| The Life of Christ - Lesson 27: Second Day of Overturning the Tables |
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| Written by Richard S. Thompson | |
| Thursday, 01 October 2009 | |
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The Life of Christ - Lesson 27 Time - 4/1/30 AD, 12 Nisan Monday Second Day of Overturning the Tables Mark 11:12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 11:13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 11:14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."[a] And his disciples heard him say it. 11:15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area [b] and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 11:16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 11:17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'?[c][d] But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'[e]" 11:18 The chief priests (high priests) and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.[f] 11:19 When evening came, they went out of the city.[g] As Jesus approached Jerusalem from Bethany on Monday, He cursed the fig tree. This tree must have been very close to Jerusalem and far from Bethany. We can draw this conclusion because we know that He spent that night on the Mount of Olives,[h] and the next morning (Tuesday) He and His disciples passed the fig tree on the way in to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (probably from the Garden of Gethsemane).[i] When they reached the Temple He totally disrupted the money making endeavors of the High Priests. The money changing endeavor was large enough to serve hundreds of thousands of people, so this was not the action of turning over a few tables. It would have taken a long time. When Jesus was through with that, He began to teach. This took the whole day.
Time -4/2/30 AD, 13 Nisan Tuesday Teaching in the Temple It is worth noting that the events which took place on Tuesday morning and early afternoon are all recorded in the same order in all three Gospels.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree Mark 11:20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 11:21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 11:22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 11:23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,[j] ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 11:24 Therefore [k] I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." 11:26 [l]
Matthew 21:18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately [m] the tree withered. 21:20 When the disciples saw this,[n] they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree,[o] but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." This also connects to the parable Jesus had told less than a year before. It makes me like to believe that the fig tree in our passage was right in front of the Temple.
Mark 13:6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 13:7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 13:8 "‘Sir,' the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 13:9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"[p]
Applicable Old Testament Passage Micah 7:1 What misery is mine![q] I am like one [r] who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.[s] 7:2 The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net. 7:3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire-- they all conspire together. 7:4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. 7:5 Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. 7:6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies are the members of his own household.[t] 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior;[u] my God will hear me. 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. 7:9 Because I have sinned against him,[v] I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. 7:10 Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she [w] who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.[x] 7:11 The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.[y]
It is worth noting that the events which took place on Tuesday morning and early afternoon are all recorded in the same order in all three Gospels, although some of the lessons in one Gospel are left out of others.
The Jewish Leaders Question Jesus' Authority When Jesus arrived on Tuesday morning, the Bible does not record that He overturned the Tables of the money changers or interfered with the commerce of the Temple as He had on the two previous days. It may well be that the Priests had desisted from that business in anticipation that He would do it again. However, the first thing the High Priests asked him was where He got the authority to have done "these things." Their biggest money day would have been on Wednesday when the crowds came with their lambs to be sacrificed. That may be one reason they wanted to make sure Jesus was arrested before Wednesday came.
Mark 11:27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the
Luke 20:1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the
Matthew 21:23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the
Parable of the Two Sons Matthew 21:28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 21:29 "‘I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.[aa] 21:30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,' but he did not go.[bb] 21:31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 21:32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Parable of the Vineyard and the Rejected Stone
Matthew 21:33 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it,[cc] dug a winepress [dd] in it and built a watchtower.[ee] Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers [ff] and went away on a journey. 21:34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.[gg] 21:35 "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 21:36 Then he sent other servants to them, more [hh] than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 21:37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,' he said. 21:38 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 21:39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 21:40 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 21:41 "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,"[ii] they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "‘The stone the builders rejected has become the
Mark 12:1 He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 12:2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 12:3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 12:4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 12:5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 12:6 "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.' 12:7 "But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 12:8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 12:9 "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 12:10 Haven't you read this scripture: "‘The stone the builders rejected has become the
Luke 20:9 He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 20:10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 20:11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 20:12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. 20:13 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' 20:14 "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,' they said. ‘Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 20:15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 20:16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" 20:17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "‘The stone the builders rejected has become the
Relevant Old Testament Passage. Isaiah 5:1 I will sing for the one I love a song [nn] about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 5:2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.[oo] 5:3 "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 5:4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 5:5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 5:6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it." 5:7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Relevant Old Testament Passages and Prophecies.
Isaiah 8:13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 8:14 and he will be a
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Matthew 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.[rr] 22:3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 22:4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner:[ss] My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' 22:5 "But they paid no attention and went off-one to his field, another to his business. 22:6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.[tt] 22:8 "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'[uu] 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 22:11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.[vv] 22:12 ‘Friend,' he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 22:13 "Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 22:14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."[ww]
The Question of Caesar's Coin Mark 12:13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians [xx] to Jesus to catch him in his words. 12:14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 12:15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy.[yy] "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 12:16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.
Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 22:16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 22:17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 22:18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 22:19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 22:20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 22:21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22:22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Luke 20:20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.[zz] 20:21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 20:22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 20:23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 20:24 "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" 20:25 "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 20:26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. [a] Micah 7:1, see also Luke 13:9 and its note. [b] Mark records the overturning of the Tables on Monday morning while Matthew and Luke indicate that the action was on Sunday evening. John does not record it at all. What is the answer? He must have overturned them both on late Sunday, and on Monday morning. He had also done the same thing on Passover, three years earlier as recorded in John 2:14-17. Another question is also provoked. Jesus had visited Jerusalem at least five times during His ministry. Twice during Passover, once at Tabernacles, once at the Feast of Dedication, and once during an unnamed Feast. Yet only at Passover was Jesus driven to attack the profiteering and commercialization at the Temple. Admittedly it was at its worst at Passover, when they collected the Temple head tax (forbidden by the Law) and sold something over a hundred thousand of lambs for the Passover sacrifice. I think that the biggest part of the reason Jesus raged against this practice at Passover was that Passover was to be the shadow of His sacrifice on the cross as our Passover lamb. His sacrifice is a free gift and He did not want the shadow that God intended to sully the true grace of the Cross. [c] Isaiah 56:7 [d] Deffinbaugh points out that accord to some accounts, the "bazaars" set up to sell the animals filled the court of the Gentiles, leaving Gentiles no place to worship, thus the reference to "a house of prayer for all nations." R. Deffinbaugh, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ, Lesson 27 [e] Jeremiah 7:11. Notice Jesus has called the High Priests "robbers." Which in fact they were. Nothing stings more than the truth. The following was written 30 years later: Antiquities of the Jews, by Flavius Josephus, BOOK XX. CHAPTER 9. Verse 2. "But as for the high priest, Ananias (Annas) he increased in glory every day, -- for he was a great hoarder up of money -- he also had servants who were very wicked, who joined themselves to the boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing-floors, and took away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence, and did not refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the other high priests acted in the like manner, as did those his servants, without any one being able to prohibit them; so that priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died for want of food." [f] Notice that according to Mark, which has the most detailed chronology of this period of the synoptic Gospels, this finalization of the Sanhedrin's plot against Jesus took place on Monday. Mathew and Luke connect that finalization with the day Jesus gave his prophecy of the end. It is for that reason that I have placed that prophecy on Monday. [g] Evidently not out to Bethany but to the Garden of Gethsemane. [h] Luke 21:37 "Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives." Also Luke 22:39. [i] The Garden of Gethsemane is not mentioned until the last night. It is possible that they changed campsites every night to prevent being arrested at night. However, on that night they had chosen their campsite before returning to the city for the Last Supper. [j] To reconstruct the scene, Jesus was standing on the Mount of Olives, facing both Mt. Zion and the Temple Mount. What is the "this mountain" of His promise. Did He mean the mountain literally or figuratively. The promise seems rather extravagant if literal. It is impossible that any of the three mountains can be moved until the Second Coming, because all three mountains have a role to play at the return of Christ, and they must be in Jerusalem. The other possible interpretation is that Jesus is speaking figuratively. Figuratively, Mt. Zion is associated with the death of Christ, the Mount of Olives is associated with His ascension. Both are associated with the work of Christ in bringing us back to God from the consequences of our sin. Figuratively, the Bible often uses the "sea" to speak of judgment. I believe that Jesus was speaking figuratively of the fact that by faith any person can cast the work of Christ into the "sea" of God's judgment and thus be qualified to stand before God. In a similar figure Moses cast the tree (symbol of the cross) into the bitter waters of Marah (Exodus 15:22-26) and it became sweet. Also, when the axe head had sunk in the deep waters (judgment), Elisha cast in a branch (actually a tree) which stood for the cross and made it float (2 Kings 6:4-7). Seen figuratively, this is a promise that has been claimed millions of times as each of us who have trusted in Christ have prayed to cast the mountain of Christ's work into the sea of judgment against us. Every time the salvation prayer of faith in Christ has been made, it has been answered. This is a far greater miracle than moving a mountain made of soil and rocks. See especially Micah 7:19 "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." [k] Because we first stand before God redeemed by the cross, He is able to answer our other prayers. [l] Mark 11:26 Textus Receptus "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses." [m] Also note that according to Matthew the withering may have begun "immediately," but was not noticeable until the next day (Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:20-21). There is no reason to suppose that the comment that Matthew records here was not made the next day "when the disciples saw" the withering. In other words Matthew records the comment out of chronological order to complete the episode in one thought. Mark, on the other hand records it chronologically. [n] By consulting Mark we can conclude that they perceived this on Tuesday morning. This is a classic example of how the Gospels are condensed. [o] Examples of this in scripture: Matthew 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."; 1 Timothy 1:19b-20 "Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme." [p] This passage is also significant in that it confirms that Jesus' ministry lasted into the fourth year. After he came the fourth year and found no fruit he cursed the fig tree. Jesus fulfills this shadow a few months later during his last visit to Jerusalem. Matthew 21:19 "Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered." [q] What a striking anthropomorphism! The failure of Israel to believe causes the Lord misery. [r] Although the NIV translators have injected a close comma at the end of Chapter 6, it seems to me that it is the Lord still speaking. [s] See Christ's use of this analogy in Matthew 21:19 and Mark 11:13-14. [t] In Matthew Jesus quotes this passage as speaking of His time. Matthew 10:34-36 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn "‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. [u] As is noted often in the Messianic Psalms Jesus had to rely on the salvation and deliverance of the Father. It was He who delivered Jesus from the grave "because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay."(Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27) Also, in Psalms 89:26 it speaks of the son of David, first born son of the Father, ruler of the earth as addressing God as "my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior."(see also Psalms 118:14, 18:46, 38:22, 68:19, [v] This is not alone among the Messianic passages (see also Psalms 38:18, Psalms 39:8, Psalms 40:12, Psalms 41:4, Psalms 69:5, Psalms 89:32) where Jesus (the sinless) associates Himself with the sins of mankind because He is the son of Adam who will pay for them. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Romans 4:25 "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." 1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." [w] It is instructive the it was "religion" that said this to Jesus. Religion is personified as a she (the woman of Babylon - Revelation 17:5-6, Zechariah 5:7) and in this passage the action is taken by a "she." [x] The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. [y] The Millennium [z] Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Book 5, Chapter 3 "As His words are generally understood, they would have amounted only to silencing His questioners, and that, in a manner which would, under ordinary circumstances, be scarcely regarded as either fair or ingenuous. It would have been simply to turn the question against themselves, and so in turn to raise popular prejudice. But the Lord's words meant quite other. He did answer their question, though He also exposed the cunning and cowardice which prompted it. To the challenge for His authority, and the dark hint about Satanic agency, He replied by an appeal to the Baptist. He had borne full witness to the Mission of Christ from the Father, and ‘all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.' Were they satisfied? What was their view of the Baptism in preparation for the Coming of Christ? No? They would not, or could not answer! If they said the Baptist was a prophet, this implied not only the authorization of the Mission of Jesus, but the call to believe on Him. On the other hand, they were afraid publicly to disown John! And so their cunning and cowardice stood out self-condemned, when they pleaded ignorance, a plea so grossly and manifestly dishonest, that Christ, having given what all must have felt to be a complete answer, could refuse further discussion with them on this point." To further clarify. The Jews were in effect asking Jesus (in modern parlance), "So what seminary did you graduate from and what degrees do you have to claim the authority to teach?" The Jews of that time required the endorsement or years of study under a great teacher like Hillel or Gamaliel as the equivalent of a modern degree. Jesus had the endorsement of one the people regarded as a great teacher, John the Baptist. So He asked the Jews what they thought of John the Baptist. If they replied that he was a great teacher, then Jesus had His answer to their question. He should have had all the authority the Jewish rulers needed by means of the endorsement of John the Baptist. They saw they were trapped, because they were afraid to admit that they had rejected John's teaching because John was popular with the crowds. [aa] The first son speaks of the tax collectors and prostitutes who at least acknowledged that their sin was dearer to them than the will of God and honestly and openly said "No!" Later when they saw the consequences of their sin and God's forgiveness they honestly said "Yes!" [bb] The second son speaks of the High Priests and elders who spent all of their time in a hypocrisy of worship without ever doing the real will of God. [cc] Speaking of protection. [dd] Speaking of prosperity. [ee] See Isaiah 5:2. A watchtower was used to warn impending threats. This is speaking of the word of God which God had given to Israel. [ff] According to verse 45, the farmers were the spiritual leaders of Israel, the Pharisees and the Sadducees (and the High Priests). [gg] This would have been the rent for the land agreed on beforehand. In Israel's case it would have been obedience to God's word. [hh] According to Edersheim this should be understood as "greater (in authority)," rather than "more" as rendered here. [ii] The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the banishment of Jews from the Holy land in 136 AD after the Bar Kokhba revolt. [jj] In both the Greek here and the Hebrew from which this is quoted this is literally the "head of the corner" or the "corner stone." The cornerstone was the stone on which the two walls which were built out of it depended for stability. A capstone is usually the top stone on a wall or building. The difference is critical. The entire Old Testament is built on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is not just the cherry on the top. That was one of the main problems with 1st Century Jews. They saw Jesus as just the last revelation of the Law of Moses, not as the foundation of the Law of Moses. With the mystery of Christ revealed the whole Old Testament had to be reinterpreted. They wanted to keep all their old traditions many of which were based on a faulty understanding of the foundation. [kk] This is a quotation from Psalms 118:22. Part of that Psalm had been fulfilled two days before when the crowd had cried "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD." The Lord would save those who would accept his salvation, but they rejected the corner stone of the Lord's true temple. [ll] The Church. The vineyard is not geographical Israel, but the protection, blessing and guidance by and custody of the word of God. The church is grafted into the vine of Israel and we are to produce the fruit that it failed to produce. However, the time will come (the Tribulation) when God will be able to produce the fruit that was intended from the original vine (the physical descendants of Israel). [mm] See Isaiah 8:13-15 attached. See also Daniel 2:34-35 [nn] Note the similarity to the Song of Songs. [oo] Jesus Christ used this figure and connected it to His coming numerous times. Matthew 21:33-42, Mark 12:1-11, Luke 20:9-17, Luke 13:6-9 ) [pp] The Hebrew word here is vD:q]mi which refers to the Lord's Tabernacle or Temple in 70 of the 72 times it occurs. The other two times it occurs it refers to the temples of other peoples. This is saying that the Lord himself will be their Temple. This is the body of Jesus Christ. [qq] Clearly speaking of Jesus Christ. Romans 9:33. [rr] See Revelation 19:6-9 "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'' And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.'" This seems to take place about the time of the Rapture and Great Tribulation. [ss] Edersheim asserts that this should actually be translated "early meal." The implication is the "early meal" (Christ's first coming) was ready. The great evening meal (implied), would be the second coming of Christ and His reign. [tt] Another prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. [uu] The Gentiles. [vv] The wedding clothes for the guests in this parable are the same as the wedding clothes of the Bride. Fine linen clean and white. The righteousness of Christ which we wear only through faith in Christ. [ww] Those who are chosen are those who stand in the righteousness that is through faith. The entire human race is invited, but only a few (relatively) will believe. They are chosen because they stand in the "chosen one."(Isaiah 42:1) [xx] Note that Herod was in on the plot. When Jesus was brought to Herod Antipas the next day he sent Him back to Pilate because he wanted the Romans to get rid of Him so both Herod and the Sanhedrin can escape blame from the people. [yy] They were flattering Jesus hoping to get him to respond with what would have led to more admiration from the crowd which would have been: "Don't pay the Roman taxes." The purpose of their flattery was to aid in getting the Romans to kill Him for them. This was their hypocrisy. Unfortunately for their designs, their flattering words about Jesus were correct. He didn't change the truth for anyone. The Roman occupation was something that the Lord had ordained. As time would show, the Romans were more receptive of the truth than the Jews were. [zz] Note, that their plan was always, somehow, to get the Romans to responsibility of executing Jesus. |
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