Luke 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Jesus' arrival in Jericho and his meeting with Zacchaeus, the parable of the minas and Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an Abbreviated Bible Commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962. Early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. Critical opinion on the tradition was evenly divided at the end of the 20th century.
Text
The original text was written in Koine Greek. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175–225) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Bezae (~400) Codex Washingtonianus (~400) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 42–48).
This chapter is divided into 48 verses.
Old Testament references : Psalm Luke 19:46: Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11
Jesus comes to Zacchaeus' house (verses 1–10)
Zacchaeus (, ; , 'pure', 'innocent') of Jericho was wealthy, a chief tax collector, mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke. A descendant of Abraham, Zacchaeus is the epitome of someone meeting Jesus' in his earthly mission to bring salvation to the lost. Tax collectors were despised as traitors (working for the Roman Empire, not for their Jewish community), and as being corrupt. This encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus "is a story of divine grace and the call to holiness". A Methodist/Roman Catholic ecumenical document reflects that
Parable of the minas (verses 11–27)
Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.: NKJV The journey which Jesus had embarked on "steadfastly" in is drawing towards its climax. Hugo Grotius held that "they" (who heard these things) refers to the disciples. Heinrich Meyer argues that "they" were the murmurers of verse 7.Meyer, H. A. W., Meyer's NT Commentary on Luke 19, translated from the German sixth edition, accessed on 9 August 2020
Meyer also notes some uncertainty regarding the chronology of events: verse 5 has Jesus planning to stay with Zacchaeus overnight, whereas verse 28 suggests a more immediate departure for Jerusalem after the telling of the parable.
Jesus' approach to Jerusalem (verses 28–44)
In verse 29, Jesus instructs two of his disciples to take possession of a colt for him to ride. They place their cloaks or "upper garments" on the colt to use as a cushion,: ESV and accompany Jesus on his way. Those who throw their cloaks on the road ahead of him (verse 36) are presumably the crowd of his disciples, whose presence is indicated in verses 37-38.Gill, J. (1746–48), Gill's Exposition on Luke 19, accessed on 13 April 2025
On the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, there is a scene of great rejoicing: "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!", cf.
The Hebrew word "Hosanna", which appears in the parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark, is not used by Luke. Meyer suggests that Luke's version might reflect a tradition which has avoided using this word.
As he drew near to the city, Jesus wept, anticipating the destruction of the Temple, an occasion known as Flevit super illam in Latin.* Another occasion when Jesus wept is recorded in John's gospel following the death of his friend Lazarus.) In his lament, Jesus states: "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.": NKJV
Lutheran biblical scholar Johann Bengel contrasts Jesus' reaction with the immediately preceding scene of rejoicing: Behold before thee the compassionate King, amidst the very shouts of joy raised by His disciples! Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, and yet compels no man by force.Bengel, J. A., Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament on Luke 19, accessed 11 July 2018
The Jerusalem Bible suggests that "your peace" is a reference to "the peace of the messianic age".Jerusalem Bible (1966), footnote f at Luke 19:42
Verse 28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.: NKJV In many translations, Jesus went on "ahead", i.e. "in front of" his disciples.: Good News Translation Erasmus, Kypke, Kuinoel, Heinrich Ewald and others translate as "He went forwards", i.e. he pursued his journey, cf. the God's Word to the Nations translation, "he continued on his way".: God's Word Translation
Verses 41–44 As with Luke's earlier text at , Jesus contemplates the significance and fate of Jerusalem, the holy city. This passage is rich in Old Testament allusions.Footnote g at Luke 19:44 in the Jerusalem Bible
Jesus in the Temple (verses 45–48)
Verse 46 [Jesus] Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.: KJV In expelling the dealers from the Temple, Jesus' words draw from both Isaiah 56:7 (a house of prayer for all nations) and Jeremiah 7:11 (a den of thieves). Matthew 21:13 and Mark 11:17 have the same quotations.
Verse 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him.: NKJV Luke reiterates at and that Jesus taught in the Temple on a daily basis. Anglican churchman Henry Alford suggests that this "general description" of Jesus' engagement in the temple is fittingly located at the end of the chapter which concludes his "last journey to Jerusalem".Alford, H., Henry Alford - Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary on Luke 19, accessed 23 October 2023 Alexander Maclaren refers to his "calm courage" in continuously teaching there.Maclaren, A., Expositions Of Holy Scripture on Luke 19, accessed 23 October 2023
Verse 48 and [they] were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.: NKJV Literally, the people “were hanging from him”, i.e. hung on His lips.Farrar, F. W. (1891), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Luke 19, accessed 12 August 2020 The Jerusalem Bible translates this as "the people as a whole hung on his words".Jerusalem Bible (1966), Luke 19:48
See also Jericho Mina Ministry of Jesus Parables of Jesus Sycamore tree Zacchaeus Related Bible parts: Isaiah 56, Jeremiah 7, Zechariah 9, Matthew 21, Matthew 25, Mark 11, John 2, John 12
References
External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)