Teacher: Rusty Kennedy Series: Gospels |
Rusty's Notes | |
(Tuesday - 12th Day of Nisan)
- Jewish leaders place the lambs for sacrifice in a pen and examine them for 5 days to make sure they are without any flaw/blemish (perfect).
- Jewish leaders begin questioning Jesus unbeknownst to them they are examining the lamb of God.
THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED
1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came 2 and said to him:
(confronted Jesus)
Matthew 21:23-22:14
THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
- They are examining the sacrifice
They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”
- All of John’s followers believed that John was “from heaven”.
- The crowd would have been mad at them for discrediting John the Baptist.
- The Jewish leaders had an agenda… political… keep their status… keep their jobs.
THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’
29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They said, “The first.”
- They answered the question to prove their knowledge.
- But based upon Jesus’ response… they condemned themselves.
- It was more important for them to be “smart” than to be “wise”.
THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER
Isaiah 5:1-2 - 5 I will sing about the one I love,
a song about my loved one’s vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones,
and planted it with the finest vines.
He built a tower in the middle of it
and even dug out a winepress there.
He expected it to yield good grapes,
but it yielded worthless grapes.[2]
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 34 When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit. 35 The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”
- Speaking knowledge without wisdom.
- Condemning themselves again.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is what the Lord has done
and it is wonderful in our eyes? (Psalm 118)
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.
- Reference to end times when Jews will proclaim Jesus as Messiah.
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew he was speaking about them. 46 Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because the people regarded him as a prophet.
- Actions determined based upon how the crowd will respond to them.
THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET
22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
- God invited the Jewish nation to His wedding banquet.
- But the Jews rejected his offering.
- 70 AD – Romans killed 1.1 million Jews
- The King always presented the guests with wedding clothes as a free gift.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”[3]
Mark 11:27-12:12
THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED
27 They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”
31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER
12 He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11 This came about from the Lord
and is wonderful in our eyes?”
12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away. [4]
Luke 20:1-19
THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED
1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came 2 and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?”
5 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know its origin.
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER
9 Now he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that 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 farmers and give the vineyard to others.”
But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!”
17 But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”
19 Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on him that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.[5]
Matthew 22:15-22
GOD AND CAESAR
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don’t care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.
21 “Caesar’s,” they said to him.
Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.[6]
Mark 12:13-17
GOD AND CAESAR
- They just need one good question to corner Jesus and get Him to answer so they can arrest him.
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius
to look at.”
- Pharisees were not able to use any coin that had a picture of anyone on it because it would be considered worship.
- They had to go find one.
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him. [7]
Matthew 22:22
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Luke 20:20-25
GOD AND CAESAR
20 They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority. 21 They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and you don’t show partiality but teach truthfully the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But detecting their craftiness, he said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”
“Caesar’s,” they said.
25 “Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 They were not able to catch him in what he said in public, and being amazed at his answer, they became silent.[8]
Matthew 22:23-33
- Now the Sadducees are going to come and test Jesus
- Priestly group who led and don’t believe in resurrection.
23 That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him: 24 “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (Deuteronomy 25:5 – Mosaic Law) 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second also, and the third, and so on to all seven. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”
- This was a question the Sadducees loved to ask because the Pharisees could never answer it.
- It was a “power up” question.
- “in heaven” – not like the fallen angels who marry and have offspring.
33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. [9]
Mark 12:18-27
THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION
18 Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and questioned him: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child, that man should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 None of the seven left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”
24 Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”[10]
Luke 20:27-40
THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up and questioned him: 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. 30 Also the second 31 and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”
34 Jesus told them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to take part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where 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, because all are living to him.”
39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 And they no longer dared to ask him anything. [11]
The Sadducees can no longer intimidate the Pharisees.
[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ex 12:3–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Is 5:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 21:23–22:14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 11:27–12:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 20:1–19). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 22:15–22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 12:13–17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 20:20–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 22:23–33). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 12:18–27). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 20:27–40). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.