Dig In:
Passage: Luke 19
Dig Deeper:
Chapter Summary
v1-10 - Zacchaeus is a mainstay of Sunday School classrooms. It's hard to read his name without singing the line "was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he." Though he was indeed short, Zacchaeus aligned himself with God's grace in a very big way, giving half of his substantial fortune to the poor and paying back 4x those he had cheated (read last year's DIG DEEPER post to learn about the word play that's going on in the original Greek). Interestingly, Zacchaeus goes on to be a key figure in the early church.
v11-27 - The tension was high as Jesus moves on towards Jerusalem, because the people thought the Kingdom of God was going to visibly appear at any moment (v11). It will, of course, be evident when Jesus rides into Jerusalem later in the chapter, but it won't be what the people were expecting. On the surface, the parable of the 10 minas reminds us to invest our treasure in the coming Kingdom, much like Zacchaeus had just demonstrated, but as we dig deeper, this parable teaches so much more. We read about what will happen to those who reject Christ as king (v27), as well as the difficult saying of Jesus that more will be given to those who already have, but those who have nothing will see their meager possessions given to those who already have fortunes (v26, we've also read this in Luke 8:18). If Jesus was just talking about material possessions here, it would be pretty harsh, but He's talking about so much more. In a nutshell, this parable is a call for citizens of the Kingdom of God to take the grace and faith we've been given, and invest it into others. This parable is a call to evangelism, and if you simply bury the faith you've been given, it will be taken from you.
v28-44 - In a sense, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem began way back in 9:51, where He resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Certainly it was a mark of humility for Jesus to ride in on a donkey colt, but it also was the way that Solomon ceremoniously rode into Jerusalem (1 Kings 1:33). Jesus wants all of Jerusalem to know He is the king. Yet as regal and triumphant as Jesus' entry was, the cruel week that would follow is foreshadowed by Jesus Himself in the final passage of this chapter.
Old Testament Reference -
Several Old Testament passages are fulfilled as Jesus rides into Jerusalem:
1 Kings 1:28-40 tells of Solomon's triumphal entry to Jerusalem, having just been anointed king, extending the promise fulfilled in Jesus that David's offspring would rule forever.
Zechariah 9:9 prophesies of the King coming to His people riding on a donkey.
Psalm 118:25-29 is what is being sung by the people as Jesus rides in.
Discuss:
Use the comment box below to discuss one or more of these questions.
EYE FOR DETAIL—From what you recall seeing in this chapter, try answering the following question without looking at your Bible: How much of his money did Zacchaeus promise to give to the poor, and how much did he promise to pay back to anyone he might have cheated (v8)?
With the parable of the king’s ten servants in mind, discuss how much you agree or disagree with this statement: If we aren’t multiplying our gifts from God, then we don’t really have them at all.
Questions taken from The Complete Bible Discussion Guide: New Testament
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (v38 / Psalm 118:26)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: ray that God will enable you to put what you're learning from His Word to work until the King comes back (v13).
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
