" JESUS' Final Week of Work - Tuesday "

 Tuesday and Wednesday of the week of the LORD's crucifixion and resurrection are not clearly defined, so we are going to attempt to look at as much of what happened right before the Last Supper and the betrayal.

Yesterday the LORD came to a fig tree looking for figs at a time of the year when there are not usually figs on the trees.  When HE found none HE cursed the tree and the next morning when HE and HIS disciples passed by the tree, it had withered and died. We will pick up in Mark 11:20-26 with the LORD's answer.

     Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to HIM, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which YOU cursed has withered away."

So JESUS answered and said to them, " Have faith in GOD.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your FATHER in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your FATHER in heaven forgive your trespasses."

During this time the Sanhedrin would challenge the LORD's authority and HE would answer them in Parables of the Two Sons, the Wicked Vinedressers and the Marriage Feast. We will pick up with the LORD's conversation with the Sanhedrin and their questions in Matthew 21:23 - 22:14.

     Now when HE came into the temple, the Chief Priests and the elders of the people confronted HIM as HE was teaching , and said, " By what authority are YOU doing these things ? And who gave YOU this authority ?"  But JESUS answered and said to them, " I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell ME, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:   The baptism of John, where was it from ? From heaven or from men ?" 

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' HE will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him ?" But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a Prophet." So they answered JESUS and said, " We do not know."  And HE said to them, " Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

     "But what do you think ? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard,'  He answered and said, 'I will not, but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father ?"  They said to HIM, " The first." JESUS said to them, " Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of GOD before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him and when you saw it you did not afterward relent and believe him."

     "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" They said to HIM, " He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  JESUS said to them, " Did you never read in the Scriptures:  

               'The stone which the builders rejected

                Has become the chief cornerstone.

                This was the LORD's doing, 

                And it is marvelous in our eyes' ?

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of GOD will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him into powder." Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard HIS parables, * they perceived that HE was speaking of them.* But when they sought to lay hands on HIM, they feared the multitudes, because they took HIM for a Prophet.

     And JESUS answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  " The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ' Tell those who are invited, "See I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."'  "But they made light of it and went their ways one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ' The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment ?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called but few are chosen."

Now all these parable were directed at those who would not believe what John the Baptist had been preaching about nor would they believe, when the SON was sent to them. Sadly most of what was written about Tuesday and into Wednesday was a barrage of tests by the Pharisees, Elders, Sanhedrin and the Herodians to see if anyone could catch HIM in saying something that could be used as a condemning accusation to get rid of JESUS.   They did not realize or know that the LORD was born to lay down HIS life on the cross in a couple of days. But they still would continue seeking an accusation against HIM.  This barrage of antagonism continued from Matthew 22:15-23:39.  I will not write this very large discourse but will hope that you will read it on your own.  I will, however, give you some select Scriptures as highlights.

 

   

     They questioned HIM about taxes in Matthew 22:17-21 which verse 21 states:  They said to HIM, "Caesar's." And HE said to them, " Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to GOD the things that are GOD's."

     They also questioned HIM about the resurrection and whose wife will a woman be in Matthew 22:23-33 and the LORD ends this discourse with:  "I AM the GOD of Abraham, the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob ? GOD is not the GOD of the dead, but of the living."

     They also questioned HIM about which was the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:34-40 and they questioned HIM on what HE thought about the CHRIST and whose SON is HE in Matthew 22:41-46.

     Now actually Matthew 23:1-39 is the LORD giving instructions to the people about how to do what the Scribes and Pharisees say but not to do as they do. HE upbraids the Scribes and Pharisees and calls them hypocrites.  If you go through verses 13-39 and count how many WOE's the LORD states against them. Verses 37-39 shows the LORD's sadness over Jerusalem and the things that would befall it.

     The last thing spoken within Jerusalem, at this point in the week, was the story of the widow's mite in Luke 21:1-4.  HE wanted to show that giving is not a statement of the wallet but comes from the attitude of the heart.  Many wallets were overflowing and those who had them made a big show out of their giving but this poor women, who had next to nothing, gave all that she had, knowing from where it came and that HE would always provide for her needs.

     We will stop there for today and the conversations from the LORD will move from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives as HE continues to get HIS disciples ready for the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie