27: Ministry in Jerusalem (Lk 19:28-20:47)

I.       The Basics

A.     Setting

As the Lord Jesus went up to Jerusalem, He entered the final phase of His ministry. His first act was to cleanse the temple, and as a result, He met the opposition of the religious leaders, who sought to destroy Him and eventually succeeded in their plot. But through the confrontation, the Lord challenged the old religious establishment and demonstrated His divine authority. Thus, His activities and teachings in the temple served as an important indication that the perfect spiritual temple, for which the earthly temple foreshadowed, was ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

B.     Key Verse

            “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it” (19:41).

C.     Did You Know…?

1.      Bethphage (19:29): A village near the road going from Jericho to Jerusalem.

2.      The temple (19:45): The outer court.

3.      Chief priests (19:47): The chief priests, the highest Jewish religious leaders, were in charge of the temple.

4.      Give him some of the fruit (20:10): In accordance with a kind of sharecropping agreement, a fixed amount was due the landowner. At the proper time he would expect to receive his share.

5.      Chief cornerstone (20:17): either a capstone over a door (a large stone used as a lintel), or a large stone used to anchor and align the corner of a wall, or the keystone of an arch.

6.      Denarius (20:24): About a day’s wage.

7.      Sadducees (20:27): An aristocratic, politically minded group, willing to compromise with secular and pagan leaders. They controlled the high priesthood at this time and held the majority of the seats in the Sanhedrin. They did not believe in the resurrection or an afterlife, and they rejected the oral tradition taught by the Pharisees (Josephus, Antiquities, 13.10.6).

8.      Long robes (20:46): The teachers of the law wore long, white linen robes that were fringed and almost reached to the ground.

II.    Observation

A.     Outline

(19:28-40)

(19:41-44)

(19:45-48)

(20:1-8)

(20:9-19)

(20:20-26)

(20:27-40)

(20:41-44)

(20:45-47)

B.     Key Words/Phrases

III. Segment Analysis

A.     19:28-40

1. In what ways was this event miraculous?

2. What is the significance of riding on a colt? (cf. Zech 9:9).

3. What lessons can we learn from “the Lord has need of it”?

4. Why did the Pharisees object to the disciples’ praise?

B.     19:41-44

5. What did the people of Jerusalem fail to know or see?

6. What can we learn about the Lord Jesus from this paragraph?

C.     19:45-48

7. How had the people turned the temple into “a den of thieves”?

8. What lessons can we learn from the cleansing of the temple in regards to our lives and worship?

D.     20:1-8

9. What “things” (v. 2) was Jesus doing that led to this confrontation?

10. What was the concern of the chief priests and scribes?

11. What does their inability to answer Jesus’ question tell us about them?

E.     20:9-19

12. What do these characters in the parable represent?

12a. Owner of the vineyard

12b. Vinedressers

12c. Servants

12d. Beloved son

13. How does this parable relate to the question on authority in vv. 1-8?

14. Explain the meaning of verse 18.

F.      20:20-26

15. How was the question on paying taxes a trap?

16a. Explain the answer Jesus gave.

16b. How did His answer correct the misconception that lay underneath the question?

17. What are “the things that are God’s”?

18. What can we learn here about the social obligations of Christians and the reasons for these obligations?

G.    20:27-40

19. What point were the Sadducees trying to prove with their question?

20a. How does the quotation in 37 show that God is not the God of the dead but of the living?

20b. How does this understanding apply to resurrection?

H.    20:41-44

21. Why did Jesus pose the question about Christ’s sonship?

I.       20:45-47

22. What sins was Jesus warning the disciples against?

23. Have you felt the pressure to pretend to be religious because people look up to you? How should you deal with such temptation?