Peace

Luke 19:28-44

The sequence of this passage narrates Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. The underlying theme is peace in contrast to the misconception that Christ was a political king that had come to conquer Jerusalem through force. Jesus indeed came to conquer and wage war, but against the powers of sin and the wage of death. In Luke 18 we are told that Jesus prophesied his coming death and resurrection but the disciples fail to understand. Then Jesus is called out to by a beggar and the beggar is healed of his physical blindness due to his abundance in spiritual sight that allowed him the faith to believe Jesus as the "Son of David."

There are three things to note as Jesus enters Jerusalem:

1) Jerusalem is an iconic city of influence and most notably as the central place of Israel's worship. This is a place of sacrifice and purification of sin. The name itself means "City of Peace." So the ironic idea being portrayed here by Luke is that Jesus came to bring peace but everyone else is expecting war. He indeed will bring about war that will end in peace but neither of those things will look the way that people are expecting. The disciples are failing to see the reality of what Christ's work will be to bring the peace they desire.

2) Jesus is the Prince of Peace and in Zechariah 9:9 it states, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Kings usually enter a city on a warhorse but Christ comes on a donkey which symbolizes his humility and coming in peace.

3) The crowds and disciples cry out, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Indeed, this may be their cry, but the outcome will be very unexpected for them. The peace that Christ brings will indeed be peace in heaven and on earth.

We must remember the words of Paul, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:7) Let us not forget that our Prince of Peace has conquered death for all and when we abide in Him, that peace is granted to us.