Day 3: Teaching in the Temple

 

Tuesday:  The Teacher’s in the House

            On Tuesday morning of that fateful week, Jesus and His disciples began the walk from Bethany to Jerusalem.  One of the first things they saw was the withered fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before.  While the disciples were astonished, Jesus used it as another teaching moment.  That moment encompasses only a few verses in Mark and Matthew, but Jesus’ words are a reminder to us of the power of prayer.  He made it clear to the disciples and us that prayer coupled with belief, without doubt, can move mountains.  That lesson alone would have been enough for one day, but He was only getting started.

            When He arrived at the Temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders were waiting for Him.  They were still licking their wounds from the events of Monday and seemed determined to trap Him, by challenging His authority to do the things that He had done.  He responded with a question He knew they could not answer.  He asked, “Was John’s baptism from heaven or of men?” The Pharisees found themselves in a quandary.  If they said it was from heaven, then why didn’t they accept it?  If they said it was of men, the people might revolt because they believed John was a prophet.  There was no “safe” answer, so they simply said they didn’t know.  Jesus then refused to tell them what His authority was for doing the things that He did.

            He was just getting started.  He followed that interaction with two parables about vineyards.  In the first, a father asked two sons to go and work in the vineyard. The first said no, but later went.  The second said yes, but never showed up.  Jesus asked, “Which of the two did what the father wanted?”  The obvious answer was the first, but then Jesus enlightened them further by pointing out that the Religious Leaders knew what they should do and even had the opportunity to hear John the Baptist show them the “way of righteousness”, but they refused to obey, much like the second son. 

            Jesus wasn’t done with them yet.  He followed that parable with the story of the tenants who killed the owner’s servants and ultimately killed his son.  The religious leaders were smart enough to recognize that the owner would not treat the tenants kindly when he returned but they weren’t smart enough to realize that Jesus was talking about them.  He ended that teaching with “Therefore, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the people who will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21: 43 NIV84).  At that, the Pharisees were outraged and immediately looked for ways to arrest Him, but they were too afraid of what the crowd might do if they tried.

            While the Pharisees were probably seething with anger, Jesus wasn’t quite finished with them.  After answering more of their “trick” questions, He began to speak truth about the hearts of the Religious Leaders.  He condemned their hypocrisy, fake piety, and neglect of the things that really matter, justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

            After He finished His condemnation of the Religious Leaders, He and His disciples left the Temple, but He wasn’t done teaching that day.  He began to talk with them about the “signs of the end of the age” and included several well-known parables, including “The Ten Virgins”, “The Talents” and “The Sheep and the Goats.”  He ended it all by reminding His disciples of the impending Passover and the fact that He would be handed over to be crucified.

            Meanwhile, the Religious Leaders were busy plotting to arrest Jesus and ultimately kill Him.  They would have preferred to do it immediately, but they couldn’t risk a riot among the people during the Festival week. 

            All in all, Tuesday was a very busy and eventful day for Jesus.  It was one of His most important days of teaching, not just for His disciples, but for us as well.  He knew what the remainder of the week would hold but He also knew that God’s timing would not be altered, so He boldly spoke the message that day.  We should also know that God’s timing is perfect, so perhaps it’s time that we also proclaim God’s message boldly.  Time grows shorter every day.  It’s time that we speak the Truth, boldly and in love!

Mark 11: 20 – 13: 37

Matthew 21: 18 – 26: 5