Jesus in Jerusalem
The Gospel writers have specifically crafted their Gospels to emphasize the last week of Jesus’ life. One of the things that is stressed during this last week is the tense interactions that Jesus has with the religious leaders of the people of Israel. These final showdowns have been increasingly anticipated throughout each of the Gospels and now they finally and climactically come to a head. The lines have been drawn and the decisions have been made. Jesus will refute their attempts to trick and trap him in their theological riddles and their plans to put him to death will move to the implementation stage (as Jesus has predicted, cf. Matt. 16:21). The week that begins with him hailed as the Son of David will end with him identified as the King of the Jews, though from a much different vantage point (cf. Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38).
Matthew, Mark, and Luke have intended to show that this is the only time Jesus has been to Jerusalem. Jesus has largely ministered in Galilee and has steered clear of the capital throughout his three years of ministry. This again stresses the significance of this week. Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel, the center of the nation’s pride and the place where people come to worship and celebrate their covenantal God. And that is exactly what is happening when Jesus rides into town. The people of Israel have gathered in Zion to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (cf. Lev. 23:4-8). It has been estimated that this celebration, in which all males were required to attend and many Jews from the surrounding Mediterranean world would pilgrimage, would cause the population of Jerusalem to swell to six times its normal level. So, the place is packed with people. Jesus now has the largest audience he has seen in three years.
But Jerusalem is not his turf and those to whom it does belong, or those who claim it as their own, are ready to defend their beloved city, their reputations, and their positions of power and influence. Jesus has drawn the attention of these vast crowds and he has also drawn the attention of his enemies. All the varying camps have come together to try and trap Jesus, to discredit him, to correct him, and when that fails; to conspire to arrest him and put him to death. The elders, chief priests and scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees will all be involved in attempting to trick Jesus.
Jesus and the Religious Leaders
The interactions Jesus has with these leaders takes place in several different ways. Jesus teaches in parables, he is questioned by them and questions them in return, and he pronounces “woes” upon them for their hypocrisy. We’ll spend our time focusing on the parables that Jesus uses to address the failures of the leaders of Israel specifically, and of the people of Israel generally.
Matthew records three parables that are directed toward the religious leaders. The use of parables is instructive. Parables were used by Jesus not to reveal truth through everyday illustrations, but to conceal truth from those who don’t have eyes to see (see Matt. 13:10-17). Jesus is much more straight forward with his disciples, though several parables later in this week seem to have been directed toward them (Matt. 25).
The parables that are directed toward the religious leaders are the parable of the two sons, the parable of the tenants, and the parable of the wedding feast. All three parables expose the failures of the people, upend their understanding of the kingdom of God, and stress the authority of Jesus as the true King. The parable of the two sons follows the questioning of Jesus’ authority and builds on the question Jesus poses to the chief priests and elders about John the Baptist. The religious leaders may be crafty in their attempts to trap Jesus, but there’s two that can play at that game! Jesus is even craftier and puts them in a position they can’t escape without exposing their hypocrisy. The purpose of the parable is to show them that they are the disobedient sons who refuse to repent and do the will of the father. Their rejection of the message of John the Baptist makes them last to enter the kingdom of God, long after the tax collectors and prostitutes (Matt. 21:31-32).
The parable of the tenants is probably the most telling of these three parables. I have found that this parable is essential to understanding the whole meaning and context of Jesus’ ministry and overshadows the first generation of the church from Pentecost to the destruction of Jerusalem. The parable retells the story of Israel in a very condensed way. Israel has been identified as the vine of Yahweh (cf. Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 2:21) which has been leased out to certain tenants to tend the vine. After some time, the landowner sends his servants for the fruit of the vine and the tenants turn on the servants, beating and killing them (see Matt. 23:37). The owner of the vine then chooses to send his son, thinking that the tenants would respect him. Once the tenants know that this is the son, they’re determined to kill him so that they could claim the vineyard as their own. After killing the son, Jesus then poses the question to the religious leaders, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants” (Matt. 21:40)? Surprisingly, the religious leaders come up with the right answer. The owner will kill the evil tenants and lease out the vineyard to other faithful and loyal tenants. Jesus adds to this conclusion by summarizing his teaching on the basis of Psalm 118:22-23, the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. Therefore, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits” (Matt. 21:43). The vineyard has become the kingdom and the tenants are those people who bear the fruit of the kingdom.
The third parable is the parable of the wedding feast. This is a parable of the kingdom of heaven where a king gives a wedding feast for his son. After the feast is prepared, an invitation is sent out, but it is ignored and even some of the messengers are arrested, beaten, or killed. The king is stirred up and in anger brings judgment upon the murderers and those who refuse the invitation to the feast. A second invitation is sent out and is well received, “the wedding hall is filled with guests” (Matt. 22:10). The parable takes a turn in Matthew 22:11-14, which makes this a very challenging parable! Someone shows up at the feast but is not clothed in the appropriate wedding garment! Apparently, the group that has gathered to celebrate the son’s wedding is a mixed group. There are tares among the wheat (see Matt. 13:38). But the King knows those who are his and will separate those who are improperly clothed from the servants who are properly clothed in wedding garments.
What purpose do these parables serve in the last week of Jesus’ life? These three parables pack a mighty punch. Combining the themes of the kingdom of God with the failed responsibility of the religious leaders specifically and the people of Israel generally, these parables warn Israel of what is to come (see Matt. 21:45). A great change is going to take place because of their response to the Son. The existing system will be upended, replaced by something far more substantial and permanent. The kingdom they seek will not be inherited by them, but others, even people from a different nation. They will face the anger of a righteous king who will reign down judgment upon them. In an eerie way, they have spoken of their own judgment in Matt. 21:41, the owner of the vineyard “will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”