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?
“The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the
temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts. In cleansing the temple
from the world's buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,-
-from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul.” {DA 161.1}
Other lessons from the Jerusalem visit:
(a) Make God the focus of your worship (Luke 19:45, 46). When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the temple was being
misused as a way to make a profit. Today, the focus is often the music or the preacher (b) We must worship Him
in spirit and truth (John 4:24). The church must be a center of prayer and unity (Matt. 21:13). (c) Mingle with
people, and attend to their needs (Luke 19:41–44, 47, 48). Jesus chose to be among the people. One of His
reasons for going to the Jerusalem temple was to teach and heal people. During His last visit, He wept because
He cared for them. (d) Praise Him, and be joyful in His presence (Luke 19:37–40). Jesus does not hold people
back from welcoming and praising Him. Praising God is important to keep us spiritually positive. Paul wrote that
we should rejoice always (1 Thess. 5:16). It is easy to get discouraged with the dreadful, everyday news we hear,
but looking to and praising God can put these negative reports into perspective.
The Last Supper was actually a Passover meal. The Jews had been specifically instructed that they were to
celebrate the Passover every year by eating roasted lamb and bitter herbs. The Passover looks back to the
exodus from Egypt. The Lord’s Supper looks forward to the reunion at the second coming. The Passover involved
sacrificing a lamb; the Lord’s Supper replaced the Passover and requires only unleavened bread and grape juice.
What do you like least about the ritual? Does “this do in remembrance of me” also apply to foot-washing?
What are we supposed to learn from the parable of the vineyard? Luke 20:9-19. The Jewish leaders knew that
He was speaking about them; but, what about us. Could the parable be speaking to us, too?
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