Day 303: Luke 19-21

(The previous post covered complex Reward Doctrine from Jesus concerning how believers ought to confront each other.)

Luke 19
¹ And he entered and was passing through Jericho.
² And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; and he was a chief publican, and he was rich.

(A rich man named Zacchaeus was introduced. He was a publican (tax collector), which the religious leaders saw as a sinner. Zacchaeus handled the Roman money, which had an engraving of Caesar on it. Merely touching that money was considered idolatry by the religious leaders and therefore Zacchaeus was considered an idolater and unclean.)

³ And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the crowd, because he was little of stature.
⁴ And he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

(Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but because he was so short he went up into a tree so he could see Jesus pass by. In addition to being short, the fact that the people saw Zacchaeus as unclean would mean they wouldn't want to touch him. Going up in the tree was also about not being touched by the people in the crowd.)

⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.

(Jesus told Zacchaeus to get down because Jesus was going to abide at his house that day.)

⁶ And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
⁷ And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, He is gone in to lodge with a man that is a sinner.
⁸ And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold.

(The people murmured against Jesus but Zacchaeus told Jesus about the good things he did.)

⁹ And Jesus said unto him, To-day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
¹⁰ For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

(Jesus came to seek and save those who were lost (Ezekiel 34:11-12). Remember, the goal of the Dispensation of the Law was to reach everyone through the Law. The Dispensation prior to that was Abraham's Dispensation where the goal was to reach everyone through Abraham's seed. After Zacchaeus stated he kept the Law, Jesus stated Salvation came to his house because Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham. Jesus covered both dispensations.)

¹¹ And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear.

(Verses 12-27: the Parable of the Pounds (This parable was similar to the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-31.).)

¹² He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
¹³ And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come.

(In this parable, the source of the wealth specifically told his servants to trade in order to gain more, to interact with others in uniqueness in order to become profitable.)

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us.
¹⁵ And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.
¹⁶ And the first came before him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made ten pounds more.
¹⁷ And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

(This man was given authority over ten cities.)

¹⁸ And the second came, saying, Thy pound, Lord, hath made five pounds.
¹⁹ And he said unto him also, Be thou also over five cities.

(Likewise, this man was given authority over five cities.)

²⁰ And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin:
²¹ for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou layedst not down, and reapest that which thou didst not sow.
²² He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up that which I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow;

(The servant who hid his pounds stated that he thought the nobleman was a austere man and reaped where he did not sow. This was not true. The pounds came from the nobleman. He did sow. However, the nobleman judged the servant by the servant's own words.)

²³ then wherefore gavest thou not my money into the bank, and I at my coming should have required it with interest?

(Like the Parable of the Talents, this servant did not interact with anyone. The source of the wealth, the nobleman, stated he ought to have interacted with just one person, the banker. Why?)

²⁴ And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the pound, and give it unto him that hath the ten pounds.
²⁵ And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.
²⁶ I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.
²⁷ But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

(The man was slain! God's ultimate measure is profitability.

The new Jerusalem will be 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles deep, and 1500 miles high (Revelation 21:16). It will be cities on top of cities. Did this parable show us how everyone's place in the new Jerusalem will be determined? People who have more Reward will be higher in the new Jerusalem with others under them? We know Jesus will be at the top of the new Jerusalem.)

²⁸ And when he had thus spoken, he went on before, going up to Jerusalem.
²⁹ And it came to pass, when he drew nigh unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
³⁰ saying, Go your way into the village over against you; in which as ye enter ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat: loose him, and bring him.
³¹ And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.

(Jesus sent two Disciples to get a colt. This was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. These events took place the week Jesus was crucified.)

³² And they that were sent went away, and found even as he had said unto them.
³³ And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
³⁴ And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
³⁵ And they brought him to Jesus: and they threw their garments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon.
³⁶ And as he went, they spread their garments in the way.
³⁷ And as he was now drawing nigh, even at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen;
³⁸ saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

(The people were proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.)

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from the multitude said unto him, Teacher, rebuke thy disciples.
⁴⁰ And he answered and said, I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.
⁴¹ And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it,
⁴² saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
⁴³ For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
⁴⁴ and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

(The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was foretold by Jesus.)

⁴⁵ And he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold,
⁴⁶ saying unto them, It is written, And my house shall be a house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of robbers.

(Jesus referenced Isaiah 56:7. Prayer is a spiritual exchange with God. The moneychangers were focused on physical exchange with people, which Jesus described as "a den of robbers." Jesus stated God's house ought to be for spiritual exchange with God, not physical exchange with people.)

⁴⁷ And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him:
⁴⁸ and they could not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon him, listening.

(Jesus taught daily in the temple during the week of His crucifixion. The chief priests and the scribes sought to destroy Jesus but could not because all the people wanted to hear Him.)




Luke 20
¹ And it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders;
² and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

(One of the days Jesus was teaching, the scribes and chief priests asked Him where His authority (Semikah) came from. Remember, the two Semikah's that Jesus received His authority from were John the Baptist and God the Father.)

³ And he answered and said unto them, I also will ask you a question; and tell me:
⁴ The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?

(In response, Jesus asked them where they believed John the Baptist's authority came from. If they did not recognize John the Baptist's authority, they would not recognize one of Jesus' Semikahs. If they did not recognize the source of John the Baptist's authority, they would not recognize Jesus' other Semikah: God.)

⁵ And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him?
⁶ But if we shall say, From men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.
⁷ And they answered, that they knew not whence it was.
⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

(The chief priests and elders weighed both possible responses and decided not to answer, so neither did Jesus. This was Just.)

(Verses 9-16: the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.)

⁹ And he began to speak unto the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country for a long time.
¹⁰ And at the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
¹¹ And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat, and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
¹² And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth.
¹³ And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him.
¹⁴ But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, This is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
¹⁵ And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
¹⁶ He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

(In this parable, the lord of the vineyard was God the Father, the husbandmen were the Israelites, the servants that were beat/persecuted were the prophets sent by God the Father, and the lord of the vineyard's son was Jesus Christ. The husbandmen (Israel) would be cut off (the times of the Gentile). The Pharisees said "God forbid.")

¹⁷ But he looked upon them, and said, What then is this that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner?
¹⁸ Every one that falleth on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.

(Jesus referenced Psalm 118:22 in response to the Pharisees. Jesus basically showed the Pharisees they were in disagreement with God's Word and Will.)

¹⁹ And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he spake this parable against them.

(The chief priests and scribes sought more to lay their hands on Jesus because they knew He was stating the religious leaders were violating God's Word and doing their own will instead of God's Will.)

²⁰ And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who feigned themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor.

(Spies were sent out to catch Jesus in His words.)

²¹ And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of any, but of a truth teachest the way of God:
²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them,

(The spies tempted Jesus with a question meant to get the government involved.)

²⁴ Show me a denarius. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Caesar's.
²⁵ And he said unto them, Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.
²⁶ And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

(Jesus answered the tempting by bringing resolution to the difference between the physical and the spiritual. The government rules the physical, while God ought to rule the spiritual.)

²⁷ And there came to him certain of the Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection;
²⁸ and they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, that if a man's brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

(Certain Sadducees (who denied the resurrection) tempted Jesus by asking questions about Marriage in the resurrection.)

²⁹ There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died childless;
³⁰ and the second:
³¹ and the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no children, and died.
³² Afterward the woman also died.
³³ In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had her to wife.
³⁴ And Jesus said unto them, The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
³⁵ but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
³⁶ for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

(Doctrine: Individuals will not be married in eternity.)

³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the Bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
³⁸ Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

(Jesus showed the religious leaders they did not know God's Word. Jesus supported His answer with God's Word.)

³⁹ And certain of the scribes answering said, Teacher, thou hast well said.
⁴⁰ For they durst not any more ask him any question.

(After this interaction, they stopped asking Jesus questions because they did not want to dwell on how they had been wrong about God's Word. However, Jesus wanted to continue to show them they did not know God's Word.)

⁴¹ And he said unto them, How say they that the Christ is David's son?
⁴² For David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
⁴³ Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.
⁴⁴ David therefore calleth him Lord, and how is he his son?

(Jesus referenced Psalm 110:1. Jesus asked for the definition of "Lord.")

⁴⁵ And in the hearing of all the people he said unto his disciples,
⁴⁶ Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and chief places at feasts;

(Jesus openly criticized the religious leaders of His time because they did not know God's Word and instead focused on appearance.)

⁴⁷ who devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation.

(Jesus even stated they would have greater condemnation, the greater their injustices. That is Just.)




Luke 21
¹ And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury.
² And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
³ And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
⁴ for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.

(Jesus commended the woman to the Disciples who gave all that she had, all of her possessions.)

⁵ And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said,
⁶ As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

(Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple that would occur in 70 AD at the hands of the Romans. They took apart all the stones to get to the gold.)

⁷ And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?

(They wanted to know when these things would be fulfilled. In this Gospel account, the only answer that was presented was in response to: "What will be the sign of Thy coming?")

⁸ And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.
⁹ And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately.
¹⁰ Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
¹¹ and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven.

(Jesus gave signs for the end times.)

¹² But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.

(…but before all the signs, there will be persecution first.)

¹³ It shall turn out unto you for a testimony.

(The persecution will be a testimony.)

¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer:
¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay.

(During the times of persecution, God will give believers words ("a mouth") and actions ("wisdom") that will lead to their adversaries not being able to withstand or speak against those believers.)

¹⁶ But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
¹⁷ And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
¹⁸ And not a hair of your head shall perish.
¹⁹ In your patience ye shall win your souls.
²⁰ But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.

(Jesus referenced Daniel 9:27: the abomination of desolation which will occur halfway (3 1/2 years) into the Tribulation. The first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation will be peaceful. The Antichrist will attack and torment Israel for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Jesus warned Israel's inhabitants to immediately flee when the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation began.)

²¹ Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein.
²² For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
²³ Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people.
²⁴ And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

(Verses 25-28: signs that come before the return of Christ.)

²⁵ And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
²⁶ men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
²⁸ But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.

(Verses 29-33: the Parable of the Fig Tree.)

²⁹ And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees:
³⁰ when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh.
³¹ Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh.

(Jesus used a physical example to illustrate a spiritual principle.)

³² Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished.
³³ Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
³⁴ But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare:
³⁵ for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth.
³⁶ But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

(Watch and pray so that you are counted worthy to escape these things.)

³⁷ And every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet.
³⁸ And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him.

(During the week prior to Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus taught in the temple and people intentionally came to hear Him.)

(This post covered the confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders that immediately preceded Jesus' crucifixion.)

Day 304