Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“So the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenant farmers saw him, they began to reason with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him so that the inheritance will become ours!’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?” (Luke 18:13-14)

Chapter twenty is a summation of the many questions that the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees put to Jesus when He was teaching in the Temple and going about Jerusalem. They questioned His authority to teach and do miracles, demanding to know who gave Him this authority. They saw themselves as THE gatekeepers of the Law and of interaction with God. But Jesus told them a parable about a vineyard. Something the master rented out to men. When it came time for the harvest, however, they wouldn’t give his share. They abused his servants and even killed his son. Jesus asked what would happen to these men? They would be replaced. This is NOT Gentile Christians replacing the Jews. This is godly Jews replacing the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees who did not follow God in their hearts. This was a prophesy about the early church who would open the gates wide so that ALL could come to know God – Jew first, and then the Gentiles. It has certainly come to pass.

They tried to trap Jesus in questions of tax paying so that they could report Him to the Romans. They tried to trap Jesus in questions about the resurrection of the dead and life in Heaven, but they didn’t understand what it was going to be like. They didn’t even truly grasp that those who go to God aren’t DEAD, but living beings – spirits in heaven housed in heavenly bodies. Jesus tried to get them thinking about the proper place of Messiah – the Son of David whom David referred to as Lord. Not just a descendant of David, but God Almighty made flesh. They would not receive it. Jesus warned all the people of those religious leaders who were all about pomp and circumstance. Those who were willing to rob widows and make a big show of prayer, feasting, and their own importance. But who didn’t love God, or other people. Who didn’t feed the flock. Jesus also was warning those scribes who did this because a greater condemnation was waiting for them who acted this way (James 3:1).

Chapter twenty-one starts with Jesus commending the widow who gave God the last of her money. Even though she was poor, she desired to offer to God. Her two little coins was a greater offering that the hundreds that rich people put in. The heart condition is what gives value to our offerings and tithes.

People around Jesus (the disciples, it is revealed in Matthew 24:1) were pointing to the majesty of the Temple complex. Jesus was sad and told them a time was coming when it would all be torn down. Not one single stone on top of another. Completely wiped away. Jesus started speaking of the chaos of the end of all things. The earthquakes, wars, betrayals, and persecutions. He spoke of the signs there would be that things were closing. And that those who didn’t pay attention to the voice of God would be caught unawares. That the Son of Man would return in a cloud of glory. When these things are happening, we will know that our redemption is at hand. Not our destruction, our redemption.

His final warning was that when we see the leaves of the fig tree, we know summer is upon us. So when we see these signs, we know redemption is upon us. If we get caught up in anxieties and pleasures (to distract us from the troubles and signs), we won’t be prepared. If we are always looking to God, we will be ready and not snared like the rest of the world. Those who seek God and keep an ear out for His voice, are never taken in panic.

Jesus’ routine in these days was simple. The days He spent teaching in the Temple. The nights He spent in the garden on the Mount of Olives. The crowds didn’t follow Him to the Mount, but they arrived early to the Temple each day to hear Him.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples, Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Jews

Key Verse(s): Luke 20:9-19; 21:29-36