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Prayer
Week six of Corona Virus shut down.
Luke 19:42 – 20:15
Luke 20.1-15
Taped April 28th 2020
Aired May 5th 2020
So we left off with Jesus, after His triumphal entry, looking out over Jerusalem and weeping.
Let’s pick it up at verse 42 where Luke adds: “And . . .”
42 Saying, If thou (Jerusalem) hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
That is a strange line, isn’t it, Remember from last week in the previous verse how Jesus cried, Jerusalem, O Jerusalem?
He was speaking to her as a personified individual and used here name twice. This is important to the way the structure of verse 42 reads when Luke has him say:
“If thou (Jerusalem) hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day . . . the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”
To understand this wording let’s take a minute and talk about Jerusalem – there is a key to the whole thing right there in her compound name, “Jeru” and “Salem.”
In the old Testament she was called Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the “city of God,” the “holy city;”
The dual form of her name, “Jeru” and “Salem” probably refers to the two mountains on which she was built, (Zion and Moriah) or as some see it, the two parts of the city, the “upper” and the “lower city.”
Jeru in Hebrew means “to cast throw or toss” and of course Shalem or Salem, of which Melchizedek was king over, means peace.
So Jerusalem, “casting peace,” or probably “raining down peace.”
It is first mentioned in Scripture under the name Salem all the way back in Genesis 14:18.
And it was first mentioned under the name Jerusalem when she had a king name “Adoni-zedek.”
Later it was named among the cities of Benjamin but in David’s day it was divided between Benjamin and Judah.
After the death of Joshua, the city was taken and set on fire by the men of Judah (Judges 1:1-8) but a people called the “Jebusites” were not completely driven out of it and they remained behind.
We don’t read about her again mentioned until David brought the head of Goliath to her in 1st Samuel 17:54.
And then David led his army against the Jebusites who were still living within her walls, and drove them out, and made his own house there, calling the city, the “the city of David.” (2nd Samuel 5:5-9; 1st Chronicles 11:4-8).
At that time he built an altar to the Lord on the threshing-floor one of the Jebusites homes and brought up the ark of the covenant and placed it in the new tabernacle which he had prepared for it.
At that point Jerusalem became the capital of the kingdom.
About 1010 BC, after the death of David, Solomon built the temple, a house for the name of the Lord, on Mount Moriah and at the same time strengthened the physical city itself.
After a series of disruptions of the kingdom she was taken and retaken by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and by the kings of Israel until finally, because of the iniquities of the nation, and after a siege of three years, she was taken and utterly destroyed, her walls razed to the ground, and her temple and palaces consumed by fire by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
This was a type of what was about to fall on her again in 70AD and the wrapping up of her age.
The desolation of the city and the land was complete later and she was left desolate.
But the streets and walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, amidst troubling times and after the Jews captivity of seventy years.
This restoration began in B.C. 536, “in the first year of Cyrus” and the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah contain the history of the re-building of the city and temple, and the restoration of the kingdom of the Jews, consisting of a portion of all the tribes.
She stood so constituted for two centuries (under the dominion of Persia, until 331 BC;) and then after that for about a century and a half, under the rulers of the Greek empire (until about 167 BC) at which time the Jews fell under the rule of Herod and of members of his family (which was in all practicality under Rome) until the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD when the city was then laid in ruins as Jesus is predicting here.
That the son of God mourns over he coming destruction, caused by their rebellious nature manifested in the killing of their Messiah says something important to us:
That destruction would be paramount and speak of all things Jewish being obliterated once and for all.
So back to the wording of this passage of verse 42. Jesus is looking out over her and cries out her name then we read him saying:
If thou (Jerusalem) hadst known, even thou,
The repetition of even thou here, which is strange to us, seems to mean:
Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. If thou had known, even if thou, had known your own name . . .”
“Rain down of Peace,” you would have known me, your Messiah, and the real identity of the Message I came to bring. It wasn’t warfare against the Romans. It wasn’t a external reign, but it was the raining down of peace upon you internally and then externally, oh Jerusalem, if you had known, even you . . .”
And then he adds, “at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”
The line “at least in this day,” means, even up unto this very minute of this present day . . . but then Jesus sadly adds the nail in her coffin:
“But now they are hid from thine eyes.”
In other words, Jerusalem’s fate was sealed. She was going to kill her Messiah, and this would be the end of her material existence. She would be no more. No more temple. No more priesthood. No more genealogy. Over. “The kingdom,” as Jesus says in Matthew 21:43 to the Jews of His day
. . . shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
Many Christians mistakenly think that Jerusalem – what now is – will again return to prominence. Not so. In Christ there is now no difference between Jew and Greek. The Kingdom was taken from them and given to a Nation bringing forth fruits of the Kingdom – first to the Gentiles and then ultimately to individuals in whom the Kingdom dwells by faith as there is now a new heaven and a new earth and a new Jerusalem . . . which is above.
Jesus continues and says at verse 43 to the end of the chapter:
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
So, jump back to verse 43 where Jesus adds:
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
This was literally fulfilled when Jerusalem was besieged by Titus who was the oldest son of the Emperor Vespasian, and was the second to reign in what was called the Flavian dynasty.
But before he became emperor, Titus was a war leader of Rome who was charged with the task of ending the Jews’ rebellion against Roman rule once his father, Vespasian was elevated to the place of Emperor.
Josephus gives tells of a wall that was erected around the city along with a trench which made it impossible for anyone to get out or any food to be brought in and so the initial plan was to starve the Jews into submission.
Speaking to this Jesus continues and says:
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee (meaning they will put you in the grave – along with your children); and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Meaning all of this would happen because you, Jerusalem, did not know the time or season when you would have a visit of God with you – beginning with John the Baptist all the way up unto that day when Jesus spoke.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
Most scholars think that this temple cleansing did not take place on the same day as his triumphal entry but on the following day.
This is due to Marks rendering of the account which has Jesus enter the city, observe what was going on in the temple, leave and go to Bethany, return the next morning with the twelve and before returning to the temple, seeing the fig tree, cursing it, and then doing what we are reading now.
Could be wrong on this of course, but this is the general view which seems correct.
Since we are at the temple of God, in Jerusalem that was going to be destroyed (along with her temple) let’s speak about this edifice.
According to 1st Kings 6:1 the first temple was built by Solomon, about 1006 years before Christ and was seven years in the making. Because we are in the land of temple makers here in Utah (meaning the Mormons) understand that there was only one temple and there was only one temple site for the one temple – on Mount Moriah.
This is meaningful and purposeful when we see that the temple is ultimately representative of each individual and God dwelling in them individually, making atonement an individual event not a collective one.
Prior to this the Jews had a tabernacle that was portable and much smaller than the first temple.
Solomon’s father David contemplated the design of the temple and prepared many materials for it, but was prevented, because, according to 1st Kings 5:5 he had been a man of war.
This first permanent temple was built with tremendous detail and wealth and remained in place until it was destroyed by the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar, five hundred and eighty-four years before Christ, (2nd Chronicles 36:6,7,19).
After the Babylonian captivity, the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, but with vastly inferior and diminished beauty – so much so that the aged men wept when they compared it with the glory of the former temple, (Ezra 3:8,12).
This lesser temple was called the second temple and it was defiled in the wars before the time of Christ. This temple fell into disrepair.
Along comes Herod the Great, who was very unpopular with the Jews because he was so cruel and he sought out a project that would gain their favor again.
So about sixteen years before Christ and in the eighteenth year of Herod’s reign, he began to repair the temple site.
He did this not by taking it down all at once but he removed one part after another until it had become in fact a band new temple which surpassed the former in magnificence.
Herod’s creation was still called the second temple by the Jews and when Jesus came to this temple the prophecy of Haggai 2:9 was fulfilled.
Herod employed eighteen thousand men to work on this temple and completed it (meaning enough to be used) about eight years before Christ or in nine years.
But history says he continued to make new additions to it, which added to its magnificence. John the beloved writes (in John 2:20), “forty and six years was this temple in building.”
Doing the math, Jesus was then thirty years of age, which, added to the sixteen years occupied in repairing it before his birth, makes forty-six years.
Its important to know that the word “temple” was given to this monstrosity of materialism not only to the sacred edifice part (meaning the holy of holies and outer courts) but to all the numerous chambers and rooms connected with it.
In other words, the temple itself was a small edifice, and was surrounded by courts and chambers half a mile in circumference.
Now Jesus never entered into the sacred edifice sections – only the high priest was allowed to do that, and that was once a year. Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and he consequently was allowed to enter no farther into the temple than the other Israelites.
Therefore, when we speak of the things Jesus did in the temple they were all performed in the surrounding courts of the sacred edifice.
Now, the temple itself was built on Mount Moriah but the space on the summit of the mount was not large enough for the buildings desired to be built.
So, Herod enlarged the footprint of the land by building high walls up from the valley below and filling up the space with dirt.
One of these walls was six hundred feet high! and the ascent to the temple was by flights of steps.
Then the entrance to the courts of the temple was by nine gates which were all beautifully ornamented with a thick application of gold and silver.
However, one gate of peculiar magnificent – and it was called the beautiful gate (in Acts 3:2) – and was on the east side, and was made of Corinthian brass, one of the most precious metals in ancient times.
This gate was seventy-five feet tall so it was quite a sight especially when the light shined upon it.
When a person would enter any of the gates Herod built they would see the temple rising up before them.
But going forward was a space before another gate and that was the court of the Gentiles – where non-Jews could go – but no farther as there were signs, on a second wall, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, that forbade any Gentile or unclean person from proceeding farther on pain of death.
It was here where the secular business was transacted and it was this place that was occupied by the buyers, and sellers, and the money-changers. So again, verse 45:
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
So again, this was the least sacred part of the temple, the court of the Gentiles, but Jesus apparently was going after the spirit of the actions rather than the Law of them. There was a need to buy animals for sacrifice so this may not have been the issue. It is likely that there was profiteering going on, and merchandizing – you know shirts that said:
I (heart) the Temple!
And all of this probably lent to a setting of chaos and contention and fraud.
There were also what were called, “the tables of the money changers.”
Judea was subject to the Romans. The money in use was Roman coin. But the Jewish law (Exodus 30) required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of half a shekel, which was a Jewish coin and was the required currency.
So there had to be a money exchange and when you get into exchanging currencies there is always room for crime and usury – you know, upcharging, fees, and the rest.
For this to occur in the vicinity of His Fathers house, which was supposed to be a house of prayer, Jesus was incensed.
Mark adds (in Mark 11:16) that he would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. That is, probably, any of the vessels or implements connected with the traffic in oil, incense, wine, etc., that were also sold therein. (verse 46)
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
This is a direct quote from Isaiah 56:7 but only the first part of the verse is quoted.
The rest, “but ye have made it a den of thieves,” was added by Jesus.
We might wonder, how did Jesus clear the temple of the masses and perhaps of men who were of more authority than himself or of larger stature?
Perhaps they were awed by his commanding spirit and presence.
Or their own consciences reproved them and knowing that they were guilty did not resist.
Maybe they saw Him as the Messiah, knew his reputation and weren’t about to mess with him.
We don’t know. All we know is they cleared. What we do know from Mark is that because of this the scribes and Pharisees sought to kill him, and Matthew 27:18 says it was for envy.
So that wraps up chapter 19 of Luke lets step into a few verses of 20 beginning at verse one:
20:1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:
4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?
6 But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.
7 And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
8 And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
And we will stop our coverage there. So jump back to verse 1 and 2:
20:1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days (meaning after his triumphal entry), as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
He had just cleared the temple, plus he was teaching the Gospel, so it is possible that they were referring to his authority to do those things.
The question, even though these religious leaders were constantly trying to trap him, had some legitimacy as Jesus was teaching some really new things and he was even making some big changes in the way the temple operated so as the religious leaders they had the right to know why this was done, contrary to their permission.
He was not a priest; he had no civil or ecclesiastical authority as a Jew. Of course, we know the authority he had but they didn’t – so we can give them a pass on the question – this time.
3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:
Now, Jesus was under no obligation to give them an answer as they knew by what authority he did things – he told them by virtue of his miracles and the fact that by the miracles he was the Messiah.
So being the master teacher, Jesus turns the tables on them.
4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
The meaning of “the baptism of John” probably refers to all of the works of John, and not just the water baptisms he performed.
This was another question about authority – but Jesus plainly asks if John was sent from God or from flesh, men, his own desires.
5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then didn’t you believed him?
6 But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.
We fear the people. They feared that the people would stone them, (Luke.) Such an unpopular sentiment as to profess that all that John did was imposture, would have probably ended in tumult, perhaps in their death.
7 And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
This was a lie. They could tell their opinion, but they feared the people.
And had they replied that John was sent from God, then they would have had to back off on asking Jesus where he got his authority – because John open came preparing the way for him, the Messiah.
They were trapped, and backed down from the challenge. And do Jesus (verse 8)
8 . . . said unto them, “Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.” (verse 9)
9 Then he began to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
Matthew has Jesus say (21:33) “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
This is a picture of God, taking the Nation of Israel, culling them out from other nations, and planting that Nation on earth (with all the work to create fruit bearing vines) and he let it out to husbandmen (the Jews – the religious leaders over the nation) to care for the nation and bring forth fruit before departing for a long while (which Matthew adds)
10 And at the season (of harvest) he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
These servants in all probability represent the prophets that God sent to the Jewish people. I say this because Jesus said that these leaders fathers killed the prophets that were sent to them.
11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
The different gospels describe different ways that the Jews killed the prophets, but these do not make for contradiction – the point of the parable is they mistreated or killed them one by one as they were sent. (verse 13)
13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
Mark adds, “that this was an only son, greatly beloved.”
Of course we know what this means – Jesus was speaking of himself and those who had just questioned him about his authority as he was there in Jerusalem to be put to death – by them.
This verse is a parallel say of reciting John 3:16 – for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son . . . right.
That is what Jesus has the “lord of the vineyard” do.
14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
In this description we have Jesus himself tell these men their hearts and the reason that they wanted Jesus put to death – they determined that since this was the only son or heir that if they killed him, they could keep the harvest.
As mentioned earlier, Matthew tells us that the Jews put Jesus to death for envy.
They wanted what he had, to possess it, and to remove him from the picture. So they said:
“let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.” And in the next verse Jesus describes what they were going to do to him in the next few days, saying:
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard (Jerusalem – the city walls), and killed him (crucified him).
And then Jesus asks a super important question:
“What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?”
And we will pick up with their answer, and what Jesus has to say about it next week.
Let’s have a word of prayer.
PRAYER
