The Last Mile of The Way

Luke 19:28-40
Reverend Stanley Todd

The Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was an event of ceremonial splendor. A time of pomp and
circumstance. A joyful time of celebration.
What was it all about? Jesus, the long expected and hoped for king of the Jews was making his victorious
entrance into the city of Jerusalem. For hundreds of years the Jews had been waiting. And now, or at least they
thought, the day had arrived. The king that was going to deliver and save the nation of Israel from its oppressors
had made the scene! They began shouting louder and louder and louder:
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. (Luke 19:38)
And so the Lord Jesus Christ made his historic entrance into the city of Jerusalem. But almost as soon as the
hoopla and celebration began it would soon come to an end. The people thought Jesus would become a great
earthly king. But they failed to heed and understand the language and words of the prophets. The Old
Testament prophet Zechraiah wrote many years prior,
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you:
He is just and having slavation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech. 9:9)
And indeed this is the way Jesus came into Jerusalem - not to be a mighty ruler, but to be a mighty savior. He
came with justice (fairness and equality); He came with salvation (deliverance and forgiveness); and He came in
humility (not to be served but to serve and give his life.)
Jesus did not come to be an earthly king. Instead he came to be a much greater and different kind of king. A
king that would rule and reign over the hearts and souls of those who allowed Him to be their Savior and Lord.
No, His kingdom is not of this world. His kindgom is over all creation. After being question by Pilate, Jesus would
say,
My kindgom is not of this world…You say rightly that I am a King, and for this cause I was born,
and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. (John
18:36, 37)
The people were so confused about this person they hailed as king. As a matter-of-fact, we are told in
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem that the people would even ask, “Who is this?”
(Matt. 21:10)
Well friends I want to tell you who this king is. And I want to do so by taking into consideration His last week
of life. I call it, The Last Mile of The Way.” In five short days Jesus would demonstrate exactly who He was.

I. He Cared – Luke 19:41

Jesus cares for us.
II. He Cleansed – Luke 19:45-46
Jesus wants our hearts to be cleansed from all wrong.
II. He Counseled – Luke 20:1
Jesus counsels us with the ways of His just righteousness.
III. He Communed – Luke 22:14-15
Jesus still communes with us.
IV. He Compensated – Luke 23:14-16
Jesus paid the price/penalty of our sin.
 As Jesus’ last mile came to an end there were many who mourned and cried as they witnessed the cruel and
unfair way he was treated. But Jesus didn’t want them to cry for Him. He wanted them to see their personal
need for His forgivness and cry over their own spiritual condition. (Read Luke 23:27-30)
Jesus was saying then not to cry for him but to cry for your self. These were words that Jesus spoke early in
His ministry when He said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4)
Friends we should be weeping today. Not for what Jesus suffered and went through. For this we should
rejoice. Instead we should weep because of our spiritual lostness and shortcomings.
If you have never accepted Jesus as Savior you should weep great tears of sorrow and ask for His forgivenss.
If you are a Christian but have failed to be all He wants you to be, you should mourn and ask for His forgiveness.
And then you can rejoice in the words of the songwriter Johnson Oatman, Jr.:
When I’ve gone the last mile of the way,
I will rest at the close of the day;
And I know there are joys that await me,
When I’ve gone the last mile of the way.