AIM: Jesus interrupts everyone’s life
God want to get our attention he might do it with a traffic jam, interrupting our business or showing us miracles of healing. My close friend has said, why the parables, why doesn't Jesus speak plainly? In this passage Jesus does everything but bend over backward for the religious priest and elders to understand God - they even give the right answer but not understanding it's implications. This is the popular story of "Palm Sunday", but take a fresh look at how Jesus returns the next day after kicking over the tables, returning to compassionately teach the religious leaders about God's love and expectations of them.
God want to get our attention he might do it with a traffic jam, interrupting our business or showing us miracles of healing. My close friend has said, why the parables, why doesn't Jesus speak plainly? In this passage Jesus does everything but bend over backward for the religious priest and elders to understand God - they even give the right answer but not understanding it's implications. This is the popular story of "Palm Sunday", but take a fresh look at how Jesus returns the next day after kicking over the tables, returning to compassionately teach the religious leaders about God's love and expectations of them.
A) Jesus welcomed as celebrity prophet from God
(21:1) Jesus & disciples Bethpage, Mount of Olives
approached Jerusalem
(2-3) “take donkey and colt, Lord needs them”
(4-5) fulfills prophecy Savior/King is coming Isaiah 62:11,
Zech 9:9, righteous and victorious
(6-7) two disciples did as Jesus commanded put their
garments over cot –Jesus sat on colt
(8-9) Most of crowd spread their garments on the road,
others cut branches Jesus was center of procession shouting praise God!
(10-11) entire city of Jerusalem in uproar – crowds replied
Jesus prophet from Nazareth, Galilee
Application: Traffic
jam, why is the road full of clothes and branches, what happened to your colt
and donkey? Have you ever heard of Christmas or Easter, you and everyone else
have probably heard something about Jesus. Who is God placing on your heart to
speak about who Jesus said he is?
B) Jesus knocks ‘business’ away from ministry
(12-13) Jesus enters Temple, drives out people
buying/selling animals for sacrifice and knocked over tables saying scriptures
declare My Temple house of prayer, you turned it into a den of thieves!
(14) Jesus healed blind, lame who came to him in Temple
(15) Leading priest, teachers of religious law saw miracles,
heard children shouting “Praise God for the Son of David” but they were
indignant
(16-17) Haven’t you read scriptures ‘You taught
children/infants to give you praise’, Jesus returned to Bethany
Application: God
doesn’t care about our money, he heals, causes people to see, causes lame to walk.
Children get it and see value – what is praise worthy. Don’t let money get
above God or people in your life. Ask
God if anything needs to be reordered in your life. Jesus’ greatest commandment
is to love God, then people – this fulfils the law and all the prophets.
C) Jesus returns to the Temple compassionately teaching the
priest and elders
(18-20) Jesus curses fig tree and it withered up immediately
– disciples amazed how
(21-22) faith without doubt, pray for anything – with faith
you will receive it
(23-24) Jesus returns to Temple teaching, leading
priest/elders demanded by what authority/right?
(25-26) Jesus answers with a question, did John’s authority
to baptize come from heaven or man? If heaven, why didn’t we believe – if man
we’ll be mobbed by because people said he’s a prophet
(27) “we don’t know”,
“then I won’t tell you”
(28-30) Parable of two sons, older – go to work in
vineyard/no but later went: other /yes but didn’t go
(31a) who obeyed? – the first.
(31b-32) bad people
get to heaven because they believe, repent of sins while others won’t even when
they see miracles
(33) Parable of landowner and tenant farmers. He planted
vineyard, built wall, dug pit for pressing juice, lookout tower. Then leased
it.
(34-36) harvest time sent servants to collect but farmers
beat, killed first servant, second group of servants
(37-39) Finally owner sent his son, plotted and kill him to get
the estate
(40) Jesus still talking with religious leaders, “what do
you think the owner will do to the farmers?”
(41-42) “horrible death to them, then lease to others who
will give his share after each harvest” Psalm 118:22-23, “stone builders reject
has become cornerstone, Lord’s doing, wonderful to see”
(43-46) Kingdom of God taken from you given to nation
produce proper fruit – stumble broken, crush on anyone it falls on. They wanted
to arrest him but were afraid of crowds
Application: Go
back and continue to conversationally teach stubborn and hard hearted people –
because you love them - because you were them and are them. After his resurrection,
Jesus’ great commission is to go, make disciples teaching them to obey
everything he commanded.
