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Today we celebrate the events surrounding Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem. Jesus began His ministry around the Sea of Galilee in the north and then took a journey that followed the Jordan River south, then across the Jordan River and through the city of Jericho, and finally into the city of Jerusalem. Jesus timed this journey perfectly because He was going to enter the city the week of the Passover when people from all over the world would gather to worship and celebrate the deliverance of God’s people from the hands of the Egyptians.
Each year, the celebration of the Passover brought with it a longing the people had to be delivered from the hands of the Romans. Just like in the days of Moses, a foreign power ruled over Israel bringing excessive taxes and oppression and the people wanted to be set free. There was great excitement at this year’s Passover because everyone was talking about a prophet from Galilee who was coming, and many thought He was the Messiah. There was great anticipation and expectation that Jesus was coming to be the king.
As Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem, He told two of His disciples to go and get a donkey for Him to ride into the city. Luke 19:28-38
After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
This must have seemed strange because Jesus never rode a donkey. He never rode a horse, he never rode in a wagon or chariot, Jesus walked everywhere. On this day, however, Jesus chose not to walk into Jerusalem but ride a donkey. There had to be a reason.
One reason Jesus chose a donkey was because it was a lowly and humble animal. All through the gospel of Luke we have seen that Jesus went out of his way to lift up the lowly. He ate with tax collectors like Zacchaeus and invited women to be part of His ministry. The movement of Jesus began when God chose an older couple that others overlooked to bring a prophet into the world who would pave the way for the Messiah, and then God chose a young girl that no one knew to bring the Messiah into the world. God called and chose those the world often overlooked, and Jesus welcomed and invited the outsiders, outcasts, and outlaws to be part of God’s family, His circle of friends, and part of His ministry team.
So, a humble donkey made sense for Jesus, but there was another reason Jesus chose a donkey, it was to make a statement that He was coming as the Messiah and King. All through the Old Testament, donkeys were seen as royal animals. David rode a donkey out of the city of Jerusalem and Solomon rode a donkey into the city. In Zechariah 9:9 it is said that when the Messiah comes, he would be riding on a donkey.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus chose a donkey not just because it was humble and He was setting up a contrast between Himself and the rulers of Rome who rode war horses and stallions, but He was proclaiming to the people of Jerusalem that He was the Messiah. And they were thrilled.
People cut branches and spread them on the streets in front of Jesus to celebrate. They shouted; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. This comes from Psalm 118 that celebrated the victory and deliverance that came with the King. The people were welcoming Jesus as their King. They believed He was entering into the city to begin a movement that would overthrow Roman oppression and free the people from the Roman taxes. They quoted King David because they wanted a king like David. They wanted someone who would be a Prophet, a Shepherd, and a Warrior. Jesus had certainly been a prophet and shepherd, and today they believed Jesus was coming to be the warrior who would overthrow the Romans, bring them victory, and establish God’s kingdom.
But that was not the kind of king Jesus was going to be. Not only did Jesus spend His life and ministry lifting up the lowly, but He was going to come in true humility to show God’s people, and all the world, that you don’t fight hate with hate, and you don’t overthrow violence with violence. True victory comes through humility, sacrifice, service, and love. Jesus was coming to establish a radically different kingdom and the people were going to end up being disappointed. That disappointment would lead to betrayal.
It was Judas who first betrayed Jesus. Like many others, he may have been looking for Jesus to start a revolution but all he heard from Jesus was how He was going to die on a cross. So Judas betrayed Jesus, which led to Jesus' arrest and trial, and then a complete betrayal of God’s people when they shouted for Jesus to be crucified. In 5 days, Jesus had gone from being hailed as a king to being condemned as a criminal.
Jesus was led out to a place called Golgotha, or the place of the skull, which is where they crucify people. Jesus was nailed to a cross as a condemned criminal and hung between two outlaws. In Luke’s gospel they are called bandits, but some think they may have been men who were attacking and robbing Roman soldiers which would make them terrorists. They were outlaws. Jesus no longer just has a heart for the outlaws, He had become one. He was hanging there with them.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
Jesus didn’t just come for the outsiders, outcasts, and outlaws, He came to become an outsider, outcast and outlaw. Jesus was condemned as a criminal. As an outlaw, He received the death sentence and nailed to a cross. Through crucifixion He was also considered an outcast because anyone who hung on a tree was considered cursed by God. He was cut off and cast out. While the other outlaws died because of their sin, they deserved their punishment, Jesus died because of ours.
In Jewish teaching, it was believed that when a person died, they were making amends for all their sin. There was a teaching in the Talmud, which is the teaching of all the rabbis, that said, may my death atone for all MY sins. But Jesus was without sin, so His death didn’t atone for His sin, it atoned for our sin. On the cross, Jesus was saying, may my death atone for all YOUR sin.
Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, came to take on our sin and the only way to do that was to be considered an outlaw, condemned as a criminal, and die on a cross. It was on the cross that Jesus took on our sin and the sin of the world and paid the price for it all. And one of the outlaws with Jesus seemed to understand.
While one of the criminals hanging with Jesus mocked him, the other one believed that there was something more in Jesus and he asked Jesus to do just one thing. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. He believed Jesus’ death might not mark the end of his life. This outlaw looked at Jesus and began to believe that His death might in some way save him and be the beginning of a new life in a new kingdom. When this outlaw asked Jesus to remember him, it wasn’t a request to just think of him, it was a request for Jesus to do something and deliver him. And Jesus did. Jesus said, today you will be with me in paradise.
What makes this scene so powerful is that this outlaw is saved by faith alone. He can’t do anything to earn his salvation. He can’t get down off the cross and do anything for Jesus or for others and he can’t try to make things right with those he harmed. And Jesus doesn’t ask him to. The outcast acknowledges that he is a sinner and that he has nowhere to go but to Jesus. And Jesus saves him.
This is a perfect picture of what it means to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone. We don’t earn our salvation. We will never be good enough to receive it on our own. We are all dying in our sin, and it is Jesus who reaches out to save us. All we need to do is turn to Him. From this outlaw we learn how to pray for salvation. Jesus, remember me. Three simple words that carry so much meaning.
Jesus, remember me. It means, Jesus forgive me. It means, Jesus I’m sorry. Jesus, love me. Jesus, save me. Jesus, remember me. That is the only prayer needed and if it is our prayer today, God saves. Sometimes we make faith more complicated than it needs to be. At its core, this is faith. Asking Jesus to remember us and then allowing Jesus to lead us into the new life He has for us - paradise.
Today, if you are feeling far from Jesus, if you are feeling like an outcast or outsider, if you are feeling like an outlaw and unworthy of God’s mercy, or if you are dying in your own sin, pray like the outlaw on the cross. Jesus, remember me.
If that is your prayer, hear Jesus’ response. Today you will be with me in paradise. Today you will be forgiven, and today I will lead you into the fullness of new life. When the thief prays, Jesus responds. When we pray - Jesus responds because He came for you and me. Until the very end we see that Jesus came to do just two things, to seek and to save the lost, the outsiders, the outcast and the outlaws. He came to seek and save…. you and me.
Next Steps
Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws From a Donkey to the Cross
Take time to read the Holy Week Story in Luke 22:39–23:56 or in one of the other gospels:
● Matthew 26:30–27:66
● Mark 14:26–15:47
● John 18:1–19:42
In what ways do you see Jesus continue to lift up the lowly, and care for the outsiders, outcasts, and outlaws?
How, and why does Jesus become an outlaw and outcast?
Why does one outlaw cry out against Jesus? How and why do we cry out against Jesus and turn away from Him?
Why does the other outlaw cry out to Jesus? What does it look like for you to cry out and turn toward Jesus?
The outlaw teaches us to pray: Jesus, remember me.
● What do you want Jesus to remember and know about you?
● What do you want to remember and know about Jesus?
● What does this prayer mean for you?
Jewish teachings said, my death atones for MY sin.
Jesus said, my death atones for YOUR sin.
If you are still trying to atone for your sin or set yourself right with God through your own actions and behaviors, ask Jesus to save you. Memorize these two verses:
● Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Luke 19:10
● It is by grace you have been saved, through faith. Ephesians 2:8
