Luke is the journeying Gospel. Jesus' progression towards Jerusalem, begun back in chapter 10, is finally accomplished here in chapter 19. Still it is a three-step process to get Jesus ensconced in the city. In the first stage, which we read for this week's Service of the Palms, Jesus actually enters the city limits. Next Jesus pauses to look out over Jerusalem and allows his love for this city to burst forth into tears and lamentations. Finally, Jesus reclaims a portion of this holy city, no less than the temple itself, for the proper worship and praise of God.

Since all the Gospels tell a variation of these events, it is important to pay attention to what does and does not happen in Luke's version. Like the other Gospels, Luke puts Jesus in a very particular geographical position. While …