A. Did you hear about the guy going around different towns and jabbing people with knitting needles?
1. The police believe he was trying to make a point and was following some sort of pattern.
B. The word “needle” can be used as a noun or a verb.
1. As a noun, a needle might be: a small slender usually steel instrument that has an eye for thread or surgical sutures at one end and that is used for sewing, or could be the hollow end of a hypodermic syringe, or a part of a record player, or the leaves of a conifer tree.
2. As a verb, a person might prick or pierce something with or as if with a needle, or they might provoke or annoy someone by continual criticism or questioning (needling).
C. Max Lucado tells a story from his childhood about something he did during worship one day.
1. As he sat in worship one day as a six-year old, his dad’s hand was in his lap to keep him from squirming.
2. Max’s dad was a mechanic, and Max became intrigued by his dad’s calluses – they rose on the palm of his hand like a ridge of hills.
3. The calluses were layer upon layer of nerveless skin that developed as a defense against the hours of squeezing wrenches and twisting screwdrivers.
4. Max noticed the attendance card on the back of the pew had a straight pin and red ribbon for visitors to wear.
5. Max thought to himself, “I wonder how thick dad’s calluses are?”
6. Without his dad noticing, Max began to insert the pin into his dad’s callus, going deeper every few seconds, watching for a response from his dad.
7. While the rest of the church was intent on the words of a preacher, Max was fascinated by the depth of a callus.
8. Deeper and deeper he pushed the pin, until his dad gave a sudden grunt and yanked his hand away.
9. His dad glared at him and Max knew that that same hand would be used later on Max to make a different point.
10. Max believes that what he did as a six year old with his dad’s hand is similar to what he does as a writer and a preacher trying to penetrate the calluses of people’s heart.
11. Of course, he uses a different kind of needle – his tool isn’t a metal pin, but the sharp edge of eternal truth.
D. Today, as we explore another day in the last week of Jesus’ life, we will notice that He spent the entire day trying to open closed minds and penetrate callused hearts with His final messages.
1. It was Tuesday, which means it was T-Minus 3 days until the crucifixion, and T-Minus 5 days until the resurrection.
2. Two Sundays, we explored Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on that Sunday and last week we explored His cursing of the fig tree and cleansing of the temple on that Monday.
3. As we will see today, Jesus spends all day teaching – He taught His disciples on the way to Jerusalem and then He taught His disciples, the crowds and the religious leaders in the temple.
4. The Gospel of Matthew devotes 4 chapters to Jesus’ teaching that Tuesday.
a. The Gospels of Mark and Luke devote 2 chapters to Jesus’ teaching that day.
b. John’s Gospel doesn’t include this teaching section, rather John devotes a number of chapters to Jesus’ teaching of the disciples on that Thursday night after the Last Supper.
c. Luke ends his teaching section with these words: 37 During the day, he was teaching in the temple, but in the evening he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives. 38 Then all the people would come early in the morning to hear him in the temple. (Lk. 21:37-38)
d. So all that Jesus taught in these chapters may not have been taught just on that Tuesday.
e. We aren’t told about specific teaching times on Wednesday and Thursday, but what Luke recorded at the end of the teaching section may imply that.
5. We obviously don’t have time to cover in depth all that Jesus taught that Tuesday or during His final days, because there are at least 15 different topics or parables, and some of it is complicated and technical – like the section addressing the signs of the end of the age.
6. What I would like us to do is to get a sense of why Jesus was addressing those topics at that time in His ministry, and how those teachings would have impacted the disciples, how it impacted the crowd and the religious leaders, and how those teachings can impact us.
E. So, let’s begin our exploration in Mark 11: 20 Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:20-24)
1. If you remember, on that Monday morning, the day before, as Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry and went to the fig tree looking for something to eat, but when He found none, He cursed the fig tree.
a. Last week, we explored how the fruitless fig tree represented the fruitless religion of Israel.
2. So now, a day after cursing the tree, Jesus and His disciples are on their way from Bethany back to Jerusalem and must pass right by that same tree.
a. Just 24 hours before, the tree had been green and healthy, but now it was dry and dead.
3. The disciples were amazed and as usual, Peter spoke up, saying, “Look what happened to the fig tree you cursed!”
4. Jesus seized the moment to drive home the point that they will be able to do what He did and even more through faith and prayer.
5. It’s sad that these words of Jesus get hijacked by the “Name-it-and-Claim-it” folks, who want to reduce this grand promise to new cars, bigger paychecks, and healthy bodies.
6. Jesus wanted those disciples and His disciples today to know that God’s power is available to accomplish God’s kingdom purposes for those who exercise faith and prayer.
7. God wants His people to be able to move mountains of evil and sin and fear so they can remain faithful and build God’s kingdom.
8. That’s a pretty good lesson to begin with on that Tuesday morning, wouldn’t you say?
a. How many of us need to take that message to heart today?
b. What mountains of evil or sin or fear do we need God to move today?
F. Let’s continue with Mark’s rendition of what happened that Tuesday: 27 They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?” (Mark 11:27-28)
1. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include this incident of questioning the authority of Jesus.
2. The procedure for being recognized as a religious teacher in Israel was simple.
a. Originally, rabbinical candidates had been ordained by a leading rabbi whom they respected and under whose teaching they served.
b. This, unfortunately, led to a variance in qualifications and teachings as well as widespread abuses.
c. So, the high Jewish council, called the Sanhedrin, took over responsibility for ordination.
d. When they ordained a man, he was declared a rabbi, elder, and judge and was given authority to teach, express wisdom, and render verdicts.
3. So, we shouldn’t be too surprised that the religious leaders asked Jesus, “Who gave you this authority?” because they knew He had not been ordained by them.
4. Jesus knew their hearts and knew they really weren’t interested in the truth, so He said, “I’ll answer your question, if you will first answer mine. Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin?”
a. They knew if they answered that it was from God, then they should have listened to John and would have to believe in Jesus because John believed in Jesus, but if they answered that it was not from God, then they would be in trouble with the crowd, so they played dumb and answered, “We don’t know.”
b. Jesus replied, “If you won’t answer my question, then I won’t answer yours.”
5. But I’m struck by the irony of “the created” asking the Creator about His credentials.
a. It’s like the pot asking the Potter where he got his college degree.
b. Jesus didn’t need their ordination, He had God’s stamp of approval.
G. Matthew then records three parables of Jesus – The parable of the 2 sons, the parable of the tenants, and the parable of the wedding banquet (Mark and Luke only include the parable of the tenants).
1. The first story is about a man who had two sons.
a. He went to the first and said, “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.” The son said he would not, but then changed his mind and went.
b. The father went to the second son and said the same thing (go work in the vineyard). The son said he would, but then didn’t.
c. Jesus asked the crowd which of the sons obeyed his father, and they answered the first.
d. The son who said he would obey but didn’t represented the unrepentant religious leaders, but the son who said he wouldn’t but changed his mind represented repentant sinners.
e. Jesus then shocked them by saying: “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but they did.” (Mt. 21:31-32)
2. Then Jesus moved immediately into two stories that presented a common truth.
3. The first is the story of a landowner who leased a vineyard to some sharecroppers (tenants).
a. At the harvest the owner sent his servants to collect his share of the grapes.
b. But the farmers grabbed the servants, beat one, killed another, and then killed a third.
4. The second is the story of a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.
a. When the feast was ready, the king sent his servants to tell the people that the banquet was ready, but they refused to come.
5. So here we have a landowner and a king whose servants and messengers are ignored, beaten and even killed.
a. Surely the landowner and the king will wash their hands of these people, right?
b. Or maybe the landowner will send the police or the military next, right?
c. Wrong! In both cases they send more emissaries. In the first story the last sent is the son.
d. Jesus was painting a picture of a very patient and determined God.
6. As both stories conclude, we see that the patience of the landowner and king has run out.
a. In the first story, the wicked tenants were brought to a wretched end.
b. In the second story, the king gave up on those first invited, and went and brought in anyone who would come, but one who came was not dressed properly and was thrown out.
c. Matthew records Jesus’ most sobering words: “I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Mt. 21:43)
7. Matthew, Mark and Luke all report that the Jewish religious leaders knew that Jesus had spoken these parables against them, and they looked for a way to arrest Jesus immediately.
a. Just as their fathers had rejected the prophets, now they were rejecting The Prophet – God Himself.
H. After these initial parables, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include Jesus being asked three questions.
1. The questions were designed to trap Jesus into saying something wrong that would lead to punishment or rejection.
2. The first of these questions had to do with paying taxes to Caesar.
a. Mark says: 13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words. 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” (Mark 12:13-14)
b. Notice how they introduced their question with an attempt to manipulate through flattery.
c. Chances are that when a man slaps you on the back he wants you to cough something up, and the Pharisees were doing some heavy backslapping in this verse.
d. For some people, flattery will get you everywhere, but not with Jesus.
e. He saw through their hypocrisy and asked for a coin and asked whose portrait was on it, and since Caesar’s portrait was on it He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s…”
f. When they heard this, they were amazed.
3. The next question came from the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection.
a. They came up with an extreme version of an unlikely incident in order to trap Jesus and make Him look foolish.
b. They suggest that there were 7 brothers and one of the brothers married, but then died without leaving any children. Then each of the other 6 brothers were required to marry the woman, but then each died without leaving children.
c. Their question was, “whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”
d. Jesus corrected them saying that they were way off base – they didn’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.
e. He explained that there would be no marriage in heaven, but there is a resurrection, because God is the God of the living not the dead, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
4. Matthew tells us that when the Pharisees saw that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they thought they could stump Jesus, so they asked the question they came up with, which was: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
a. The Pharisees were an influential sect in Judaism and were very pious and serious about keeping all of the OT law.
b. This was a big challenge because there are over 600 specific laws in the OT.
c. With that many laws, it would be helpful to know which one is the most important.
d. Jesus didn’t give just one answer, but gave two: Love God, and love you neighbor, and Jesus concluded by saying that these two were a fulfillment of all the other laws of God.
5. The Gospels tell us that from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions – there was no stumping or trapping Jesus.
I. Matthew follows up the section of Jesus being questioned with a chapter called the “seven woes” where Jesus gave a scathing critique of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23).
1. Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do everything to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.” (Mt. 23:1-7)
2. Then after the long chapter with the seven woes, Jesus concluded His critique with: “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Mt. 23:33)
3. If everything up to that point wasn’t enough to push the Jewish leadership over the edge, surely the seven woes would have done it – Jesus had pulled out all the stops.
J. At that point Matthew tells us that Jesus left the temple and was walking away when His disciples called his attention to the temple structure.
1. Jesus replied to them: “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Mt. 24:2)
2. Matthew, Mark and Luke all devote an entire chapter to the signs of the end of the age.
3. Countless books have been written about these chapters about the end times.
a. Ominous phrases lurk in these chapters, like: “wars and rumors of wars,” and “how terrible it will be for women who are pregnant.”
b. There are terrifying and eerie descriptions of the sun growing dark and the moon not giving its light, and vultures hovering around dead bodies, and lightning flashing.
4. But what does it all mean?
a. Some feel the entire chapter is symbolic and must not be interpreted literally.
b. Others feel it is a combination of comments applied to the destruction of Jerusalem and to the final return of Christ.
c. Still others believe the chapter has one purpose; to prepare us for the final judgment.
5. I believe Jesus was speaking about both the destruction of Jerusalem and of His second coming.
a. The destruction of Jerusalem was something they would see coming, but the second coming would come unexpectedly.
b. Jesus’ main purpose was to prepare His disciples for a cataclysmic future.
c. His words of disaster rang true when the Romans brought Jerusalem to her knees (70 AD).
6. It’s hard to grasp just how shocking and unbelievable it must have been for His disciples to hear about the destruction of the temple.
a. The temple was the central feature of the Jewish religion – it was the meeting place between people and God.
b. It represented atonement, sacrifice and the priesthood, and it had been around since King Solomon – more than 1000 years!
c. It was a dazzling structure built with white marble and plated with gold.
d. The temple area was surrounded by porches and the roof of the porches were pillars cut out of solid marble in one piece – they were 37 ½ feet tall and so thick that 3 men joining hands could barely encircle one.
e. Archaeologists have found cornerstones of the temple that measure 20 to 40 feet in length and weigh more than 400 tons.
f. How shocking was Jesus’ statement that not one stone would be left on another!
7. But Jesus told them about the destruction of the Jerusalem, the persecution that they would face, and His final coming, so they would not be surprised by it and would be prepared for it.
K. Matthew records three final parables that Jesus taught that day: The Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25).
1. Through those parables and Jesus’ message about the end of the age and the final day and hour being unknown, Jesus was giving His disciples their marching orders.
a. They were to be on their guard – watch out that no one deceives you.
b. They were to be ready at all times – keep watch, because you don’t know the day or hour.
c. They were to be faithful to the end – the one who stands firm to the end, and the one who does God’s will to the end, will be saved – come share in your master’s happiness!
2. These things that Jesus taught that Tuesday and in His final days must have brought His disciples great comfort and strength and peace.
3. Things were not going to be easy, but God would be with them, and it would all be worth it.
4. What was true for them is also true for us - we will face the same kinds of things and we need to follow the same marching orders.
L. Let’s conclude today’s lesson by acknowledging an important eternal truth: God gives each of us a choice about what we will do with Jesus and Jesus’ teachings.
1. There are a lot of things in life that we don’t get to choose, like: where and when we are born, or into what family, or race we are born.
2. We don’t get to choose the weather and we can’t control the economy, and we don’t get to choose how people respond to us.
3. But we do get to choose where we spend eternity.
a. It is the biggest of choices, and God leaves the decision to us.
4. God has tried to make clear what this choice means.
a. And God has tried to make it clear how much He cares about us and to what great lengths and great costs He was willing to go to give us a choice.
b. And so on Friday of the final week of Jesus’ earthly life, we witness God allowing His hands to be pierced, not with a pin, but with spikes.
c. Jesus allowed His hands and feet to be pierced to try to open our closed minds and penetrate our callused hearts.
d. But even after all God has done to demonstrate His kindness, mercy and love, He still leaves us the choice to receive Him or reject Him.
5. We are all familiar with the statement of Jesus in Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says: “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (It’s a great illustration, and a true reality)
a. Jesus stands at the door and knocks and asks to be let in.
b. Jesus doesn’t break down the door and barge in where He is not wanted.
6. Take a look at this famous painting of Jesus knocking on the door, done by an English artist named William Holman Hunt in 1866 called “The Light of the World.”
a. Hunt depicts the figure of Jesus with a lantern, knocking on an overgrown and long-unopened door.
b. The door in the painting has no handle on the outside, and can therefore only be opened from the inside, which was supposed to represent “the obstinately shut mind.”
c. This painting was considered by many to be the most important and culturally influential rendering of Christ of its time.
7. For 2000 years, Jesus has been trying to open closed minds and penetrate callused hearts.
a. He wants to come into our lives for the first time or for the one hundredth time.
b. The question is: Will we open the door and let Him in?
c. For the person who hasn’t received Christ for the first time – bringing Christ into our lives involves expressing our faith, repenting (turning from a self-directed life to a God-directed life; which includes turning away from sin), and being baptized into Christ (being immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins).
d. For the person who has already been baptized into Christ – then bringing Christ back into our lives after we have pushed Him away, involves repenting and starting over.
8. The choice is yours. I hope every single one of us will choose to welcome Jesus to come into our lives and allow Him to be our Savior and our Lord.
a. The longer we delay responding to Jesus, the harder and more callused our hearts become.
b. I pray we won’t delay, but that we will trust and obey.
Resources: Book by Max Lucado, “And the Angels were Silent,” Multnomah, 1992
