And as he drew near, already at the descent of the mount of Olives, all the multitude of the disciples began, rejoicing, to praise God with a loud voice for all the works of power which they had seen,
Only Luke records this shout of praise on the slope of the Mount of Olives, and only he names the singers. Two questions follow: why praise broke out at this moment, and why the words differ from the angels' song at Christ's birth.
The route matters. He came down the Mount of Olives toward the city from a direction full of meaning.
The stream of men swept onward along the mountain track, the one route best suited to such a company. It led down the slope towards the city and the temple. The multitude seemed of one mind that day. The King was among them. The rightful occupant of David's throne was entering the capital of the kingdom. He came in the very way foretold centuries before. He was entering, too, the city from the east, from the very quarter from which some day He will return to it, to leave it no more. For His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4), and the glory of the Lord will return to the house of God from the east (Ezek. 43:2).
Their praise had a stated cause: what they had watched Him do. One writer traces the road that led here, and compares it to Solomon's ascent.
Jesus had passed through Galilee and Samaria on His way up, and came near Jericho. There His mercy still flowed freely: He opened the eyes of the blind man, and He brought salvation to the house of Zacchaeus... As He continued going up to Jerusalem, the crowd of disciples looked ahead in their praises to the triumph of the coming day... If Solomon's ascent so astonished the queen of Sheba that she was left breathless, the ascent of the Son of God filled His disciples with praise to God.
Luke does not name the same singers as the other Gospels, and the words he records fit the group he names.
This is not just the crowds, or those who went before Him and followed after, as in Matthew and Mark. Nor is it the children crying in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," which Matthew records so fittingly. Luke tells us of the whole multitude of the disciples. So these are words that suit their lips alone. Yet God surely gave those words a wisdom far beyond the disciples' own measure, as often happens among the witnesses of Christ.
Another writer develops that thought. The disciples said more than they understood.
By all this He was clearly presenting Himself to Jerusalem as its rightful, God-sent King. His disciples helped in this, and as they came near the city they began to praise God and rejoice. John 12:16 tells us plainly that at the time they did not understand what they were doing. Yet the Spirit of God clearly took hold of their lips and guided their words.
The praise that follows in verse 38 turns the angels' song at Christ's birth around.
So the Spirit of God gives them a step forward — a great step — in divine understanding. It reaches beyond the song of the angels at the beginning... Here we have a striking change, or rather the reverse. "Glory in the highest" is now the result, not the opening. And instead of "peace on earth," the disciples fittingly sing, "Peace in heaven." Peace on earth will no doubt be the fruit by and by, since it is according to God's mind and was looked for from the beginning. But peace on earth was not the question now. The reason was clear: the earth was not ready. It was about to judge unjustly, and to be judged.
Another writer notes what happens here to the title "Son of David."
The Son of David disappears. He is indeed the King who comes in the name of the Lord; but it is no longer the remnant of Israel seeking salvation in the name of the Son of David, acknowledging His title. It is "peace in heaven and glory in the highest." The kingdom rests on peace made in the heavenly places. The Son of man, exalted on high and victorious over Satan, has reconciled the heavens... The kingdom on earth is only a consequence of this glory which grace has established.
- Seen — Their praise rested on evidence: the mighty works they had watched Him do along the road to Jerusalem.
- Sung — What they had seen burst out loud and public, right where the road tips down toward the city He will one day return to.
- Supplied — The words were beyond them. John 12:16 says they did not understand at the time. The Spirit of God guided their lips anyway.
- Shifted — At His birth angels sang of peace on earth. Here the song rises to peace in heaven, because the earth was about to reject Him.
- Settled — Peace in heaven comes first, and the kingdom on earth follows it. Praise sung on the edge of rejection already pointed to that end.
saying, Blessed the King that comes in the name of [the] Lord peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Jesus rides down the Mount of Olives, and the crowd of disciples bursts into praise. They hail Him as King — but why do they cry peace in heaven, and not the peace on earth the angels announced at His birth?
The shout was not invented on the spot. It came from a psalm Israel knew, and it belongs to a day still ahead.
They hailed the Lord as King. It was a rehearsal, we may say, of the shout that will rise when Psalm 118:25-26 comes true. The "Save now" of the Psalm is the same as the "Hosanna" of the crowd... The crowd seemed of one mind that day. The King was among them. The rightful heir of David's throne was entering the capital of the kingdom. He came in the way foretold centuries before.
Compare the accounts and something stands out. Luke's version reaches past Israel's throne into the heavens.
In Matthew it was, "Hosanna to the Son of David," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." All of that was true. But here we have something more. The Son of David disappears. He is indeed the King who comes in the name of the Lord. But this is no longer the faithful few in Israel seeking salvation in the name of the Son of David, owning His title. It is "peace in heaven and glory in the highest." The kingdom depends on peace made in the heavenly places. The Son of man, raised on high and victorious over Satan, has reconciled the heavens... The kingdom on earth is only a consequence of this glory which grace has established... To establish the kingdom, peace is made in heaven, and the glory of God stands complete in the highest.
Why the change? It lies in what men did with Him in between.
The angels greeted His entry into the world with praise: "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace." But men rejected the One who alone could bring them peace. As He entered Jerusalem, shortly before the leaders of Israel rejected Him, the crowd of disciples rejoiced and praised God... Men had refused peace on earth, and now peace was about to spread her wings and fly to heaven.
So what will peace in heaven actually mean?
Peace in heaven will be the ultimate and glorious effect of the work of Christ: Satan cast out of heaven, the heavenly inheritance redeemed (Ephesians 1:13), and the things in heaven reconciled (Colossians 1:20). All this and much more will surely come, when the King-Messiah comes again. Then there will be peace on earth, peace in heaven and glory in the highest.
The disciples did not grasp what they were shouting. Yet their words were true.
They did not understand, yet they spoke out the mind of God, led by the Spirit. They knew the Scripture in Zechariah 9:9. But they did not foresee or expect this: at His first coming men would reject the King. Then, as the rejected King, He would go to the cross and there make a peace wholly connected with heaven. Yet was not this the truth? The kingdom was to be postponed, not lost.
Notice the order in the shout: the King comes, and peace in heaven comes with Him.
Until you get peace in heaven, Christ cannot ride in. But when peace is in heaven, you cannot hinder it.
But that peace had to be made first, and it cost Him blood.
Our blessed Lord acted apart from man, and even despite man. He would not return to heaven without making a peace far higher than peace on earth among men. It was not a peace between man and man, but between God and man. He made it by the blood of His cross.
So the verse is practical. It points anyone who wants peace in one direction.
Earth refused Him, but heaven received Him very soon after His resurrection. Anyone today who wants true peace will find it only by looking to the Prince of Peace in heaven. The day will yet come when the Lord Jesus will establish peace on earth, but not until He returns.
- Refused — At His birth the angels announced peace on earth. Men would have none of it, and they rejected the King.
- Relocated — So the praise changes. Peace is now in heaven, made between God and man by the blood of His cross.
- Rehearsed — The disciples quoted Psalm 118 without understanding it. The Spirit still put the exact truth in their mouths.
- Reclaimed — Peace in heaven means Satan thrown out and heavenly things reconciled. Until heaven is at peace, the King cannot ride in.
- Returned — Peace on earth comes back only when He does; until then it is found by looking up to where He is.
And some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke thy disciples.
The disciples are shouting the praise of their King as He comes to Jerusalem. From inside that same crowd, a few religious leaders ask Him to silence them. Their words raise the question the whole scene turns on. Is this praise too much, or the only honest answer to who He is?
The Pharisees were strict religious teachers, proud of how carefully they kept God's law. Note where they were standing when they spoke.
It must have been a joyful scene, the kind that would stir even the most unemotional of men. Yet some stood right in the middle of the rejoicing crowd, untouched by it, though not unconcerned. These were Pharisees, who turned to the Lord and asked Him to rebuke His disciples. His reply silenced them. The Pharisees could only regard Him as a claimant to David's throne. One day all of nature will make itself heard, welcoming Him back as Lord and as Israel's King.
Two groups watch the same Man. One sings; the other tries to stop the singing.
He presents Himself for the last time to Israel, in the lowliness of grace. That was far more important than the kingdom. This produces the sharpest possible contrast between the disciples and the Pharisees. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. They said, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees appeal to Him to rebuke the disciples. From His lips they learn that if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. There must be a testimony to His glory.
They call Him "Teacher," then ask Him to stop a song that names Him King. That is not a small point about crowd control. It asks Him to disown who He is.
The Pharisees dare to appeal to the Lord Himself to deny Himself and rebuke the disciples. He tells them that if they held their peace, the very stones would cry out. As a result of His rejection this has in fact happened, and the stones of the ploughed-up city bear witness for Him today.
The test is simple. Their objection would only stand if the claim were false.
If He had not been Israel's true King, they would have had reason to object. But the Lord silenced their objection. His words implied that the Spirit of God had moved the disciples to speak. If they would not speak, God would make even the stones cry out at once. If people will not give true honour to the Son of God, that will not stop God from using any means He pleases to glorify His Son.
The reply about the stones measures the men who complained. Stone paved their own city, and stone would have praised Him when they would not.
But the hearts of the builders at Jerusalem were harder than the stones of their streets. They rejected the Stone which God had laid in Zion, for to them He was a Stone of stumbling. Christ's disciples were singing a sweet song of praise. Their hard, unfeeling voices cut across it with the harsh sound, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." What blindness! What insolence against the "King of Zion"... The King's meek and lowly heart stayed in perfect harmony with the daughter of Zion. Even such a rude interruption could not disturb it.
The words the Pharisees wanted silenced were bigger than the singers knew.
When He was born as man, the angels had celebrated "on earth peace," for the Man of God's good pleasure had appeared. They celebrated the whole result of His work. But now it was clear that death lay before Him. His rejection would bring in a time of anything but peace on earth. Even so, the first effect of His work on the cross would be to establish peace in the highest court of all — in heaven. It would also display glory in the highest, as He Himself went up there in triumph. This note of praise had to be struck at this point. God could have made the stones cry out. Instead He used the lips of the disciples, though they spoke the words without fully understanding them.
- King. The Pharisees saw only a man claiming David's throne. Their objection would have been fair if the claim were false. The Lord's answer shows it was not.
- Praise. The Spirit of God moved the disciples to say more than they understood. Not peace on earth now, but peace in heaven and glory in the highest through the cross.
- Objection. Asking Him to silence that song was asking Him to deny Himself. It came from men standing inside the joy, untouched by it.
- Answer. Hearts in Jerusalem proved harder than its street stones. They rejected the Stone God laid in Zion. Their rude interruption never disturbed the King's calm.
- Certainty. God will have a witness to His Son's glory. If human lips refuse it, He will use any means He pleases. One day all of nature will welcome Him back as Israel's King.
And he answering said to them, I say unto you, If these shall be silent, the stones will cry out.
The King rides down the Mount of Olives, His disciples are shouting praise, and the religious leaders tell Him to stop them. He refuses in one sentence: if these voices went quiet, God would find another.
The leaders were speaking for the whole nation. One writer hears its true mind in their demand:
But now the Pharisees say, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." That was the heart of the nation exposing itself in the representatives of the people. The mind of the nation stood out in that saying, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." That was rejection. "We will not have this man to reign over us."
Two groups stand opposite each other that day. His reply tells the Pharisees why the praise had to go on:
This gives rise to the most marked contrast between the disciples and the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees appeal to Him to rebuke the disciples, but learn from His lips that if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. There must be a testimony to His glory.
The Lord did not simply prefer the praise. He gave a reason why no one could stop it:
If He had not been Israel's true King, they would have had reason to object. But the Lord silenced their objections. He implied that the Spirit of God moved the disciples to speak, and that if they would not speak, God would make even the stones cry out at once. How true it is! If people will not give true honor to the Son of God, that will not stop God. He will use any means He pleases to glorify His Son.
These men were the builders of Israel. One writer weighs their hearts against the stones under their feet:
But the hearts of the builders at Jerusalem were harder than the stones of their streets. They rejected the Stone which God had laid in Zion, for He was to them a Stone of stumbling. Christ's disciples were singing praise in sweet harmony. Their hard, unfeeling voices broke into it with the shrill cry, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." What blindness!
This is not the only place in the Bible where stones are heard:
Even stones may have a voice in the ear of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40.
One writer says the words came true in a way you can still see:
The Pharisees dare to appeal to the Lord Himself to deny Himself, and rebuke the disciples. He tells them that, if the disciples stayed silent, the very stones would cry out. As a result of His rejection this has indeed taken place, and the stones of the ruined city bear witness for Him today.
The Pharisees had their own low estimate of Him. One writer sets it beside what is still to come:
The Pharisees might regard Him as only a claimant to David's throne. In time to come all lifeless nature will make itself understood when it welcomes Him back as Jehovah and as Israel's King (Psalm 96; 98).
- Voice given — the Spirit of God moved the disciples to praise Him. That is why the Lord would not stop them.
- Voice refused — "Teacher, rebuke your disciples" was the nation's real mind speaking. It was rejection of the King Himself.
- Voice guaranteed — silence one witness and God raises another. There must be a testimony to His glory, and He will use any means He pleases to get it.
- Voice in ruins — the leaders proved harder than the stones of their own streets. The stones of the ruined city have spoken for Him ever since.
- Voice in full — one day all lifeless nature will speak. It will welcome Him back as Israel's King.