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Luke 19
New Catholic Bible
Luke 19
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 19
Jesus and Zacchaeus, the Rich Tax Collector.[a] 1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man there, named Zacchaeus, was a chief tax collector and a rich man. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but since he was short in stature, he could not see him because of the crowd. 4 Therefore, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to catch a glimpse of him for he was going to pass that way.
5 When he reached that spot, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 Zacchaeus came down quickly and welcomed him joyfully.
7 When the people observed this, they began to complain, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, I intend to give half of everything I possess to the poor, and if I have defrauded someone of anything, I will repay that amount four times over.”
9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.”
11 The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins.[b] While the people were listening to him speak, Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because now he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God might appear immediately. 12 He said, “A man of noble birth was preparing to go to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 So he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins,[c] instructing them, ‘Trade with the money I have given you until I return.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him to give this message, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
15 “When he returned after having been made king, he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money to ascertain what profit they had made through their trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased tenfold in value.’ 17 He said to him, ‘Well done, my good servant. Because you have proved trustworthy in this very small matter, you shall be in charge of ten cities.’
18 “Next, the second servant came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased fivefold in value.’ 19 He said to him, ‘You shall be in charge of five cities.’
20 “Then the third one came forward, saying, ‘Sir, here is your money. I kept it wrapped up in a handkerchief. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’
22 “The master said to him, ‘I will condemn you by your own words, you wicked servant. You knew I was a hard man, taking out what I did not put down, and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not deposit my money into a bank so that on my return I could have drawn it out with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the one with the ten gold coins.’ 25 They said to him, ‘But sir, he already has ten gold coins.’ 26 He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. 27 But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’ ”
The Activity of Jesus at Jerusalem[d]
28 Jesus Enters Jerusalem as the Messiah.[e] After he had said this, Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. 29 As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent off two of the disciples, saying, 30 “Go into the village directly ahead, and upon entering it, you will find tied there a colt on which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ simply say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”
32 The two disciples who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They answered, “The Lord needs it.”
35 Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and after spreading their cloaks over the colt, they helped Jesus to mount it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 And when he approached the downward path of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of his disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen him perform, 38 proclaiming:
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens.”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out.”
41 The Lament over Jerusalem.[f] As Jesus drew near and beheld the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “If only you had recognized on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will raise up fortifications all around you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will smash you to the ground, you and your children with you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
45 Jesus Cleanses the Temple.[g] Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were engaging in selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
47 Every day he was teaching in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people plotted to kill him. 48 However, they were unable to do so because all the people hung on his every word.
Footnotes
- Luke 19:1 The lesson is obvious: it is God who saves the rich (see Lk 18:27), because he alone can change the human heart. Zacchaeus’s generosity in atoning for the wrongs he has done goes beyond anything the Jewish or the Roman law could require of a judged and condemned thief.
- Luke 19:11 This parable is unusual in that its chief personage is an aspirant to the throne, for it seems to be inspired by the story of Archelaus, who went to Rome in 4 B.C. to obtain the succession to Herod the Great in Judea, and whose return was marked by a slaughter not yet forgotten in the memory of the people.
- Luke 19:13 Gold coins: literally, minas; a mina, was a Greek coin equal to a hundred drachmas or Roman denarii, that is, a hundred times the daily wage of a laborer. In the time of Jesus, it weighed about 350 grams of silver.
- Luke 19:28 The Messiah reaches Jerusalem, where he is to complete God’s plan. His encounter with the city is a powerful one, but will end in his rejection. The plan of God will nonetheless be carried out in a way different from human expectations: in suffering, Death, and Resurrection, in the Paschal Mystery.
- Luke 19:28 By accepting the acclamations of his many disciples, Jesus proclaims himself to be the Messiah, the king, the son of David, whom Israel has awaited. The scene seems to be a repetition of the ceremony of Solomon’s proclamation and consecration (see 1 Ki 1:33-40). The surprising thing is the modest circumstances: the colt is the mount of the poor, the mount of the ancient period of nomadism. The Old Testament imagined various scenarios for the coming of the Messiah; they were all glorious, except for one, that of Zechariah (9:9).
- Luke 19:41 Luke alone records the incident of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem—here and in Lk 13:34, although Mt 23:21 does show Jesus grieving over it. The method mentioned by which Israel’s enemies will conquer and level Jerusalem is precisely the one used by the Romans in A.D. 70.
- Luke 19:45 Jesus demands respect for the temple and installs himself in it to proclaim the message of God. It is thus that he conceives and exercises the royal authority of the Messiah. Like the Prophets, he refuses to allow religion to deteriorate into a business affair.
Luke 19
New International Version
Luke 19
New International Version
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
19 Jesus entered Jericho(A) and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig(B) tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.(C)
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”(D)
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,(E) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,(F) I will pay back four times the amount.”(G)
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.(H) 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”(I)
The Parable of the Ten Minas(J)
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God(K) was going to appear at once.(L) 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants(M) and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’(N) his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’(O)
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’(P)
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words,(Q) you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?(R) 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.(S) 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(T)(U)
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.(V) 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany(W) at the hill called the Mount of Olives,(X) he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “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. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.(Y) 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks(Z) on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,(AA) the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”(AC)
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”(AD)
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”(AE)
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it(AF) 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.(AG) 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.(AH) They will not leave one stone on another,(AI) because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming(AJ) to you.”
Jesus at the Temple(AK)
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c];(AL) but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”(AM)
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple.(AN) But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.(AO) 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Footnotes
- Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.
- Luke 19:38 Psalm 118:26
- Luke 19:46 Isaiah 56:7
- Luke 19:46 Jer. 7:11
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