Sequence in Chronology: 22 of 26
Topics Covered: A cursed fig tree which dried up used to teach about faith, proselytes seek Jesus, God speaks from heaven and promises to glorify His name, Jewish leaders have several confrontations with Christ, several parables are given, the Jews try to entrap the Lord, the two greatest commandments are taught.
Jesus offers a trick question that silences his enemies then he gives them a scathing rebuke, generosity of widow's mite is highlighted, Jesus gives his extensive Mount Olivet prophecies, the parables of the ten virgins and the talents are taught, events to take place after Jesus' Second Coming revealed, religious leaders discuss arresting and killing the Lord, Christ is anointed a second time for his death, Judas arranges to betray the Messiah.
Bible References: Matthew 21:19 - 46, 22:1 - 46, 23:1 - 39, 24:1 - 51, 25:1 - 46, 26:1 - 16, Mark 11:20 - 33, 12:1 - 44, 13:1 - 37, 14:1 - 11, Luke 20:1 - 47, 21:1 - 38, 22:1 - 6, John 12:20 - 50.
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April 1
(Saturday)
Cursed Fig Tree Dries Up!
On the morning of the weekly Sabbath day, while traveling to Jerusalem, the disciples notice that the fig tree Jesus cursed is dried up (Matthew 21:19 - 22, Mark 11:20 - 26). The Lord uses the opportunity to teach about faith, forgiveness, and the importance of relationships.
"Have faith from God. For truly I say to you, whoever shall say to this mountain, 'Be taken away and be cast into the sea,' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he said will take place, he shall have whatever he shall say.
"For this reason I say to you, all the things that you ask when you are praying, believe that you will receive them, and they shall be given to you. But when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, so that your Father Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses.
"For if you do not forgive, neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive you your offenses." (Mark 11:22 - 26).
Proselytes Seek Jesus
Some Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith, in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, ask Philip if they can see the Lord. Why did they come to Philip? It may have been, since his name was Greek and he was from Bethsaida, that they knew him through his fishing business.
Philip discusses their request with Andrew, who also was a fisherman, and the pair make the request known to Jesus (John 12:20 - 22). Though not directly stated, the Bible seems to indicate the request was denied.
God Speaks from Heaven
Jesus states the time has come to be glorified (John 12:23 - 27). He then asks God the Father to glorify His (the Father's) name. A thunderous voice from heaven states God had, and will again, glorify His name (John 12:28 - 30). The Lord then reveals that the time has come for the world to be judged.
"Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world (Satan the devil) be cast out. And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself." (John 12:31 - 32).
Jesus leaves the city and hides himself for the remainder of the Sabbath (John 12:36). The Apostle John then comments that, in spite of his many miracles, many people refused to believe in Jesus. Their response is a fulfillment of two prophecies (Isaiah 53:1 and 6:9 - 10).
Although He had done so many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled who said, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
For this very reason they could not believe because again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them."
Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. (John 12:37 - 41).
April 2
(Sunday)
Confrontations!
In the morning, at Jerusalem's temple, the chief priests, scribes and elders, for the final time, start to confront and challenge Jesus. The confrontation lasts from morning to late afternoon. When asked what authority he has to cleanse the temple, preach, and so on, Jesus asks his own question that silences his opponents!
"I (Jesus) will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, where did it come from? From heaven, or from men?"
Then 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 everyone holds John as a prophet."
And they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." He said to them also, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:24 - 27, see also Mark 11:27 - 33 and Luke 20:1 - 8).
Jesus then gives the parables of the two sons (Matthew 21:28 - 32) and the vineyard (Matthew 21:33 - 44, Mark 12:1 - 11, Luke 20:9 - 19). Although the religious leaders want to arrest the Lord, their fear of the crowd keeps them from doing so.
Now after hearing His parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees knew that He was speaking about them. And they sought to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the multitudes, because they held Him as a prophet. (Matthew 21:45 - 46, see also Mark 12:12 and Luke 20:19).
In spite of his general unpopularity among Jewish religious leaders, some do believe in Christ but do so privately (John 12:42 - 43).
Jesus then links belief in him with belief in God the Father (John 12:44 - 50) and gives the parable of the wedding and wedding feast (Matthew 22:1 - 14).
Entrapment!
Spies are then sent by the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus in order to entrap him in his own words. They ask a trick question which they feel has no right answer. Jesus' response, however, both astonishes and shuts up those who questioned him!
"Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" But perceiving their craftiness, He said to them, "Why do you tempt Me? Show Me a silver coin. Whose image and inscription does it have?"
And they answered and said, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God."
And they were not able to catch Him in His speech in the presence of the people. But being filled with amazement by His answer, they were silent. (Luke 20:22 - 26, see also Matthew 22:15 - 22, Mark 12:13 - 17).
The Sadducees then make their attempt to trip up Christ. Even though they do not believe in the resurrection, they question him about the marital status of a resurrected woman who had seven husbands (Matthew 22:23 - 33, Mark 12:18 - 27, Luke 20:27 - 40). Jesus' answer chides them for not knowing their Bibles!
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “You do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are as the angels of God in heaven." (Matthew 22:29 - 30, see also Mark 12:24 - 25, Luke 20:34 - 36).
The Lord then directly challenges the Sadducees' false belief, which they taught to others, that there was no resurrection of the dead!
"But concerning the dead, that they do rise, have you not read in the book of Moses about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
"He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore, you err greatly." (Mark 12:26 - 27, see also Matthew 22:31 - 33 and Luke 20:37 - 40).
The Two Great Commandments
A scribe then comes to Jesus with the goal, like others considered Jewish leaders, to tempt the Lord and entrap him. When He asks which commandment is the greatest he gets the following answer.
"The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the Lord, the Lord. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
"This is the first commandment. And the second is like this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29 - 31, see also Matthew 22:34 - 40).
Jesus Challenges the Haters!
Jesus then challenges those who hate him with his own "trick" question using Psalm 110:1. His question is meant to baffle those who thought they were wise!
"How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." '
"Now then, if David himself called Him Lord, how can He be his Son?" (Mark 12:35 - 37, see also Matthew 22:41 - 46 and Luke 20:41 - 44).
No one who hears the Lord's question can answer it!
A Scathing Rebuke!
Jesus then begins a length condemnation of the Jewish religious leaders. He takes them to task for their vanity, greed, hypocrisy, and unmerciful behavior toward others. He also criticizes their love of titles, their petty behaviors they think are pleasing to God, and so on.
"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in robes, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the chief places at the suppers; who devour the houses of widows, and as a pretext pray at great length. These shall receive the greater judgment." (Luke 20:46 - 47, see also Mark 12:38 - 40)
"For they bind heavy burdens and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men; but they will not move them with one of their own fingers. And they do all their works to be seen by men. They make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments;
"And they love the first place at the suppers, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' . . ."
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when he has become one, you make him twofold more a son of Gehenna than yourselves.
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is not binding; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated to fulfill his oath.' You fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold? . . ."
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and anise and cummin, but you have abandoned the more important matters of the law - judgment, and mercy and faith. These you were obligated to do, and not to leave the others undone.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful on the outside, but within are full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness. Likewise, you also outwardly appear to men to be righteous, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:4 - 7, 15 - 17, 23, 27 - 28, see also verses 1 - 3, 8 - 14, 18 - 22, 24 - 26, 29 - 32).
The Final Condemnation
The Lord ends his message with a scathing rebuke and a warning that the behaviors of the religious leaders will be harshly judged by God.
"You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of Gehenna? . . .
"So that upon you may come all the righteous blood poured out upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation." (Matthew 23:33, 35 - 36).
Jerusalem's Penalty for Rejection
Jesus then publicly offers a prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who have been sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!
"Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see Me at all from this time forward, until you shall say, 'Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Matthew 23:37 - 39).
A Widow's Mite
Jesus and the disciples, in the late afternoon of Sunday April 2, rest in the temple near where people make donations. Seeing a poor widow contribute to the temple, he uses her to teach that God looks upon the heart of the contributor and not the quantity they give.
"Of a truth, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; For all these have from their abundance cast into the offerings to God; but she, out of her poverty, did put in all the livelihood that she had." (Luke 21:3 - 4, see also Mark 12:41 - 44).
Mt. Olivet Prophecies
The Lord and the disciples leave the temple area for the Mount of Olives. As they exit, he reveals that Jerusalem's temple will soon be destroyed (Matthew 24:1 - 2, Mark 13:1 - 2, Luke 21:5 - 6).
On the Mount of Olives he prophesies about the events to occur just before his second coming to earth and the completion of the age (Matthew 24:3 - 51, Mark 13:3 - 37, Luke 21:7 - 36).
Parables and Judgment
After giving the Mt. Olivet prophecies Jesus gives the parables of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1 - 13) and the talents (verses 14 to 30).
The Lord then reveals what will happen after he comes to rule the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Note that his judgment is based not on what people profess or anything else, but rather on how they treated other humans.
"Now when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; And He shall gather before Him all the nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats . . .
"Then shall the King say to those at His right hand (the sheep), 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in' . . .
"Then shall He also say to those on the left (the goats), 'Depart from Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give Me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give Me anything to drink' . . .
"Then shall He answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to Me.' (Matthew 25:31 - 35, 41 - 42, 45).
Passover Approaching
Near evening, the disciples are told that the Passover is after two days (Matthew 26:1 - 2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1). The chief priests, scribes, elders, etc. of the Great Sanhedrin, who hate him, meet at the palace of Caiaphas the high priest. They meet to discuss how to arrest and kill him.
Then the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas; And they took counsel together for the purpose of seizing Jesus by treachery, and killing Him. But they said, "Not during the feast, so that there will not be a riot among the people." (Matthew 26:3 - 5, see also Mark 14:1 - 2 and Luke 22:1 - 2).
Jesus travels to Bethany and stays at Simon the Leper's house (Matthew 26:6, Mark 14:3). While he is eating a woman comes in and anoints his head with very expensive ointment.
Some of the disciples roundly criticize the woman for buying such costly ointment instead of using the money to help the poor. He, however, first chides the disciples for being overly critical then states the woman was anointing him for his burial.
But some were indignant within themselves and said, "Why has this ointment been wasted? . . ." And they were criticizing her.
But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why are you causing her trouble? She has performed a good work toward Me. For you have the poor with you always, and you are able to do good for them whenever you desire; but you do not always have Me. She did what she could for Me. She came to anoint My body beforehand for the burial.
"Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in all the world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of for a memorial of her." (Mark 14:4 - 8, see also Matthew 26:7 - 13).
April 3
(Monday)
Arranging a Betrayal
Judas, who is briefly possessed by Satan the devil (Luke 22:3), arranges to betray Christ to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said, "What are you willing to give me, and I will deliver Him up to you?" And they offered him thirty pieces of silver.
And from that time he sought an opportunity to betray Him. (Matthew 26:14 - 16, see also Mark 14:10 - 11, Luke 22:4 - 6).