Jesus' Ministry, per Matt, Mark & Luke (part 17)

• For the entire itinerary, see Ministry Itin'ry;
• in (parentheses) is the location per today's geography.

[18] in Galilee; along the border of Galilee & Samaria; in Judea;

[19] 3rd time in/around Jerusalem-- mid-fall, Feast of Tabernacles:

1. in Jerusalem-- halfway through the Feast, to the Temple courts;
2. to the Mount of Olives (south-central West Bank)-- for 1 night;
3. back in the Temple courts of Jerusalem;
4. Jesus spoke again to the people; as He went along...;

[20] 4th time in Jerusalem-- winter, Feast of Dedication;

[21] to Judea & surroundings (southern West Bank & E of the southern Jordan River):

1. went on the other side of the Jordan R. (west-central Jordan);
2. approached, entered & left Jericho, NE of Jerusalem (southeast-central West Bank);
3. in Bethany (El-Azarireh, SE of Jerusalem; south-western West Bank) on the Mount of Olives, less than 2 mi. from Jerusalem-- raised Lazarus;
4. in Ephraim (NE of Jerusalem; central West Bank);
5. back in Bethany, 6 days before the Passover-- Jesus' feet anointed;
6. came to Bethany & Bethphage (between Jerusalem & El-Azarireh in the West Bank), at the Mount of Olives-- 2 disciples sent;

C. (cont'd) After the 4th time in Jerusalem 

  9. Parable: Because of what the people thought about the Kingdom of GOD [21] above (2nd pt.)

• Matt
• Mark
• Luke 19:11-27 While they were listening to this [Zacchaeus being granted salvation], He went on to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem [6 mi. NE of it; 4 mi. NE of the Mount of Olives] & the people thought the Kingdom of GOD was going to appear at once. He said, A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king & then to return. So before he left he called 10 of his servants & gave them 10 minas (~30 mo. wages), 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' But his subjects, not the servants, hated him & sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' He was made king, however, & returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. The 1st 1 came & said, 'Sir. your mina has earned 10 more.' 'Well done, my good & faithful servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a small matter, take charge of 10 cities.' The 2nd 1 came & said, 'Sir, your mina has earned 5 more.' His master answered, 'You take charge of 5 cities.' Then another servant came & said, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take what you did not put in [where you have no interest] & reap what you did not sow.' His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, "did you", that I am a hard man, taking what I did not put in [but reality: God created/invested in the world!], & reaping what I have not sown [God ordained that we should reap & sow]? Why then didn't you at least put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him & give it to the 1 who has 10 mina-- he will have 11 cities.' 'Sir,' they said, he already has 10.' He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the 1 who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away, but as to those hating subjects, those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them-- bring them here & kill them in front of me.'

  10. Jesus sent 2 disciples for a donkey; Jesus approached Jerusalem [21] above (6th pt.)

• Matt 21:1-9 As they [Jesus, disciples & the crowd] approached Bethphage & Bethany on the southeastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, about halfway between Jericho & Jerusalem, Jesus sent 2 of His disciples, saying to Them, Go to the village ahead of You, & at once You will find a donkey tied there, & her colt by her. Untie them & bring them to Me-- wonder what he did with the donkey, for as we shall shortly see (the words in green script below), he quoted Zec 9:9, which specifies he rode on a colt; indeed, we shall see below in the Mark & Luke accounts that he instructed them to find a colt which no 1 has ever ridden. A new thing (Christianity) riding on an old thing (the Law). If anyone says anything to You, tell them that the Lord needs them, & He will send them back right away. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'see, your King comes to you, gentle & riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zec 9:9).The disciples went & did as Jesus had instructed Them. They brought the donkey & the colt, placed Their cloaks on them, & Jesus sat on them [the cloaks] . A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees & spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him & those that followed shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! (Psa 118:26).  'Hosanna in the highest!'
• Mark 11:1-10 As they approached Jerusalem, & came to Bethphage & Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent 2 of His disciples, saying to them, Go to the village ahead of You, & just as You enter it, You will find a colt tied there, which no 1 has ever ridden. Untie it & bring it here. If anyone asks You, 'Why are You doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord has need of it & will send it back here shortly.' They went & found a colt outside in the street, tied in a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, 'What are You doing, untying that colt?' They answered as Jesus had told Them to, & the people let Them go. When They brought the colt to Jesus & threw Their cloaks over it, He sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had formerly in preparation cut in the fields. Those anticipating who went ahead & also those who followed shouted, 'Hosanna!' Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! (Psa 118:26). 'Blessed is the Kingdom of Our Father David! 'Hosanna in the highest!'
• Luke 19:28-44 After Jesus had said this [a parable of subjects & 10 servants], He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As He approached Bethphage & Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, on the SE slopes, less than 2 mi. from Jerusalem-- the western side is quite visible from Jerusalem (across the Kidron Valley, He sent 2 of His disciples, saying to Them, Go to the village ahead of You, & as You enter it, You will find a colt tied there, which no 1 has ever ridden. Untie it & bring it here. If anyone asks You, 'Why are You untying it' tell him, 'The Lord has need of it.' Those who were sent ahead went & found it just as He had told Them. As They were untying the colt, its owners asked Them, 'Why are You untying the colt?' They replied, 'The Lord need it.' They brought it to Jesus, threw Their cloaks on the colt & put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise GOD in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the LORD! Peace in Heaven & glory in the Highest! (Psa 118:26; Jer 7:11). Some of the Pharisees in the crowd  said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke Your disciples. I tell You, He replied, if They keep quiet, the stones will cry out. As He approached approached Jerusalem, & saw the city, He wept over it & said, If you, even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes-- precisely how I feel about the approaching fulfillment of the time of the Gentiles. Just as Jesus was talking specifically about that 1 city, I'm talking of the Christian-world. Sometimes I let the frustration/exasperation get to me, how the multiple denominations at very best just "agree-to-disagree"-- but then I let go & just weep about the situation. Many have the idea that their particular denomination will be the only 1 left standing. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you & encircle you & hem you in on every side. I'm not saying GOD'S Hand won't deliver us-- what's sad is the host of those that will be behind the embankment because of their choice to have nothing to do with the friction. Now the remainder of this happened to the city in 70 A.D., when the city was destroyed.:They will dash you to the ground, you & the children within your walls. They will not leave 1 stone on another, because you did not recognize the Time of GOD'S Coming to you.

D. Entering/after entering Jerusalem the 5th time

  1. Entered Jerusalem; to the Temple area, out to Bethany [22] above (1st pt.)

• Matt 21:10-17 When Jesus 1st entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred & asked, 'Who is this?' The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.' Jesus entered the Temple area & drove out all who were buying & selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers & the benches of those selling doves. It is written, He said to Them, MY House will be called a House of prayer For all nations (Isa 56:7), but You are making it a den of robbers (Jer 7:11). The blind & the lame came to Him at the Temple, & He healed them. But when the chief priests & teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things He did & the children shouting in the Temple area, 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' They were indignant-- how dare they express what was not an O.T. quote. Do You hear what these children are saying? They asked Him. Yes, replied Jesus, have You never read, From the lips of children & infants YOU have ordained praise (Psa 8:2). And They left there & went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
• Mark 11:11,15-19 Jesus entered Jerusalem & went to the Temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple area & began driving out those who were buying & selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers & the benches of Those selling doves, & would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the Temple courts. And as He taught Them, He said, Is it not written: MY House will be called a House of Prayer for all nations (Isa 56:7-- this is the complete quote!). But You have made it a den of robbers (Jer 7:11-- he blasphemed their pride & joy). The chief priests & teachers of the Law heard this & began looking for a way to kill Him, for They feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching. When evening came, They went out of the city.
• Luke 19:45-48 Then He entered the Temple area & began driving 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 & 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.

  2. Left Bethany; dealt with the fig tree [22] above (2nd pt.)-- 1st it is essential to realize the fig tree that bore no fruit & was forever cursed does not describe the fate of a Christian church (see PerMtMkLk18 D.5.), though it does show that we should always be in season to bear fruit:

• Matt 21:18-22 Early in the morning, as He was on His way back to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it but figs. Then He said, not out of anger, but being ever-ready to preach-- in this case about how the Church-as-a-whole should always be bearing fruit, May you never bear fruit again! Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, They were amazed. How did the fig tree wither so quickly? They asked. Jesus replied, I tell You the truth, if You have any degree of faith (not even as a grain of mustard seed) & do not doubt, not only can You do to what was done to this fig tree, but also You can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' & it will be done. If You believe, You will receive whatever You ask for in prayer.
• Mark 11:12-14,20-26 The next day as They were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf [that had matured], He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs-- an extremely lame excuse for the Jews; there should have been continuous fruit-bearing. Then He said to the tree, May no 1 ever eat fruit from You again And His disciples heard Him say it. In the morning, as They went along, They saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered & said to Jesus, Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered! Have faith in God, Jesus answered. I tell You the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself in the sea,' & does not doubt in His/Her heart but believes that what HE says will happen, it will be done for Him/Her. Therefore I tell You, whatever You ask for in prayer, believe that You have received it, & it will be Yours. And when You stand praying, if You hold anything against anyone, forgive him/her, so that Your FATHER in Heaven may forgive You Your sins.
• Luke