Yesterday we started our journey through Holy Week by looking at what Jesus did on that final pre-resurrection Monday. Quite an amazing transformation in just 24 hours! The Israelites went from laying down palms at the feet of His donkey to breaking His heart by money-changing inside the temple. What appeared to be celebratory was not... the people of Jerusalem were patting Him on the back in public while many were plotting behind the scenes to speed up His demise. What I love about Jesus is that He knew this was going on... yet continued to bravely do ministry in the face of it.
He could hear the footsteps of His coming crucifixion but He never took His eyes off of His purpose.
On Tuesday of that same week, Jesus continued revealing the true intentions of those He came into contact with. This time, He was tested with a series of questions. Those that stood against Jesus were constantly trying to catch Him in a lie...or to cause Him to sin. Here are a few of the questions they asked Jesus on Tuesday:
Q: Who gave you the authority to do what you do?
A: “He answered them,
“I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”
And they discussed it with one another, saying,
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
So they answered that they did not know where it came from.
And Jesus said to them,
“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” - Luke 20:3-8
Q: Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?
A: “But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them,
“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.” - Luke 20:23-26
I love that.... they tried to catch Jesus in a trap... He left them speechless with His wisdom! They weren’t done... but each question the people asked, Jesus gave them a flawless and holy answer...
But Jesus‘ Tuesday wasn’t over... He had yet more wisdom to share with the people...
As they exited the temple, the Disciples were marveling at their beauty. Jesus takes this opportunity to share some more incredible facts with them. Here’s a quick list:
(from Matthew 24:1-25:46)
- All of the beautiful temples would fall.
- There would be many false prophets pretending to be the returning Christ
- Those that follow Christ would be persecuted for His name’s sake
- No one except the Father knows the exact date and time of Jesus‘ return
- Be ready for the Son of Man will come at an hour you don’t expect
- People will be separated like sheep and goats (believers and non-believers)
This lengthy passage is known as the Olivet Discourse by scholars and I recommend that you read it in its entirety. Jesus continued to use parable to illustrate complicated concepts to His detractors... never once slipping... never once sinning. Christ would be dead in just a few days and He knew it. Yet He spent his last week pouring into the people who would mock and torture Him.
They would try to silence Him forever.
God had other plans.
The resurrection is coming… Praise God for His goodness and sacrifice today…
