Confrontation in the temple Luke 19v45-20v19

Luke 19, verse 45.

Luke 19:45

When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.

It is written, he said to them, my house will be a house of prayer,

but you have made it a den of robbers.

Every day he was teaching at the temple, but the chief priests, the teachers of the law,

and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news,

the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.

Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, they said.

Who gave you this authority?

He replied, I will also ask you a question.

Tell me, John's baptism, was it from heaven or of human origin?

They discussed it among themselves and said, well, if we say from heaven, he will ask,

why didn't you believe him?

But if we say it's of human origin, all the people will stone us,

because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.

So they answered, we don't know where it was from.

Jesus said, neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

He went on to tell the people this parable.

A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers, went away for a long time.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.

But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

He sent another servant, but that one they also beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.

He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

Then the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do?

I will send my son whom I love.

Perhaps they will respect him.

But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over.

This is the heir, they said.

Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.

So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.

When the people heard this, they said, God forbid.

Jesus looked directly at them and asked,

Then what is the meaning of that which is written?

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces.

Anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.

The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately,

because they knew he had spoken this parable against them.

But they were afraid of the people.

Well, let's pray together.

Father, help us to have a mind that, as it were, takes us into the operating theatre.

Father, to come before you and ask that by your word and by your Holy Spirit,

you would cut us open.

Show us what we are like.

Show us who you are.

Father, we submit to you.

And pray that you would do your careful, skillful work on our hearts and lives today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, this is the last week of Jesus' life.

As we move into chapter 20, it's four days' time before Jesus dies,

when he will be executed on a wooden cross.

After all, that's why Jesus came to Jerusalem.

He came to die.

But instead of keeping a low profile,

perhaps spending the last few days with family and friends,

Jesus heads straight for the temple.

Chapter 20, verse 1.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts

and proclaiming the good news.

The temple was the centre and focus of all religious and social life.

It was also the home to what was called the Sanhedrin,

which was a powerful ruling council

made up of about 70 people.

Although Sanhedrin isn't mentioned,

the makeup of that ruling council is at the end of verse 1,

where we read about the chief priests,

the teachers of the law,

together with the elders.

They were responsible for overseeing all religious and social affairs.

They were the rulers,

the ones who held authority.

They were like the church,

the police,

the law courts,

all rolled into one.

Get on the wrong side of the Sanhedrin

and you could lose your life.

Their word was final.

But then if you remember from last week,

Jesus has just arrived in Jerusalem

and here he is claiming to be king.

That he is the one who has supreme authority

and that all people are answerable to him.

That his word is final.

And Jesus goes straight to the temple,

the most public place,

and confronts the Sanhedrin,

this ruling council,

on their home turf.

This was a clash of authority.

Now as we follow Jesus into the temple courts,

we want to also see that Jesus is there

confronting us.

Two big things we're going to look at this morning.

First, Jesus confronts us with his authority.

Two ways Jesus does this.

First, through his word.

Let's pick it up again.

Chapter 20, verse 1.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people

in the temple courts

and proclaiming the good news,

the chief priests,

the teachers of the law,

together with the elders,

that's the Sanhedrin,

the ruling council,

came up to him.

Tell us,

by what authority

you are doing these things,

they said.

Who gave you this authority?

They were concerned about

the things Jesus was doing in the temple.

Well, what was Jesus doing in the temple?

What were they so concerned about?

Well, back up to chapter 19, verse 45.

When Jesus entered the temple courts,

he began to drive out those who were selling.

Again, if you remember from last week,

we learned it was Passover time.

Thousands,

tens of thousands of people

are making their way to Jerusalem,

to the temple.

And as they arrived,

they would go,

if they didn't have a sacrifice with them,

they would have to buy an animal

for sacrifice.

But to buy,

you had to have the right currency,

the right kind of money.

So those who had come from outside Jerusalem,

first had to go and exchange their money.

Get the right kind of currency,

and then they could buy

an animal for sacrifice.

The problem was,

the temple officials,

which was overseen by the Sanhedrin,

this ruling council,

had it all fixed in their favour.

It was a way of making

lots and lots of money.

So Jesus confronts them head on

with the authority of his word.

Verse 46.

It is written,

he said to them,

my house will be a house of prayer,

but you have made it a den of robbers.

Look at what Jesus says at the beginning there.

He says,

my house will be a house of prayer.

Jesus is quoting here

from Isaiah the prophet,

who was looking forward to a day

when all people,

regardless of their race and religion,

would be welcomed to come to God.

That has been the ministry of Jesus

all the way through Luke, isn't it?

He's been welcoming outsiders.

Here's more of what Isaiah said

in Isaiah 56,

where this quote comes from.

And foreigners,

outsiders,

who bind themselves to the Lord,

who trust in the Lord,

these are the people

I will bring to my holy mountain

and give them joy

in my house of prayer.

This is why Jesus had come

to welcome people in.

But he has to confront

these religious authorities.

You're actually hindering people

from coming.

Look at the rest of verse 46.

You've made it a den of robbers.

This time,

Jesus is quoting from

Jeremiah the prophet,

who is calling on the people

to repent and

turn around to God.

Here's what Jeremiah said.

You can follow the quote on the screen.

This is what the Lord Almighty,

the God of Israel,

says,

reform your ways

and your actions.

Will you steal and murder,

commit adultery

and follow other gods

you have not known,

and then come to me and say,

we are safe,

safe to do these detestable things?

Has this house,

referring to the temple,

which bears my name,

become a den of robbers to you?

But I have been watching,

declares the Lord.

You see,

Jesus is coming,

confronting

with the authority of his word.

He speaks

God's word,

the words of the prophets,

as if it was

his very own word.

And Jesus is saying

to the people,

you need to get in line

with my word.

You need to listen to me.

reform your ways,

repent,

get on board

with what I am doing,

with my mission.

So Jesus confronts,

firstly,

by his word,

and second,

he confronts us

with his authority

through his identity.

Chapter 20,

verse 2.

Tell us,

they said,

by what authority

you are doing these things,

they said.

Who gave you

this authority?

What right

have you

to be coming

into our temple,

telling us

to reform

and to change

our lives?

Who do you think

you are?

You're no member

of the Sanhedrin.

Where did you come from?

Well,

Jesus answers them

in a strange way.

It's really

an expression,

again,

of his authority.

Verse 3.

He replied,

well,

I will also

ask you

a question.

You have

to answer

me.

Tell me,

verse 4,

John's baptism,

was it from heaven

or of human origin?

If you remember

back in Luke

Luke 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

where we first

met John the Baptist,

he was baptizing

people

and as he

baptized people,

he was pointing

people to Jesus

and preparing

people for Jesus.

His message

was crystal clear.

John was saying,

I'm not the Messiah,

it's not me.

Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus is God's

chosen king

and you need

to be ready

to meet him.

Verse 5.

So they discussed

it amongst themselves

and if we say,

well, look,

if we say

that what John

was saying

was from heaven,

then he's going

to ask us,

why didn't we

believe John the Baptist?

Why didn't we trust

that Jesus

is the Messiah?

We don't want

to do that.

But,

verse 6,

what if we say,

well,

what John was saying

is of human origin,

it's all made up

and Jesus really

isn't the Messiah.

Well,

all the people

are going to stone us

and, I mean,

look at all the stones

around here.

We're going to be

in trouble

because they

were persuaded,

the people knew

that John was

a prophet

and he spoke

the truth.

So they chickened out,

didn't they,

verse 7?

Oh, well,

you know,

we don't know

where it was from,

taking no sides

other than

to protect themselves.

Well,

Jesus said,

verse 8,

neither will I tell you

by what authority

I'm doing these things.

You see,

they do know

what the correct answer is.

They just don't want

to admit to it.

Jesus is the Messiah.

He is their King.

You see,

while the Sanhedrin

love to maintain

this control

and authority

over the people

and telling people

who could come

and who had to stay out,

well,

isn't that a little bit

like us?

We like to control

our own lives.

I am the ruler.

I am the authority.

I decide what is best

for me and my life.

None of us likes

any one of us

telling us what to do.

It's my life

and I will do

as I please.

But if Jesus

is the Messiah,

that means

he has supreme

authority over us

and the way

that authority

is expressed

to us

is through

his words.

You see,

we can't claim

to be followers

of Jesus

and not listen

to his word.

You can't have Jesus

and ignore his word.

To accept Jesus

as the Messiah

means we must submit

to what

he has to say.

And that implies

that we are

the kind of people

who are spending time

reading his word

and applying it

to our life.

To go from

week to week

without even

opening our Bibles

is to say to Jesus,

Jesus,

keep your mouth shut.

I don't want to hear

anymore.

Because to close

our Bibles

is to close

our ears

to what Jesus

has to say.

And to close

our ears

to what Jesus

has to say

is to shut

Jesus out

of our life.

The point

is so simple.

We can't have

Jesus without

his word.

And the evidence

that we accept

Jesus is that

we welcome

his word

into our lives.

Look back

at verse 47.

Look at the

different responses

of the people.

Sorry,

chapter 19,

verse 47.

Every day

Jesus was teaching

at the temple.

But the chief

priest,

the teachers

of the law

and the leaders,

that's that

council again,

among the people

were trying

to kill him,

silence him.

They didn't want

to hear his voice.

Yet they could

not find a way

to do it

because all the

people hung

on his words.

Which one

best describes

you?

Do we want

to silence

Jesus?

Or are we

hanging on

his every word,

listening to

what he has

to say?

You see,

we can come

every Sunday,

read the Bible,

listen to the

Bible being taught.

We can tick

that little

religious box

and we can be

like the people

in Jeremiah's

time who said,

do you remember?

We are safe.

They do their

little bit of

worship and

kind of safe

within the walls

of the temple.

God's not going

to do anything

to us.

We're his people.

We're good

religious people.

No,

says Jesus,

stop hiding

behind that

veneer of

religiosity.

Reform your

ways.

Get in line

with my

word.

For I am

your king.

So first,

Jesus confronts

us with

his authority.

Second,

here's the

second big

idea,

Jesus confronts

us with

our response

to his

authority.

He confronts

us with our

response to

his authority.

Look down

at verse 9.

He went

on to tell

the people

this parable.

Now,

you'd imagine,

you know,

he's come

into the

temple grounds.

This is the

home turf

for the

Sanhedrin.

They're the

rulers.

They're the

ones in

authority.

They have

the power.

They're trying

to kill

him.

You would

think Jesus

would kind

of like

back off

a little

bit at

this stage.

But no,

he goes

right for

the jugular.

Look down

at verse

19.

Here we get

the conclusion

of the

parable.

The teachers

of the law

and the chief

priests

looked for

a way to

arrest him

immediately

because they

knew he

had spoken

this parable

against them.

Jesus is

confronting

full on.

He's not

backing off.

So what do

we learn

from this

parable?

Well,

first,

fruitful

obedience.

Let's read

verse 9.

He went

on to tell

the people

this parable.

A man

planted a

vineyard,

rented it

to some

farmers,

and went

away for

a long

time.

Now,

when we

read about

the vineyard,

it's a

picture,

it's picture

language for

God's people.

So let me

show you.

If you go

back to

Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

5,

so keep

your finger

in Luke

20 and

jump all

the way

back to

Isaiah

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

So as

Jesus starts

talking about

vineyard,

it brings

with us

a certain

picture and

image.

Isaiah

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

and verse

1.

Isaiah

Isaiah 5:1

5 verse

1.

So here

it is.

It's really

speaking about

God's people.

He says,

I will sing

for the

one I

love a

song about

his vineyard.

My loved

one had a

vineyard on

a fertile

hillside.

He dug

it up,

cleared it

of stones,

planted it

with the

choicest

vines.

He built

a watch

tower in

it and

cut out

a wine

press as

well.

Then he

looked for

a crop

of good

grapes.

but it

yielded

only bad

fruit.

Down to

verse 7.

The

vineyard of

the Lord

Almighty

is the

nation

of Israel,

the people

of Judah,

and the

vines he

delighted in.

And he

looked for

justice but

saw bloodshed,

for righteousness

but heard

cries of

distress.

Now let's

go back to

Luke 20,

back to the

parable.

You see,

God,

just as

the time

in Isaiah

was looking

for fruitful

obedience.

People who

would listen

to the

words of

the prophets,

those who

would obey

it,

those who

would take

God's word

on board,

and would

be changed,

the fruit

of obedience.

Chapter

20,

verse 10.

So at

harvest time,

he sent

a servant

to the

tenants,

so they

would give

him some

of the

fruit of

the vineyard.

But the

tenants beat

him and

sent him

away empty

handed.

Three times

the owner

sends his

servants,

and each

time they're

rejected.

And Jesus'

point is clear

to them.

Look,

God has

been so

patient and

persistent

with you.

He has

spoken his

word to

you through

his servants,

the prophets,

time after

time after

time.

People like

Isaiah,

people like

Jeremiah,

people like

Elijah,

they've come

time after

time.

But you

will not

listen to

what God

has to

say.

And to

drive the

point home,

Jesus makes

it very

personal.

Verse 13.

Then the

owner of the

vineyard said,

what shall

I do?

I will

send my

son whom

I love.

Perhaps

they will

respect him.

But when

the tenants

saw him,

they talked

the matter

over.

This is

the heir,

they said.

Let's

kill him

and the

inheritance

will be

ours.

So they

threw him

out of

the vineyard

and killed

him.

You see,

Jesus,

as he speaks

this parable,

is making

it quite

clear that

he is

the ultimate

prophet.

He is

the very

word of

God.

He is

God's

king.

I am

here to

speak God's

word to

you,

and I

am giving

you time

to repent,

to change

of your

ways.

But rather

than accept

my authority

and listen

to me,

you will

kill me.

God is

so patient,

so

persistent,

longing for

fruitful

obedience from

his people.

But if we

fail to

respond, if we

fail to take

his word on

board and

get in line

with his

vision,

we will

face his

judgment.

judgment.

So the

second thing

we learn

from this

parable is

divine judgment.

Let's pick it up at the

end of verse 15.

What then will the

owner of the

vineyard do to

them?

He will come

and kill those

tenants and

give the

vineyard to

others.

It's so

clear, isn't

it?

If you

continue to

ignore my

authority, if

you persist in

closing your

ears to my

word, then

God will

ignore you and

close his

ears to you.

Verse 16.

He will come

and kill those

tenants and

give the

vineyard to

others.

The opportunity

that you have

been given is

going to be

taken away and

is going to be

given to

someone else.

Taken away from

those whom God

had called, said

you will be my

people.

Of course, those

who are his

people, the

evidence, are

those who

accept the

son.

who welcome

his word.

You see, we

might have had a

lifetime of being

taught God's

word.

We might have

scripture

memorized.

We could have

been raised in a

Christian home where

we had parents who

taught us, had the

privilege of being

in a good church

family.

All signs of God's

amazing grace,

his desire and

longing that we love

him and obey

him.

But yet, as the

years have gone

by, it's as if

our hearts have

become more

calloused and

more hardened to

God's word.

I used to read

God's word, but

now I have no

time.

I used to listen to

the sermon and

engage, but

well now I

can't wait for it

to be over.

I used to

enjoy the

challenge of

what other

people had to

say and the

intimacy of

meeting God

in his word,

but not for

me.

Slowly but

subtly, the

rejection of

God's authority

in our life.

Well, if

that's you this

morning, listen

very carefully.

God's

persistence and

patience will

one day come to

an end.

The

opportunities that

we have been

given will be

taken away,

will be given to

someone else.

The point was

not lost on his

hearers.

Look at the

end of verse

16.

When the

people heard

this, they

said, God

forbid.

Oh, that

would never

ever happen

to me.

I would

never ever

ignore God's

word.

Not me.

It's a

sobering

thought.

Jesus

confronts us

with our

response to

his authority.

So,

what

what is

my response

to the

authority of

Jesus?

What is

our response?

This is

deeply

personal.

Look at

verse 17.

Jesus

looked

directly at

them.

It's like

he's

eyeballed

them,

staring

intently.

A

dramatic

pause.

Nobody's

speaking.

They're just

looking at

each other.

This was

pointed and

personal.

Jesus

demands a

response.

He

asked them,

then what

is the

meaning of

that which

is written?

The

stone the

builders

rejected

has become

the

cornerstone.

Well,

we need to

do some

thinking here.

The imagery

has changed,

hasn't it?

We've gone

from the

vineyard and

now we're

in a

construction

site.

But Jesus

wants us to

make a

connection

between the

two.

The stone

that we

read about

here in

the parable

is also

like the

sun in

the parable.

Both have

been rejected.

Back at

verse 15,

the sun

is thrown

out and

killed.

He's

rejected.

The stone

in verse

17,

well,

the builders

have rejected

that.

But just

as the

stone,

verse 17,

becomes the

cornerstone,

the cornerstone

was that

big foundation

stone on

which everything

is built

on and

holds everything

together.

It's the

most important

stone.

Remove that

stone and

there's

nothing.

Well,

he was

saying,

so the

sun has

become the

foundation,

the most

important

one.

And in

case we're

missing the

point,

Jesus is

saying,

listen,

I am

that

sun and

I am

that

stone.

You may

reject me,

you may

throw me

out,

you may

kill me,

and in

four days

time,

Jesus

will be

killed,

executed

on the

cross with

the Sanhedrin

at the

heart of

it.

But I

will rise

again.

I will

rise again.

You may

discard me,

you may

have no

use for

me,

you may

choose

another

foundation

to build

your life

upon,

but mark

this,

I am

that

cornerstone

to build

your life

on the

authority

of my

word and

you will

be saved.

But reject

my authority

and my

word,

it will

be like

removing

that

foundation,

that

cornerstone

and it

will come

toppling

down with

a crash.

Verse 18,

everyone who

falls on

that stone

will be

broken to

pieces.

Anyone on

whom it

falls

will be

crushed.

Jesus

will have

the last

word.

His

authority

reigns

supreme.

And one

day we

will all

have to

stand

before the

risen

Jesus

and give

an account

of our

life to

him.

Nobody

else

but us

and him.

There is

only one

authority,

only one

true word

and that

is Jesus

the Messiah.

You cannot

split

Jesus

and his

words.

You cannot

say,

oh I

like

Jesus

but shut

my ears

to what

he says.

Submit

to his

word and

you will

live.

You will

know life.

You will

enjoy life

the way it

is meant

to.

Reject

his word

and you

will be

crushed.

There is

just one

authority.

What is

our response

to him

today?

As we

close,

we are

going to

pray.

I would

like us to

turn to

those words

in Hebrews

that we

read at

the beginning.

Hebrews

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

we are

going to

use it

as our

prayer as

we close.

Hebrews

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

If somebody

could help

me again

with a

page number

that would

be helpful.

Hebrews

Hebrews 4:12

chapter 4,

verse 12.

So as

we read

it, let

us hear

God speak

to us

and ask

him to

do an

effective

work in

our life

and that

it might

lead us

to run

to Jesus.

Chapter 4,

verse 12.

For the

word of

God is

alive

and active,

sharper

than any

double-edged

sword.

It

penetrates

even to

dividing soul

and spirit,

joints and

marrow.

it judges

the thoughts

and attitudes

of my

heart.

Nothing

in all

creation

is hidden

from God's

sight.

Everything

is uncovered,

laid bare

before the

eyes of

him to

whom we

must give

an account.

Verse

16.

Let us

then

approach

God's

throne of

grace,

with

confidence

so that

we may

receive

mercy

and find

grace to

help us

in our

time of

need.

There's

pain

in being

cut open

but there

is great

healing

as we

come to

Jesus,

the true

word,

who

fills our

life with

grace and

mercy.

What a

king.

Let us

pray.

Father, thank

you for your

word to us

today.

We

recognize that

it is hard,

it is

painful.

we submit

ourselves to

you afresh

and pray

that you

would give

us open

hearts and

open ears

to your

word, to

the Lord

Jesus,

and accept

his authority

in our

lives.

We pray

this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

We're

going to

sing,

which is

another

prayer,

and a

way to

encourage

us as

we sing

this, we

sing to

each other,

as we

pray to

God, that

as we go

into this

week, that

we don't

just close

the Bible

over, close

our ears to

the Lord,

but go

into this

week wanting

to hear from

him and

to live our

lives as

followers of

him.

Speak, O

Lord, as

we come to

you to

receive the

food of

your holy

word.

Let's

stand as

we sing.