Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jesus made numerous appearances to those who followed Him; in fact, Paul documents many of the people who personally witnessed the ressurrected Christ, “…and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles…” (1 Corinthians 15:4-7).  Scripture provides at least ten appearances of Jesus Christ following His resurrection.  Luke details one of these appearances of Jesus to His disciples and the two men who had spoken with Him on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  The two men walking on the road to Emmaus had gathered with Jesus’ eleven disciples to share what they had seen when suddenly, “Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them…” (24:36).  Instead of recognizing Him as their Lord, the disciples reacted with fear thinking He was a ghost (24:37); however, Jesus quickly questioned their fears saying, “Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (24:38).  Desiring to calm their fears, Jesus also said, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (24:39).  Jesus then proceeded to show them the wounds in His hands and His feet in order to prove that it was truly Him (24:40).  Even though they saw proof that it was Him, the disciples still had a hard time comprehending what they were seeing (24:41).

The ladies who followed after Joseph of Arimathea desired to give the body of Jesus a burial according to their standards, so they had prepared spices and fragrant oils and then rested on the Sabbath day (23:55-56). The women returned to His tomb on the first day of the week in order to finish anointing the body of Jesus for burial (24:1); however, when they arrived at the place, “they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (24:2-3). The gospel of Matthew adds that an earthquake occurred and an angel had rolled away the stone, which caused the Roman guards to pass out and eventually flee the scene (Matthew 28:2-4). The women must have arrived at the tomb soon after these things had occurred. Upon entering the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid, the women were confused until two angels appeared saying, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again’” (24:4-7). The words of the angels to the women brought to mind Jesus’ words in Luke 9:22 and Luke 18:31-33 where He foretold of His coming suffering, death, and resurrection (24:8). The women left the tomb and declared unto Jesus’ apostles what they had found (24:9-10), but the apostles did not believe them (24:11) Peter, wanting to see for himself, ran to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and found the linen cloths, so he left the tomb “marveling to himself at what had happened” (24:12).

On the same day of these events, two men were traveling to the village of Emmaus discussing the reports that Jesus had been resurrected (24:13-14). “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him” (24:15-16). Jesus asked the men what they were discussing and why they were so sad and they replied, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days…The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see” (24:17-24). From the reaction of these two men, it becomes clear that many people expected Jesus to be the One who would redeem Israel and usher in the kingdom of God. Jesus then spoke up saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (24:25-27). These men should have known the Old Testament prophecies concerning the suffering Messiah and should have been able to discern the things which had happened.

As they drew near to Emmaus, the men convinced Jesus to stay with them for the evening, so when they sat down to eat, Jesus “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (24:28-32). These two men hurriedly returned to Jerusalem, a 7 mile journey, to inform Jesus’ apostles that He was truly risen from the dead (24:33-35). This was the third confirmation to the apostles of Jesus’ resurrection: the women, Peter, and the two men on the road to Emmaus. Paul provides the significance of the resurrection when he writes, “
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man [Adam] came death, by Man [Jesus] also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22). Because Christ was risen from the dead, those who believe in Jesus will also live forever in the presence of God.

Dear God, thank You for bringing Jesus Christ, Your Son, back to life, for in doing so You have guaranteed that we will also live again!

The religious leaders who had taken Jesus captive (22:66-71) took Jesus to Pilate, a Roman authority and the governor of Judea, and they falsely accused Him of being rebellious against government authorities (23:1-2). Obviously, these charges against Jesus made Him seem as if He was a threat to those in authority, but the accusations were nothing more than a plot to put Jesus away. Pilate asked Jesus directly, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (23:3a) and Jesus answered saying, “It is as you say” (23:3b). The gospel of John provides more detail of the conversation between Jesus and Pilate regarding Jesus’ claim to be a king, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:33-37). Jesus assured Pilate that His kingdom was not an earthly one, but a divine one. Pilate decided that he had heard enough and told the religious leaders that he found no fault with Jesus (23:4), but the Jews insisted that Jesus was guilty, so Pilate sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem for the Passover (23:5-7).

Luke records that Herod was actually glad to see Jesus because he had heard of Jesus’ ability to perform great miracles and he desired to see one performed (23:8). Herod began questioning Jesus, but He did not answer (23:9). The religious leaders began to passionately accuse Him before Herod so he “…treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate” (23:10-11). Pilate then declared to the religious leaders that neither he nor Herod had found Jesus guilty (23:13-15). In order to silence the Jews, Pilate suggested that Jesus be released, as was customary during the Passover feast (23:16-17); however, the Jews began crying out, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas” (23:18). Luke describes Barabbas as one “who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder” (23:19). Pilate attempted to pacify the crowd, but they continued to demand the release of Barabbas rather than Jesus (23:20-23). “So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one [Barabbas] they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will” (23:24-25). As Jesus was being led away to be crucified, many followed Him and mourned at His coming fate (23:26-27), but Jesus warned of coming judgment upon the nation (23:28-31).

Although Luke does not document how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament scriptures through His death (see Matthew and John’s account), he does present Jesus as the One who is able to forgive sin. Jesus was beaten, mocked, and then crucified between two thieves (23:32-38) for crimes He did not commit, but His death was part of God’s plan in bringing forgiveness of sin to the world. It is obvious that the two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus were sinners. One of them spoke blasphemies against Him saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (23:39), but the other thief rebuked him saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong” (23:40-41). The thief, recognizing his own sin and the hope he had through Jesus, turned to Him and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (23:42). Jesus responded to the criminal’s request saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (23:43). Jesus affirmed this man’s salvation on the basis of his repentance and belief, which is still the only way to find hope and salvation.

A supernatural darkness came over the earth from noon until 3:00pm and then Jesus died, having committed His spirit into the hands of God (23:44-46). He willingly gave Himself up to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. After His death, Joseph of Arimathea, a believer and one who was awaiting the kingdom of God, approached Pilate and received permission to bury the body of Jesus (23:50-52). Joseph wrapped His body in linen and laid Him in a tomb (23:53-54). The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee observed the place where Joseph had buried Jesus and determined to prepare Jesus’ body for burial themselves (23:55-56). Jesus, the Savior and Deliverer, was now dead and buried in the tomb. The Jews and Satan probably thought that they had finally triumphed over Jesus, but the events to follow would soon prove that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

Dear God, thank You for the forgiveness of sin that You freely sent to the world through Jesus Christ!

At the conclusion of chapter 22, Luke gives an account of two betrayals: Judas (22:47-53) and Peter (22:54-62). Both of these men were part of Jesus’ twelve disciples that He had spent most of His earthly ministry training and they had every opportunity to observe the heart of Jesus. Luke had already revealed that Judas had conspired together with the religious leaders who were seeking an opportune time to put Jesus to death (22:1-6) and the time had finally come. Following Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (22:39-46), Judas appears with a multitude and “drew near to Jesus to kiss Him” (22:47). The kiss was apparently a signal to the heavily armed soldiers accompanying Judas that He was the one. Jesus responds to Judas’ betrayal by asking, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (22:48). The disciples, who were surprised by the appearance of Judas and the soldiers, asked Jesus, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” (22:49). The gospel of John reveals that Peter took action immediately by cutting off the ear of one of the soldiers named Malchus (Luke 22:50; John 18:10), but Jesus told his disciples to allow the betrayal and arrest to take place (22:51a). Even though all four gospels document this incident, only Luke documents that Jesus healed the ear of Malchus (22:51b). Through this miracle, Jesus demonstrated His willingness to show grace to even His enemies. The demonstration of Jesus’ power here did not gain the attention of those who had come to take Him captive. Jesus then questioned the necessity of bringing soldiers and a multitude saying, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (22:52-53). Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was one of rebellion and a demonstration that his faith was not genuine.

After they had arrested Jesus, they took Him to the high priest’s house and Luke reveals that Peter followed Him at a distance (22:54). Over the next couple hours, three different people recognized Peter as one of Jesus’ disciples, but each time he denied that he even knew Jesus (22:55-60a). Peter’s three denials fulfilled Jesus’ words in Luke 22:31-34 and immediately after his third denial, the rooster crowed (22:60b). Only Luke records what happens next, “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So Peter went out and wept bitterly” (22:61-62). There is such a difference in the two betrayals. Judas betrayed Jesus because his faith was not real, while Peter betrayed Him because of fear and weakness. God shows mercy to those who deny Him in a moment of weakness, but those who willingly and continually deny Him with their words and lives will face judgment. Jesus is then mocked and beaten by the soldiers (22:63-65) before appearing before the religious leaders who ultimately find Him guilty of blasphemy because He claimed to be the Son of God (22:66-71). Jesus suffered through all of this to take away my sin and yours. The prophet Isaiah said it best hundreds of years earlier when he foretold the mission of the Messiah, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Dear God, even though Your Son experienced betrayal and suffering, thank You for loving me so much that You laid my sin on Him.

Since Jesus and his disciples had arrived at the upper room in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (22:1-13), many things had taken place. Judas had conspired with the religious leaders to betray Jesus (22:1-6) and then he attended the Passover celebration with the other disciples where Jesus revealed that He would become the sacrifice for sin (22:14-20). In the midst of all that was happening, Jesus also revealed that someone would betray Him, which caused the disciples to speculate who would do this thing (22:21-23). The disciples began to arrogantly discuss who was the greatest among them until Jesus finally put a stop to their shallow conversation by reminding them that greatness is not found in having authority, but in serving others (22:24-30). In a surprising twist to the story Jesus turns to Simon Peter, who was often the spokesman for the disciples, and warns against his overconfidence saying, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (22:31-32). Satan cannot bring trials or temptations upon believers unless God has given His consent and in this case it seems as if God allowed Satan test Peter’s devotion. Jesus’ words indicate that He knew Peter would fail the test, but He also provided hope of restoration after his denial. Peter reacted to Jesus’ revelation saying, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (22:33), but Jesus responded saying, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me” (22:34). This conversation between Jesus and Peter should also serve as a warning to us – no matter how strong we think we are, we can fall in a moment.

After these conversations, Jesus and His disciples depart to the Mount of Olives and when they arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane He said, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (22:39-40). Jesus had already warned them of the coming trials and He took the time to warn them again knowing the pray would be the only thing which would sustain them through the next several hours. Jesus then withdrew from the disciples and prayed to God the Father, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (22:41-42). The cup Jesus referred to was the cup of God’s divine wrath being poured out on sin. Sin had to be judged and the only way to satisfy God’s wrath on sin was to put to death the sinner. God the Father was about to place the sins of mankind upon His own Son, Jesus Christ, and put Him to death for sins He did not commit; therefore, Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for sin so that human beings did not have to die to pay for their own sin. So when Jesus was praying for the cup to be taken away, He was asking God that if there was any other way to pay for the sins of mankind, that He would consider it; however, Jesus fully submitted to God’s plan even though that meant suffering and death. Since Jesus was bearing the sins of man on His own, God sent an angel to strengthen Him during His time of tremendous burden (22:43). The burden Jesus was carrying was so great that even “His sweat became like great drops of blood…” (22:44). When Jesus finally arose from prayer, He found His disciples sleeping from so much emotional strain so He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (22:45-46). Jesus knew that they were about to face the greatest trial of their lives. Each day we also face trials and temptations from the forces of evil, but we must pray that God will sustain us during these times. Following Christ is not always an easy path to travel, but God promised not to allow us to face more than we can handle. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Dear God, as You sustained Your Son during His greatest hour of need, also sustain those who are near to You.

Jesus had finally arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, a one day event, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was a seven day celebration. Both of these celebrations were a remembrance of the Israelites being delivered from Egyptian bondage back in the time of Moses (see the book of Exodus). God had commanded the celebration of Passover and provided the guidelines in Exodus 12. During this time of celebration when all the Jews had gathered in Jerusalem, the religious leaders also gathered themselves together to discuss how they might put Jesus to death without turning the people against them (22:1-2). Luke writes concerning the first action which set in motion the events to follow, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude” (22:3-6). Judas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, became possessed by Satan himself and agreed to betray Jesus for a payment of 30 pieces of silver. Although Satan thought that he was getting rid of Jesus, it would ultimately be His death which would bring life to those who would repent and believe in Jesus as the payment for sin. What Satan meant for evil, God turned into good for all mankind.

After Judas’ agreement with the religious leaders, the Passover celebration began with the disciples preparing the feast in an upper room (22:7-13). In their preparations for this meal the disciples would have had to kill a lamb to symbolize the innocent lambs that were killed in order to spare each Israelite household from death during the time of Egyptian bondage. When the hour came for them to celebrate this meal together, Jesus sat down in the upper room with His disciples and said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (22:14-16). Although Jesus’ words caused them to remember the sacrifice which was made by the lamb in order to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, His words also prepared them for His own sacrifice the next day which would deliver sinners from death and eternal separation from God the Father. Jesus continues to illustrate the significance of this meal when He took the bread and said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (22:19). The bread which Jesus broke represented His own body which would soon be sacrificed for sinners. Jesus then took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (22:20). The wine in the cup represented His own blood which would soon be shed for the sins of mankind. At this point in history, the significance of the Passover shifted. As the spotless lamb was sacrificed to deliver the Israelites from death, Jesus’ imminent death would soon be a means of deliverance for sinners. While the Passover itself looked ahead to the sacrifice of Christ, the Lord’s Supper looked back in remembrance of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for sin. John the Baptist provided a clear concept of what Jesus was saying here when he said in reference to Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Matthew also records the words of the angel to Joseph saying, “And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Ultimately, Jesus died in man’s place so that man would not have to pay for sin through his own death and eternal separation from God.

Following His message about His imminent sacrifice, Jesus reveals that someone sitting at the table would betray Him, so they all began to question “who would do this thing” (22:21-23). Their questioning turned to arrogance when they began arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest (22:24). Jesus quickly corrected their erroneous thinking by establishing that greatness is not found in having authority, but in serving others (22:25-27). Christ then provides a word of encouragement to His disciples saying, “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (22:28-30). Although His followers would not be considered great in this world, Christ promised a coming earthly kingdom where they would receive places of honor for their faithfulness to Him. All who are part of the family of God will experience trials and tribulations in this world, but God has promised a day when all that which is evil will pass away. We await that time.

Dear God, we await Your soon return, but until then may we be faithful to You.

Luke writes that Jesus was looking at the rich “putting their gifts into the treasury” and He also observed a poor widow who put in two mites, which was about 1/8 of a cent each (21:1-2). In reaction to what He had seen, Jesus said, ” Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had” (21:3-4). Although the rich had given more money than the poor widow, she had given sacrificially while they had given out of their excess. Oftentimes giving is not an issue of amount, but sacrifice. While Jesus was in the temple, some were admiring its beauty (21:5), but Jesus said, “These things which you see–the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down” (21:6). Jesus’ talk of the temple being destroyed caused the disciples to ask some questions concerning the timing and the signs leading up to this future destruction (21:7). Jesus answered their second question (regarding the signs) first by providing a couple things which would happen before Titus and the Romans destroyed the temple in A.D. 70. People claiming to be the Messiah (21:8), wars (21:9-10), earthquakes (21:11) and persecution (21:12-17) will characterize this coming destruction. Although these signs had a current fulfillment, Jesus’ words also refer to a time of future destruction during the seven year tribulation period, which falls in between the rapture and the millennial reign of Christ. Luke describes the destruction of Jerusalem in verses 20-24 and then describes future events during the tribulation period in verses 25-33. Jesus then told the parable of the fig tree (21:29-33) in order to teach His listeners that by watching the signs, they could discern what was about to transpire. The signs detailed in Luke 21:25-28 would alert them to Jesus’ soon coming kingdom.

Along with revealing to them the signs which would precede His return, Jesus gave them a stern warning regarding watchfulness, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth” (21:34-35). Jesus was concerned that many had the potential to be distracted by the affairs of this world so he said, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (21:36). Being watchful is an important behavior in the life of those who follow Christ because evil surrounds us at every turn. Peter writes regarding watchfulness saying, “Be sober, be vigilant [watchful]; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:8-10). Until Jesus Christ returns to earth to set up His kingdom, those who follow Him must remain watchful and guard their lives from giving into temptation.

Dear God, make me watchful.

Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem had attracted much attention from both those who were curious about His ministry and from the religious leaders who were interested in silencing His teachings (Luke 19:47-48). The Sadducees were one of the many religious groups unified in putting a stop to Jesus’ teachings and Luke describes them in this passage as those who “deny that there is a resurrection” (20:27); in fact, history tells us that the Sadducees rejected all things supernatural, which included the resurrection of the dead. Similar to the other religious groups of Jesus’ day, they approached Jesus with a question or a scenario designed to make Him look foolish. The Sadducees presented a hypothetical circumstance to Jesus concerning the Old Testament law of levirate marriage. Deuteronomy 25:5 provides some insight into this law which teaches that an unmarried brother of a childless dead man should marry his widow in order to provide an heir; of course, this law was only valid if the living brother was unmarried (Luke 20:28). Here is the circumstance the Sadducees propose to Jesus, “Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife” (20:29-33). In essence, the Sadducees were denying that the resurrection could be true based on this hypothetical scenario; however, Jesus answered wisely saying, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection (20:34-36). The Sadducees’ question was invalid because people will not be married in the resurrection. Jesus also reminded them of an Old Testament conversation between Moses and God where He called Himself “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (20:37). These three men had died before Moses, but God declared Himself to be the God of the living, not the dead (20:38). In His answer to the Sadducees Jesus teaches several truths: there will be no marriage in the resurrection (20:34-36), there will be a resurrection (20:37-38), and all people will live forever in the presence of God or in Hell (20:38).

Some of the scribes (interpreters of the Old Testament law) spoke up and commended Jesus for His answer to the Sadducees because they agreed with Jesus in this matter; however, the religious groups “dared not question Him anymore” (20:39-40). The more Jesus spoke, the more it became apparent that He taught with authority and understanding. Jesus also took this opportunity to question the religious leaders saying, “How can they say that the Christ [Messiah] is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” (20:41-44). His inquiry surrounded the true nature and character of the promised Messiah, whom the prophets declared would come through the line of David. Quoting from Psalm 110:1, Jesus referred to the place where King David called the Messiah “my Lord” and also exalted Him as being at God’s right hand, which was a place of honor. David obviously recognized that the Son, Jesus Christ, would be divine in nature, not just human in nature as the religious leaders taught, and that is why David referenced Him as Lord. Instead of the Messiah just being the Son of David, He was also to be recognized as the Son of God. Turning His attention to the disciples, Jesus warns them concerning the hypocritical actions of the scribes who “desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts” (20:46); furthermore, Jesus condemns the scribes as ones who “devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers” (20:48). The scribes had access to the truth, but chose to ignore Jesus as the true Messiah. Rather than believing the truth, they spent their time pursuing pompous displays of spirituality which were designed to gain them popularity and recognition. Jesus promised that they would receive “greater condemnation” (20:47). Truth is accessible, but many are not willing to receive it because they are only interested in using religion to pursue selfish desires.

Dear God, may what I believe be demonstrated in the way I live.

It is obvious that Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem was not welcomed by the religious leaders of the day; in fact, Luke tells his readers that following Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, the Jewish leaders tried to find a way to put Him to death (19:45-48), but they could not at that time because He was still popular with the crowds. As Jesus was teaching in the temple and preaching the gospel, the religious leaders confronted Him asking, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” (20:1-2). Rather than answering their questions, Jesus asked them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: The baptism of John–was it from heaven or from men?” (20:3). Since they felt as if they had the authority to question Him, Jesus responded back with His own question. The gospel of Matthew provides the discussion amongst the religious leaders as to how they should answer Jesus’ question: “And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, From heaven, He will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? But if we say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet’” (Matthew 21:25-26). Realizing that there was no easy way to answer, the religious leaders chose not to give an answer, so Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things” (20:8).

In order to describe the authority by which He had been sent, Jesus told a parable to the people about a man (God) who planted a vineyard and went away for a long time, but when it was vintage-time he sent his servant to collect from the vinedressers (Jewish religious leaders), but they beat him and sent him away (20:9-10). The man sent two more servants to try to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard, but the vinedressers also beat them and sent them away (20:11-12). The man then decided to send his son (Jesus) because he thought they would respect him (20:13). Instead of respecting his son, the vinedressers said, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours” (20:14). Jesus then poses the question, “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?” (20:15). Answering His own question Jesus says, “He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others” (20:16). When they understood what Jesus was implying, the Jewish leaders answered Him, “Certainly not!” (20:16b). The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus’ parable was spoken about them and they would not accept Jesus’ message that they were being set aside by God because they had rejected Him as the Messiah. Jesus then looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (20:17-18). Although Jesus was now being rejected by the religious leaders, He would one day reign supreme and become their judge.

When they heard Jesus’ words, they wanted to kill him but they still feared the reaction of the crowds, “so they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (20:19-20). These spies tried to catch Jesus saying something against Caesar so they asked Him, “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (20:21-22). Jesus perceived their deceitful tactics and answered that they should “render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (20:23-25). Jesus was declaring that all citizens have an obligation to obey the laws of the land as well as the laws of God. Because of His wise answers, there was no way the religious leaders could bring a charge against Him, so they continued to wait and scheme. Isn’t it amazing how people think they can bring defeat against an all-powerful God?

Dear God, may Your enemies fail at every scheme aimed at bringing destruction upon Your purposes and plans.

Jesus, on His final approach to Jerusalem, was about to pass through Bethphage and Bethany when He told two of His disciples to go into the village where they would find a colt “on which no one has ever sat” (19:28-31). The disciples did as Jesus had commanded them and they found a colt and brought it back to Jesus. They threw their clothes on the donkey colt and Jesus sat upon it. While riding the donkey into Jerusalem, “many spread their clothes on the road” and the other gospel writers reveal that they also spread palm branches before Him on the ground (Matthew 21:8; Mark 11:8; John 12:13). Jesus’ actions fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, who predicted that the Messiah would ride on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus often resisted others’ recognition of Him as the Messiah because it was not yet God’s time, but these events reveal that Jesus was entering Jerusalem to present Himself to the religious leaders as the promised Messiah. Making His descent from the Mount of Olives, the multitudes began praising Him for all the great works he had done. The gospel of John says that many had come to see Him because they had heard that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17-18). Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was probably the height of His popularity as people cried out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (19:38). Some of the Pharisees objected to the crowd’s shouts of praise (19:39), but Jesus said, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (19:40). As Jesus came near to Jerusalem, Luke is the only gospel writer to record the fact that Jesus grieved over the city (19:41-42), mostly because Jesus knew that many of the people praising Him now would be the same ones who would also demand His crucifixion just a few days later. A part of Jesus’ grief was also His knowledge of Jerusalem’s future destruction by Titus in A.D. 70 (19:43-44) when the Romans would overthrow the entire city including the temple, homes, and the people. Ultimately, the destruction of Jerusalem was God’s judgment upon the city for failing to receive Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Upon His arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple where He drove out “those who bought and sold in it saying, ‘It is written, My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’” (19:45-46). This was Jesus’ way of cleansing the temple from those who were simply attempting to make a profit using “religion” as their means; in other words, these people had no love for God but a love for taking advantage of those who did. Jesus began teaching in the temple daily, but the religious leaders “sought to destroy Him” (19:47); however, they could not because Jesus was still popular with the crowds (19:48). From this time forward, the religious leaders allowed their unbelief and bitterness toward Jesus drive them to do whatever was necessary to restore their “normal” religious practices to the temple. Eventually, these leaders would sway the opinion of the multitudes, which would result in Jesus facing the hardest days of His very short life.

Dear God, may my praise not be conditional, based on the opinions of the people, but help me to remain committed to my faith in You.