Tension in the Temple

Sermon 83 in Series

Luke 19:45 – 20:8

[45] And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

[47] And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, [48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

[1] One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up [2] and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” [3] He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, [4] was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” [5] And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ [6] But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” [7] So they answered that they did not know where it came from. [8] And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  What is wrong with what’s going on in the temple? How do Jesus’ quotations from Isaiah and Jeremiah give greater clarity?
2.  What does the cleansing of the temple show about Jesus’ character? What does it demonstrate about his authority?
3.  How do practical necessities sometimes overshadow the main thing in our service to the Lord? How can we prevent this from happening?
4.  How does Jesus’ ministry continue to emphasize teaching? What does this imply about its priority in the life of the church?
5.  Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus? How does this remind us of the inevitability of persecution?
6.  How does 20:1-8 highlight Jesus’ wisdom? What does it communicate about the motives and concerns of the religious leaders, and how does this typify so much of what we see in the world?

References: Jeremiah 7:1-15 (corporate reading); Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26; Luke 2:49; Mark 11:15-16; John 2:17; Psalm 69:9; Isaiah 56:7; Micah 6:8; Matthew 4:19; Luke 9:22; 6:11; John 3:19-20; 3:2; Luke 3:16; John 1:29.