Sabbath June 20, 2015
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, O Mighty City
Leading Question: What strikes you most about Jesus' last week in Jerusalem? Is it the unrelenting hostility of the
Jewish religious establishment; the disciples' failure to really see the
picture of who Jesus really was; the fickleness of the common people?
Facing death: “As the time approached for him to be
taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out
for Jerusalem.” Could you be
resolute as you approach your death? What advantage is there to knowing the
time and the place where we will die?
Hosanna! People power! Many people were on their way to the city
to keep the Passover, and these joined the multitude attending Jesus. The crowd shouted joyfully and noisily. The dignitaries of the
temple are dumb with astonishment. Amidst all this celebration, why was Jesus was weeping? Was Jesus just an emotional
person? The Bible records Jesus crying a least twice, both in public. Hebrews 5:7 suggests other occasions as well.
The people, chief
priests and leaders of Jerusalem were blinded by their traditions and failed to
recognize the coming of Jesus. He wept over their
condition and their impending fate. Not even the disciples understood.
The Temple visit: Luke tells us that Jesus was "driving out" those who were
selling, and Matthew tells us that He was turning tables and
benches upside down. He
declares the temple to be a “house of prayer” and not a “den of robbers”. The outer court of the temple, a place for the instruction of
Gentiles, had become a market place. What might Jesus say to our church today if he were to visit? Is it primarily a place of prayer? Should it be?
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