"The Absence of Divine Shalom"(Luke 19:37-44)

The Absence of Divine Shalom 

Luke 19:37-44 

We read In Luke 19 that as Jesus is entering Jerusalem, his disciples and the crowds praise God for the great things Jesus had done. The Pharisees retort and tell Jesus to silence the crowds. Jesus responds by saying that even if He did, the stones would cry out. Later when Jesus sees the city of Jerusalem, he weeps. 

This is the second time the Bible records Jesus weeping.  The word "weep" from the original language means to cry out in lament. The  first time we read about Jesus weeping is when he arrives to find Lazarus buried in a tomb. (John 11:35). With the case of Lazarus, we see how much he can love people and has  emotions like the rest of us. But why does Jesus weep when He sees Jerusalem? Perhaps it is because of the divine peace or Shalom has been removed from Jerusalem. This is the peace that is given only by the presence of the Lord. 

  

The city of Jerusalem was a renowned city at the time and in that area. Despite the fact that in 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the city wall and the Temple, Jerusalem still was considered formidable. It was fortified by a great wall which had been rebuilt by returning exiles. The wall was twelve meters high and ran about 4000 meters. No wonder that other kings had tried and failed to take Jerusalem, such as King Sennacherib of Assyria.  

Not only was Jerusalem strong, it was the center of the Jewish faith. It held all the religious treasures of the Israelites. Moreover, the temple was magnificent. One could not help but stand in awe of the temple. The Jews at that time would face the temple to pray because that is where God dwelled.  We know that Jerusalem is the Zion of God, or the dwelling place of God. As long as the temple was standing, God was with them.  

In 33 AD Jesus made the prophecy that Jerusalem would be destroyed. Later in 70 AD, Just as Jesus predicted, Jerusalem falls. Emperor Vespasian sends his son Titus to finish the job he had been commissioned to do by Emperor Nero. The Roman army completely destroys Jerusalem and the temple. 

Going back to Luke 19 vs 38-39 the disciples of Jesus and the crowds praise Jesus, but it is the Pharisees and the elites who resist Jesus. These elites do not want to acknowledge Jesus as the king. Much like some of the servants in the parables of the ten minas, the elites did not want Jesus as their king.

How else did the people fail? There was religious decay in the temple. The holy place for prayers had been turned into a commercial centre. The temple was turned from a house of prayers to a den of robbers (Luke 19:45-46). Do we value the presence of God in us? Do we just observe rituals and ignore the presence of God?

In Luke 19:11-27, the parable describes different kinds of servants to the king.  There were those who rejected the king, those who invested for the kingdom and those who invented ways to avoid glorifying the king. Later the king needs to maintain the peace in his kingdom through promotion and punishment. God demands obedience and not sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).  

Jesus implies that if the people followed closely the commands of their King. They would not lose their peace. What does Jesus do in the life of a believer?

Jesus brings peace to us. 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 

Luke 2:13‭-‬14 ESV 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 

Luke 4:18 ESV 

Jerusalem rejects Jesus as their King. They lose the temple in 70 AD and by then it was too late to see that they had lost the presence of God and the divine peace. 

For those who accept Jesus in their lives, Jesus guarantees a guidance to expand the kingdom and give peace. Jesus desires to reign in our lives which will gives us divine peace. 

1. Jesus will lead us but we need to be obedient. 

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 

Psalms 32:6‭-‬7 ESV 

2. Jesus will not abandon those who follow Jesus.  Jesus will keep us in perfect peace. 

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

John 10:11 ESV 

3. Jesus is faithful, but we need to trust in Jesus.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 

Isaiah 26:3 ESV 

Much like we can gain peace by letting Jesus reign in our lives, we can also lose the Peace of God? 

1. We lose peace when we reject Jesus or resist the reign of Jesus. Luke 19:12. 

2. We lose peace when we continually disobey Jesus instructions. 

3. We lose peace when we consistently fail to repent.  

There is nothing worse than losing the peace of God. Although we are not perfect yet, we are expected to go back and repent. If we resist continually, we lose the peace of God. 

As we tarry in this world, let Jesus reign completely in our  lives.

"Our Role in the Coming of the Kingdom"(Luke 19:11-27)

Our Role in the Coming of the Kingdom 

Luke 19:11-27 

We know that John the Baptist was the first to preach about Christ, and he told the people to repent because the Kingdom of God was near. What does it mean that the Kingdom was near when Jesus was preaching? 

In the Bible the Kingdom refers to the concept of God reigning over the people. God would rule over the people. Jesus’ presence declared that the reign of God had begun and the Kingdom is progressing to its completion. 

When Jesus called on the people, He told them that if they believe in Him it would be the will of God to give them possessors of the Kingdom.  

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

Luke 12:32 ESV 

As with all kingdoms, there is a king. Subjects of the kingdom are expected to be loyal to their ruler. Are we loyal or rebellious to our king? Our confession as a believer means we need to act as possessors of the Kingdom of God. We have tasks to perform right now. We have to come to possess the power of God and we have to live like servants of Christ. We have to ask ourselves, “Is Jesus really my king?”

In the parable from Luke 19, Jesus narrates a parable in which a nobleman had to travel far a way to receive his kingdom and then come back to rule. Before he goes, he calls ten servants to do business while he is gone. The servants are given ten minas to invest and do business.  

Jesus goes on to say a delegation was sent to stop the nobleman from receiving the kingdom; however, the nobleman succeeds despite the malcontents protests.

Later the nobleman returns as the ruler and one by one the servants come to declare what they had done. Two servants are commended positively. One servant says he did nothing with his investment. Jesus doesn’t tell us about the other seven servants, but we can speculate that the other seven had done nothing with the resources given to them. 

From this parable, we understand that all those who have been called into the kingdom have been given gifts to advance the kingdom. This means we will be required to present what we have done with the gifts entrusted with us when Jesus returns. We are expected to expand the Kingdom of God. 

What does Jesus expect? 

1. 

They have to know that the calling has been given to everyone and they must carry on whether the master is around or not. The master has given ten minas. At that time, one mina equals one hundred days' wages. This sounds good, but for a nobleman it would not be very generous. The ruler intentionally gave a little and was pleased that the servants who could do much with little.  

And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 

Luke 19:17 ESV 

It may appear that we have been given little, and this could turn others away. Right now the Kingdom may look insignificant, but in the future it will be powerful, and your benefit will be great. We have a responsibility to act now. Only ten servants came to receive the minas. The other servants did not even come. Only a few of the ten servants who came did anything with their talents as the lord had told them. Invest the minas into business. The accountability would be did you put it in business or not instead of whether or not it made a profit. 

2. 

The Kingdom operates on the instructions given. The third man gives his version and tries to avoid the investment instructions. God requires obedience from us. How much do we follow God's commands? It is important how we strive to be obedient to God since the results do not determine our success. Sometimes it seems that our results are failures, but to God, in His Kingdom, they are successful when we are obedient. 

3. 

Our rewards are based on our actions. If we put into practice what we have been given for the Kingdom, we will please God. None of us have been brought into the kingdom with nothing. We must intentionally use these gifts for God. 

4. 

Rewards and punishments are given on knowledge of the Kingdom. The Lord will not condemn those who do not know about the kingdom. We have been told what to do. We know what we have been given and who it is from. We know what it is to used for.

'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

Luke 19:26 ESV 

As we wait for Jesus’ return, let everyone of us daily invest wisely and diligently into His Kingdom.