Lesson 31

STUDY NOTES on previous study

Jesus’ Authority (Luke 20:1-21:4

This week’s readin= g is incredibly rich in insight and wisdom. There is much for us to learn, not o= nly from the content of Jesus’ teaching, but the wisdom of His every acti= on. The tension is now fully evident. The leaders want to destroy Jesus. They eventually kill Him, but for now, they are desperately attempting to discre= dit Him. They are clearly not up to the task!

First, the religious lea= ders question His authority. His teaching was not consistent with their interpretations of the law. In their view, one had to base one’s thin= king on a former or present expert in the law (for example, them!). Jesus knows = they will not accept His answer, for He has given it over and over. He is clearly working by God’s authority. But they would not accept it. Why? Because they had not been baptized by John the Baptist – remember? So Jesus doesn’t just avoid answering the question, He points them to the caus= e of their confusion. He asks them by what authority John baptized. Now they are caught. If they say John baptized by any authority other than God’s, = the people would stone them. For John was considered by all to be a martyred prophet. But if they admitted John worked by God’s authority, then th= ey would have to explain why they had not submitted to his baptism. So they “punted” and answered, “We can’t say.” Clearl= y, they were not concerned about truth, but their own personal well being. The crowd knew what Jesus had done in this acute display of wisdom. He answered simply “then I will not tell you where my authority originates.”= ;

But, knowing Jesus, you = would expect a further reply, and He has one. He answers the question after all, = but with a parable. This one cuts to the heart of the religious leaders. It is a story all would understand. A man planted a vineyard and allowed tenant far= mers the right to tend and harvest the vineyard. He then sent servants to collect his fair share of the harvest. They were beaten and thrown out. So the owne= r of the vineyard sends his own son. He was killed so that the tenant farmers co= uld claim the land as their own. The listening crowd was horror-stricken and shouted, “May this never be.” But that is exactly what would happen, as Psalm 118:2 foretold.

It is so easy to sit bac= k and condemn the religious leaders. But could this be us? Asked to faithfully gi= ve God what is rightfully His, do we, with hostility, jeal= ously guard that which we have? Maybe we didn’t kill the son, but if we thi= nk we can with violence take all of God’s blessings and use them for our= own well-being, are we any different?

The next segment continu= es the theme of what is rightfully God’s. In an attempt to trap Jesus, He is asked if one should pay taxes. This was a question that raised emotions to = a fervor pitch. If Jesus said one should pay taxes, He = would be considered a traitor by the people, and He would lose His popularity. If= He said no, He could be handed over to the Romans as one inciting violence against them. But Jesus knew their hearts. His ans= wer is a fascinating display of wisdom. He calls them to look at the coin and t= ell them whose image it bears. Then He answers, “Give Caesar what is his,= but give God what is His.” The real focus is on the second part of the phrase. Jesus dismisses the value of money – give it up to those who = call for it. The Romans provide an economy that functions, so pay them their due= . The point is to give to God what is rightfully His. There is a clear link to the preceding parable. Pay your taxes, but give God your life.

Now the Sadducees have prepared their best “shot”. They think they have a question that cannot be answered. You can be sure they used it many times against those w= ho believed in the resurrection, and no one was able to give a good answer. So they set up a situation of marriage where a wife has many husbands because = of death. Jesus’ response is interesting. His main concern is not with t= heir question but with the issue of the resurrection. Their view of marriage was bound to their view of this life. Marriage is needed is this world, but the= re is a world to come that will introduce a new kind of existence. I don’= ;t know exactly what this means. I think we must be careful not to conclude too much about the nature of relationships in heaven because of this answer. Je= sus’ main concern is to show that their view of life is woefully short-sighted. = It does not end at death, in spite of their cute question. God is a god of the living! It is ironic that on = this point the Pharisees have to applaud Jesus. He has put the Sadducees in their place. “Well said, teacher” some responded. They could hear Him= on issues with which they agreed, but could not hear him on issues calling the= m to repentance. Might that be us as well?

Well, this last dialogue= shut the mouths of all of Jesus’ critics. They knew they were outmatched. Jesus wasn’t finished. He took that which they loved most – the= ir supposed knowledge of Scripture, and demonstrated how little they knew. He asked them how Psalm 110:1, if written by David, could refer to the Messiah= as Lord and He also be his “son.” How c= ould a descendant of David be his Lord? This didn’t fit in the construct of their view of Messiah. It demonstrates that the Messiah was much more than = an earthly descendant of David. He was far greater than David. Their rigid understanding of Scripture left them without an answer.

Jesus took this occasion= to speak of the leaders’ authority. They began this episode in the life = of Jesus questioning His authority; Jesus ends the episode destroying theirs. = He points out their love for attention and glory, but they rob widow’s houses and pray meaningless long prayers. How do they rob widow’s hou= ses? Likely by insisting they pay the temple tax, or give an offering just like everyone else. They have no concern for the well being of the widow, just t= he observance of “their” law.

The story of the widow at the treasury must be studied in this conte= xt. Jesus is deeply moved by her great sacrifice. However, He is also showing the injustice of a religious system that applauds the rich for giving much, but doesn’t even notice the widow giving up her bread money for the day. = In truth, she gave more. This is not just a matter of saying. She really did g= ive more. God needs nothing we have. We give because we need to give. If we fall prey to thinking that we give more than another because we have more to giv= e, we fail to see life from God’s perspective. By the way, the rich have great difficulty demonstrating their faith in God because they have so much= . For the widow, who had little, she could make a dramatic statement of faith by giving her all. She trusted in the Lord. She knew somehow, He would provide= . Who, then, is truly blessed?

After having read the st= udy, answer the following questions:

1. What should have been obvious to t= he Pharisees who asked for the source of Jesus’ authority?

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2. What did John’s baptism have= to do with Jesus’ authority?

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3. Why did Jesus’ answers about= taxes and the resurrection silence His critics?

4. What does Jesus’ question ab= out David demonstrate concerning the religious leaders’ view of the Messi= ah?

The End is Coming! (Luke 21:5-38)<= /b>

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Read Luke 21:5-19

1. What spurred Jesus’ comment = about the destruction of the temple?

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2. What things were to happen that di= d not signify the coming of the end?

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3. What end was prophesied by Jesus f= or His followers?

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4. How should verses 12-19 impact us?=

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Read 21:20-24=

1. How would people know when the destruction of Jerusalem was about to occur?

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2. What were they to do when this hap= pened?

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3. What would happen to the city?

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4. Again, how should these verses imp= act us today?

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Read 21:25-33=

1. What will happen as the Son of Man appears?

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2. What did Jesus mean in His referen= ce to a fig tree?

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3. When would all this happen accordi= ng to Jesus?

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Read 21:34-38=

1. What is the point of all of Jesus&= #8217; teachings in this section?

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2. What actions does Jesus call for in anticipation of the coming of the Son of Man?

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3. How were the people responding to = the teachings of Jesus?

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4. Why do you think the people were so willing to listen to Jesus?

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