Luke 19

Study Guide 107: Luke 19:41-24:53 THE PRICE Overview Luke has marshaled his evidence and argued his case. He has demonstrated the right of the Man Jesus to our allegiance as Son of God. And he has carefully shown how those who choose to believe must make another choice as well: the choice of commitment to be disciples. Luke has shown us how to be disciples, and the many benefits of discipleship. Finally, Luke is about to look at price. No, not the cost of discipleship, but at two other terrible costs. First there is the cost of rejecting Jesus. Luke wants us to understand the nature, motive, and the futility of a rejection which will cost human beings everything (Luke 19:42-21:4). Second, there is the cost to Jesus of the new life He came to bring you and me. In the final chapters of his Gospel Luke told the story of the Cross. What Luke emphasized is the fact that Jesus remained in full control as event followed event, leading directly to His death. We need to grasp the fact that while rejecting Jesus will cost us everything, our salvation cost Jesus everything (Luke 22-23). But the story does not end with the price. It ends, in Luke’ s report of the third day, with the prize! (Luke 24:1-53) Resurrection. Resurrection for Jesus. And resurrection for you and me!

Commentary Why do people reject Jesus? Why do believers hold back, and refuse to commit themselves to Him as Lord? As we probe these next chapters of Luke, we begin to better understand the tragedy. Whatever the motive an individual may have, the decision to reject Jesus is a terrible tragedy. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and the destruction that would inevitably come to the city (Luke 19:41-47). But those tears were no sign of weakness. Immediately Jesus entered the temple, and there expelled again those who defiled God’ s house. Jesus cared, and pitied the sinner. But Jesus, the Judge of all the earth, is also committed to do right. The cost of rejection is judgment, and destruction is sure.

Rejection: Luke 19:41-20:44 The nature of rejection (Luke 19:47-20:8). In the temple, day after day, Jesus confronted the chief priests, the scribes (experts in the Law), and the other rulers of His nation (Luke 19:47). These were men who claimed divine authority to govern and to rule. So they challenged Jesus’ authority. “ By what right do You act?” (See Luke 20:1-2.) Jesus responded with a question about John the Baptist. Was he from God, or was his ministry merely human? Those who claimed such authority were silenced. They feared the people, and finally said, “ We don’ t know” (Luke 20:7). What a picture! Men who pretended to speak with divine authority, forced by fear of the people they led to deny their own claim. With grand contempt, Jesus turned from them. “ Then I will not answer your question” (see Luke 20:8). What had happened here? The authority of Jesus (who had clearly demonstrated His power through miracles and had openly claimed to be the Son of God) was being challenged. It is this very thing, the questioning of God’ s authority and the attempt to set up our own authorities (each of which is ultimately forced to make the chief priest’ s disclaimer) that is at the root of rejection. When we own Christ as Lord, when we willingly subject ourselves to His will, we have found the only possible antidote to rejection. We can admit no other authority than God, and must respond to rather than question His Word. Rejection’ s motive (Luke 20:9-18). But why should people try to set up their own authorities rather than submit to God? The Parable of the Tenant Farmers explains. They killed the heir to the vineyard, thinking, “ Then it will be ours.” The motive for rejecting Christ is the desire to play, and be our own, God. Lucifer became Satan when he rejected the authority of God and determined to raise his own throne above the throne of God (Isaiah 14:13). Sin in us constantly throbs out the same message: I, not God, must control. Yet how empty such usurped authority is. We may claim it by rejecting God’ s authority over us, but when we try to reach any of our life goals, we will be forced to admit, just as the chief priests were, “ I can’ t.” How empty it is to insist on our own way, and then discover that apart from Jesus Christ’ s enablement we can do nothing! And how dangerous it is to challenge God’ s authority. Portraying Himself as the Cornerstone, Jesus warned, “ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust” (Luke 20:18, NASB). Humanity may rush to challenge God. But such men will be broken or utterly crushed. Whatever they may claim in their rebellion, Jesus is still Lord and God. The futility of rejection (Luke 20:19-44). It’ s fully human to believe that somehow we are still able to make it on our own, that we really are strong enough even to challenge God’ s authority. Men from two groups that opposed Jesus came to challenge Him. Each relied on his group’ s strengths. And in each case, the strength proved a weakness. The chief priests and scribes (Luke 20:19-26) prided themselves on their ability to adapt to changing political and social conditions. They had survived various foreign occupations; now they prospered under Roman occupation as well. Their watchword was compromise. These men had noted Christ’ s unwillingness to compromise. And so they felt that their strength (their “ flexibility” ) might be used to trap this Man of principle. Now, the people of Judea were totally antagonistic to Roman rule, and particularly resented the taxes they paid to these Gentile oppressors. If Jesus spoke against taxes, the leaders could report Him to the government and be sure of quick action. If Jesus spoke for taxes, He would surely lose influence with the people. So when these men raised the question of paying taxes they were sure they could not lose! It did not go as they expected. Jesus asked for a coin (He didn’ t even have one in His own purse!). He looked at it, asked whose features were stamped on the coin, and told them bluntly, “ Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’ s, and to God what is God’ s.” Jesus had not compromised. Instead He had shown His questioners that their supposed strength was really their weakness. In their willingness to be “ flexible” they had surrendered what was rightfully God’ s — their total dedication — in exchange for Caesar’ s gift of their position, and for monetary gain. The Sadducees tried next. These “ liberals” prided themselves on their freedom from dead literalism. So they challenged Jesus, who had shown such respect for the Scriptures, to show up His “ unenlightened” position. They asked Him about resurrection — something they themselves did not believe in. Jesus responded, arguing from the tense of verb (God is rather than God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) that these men are alive, and not dead. Then, when Jesus asked them a question in return (Luke 20:41-44), these men hurried away. Jesus could answer His challengers, but they could not answer Him. How we need to realize that, whatever the strength we rely on spiritually, it will be our weakness too. Are we intelligent? Do we rely on our intelligence to guide us through life, rather than seeking God’ s guidance and direction? This is rejection of God — and our strength when exalted above God will surely be our downfall. Are we naturally warm and loving? Do we rely on our capacity to love, rather than on asking God to shed His love through our lives? Then we can be sure that our natural emotional responsiveness to people will betray us. We will love unwisely, sentimentally, and make choices that will harm both us and others. You see, we human beings are not really strong in anything! Only as we submit totally to God’ s authority; only as we surrender as disciples to His control, can we become the new people we should be. Rejection, then, is at heart questioning God’ s authority, motivated by a desire to have what should be His — control of our own lives. And this rejection, this claim of our right to control, is utterly futile. It is futile, for apart from Christ even our strengths become weaknesses, and life proves over and over again that apart from Him we can do nothing. Now, Jesus Christ must have control over our lives. We must give Him control or, in that area in which we demand the right to run our own lives, we will not be disciples. And we will not be transformed.

Results of Unsurrendered Will: Luke 20:45-21:5 If we do not surrender to God’ s authority, what will become of us? We will become like the scribes that Jesus now described. We will walk around, pretending to be religious and dedicated, while all the time we are simply trying to win the approval of others (Luke 20:46-47). How much better to be like the poor widow Jesus then described, and honored above the wealthy who were throwing thousands of dollars into the temple treasury. She was honored for the few cents she contributed, because what she gave was her all. This is really what God wants from us. Whatever we have. Whatever we are. Surrendered to Him, it will be enough. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Read aloud Luke 20:9-15. Ask each group member to jot down a phrase or sentence that explains why Christ was rejected by the leaders of His people. Read the parable several times if need be. When the members have seen that Jesus was rejected because people wanted to be or play God rather than surrender control, give a minilecture summing up the major teachings of Luke 19:41-21:4. NOTE: If you wish to consider the “ signs of the end of the age” section (Luke 21:5-38), see the discussion and teaching ideas on Matthew 24-25 and Mark 13.

The Price Jesus Paid: Luke 22:1-23:56 Several themes are developed in these two chapters. There is the theme of suffering: of Jesus’ agony expecting, and then experiencing the cross. And there is the theme of control. The Man dragged before the courts has the situation fully in His own hands! It is those around Jesus who prove to be weak, mere leaves swept by winds of circumstance. And, we see the theme of finality: “ It is finished.” Jesus’ work is done. Salvation is won. Judas (Luke 22:1-6). The desperate hatred of the Jewish rulers in these last moments of Jesus’ life takes form in a plan to kill Him, put into Judas’ mind by Satan. The experience of being close to Jesus had not changed Judas’ heart. He had held back — now he made his decision to betray. Watch out when we hold back. “ Close” doesn’ t count. The longer a person puts off the decision for Christ, the more likely the choice will be no. The Last Supper preparations (Luke 22:7-18). As Judas negotiated Jesus’ betrayal, Christ made preparation for the Last Supper, the traditional Passover feast. Jerusalem was packed with visitors, yet no room had been reserved. So Jesus sent two disciples to watch for a man carrying a water jug (normally a woman’ s work). They followed him home, and asked for room there. Jesus was about to die. But even the smallest details show that He was still in complete control of every circumstance. And at the dinner, He spoke of His suffering. The Last Supper (Luke 22:19-22). At the meal Jesus spoke of the purpose of His suffering. “ My body given for you.” “ My blood . . . poured out for you” (Luke 22:19-20, italics added). Jesus’ destiny had been determined. He was committed to follow that destiny to the very end. And He made this choice “ for you.” LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN Use a series of illustrations to help your boys and girls sense two aspects of sin: error, and rebellion. Ask which is worse: to drop three cups while carrying them to the kitchen to be washed, or to get mad and throw a cup and break it? To stumble and bump into a brother or sister and hurt them, or to hit them on purpose and hurt them? To be late coming home because you don’ t know what time it is, or to be late on purpose after your mom has called you to come to supper? Let the children talk about the situations. Then point out that Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin, even when we are most to blame. How much Jesus must love us! Who is the greatest? (Luke 22:23-30) Jesus’ disciples were insensitive. They did not understand what Christ was saying, nor were they aware of His sorrow. Instead they fell to arguing about who would be greatest in the glory days to come. Jesus remembered how these men had stood by Him through His years on earth. “ Yes,” He assured them, “ you will sit on thrones and rule” (see Luke 22:29-30). But now they were to be servants, as Jesus had been a servant. Peter’ s denial predicted (Luke 22:31-34). Then Jesus spoke to Simon. If he only knew how Satan had desired to have him. But Jesus had prayed. The Lord is still in control. Peter was so sure of himself; so proud and confident in his commitment. “ Why, Lord, I’ ll never leave You.” Peter was sure nothing could touch his loyalty. He felt self-sufficient and able. But soon he would deny the Lord. Only Jesus was truly confident with a cause. Prayer (Luke 22:35-46). Jesus continued to warn His followers about the change to expect when He was gone (Luke 22:35-36). Then He led them out of Jerusalem to a garden, where He prayed. Jesus was in utter agony at the prospect of that next day. It wasn’ t the physical pain, but the fact that the Son of God would, as He bore the curse of sin, be cut off from the Father. But He never lost control! “ Your will be done,” was Jesus’ decision. And, after prayer, Christ moved steadfastly, ready to meet His destiny — and doom. Arrest (Luke 22:47-53). Judas arrived with an armed mob and stepped forward to identify the Master with a kiss. Suddenly the disciples recognized the danger: Peter drew a sword and slashed at a servant of the high priest, severing his ear. Jesus stopped him. With a touch, Christ restored the ear, and then submitted to these picked representatives of satanic power. Jesus was not forced. He chose to submit. He was in control. Peter’ s denial (Luke 22:54-66). Now the scene momentarily shifted to Peter, who in naive confidence had proclaimed his readiness to follow Jesus even to death. Peter had followed. When the others ran, Peter even trailed behind the Lord, and slipped into the courtyard of a house where Jesus was being interrogated. But Peter’ s bravery could only carry him so far. Accused of being one of Jesus’ people, Peter denied it. Three times. And then as the cock crowed, Jesus, at that moment passing through the courtyard, turned a steady gaze into Peter’ s face. With a sickening jolt, Peter realized what he had done. And he went outside, and wept bitterly. How sickening for us when we realize our inadequacy. How desperately we need to look always to Jesus — for Jesus is always in control. Trial before chief priests (Luke 22:66-71). Jesus now stood before the rulers of Israel after a night of brutal interrogation. “ Tell us,” they demanded, “ are You the Christ?” Jesus answered, “ You are right in saying I am” (Luke 22:70). Having heard the claim from His own lips, and disbelieving, for them the case was closed. Jesus had to die. Trials before Pilate and Herod (Luke 23:1-12). Because the Jews, under Roman occupation, had no authority to execute, the leaders took Jesus to the Roman governor. Pilate, unhappy about the request because he recognized the Jews’ motives and found nothing criminal in Jesus’ behavior, sent the Lord to Herod, who then ruled an area which included Galilee. How weak Pilate, this man with the power of life and death, was. He lacked the courage to act on his own convictions. He was a prisoner of circumstances; the ruler was ruled. Only Jesus stood tall. Before Pilate (Luke 23:13-25). Herod’ s return of Jesus to Pilate is even more revealing. The Roman ruler was actually governed by the threats of his subjects! Against his own sense of justice, Pilate bowed to the mob’ s cry of “ Crucify Him!” Pilate ordered the death of a Man he knew was innocent. How clearly we see it here. You and I, whoever we are, are not strangers to weakness. We are not stronger than Peter or Pilate. Jesus had to die for us. He alone had strength, and strength to spare. Jesus alone was and is in control. Carrying the cross (Luke 23:26-31). On the way to His crucifixion, staggering under the weight and pain, Jesus was both jeered at and wept for. He turned to the women who cried. “ Do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 22:28). The city of Jerusalem, which rejected and murdered her Lord, would soon be razed. Within decades, Titus and a Roman army would totally destroy the Holy City, plundering and killing the citizens that disease and starvation would leave alive. “ Weep not for Me.” The burdened Saviour’ s physical strength seemed to fail, but He remained in control. Crucifixion (Luke 23:32-43). They came to the hill. The spikes were driven through hands and feet. The pole on which Jesus hung swung skyward, and fell with a sickening, flesh-tearing jolt into its hole. Unable to breathe when His weight hung on His arms, Jesus put His weight on the nail piercing His feet, and endured the searing pain, to lift up His body to gasp a breath again. Crucifixion. Life, death, each breath now a blaze of agony. A blaze of agony which even now, Jesus chose! He could have called angels to free Him. Yes, Jesus was still in control. And He chose to die. Why? At first the two thieves hanging beside Jesus both ridiculed, but then one turned, asking Christ to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Jesus’ answer was clear: “ Today you shall be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, NASB). In these two thieves we see our whole world, and the reason for Jesus’ sufferings. For those who take the step of faith, and call on Jesus as did the dying thief, seeing in the crucified Jesus the coming King, there is the promise of paradise. Today. New life forever. And new life, now. Death (Luke 23:44-49). All nature now put on mourning, and as darkness flowed over the scene, the great work of redemption was complete. The veil in the temple that had signified separation from God was torn from top to bottom. Jesus gave a great cry, and He released His spirit!Even in death, Jesus remained in full control. Burial (Luke 23:50-56). They took His lifeless body and laid it in a rich man’ s tomb. The body was wrapped in linen; the tomb door was sealed. And on the Sabbath all rested. For the disciples it seemed the end. Jesus, their hope, had died. Though they planned to minister to the body, packing it in funeral spices, their great dream of God invading history seemed forever gone. All of life now stretched out ahead, in empty years, meaningless years, years of living by habit, long after the sense of purpose and meaning was gone.

The Prize: Luke 24:1-53Jesus’ death must have left His followers with a deep sense of despair and an aching awareness of the emptiness of life. If history’ s record had closed with the cross and tomb, life for us too would be empty. Life would be nothing but a brief experience of sorrows, swallowed up by endless nothingness and night. But the tomb was not the end. The Resurrection that followed blazes for the power of God, and demonstrates the amazing vitality that transforms death to life — the same vitality that can and will transform our death to new life, even now. Resurrection (Luke 24:1-11). At dawn on what we now call the Lord’ s Day, the women started toward the tomb with the burial spices. Their mood was broken when they found the stone that sealed the entrance removed, and two angels standing by the slab where the body had been laid. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN How long is forever? Let boys and girls make an illustrated book: We Will Live Forever. Help them think of images, such as “ longer than it takes a million million birds to fly” (illustrated by a line of birds flying across the sky); “ longer than it takes to hitchhike to the farthest star” ; “ longer than it would take me to wash a world full of pans” ; etc. Illustrate the last page with a cross and empty tomb, and the line, “ I will live forever, because Jesus died and rose again for me.” Frightened, the women fell, hiding their faces from the angels. But the angels asked, “ Why do you look for the living One among the dead?” (Luke 24:5) It was a good question. Jesus had told them often that He would die and rise again. Christ had been as good as His word. He had risen! Have we realized yet that it is Jesus’ resurrection power that God pours into Christ’ s followers? Let’ s not lie among the dead, going through the empty motions that they do, trapped by the same frustrations, the same inadequacies. Let’ s take Jesus at His word today. He has come to give us abundant life. Let’ s trust Him, rise up, and live! When the women reported the angels’ words to the 11 disciples (Luke 24:9-11), they were too disheartened to believe. Some times past tragedy or failure so colors our view that we can’ t even believe eyewitness reports of resurrection. But, whatever our past experiences, Jesus lives. And because He lives, we too can live. Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27). That day, the living Jesus met two discouraged disciples traveling home from Jerusalem to Emmaus. He chose to go unrecognized at first, as they talked of the recent events and the death of all these disciples’ hopes (Luke 24:19-21). Walking along, Jesus began to show them all that the Scriptures had foretold of the necessity of His suffering and His entry into glory (Luke 24:26-27). Today, Jesus offers us a present experience of new life. But everything we experience is rooted in a reality and a truth recorded in God’ s Word. New life is no mere feeling or hope. New life is a reality, rooted in the historic resurrection of Jesus and the proof that resurrection provides God’ s ability and willingness to transform you and me. Recognition (Luke 24:28-35). The two disciples on the Emmaus Road must have been amazed and deeply touched as that third Man explained the Word. Eagerly they urged Him to enter into their home (Luke 24:29). As He sat at table with them, praying over the breaking of the bread, they recognized Him. At that moment, everything changed. It’ s the same for us today. We may hear others tell of their new lives. We may read of new life in the Bible. We have been reading of it in Luke’ s Gospel. But new life begins when we see Jesus and come to know Him. Our new life is found only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for us, and who rose again. Appearance and Ascension (Luke 24:36-53). The two disciples rushed to Jerusalem to share their joy. Even as they told the unbelieving disciples of their encounter with the risen Lord, He suddenly stood among them. Jesus showed His hands and feet: death had truly been defeated by life. And then Jesus opened the Scriptures and helped them to understand. Finally, Jesus promised His disciples power (Luke 24:49). For the disciples themselves, a new life had just begun. All the New Testament, all history, bears solid witness to the fact that these men and women were marked by a joy and power that turned their world upside down. Luke can be closed the same way for you and me, with power . . . Jesus’ power . . . available now as we accept Christ and choose to live as His disciples, and with praise — praise to God from each of us who knows by personal experience that Jesus truly does transform.

Teaching Guide Prepare Read through Luke 22-24 at a sitting, letting Luke help you share the experience of Jesus’ suffering — and resurrection.

Explore

1. Ask each group member to share the most important thing he or she has gained from your study of Luke’ s Gospel.
2. Or read Luke 20:9-15 together. Why do people reject Jesus? As your group members discover the answer, cover in a minilecture the nature, motives for, and results of rejecting Christ revealed in Luke 19-21. See “ link-to-life” above.

Expand/Apply Conclude your study with a worship experience. Point out Luke’ s emphasis, in describing Jesus’ sufferings, on the fact that Christ remained in complete control. You may want to read some of the verses that demonstrate this theme. Then ask your group members to meditate as they hear Luke’ s description of Christ’ s last days and His resurrection read aloud. After the reading, and a few moments of silence, encourage each to pray as he or she wishes, to thank Jesus for the new life He has given us at the cost of His own.