Luke 19

Luke 19:1-10

Chapter 27 A Lost Sinner Sought And Saved It is always profitable for our souls to read about the conversion of a sinner by God’s omnipotent grace. It is especially profitable to read and study the stories of God’s converting grace given to us in the pages of holy scripture. We should read them often and study them with care, asking God the Holy Spirit to teach us the wonders of his grace. When we read about the conversion of the Samaritan woman in John 4, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9, and the conversion of Onesimus in the Book of Philemon, we find our hearts saying, “That is what the Lord has done for me.” Don’t we? In Luke 19:1-10 we read the story of Zacchaeus’ conversion by the Lord Jesus. The key to understanding this story of God’s marvellous, free, saving grace is found in Luke 19:9-10. Our Saviour tells us that salvation came to Zacchaeus because “he also is a son of Abraham”. He was saved by omnipotent grace because the Lord Jesus came down here “to seek and to save that which was lost”. And our blessed Saviour never changes. What he did for Zacchaeus, he still does for sinners today. Context As we read this story, we should read it in its context. Look back to Luke 18. In Luke 19:18-25 we read about the rich young ruler, who refused to bow to Christ. As he walked away from the Master, we read in Luke 19:24-26 : “And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” In Luke 19:26 the disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” Then, our Saviour said in Luke 19:27, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Beginning right there, he proceeds to demonstrate the fact that he is that God with whom alone salvation is possible. He and he alone is able to save unto the uttermost all who come to God by him, for he is himself God the Son, God who came to seek and to save that which was lost. In Luke 19:30 he tells us that the salvation he brings is “in the world to come life everlasting”. In Luke 19:31-33 he tells us how this salvation, this life everlasting comes to our poor souls by his death upon the cursed tree as the sinner’s Substitute. In Luke 19:35-43, giving sight and salvation to the blind man as he approached Jericho, he shows us that the sure result of his finished work of redemption is the salvation of sinners by omnipotent grace. Solemn Words This chapter opens with some very solemn words given by God the Holy Spirit, words we must not pass over lightly. “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.” The Lord Jesus entered into Jericho, and passed through it. As he was approaching Jericho, he saved Bartimaeus (Mark 10:40-52) and the bind man we read about in chapter 18. As he was going out of Jericho, he saved two blind men sitting by the wayside (Matthew 20:29-34). A short distance further out of Jericho, he saved Zacchaeus. But we read of no wonders of grace performed in Jericho. Rather, here we read, “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.” Back in the days of Joshua, hundreds of years before, the Lord Jesus found a precious jewel for his crown there in a harlot named Rahab (Joshua 2, 6; Hebrews 11:31). Indeed, he found many jewels for his crown there over the years (1 Kings 16:34). But now he passes through Jericho. It appears that there were none within the walls of that great city he had come to save. Now he finds jewels for his crown among the poor, the blind, the publicans, and sinners, who were the castaways of Jericho. With these words in Luke 19:1, Luke seems to be saying to us, “Never cease to adore and give thanks to God our Saviour for his sovereign, distinguishing grace”! He who has mercy on whom he will have mercy, has not left us to ourselves! Let us rejoice and worship him (Psalms 116:12-13; Psalms 116:17). The spiritual lessons in this passage (Luke 19:1-10) are many. Let me direct your attention to just a few of them. Grace Omnipotent First, Zacchaeus’ conversion tells us that the grace of God that brings salvation is omnipotent and irresistible. None are too sinful, too base, too vile, or too far gone for Christ to save. His arm is not shortened that he cannot save. Oh, no! His mighty arm is omnipotent in the operations of his grace! None are beyond the reach of omnipotent mercy! Here is a notorious publican, one of the most well known of the despised tax-collectors dwelling near Jericho, transformed into a child of God. Here is a rich man made to pass through the needle’s eye into the kingdom of God. Here is a covetous man transformed instantaneously into a self-sacrificing philanthropist! Our all-glorious, ever-gracious Christ is able to save to the uttermost! Here is a Physician before whom none are incurable! Yes, “all things are possible with God” and Jesus Christ is God our Saviour! He still breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the captive free. He still makes the lame to walk again and causes the blind to see! Hear him, ye deaf! His praise, ye dumb! Your loosened tongues employ! Ye blind behold your Saviour come; And leap ye lame for joy! Small Things The second thing I see in this story of Zacchaeus’ conversion is the fact that our great God uses even the smallest, most insignificant things to save his own elect. Great works often turn on small things. Let us despise none (Zechariah 4:10). And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature (Luke 19:2-3). It was curiosity, nothing but curiosity on his part that brought Zacchaeus to the place ordained of God from eternity to be the place where Christ would find him. His curiosity and that alone seems to have inspired him, a grown man, to scamper up a sycamore tree like a little boy (Luke 19:4). But … God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform! Zacchaeus was curious; but Christ had come to be gracious. It was Christ who was secretly working to accomplish his purpose of grace toward Zacchaeus. His curiosity was but a part of our Lord’s secret work by which he would perform his gracious work. Sovereign Election Here is a third thing made clear in this passage. Salvation comes to chosen sinners because the purpose of God according to election is sure. As I told you before, Salvation came to Zacchaeus because Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham. He may or may not have been a Jew outwardly. We are not told. Many of the publicans were Jews. Others were Gentiles. But this publican was a child of promise (Galatians 4:28), one of Christ’s, an heir of promise, because he was numbered among Abraham’s spiritual seed (Galatians 3:29). He was by nature a coarse, wicked man (Matthew 18:17). Like you and me, he was a sinner by birth, a sinner by nature, a sinner by choice, and a sinner by practice. But he was distinguished from all others in the crowd that day by God’s distinguishing grace and called, because God had from the beginning chosen him to salvation. Prevenient Grace Fourth, we have before us in the conversion of Zacchaeus another display of God’s marvellous prevenient grace. Yes, Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus, who he was. He was curious to see the man about whom so much commotion was made. But Zacchaeus was not the one who caused the commotion or the curiosity it aroused. That was Christ himself. He sought to see Zacchaeus long before Zacchaeus thought about seeking to see him. Our Saviour purposefully directed his steps through Jericho, because the hour had come for him to call Zacchaeus. This was the day appointed from all eternity for salvation to come to Zacchaeus’ house! All the steps leading to that purposed end were marked out, over-ruled, and made to serve this one great end. Oh, how precious is the realization of God’s prevenient grace when it is revealed to us by his Spirit! That which the world cannot see, the Spirit taught soul sees as a huge volume read by his enlightened eyes, telling the story of God’s secret operations of grace just for him. The many wondrous works of God’s prevenient grace performed for us were those things that ultimately brought us to Christ and Christ to us. As Jude puts it, we were sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. Therefore, mercy, peace, and love have been multiplied to us all the days of our lives, though we knew nothing about it until we were called (Jude 1:1-2). Goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our lives, chasing us to the appointed place of love, at the appointed time of love. And that same goodness and mercy will continue to follow us all the days of our lives, until goodness and mercy have chased us right into glory! Look back, O my soul, look back over the days of your life and see how preserving grace in Christ kept you until that same grace called you to Christ, and all this from the sanctification of God the Father in his eternal purpose concerning you (Ephesians 1:3-6; Romans 8:28-30; Romans 11:33-36). The sweet hounds of heaven, “Goodness” and “Mercy”, get Zacchaeus treed. Then the Son of God comes to the spot, beholds him who, though he went to see Christ, never once thought that Christ would see him. There the Lord calls to him, calls him by name, bids him come down, invites himself to his house, tells him that he must today abide with him at his house; and Zacchaeus finds his heart instantly disposed to come down from the tree, and to receive Christ joyfully. Why? Because it is written, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple … Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth” (Psalms 65:4; Psalms 110:3). When poor sinners, like this publican, feel a desire to see Christ, to hear his Word as he passes by, though they may be completely unaware of it, it may be that it is their Saviour working upon their minds creating the desire in them, predisposing them to hear his voice in the call of the gospel. Though they are, like Zacchaeus, “of little stature”, little in knowledge, little in the apprehension of their sins, and even little in desire for Christ, yet, neither the press of the world, the press of time, or the press of a multitude, can keep them from Christ, when the time of love has come. When, by some event of providence, a sinner is caused to be in the place where Christ comes in saving power, though he may have come with the most base motives imaginable, if the sinner is one of God’s elect and the time of love has come for him, he will then and there hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow him. Child of God, roll these things over in your heart day by day. Never lose sight of them. The Son of God had his eye upon you from eternity, just as he had his eye upon Zacchaeus. You were chosen by him in everlasting love (Ephesians 1:3-4). Your name was written in the Book of Life before the worlds were made (Revelation 13:8; Luke 10:20). You were one of those sheep given to the Good Shepherd by the Father from old eternity (John 10:27-29). And it is written, “The flocks shall pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 33:13). He said, “I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant” (Ezekiel 20:37). And so it came to pass! Irresistible Grace Look at Luke 19:5-6. Zacchaeus was in this place at this time because the Lord planted that sycamore tree just outside Jericho for him and sent him up that tree, because he was coming there to save him. Because the Lord wanted his conversion to be, as it were, a public spectacle, he made Zacchaeus a little man and the limbs of the tree low enough for him to get hold of them. “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5). And you know what, Zacchaeus did. “And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully” (Luke 19:6). He did so because God’s omnipotent, saving grace is irresistible. He who said, “To day I must abide at thy house”, must do so. If any sinner comes to Christ, and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ unto life everlasting, he does so because God has drawn him to Christ by the effectual power and irresistible grace of his Spirit. True faith is the result of, not the cause of, divine grace. Saving faith is created in a person’s heart by the mighty, sovereign operations of God the Holy Spirit in omnipotent, saving grace (Ephesians 1:19; Colossians 2:12). This creation of faith in the heart, by which a person is drawn to Christ, is what we call “effectual calling” or “irresistible grace”. The effectual calling of the Holy Spirit is that sovereign, gracious, irresistible work and operation of God the Holy Spirit which changes a man’s heart and will, causing him to come to Christ and be saved. Effectual calling is the tender influence, overpowering love, compelling grace, and irresistible power of God the Holy Ghost, which causes chosen, redeemed sinners to gladly and willingly receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. Those who by nature, if left to themselves, would not come to Christ, are made willing to come to him in effectual calling. A Mighty Change Read Luke 19:7-8, and you will see that grace wrought in a sinner makes a mighty change in the sinner who experiences it. “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Without any word of command, without any threat of law, without any promise of reward, Zacchaeus did what the rich young ruler, who claimed to live by the law, could never do. He sold everything he had for the Pearl of Great Price, took up his cross, and followed the Saviour joyfully, with a willing heart, because he wanted to. What was the difference between the two men? God’s distinguishing grace! That is all. The Lord Jesus did something for Zacchaeus.

The rich young ruler came to Jesus. But here we see Jesus coming to Zacchaeus. What a difference! And that is exactly how the Saviour explains the difference. “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10). These 10 verses of holy scripture give us the inspired spiritual biography of every one of Christ’s redeemed ones. This is my testimony. And, if you know him, this is your testimony, too. Our blessed Saviour has from everlasting arranged every step for the accomplishment of his great purpose of grace for his own. When the hour is come for the calling of his chosen to the knowledge and enjoyment of himself and of all God’s boundless, free grace in him, he brings his own to the appointed place and meets them with omnipotent grace. Everything in providence is so ordered and disposed of by his prevenient grace that not one thing can fail. How refreshing! How blessed! During all the days and years of our rebellion, sin, and unbelief, the Saviour’s eye unceasingly watched over us. And when the love-calls of his Holy Spirit went forth, though, like Zacchaeus, we were lifted up with Pharisaical pride, self-righteousness, ambition, worldly pursuits, and the countless other vanities that had kept us from Christ, down we came at the call of grace! Gladly, we took the Saviour home to our house and to our heart, and received him joyfully. Why? Because the Son of man came at the time of love to seek and to save that which was lost! Do you know anything of the love-calls of our omnipotent Saviour? It is impossible not to know them, if you have ever heard them. The soul that hears the voice of the Son of God, though he never heard it before, knows the sweet sound of the Shepherd’s voice. When the Saviour speaks to a sinner dead in trespasses and sins, he speaks with a loud voice that cannot be ignored (John 11:43), a powerful voice that cannot be resisted (John 11:44; Psalms 29:3-11), a still small voice none can hear except the one called (1 Kings 19:9-14), a sweet, loving, winning voice to open the heart (Son 5:2), a personal voice that is known by the one called (Luke 19:5).

Luke 19:11-27

Chapter 28 The Nobleman And His Servants When our Master had saved Zacchaeus, though the disciples heard his doctrine and saw the way he dealt with that poor soul in grace, though the Lord Jesus had told them plainly that he was on his way to Jerusalem to die in their place, to redeem his people by the shedding of his blood, they still thought they were on their way to his inauguration ball as the King of Israel! The parable given in Luke 19:12-27 was given to correct their ignorance, “because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.” Their minds were fixed on the notion that the coming of Christ the King meant that he was about to become a carnal king, a king over the physical nation of Israel. They had terribly carnal notions about his kingdom. So he here showed them that, for the present, the practical matter to be remembered was that he had come “to seek and to save that which was lost.” If they had not been so full of their idle dreams of a temporal, earthly kingdom, they would have understood that in the calling of Zacchaeus, the Lord Jesus had manifested his kingship in the realm of mercy and grace and salvation. He had in seeking and saving Zacchaeus displayed the sovereignty of his grace as the sovereign king of grace. That is what he is doing today on his throne as our great King, the Son of God and the Son of man, the Son of David and David’s Lord. He is seeking and saving his lost ones. This parable is an illustration, a picture of things present and things to come, which ought to set our hearts upon our Saviour and his cause in this world. Its intent is to show us our faithful God and Saviour, who has promised, “him that honoureth me I will honour”, and will reward his faithful servants for their service, not in this world, but in the world to come. The Nobleman “He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return” (Luke 19:12). I am sure that you understand who the nobleman in this parable represents. He represents our Lord Jesus himself. He was here on earth a man among men, and truly a nobleman in the midst of his fellow citizens. He was and is King of all the earth. He is King by nature and by right, but he must first go away by death, resurrection, and ascension, to the highest courts of heaven to receive for himself a kingdom from his Father as the reward of his obedience.

It is written in the 2nd Psalm, “Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance.” The day is coming when he will return, clothed with glory and honour, to take unto himself his great power and reign; for he must reign till all enemies are put under his feet. When he comes, his enemies will be destroyed, and his faithful servants will be abundantly rewarded. That is the essence of the parable’s meaning. The Son of God came here in humiliation as the Son of man “to seek and to save that which was lost.” He is here portrayed as having finished his work of redemption and returned to glory to receive his kingdom. He ascended back to heaven to receive the kingdom for us as our Forerunner (Hebrews 6:20), and to receive all his ransomed ones into his kingdom by the mighty operations of his Holy Spirit. He is still the Son of man, now ascended to glory and seated upon his throne; and it is still his business “to seek and to save that which was lost.” After he has received his kingdom, after he has saved all his lost ones, he will return to judge the world. Even then, it shall be his business “to seek and to save that which was lost.” When the Lord Jesus left this world, he ascended up into heaven as a mighty conqueror, leading captivity captive. He is there sitting at the right hand of God, doing the work of a High Priest for his people, ever making intercession for them. But he will not sit there always. He will come forth from the holy of holies to bless his people. He will come again with power and glory to put down every enemy under his feet, and to set up his universal kingdom in a new heavens and a new earth (Hebrews 2:8-9). When Christ returns, the kingdoms of the world shall become his. Let these things sink down into our hearts and minds. In all our thoughts about Christ let us never forget his glorious second advent. He who lived for us, and died for us, and rose again for us, and intercedes for us is coming again in power and great glory (Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 3:11-14). Christ’s Servants “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:13-14). Our Lord compares his servants to men who have been left in charge of their master’s money, with strict instructions to use that money well. They are to occupy until he comes again. To each of these ten servants he gave a pound of money. But who are these servants? Though ten servants are mentioned, there are but two groups, or categories. All ten are the Nobleman’s servants; but some were faithful and good, the others were slothful and useless. Each servant was given a pound, which appears to me to represent the gospel of the grace of God. Oh, what a choice blessing that is! All who are given the great privilege of hearing the gospel of the grace of God have the same charge. “Occupy till I come.” The words mean, “Take this pound that I have put in your hands and busy yourself in trade with it until I return.” What does that mean? It means that we to whom the Lord God has given this great treasure are responsible to trade with it for the increase of riches to our souls, responsible to believe it to the saving of our souls. This is exactly what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18 to 2 Corinthians 6:1. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” It is true that we cannot and will not trade, without money and without price, for the Pearl of Great Price until and unless God the Holy Spirit gives us grace to do so. But that is our charge, our responsibility before God. Taking the pound the Lord has given us, believing the gospel, our souls are enriched with grace, enriched with the sweet experience of grace, some fivefold and some tenfold. And in the world to come we shall be enriched by his grace to an infinitely higher degree than can ever be imagined by us in this body of flesh (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The countless privileges which we enjoy, compared to those who have never heard the gospel, are “pounds” given to us by Christ, “pounds” for which we must one day give account. In the Judgment Day we will not stand side by side with the tribesmen of heathen lands who never heard of the Bible, the God of Glory, and the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. We have much more for which we shall give account in that great day. The faithful servants in this parable represent those who believe the gospel, using the means God has given us for the benefit of our souls. These faithful servants rejoice in the prospect of the Lord’s coming. By the grace of God, we shall be found looking for him when he comes again, living in hope of eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. The unprofitable servant has his pound. He, too, hears the gospel of grace and salvation, redemption and righteousness in and by Christ. But the unprofitable servant hates his Master, the Lord Jesus. He hates God’s method of saving sinners by free and sovereign grace through Christ, the sinner’s crucified Substitute, and rejects the counsel of God against his own soul. Both the faithful servants and the unprofitable servant differ from the world in general. They differ in this one thing. You and I have been given the gospel. We have been called by the gospel. The world at large has not. To whom much is given, much shall be required. What a great benefit! What a great weight of responsibility! The unbelief and rejection of the unprofitable servant is the cause of his just condemnation (Proverbs 1:23-33). The faith of the profitable servant, believing the gospel, trusting Christ, magnifies the riches of God’s free grace in us and assures us of greater riches in the world to come. Blessed Servitude All ten of these servants were the nobleman’s servants, both the faithful and the unprofitable. Believers and unbelievers alike are Christ’s servants. Those who hate him and refuse to bow to him are his servants, just as surely as Gabriel himself. And we who believe him and rejoice in his rule are his servants. Yet all are his servants. But only we who believe him, who are glad to be his servants are “occupying”, using the gospel for our souls’ everlasting benefit. Let me show you something about the blessedness of our service. It is a blessed servitude indeed! Our service is most honourable. We serve a great Nobleman, the King of Glory! Ours is a service for which our Master supplies all “a pound”. All that we need to know Christ and enrich our souls by Christ is found in the gospel. And our service is itself exactly that which we need. Faith in Christ. The essence of our service is faith in Christ, worshipping the Son of God (John 6:27-29). What blessed service this is! To occupy till he comes, to make trade with the gospel, is neither more nor less than believing him. The more we believe him, the more our souls are enriched by him. The more we believe him, the more we grow in the grace and knowledge of God our Saviour. Reckoning Day There is a day coming in which we will give an account of our service. In that great day of reckoning we will be judged by the gospel, by what we have done with the “pound” our Saviour has given us. “And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds” (Luke 19:15-16). The faithful servant, with proper humility, puts himself in the background. It is not he who has “gained ten pounds”, but his Lord’s pound that has done it. He is pleased to bring the ten pounds; yet he claims no credit for himself, but says, “Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.” “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities” (Luke 19:17-19). Notice that there is no correlation between the servant’s work and the reward for it. He who gained ten pounds in this world by the faith God gave him by the gospel, and he who gained but two, are each declared to be faithful servants and rewarded as such. “And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?” (Luke 19:20-23). The Servants Rewarded “And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:24-27). Those who will not have this Man to rule over them, those who are his enemies, when he comes again, he will take from them everything they have and give it to his own. Then, he will have them brought before him and slain. Do you remember our Lord’s answer to Peter, when Peter asked him what we shall have who have left all and followed him (Luke 18:28-30)? The Lord Jesus said, “In the world to come life everlasting”! That is the reward the Lord Jesus gives to all who trust him. He says, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21). God’s saints receive great recompense even in this present time. Though our names are often cast out as evil, though we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God, the gain of godliness, of faith in Christ, is not to be measured in earthly things, but in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in a good hope through grace and joy in believing. Still, our good things are not in this world. But there is a day coming when we shall have an abundant recompense! We shall, in that day, receive wages far exceeding anything we have imagined. “In the world to come life everlasting”! We read of a place that’s called heaven. It’s made for the pure and the free. These truths in God’s Word he hath given. How beautiful heaven must be! In heaven no drooping nor pining, No wishing for elsewhere to be. God’s light is forever there shining How beautiful heaven must be! Pure waters of life there are flowing; And all who will drink may be free. Rare jewels of splendour are glowing How beautiful heaven must be! The angels so sweetly are singing Up there by the beautiful sea. Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing. How beautiful heaven must be! How beautiful heaven must be! Sweet home of the happy and free, Fair haven of rest for the weary, How beautiful heaven must be!

Luke 19:28-40

Chapter 29 King Jesus Riding The Wild Ass’s Colt I love the way Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus “went before” (Luke 19:28) his disciples. Don’t you? In all things he goes before us, leading the way. He never sends where he has not been and does not lead. If he leads you down a winding road into a deep, dark valley, he goes before you. If he leads you into the wilderness of temptation, he goes before you. And when he brings you up to heaven, “ascending up to Jerusalem” above, he has gone before you, to prepare a place for you. Here Luke tells us that the Saviour is “ascending”, purposefully, confidently, determinately “up to Jerusalem” as our great King, ascending to conquer death, hell, and the grave for us, ascending to his throne in Glory as our King. This event in the earthly life and ministry of our Saviour is one of just a few that are recorded in detail by Matthew (Luke 21:1-11), Mark (Luke 11:1-11), Luke, and John (Luke 12:12-19). It is the only event in our Saviour’s earthly life and ministry that he seems to have deliberately made a matter of great, public display. Surely, that which is here revealed is a matter of great importance. We ought to read these passages with great care, asking the Spirit of God to teach us the lessons for which he inspired all four of the gospel writers to record them. The Obvious Several things recorded here are obvious facts, facts so obvious that the only way they can be missed is by the wilful, deliberate rejection of the Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of the living God. The Bible is, indeed, the Word of God. Matthew tells us that all this was done that the prophecy of Zec 9:9 might be fulfilled. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Because that was written in the Book of Zechariah, Luke writes, “And it came to pass”. Our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the omniscient, all-knowing God. He told his disciples exactly where they would find the ass and her colt and exactly what would happen when they found them. Our Redeemer is the sovereign Lord and King of all the universe. He did not come to Jerusalem to be made a king. He came into Jerusalem triumphantly as the King. He was going, by way of the cross, to receive his kingdom. But he was King already. The ass and her colt belonged to him; and the men who owned them belonged to him. All were his servants. All did his bidding. Our Lord Jesus Christ is, always was, and always shall be king over everybody and everything, by virtue of the fact that he is God. The one true and living God is king everywhere. He always has his way and does his will. Here we see the Lord Jesus ascending up to Jerusalem as our Mediatorial King to take possession of his kingdom, the kingdom and dominion given to him as the God-man by his Father, as the reward of his obedience to God as our Mediator (Romans 14:9; John 17:2; Philippians 2:9-11). Therefore, we read in Luke 19:36-38 that “as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” An Allegory But there is more to be learned from this historic narrative of our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem than these facts. There are spiritual lessons in the story that tell us again how it is that God our Saviour saves his elect. As the Holy Spirit tells us in Galatians 4 that the story of Sarah and Hagar is an allegory, this too is an allegory. It is a true, historical event; but it is more. It is an event that portrays God’s free, sovereign, saving grace in and by our Lord Jesus Christ. We commonly look upon the events of the Old Testament as things designed and intended by our God to be pictures of grace. But, in reading the New Testament, for some strange reason, we tend to overlook the spiritual lessons contained in the historical events. That ought never to be the case. We must never spiritualize holy scripture. I mean by that statement that we must never twist the scriptures into whatever it is we want them to teach. To do so is to treat the Word of God with horrible irreverence. Yet, when we read the Word of God, we are always to look for the spiritual meaning, the gospel message, each particular passage is intended to convey, knowing that every event in the earthly life of our Saviour and every miracle performed by him is written in the Book of God to give us a picture, an object lesson about his great salvation. When we read the Book of God in this way, it comes to life. Several years ago, when he was just four years old, my grandson, Will, pointing to my Bible on my desk, asked, “Poppy, is this where Jesus lives?” Though I gave him a much more thorough answer, explaining what I could of the person and work of our blessed Saviour, in a very real sense the answer to his question is, “Yes, the Lord Jesus lives right here in this blessed Book.” Every word he spoke, every movement he made, every step he took was predetermined before the world began for the salvation of his elect and was designed by God’s eternal decree to show us something of God’s sovereign, electing, redeeming, saving, mercy, love, and grace through Christ our Redeemer. Even the small details, those things that appear to be no more than records with information show forth his great salvation. Here, in Luke 19, we have such a record. Perhaps you have never before read the story as you are about to read it. If that is the case, I promise you that when I am done you will never read it the same again. This story of our Lord Jesus riding the wild ass’s colt through the streets of Jerusalem is really the old, old story of his sovereign, electing, fetching, irresistible, saving grace. Proof We must not give such a meaning to the story without clear evidence from holy scripture that this is the reason why the story was written. This may, or may not, have been the reason Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had in mind as they recorded the story; but it is the reason God the Holy Spirit inspired them to write it down in the very words we have in the gospel narratives. Let me show you two texts from the Old Testament to demonstrate this. First, look again at the prophecy of Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9-10). “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” The prophet Zechariah shows us here that when Christ rode into Jerusalem, his triumphal entry was made in the way it was made to display the character of his kingdom and his work as our King. He came riding “an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass”, to show himself in the infinite humility of his grace as One who is “just and having salvation”. He comes to break the bow of war and “speak peace unto the heathen”, and to do so in universal dominion “from sea to sea, even to the ends of the earth”. In Job 11:12 we will see who the wild ass’s colt is, upon whom the King of Glory rides through the streets of Jerusalem in triumphant grace. There we are told that “vain man” is “born like a wild ass’s colt”. The ass’s colt upon which our Saviour rode through Jerusalem is in scripture a picture of fallen man. Disciples Sent “He sent two of his disciples” (Luke 19:29). Wherever God has someone to save and whenever the appointed time comes for him to save them, he sends a preacher (Romans 10:13-17). No man can believe the gospel until someone preaches the gospel to him. Notice that these two disciples were sent by the Master. No prophet or preacher in the scriptures ever applied for the job! God’s preachers are chosen, called, gifted, and sent by him. These two disciples were sent on a very specific errand. They were sent to fetch something for the Lord Jesus. God sends his servants to fetch his elect to himself, as David sent Ziba to fetch Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). How I thank God that in the appointed time of love, he sent one of his servants to fetch me! Don’t you? An Assurance When our Lord sent these disciples on their mission, he assured them that they would find what he sent them to get, “Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither” (Luke 19:30). Men often raise this argument against the teaching of holy scripture with regard to God’s sovereignty. “If election is true, if some are predestinated to be saved, and their salvation is sure, why preach?” What a foolish question! We preach the gospel to all men because our God and Saviour has sent us to do so. He says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” We preach the gospel because “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” And we preach the gospel with confidence because he has told us plainly and assured us that those to whom and for whom we are sent shall be saved. “All that the Father hath given Me shall come to Me.” “Other sheep I have … Them also I must bring.” All Christ’s sheep shall be found. Each of his elect shall be called and shall come (Isaiah 55:11; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16). And God’s elect will be found exactly where he puts them in his wise and good providence. There were many wells in Samaria; but that chosen woman to whom Christ came was found at a certain well. There were many trees along the Jericho Road; but Zacchaeus was found up a certain tree. What an encouragement to preach the gospel. “Ye shall find”! There are no accidents in God’s world. The sovereign Lord puts his lost sheep exactly where he wants them. And he ties his wild ass’s colts exactly where he wants them tied. An Ass’s Colt Our Lord Jesus told these two disciples exactly what they were looking for in Luke 19:31. He sent them to find “a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat”, or as we saw in Job 11, “a wild ass’s colt”. Mark 11:4 tells us where they found this colt. “And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met.” He sent them to find a colt tied outside in a place where two ways met. This was not the colt of a fine Kentucky Thoroughbred, or a Tennessee Walker, or even the colt of a Quarter Horse. This colt was the foal of an ass, a wild ass’s colt, “whereon yet never man sat” (Matthew 2; Zechariah 9:9). What a good, accurate description and picture this is of every stubborn, unbroken, untamed, wild sinner. God’s Word is very plain in describing mankind in very clear terms, with very obvious meanings. And you will find that, unlike the preachers of this day, God never has anything good to say about fallen man. God describes our race as fallen, altogether filthy and incapable of doing good (Psalms 14). From the soles of our feet to the crown of our heads there is no soundness in us, nothing but wounds and bruises, and putrefying sores (Isaiah 1). In Romans 3 we are described as being totally unprofitable and useless. And the pictures of fallen men are even more debasing than the words used to describe us. Like Lazarus, we are dead and stinking. Like the aborted infant described by Ezekiel, we are polluted in our own blood. But here in Luke, and no less than eight times in the Word of God, we are represented, and very accurately represented, as wild ass’s colts. That is how we are described in Job 11:12. You and I are all born by nature “like a wild ass’s colt”, foolish, senseless, and stubborn, given to lust and debauchery. As the wild ass will not bear the yoke, so none will ever bow to the yoke of Christ, except the Son of God break him. Man by nature is like “a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up wind at her pleasure” (Jeremiah 2:24; Job 39:5). In the movies you see old men and women riding donkeys, and get the idea that they are nice, gentle, sweet animals, the kind you would like to have for pets, if you just had the room. But that is never the case by nature. It is their nature to be mean. If you try to get one to ride, to carry a load, to pull a cart, unless and until he is broken and tamed, he will buck, and kick, and bite. If all else fails, he will just sit down. That’s a pretty good picture of man. Made by God and made for his glory, all men ought to gladly give thanks to him, submit to his rule, worship him, and give him his due. But just try to get one to worship God, and watch him kick. Tell those sweet, religious wild ass’s the truth about man, about God, about Christ, about redemption and grace, and watch them buck and bite! Yes, man is well described and represented as a “wild ass’s colt”. Colt Tied Did you notice that this colt was tied (Luke 19:30)? People love to think they are independent and free. Don’t they? But the fact is, every man by nature is tied and bound; by sin, by Satan, by tradition, by peer pressure, and by religion. The colt was tied in a place where two ways met, at a crossroad. So it is with all men. All are bound and tied at a crossroad, at a place where two ways meet: the way to heaven and the way to hell, the way of grace and the way of works, the way of life and the way of death (Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25). Fallen man is tied, like this “wild ass’s colt”, outside the door, not in the Door, outside of grace, outside of Christ, not in Christ. Loose Him The Lord Jesus sent his two disciples to loose this “wild ass’s colt”. “Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him” (Luke 19:30-31). Everywhere in the Book of God the grace of God is set before us as that which looses men. Religion binds. Grace looses! We are in the loosing business. These disciples found the wild ass’s colt, just like the Master said they would. When they did, they loosed the ass’s colt. They were told to loose him “because the Lord hath need of him”. Imagine that! What possible need could the Son of God have for a wild ass’s colt, like you or me? He needs everyone he fetches to himself so that he may see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, so that he may ride him triumphantly through the streets of Jerusalem and garner the praises of his people for his great goodness as the king of grace and glory! “And they brought him to Jesus” (Luke 19:35). In John 12:12-15 the Spirit of God sheds more light on this. We have seen that these disciples found the ass’s colt and brought him to the Saviour, and they did. But in John’s narrative the Holy Spirit tells us that it was Christ himself that did the finding. “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.” It is Christ himself who comes seeking and finding his people, it is Christ himself who fetches sinners by his omnipotent grace to himself through the preaching of the gospel. And Then … What happened when they brought this wild ass’s colt to the Saviour? “They cast their garments upon the colt” (Luke 19:35). Not only is it true that all who come to Christ are washed in his blood and robed in his righteousness, clothed with the garments of salvation, they find among his saints a people who receive them and love them, and willingly give them the shirts off their backs. Then, they sat the Master on the colt, spread their clothes in the way, and watched him ride in triumphant glory through Jerusalem, as “they began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.” Not the works they had done, but the works they had seen! “Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” Here is a wild ass’s colt, broken by grace and ridden by the Son of God, and he doesn’t buck, or kick, or bite. He found the Saviour’s yoke easy and his burden light. The religious crowd saw what was going on, heard the shouts of praise to God, and the pronounced blessedness of Christ the King, but they did not have a clue what was happening (Luke 19:39-40). Why? Why an ass’s colt? Why not a great white stallion? 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 gives us the answer. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. I once read that one of the rarest mammals in world is the African Wild Ass. There are not more than a few hundred in the world. I am not really very interested in that. But I am interested in the people represented in our text by the wild ass’s colt. And I assure you that they are very, very rare. To understand these things aright, This grand distinction should be known: Though all are sinners in God’s sight, There are but few so in their own. To such as these our Lord was sent; They’re only sinners who repent. What comfort can a Saviour bring To those who never felt their woe? A sinner is a sacred thing; The Holy Ghost hath made him so. New life from him we must receive, Before for sin we rightly grieve. This faithful saying let us own, Well worthy ’tis to be believed, That Christ into the world came down, That sinners might by him be saved. Sinners are high in his esteem, And sinners highly value him. Joseph Hart

Luke 19:41-44

Chapter 30 “He Beheld The City And Wept” Among the ancient pagans, there were numerous weeping gods. The dismembered moon goddess of the ancient Mexicans is portrayed as having tears of gold flowing from her eyes. In Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon, he relates his fabrication of a time when Enoch saw God weeping, tears that fell as rain upon the mountains. (Mr Smith must have smoked one too many peace pipes with the Western Indians!) Of course, we have no regard for pagan idols and the religious myths built around them. But there are three specific passages of holy scripture that portray God our Saviour weeping tears more precious than gold. In these three texts of scripture we see the incarnate God, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ in tears. Surely, there are things to be observed in the tender heart of our Saviour, both to instruct and comfort us, as we see him weeping. John 11:35 In John 11 we see a wondrous thing. You know the context. Lazarus, a man the Saviour loved, has died. The Lord Jesus has come to raise him from the dead. Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, were broken-hearted and weeping. In the company of his bereaved friends at the tomb of Lazarus, we see the Son of God weeping and groaning in himself (John 11:32-38). “Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.” “Jesus wept.” That 35th verse is the smallest verse in the entire Bible. Yet, in some respects, it is the largest. Here is our incarnate God weeping with his weeping people. What can this mean? Why has God the Holy Spirit caused these words to be written? What do they teach us? They teach us that the Lord Jesus Christ, our blessed God and Saviour, is a real man, a man touched with the feeling of our infirmities. His love for Lazarus was great. When they saw him weeping, “Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him”! Oh, how the Son of God loves us! Though we sorrow not as others who have no hope, God’s people feel pain and sorrow just like other people do. Sorrow does not necessarily imply rebellion against the will of God, or unbelief. The most fragrant flowers are found growing in the soil of sorrow. Were there no tears in our eyes, there could be no rainbow in our souls. If our God and Saviour is so tender and sympathetic that the sorrows of his friends caused him to weep, how much more we ought to weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn! Hebrews 5:7-8 This next passage describes our Saviour in the days of his flesh. “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” I have no doubt that this passage has specific reference to our Saviour’s agony of heart and soul in Gethsemane (Mark 14:34-36). In his time of great heaviness, sorrow, and distress, we find our Lord Jesus in prayer. What an example he sets before us. The first one to whom we should turn in every time of trouble is our heavenly Father. Our God should be the first to hear the words of our complaints. He may or may not relieve our trouble; but it is good for our souls for us to unburden our hearts at the throne of grace. There, and only there will we discover the all-sufficiency of his grace (Hebrews 4:16; James 5:13). What was the cause of our Lord’s great heaviness and sorrow in Gethsemane? What was it that crushed our Master’s heart? What so greatly disturbed him? It certainly was not the fear of physical pain or the fear of dying. It was not even the fear of dying upon the cross. Our great Saviour came into this world in our flesh that he might die as our Substitute at Calvary. That which crushed our Saviour’s heart was the anticipation of being made sin for us. The heavy, heavy burden which crushed his very soul was the enormous load of sin and guilt, the sin and guilt of all God’s elect which was about to be his. Our Saviour’s great sorrow was caused by his anticipation of being made sin for us. “It was”, wrote J. C. Ryle, “a sense of the unutterable weight of our sins and transgressions which were then specially laid upon him.” He who knew no sin was about to be made sin for us. He who is the only man who really knows what sin is, the only man who sees sin as God sees it was about to become sin. He who is the holy, harmless, undefiled Lamb of God was about to be made a curse for us. The holy Son of God was about to be forsaken by his Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “began to be sore amazed”, to be in great consternation and astonishment at the sight of all the sins of his people coming upon him; at the black storm of wrath that was gathering thick over him; at the sword of justice which was brandished against him; and at the curses of the righteous law, which, like thunderbolts of vengeance from heaven, were directed at him. No wonder the verse closes by telling us that, in consideration of these things, our Saviour began “to be very heavy”! That which crushed our Saviour’s very heart and soul was the very thing for which he came into the world. It was the anticipation of all that he must endure as our Substitute. The message of holy scripture is Substitution. The Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, our Mediator and Surety died in our place; in the place of God’s elect, as our Substitute. By his own blood, when he was made sin for us, when he was slain in our stead, he satisfied the justice of God for us, magnified his holy law, made it honourable, and purchased for us the complete, everlasting forgiveness of all our sins. He died, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Christ died at Calvary so that God might be both just and the Justifier of all who believe. It is written, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged” (Proverbs 16:6; Romans 3:19-28; Ephesians 1:7). Since the Lord Jesus Christ died as the sinners’ Substitute, since he has met and fully satisfied the justice of God for us, believing sinners have no reason ever to fear condemnation by God, accusation before God, or separation from God (Romans 8:1-4; Romans 8:31-39). Since Christ died for me, I cannot die. If you are in Christ, for you there is no possibility of condemnation by him, accusation before him, or separation from him. It was the enormous load of our sin and guilt which crushed our Saviour’s heart in Gethsemane (Isaiah 53:4-6). Th’ enormous load of all my guilt Was on my Saviour laid, When he, who knew and did no sin, For sinners, sin was made! “Awake, O sword”, in furious wrath, Jehovah cried; and he, (The Lamb of God, my Substitute!), Was sacrificed for me! In that same way, by grace and truth, My ransomed soul is made “The righteousness of God in him”, And I from sin am freed! This wondrous mystery of grace! Salvation, full and free, Shall be the subject of my songs Throughout eternity! Luke 19:41-44 Here in Luke 19:41-44, we see the Lord Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Behold the Man Christ Jesus: tender, merciful, gracious, and compassionate! Behold your God, full of compassion! “He is gracious, full of compassion” (Psalms 112:4; Psalms 78:38-39; Psalms 111:4; Psalms 145:8-9). Here we see the great tenderness and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ toward sinners. When he came near Jerusalem for the last time, “he beheld the city and wept over it.” He knew the character of the people who lived in Jerusalem. Their cruelty, their self-righteousness, their stubbornness, their obstinate prejudice against the gospel, their pride of heart were all things open to him. He knew that they were plotting to murder him, and that in just a few days their hands would drip with his blood. Yet, he beheld the city and wept. Why did he weep over the lost and ruined city? His own words in these four verses give us three distinct reasons for his great pity. The Lord Jesus wept for his countrymen because they were ignorant of the gospel (Luke 19:42). He wept for them because he knew the judgment that was coming upon them (Luke 19:43). And he wept over the city because he knew that the judgment they suffered was the result of them despising the time of their visitation (Luke 19:44; Proverbs 1:23-33; Proverbs 29:1; Romans 9:1-3; Romans 9:31-33; Romans 10:1-4).

Luke 19:45-48

Chapter 31 Purging The House Of God What if the Son of God were to come to church next Sunday? Have you ever tried to imagine what would happen if the Lord Jesus were to visit one of our modern churches, if he were to attend one of those things people call “worship services” held in his name? What would our Saviour do, if he were to walk into one of our modern church buildings? If the Son of God were to come into most any church in this day, he would do exactly what he did in the passage before us. Mark tells us that, after he had driven out those who sold doves, and dumped the money-changers’ money in the floor, turning their tables upside-down, he would not allow them to even carry their vessels through the temple. We would be shocked to see the things Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us our Saviour did in the house of God that evening. But, really, we should be shocked that it is not done. This was not some gentle thing that our Saviour did, after he had persuaded the people it really ought to be done. It was something our Master did in utter fury. John gives a vivid account of a similar event that had taken place three years earlier (John 2:13-17). “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” When our Saviour first began his public ministry, the first time he went with his disciples to keep the passover, he saw in the house of God an unbearable display of irreverence and utter contempt among people who convinced themselves that they were serving the Lord. Now, three years later, he came to Jerusalem again. Again, it was the time of the Jews’ passover. And things were exactly as they had been before. The Offence What was the great offence here? What were these people doing that was so bad? The business carried on in the forecourt was connected to the sacrificial offerings and the atonement money required by the law. The Jews came to Jerusalem at the time of passover from many different countries (John 12:20; Acts 2:5). The money-changers were there for what appears to be a very good reason. If they were not there, the people would have to go to a little, needless trouble to get their currency exchanged somewhere else, so that they could pay their required half-shekel. The same thing could be said for the other businessmen who were there “serving the Lord and his people”. If the people were to keep the passover, they needed sacrifices: animals, wine, oil, salt, and so forth. The poor, who could not afford larger sacrifices, were permitted by the law to bring a pair of doves. Those who sold doves simply made things easy and convenient. Of course, they had to make a profit. What could be wrong with these things? We read of nothing in any of the narratives that these people did except that which appeared useful. Their crime was that the priests and the people sought to enrich themselves in the name of serving God. Does that seem familiar? It should. The biggest business in the world is big business religion. Their crime was that they had turned the house of God into a den of thieves, taking that which was to be “the house of prayer” and making it a house of pleasure. Oh, they read the law and kept the feasts with great pomp and impressive ceremonies; but they made the Word of God of no effect by their practices. Four Lessons Is there a message in all this for us? The temple was destroyed 2000 years ago. We do not observe those holy days the Jew’s profaned. And, though I’ve seen a good many strange things in churches, I have never yet seen people selling animals and conducting a currency exchange in a church house. Such things would not surprise me; but I haven’t yet seen them. So I ask again, “Is there a message in all this for us?” Indeed there is. In fact, there are many, very important lessons to be learned from this passage. Here are four. The purging of the temple by our Lord Jesus stands out as one of the Master’s greatest displays of his absolute divinity. The fact that the scribes, and Pharisees, and Priests stood by and silently watched all that our Lord did here, strikes me as being as marvellous as our Saviour ordering the Roman soldiers in Gethsemane, and the legion of demons who begged his permission to go into a herd of hogs. Those who observed these things must have been completely awestruck. Learn this, too. The house of God is his house. Christ is the Head, the only head, of his church. He is the King in this kingdom. There is no voice of authority but his voice, and no rule of faith and practice, but his Word. Sometimes faithful men, men who seek the glory and honour of God, must get angry and show their anger. Those who would honour God cannot give approval to that which dishonours him. To be silent is to give approval. Our Saviour showed his disapproval of the wickedness before him. Let us follow his example. The church of God is a house of prayer. When I speak of God’s church and God’s house, I’m not talking about a building. The church and temple and house of God is the assembly of his saints in the name of Christ for worship (Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17). There is no room in the house of God for anything but prayer worship. Be sure you understand that. There is no room in the house of God for anything except the worship of God, and worship according to the Word and Spirit of God. As it was in the days of Nehemiah, so it is today. The strength of those who are supposed to bear the burden has decayed; and there is a lot of garbage (much rubbish) in the house of God. If we would worship and serve our God, we must clear his house of all the rubbish men bring into it by their vain philosophies, religious traditions, and foolish sentiments (Nehemiah 4:10). I say to you who read these lines, as Peter said to those who stood before him on the Day of Pentecost, “Save yourselves from this untoward (warped, winding, crooked, and perverse) generation” (Acts 2:40). There is so much rubbish in the churches of this day that a true gospel message cannot be preached in most places of worship, without utter warfare breaking out among those who profess to be worshipping God and serving him. Everyone has “a form of godliness” (religion), to which they tenaciously adhere, all the while denying the power of true godliness (the gospel of the grace of God). The religious generation in which we find ourselves today was well described by the apostle Paul as a people, “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). There is so much rubbish in religion that the first thing a preacher has to do is get a big shovel and dump truck, clear out the rubbish and haul it to the garbage dump. Until that is done, nothing else can be done. We cannot build the walls of Zion upon a pile of garbage. We cannot build a wall of hope and security on religious rubbish. The foundation cannot be laid until the rubbish is recognized, dealt with, and hauled away. And cleaning up a pile of garbage is never easy or pleasant.

But it must be done. Faithful men in every generation have found the work both necessary and costly. Moses had to deal with Korah and his crowd. Elijah constantly had to confront Ahab and Jezebel. Hezekiah had trouble on his hands when he destroyed the brazen serpent. Paul was compelled to deal with judaising legalists everywhere he went. I have preached in a good many churches in the last 40 years; and I think I know where the problem is. I think I know what the rubbish is. Let me point out three things that must be dealt with, if we are going to build a wall of hope and refuge for eternity bound sinners in our day. The Law Of God In religious circles today, I am talking about churches of every brand, the holy, pure, immaculate, unchanging law of God has been whittled down to a set of rules for men to obey by mere outward religious exercise and outward conformity. Righteousness has been reduced to a work of man. This was the charge our Lord laid against the scribes and Pharisees of his day (Matthew 23:25-27). And this is the charge that must be laid against the religion and religious leaders of our day. Saul of Tarsus was in exactly that condition before God saved him. He was a devoutly religious man. His religious zeal and devotion would put you and me to shame. But he did not know God at all. He had gone to church all his life. He graduated from the Gamaliel School of Theology with honours. He taught the scriptures. He was a man of indisputable morality. And he was a law-keeping legalist of the first order (Philippians 3:5-6). Saul of Tarsus was a man who was deeply religious, who lived by the law, and boasted of his righteousness before the law. But he did not know God or his law. He was as lost as any sinner on the top side of God’s earth. Then, something happened (Acts 9; Romans 7:9). He said, “I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” God the Holy Spirit came to that poor, lost religionist, revealed Christ in him, and in doing so revealed the true character of God’s holy law to him. When he saw Christ and was convinced by God the Holy Spirit that righteousness was accomplished and brought in by Christ (John 16:8-11), for the first time in his life, Saul was made to see that God requires truth in the inward parts; and he had nothing in himself but deceit. For the first time in his life, he saw that there was no comeliness in him, but only sin. God stripped him buck naked and brought him to shame (Romans 7:9-11). The law he once boasted of keeping now made him tremble, for it exposed his sin. Has the Lord Jesus Christ ever come to you by the saving operations of his Spirit and revealed his holy law to you? Hear what he declares, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). That righteousness that God requires, you cannot perform. It is a righteousness performed for us by Christ and given to us by grace. And godliness, true godliness is not outward, but inward. “The Lord looketh on the heart.” Christianity is not a creed, but a Person. It is not outward, but inward. It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”! That’s the first piece of garbage that must be hauled away, if we are to have a house of prayer and praise to God. We must be made to see that no man can, by anything he does or experiences, make himself righteous before God. The bondwoman and her son (works religion and all who promote it) must be cast out! Degenerate Worship The second problem is this. Worship, or what people call worship, has degenerated into nothing but religious entertainment and ceremony performed under the disguise of worship. Most churches are nothing but religious social clubs, with rules, regulations, and ceremonies, and a good place for businessmen to network. If God the Holy Spirit did not exist, it would not change a thing in most churches. Their program would move along without a glitch. You don’t need the Spirit of God to make a decision for Jesus. But you must have him to be born again. You don’t need God the Holy Spirit to reform your life. But you must have him to be regenerated. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to make a profession of faith. But you must have him to get faith. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to learn a creed and learn to fight for it. But you must have him to learn the gospel. You don’t need the Spirit to stand up and testify. But you must have him to bow down and worship. You don’t need the Spirit of God to be devoted to religious activity and service. But you must have him to sit at the Master’s feet and hear his Word. You don’t need the Spirit of God to be immersed in water. But you must have him to be baptized into Christ. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to observe the Lord’s Supper. But you must have him to commune with Christ and remember him. You don’t need God the Holy Spirit to recite a prayer. But you must have him to pray. You don’t need the Spirit to give out a lesson. But you must have him to preach a message. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to give a tithe. But you must have him to offer two mites in the name of the Lord. You don’t need God the Holy Spirit to love religion. But you must have him to love one another. You don’t need the Spirit of God to meet together. But you must have him to be “the temple of the living God”! If God the Holy Spirit did not exist, if there were no God, no Christ, no salvation, no eternal life, with most religious people, nothing would change. In most churches, nothing would change. You don’t need God to have a business meeting. But you must have him to have a prayer (worship) meeting. You don’t need God to be in the church. But you must have him to be in Christ. You don’t need God to have a church house. But you must have him to be a “habitation of God through the Spirit”. As I read about our Saviour driving the money-changers and sacrifice peddlers out of the temple, I cannot help thinking to myself, how furious he must be with men’s intrusions into his house today. There is no place in the house of God, the house of prayer, for anything except that which involves the worship of God. Nothing should ever take place in the house of God, in the assembly of God’s saints except gospel preaching, gospel ordinances, prayer, and praise That’s the second problem. The churches of our day have said good-by to God. And worship has degenerated into nothing but man-centred religious activity. Cast out your programs and ceremonies, or you will never worship God! A Corrupt Message Here’s the third problem in churches around the world today. The church of this perverse age has substituted the message of the gospel, the message of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, for a corrupt and perverse message of works. Everywhere today people are told to stand up and be counted. The gospel of God demands that you bow down and worship. There’s a difference! The message of substitution, the message of our Lord’s blessed obedience and sin-atoning sacrifice, and salvation by him, in him, from him, and for him has been replaced with “Will you let God save you?” “Won’t you give your heart to Jesus?” “The decision is yours.” “You must do your part.” “What’s your decision?” “The Lord wants to save you.” “You need to start serving the Lord.” “Open your heart to the Lord, and he will come in.” “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9). When we have cleared away the rubbish, the Foundation can be laid and the walls of Zion can be built. The Foundation is Jesus Christ crucified. In his day the only place where John the Baptist could preach the gospel was in the wilderness. There he lifted up his solitary voice in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, crying out to eternity-bound sinners, “Behold, the Lamb of God”! Let us, like John the Baptist, cry out to immortal souls in this wilderness, “Behold, the Lamb of God”! Jesus Christ is not just a good example after whom you must pattern your life. He is “THE LORD OUR ”! He was not a religious reformer. He was and is God our Saviour. He did not die as a martyr in a noble cause. He died as the Lamb of God, a sin-atoning, blood sacrifice for sin. He is not God who wants to save. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him. He is “God mighty to save”! If the Lord God will give us grace today to clean out the rubbish, drive the merchandisers and their merchandise out of his house, and make his house a house of prayer for needy sinners, maybe, just maybe we will see the same thing happen that happened when our Saviour did it. We might just see sinners healed by his almighty grace (Matthew 21:14).