The time has come for Jesus to die. Now the forces of evil, which he has been so powerful against, will be allowed to do their worst. It begins with the scheming, greedy crooks up at the temple being ready
Look up!
Jesus is preparing his disciples to stand firm in the catastrophe which is coming to ancient Israel, especially Jerusalem and her temple. They must see, in those future days, that he has ascended to rule from above and is building
Getaway
From Jesus’ ascension until just before the fall of Jerusalem his followers must testify to Israel: tell of what God has done through his Son whom they killed. Some will believe and be saved. But many won’t and the formal
Future worries
In stress-filled times our minds can be disturbed making our responses unreliable. Jesus knows that the four disciples who ask him about the future face just this danger. They have heard him predict the fall of Jerusalem’s temple, which means
The resurrection principle
Once the disciples recognised Jesus as the Christ, God’s king, he began to tell them of his impending death. He also assured them that this will work out for glory, since the Father will raise him back to life. But
Big men, little woman
Jesus has silenced his opponents. But he will not be silent. Instead, he asks questions about the legal experts. Why do they struggle to see the most important commands? It’s not because they lack in intellect or knowledge. Their problem
A legal problem
After a number of group attacks, an individual comes to Jesus. This scribe wants to ask which law in all 613 of the Old Testament commandments comes first and provides the core principle that unites all the others. Jesus’ answer
Seven husbands?
Another group tackles Jesus’ authority to teach in the temple. These Sadducees try to show how Jesus’ belief in resurrection fails to understand Moses’ law. But he easily turns it around to show how they fail to understand God who
Render to Caesar
Jesus has told a parable about paying rent to a remote landlord. His opponents knew it was about their misbehaviour and went away angry. Now they send others to exploit Jesus’ words in order to trap him. He says it’s
Two riddles
Jesus has faced down the bullying leaders of Jerusalem. But he won’t just let them walk away. Instead, he tells one of his parables. The meaning may not be plain to some, but his opponents get it. Jesus is exposing