The Temple Takeover
Luke 20:1-8
June 28, 2020
As you know, we have now entered the final week of the life of Jesus.
• It was most likely on Monday when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem amid cries of Hosanna.
• It was also then on Monday when Jesus refused the Pharisees demand that He silence the crowd.
• On that same Monday Jesus would enter the temple, look around, and then go back to Bethany.
• On Tuesday Jesus would enter Jerusalem and clear out the temple and drive out all the money changers.
Now it is likely Wednesday and Jesus has returned.
This time Jesus has returned to hold court in the temple
And basically claim it as His own.
Of course, you and I know that this is extremely fitting.
Since He is the Son of God,
No one had more right to be in that temple than He did.
But to the Chief Priests, the scribes, and the Sadducees,
This was an unprecedented bold move by Jesus.
As we have repeatedly said, Jesus is driving for a crucifixion
And He will not relent until all of those prophecies have been fulfilled
And He gives His life as a ransom for sinners.
We left off last week at the end of chapter 9 where we read:
Luke 19:47-48 “And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.”
THERE IS A MASSIVE PROBLEM FOR THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS.
The High Priesthood had become a corrupt profession.
• It was basically given to the highest bidder.
• Annas had served as high priest, as had his sons.
• And now his son-in-law Caiaphas was the High Priest.
• It was a position they had bought and paid for.
Authority in that temple belonged to them,
And now this Jesus had just shown up
And was claiming what they thought was theirs.
And so they want to destroy Him.
The problem is they don’t have any grounds.
He is treading on their turf, but they don’t know what to do.
It is a tricky business to accomplish your purposes
Without losing the support of your followers.
We see this sort of thing in politics all the time.
• Politicians have an extremely difficult time doing what is right because they are constantly concerned about staying in office.
• So politicians tend to make decisions with their finger in the air, always seeking to get a read on the latest wind.
• And their decisions are often secretive, deceptive, manipulative, and underhanded so that they can do what they want while seeking to keep the approval of the public.
That is the sort of barrel the Chief Priests are over.
Their main problem is that the crowd is mesmerized by Jesus.
He teaches like no one else ever taught.
Now, just to be clear, the crowd is NOT SAVED, they are just mesmerized.
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
But you can sort of pick up on the scene.
• You have a crowd that believed what Jesus said, but would not openly confess Him because they feared the religious leaders.
• You have religious leaders that hate Him, but won’t do anything because they fear the crowd that does believe Him.
And in this sort of standoff, you have Jesus refusing to back down.
THE PLAN then will be to TRAP JESUS.
• They’ll try intimidation.
• They’ll try manipulation.
• They’ll try flattery.
• They’ll try trickery.
Their goal will be to get Him to say something that will offend the crowd,
Or to get Him to say something that will offend Rome.
And for us, it makes for a wonderful segment of Scripture
Where the wisdom and boldness of Jesus is put on display.
Today in the temple Jesus is going to put
His Wisdom, Authority, Boldness, and Conviction on full display,
And we get to see it all.
And the first incident that arises has to do with A SURPRISE ATTACK,
Meant to intimidate Him by questioning His authority.
Let’s work our way through it.
There are 3 things Jesus does here
That will only continue to push the buttons of the religious elite,
But for us it is MORE THAN just Jesus being antagonistic.
We see here the kind of boldness
That every follower of Jesus should have
In the face of religious hypocrisy and worldly intimidation.
• So we certainly marvel at His submission to the Father’s plan
• And we love His commitment to go to the cross,
• But we also learn from His example how to be a light shining in a dark world.
Let’s look at the 3 things Jesus did here to “set off” the religious leaders.
#1 HIS INVASION
Luke 20:1-2
I realize to call what Jesus did here an invasion is in one sense terribly WRONG since after all it was His temple and they were actually the invaders.
But from their perspective, Jesus had no right to be there,
And yet here He came anyway.
We find here “On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel…”
THIS IS CERTAINLY BOLD ON HIS PART.
• This is not Jesus gathering a crowd out on a hillside somewhere.
• This is not Jesus speaking in a synagogue as a visiting Rabbi.
• This is Jesus entering the temple and taking over with His own doctrine.
He is “preaching the gospel”
Luke doesn’t get specific about the actual message He preached
• Perhaps it was similar to that sermon He preached in Nazareth where He
turned to Isaiah 61:1-2 and said, “This is Me!”
• Or maybe He spoke again about the necessity of denying self, taking up the
cross, and following Him.
While none of the synoptic gospels give us insight
Into what Jesus was saying here, perhaps John’s gospel does.
John 12:44-50 “And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
At some point Jesus did preach this sermon in the temple.
Jesus is here calling everyone in that temple to believe in Him.
• If they will believe in Him they will be brought out of darkness.
• If they will believe in Him they will be saved.
• If they reject Him they will be judged.
And it is with preaching like that that the chief priests SPRING UPON HIM.
While He was “preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,”
Back in Ch. 19 we saw them racking their brains trying to figure out what to do. Apparently this was their plan.
It is an intimidation tactic.
They get every big-wig in the temple they can find, and their goal is sort of surprise attack Him, challenge His authority, and in a sense scare Him off.
The Greek word for “confronted” is EPHISTEMI (a-fist-a-me)
It speaks of a surprise or sudden attack.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds:
Luke 2:9 “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.”
When Martha had enough of Mary’s refusal to help her in the kitchen.
Luke 10:40 “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
Or even when describing the second coming.
Luke 21:34 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;”
That is the plan here.
• They are all going to get together
• And with one accord their going to charge into His teaching session,
• Get in His face, put on a grand display of power
• And challenge His authority.
So they “confronted Him, and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”
So hopefully you have A MENTAL PICTURE of how this went down.
They charged into His teaching session and basically said,
“Who do You think You are to be doing this?”
Can you see the intimidation factor here?
• This is the authorities.
• This is the scholars.
• This is the chief priests.
• They all came and they are seeking to make a public spectacle of the moment when they put Jesus in His place.
They come and challenge His authority.
But before we get to His answer,
It is important that you understand WHY THEY HAD TO do this.
IT IS BECAUSE JESUS ACTED WITH AUTHORITY
His whole life
Over Demons
Luke 4:33-36 “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”
Over Nature
Luke 8:24-25 “They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
Over Death
John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
To Forgive
Luke 5:24-25 “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” — He said to the paralytic — “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.”
To Save
John 17:1-2 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”
To Judge
John 5:22-23 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
It was certainly an authoritative act
To enter that temple and drive everyone out.
But perhaps the thing that has them the most riled up
Is the authority with which He is teaching and preaching.
Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
Jesus taught like no one else had ever taught.
• All the prophets up to that day would say, “Thus sayeth the Lord”,
• But Jesus always said, “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
AND UNDERSTAND WHO THIS CROWD IS.
These are the religious liberals.
This was NOT THE PHARISEES here. They were the legalists, they were the hyper-literalists, they were the supposed conservatives.
• The Sadducees and the Chief Priests were liberals.
• They were the ones who denied things like angels or the resurrection.
• They did not hold to Biblical authority.
And here you have Jesus in the temple speaking boldly and dogmatically.
• He speaks with confidence, He speaks with certainty.
• He doesn’t mince words, He doesn’t beat around the bush.
• He doesn’t offer non-confrontational opinions.
Jesus spoke with full authority because He spoke God’s words.
John 7:16 “So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
John 14:24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”
Jesus spoke God’s words and God’s words are authoritative.
Jesus speaks truth;
rigid; bold; uncompromising; certain; dogmatic; truth.
You know in our day how offensive this is.
• Our world hates it when someone speaks with certainty.
• Our world hates it when we are dogmatic.
• Being bold is considered to be proud and uncompassionate.
Our world has adopted statements like
• “that may be true for you, but not for me”
• “let’s agree to disagree”
• “no one can be certain”.
And it is certainly tragic and definitely un-Christlike
When Christians adopt that worldly uncertainty.
We have truth and we are called to boldly proclaim truth.
• It Is OFFENSIVE as light is always offensive to darkness.
• It Is CONDEMNING as God’s righteous standard always condemns sin.
• It Is NARROW as it promises only one way of salvation.
• It Is UNCOMPROMISING since it promises judgment to all who reject.
But we are called to proclaim it none the less,
And we are called to proclaim it with boldness.
Ephesians 6:19-20 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
Well that is exactly what Jesus is doing here.
He is speaking so boldly and so directly
That it actually caused the chief priests to ask Him
Where this authority came from.
Have you ever been accused of being so bold?
Have you ever been challenged regarding who you think you are to say such things?
Jesus was because truth demands boldness.
He was so bold that they came and challenged His authority.
“Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”
His Invasion
#2 HIS INTERROGATION
Luke 20:3-7
I’m not sure Jesus here gave the response that this group was expecting.
I think they expected Him to say something like,
“God gave Me this authority”.
That is what they were hoping for at least
So that they could accuse Him of blasphemy and arrest Him.
I think the plan was to scare Him into either leaving
Or making a verbal slip up.
HE DID NEITHER.
Instead, in one instant THE ACCUSED BECAME THE INTERROGATOR.
(3-4) “Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”
Now first of all, this is NOT Jesus being evasive.
• This was an acceptable from of debate and conversation among Rabbis.
• To answer a question with a question was to seek deeper thought and more clarification.
Jesus uses that.
They want to know where Jesus received His authority.
Jesus wants to know if
They would even recognize the authority if He told them.
So before Jesus answers a thing,
He first turns and interrogates His accusers.
He asks them specifically about the baptism
And the ministry of John the Baptist.
“Was the baptism of John from heaven of from men?”
And by the way, this has already been established by Jesus.
Luke 7:24-28 “When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. “This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’ “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Jesus already made it clear where John was from.
Of course the religious leaders had rejected that notion.
Luke 7:29-30 “When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”
And now Jesus is calling the Chief Priests to testify.
He is exposing them, He is humiliating them
He is finding out their view of authority
And in ONE STUNNING CHESS MOVE
Jesus put this entire mob in a corner they could not get out of.
(5-7) “They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from.”
You don’t even need really any explanation there
for Luke spells out the predicament they were in.
If they say “From heaven” then it is a question of their submission to divine truth.
• John publicly proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah.
• If John was sent by God, then certainly God’s priests should have believed him.
If they say, “From men” (insinuating John as a false prophet)
• They would have instantly had to explain themselves to a crowd who believed John was from God.
It didn’t take long for Jesus to flip the script did it?
And finally “they answered that they did not know where it came from.”
Can you imagine the humiliation?
Can you imagine the embarrassment?
Here was Israel’s finest scholars and religious leaders
And they can’t even tell Jesus if John was orthodox or heretical.
They just have to sort of hang their heads and shrug their shoulders.
BUT I WANT YOU TO SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE
Can you see the massive difference
Between Jesus and the religious leaders here?
• Jesus was willing to die for His belief, they were not.
• Jesus had conviction, they did not.
• Jesus had truth, they did not.
• Jesus was worried only with pleasing God, they were worried about pleasing
people.
• They were ruled by fear, Jesus was ruled by faith.
And, as followers of Jesus,
I think it is only fitting that we ponder this for a moment.
I think the church today must answer a few questions.
• Where is the boldness?
• Where is the conviction?
• Where is the certainty?
• Where is the uncompromising commitment to truth?
• Where is the courage?
In a world that is spinning haywire out of control,
The last thing this world needs is a wishy-washy church.
Have we forgotten?
1 Timothy 3:15 “but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
I was reading through the book of Acts this week,
And it really struck me the boldness and courage
And uncompromising conviction of the early church.
Acts 4:18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 5:27-30 “When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.”
They were in a similar scene, being surrounded and interrogated,
But they would not yield one step.
Even when persecution broke out:
Acts 8:1-4 “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.”
Persecution didn’t silence the church
And it did not force them underground.
They fled, but as they fled they preached.
There was a boldness and a conviction.
Even later when it was revealed to Paul that he would be arrested for the truth.
Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”
I just have to ask, “Where is that?”
The church cannot be more concerned about upsetting the people
Than they are with the proclamation of truth.
Listen, THERE IS NO WAY to follow Jesus and
Not be offensive to people who live in sin.
Light offends darkness.
Righteousness offends sin.
Truth offends deception.
Be bold, be courageous, follow the example of Jesus.
These religious leaders could not handle Him,
And one of the main reasons is because
He had truth and was not afraid to stand on it.
And so if you’re keeping score:
• Jesus offended the Pharisees by orchestrating that triumphal entry.
• Jesus offended the crowds by condemning them.
• Jesus offended the chief priests by clearing out the temple and humiliating them in front of everyone.
This man is committed to His ministry and His mission.
His Invasion, His Interrogation
#3 HIS INSUBORDINATION
Luke 20:8
It seems strange to speak of the insubordination of Jesus,
But for the second time in just a few days
Jesus looks right in the face of the religious elite and tells them “No”.
• He told the Pharisees “No” when they wanted Him to call off the parade.
• And now he tells the chief priests “No” when they want an explanation.
He owes them nothing.
He has truth on His side.
“And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
• I hope you can see their faces.
• I hope you can feel the sting of their humiliation.
• Their entire plan just blew up in their face.
And I remind you again of the boldness of Christ
And of THE EXAMPLE He set.
He’s not rude, He’s not mean-spirited,
But He understands that if a man rejects the authority of God
There is no reasoning with him and it is pointless to try.
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Jesus did not owe them an explanation.
And I want to remind you that the truth never requires this.
And with that in mind let me read you
Another very important verse about the authority of Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Do you understand that?
• We are NOT called to go out and debate the world.
• We are NOT called to go out and seek the world’s approval.
• We ARE called to go in the authority of Christ and proclaim His gospel to the world.
Jesus felt no need to defends His right to proclaim God’s word
To God’s people in God’s temple in God’s city.
Do you understand that?
We serve the God of all creation.
• God created this world.
• God created all humanity.
• Humanity as sinned against God and thus deserves punishment.
• But God in His great love and grace has provided a means of salvation to sinners.
• And He has commissioned us to go and tell those sinners the terms of His salvation.
We certainly aren’t asking permission to tell them.
I had A FUNERAL to do not so long ago of a man who was not a believer.
I was specifically told he held no religious belief.
And I am asked to go and stand over his grave
And speak to his family that he has left behind.
Every human inclination in me wants to say words that will not offend.
Every human inclination in me wants to please the crowd.
And while we certainly at a funeral are respectful of a family
Who has lost a loved one
YOU MUST ALSO UNDERSTAND THE DIVINE MANDATE.
Here was a man who lived his life in rebellion against God.
• According to Romans 1 he never honored God as God nor gave thanks.
• According to Romans 5 he was an enemy of God.
His family was certain that despite his rebellion
That he was now in heaven
Picking fights with formerly deceased family members.
I only tell you this story because I want you to know I understand fear.
My flesh wanted to bail, my self-preservation button wants to say what everyone wants to hear at a funeral; namely that the deceased is in heaven.
But the Spirit of God refuses to allow that.
The Example of Christ cannot allow that.
• The gospel has to be proclaimed.
• The truth that salvation is only found in Jesus Christ.
• The truth that no one comes to the Father except through Him.
• The truth that all men must believe in Christ or they will perish.
It certainly runs the risk of hostility or a lack of popularity
But we cannot be those who fear men.
Our Lord spoke truth.
Our Lord spoke with authority.
Our Lord fulfilled His Father’s mission.
You see that conviction and authority on full display here.
He is not backing down.
I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU CHURCH.
It has been heavy on my heart that “we” (and I say we, not you)
Must ramp up our efforts to proclaim the gospel.
I’m not here to accuse anyone personally,
For I’m not with you 24/7 and have no record of all your conversations.
But I have an assumption that there are many
Who are never sharing the gospel with anyone else,
And this is a failure on our part to follow our Lord’s mandate.
All authority belongs to Christ
And under that authority He told us to go and preach the gospel.
I want to challenge you church to do that.
If we don’t we are failing in the main purpose for why we are here.
And I would think that in the state of our world today,
The church more than ever needs to be proclaiming this truth.
• It is our part in a divided world.
• It is our part in a confused and scared world.
• We are the pillar and support of the truth and like our Lord, we must
proclaim it, even to those who do not wish to hear it.
And we must proclaim it without apology, without fear,
Without reservation, without permission, without retreat.
It may very well be a stick in the eye to the enemies of truth,
But if it did not stop our Lord, it MUST NOT STOP US.
So go, and proclaim the gospel.
