18. flashpoint!
TRANSCRIPT
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Lesson #18Flashpoint!
(Matthew 22: 1 23: 39)
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In Lesson #17 Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem
to the cheers of thousands: Hosanna to the Son ofDavid, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest! (21: 9).
Following the journey of the hero motif, Jesus entered
enemy territory where he will engage the enemy in
his final test, the defeat of Satan and death, enabling
the redemption of all of humanity.
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With each passing day of Holy Week Jesus escalates hisencounters with the religious leaders, culminating in seven
scathing denouncements, calling them hypocrites, blind
guides, a brood of vipers and murdersall this, as he whips
the ever-growing crowd into a frenzy.
Pontius Pilate, the Roman Prefect, along with a contingent
of up to 3,000 Roman legionnaires, has moved up from
their headquarters at Caesarea Maritima on the
Mediterranean coast to the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem,where they monitor closely Jesus activitiesand go on
high alert, fearing a revolt and the inevitable blood bath
that would result.
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The religious leaders, too, fear that if Jesus continues down
this path he will put Jewish religious freedom and the very
survival of the nation at risk.
As the physicist Carl Sagan once said of the 20th-century
nuclear arms race: the United States and the Soviet Unionare like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in
gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.
So it is with Jesus and the authorities.
As we move into Lesson #18, Matthew 22 completes the Cunit of our overall structure and Matthew 23 begins the B
unit, Great Discourse #5, the Olivet Discourse.
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The Gospel according to Matthews overall
mirrored chiastic structure
A Narrative: Jesus as Messiah, Son of God (1-4)
Minor discourse: John the Baptist identifies the authority of Jesus (3:7-12)
B Great Discourse #1: Demands of true discipleship (5-7)
C Narrative: The supernatural authority of Jesus (8-9)
D Great Discourse #2: Charge and authority of disciples (10)E Narrative: Jews reject Jesus (11-12)
F Great Discourse #3: Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (13)
E Narrative: Disciples accept Jesus (14-17)
D Great Discourse #4: Charge and authority of church (18)
C Narrative: Authority and invitation (19-22)
B Great Discourse #5: Judgment on false discipleship (23-25)A Narrative: Jesus as Messiah, suffering and vindicated (26-28)
Minor discourse: Jesus identifies the authority of the church (28:18-20)
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The Temple in Jesus day.(1.50 scale model of 1st-century Jerusalem, Israel Museum.)
Photography by Ana Maria Vargas
Antonia Fortress
TempleSouthern Steps
Golden GateEastern Wall
Royal Portico
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Photography by Ana Maria Vargas
Southern steps of the Temple where the religious leaders confront Jesus.
Notice the close proximity of the Antonia Fortress and the Roman officials.
Southern Steps
Antonia Fortress
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After Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem the chief priests
and the elders of the people (21: 23) confront him,
demanding to know who he is and who gave him theauthority to do what he is doing.
Jesus replies with a stinging indictment of the religious
leaders, followed by three scathing parables:
1. The Parable of the Two Sons (21: 28-32)
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
2. The Parable of the Tenants (21: 33-46)
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was
speaking about them.
3. The Parable of the Wedding Feast (22: 1-13)
Many are invited, but few are chosen.
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Pieter Aertsen. The Parable of the Wedding Feast (oil on panel), 1550-1554.
The Cummer Museum, Jacksonville, Florida.
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Following Jesus three blistering indictments of the
religious leaders, the religious leaders seek to
discredit Jesus in the eyes of the crowd with three
tests:
Test #1: Paying Taxes to Caesar (22: 15-22)
Test #2: Question about the Resurrection (22: 23-33)
Test #3: What is the Greatest Commandment? (22: 34-40)
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Following Jesus three scathing indictments of the
religious leaders, they seek to discredit Jesus in the
eyes of the crowds with three tests:
Test #1: Paying Taxes to Caesar (22: 15-22)
Test #2: Question about the Resurrection (22: 23-33)
Test #3: What is the Greatest Commandment? (22: 34-40)
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Silver denarius with the Emperor Tiberias (reign, A.D. 14-37).
The inscription reads: Caesar Augustus Tiberias, son of the Divine Augustus.
The reverse features Livia, wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberias, as Pax (Peace).
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Following Jesus three scathing indictments of the
religious leaders, they seek to discredit Jesus in the
eyes of the crowds with three tests:
Test #1: Paying Taxes to Caesar (22: 15-22)
Test #2: Question about the Resurrection (22: 23-33)
Test #3: What is the Greatest Commandment? (22: 34-40)
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Following Jesus three scathing indictments of the
religious leaders, they seek to discredit Jesus in the
eyes of the crowds with three tests:
Test #1: Paying Taxes to Caesar (22: 15-22)
Test #2: Question about the Resurrection (22: 23-33)
Test #3: What is the Greatest Commandment? (22: 34-40)
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After thoroughly discrediting the religious leaders,
Jesus drives the final nail into the coffin by asking:
What is your opinion about the Messiah?
(22: 41-46)
And he follows it up with seven blistering attacks
on the religious leaders that leave his audience
and his disciplesspeechless!
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1. The religious leaders sought to discredit Jesus inthe eyes of the crowds by a series of very shrewdquestions, and Jesus counters by discreditingthem. How does he do so in the paying taxes toCaesar episode?
2. If you were a Sadducee, how would you supportyour position on resurrection?
3. Why does Jesus call the religious leadershypocrites?
4. How do the religious leaders lock the kingdom of
heaven before human beings (23: 13)?5. What do you think Jesus hoped to accomplish
with his scathing indictment and publichumiliation of the religious leaders?
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Copyright 2014 by William C. Creasy
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