reflecting their successes, and therefore their merits. Your mine produced ten minesLanguage of a profound humilityThe servant seems to attribute all the profit to his master's money, disregarding his own work and skill. This is not the case in the parable of the talents: "Master, you entrusted me with five talents; I have gained five more." In exchange for his loyalty, he receives, besides high praise, a truly princely reward: you will have power over ten cities. Ten cities, for ten minas, with which one could barely buy a modest house. In ancient times, kings quite frequently rewarded their faithful friends and servants by granting them the revenue of one or more cities. In the parable of the talents, the master, being merely a private citizen, simply says: "Enter into joy "of your Master." He has no cities to name.
Luke 19.18 The second one came and said: Lord, your mine has produced five more mines. 19 "You too," he told him, "govern five cities.". It's the same scene repeated, except for five mines and five towns instead of ten. The reward, and rightly so, is therefore proportionate to the success, or rather to the effort, to the generosity of the action. In the moral order as well, the same gifts do not always produce identical results. May we at least gain five mines.
Luke 19.20 Then another came and said, "Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept in a cloth as a deposit.". 21 Because I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man: you take what you did not deposit and you reap what you did not sow. – Another one came. The narrator now speaks as if money had been entrusted to only three servants. «He does not speak of those others who, like prodigal debtors, lost what they had received,» St. Ambrose (Expos. in Luc. 8, 95). But nothing in the parable allows us to believe that the other seven were so wicked. Perhaps it is better to say that they are passed over in silence for the sake of brevity, their conduct having been similar either to that of the first two or to that of the third. Here is your face, which I kept wrapped in a cloth. The handkerchief was intended for wiping sweat from the face. It is interesting to note, according to the Talmud, that some Jews used handkerchiefs precisely to wrap small sums of money, like this careless servant. According to the parable of the talents, the money had been buried in the ground. Morally, "To wrap money in a shroud is to hide gifts received for a long period of time," Bede the Venerable. Because I was afraid of you. In the most arrogant terms, the guilty party tries to excuse his conduct, which he would like to pass off as prudence. He was afraid of his master, who is so strict, and whose reproaches, or even vengeance, he feared. – The proverbial expressions «to take what one has not deposited, to reap what one has not sown» (see them in St. Matthew 25:24, with a slight variation) can express either the unjust appropriation of another's property or the accumulation of wealth without personal effort, at the cost of the sweat of the poor. This second meaning is the most likely here.
Luke 19.22 The king replied, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I am a strict man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.”, 23 Why didn't you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have withdrawn it with the interest. – I'm judging you by your words.. The king responds to this wretch by countering him with his own words. The servant should at least have lent out the entrusted sum at interest: his royal master would thus have derived some profit from it.
Luke 19.24 And he said to those who were there, “Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten.”. 25 "Sir," they said to him, "he has ten.". 26 I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. – He said to those who were there These were the king's servants in general, his guards. – Surprised by such an order, they allow themselves a respectful observation: But the one you are attributing this appearance to, isn't he already the richest of all? I'm telling you. As befits his dignity, the prince does not appear to notice that he has been addressed; he nevertheless responds to the objection with the well-known axiom: to him who already has… cf. 8, 18 etc.
Luke 19.27 As for those people who hate me and refused to have me as their king, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.» – After rewarding or punishing his servants according to their respective conduct, the king, by this transition, introduces a terrible decree against those of his fellow citizens who had once shown him such hostile opposition, v. 14. The sentence is majestic, without appeal, executed immediately before the very eyes of the judge, as was frequently practiced in eastern lands (in Greek, the equivalent of kill (is a word of great energy). The veil falls abruptly after these terrifying words. What an impression they must have made on the audience! It is a prophecy of the ruin of Jerusalem, and, in a broader sense, of the punishments that will befall all the enemies of Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church at the end of the world.
Luke 19.28 After this speech, Jesus began to walk ahead, going up to Jerusalem. – After this speech. So Jesus set out immediately after finishing the parable of the minas. There is a visible emphasis in the verb to walk, which recalls an even more significant phrase from St. Mark, 10, 32. Jesus placed himself at the head of the large procession that accompanied him, and, although he knew what awaited him, he advanced valiantly, like a leader whom nothing frightens. Go up to Jerusalem The reality here is more perfect than ever, for the ascent from Jericho to Jerusalem is perpetually upward (approximately 3,500 feet), rising from 250 meters below sea level to an altitude of 780 meters. The road was bleak and desolate, traversing one of the most dreadful deserts in the world (see 10:25 ff. and the explanation). For the moment, at least, it led Jesus to triumph.
Luke 19, 29-54. = Matt. 21, 1-11; Mark. 11, 1-11; John 12, 12-19.
Luke 19.29 When he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, Jesus sent two of his disciples, -Compared to the other two synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark) for this third and final part of his Gospel (Luke 19(29–24, 53), St. Luke is generally less complete, less precise: he abridges, and consequently omits many details. But, on the other hand, we will find from time to time, right up to the end, in his narrative those precious details to which he has accustomed us from the beginning. We must insert here, according to the chronological sequence of events, a short stay of Our Lord in Bethany, cf. John 12:1–19. Bethphage and Bethany. On Bethphage, see Matthew 21 and the commentary. Although St. Luke and St. Mark mention Bethphage before Bethany, it follows from the comparative accounts of St. Matthew and St. John that Bethphage was the closest to Jerusalem, since Jesus, going from Bethany to the Jewish capital, encountered this locality on his route. But since, on the one hand, St. Luke is brief, and on the other hand, the two villages were very close to each other, this way of speaking is not fundamentally inaccurate. The mountain called the Mountain of Olives. The hill which rises to the east of Jerusalem is, moreover, called by the historian Josephus as well as by the New Testament sometimes "mount of olive trees", sometimes, although more frequently, "mount of olive groves".
Luke 19.30 saying: "Go to the village opposite, when you enter it, you will find a donkey tied up, on which no man has ever sat, untie it and bring it here. 31 And if someone asks you why you are untying it, you will answer: Because the Lord needs it.» – The Messiah himself gives orders for his triumphal procession. He no longer thinks of shirking honors as he once did, for the hour appointed by Providence has struck. – The emphatic Never is specific to St. Luke. The Lord needs it. The sentence is identical in all three accounts according to the Greek text.
Luke 19.32 Those who were sent went and found things just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying the donkey, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying this donkey?"« 34 They replied, "Because the Lord needs it."« – Only St. Luke states that it was at the very moment Jesus' messengers were untying the donkey that they received the owners' remarks. St. Luke is also the only one to directly quote the two apostles' response.
Luke 19.35 And they brought it to Jesus, and then, having thrown their cloaks over the donkey, they made Jesus get on it. – The disciples adorned the humble mount to make it less unworthy of Jesus, by throwing on their coats.
Luke 19.36 As he passed by, people spread their coats on the road. – Note the use of the imperfect tense, which indicates an action constantly renewed as Jesus moved forward. The people spread out their coats and branches that they cut from the trees planted along the road (cf. St. Matthew and St. Mark).
Luke 19.37 When he was nearing the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples, filled with joy, began to praise God aloud for all miracles that they had seen. – A valuable topographical note, specific to St. Luke. Three paths lead from Bethany to Jerusalem. One of them winds between the northern and central peaks of the Mount of Olives; another climbs its highest summit, then descends, passing through the modern village of El-Tur; the third, which is and must always have been the actual road, skirts the central mass, passing between it and the Mount of Scandal. The other two are more like mountain paths than true roads, and, since Jesus was accompanied by so many disciples, it is clear that he must have taken this route, the most convenient of the three. It was therefore when the procession, having crossed the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, arrived at the point where the path suddenly opens onto the western side, that the acclamations of the crowd began. There, indeed, the city, previously hidden by the hilltop, suddenly appeared in all its splendor. If, now that it no longer possesses its former beauty, it still presents a magnificent panorama to the pilgrim's eyes, it is impossible to forget that it was regarded as one of the wonders of the world (Tacitus, Histories 5, 8). The temple, in particular, appeared from there radiant with grace. See St. Matthew. One can understand that, faced with this admirable spectacle, enhanced at this time of year by the charms of spring, faced with the capital and the palace of the Messiah King, the enthusiasm of the multitude that escorted Jesus could not be contained. The crowd of disciples Disciples in the broadest sense of the term. He began to rentThis detail, specific to the third Gospel, already highlights the generally religious character of this popular event. Aloud is picturesque. For all miracles (see St. Matthew): that is, concerning the many miracles of the Savior which they had witnessed, but especially, adds St. John 12:17, concerning the resurrection of Lazarus.
Luke 19.38 «Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,» they said. “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” – The acclamations of the people, initially consistent in our Gospel with those of the other Synoptic Gospels (except for the addition of king, which however corresponds to a similar idea in St. Mark, 11, 10), then take on a particular character: Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest! One might think one was hearing an echo of the Canticle of the Angels, 2:14. “Peace in heaven”: heaven is at peace with us, thanks to the mediation, the voluntary offering of Christ. cf. Romans 51; Colossians 1, 20; 2, 14, 15.
Luke 19.39 Then some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, «Teacher, rebuke your disciples.» – The relative brevity of St. Luke's description is more than compensated for by the interest of the two narratives that follow (cf. vv. 41 ff.). They were undoubtedly provided to the evangelist by the documents he had so carefully gathered. The first, which contains a brief dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees, bears some resemblance to an event related in the first Gospel, 21:15 and 16. Some Pharisees… Everywhere we find these enemies of the Savior. They are already scattered among the ranks of the crowd that honors Jesus as the Messiah. Master (equivalent of Rabbi): behind this respectful title, which they gave him from time to time (cf. 10, 25 etc.), they poorly concealed their envy and discontent. Rebuke your disciples. «Do you not hear what they are saying? With some severe rebuke, put an end to their blasphemies as soon as possible.» For these unbelievers, the disciples’ language was indeed blasphemous, and they held the Master responsible for the conduct of his followers.
Luke 19.40 He replied, "I tell you, if they remain silent, the stones will cry out."« – A grave and sublime response from Jesus. Not only does he accept the homage paid to him, but he affirms with a majesty worthy of the Messiah, and using a proverbial expression perhaps borrowed from the prophecy of Habakkuk (2:11), that if men ceased to acclaim him, even the stones should do so. This was to say: «Vox populi, vox Dei,» «the voice of the people is the voice of God.» It was to very explicitly acknowledge his own messianic dignity. On a similar expression from Virgil, Ecclesiastes 5:28, Servius wrote this apt commentary: «This is speaking hyperbole when the matter is of such a nature that it cannot in any way be hidden or remain concealed.» Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses 2:697, and, in the Talmud, the tractate Chagigah, f. 16, 1: «Do not say, »Who will testify against me?’ The stones and beams of your house will testify against you.”.
Luke 19.41 And when he drew near and saw Jerusalem, he wept over it, saying: – Having approached. When he in turn arrived at the place described above, v. 37. – This moving scene has rightly been considered «one of the jewels of our Gospel» (Godet). Contemplating Jerusalem, Jesus embraced its entire history, past, present, and future: the history of divine love manifested with unparalleled tenderness, the history of human ingratitude taken to its extreme, the history of the most terrible celestial vengeance. This sorrowful scene stirred in him a profound emotion, which he gave free rein to at the most glorious moment of his triumph. Only twice in his life do we read that he wept, here and before raising Lazarus, for his ungrateful homeland and for the friend of his heart. But there, it was only a matter of silent tears, while here he weeps aloud and sobs. How beautiful and divine is the Son of God weeping. And yet St. Epiphanius recounts that in his time there were men who, finding this detail unworthy of Jesus, had it removed with a hand as brutal as it was unintelligent. cf. D. Calmet, hl.
Luke 19.42 «"If you too knew, at least on this day given to you, which would bring you peace. But now these things are hidden from your eyes.. – Jesus will give cause for his tears. He laments the hardening of his beloved homeland and the terrible evils that will inevitably result from it: If you knew…You too (emphasized), like my faithful disciples. The frequent repetition of pronouns you, you, you, … in lines 42-44 (fourteen times) is most effective. At least on this day. Every word carries weight. That day had been given in Jerusalem for repentance and for believing in Jesus: but it was a decisive day. That would be your peace (cf. 14:32): that is, the conditions to which God is willing to grant you peace, salvation. Perhaps there is a paronomasia in these words, by which the Savior would be playing, according to a custom beloved by the Orientals, on the name of Jerusalem (place or vision of peace). – But now…The preceding sentence is unfinished, as Euthymius already noted: «The sentence is incomplete. This is what happens to those who weep. They shorten words under the influence of emotion.» It could be completed by adding: «you would behave very differently» or some other similar idea. Jesus thus suddenly abandons, to return to the sad reality, this beautiful ideal that he had contemplated for a moment. These things are hidden from your eyes. A completely willful blindness on the part of Jerusalem: she herself closed her eyes to the light (cf. the end of v. 44).
Luke 19.43 Days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches, besiege you, and press in on you from all sides., 44 They will overthrow you and the children in your womb, and they will not leave one stone upon another within your walls, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.» – A magnificent description overall. Most of the expressions in the Greek text are technical, quite noble, and typical of the third Gospel. Jesus then moves on to the terrible punishments that Jerusalem will bring upon itself through such sinful conduct. They will come The deliberate placement at the beginning of the sentence indicates the certainty of the prophesied misfortunes. Your enemies will surround youEach of the horrific details pointed out by Jesus is introduced emphatically, which sadly highlights them. Trenches An artificial rampart or entrenchment intended either to protect a camp or to besiege a city. It was usually a large earthen embankment, topped with palisades and protected externally by a ditch. When the Jews, in a skillful sortie, set fire to the rampart that the Romans had built around Jerusalem, Titus quickly constructed a second one, but of masonry, which had nothing to fear from fire. They will surround you from all sides. A vigorous accumulation of synonyms. But these are not empty words. The circumference of Jerusalem was 33 stades: Titus's entrenchment was only 39. They will knock you to the ground. An image of universal ruin. The city will be razed; its sons (its inhabitants) will be massacred without mercy. They will not let…See Matthew 24:2, where Jesus specifically utters this dark prophecy against the temple. And everything came to pass to the letter: cf. Josephus, of The War of the Jews, 7, 1, 1. Also, one day when Frederick the Great asked Gellert what he thought of Christ, this famous professor simply replied: What does Your Majesty think of the destruction of Jerusalem? Because you didn't know the time… Jesus ends as he began (v. 2), reproaching the Jewish city for its sad blindness. The time when it was visited and failed to recognize it is none other than the time of the Savior's public ministry, during which it had received so many peaceful visits from him (on the word visit, (see 1, 68 and the commentary).
Luke 19.45 Having entered the temple, he began to drive out those who were buying and selling there, 46 saying to them, «It is written: My house is a house of prayer, and you have turned it into a den of thieves.. » – Jesus reigning as Messiah in the temple. Luke 1945–21, 4. Jesus' triumph continues, but in a different form. For two days, Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week, we see him demonstrate his messianic authority to his enemies, first through actions, then through words. He is truly a king enthroned in his palace. Expulsion of the merchants. Luke 1945-48 = Matthew 21:12-23; Mark 11:15-17. See our commentaries on the first two Gospels. St. Luke barely touches upon this majestic action of Jesus. Having entered the temple. This was, as St. Mark expressly notes in chapters 11:12 ff., the day after the solemn entry into Jerusalem. Those who sold there and those who bought thereThis was the second time that Jesus drove out the blatant usurpers from the sacred courtyards, who profaned them with the tolerance and even complicity of the priests. cf. John 2, 14 et seq. – You've turned it into a den of thieves.Fifty years later, the house of God would become, in an even more desolate sense, a horrific den of bandits. Speaking of the atrocities committed by the "sacarii" within the temple, Ananus exclaimed: "It would have been better for me to die before seeing the sanctuary defiled by such abominations, these sacred places horribly trampled by bloodthirsty scoundrels." Flavius Josephus The War Jews, 4, 3, 10.
Luke 19.47 Jesus spent his days teaching in the temple. And the chief priests, the scribes, and the notables sought to destroy him., – to teach. This construction expresses continuity; it is further complemented by "the days." To this celestial image of Jesus teaching, the narrator contrasts the hateful secret meetings held by his cruel enemies. The words princes of the priests, scribes, leaders of the people represent the three chambers of the Sanhedrin. They were trying to lose him : the imperfect tense indicates the consistency of their hateful attempts.
Luke 19.48 But they did not know how to proceed, for all the people were listening, hanging on his every word. Determined to get rid of Jesus, the Sanhedrin members were at a loss as to how they would kill him. For the entire people were suspended in admiration. The reason for this hesitation, and at the same time a beautiful contrast. While the Savior's enemies are determined to destroy him, the people listen to Jesus with rapture. The expression "suspended," specific to our evangelist, is no less elegant than it is energetic. Classical authors use it frequently. See Virgil, Aeneid 4.79; Ovid, Epistles 1.30; Horace, Epistles 1.105, etc. Cf. Genesis 44:30. We say in the same sense: to be hanging on someone's every word. What praise, in a single word, for the truly divine eloquence of Our Lord.
