The Book of Luke Jesus in Jerusalem

Lesson #12 for June 20, 2015

Scriptures: [Luke 19:28-40,45-48; 20:9-26; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:12-17][i].

1.    The relationship between Jesus and the city of Jerusalem is a fascinating and curious one. He helped David conquer the city and establish it as the headquarters for the Hebrew nation. Then, He finalized it as the religious headquarters for the nation with the building of Solomon’s Temple. But, ultimately, He failed to accomplish what He really wanted to do!

2.    However, Jesus spent almost all of His life in Galilee and not in Judea. When in Jerusalem, He spent almost all of His time in the temple itself. We know that after being born in Bethlehem, He was taken to Jerusalem for His circumcision and later for His dedication. (Luke 2:22-38) He went to Jerusalem again at the age of 12. (Luke 2:41-50)

3.    Only John mentioned Jesus’s multiple visits to Jerusalem during His early ministry. It was only John who hinted that Jesus almost certainly visited and worked in Jerusalem many times during the first 1% years of His ministry while He was working in and around Judea. However, we have almost no information about what He did during that time. (DA 231.2)

4.    A careful look at the Gospels reveals that almost half of each of the Gospels is dedicated to the final week of the life of Jesus. Surely, that final week should occupy a great deal of our attention as we study the relationship of Jesus to Jerusalem.

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 83.4. [Bold type is added.]

5.    Jesus-God had wept over the city of Jerusalem down through much of the history of the Old Testament. Finally, He appeared as a Human Being and wept over the city once again. It was there where He should have been recognized as the King of the Jews; instead, He was murdered by the very ones He had come to save.

6.    Read Romans 5:10ii, GNB. How did the death of Jesus change us from being enemies into friends of God? Could some kind of legal transaction do that? Of course not! Through the life and death of Jesus, we learn the truth about Satan’s lies in the great controversy. God had said that sin leads to death. (Genesis 2:17) Satan deceived Eve into believing that was a lie. (Genesis 3:4) Who do we believe? In our daily lives, do we act as if we really believe that sin leads to death? Thus, we can come to trust the One who has always told us the truth. Do we really believe that everything that God says is true? Do we really believe that sin separates us from God and leads to death? (Isaiah 59:2)

7.    Read [Luke 19:28-40; Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; and John 12:12-19]iii. Despite the fact that Jesus had made it clear that He was going up to Jerusalem to be arrested and killed, (Luke 18:31-34iv) the disciples and the crowd accompanying Him up that steep and dangerous road from Jericho to Jerusalem were sure that He was about to become the new king of Israel. When Jesus said He was ready to enter the city riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey, (Zechariah 9:9) their hopes were at an all-time high.

8.    Why were the disciples so certain that Jesus would become an earthly king? It was what they had been taught all their lives about the Messiah’s coming. (2SP 110.2-3) When they agreed to follow Jesus and become “fishers of men,” they were convinced that they would be honored, respected, and praised as high-level government officials, responsible for getting rid of the Romans. Do you think any of them had the slightest idea that they were “signing up” to be itinerant preachers for the rest of their lives and, ultimately, martyrs?

9.    At His birth, the wise men from the East had announced the coming of the King of the Jews. (Matthew 2:2[v]) At the opening of the final week of Christ’s life, He rode into Jerusalem to shouts of “God the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38, GNB) While the history of that week seemed to be an utter disaster to the disciples and the other followers of Jesus, it ended in triumph on the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30, GNB) How could death be a sign of victory? Why was John the only Gospel writer to pen those very important great-controversy words? How many heard those words?

10.    Repeatedly, Jesus had spoken to the disciples about the details of His death. (Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 9:31-32; Luke 18:31-34)vi Jesus was the greatest Teacher this world has ever known. Why couldn’t He explain what was going to happen to Him and what His kingdom was like clearly enough so the disciples could understand it? Or, did He just choose not to do that? It certainly was not what they wanted to hear!

Because of their spiritual darkness, even the disciples of Jesus often failed of comprehending His lessons. But many of these lessons were made plain to them by subsequent events. When He walked no more with them, His words were a stay to their hearts.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 165.2.

11.    The idea that Jesus could be arrested and handed over to the Romans and killed in the most shameful way possible was so foreign to the thinking of the disciples that they could not take it in. Do we have any false expectations about the final events of this world’s history and the second coming of Jesus? Could we be as confused about future events as the disciples were about the events surrounding His first coming? The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem came to a shocking end when He stopped on the brow of the hill overlooking the temple and began to sob uncontrollably. The crowd slowly dispersed, and Jesus went to the temple. He looked around briefly. But, since it was late, He returned to Bethany to spend the night. (Mark 11:11-12vii)

It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of Jesus-Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty miracles, and was about to take His life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted Him who alone could heal her wound. He had come to save her; how could He give her up?—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 576.1. (See Hosea 11:7-8viii.)

12.    Read Luke 19:45-48; Matthew 21:12-17; and Mark 11:15-19.

All four Gospels mention the cleansing of the temple. While John speaks of the first cleansing (John 2:13-25) taking place during Jesus’ visit to the temple at the Passover of A.D. 28, others narrated the second cleansing at the end of Jesus’ ministry, this time at the Passover of A.D. 31. Thus, the two cleansings of the temple provided a parenthesis to the ministry of Jesus, showing how much He cared for the sanctity of the temple and its services, and how strategically He asserted His Messianic mission and authority. (Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Monday, June 15, 2015.)

The outer court of the temple was supposed to be for the instruction of the Gentiles; however, it had been turned into a market place.

Three years before [at the first cleansing of the temple], the rulers of the temple had been ashamed of their flight before the command of Jesus. They had since wondered at their own fears, and their unquestioning obedience to a single humble [592] Man. They had felt that it was impossible for their undignified surrender to be repeated. Yet they were now [at the second cleansing of the temple] more terrified than before, and in greater haste to obey His command. There were none who dared question His authority. Priests and traders fled from His presence, driving their cattle before them.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 591.1-592.0. [Content in brackets is added.]

But, the sick and the children were not afraid. Christ’s divinity had flashed through His humanity.

13.    It was on Monday morning of Passion Week that Jesus cleansed the temple for the second time. Why did He bother? A few days later, the curtain of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom, and the temple was no longer considered by God as the center for worship. But, for some time after the death of Jesus, it continued to be the place where the disciples went to do their preaching to the crowds. (Acts 2:46; 5:42ix)

14.    Read [Luke 20:9-19; Matthew 21:33-46; and Mark 12:1-12][x]. What are we supposed to learn from the parable of the Lord’s vineyard? This is another example of Jesus presenting His message in the form of a story or parable and allowing the listeners to draw their own conclusions. The Jewish leaders knew that He was speaking about them. But, what about us? Are we faithfully working the Lord’s vineyard? Or, are we more like the Sadducees and Pharisees? Hadn’t God sent servant after servant (Luke 20:10-12xi) and prophet after prophet (Jeremiah 35:15xii) to His people? And yet, in his final speech, Stephen had to ask, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52xiii)

15.    The Bible is a long love story of God for His people. Tragically, so often, that love was rejected. As the people who live in the most privileged time and generation in this world’s history-with not only the Bible but also all the writings of Ellen White more readily available than they ever have been-are we rejecting them as God’s messages? How are we treating our prophet? How many of us are rejecting Ellen White’s counsel and failing to read and follow her advice? Is our behavior any different from the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’s day? Why is it that we so often just choose to believe what we want to believe?

16.    Read Luke 20:20-26xiv. As we know, the Pharisees and the scribes repeatedly tried to pose questions to Jesus that they thought Jesus could not answer without incriminating Himself. But, we also know that Jesus very cleverly saw through their schemes and gave clever answers so that His adversaries always came out looking shameful.

17.    What should we learn about the question of taxation by earthly governments? What a marvelous answer Jesus gave when He said: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:25, NKJV) When we live under the protection and benefits of an earthly government, we owe that government our allegiance. But, of course, our ultimate allegiance must go to God and His kingdom solely.

Christ’s reply was no evasion, but a candid answer to the question. Holding in His hand the Roman coin, upon which were stamped the name and image of Caesar, He declared that since they were living under the protection of the Roman power, they should render to that power the support it claimed, so long as this did not conflict with a higher duty. But while peaceably subject to the laws of the land, they should at all times give their first allegiance to God.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 602.4.

18.    Can we be good citizens of our current earthly nations and at the same time be good citizens of God’s kingdom? (Hebrews 11:10xv) Will there ever come a time when even in countries like the United States we might find that our government is in conflict with God?

Read Revelation 13:13-18xvi. What will happen when we have an international Sunday law?

19.    Read Luke 22:13-20xvii. The Jews had been specifically instructed that they were to celebrate the Passover every year by eating roasted lamb and bitter herbs. (Exodus 12:8xviii) Although we are not told about it, presumably, Jesus and His disciples did the same. Why wasn’t that mentioned? But, Jesus also offered them grape juice and unleavened bread as the initiation of a new ceremony that was to replace the Passover.

20.    The Passover was to celebrate God’s deliverance of the children of Israel from the country of Egypt. In their own power, the children of Israel could never have accomplished that exodus. In the same way, the life and death of Jesus are to provide the means by which we can be redeemed from the slavery of sin.

21.    Jesus shed His blood and offered His body as symbols of some very important lessons that we need to learn. It was God’s ultimate and most important answer to the question of whether or not sin leads to death. The Lord’s Supper was given to remind us of that most important event. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26xix) The Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide calls the death of Jesus “God’s sole means for our Redemption from sin.” What does that mean? Was Jesus “paying” for our sins? Or, did/does His death teach us some important truths that are absolutely essential to our salvation?

22.    The life and death of Jesus answered the most important questions that Satan had raised in the great controversy. Those questions had to be answered before we could be sure beyond the slightest shadow of doubt that: 1) All of Satan’s accusations against God are completely false, and 2) God Himself can be completely trusted. Does that promote friendship?

23.    There are two important lessons that we need to recognize from the Lord’s Supper. Christ died for every one of us. As a community, as we partake of the grape juice and unleavened bread, we are sharing Christ’s body, recognizing the equality that exists among us.

24.    How did/does Jesus’s body and blood “purchase” our salvation? It is the meaning of His death that is important. Sooner or later, every human being will discover that there on the cross Jesus died the second death as a direct result of sin-He did not die of crucifixion, blood loss, pain, or having been severely beaten-His death was an example of how the wicked will die in the end. As we look at that awful death, do we want to experience it ourselves? Or, do we want to accept His offer of salvation and eternal life in heaven and in the new earth? At the cross, do we see Jesus burning in an ever-burning hell? Or, did He die of separation from God?

To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him.

It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 389.3; MLT 275.2.

25.    Evolutionists and atheists have stated repeatedly that everything that has happened in the history of our world is merely a result of physical processes. They have said that there is no ultimate meaning to anything. That might make you feel depressed. And how should you respond if you feel depressed? We have medicines for that! Aren’t you glad that all Christians do not have to depend on medications for their happiness? Jesus said repeatedly that if we follow Him, we will be blessed or happy. Isn’t that a better solution than Prozac?

26.    When Jesus agreed to participate in the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, wasn’t He just feeding the false hopes of the Jewish people including His disciples? Or, was He intentionally drawing as much attention to Himself as possible so that the Jewish leaders could not secretly arrest Him and kill Him without people noticing and without a lot of questions being asked?

Many minds were busy with thoughts started by the scenes of Calvary. From the crucifixion to the resurrection many sleepless eyes were constantly searching the prophecies, some to learn the full meaning of the feast they were then celebrating, some to find evidence that Jesus was not what He claimed to be; and others with sorrowful hearts were searching for proofs that He was the true Messiah. Though searching with different objects in view, all were convicted of the same truth,—that prophecy had been fulfilled in the events of the past few days, and that the Crucified One was the world’s Redeemer. Many who at that time united in the service never again took part in the paschal rites. Many even of the priests were convicted of the true character of Jesus. Their searching of the prophecies had not been in vain, and after His resurrection they acknowledged Him as the Son of God.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 775.1. (See Acts 6:7; 15:5xx.)

27.    When Jesus went to the ancient Jewish capital of Jerusalem, we know what happened. Will Jesus come to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in our generation? If He came to your church or even your home today, how would He be received? Would you need to clean things up before you would be happy to welcome Him?

28.    Jesus cleansed the temple courtyard because He knew that God’s original plan was for that courtyard to be used for the benefit and education of the Gentiles as they observed how the Jews worshiped God. Since the Jews were certain that the Gentiles were lost anyway, they thought they were free to use the “Gentile” court as a marketplace. What a travesty!

29.    Can we distinguish clearly between the meaning of the Passover and the meaning of the Lord’s Supper? The Passover looks back to the exodus from Egypt. The Lord’s Supper looks forward to the reunion at the second coming. The Passover involved sacrificing a lamb; the Lord’s Supper requires only unleavened bread and grape juice.

30.    In July of 2015, the General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists will take place in San Antonio, Texas. It will be primarily a business meeting and a time to choose new officers. But, there will be a great deal of pomp and “bragging” as the various divisions report what they have accomplished in the last five years. What do you think Jesus would have to say if He were to present His evaluation of our progress over the last five years?

31.    Read Ezekiel 9; 6:11; 21:6xxi. The book of Revelation suggests that this sighing and crying for the abominations done in the city in ancient times will be a foretaste of what will happen at the end of time. Will it, once again, be true that only those sighing and groaning over the sins being committed among God’s people will receive God’s mark or seal?

32.    Read Philippians 2:5-11xxii. What do these verses tell us about the condescension of Jesus in coming to our world? Are we ready to follow the Lamb wherever He leads? (Revelation 14:4xxiii)

i-Luke 19:28 After Jesus said this, he went on in front of them toward Jerusalem. 29 As he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead 30 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master[a] needs it.”

32 They went on their way and found everything just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying it?”

34 “The Master needs it,” they answered, 35 and they took the colt to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks over the animal and helped Jesus get on. 36 As he rode on, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near Jerusalem, at the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives, the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen: 38 “God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!”

39 Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “command your disciples to be quiet!”

40 Jesus answered, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.”

45 Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to drive out the merchants, 46 saying to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”

47 Every day Jesus taught in the Temple. The chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the leaders of the people wanted to kill him, 48 but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people kept listening to him, not wanting to miss a single word.

20:9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Let's kill him, and his property 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 the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16 “He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.”

When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

17 Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.’

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”

The Question about Paying Taxes

19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people. 20 So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. 21 These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. 22 Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”

23 But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, 24 “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”

“The Emperor's,” they answered.

25 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

26 There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion!

Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem!

Look, your king is coming to you!

He comes triumphant and victorious,

but humble and riding on a donkey—

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 21:12 Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, 13 and said to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it a hideout for thieves!”

14 The blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law became angry when they saw the wonderful things he was doing and the children shouting in the Temple, “Praise to David's Son!” 16 So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?”

“Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’”

17 Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

ii-Romans 5:10 We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ's life!

iii-Luke 19:28 After Jesus said this, he went on in front of them toward Jerusalem. 29 As he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead 30 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master[a] needs it.”

32 They went on their way and found everything just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying it?”

34 “The Master needs it,” they answered, 35 and they took the colt to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks over the animal and helped Jesus get on. 36 As he rode on, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near Jerusalem, at the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives, the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen: 38 “God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!”

39 Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “command your disciples to be quiet!”

40 Jesus answered, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.”

Matthew 21:21 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead 2 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything, tell him, ‘The Master[a] needs them’; and then he will let them go at once.”

4 This happened in order to make come true what the prophet had said:

5 “Tell the city of Zion,

Look, your king is coming to you!

He is humble and rides on a donkey

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

6 So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. 8 A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, “Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. “Who is he?” the people asked.

11 “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds answered.

Mark 11:11 As they approached Jerusalem, near the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, they came to the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead 2 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 And if someone asks you why you are doing that, say that the Master[a] needs it and will send it back at once.”

4 So they went and found a colt out in the street, tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”

6 They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the crowd let them go. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches in the field and spread them on the road. 9 The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

John 12:12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says,

15 “Do not be afraid, city of Zion!

Here comes your king,

riding on a young donkey.”

16 His disciples did not understand this at the time; but when Jesus had been raised to glory, they remembered that the scripture said this about him and that they had done this for him.

17 The people who had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from death had reported what had happened. 18 That was why the crowd met him—because they heard that he had performed this miracle. 19 The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, we are not succeeding at all! Look, the whole world is following him!”

iv-Luke 18:31 Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “Listen! We are going to Jerusalem where everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, insult him, and spit on him. 33 They will whip him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things; the meaning of the words was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.

v-Matthew 2:2 and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

vi-Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, “I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.”

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “God forbid it, Lord!” he said. “That must never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned around and said to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts of yours don't come from God, but from human nature.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. 25 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. 26 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life. 27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds. 28 I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Son of Man come as King.”

Mark 9:31 because he was teaching his disciples: “The Son of Man will be handed over to those who will kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life.”

32 But they did not understand what this teaching meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

Luke 18:31 Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “Listen! We are going to Jerusalem where everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, insult him, and spit on him. 33 They will whip him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things; the meaning of the words was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.

vii-Mark 11:11 Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

viii-Hosea 11:7 They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them.[a]

8 “How can I give you up, Israel?

How can I abandon you?

Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah,

or treat you as I did Zeboiim?

My heart will not let me do it!

My love for you is too strong.

ix-Acts 2:46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,

5:42 And every day in the Temple and in people's homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

x-Luke 20:9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Let's kill him, and his property 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 the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16 “He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.”

When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

17 Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.’

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”

The Question about Paying Taxes

19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people.

Matthew 21:33 “Listen to another parable,” Jesus said. “There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip. 34 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest. 35 The tenants grabbed his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again the man sent other slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said. 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and we will get his property!’ 39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” Jesus asked.

41 “He will certainly kill those evil men,” they answered, “and rent the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him his share of the harvest at the right time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.

This was done by the Lord;

what a wonderful sight it is!’

43 “And so I tell you,” added Jesus, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce the proper fruits.” 44 [a]

45 The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables and knew that he was talking about them, 46 so they tried to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

Mark 12:12 Then Jesus spoke to them in parables: “Once there was a man who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip. 2 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. 3 The tenants grabbed the slave, beat him, and sent him back without a thing. 4 Then the owner sent another slave; the tenants beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 The owner sent another slave, and they killed him; and they treated many others the same way, beating some and killing others. 6 The only one left to send was the man's own dear son. Last of all, then, he sent his son to the tenants. ‘I am sure they will respect my son,’ he said. 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and his property will be ours!’ 8 So they grabbed the son and killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard.

9 “What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do?” asked Jesus. “He will come and kill those tenants and turn the vineyard over to others. 10 Surely you have read this scripture?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.

11 This was done by the Lord;

what a wonderful sight it is!’”

12 The Jewish leaders tried to arrest Jesus, because they knew that he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

xi-Luke 20:10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out.

xii-Jeremiah 35:15 I have continued to send you all my servants the prophets, and they have told you to give up your evil ways and to do what is right. They warned you not to worship and serve other gods, so that you could go on living in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me or pay any attention to me.

xiii-Acts 7:52 Was there any prophet that your ancestors did not persecute? They killed God's messengers, who long ago announced the coming of his righteous Servant. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.

xiv-Luke 20:20 So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. 21 These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. 22 Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”

23 But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, 24 “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”

“The Emperor's,” they answered.

25 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

26 There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.

xv-Hebrews 11:10 For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.

xvi-Revelation 13:13 This second beast performed great miracles; it made fire come down out of heaven to earth in the sight of everyone. 14 And it deceived all the people living on earth by means of the miracles which it was allowed to perform in the presence of the first beast. The beast told them to build an image in honor of the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was allowed to breathe life into the image of the first beast, so that the image could talk and put to death all those who would not worship it. 16 The beast forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to have a mark placed on their right hands or on their foreheads. 17 No one could buy or sell without this mark, that is, the beast's name or the number that stands for the name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Whoever is intelligent can figure out the meaning of the number of the beast, because the number stands for the name of someone. Its number is 666.

xvii-Luke 22:13 They went off and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

The Lord's Supper

14 When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. 15 He said to them, “I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer! 16 For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.”

17 Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.”

19 Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” 20 In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.[a]

xviii-Exodus 12:8 That night the meat is to be roasted, and eaten with bitter herbs and with bread made without yeast.

xix-1 Corinthians 11:24 gave thanks to God, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me.” 25 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said, “This cup is God's new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me.”

26 This means that every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

xx-Acts 6:7 And so the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew larger and larger, and a great number of priests accepted the faith.

15:5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses.”

xxi-Ezekiel 9:9 Then I heard God shout, “Come here, you men who are going to punish the city. Bring your weapons with you.” 2 At once six men came from the outer north gate of the Temple, each one carrying a weapon. With them was a man dressed in linen clothes, carrying something to write with. They all came and stood by the bronze altar.

3 Then the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel rose up from the winged creatures[a] where it had been, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. The LORD called to the man dressed in linen, 4 “Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city.”

5 And I heard God say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one; have mercy on no one. 6 Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers, and children. But don't touch anyone who has the mark on his forehead. Start here at my Temple.” So they began with the leaders who were standing there at the Temple.

7 God said to them, “Defile the Temple. Fill its courtyards with corpses. Get to work!” So they began to kill the people in the city.[b]

8 While the killing was going on, I was there alone. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, “Sovereign LORD, are you so angry with Jerusalem that you are going to kill everyone left in Israel?”

9 God answered, “The people of Israel and Judah are guilty of terrible sins. They have committed murder all over the land and have filled Jerusalem with crime. They say that I, the LORD, have abandoned their country and that I don't see them. 10 But I will not have pity on them; I will do to them what they have done to others.”

11 Then the man wearing linen clothes returned and reported to the LORD, “I have carried out your orders.”

6:11 The Sovereign LORD said, “Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease.

21:6 “Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you.

xxii-Philippians 2:5 The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:

6 He always had the nature of God,

but he did not think that by force he should try to remain[a] equal with God.

7 Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had,

and took the nature of a servant.

He became like a human being

and appeared in human likeness.

8 He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—

his death on the cross.

9 For this reason God raised him to the highest place above

and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.

10 And so, in honor of the name of Jesus

all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below[b]

will fall on their knees,

11 and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

xxiii-Revelation 14:4 They are the men who have kept themselves pure by not having sexual relations with women; they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from the rest of the human race and are the first ones to be offered to God and to the Lamb.

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