The Terms Of Peace

The Terms of Peace

Text: Luke 19:39-44

Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone! It’s a week before Palm Sunday… two weeks before Resurrection Sunday, and I’m super excited. I love celebrating the Resurrection! I’m glad you’re here with us. I’m thankful. And I want to encourage you to invite someone for Palm Sunday services next Sunday, and for our Resurrection Sunday service in two weeks.

And so, today, we’re going to tune our hearts toward the final week that Jesus was on earth. We’re going to be looking at one event in particular that took place during that final week, and I pray that God encourages you, takes hold of your heart, and deepens your faith as we do that.

If you have your Bibles, please open them up to Luke 19:39-44 (READ).

Ok… so this section of Scripture that we just read, is part of the Triumphal Entry. Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem, from Bethpage and Bethany. The Disciples have already gotten the young donkey and Jesus is riding it. The crowds – some who have been traveling with Jesus, and some who have come out to meet Him… they’ve thrown their cloaks down as Jesus rides toward Jerusalem. And as they are coming down the Mt. of Olives, the people were shouting Hosanna! They were singing. They were celebrating. The Pharisees have already told Jesus to make them be quiet, and He said, if they were silent, the stones would cry out. And as all of that is going on, Jesus stops and looks out at the city of Jerusalem, and He begins to weep.

And look at what He says here, “If only you knew, the things that make for peace.” And what we need to understand here is that all of Israel, all of these people, all of the crowds shouting Hosana! Hosana, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord…. They were ignorant. Not innocently ignorant, WILLFULLY IGNORANT! Judgment was coming upon them. And according to verse 44 its coming on them because they did not know the time of their visitation.

Now that term “visitation” has to do with God coming to His people, either to judge them, or to save them. Luke consistently uses that term in reference to the Lord bringing salvation to His people. So when Jesus says this, He was meaning that they did not recognize that His coming was for their redemption and salvation from sin. They were looking for an earthly, political leader, who was going to liberate them from Roman rule.

We’ve actually been seeing that in our study of John’s Gospel… These people aren’t interested in getting right with God. They don’t want freedom from sin… they want freedom from Roman rule.

Look again at what Jesus says in verse 42 (READ).

Luke uses the same Greek words earlier… in Luke chapter 14. Let’s turn there, because I really want you all to see what’s being said here: (READ Luke 14:31-32):

“Terms of peace” or “Conditions of peace”… “The things that make for peace.” It’s the same phrase in the Greek that’s used in both passages. So, the picture we get is that of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords coming to a rebellious people, and He’s willing to make peace, but only on HIS terms. And His terms were told time and time again. In the Old Testament through the Law and Prophets. Remember Jesus said, “If you believed Moses you would believe in Me, for Moses wrote about Me.” He said, “Abraham looked forward to My day and he rejoiced.” The terms were given in the Gospels by John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. And even the angels announced that God desired to make peace with rebellious, sinful man – Remember the Christmas narrative in Luke 2:13-14, when the angels shout out, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth – peace to those with whom He is pleased.”

These people should have known the terms of peace – but they rejected them. They should’ve known their time of visitation.

There are more than 300 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, but they rejected Him. They were looking for a political, earthly king to deliver them from Roman rule and bring them back to Israel’s glory days, when David and Solomon sat on the throne. But time and time again Jesus went a long way to show them that they were mistaken. The promised Messiah was coming to crush the head of the serpent! He had come to redeem fallen man from sin and death. He came to fulfill the Law and to be a sacrifice for sin. Not to be some political, earthly, king. Jesus even would tell Pilate about a week later, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”