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Pastor Rene's Bible studies
We are coming to an important time in Jesus' ministry. He has been revealing his identity in various ways throughout his ministry (healing people, preaching the Kingdom, quoting Scriptures concerning the Messiah and fulfilling them).
Now arriving in Jerusalem, is the peak of his ministry, it is the decisive, crucial moment, the turning point.
Jesus will be confronted by the leaders because they do not understand and accept his identity, and that will lead to rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. As a result of this, Jesus will be given over to the Romans to be crucified.
We will look at Jesus' authority being confronted by the leaders.
We should ask ourselves: Is my life also confronting the Lordship of Jesus? Does Jesus deserve to be Lord? Do I proclaim Jesus authority by the wayI live?
Luke 19:28-41 triumphal entry
Luke 19:29 (NIV) As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, 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?' tell him, `The Lord needs it.'" 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it 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 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 on the road.
37 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: 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Jesus was extremely well known. At this time, popular opinions were favorable to him.
"the Lord needs it" (V.31) There were no question asked.Jesus was intentionally fulfilling the prophecy in Zec. 9:9
Zech 9:9 (NIV) Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Since he stood in Nazareth, quoting Es 61 and declaring
"today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing". Jesus was revealing his identity.Here, he was at the most vital time; A time when all Isreal would be gathered at Jesusalem. Huge crowds could see him; the people went wild. They were sure their liberation was at hand.
What they cried out was from Ps 118:19,26
Psal 118:19 (NIV) Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Only a short time later when it became apparent that Jesus was not to fulfill their hopes, many people would turn against him.
Jesus cried and prophesied over Jerusalem
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 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. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
V. 41-44--Jewish leaders had refected their King(19:47).
They had refused God's salvation even when their Messiah visited them. Soon their nation would suffer.
About 40 years later,In AD 66, the Jews revolted against Rome, and Rome sent Titus. And in AD70, they took over the city and burned it. 600,000 Jews were killed cruelly.
Jesus driving out vendors
45 Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 46 "It is written," he said to them, "`My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it `a den of robbers.'" 47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Jesus revealed his God--given authority. He, as the Messiah was coming to take over his temple in Jerusalem. But of course, the leaders did not recognize his authority.
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Mal 3:1--3
Mala 3:1 (NIV) "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
In Jn 2:13--22, John described Jesus cleaning the temple as one of his first great public act in Jerusalem.
Now we see him doing it again as one of his last act. It indicates many important spiritual lessons:
Leaders challenged Jesus' authority
20:1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?" 3 He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4 John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men?" 5 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will ask, `Why didn't you believe him?' 6 But if we say, `From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." 7 So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." 8 Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
20:1-8--The leaders did not want to lose their own authority over the people. They confronted Jesus' authority. They had a direct confrontation with Jesus.
They set traps. They asked tricky questions. Their goal was to discredit Jesus' authority at any cost and they tried from any angle possible.
(This is a picture of man in his struggle against God's authority).
V.2--"Who gave you this authority?" (We are the ones in authority. Who do you think we are? Don't come and try to change this.)
20:9-19--Parable of the wicked tenants.
9 He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. 13 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, `What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' 14 "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. `This is the heir,' they said. `Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" 17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
"`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." 19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
The parable begins with with the language of the Songs of the vineyard in Is 5:1--7.
The characters are easily identified. Even the religious leaders understood it.
The owner is God. The vineyard is Israel. The tenants are the leaders. The servants are the prophets and priests.
In rejecting Jesus, God was to give the Kingdom to others: The others are the gentiles:
20:17-19-- Jesus quoting Ps118:22 showed that their rejection had been prophesied in Scriptures. Even if his comments were veiled, the religious leaders had no trouble interpreting them.
When the conscience is under conviction, there are two possible responses: Repentance or hardening of the heart.
Their reactions was not repentance. They hardened their hearts and wanted to arrest him. V.19
social authority v,20-26
20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" 25 "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
This section may bring up many questions as: should we obey the government? When there is a conflict between moral and law, what do we do?
They sent spies: (who pretended to be honest.)
Jesus outwitted them.
AS God's followers, we have obligations to both God and the government. (Keep our priorities straight)
When the two authorities conflict, our duty to God prevails.
20:27-38--the authority of the word.
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" 34 Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord `the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." 39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Saduccees-conservative religious group only respected the pentatench, as Scriptures. They did not believe in the ressurection because they found no mention in those books. They wanted Jesus to say something they could refute.
Jesus did not ignore their question. He based his answer on the writings of Moses (we must not think of heaven as an extension of Life as we now hnow it). Relationships will be different from what we are used to here.
In parallel text-Matt22:29 "you are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the Power of God".
Jesus is not only answering the question, but he answered the real issue of their questions.
When people ask tough questions or bring out arguments, they often have other motives than the question itself. It is usually either they, hurt in tragedies, or it is a test for you or a rejection of God. We need discernment, sensitivity and a proper knowledge of God and his word.
Jesus' statement is: the word is to be lived out; not to be used as excuses, and self justification. Against God, this is God's word.
Jesus the Messiah, Lord and King
41 Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: "`The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." ' 44 David calls him `Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
V.39-44--They asked their question. Jesus now asked them a question at the heart of the matter. What they thought about the Messiah's identity.
By quoting Ps110:1--He showed that the Messiah would be both human and divine, and his authority would be greater than David or a human King.
He would be the Lord(Adonai).
"Jehovah said to my Adonai"Acts 2:34
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,;Eph 1:20--22; Heb 12:2;
1Cor 15:25
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.;Hebr 10:12--13
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.;Do not see him as a mere man but as the Lord.
Beware… of authority
45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."
21:1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Luke 20:45--21:4
This whole section deals with authority.
Jesus is warning his disciples against this attitude. Beware of "the teachers of the Law", using God given authority to abuse people, get money, honor and privileges.
God's most severe judgement awaits these teachers because they should have been living examples of mercy and justice.
The poor widow's illustration
They devour widows' houses.
She gave out of her poverty all she had to live on.
Why is Jesus praising this widow?
People in position of authority who are not themselves under the Lordship of God will be greedy, arrogant, crafty, selfish and uncaring.
That's why Jesus was exposing their evil hearts. They claimed to be the representatives of God, teachers of the Law, but in fact neglected God's Laws and done what they pleased.
When we consider giving a percentage-as a great accomplishment-we are like those who gave "out of their wealth".
We should consider increasing our giving-whether money, time, talents-to a point beyond convenience and safety.
Jesus gave a lesson as how to evaluate giving:
Not by the amount, but by the amount of sacrifica involved in the giving.
In what ways can we confront Jesus authority?
In not responding quickly to the calls of God in our life?
