Jesus Nears Jerusalem

We are in the life of Christ as we have been for a long time and we're nearing a critical juncture, a change in our Lord's ministry as we've been noting Jesus and as your outline says tonight Jesus nearest Jerusalem. He is on the verge of making the last leg of the trip into Jerusalem where he will die on the cross. In fact we will, if we get to John's gospel tonight which I think we will, and we introduce his journey into Jerusalem. That takes place on Friday one week before the crucifixion. So we are just within a window of eight days or so when we get into Luke 19 of Jesus being in Jerusalem or actually dying on the cross. We are in Luke 19 tonight and I want to reset a little bit and remind you of exactly the dynamic of what's going on in our Lord's life and ministry at this time. Jesus enters Jericho which is the last stopping point before you get to Jerusalem. Everybody would come to Jericho that was especially coming from Galilee and would overnight there and then make the last days journey. 17 mile walk up to Jerusalem of some rough terrain but that would be the last stop our Lord would make before he gets to Jerusalem but you remember he focused on two people as he goes into the city who is the person that Jesus focuses on? Do you remember his name? Zacchaeus was the second one. That was one of them. Who was the first one? Bartimaus. Bartimaus is as he's actually getting toward the city entering the city and then he heals Bartimaus, a blind man and then he gets on into the city and Zacchaeus. He intersects with and we saw last week that Jesus initiates the contact with him says I must dwell at your house today and goes to have dinner with him and Zacchaeus trusts the Lord and Jesus says in verse 9 of Luke 19 today salvation has come to his house because this man too is a son of Abraham indicating that the reason Jesus can say the man is saved is because he is a man of faith. He has trusted the revelation God's given him in the person of Jesus. That's what it means to be a son of Abraham one who is a faith and then Jesus summarizes using Zacchaeus as the object lesson for the son of man is come to seek and to save the lost. Now we jump in from there to verse 11 and remember Jesus has just probably sat down to a meal or maybe had a meal in Zacchaeus's home and there are many people around lots of folks crowds surrounding our Lord. Some of them do not believe in him some of them are curious some of them are genuine followers some of them are his antagonists the Pharisees and so you got a real mixed group here lots of different kinds of people with different kinds of responses and so that leads us into verse 11 while they were listening to this he went on to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. Now what's happening here is that Jesus is going to dispel the kind of frenzied expectation that when he gets to Jerusalem he's going to go ahead and establish his kingdom. That's what the majority of people are thinking even the disciples remember they have just argued about who's going to be at his right and his left that just happened. So they still have that conception that Jesus although he has clearly told them that he will die when he gets to Jerusalem they still their mind is still focused on the fact that he's going to set up his kingdom. So there's this feverish expectation that the kingdom will be set up and as Jesus addresses the crowd a mixed crowd of different people he tells a story a parable to indicate clearly that he's not going to set up his kingdom not now not in Jerusalem not on this trip. Okay that's what this story is all about it's an amazing story so this is what Jesus explains his kingdom is all about in Luke 19 11 to 28. Let's look at the king and his kingdom in verse 12 as he tells this story tells the story about the king and his kingdom. He said a man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself anointed appointed king and then to return. Now the interesting thing about this and again sometimes when we read the scriptures we have the disadvantage of not being in the historical cultural setting of the people who were hearing this and that's why it's important to do that kind of study in the backgrounds of what was going on at the time. The people who heard this immediately without question would have thought of a historical precedent that had been set for this very kind of story. Immediately they would have thought of one of the the biggest headlines that had occurred in their nation's history in the last 30 years and that was King Arkeleus. Now let's for a moment immerse ourselves back in that culture and think what they would be thinking when they heard this. Arkeleus was the son of Herod the Great. When Herod the Great died Herod the Great was the king when Jesus was born. When Herod the Great died remember Jesus as a baby had a young child had been whisked off to Egypt by his mother and by Joseph because of the desire and attempt by Herod to kill him and the killing of the babies in Jerusalem. When you remember that Herod dies and his son Arkeleus becomes the ruler. Now actually Herod's kingdom was divided among four people but Arkeleus is the one who got the most important parts that we would think of Judea and Samaria, those areas. So Jerusalem the area around Jerusalem Judea and then Samaria up north of that. Well you see the Romans did not typically call national rulers kings unless they had done something special for the Roman Empire then they might grant the term king that had happened with Herod and so Herod was called king but although Herod could pass along his kingdom he could not pass along the title and so Arkeleus was not called king. So what happened in the Roman world if you were a subject ruler in one of the Roman provinces and you wanted to be called king what you did is you went to Rome and you took a party of supporters with you and you made your case to the emperor and the emperor if he liked what you said might confer upon you the title king. That's exactly what Arkeleus did. Well so this historical precedent is in their mind they knew that this is what kings did what rulers did in the Roman world they would go to a distant country to have yourself appointed king and then come back okay so there's that's very real to them they know exactly what Jesus is talking about. Jesus is talking about common practice of kings even Arkeleus by the way when Arkeleus got to Rome he had some of his favorite supporters with him but 8,000 Jews living in Rome showed up to protest and basically their protest was Caesar this man has killed all kinds of Jews back in Judea we don't want him to be in title king and Arkeleus was not named king he was given a lower title of ethnic he was not named king because of the protest of the Jewish people in Rome so this would be very fresh even though it was about 30 years ago it would be very fresh in the minds of people who heard Jesus there was a historical precedent for this story and when Jesus starts telling a story about a king who goes to a distant country to be appointed king and then come back everybody's ears perk up they're interested in this story who's he talking about he's talking about Arkeleus it will be obvious that he's going to talk about himself okay but that's the historical precedent the the application to Christ is I think pretty clear I think we will see as we move through this parable that it's clear Jesus is talking about himself why because verse 11 he tells this story because people are thinking he's going to set up his kingdom when he gets to Jerusalem so he's telling this story about his kingdom and how it's going to be set up okay now with that in mind what is Jesus talking about in verse 12 a man of noble birth who's the man of noble birth himself okay is Jesus of noble birth yes and no okay good answer um he he is if you if you talk strictly about his birth he was born obviously a very poor parents in a very poor place poor mother and and stepfather if you would say it that way but he he does he is of nobility isn't he he comes from heaven and so he is of nobility so I think he's he's talking about himself but he goes to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return what's that talking about comes to earth goes back home is that what he's is that it what do you think okay now if Jesus is talking about his kingdom where is he going to get to be appointed king is he going to Jerusalem to be appointed king no where is he going to be appointed king came to his own his own received him might it's going to be rejected by his own people so where does he go to be appointed king back to his father's house he goes to a distant country to be appointed king where is that distant country heaven he's going to go back to heaven to be appointed king and then return he's going to come back now where does his kingdom take place if he's going to be appointed king in heaven but he comes back to exercise his rule where's that kingdom going to take place the middle of the kingdom okay going to take place on earth isn't it in Jerusalem okay in the parable Jesus is is is clarifying that he is not going to set up his kingdom now in Jerusalem he's going to go to a distant country now once once he gets in the upper room with the disciples in a few nights six seven days later he will tell them exactly where he's going he's going back to the father's house he's going to go back to heaven remember that's when he tells him I'm going back to heaven I'm going to leave send you the confederance of what but but right now he's just saying I'm going to a distant country to receive my kingdom and then I will return here okay so that that's the application to Christ the king and his kingdom he's indicating that he's not going to set up his kingdom in Jerusalem he will go to receive to be appointed king and then return to exercise his rule all right now look at verse 13 and verses 13 and 14 the king and his subjects here are the subjects and Jesus is going to point out those who follow him and those who don't first of all the believers are indicated in verse 13 so he called ten of his servants servants indicating his followers okay these are servants in the story they are subjects of the king so in Jesus talking about himself these would be believers they called ten of his servants and gave them ten minus put this money to work he said until I come back a minor was about three months wages so you got ten servants ten ten minus a minor for each servant and we'll see as we go through the parable each one got one so they're distributed equally ten servants ten minus each servant gets one minor and is told to invest it to to make that money work put it to work until he comes back so this person's going to be gone the one who's going to be appointed king he's going to be gone for a while he gives he entrusts them with something to put to work until he gets back now there's a very similar parable that Jesus will tell in Matthew 25 the parable of the talents that was a little more familiar and some people confuse the two they're very close in timing this is seven eight days before the crucifixion the one Jesus will tell in Matthew 25 is just within two or three days different different locations that was the olive discourse in Matthew 25 so they're different parables and they have different meanings in the parable the talents remember one servant's given five one's given two one's given one okay here they're all given an equal amount in in the parable the talents it has to do with people who give who have differing opportunities and differing gifts in this parable everybody has the same opportunity everybody has the same ability and so most people who deal with this pass into scripture believe that what Jesus is talking about here is a deposit which is entrusted to everybody equally what do you think that would be spread the word let's take it just a step further the gospel the gospel okay we are all given the gospel to put to work until Jesus comes back invest it don't hide it invest it get it out there put it to work and everybody has it it's not like some got more than others we all have the same gospel and so we all have the the same responsibility to get the gospel out okay those are the those are the believers the subjects who are given a deposit a trust and by the way later Paul will will use that word the trust which is deposited to Timothy several times in the pastoral epistles the first and second Timothy it is a deposit which has been entrusted to you the gospel and you're to be faithful Timothy to get that out I think that's what Jesus is talking about here put it to work I've given you a deposit you all have the same thing put it to work get out there and and put it to work okay now those are the believers verse 14 I think indicates the unbelievers but his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say we don't want this man to be our king obviously who's Jesus talking about there I'm sorry I'm hearing several Jews I heard Jews Pharisees it's no not talking about himself I don't think he's talking about people who do not want him to be king remember the setting now remember where he is what's happening right now the people that don't want him to be king are the religious leaders aren't they led by the Pharisees many of the Jews included and they will be the very ones who will put him to death in just a little over a week's time so Jesus is talking about okay there's a king going to a distant country to receive a kingdom and come back before he leaves to those who are his subjects obviously believers his followers he's giving them a deposit an equal amount of goods to invest to use until he comes back that seems pretty clear that that's us taking the deposit of the gospel and investing it you know reproducing other believers until Jesus comes back but then there are some people who don't want him to be king they don't want anything to do with his kingdom and those are obviously unbelievers those are the people who reject him okay so Jesus is telling the story to describe what is actually going to happen when he gets to Jerusalem people are thinking verse 11 he's going to do some stuff he's kingdom no no he's going to end up going away back to heaven and be appointed king there come back later and there's going to be a period of time before he comes back some who will follow him some who will not some who reject him don't want him to be king that's the scenario Jesus is painting in this story okay now that's the king in these subjects look at the king and his judgment in verses 15 to 27 the rest of the story verse 15 tells of his return and the accounting verse 15 he was made king however now there's where the story takes a drastic turn away from what happened to Archalais Archalais went to Rome wanted to be appointed king people said we don't want this man to be king over some Caesar said okay we won't let him be king then same kind of thing has happened to Jesus Jesus is going to heaven there are people who don't want him to be king but Jesus says he was made king however you know what people say on this earth about who Jesus is and whether or not he's going to rule has no bearing on what God intends to do he's going to be made king he will be king and so Jesus was made he was appointed king when he went back to heaven he's appointed king and returned home okay now here's where the story takes a twist and becomes like prophecy this is what will happen when Jesus comes back verse 15 then he sent for the servants to whom he'd given the money in order to find out what they had gained with it and here you begin in verse 16 there's going to be an accounting okay the king returns and and there's an accounting that takes place in verses 16 to 19 you find the obedient servants are called in okay these are the ones that were obedient to him and did what they were told to do verse 16 the first one came and said sir your mind has earned 10 more well done my good servant his master replied because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter take charge of 10 cities the second came said sir your mind has earned five more his master answered you take charge of five cities okay now what what is being indicated there when you think of how the story represents Jesus and what Jesus will do what is he talking about reward rewarding yes okay rewarding followers subject servants who have invested the gospel who have gotten the gospel out there put it to work that which we were deposited with to use while Jesus is gone people who've gotten it out some maybe more than others some earned 10 some earned five they all had one to start with remember so these are people who to varying degrees have gotten the gospel out all of them are rewarded aren't they they're all rewarded not all equally isn't that very similar to what Jesus is going to do when he comes back you know we're going to be rewarded and evidently and we see this in other places this is one of the primary ones as well where Jesus rewards according to faithfulness all who have been faithful to him will be rewarded those who have been more faithful will be given more responsibility in his kingdom 10 cities five cities not everybody will be rewarded equally but when Jesus comes back to set up his kingdom reward is not just seen I think at times all we think about is the crowns you know we'll all get crowns we'll all cast him at Jesus feet anyway right so then really matter what we get rewarded right no wrong there are other evidences of rewards in the scripture and part of the evidence of reward is the responsibility the co-regency even the intimacy we have with the Savior in his kingdom in his millennial kingdom and that will be determined by our faithfulness to him and and whatever he gives us to do so some are rewarded with five cities some with ten and I know what some of you're thinking you know I don't want to be a mayor of any cities so I don't want that kind I mean I'm not the kind of person to run a city so who cares I don't want any cities you missed the point if you if you feel that way remember that we will all be in our glorified bodies we will all more than we've ever wanted before more than we ever wanted on this earth we will want to glorify our Savior and the ways that we glorify him are the responsibilities that we have in his kingdom in the future Tommy yeah exactly that's a great question somebody who has more opportunity more people to get the gospel out and what I think I would say to that is this is one angle of how rewards will be distributed there are others as well remember the different crowns that are given some of them are given for loving his appearing some of them are given for living self disciplined life some of them are given for other things enduring trials James 1 crown of life will be given so there are other things that rewards will be given for not just how we invested the gospel okay that's one thing and this is that's the one that's focused on here but there are other things as well so a person that may have lived way out where there was not much opportunity to win people to Christ will be rewarded for other things they've done in being faithful to Christ the important thing is being faithful to him and being used by him wherever he has us so Max yes certainly not and you may well be right even in the intent of this parable that is certainly true in the broader scope of how rewards are seen in the scriptures and I know it's I would certainly agree with that as far as the broader scope of how rewards are seen in scriptures most who deal with this parable take it because of it being a financial investment kind of thing that it is talking about what is later referred to in the in the New Testament as the deposit which is given to us whether or not those two are clearly tied yeah that's a toss up but yes certainly certainly that's true Max that that it's not just presentation of the gospel that is at stake when it comes to rewards obviously it's how we use our spiritual gifts and whatever opportunities God has given us and that may well be in view here they will be in view yeah no you know it's a great point because as we look at it from this side it's easy to think you know I'm going to be looking at the guy that got 10 and say well why did you get 10 I only got five you know it's not fair but remember we'll all be in our glorified bodies we will have the an eternal Christlike perspective on everything including rewards and we will not be looking at each other with what really comes out of a sinful nature in Vianjellis and so forth because we won't have that anymore so we will have the right perspective on whatever happens here it's difficult for us to understand that now because everything we think is tainted by our sin nature it really is but we won't have that there and so we will understand fully why rewards were done the way they were we will agree with it completely and we will rejoice in whatever God does now there are some other scriptures who talk about suffering the loss of reward I think we will recognize we could have done more we could have been more faithful whether or not that will be an eternal regret or a temporary regret at the judgment seat then we move on is a subject that has caused a lot of ink to be spilled I'm not going to weigh in on that okay good questions any others more thank you for the pleasure to give me and thank you for the pleasure to bring me in the river all of us I can't just let you know that I couldn't be in the river all of us whatever God gives us to do we're judged on that basis on like Max said whatever our spiritual gifts we're not going to be compared to someone else whatever God has given us whatever field he's given us to work in a missionary that works in North Africa dealing with Turegs in Mali who are Muslim who are our shepherds who go from place to place and has I remember Dave Richards laboring for years and years and seeing only two or three people saved but he was faithful he was faithful to do the work God called him to do he'll be rewarded for that and then you have someone that God has given the opportunity to hold large crusades and thousands of people get saved that person will be rewarded based on how faithful they use the gifts and opportunities God gave them it's not the numbers that God compares and says oh this guy 10,000 he'll get a big reward this guy too nah no it's the numbers that are used here are only representative of how faithful you are to take advantage of the opportunities God gives you yeah yeah exactly I mean you know Paul was talking there in 1 Corinthians about the fact that if you become if you become focused on who gets the results then you become oh I like Paul better or I like Cephas Peter better or I like Paul is better and Paul was weighing in against that that's that it's not the person it's God who gives the increase so that obviously is even though we are rewarded for what we have done all the glory goes to God all the glory goes to him and that's that's good to keep in mind okay those are the believers where are we in verse 16 at the 18 19 19 okay we finished 19 I believe they were the five city guy gets five cities okay then then there there is the disobedient servants in verses 20 to 26 at least just kind of skim through this then another servant came and said sir here is your mind I have kept it laid away on a piece of cloth okay so however you want to talk is it spiritual gifts is it the gospel whatever it is opportunity whatever it is it was not used it was not invested okay so I kept it laid away I kept it hidden didn't use it here's the reason he gives and this is harsh words about the master I was afraid of you because you are a hard man you take out what you did not put in and rep what you did not so basically saying I'm not sure I can trust you to do what's right you know so I'm just not going to use anything that I've been given well notice how the master replies verse 22 is master replied I will judge you by your own words you wicked servant you knew you and by the way notice how he phrases this you knew did you that I am a hard man taking out what I did not put in reaping what I did not so he's not saying that is correct that's kind of person I am he's basically saying oh that's what you think huh that that's what you think I'm a hard man that does that that takes from someone who doesn't have anything I mean I didn't sew it but I took it that's what you think of me verse 23 why then didn't you put my money on deposit so that when I came back I could have collected it with interest now the idea here is and here's where you know parables kind of break down if you try to press all the details the idea basically is why didn't you at least do something with it it's not that I could take my spiritual gifts or my the gospel and just put it on hold and let it gain interest basically in the story he's just saying why didn't you at least do something you could have at least put it in the bank and let it draw interest and it would have done something rather than just hiding it and not doing anything with it verse 24 then he called to those standing by take his mind away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minus 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 one who has nothing even what they have will be taken away now again I think the basic concept here without trying to figure out how every little word fits the basic concept is the person who has been faithful will reap reward the person who has not been will suffer loss of reward that's consistent with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 you know reward or loss of reward if you've not invested anything the gospel spiritual gifts opportunities god gives you faithful living however you want to see that if you've not if you've not done anything with what god's given you you'll lose reward you'll suffer a loss of reward if you've been faithful you'll be rewarded generously that's the point okay it's not you know not it's not that at the judgment seat the Lord is going to take away from what someone else did and give it to you don't press it that far it's just the general concept that those who are faithful will be rewarded those who are not will suffer loss of reward that's the idea okay and then you've got in verse 27 the enemies but those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them bring them here and kill them in front of me wonder what the Pharisees thought when they heard that I mean in their minds it's pretty obvious what he's talking about or at least it should be should be I don't know if they really got it or not but it should be what he's talking about basically is this you think I'm going to go up to Jerusalem to establish my kingdom right now I'm telling you that's not going to happen I've already told you I'm going to be arrested beaten killed and I will rise again in the third day I already told him that so what I'm telling you is the kingdom's not going to be set up now I'm going to go away to a far country receive the kingdom be appointed king and then come back while I'm gone I'm giving people responsibilities and some will reject it entirely and don't even want me to be king when I come back I'll reward those who were faithful those who did not want me to be king will be judged bring them here and kill them in the parable in the story that's what happens the idea is a swift judgment so that's a lot different than what people were thinking Jesus was going to do when he went to Jerusalem very different and Jesus has just I'm sure for many of them they're standing around looking at each other like what what is he talking about he's going to do what I think for most of them I still didn't get it but he's warning them he's warning them he's warning both his followers as to what's not going to happen and he's warning the religious leaders as to what is going to happen to them okay so that's really the point of the parable and it comes at a very critical juncture in our Lord's ministry he's bright he's ready to go up to Jerusalem and all these expectations and basically he's squashing them right here okay any other comments before we quickly look at the arrival at Bethany all right let's flip over real quick to John 11 and we will try to introduce this the next event that takes place is Jesus arriving at Bethany John 11 verses 55 to 57 describe for us the atmosphere before his arrival this is just before Jesus comes into the suburbs of Jerusalem here's the atmosphere verse 55 when it was almost time for the Jewish Passover many went up from the country of Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover you see many Jews would would go through a baptism ritual which was a ceremony to illustrate cleansing before they went into the Passover and we've got a picture of what the baptismal font would look like this is an excavation of some baptismal fonts in the city of Jerusalem that would be used for ceremonial cleansing actually I have a much better picture of this but it's it's unslides and I still have not been willing to fork over the money to turn 1000 slides into CDs but anyway I've got a much better picture of archaeological dig on the south side the south wall of the temple complex we had a professor when I was studying in Israel that was a Jew that taught at Tel Aviv University and they had just done all this excavation and found these new archaeological sites on the south end of the temple mount and nobody was allowed in there except him and he took us with him and so we got all kinds of pictures that nobody else at that time had they've got them now but they're much larger than this and you could actually we walked down steps you would go down one side and then you would come up the other side go down one side unclean dip yourself down in the water which was about waist deep and then you would walk up the other set of steps and if you could see the picture I have you'd actually see the steps down into the baptismal font and they would they would immerse themselves they would dip themselves completely down in the water to symbolize they wanted to be clean before they went into the Passover that's exactly what is being talked about in verse 55 many went up to the from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover now look at the atmosphere of question in verse 56 they kept looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another what do you think isn't he coming to the festival at all and by the way there are three ways to ask a negative question in Greek which is a language of New Testament written in this this is a certain subjunctive mood that has a negative particle before it that indicates they expected a negative answer basically in English we would say he's not gonna come is he nah no he's not gonna come that's what they're saying they do not expect him to be there he's gonna surprise them he's gonna show up but they they don't expect him to come the crowd as a whole in Jerusalem verse 57 but the chief priest in the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found that where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him so they've already put the word out if he does show up arrest him on site anybody who sees him arrest him let us know where he is we're gonna arrest him so that gives you a little idea of the atmosphere that Jesus is walking into okay our time's up and we're not gonna have time to get into chapter 12 there a few verses there that describe a little bit more of the timing we actually find that he's there six days before Passover which is the Friday before he will die the next Friday that gives us the timing of things and then we'll see more about the different responses to Jesus next time let's pray Father we know that our Lord and our Savior is still in that distant country he has been appointed king but he has not come back yet to exercise that rule and so while he is gone help those of us Lord who have been entrusted with the deposit the the gift that you've given us um all equally we all have the equal opportunity to get your word out to get the gospel out and to use whatever gifts and be faithful and whatever way of giving us pray that you would help us to be faithful help us to be mindful of the fact that you will come back someday and there will be an accounting and we will stand before you to give an accounting of what we've done with the life you've given us and I pray Father that you'd help us to to live in such a way that we will be able to glorify you more by the responsibilities that you give us in your kingdom thank you Lord for this time of opportunity to be in your word may your word change us not just inform us but change us to be more like you in Jesus name amen