The Passion Week: Tuesday

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week.  

Please keep checking back!

Tuesday

On the way back to Jerusalem, the group again passes by the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before.  The tree that was green and healthy just a day earlier, was now brown and withered.  It is a haunting foreshadow of Jesus’ impending confrontation with the Jewish leaders.

When Jesus entered the Temple, He resumed preaching and teaching as was His daily practice.  He was confronted by the chief priests and elders who asked, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?”  Jesus responded by asking them where John the Baptist had received his authority.  The leaders then faced a dilemma: they didn’t want to acknowledge John’s authority as being from God but neither did they want to raise ire among the crowd who believed in John, so they refused to answer.  Therefore, Jesus didn’t answer their question.

Matthew 21 tells us that Jesus next gave two parables.  The first was of two sons who were told by their father to go work in his vineyard.  The first said no, but later repented and went to work.  The second said yes, but ultimately never went to work.  The point of the parable is that it’s our actions - not our words - that demonstrate our obedience.  The Pharisees claimed they followed the Law of Moses, but in practice they never did.

It is the next parable that I want to focus on. In the Parable of the Tenants, the owner of a vineyard let out his vineyard before going away on a long trip.  When the harvest came, the owner sent servants and eventually his own son to collect his profits from the tenants.  The wicked tenants mistreated the servants and even killed the son, hoping to keep the profits and even inherit the vineyard.  Then Jesus reveals the point of the parable:

Matthew 21:40-45, When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 

It was the lesson of the fig tree come to life!  The religious leaders were the disobedient sons who told their father they would work in the field but didn’t.  They were wicked tenants who worked in the owner’s vineyard, but would not give the owner the bounty of it.  Just like the fig tree, they presented themselves as healthy and productive but they bore no fruit, so the Kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to the Church!

The back and forth between Jesus and the religious leaders continued with Jesus ultimately condemning them with “Seven Woes” (Matthew 23):  

V. 13, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.  

V. 15, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

V. 16, Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

V. 23, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith:

V. 25, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

V. 27, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

V. 29-31, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 

After His blistering condemnation, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37-39, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”  After this, Jesus leaves the Temple. 

As He is walking down from the Temple Mount with His disciples, I can imagine there may have been an awkward silence that hung over the group.  It could be that they had never seen Jesus this angry and weren’t sure what they should say or do.  Perhaps to break the silence or lighten the mood, the disciples remarked on the beautiful buildings of the temple.  Jesus, however, stunned them back into silence with a frightful prophecy:

Matthew 24:2, And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Later, as Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples had mustered the courage to ask Him about His comments.  They asked Him 2 questions (Matthew 24:3):

1. Tell us, when shall these things be?

2. And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Jesus’ response to these questions has become known as the Olivet Discourse.  Notice, there are two questions.  Many Bible commentaries treat them as though they are one question (essentially, ‘when and how will the world end?’).  This has led to some confusion because some of the things Jesus tells them will happen during the lives of the disciples and other things will happen at the end of the age.  

An adequate discussion of the Olivet Discourse would be too long for this post.  I do, however, want to direct your attention to v. 14, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  Wow!  God has withheld His judgment even until now, giving the entire world the opportunity to hear the gospel!  The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish but that all might come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  He is not some tyrant king, looking for any chance to punish his subjects!  He is the loving father of Luke 15, who sees his wayward son returning from a life of rebellion, and runs to him, and showers him with love and blessings!  Amen!!

Which brings us back to the lesson of the fig tree.  Jesus concludes His discourse with these words (v.32-33): Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

The parable of the wicked tenants wasn’t only to the scribes and Pharisees but also to the Church.  We are the tenants of the vineyard and it is our job to produce the fruit that is due to Him.  Let us not be like that deceitful tree that appeared productive because of its green leaves but still did not produce fruit.  His return is near - let us go now and preach the gospel to every creature!!

The Passion Week: Monday

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week. 

Please keep checking back!

Monday

On the way back to Jerusalem Monday morning, an interesting thing occurred.  Mark mentions it, almost in passing.  

Mark 11:12-14, And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

The cursing of the fig tree might have made the apostles curious, but their interest at the moment was likely short lived and perhaps forgotten upon their arrival at the Temple courtyard.  However, the full scope of Jesus’ words would be realized the next day.

 

When they entered the Temple courtyard, they found it crowded with vendors and money changers.  All of the gospels describe a time when Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple.  However, many people aren’t aware Jesus did this on 2 different occasions - once at the beginning of His public ministry, then again now.  The descriptions given in the gospels sound similar but there are some key differences.

John 2:13-16 records the first time this had happened, about 3 years earlier.  John describes a much more intense confrontation where Jesus made a scourge of cords and drove out the vendors violently.  The religious leaders confronted Him immediately and demanded a sign to prove He had the authority to do these things.  It was then that Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).  This prophecy isn’t mentioned in any of the synoptic gospels.  John suggests that the disciples likely forgot He’d said this but remembered it after His Resurrection.

The synoptic gospels do attest that, on this Passover, Jesus once again overturned the tables and ordered the vendors out.  Here’s the account recorded in Mark’s gospel.

Mark 11:15-17, And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Notice that there’s no mention of a scourge here - nor in Matthew or Luke.  Mark further says, “He taught them, saying unto them…” which suggests that Jesus, while being forceful and stern, was also instructing them.

After driving out the money changers, Jesus remained at the Temple, healing the blind and the lame.  The Pharisees watched Him disapprovingly but didn’t confront Him immediately,  They looked on angrily as children continued crying out, “Hosanna to the son of David.”  When they finally confronted Jesus about it, He replied, “Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:16).

I’ve always found it amusing how Jesus would chide the religious leaders by asking them, “Haven’t you read…” followed by a passage relevant to the situation.   His rebuke must have been especially stinging because the Pharisees prided themselves on their knowledge and adherence to the Law. To ask them, “Haven't you read?” would be like someone saying to Donald Trump, “Haven't you ever run a business before?”  Being the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees believed it was they who most correctly interpreted Scripture. Jesus confirmed that the authority of Scripture trumped the opinions of Pharisees.

After all this, Jesus left the city to spend the night in Bethany.

The Passion Week: Palm Sunday, The Triumphant Entry

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week.  

Please keep checking back!

Palm Sunday: The Triumphant Entry

While Jesus was still on Mt. Olivet, He sent two disciples into Bethphage to bring Him the donkey He would ride into the city.  As He drew near the city, He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).  Even before He entered through the Eastern Gate, crowds had already begun to throng the street.

Matthew 21:6-11, And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm Sunday, He received a hero’s welcome. After all, He was looked upon as a deliverer, the one who would rescue the Jews from their Roman oppressors. They called Him the son of David and cried, Hosanna, which means, “Save us!”

As I read the account in Matthew, I’m reminded of a similar scene when David was welcomed after defeating Goliath:

1 Samuel 18:6-7, And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.  And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

David was their deliverer then and they wanted Jesus to be their deliverer now. His entrance into Jerusalem to the accolades of many is sometimes called The Triumphant Entry. He was the long awaited Messiah. However, Jesus’ plan wasn’t the same as those receiving Him.

The Jews were looking for a conqueror – someone who would break the yoke of Rome’s tyranny over the nation. They wanted the Messiah to overthrow Caesar’s kingdom and establish His own kingdom. It’s true that Jesus will one day return as the Conqueror; One day, He will come as the Lion – but first He had to come as the lamb.  In a real sense, He had come to save them!

The Bible says there were times that people wanted to make Jesus their king (John 6:14-15, et al) but Jesus rejected the idea. His plan was to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:9-10). He was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice that would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). When He stood before Pilate, He didn’t proclaim Himself to be king; instead, He stood silently as a sheep before the shearer (Acts 8:32).

I can imagine the disappointment of the people less than a week later when they saw that Jesus was a prisoner of Pilate. The one in whom they had put their hope was now standing before them mocked, beaten, and humiliated. At the coaching of the Pharisees, they chose Barabbas (who had led an insurrection against Rome) for clemency over Jesus. Just a few days before, they hailed Jesus as the son of David; now they were crying, “Crucify Him!”

People are fickle. Some people want God to serve them rather than the other way around. They have a picture of who God is and how He is supposed to act. These people wanted God to rain fire down on their enemies but instead Jesus said, “Father forgive them” (Luke 23:34). They wanted Jesus to lead rebellion and Jesus said to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). They wanted the Messiah to be a conqueror – not sometime in the future but now! And when Jesus wasn’t, they didn’t want anything to do with Him. They wanted Him to be their king – next they wanted Him dead.

I hope to live to see the return of Christ. I long to hear that trumpet sound and be delivered from this world. I want to see the Lion of Judah. But I’m more glad for the Lamb! We sometimes want God to do things our way; I like God’s plan better!

The Bema Seat

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

The Bible tells us that there will be a time when believers will stand before Christ and have their works judged.  We’re not judged for our salvation but for a reward.  1 Corinthians 3:10-15 describes this judgment as a trial by fire which will reveal the sort of works we’ve done.  Our worldly pursuits will be burned away like wood, hay, and stubble.  Only the things we did for the Kingdom will remain, revealed by the fire and made pure like gold, silver, and precious stones.  What remains after the judgment will be our reward.  It’s sobering to know that the things I do now have eternal consequences.  It would be to my shame if I stood there empty handed while other saints cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet!

The word translated in the Bible as “judgment seat” is the Greek word, bēma (βῆμα, Strong’s word 968).  A while back, I did a search to see how many times the word βήμα is used in the Bible. It is used 10 times (in various forms): 8 times in the epistles and twice in the gospels. The two times it is used in the gospels (Matthew 27:19 and John 19:13), it refers to the same event which is the judgment of Jesus before Pilate.

Here is the account from Matthew in context (Matthew 27:19-24):

When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

I thought it was interesting that Jesus Himself was once judged before the Bema seat. We know the outcome, of course; He was ultimately sentenced to be crucified. However, note carefully what Pilate said about Him. He said that Jesus was a “just person” who had done no evil. In John 19:6, Pilate is quoted as saying, “I find no fault in him at all.” The accusation board Pilate wrote to be placed over Jesus said only that He was “King of the Jews.” Was that the worst that could be said about Him? Pilate might as well have written, “Savior of the world.”

It's significant that Jesus was found to be without guilt. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). If Jesus had been guilty of any sin, He would have been deserving of death. If He had been deserving of death, He could not have given His life as the payment for our sins since He would have had to die for His own sins. But He was innocent. He was the lamb without blemish – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Before we stand before the Judgment Seat, it was necessary for Him to stand before the judgment seat. It is by His obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19). Praise God!!

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I arise today 

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, 

Through the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through

God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today

All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Revelation 2:17 – What is our new name?

Revelation 2:17, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

In spite of the many criticisms I've heard about the Bible, for the most part, reading it is fairly straightforward and it's not too difficult to understand. However, books like Revelation are admittedly a little tougher. Certainly, Revelation is full of symbolism and while it may not be difficult to understand the words, the meanings of the symbols aren't always clear. Revelation 2:17 is an example of difficult symbolism. What does it mean to eat the hidden manna? What is represented by the white stone? What is the new name given to us? I've read many commentaries that talk about these things but, as for the “new name,” I also have a few ideas of my own.

There are some family names that carry a certain impact. Think of the name, Kennedy, for example. Anyone who is called, “a Kennedy” is immediately identified as a person of wealth, power, and influence. The name, Trump, has come to have a similar ring. Anyone born into these families inherit a certain reputation simply because of their name. Furthermore, it's not always the names of wealthy families that are commonly recognized, names like the Hatfields and McCoys have their own infamy.

In Isaiah 56:5, God said, “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” Names like Vanderbilt or Rockefeller might impress people in this world. However, the name Jehovah surpasses them all. In eternity, we will be called His people. That's a family name worth having.

Besides family names, the names of certain individuals carry their own baggage. A person's name is often the equivalent of his character. Abraham Lincoln was renown for his honesty; “Honest Abe” they called him. Other names are notorious. Benedict Arnold was a brilliant general who led his troop to many victories over the British yet now his name is synonymous with traitor. John Wilkes Booth was a handsome man and acclaimed actor. Even though he was the Brad Pitt of his day, when people hear his name, they only remember him as an assassin.

God is the perfect Judge. When we stand before Him, our earthly reputations mean nothing. No matter how many good things I may have tried to do here on earth, when I stand in judgment, I will be known only by my sins. I will be called a liar, thief, adulterer, blasphemer, sluggard, and murderer. In Christ, though, I am justified. I won't be remembered forever as the person I am now. I will be called righteous, redeemed, ransomed, reconciled, and loved. I will be called a child of God.

Your sins don't necessarily define you. What's more important is your relationship with Jesus. No matter what your past, you can be called forgiven. We can rejoice that Revelation promises us a new name!