19:1 Jericho An ancient city in the Jordan Valley, about 10 miles northeast of Jerusalem; conquered by Joshua and the Israelites when the walls collapsed. Jericho is Jesus’ last major stop before entering Jerusalem.

19:2 a chief tax collector Jews typically despised tax collectors as traitors, because they worked for the Roman Empire.

he was rich Tax collectors often used their authority to take money for themselves (see note on Mt 5:46).

19:3 seeking to see Jesus No doubt there was a great commotion as Jesus—a renowned rabbi—and the crowd traveling with Him entered Jericho.

19:5 Zacchaeus, come down quickly Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name and bestows on him the honor of host—again reaching out to someone who is marginalized and despised (e.g., Luke 5:12–14; 7:36–50; 15:1–2).

19:7 with a man who is a sinner See note on v. 2.

19:8 I am giving to the poor As Jesus implies in v. 9, Zacchaeus’ remarks in this verse signify his repentance. This is in stark contrast to the rich young ruler in 18:22–23 who denies Jesus’ command to sell his possession and follow Him.

I am paying it back four times Zacchaeus’ pledge goes well beyond the law of Moses, which generally called for repaying 1.2 times the amount that was stolen or extorted (Lev 6:5; Num 5:6–7). In the case of stolen livestock, more was required (Exod 22:1).

19:9 salvation Refers to deliverance from sin and restoration of right relationship with God.

because he too is a son of Abraham Jesus affirms Zacchaeus’ identity as a faithful Jew, despite his detested role as a tax collector.

19:10 to seek and to save Recalls Isaiah’s imagery of restoration (cited by Jesus in Luke 4:18–19), as well as the divine initiative to seek the lost (portrayed in the parables of ch. 15).

19:11 was going to appear immediately Jesus’ proximity to Jerusalem heightened expectations about His messianic kingdom.

The Kingdom of God: Already but Not Yet

19:12 a distant country Suggests a lengthy interval between the man’s departure and return.

19:13 ten minas A mina was roughly equal to three months’ wages for a day-laborer. It was roughly 1/60th of a talent, the monetary unit used in Matthew’s version of this parable (Matt 25:15 and note).

19:14 sent a delegation after him Presumably to the ruler bestowing authority on the nobleman. According to the next verse, this delegation was unsuccessful in blocking the appointment.

19:17 have authority over ten cities The nobleman rewards the slave by assigning him territory in the newly acquired kingdom.

19:22 I will judge you The slave will be judged severely. He disobeyed the master’s command to conduct business while he was away (Luke 19:13), opting instead to simply hide the mina (v. 20).

19:26 more will be given The new king indicates that faithful obedience leads to greater responsibility in managing the kingdom’s resources. Jesus made this same point in the parable of the lamp (8:18; compare note on Matt 25:29).

19:27 these enemies of mine Those who opposed the nobleman’s reign (Luke 19:14 and note).

19:28 going up to Jerusalem Refers to the final ascent to the holy city, which was located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains.

19:29 Bethphage and Bethany Villages on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Mount of Olives The location has prophetic connotations. In the book of Zechariah, the Mount of Olives (on the east side of Jerusalem) is identified as the place where God will take His stand in battle against those who attack His people (Zech 14:4).

19:32 just as he had told them Suggests divine arrangement.

19:35 they put Jesus on it This scene reflects Zechariah’s image of the king triumphantly returning to Jerusalem from battle (Zech 9:9). This act has messianic connotations: Jesus is riding into Jerusalem as the king of the Jews, in David’s line (see 1 Kgs 1:33 and note).

19:36 they Likely refers to the Galilean peasants who followed Jesus to Jerusalem, as opposed to residents of the city.

spreading out their cloaks An act of homage. In 2 Kgs 9:13 the people performed this same action when announcing Jehu as the new king of Israel.

19:38 comes in the name of the Lord Quoted from Psa 118:26.

19:39 Pharisees See note on Luke 5:17.

rebuke your disciples The Pharisees recognize the symbolism of Jesus’ manner of arrival (see note on v. 35), as well as the messianic overtones in the cries of the crowd. Also, they might have feared that shouts of praise to the king (v. 38) would incite a violent response from the Romans, as it could have been viewed as anti-imperial.

19:40 the stones will cry out Jesus alludes to Hab 2:11. His reply to the Pharisees accepts the people’s praises as appropriate, implying that He truly is Israel’s king who comes in the name of Yahweh.

19:43 surround you and press you hard Jesus probably is describing the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem that will occur in ad 70 (about 40 years later).

19:44 you and your children Jesus is addressing the city itself; the reference to children indicates Jerusalem’s inhabitants, the Jews. The language is reminiscent of several ot passages (e.g., Psa 137:9; Hos 10:14; Nah 3:10).

19:45 those who were selling Refers to the sale of animals for sacrifices. See note on Mark 11:15.

19:46 a house of prayer Jesus quotes from Isaiah (see Isa 56:7 and note).

a cave of robbers A phrase from Jeremiah (see Jer 7:11 and note).

19:47 scribes See note on Luke 5:21.

were seeking to destroy him Several factors likely contributed to the religious leaders’ desire to kill Jesus: They viewed Him as a messianic pretender and a blasphemer, they lost control of the masses due to His popularity, and they feared that civil unrest during the Passover festival would lead to violent reprisals from Rome.

19:48 all the people Fearing the response of the crowd, the religious leaders took no immediate action against Jesus.