Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 60
48
IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
19:40–20:13
He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst
into cheers!”
But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to
weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way
to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before
long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you
and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground,
and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in
place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”
Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My
Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of
thieves.”
After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the
teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they could think of nothing, because all the
people hung on every word he said.
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News
in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the
elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing
all these things? Who gave you the right?”
“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. “Did John’s authority to
baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he
will ask why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, the
people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” So
they finally replied that they didn’t know.
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do
these things.”
Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man
planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another
country to live for several years. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent
one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked
the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. So the owner
sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent
him away empty-handed. A third man was sent, and they wounded him
and chased him away.
“‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’
