“Behold, Thy King Cometh." Matthew 21–23; Mark 11; Luke 19–20; John 12, CFM lesson for May 20 - 26

Video Playlist for this week:

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, Luke 19:1-10

• I love the humility Zacchaeus showed.  As the chief publican, he would have been despised by the people, but that role would also give him power, as would his wealth.  He probably could have forced his way through the crowd, but instead, he climbed a tree to get a glimpse of the Savior.  He doesn't put himself forward nor does he seem to have expected the honor of hosting Jesus.  He received the Savior into his home "joyfully."
• Zacchaeus seems conscious of his own need for repentance and explains that he gives half of his goods to the poor and that if he has taken anything through fraud, he restores it fourfold.  The law of Moses required restitution for wrongs and thefts.  For example, in Exodus 22:1, it says that a stolen ox should be restored by giving five oxen to the offended party, while the theft of a sheep requires four sheep to be given in restitution.  Numbers 5 explains that other trespasses require the amount of the offense plus twenty percent.  "6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed."  
• It seems that Zacchaeus is adopting the highest standard for himself in adopting the restitution regarding animals instead of that regarding money.  I wish we knew more of the story here.  Was he conscious of great sins he had committed in the past and was now working to make them right?  Or was he just responding to the accusation of being a sinner by explaining his attempts to be honest?  Given what Christ says of him, about saving that which was lost, I think it was most likely the former.
• In either case, his humility and desires for repentance were rewarded when Christ says, "This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"  Zaccheaus was lost, and now is found, and salvation is promised to him.  

Parable of the Pounds, Luke 19:11-27

• This story in Luke is similar enough to the parable of the talents that I will cover it when we get to Matthew 25

The Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, John 12:12-19

• The student manual points out, "The Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, during the observance of the Passover, directly fulfilled the prophecy recorded in Zechariah 9:9–10 and publicly declared that Jesus was the Messiah. In ancient times, the ass was a symbol of Jewish royalty. During the time of the monarchy in ancient Israel, following the enthronement of King Saul, the Jews held annual reenthronement rituals that featured a king riding into Jerusalem upon a donkey. The rider approached Jerusalem from east of the city, through the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley, and then came to the temple. These rituals looked forward to the time when the Messiah would come to His people in this same way. Thus, at a time when Jerusalem was flooded with Jews, Jesus entered Jerusalem in a manner that demonstrated He was the Messiah, the King of Israel. Riding on a donkey also showed that Jesus came as a peaceful and “lowly” Savior, not as a conqueror upon a warhorse (see Zechariah 9:9–10)."
• Jerusalem, filled to overflowing with Passover guests, saw the coming of their king.  Whether they understood what that really meant or just had hopes that this was the prophesied one who would save Israel, I don't know.  They cried out, "Hosanna!" which means "Save us!"
• This short video does an excellent job describing how the triumphal entry fulfilled and echoed the events of Passover:
 
• There is some symbolism in Christ coming from the East, like the rising sun.  
• The Jewish leaders are alarmed at the following Christ has.  They plot to kill Lazarus, whose rising from the dead was a miracle they couldn't keep the people from hearing about.  And they plot to kill Jesus.  Perhaps some sincerely believe that if allowed to grow his following, Rome really will come to put down this "false king."  Perhaps they were motivated by greed and concern for their own power.

Cleansing the Temple, Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48, John 2:14-22

• Christ, as the coming King, went first to the house he had claimed as his Father's back when he was just twelve years old.  He first cleansed it, then healed and taught there.  We also need to cleanse out our impurities to prepare us for the blessings we desire.  Like the woman in the parable of the lost coin, who sweeps out her home in order to find it, we also need to put our houses in order and make sure they are fit places for the Lord to visit with his spirit.  We need to rid our homes and our lives of things that are offensive to God. 
• Each year during the Passover, the people cleaned their homes of all leavening products.  The video below does an excellent job explaining this symbolism as it relates to Christ cleansing his temple.

• How might we be guilty of taking something sacred and making it a "den of thieves?"  What do we need to put out of our lives?
• Those that believe that being "Christlike" means accepting anything and everything others do should read these passages carefully.  There are some things that are not acceptable to God. 
• John puts the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Christ's ministry instead of the end.  I wrote about John's description of events here.  Whether there were two cleansings or whether John put his description of the cleansing early in his record for some reason is an open question.  John also adds Christ prophecying of the destruction of the temple of his body and how he would raise it again in three days. 
• In Matthew, it says that when the chief priests "saw the wonderful things that he did. . . they were sore displeased."  It boggles my mind how people can be angry when others are healed and taught.

Cursing the Fig Tree, Matthew 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-14, Mark 11:20-26

• Christ sees a fig tree that has all the outward signs of showing fruit, but is without anything to give to relieve hunger.  This fig tree can represent the Jewish leaders, who have a form of righteousness but without the fruit.  They are broken cisterns that can't hold water.  They are fruit trees without anything of substance with which to feed the spiritual hunger of the people.
• With the cursing of the tree, Christ shows that he has power over all creation.  It's interesting to me that the disciples marvel about this.  They've seen Christ walk on water, heal the blind and raise the dead and they are surprised when a fig tree shrivels at his command?  Could they have been surprised at the destructive power that Christ exhibits in addition to his constructive power?  
• Christ reminds them that if they only have more faith, they can move mountains and that all things they would ask in prayer, they would receive.  I assume that is because they would have developed the kind of character that would only ask for things that are right.  I need more of that faith and character.
• This incident could prefigure the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that would later come.  
• By showing his power to destroy, Christ shows that he could have prevented his death through a similar show of power, but chose not to. 

Christ's Authority is Questioned and the Parable of the Two Sons, Matthew 21:23-32, Mark 11:27-33, Luke 20:1-8

• Understandably, the Jewish leaders want to know who Christ thinks he is.  Who gave him the right to cast out the money changers and set himself up as a teacher in the temple?  So the Pharisees ask where he gets his authority.  They hope by so doing they can catch him in his words.  If he answers that God gave it to him, they can accuse him of blasphemy.  If he answers that it's something earthly, they can call on Rome to put him down.
• Christ answers by asking them to tell him where John got his authority to baptize.  The leaders consult together, realizing that if they say John was of God, then they would have to accept John's testimony of Jesus.  But if they say it was of men, then the people who believed John might reject them.  When they say they can't say, Christ says he also will not tell them where His authority come from.
• Then in Matthew, we get the parable of the two sons.  The father asks the first son to go to his vineyard, and he says, "I will not," but then later changes his mind and goes to work.  The second claims he will go but then does not.  Christ asks them who did the father's will and when they answer the first, he tells them that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before they would!  Those who are sinful but repent and do the Father's will are better than the Jewish leaders, who pretend they do the Father's will but do not.  Christ specifically tied the salvation of the sinners to their belief in John the Baptist, while the leaders rejected him. 
• Which son do you relate to most?  I understand that the son's comment about "I will not" uses a definition of will that doesn't mean "I shall not" but "I don't will it" or "I don't want to."  I think most of us can relate to that response.  Sometimes what God asks us to do is hard, and we struggle to say, "thy will be done, not mine."  How long will we sit and fight that internal battle before we obey?  
• As Elder Neal A. Maxwell puts it, "the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!  Consecration thus constitutes the only unconditional surrender which is also a total victory!"
• My friend Marybeth pointed out a video that explains another view of the parable, relating the two sons to Christ and Satan in the premortal council.  There's also a great article exploring this view.
  

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19

• The first verse of this parable is almost the same as the start of a parable in Isaiah 5, but that parable goes on to describe how the vineyard itself was destroyed because it brought forth wild fruit.  This parable condemns the wicked husbandmen.  They beat, kill and stone the servants the Lord sends and then last of all, they kill the son and heir.  Then Christ asks what will the lord of the vineyard will do to the wicked husbandmen?  They answer that he will miserably destroy them.  
• Then Christ discusses the Psalms where the stone is rejected by the builders but then becomes the cornerstone or capstone.  I read that the word for cornerstone and capstone are the same word in Greek.  Both images convey the centrality of Christ.  
• Christ also says that some will fall upon the stone and be broken and others will be crushed by it.  These aren't soft words, and the chief priests and Pharisees understood that.  They started to "lay hands on him," but they feared the people and stopped.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast, Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:15-24

• I wrote about the version of this story that appears in Luke here.  In Matthew, the story is much more threatening.  In Luke, the people invited to the wedding feast make excuses and so the man (not king, as in this version) has his servants call others to the feast instead.  This may be an example of where Christ adapted similar stories to different audiences.  Here, he is directly confronting His future murderers and the story includes different details.  Not only do the original invitees of the wedding feast refuse to come, they also hurt and kill the king's servants who are sent to invite them.  Then, others are invited, both bad and good, to come to the wedding feast.  When the king comes and finds one man not dressed in a wedding garment, the man is cast out "into outer darkness. . . for many are called, but few are chosen."
• This seems pretty harsh to our ears.  The other parable, which ended with a happy feast of beggars and others, was a bit easier to hear.  But Christ seems to be saying that it is not enough to be invited to the table; we also have to make ourselves worthy to be there.  The parable of the ten virgins gives a similar warning.  The symbol of the clothing is important. 
• The student manual explains:  In ancient times, it was sometimes the custom for wealthy individuals, such as kings, to provide invited guests with proper clothing to wear to events such as weddings. Despite being invited to the wedding, this man chose to attend on his own terms rather than those of the king, and he was not permitted to remain. There are requirements for entering the kingdom of God, even though everyone is invited (see Matthew 22:9). While the meaning of the required garment is not specified, elsewhere in the scriptures, garments and robes often symbolize righteousness and purity—qualities required to enter into the Lord’s presence (see Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 19:8; 2 Nephi 9:14; D&C 109:76). Today, the clothing worn in the temple symbolizes clothing ourselves in covenants, righteousness, and purity in preparation for entering into God’s presence. We cannot participate in the great “marriage supper” of the Son of God unless we have accepted and put on the protective clothing of His Atonement (see Revelation 19:8–9).
• With this explanation, it is easier to understand the king's reaction -- he has invited these to come and offered them the proper clothes, but they are arrogant enough to come without the clothes he offers.

Render Unto Caesar, Matthew 22:14-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26

• Another trap is set for Christ.  The Pharisees decided to ask him about the tribute, or tax, they pay to Ceasar.  If he agreed with the tribute, they could accuse him of not being a patriotic Jew, and if he disagreed, they could deliver him over to the Romans for the subversion of their rule.  
• Christ's answer isn't only very clever, it also teaches an important point for those who will listen.  When Christ talks of images and says that we should render unto God the things that are God's, He is reminding us that as children of God, we are created in his image.  As God's children, are we rendering all that we have -- heart, soul, mind, and might -- to him?  
• This BYU devotional address reminds us:  "As bearers of the divine image, Adam and Eve were to be representatives of God in His creation—to “multiply, and replenish the earth”—and they were to care for the earth and the creatures therein (Genesis 1:28).". . At this very moment in our lives we are in the process of creation—of choosing between the natural man and between becoming, through the power of the grace of our Savior, individuals in the image and likeness of God. As apprentices in His workshop, the Lord has called us to work with Him in producing His masterpieces—His children in His own image. We do so as families, as mothers and fathers, as sons and daughters, as brothers and sisters in the gospel, as missionaries, as teachers and students and through service to our fellowman. There is great joy in the workshop as we see the miraculous growth and the changes of heart that occur through the power of the Atonement. The eternal and enduring masterpieces that we produce in our lives are not works of art or music or scholarly books or articles—they are the people around us." 
• I love this article about what man represents:  In the Garden of Eden, Adam is likewise depicted as a representative of both God and man. He is the quintessential man, as implied by his name, ʾādām (‘man’ in Hebrew). His role in the Eden story is an embodiment of the human race, and his journey from innocence to transgression can be seen in all of our lives. Yet while Adam is clearly a symbol of humanity, he is just as clearly depicted as a symbol of God. He is the image and likeness of his creator, and like God, he is charged to “have dominion . . . over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26). In the broader Near Eastern context, his very presence in the garden was a further reminder of his role as God’s representative: “Ancient kings would set up images of themselves in distant lands over which they ruled in order to represent their sovereign presence . . . Likewise, Adam was created as the image of the divine king to indicate that earth was ruled over by Yahweh.”

Sadducees Question Christ about the Resurrection, Matthew 22:23-33, Luke 20:27-40, (see also Mark 12:18-27)

• The Sadducees are not sincere in their questions.  They want to create a thought experiment that is so ridiculous that the people will see that resurrection is also ridiculous.  So they talk about a situation of levirate marriage, which was partially a form of welfare for widows without a son to take care of them.  A brother was obligated to marry his brother's widow and raise up children as if they were his brother's, with the same inheritance his brothers' children would be due.  The book of Ruth is about this kind of marriage.
• While some use the Savior's response to argue against eternal marriage, the Sadducees clearly believed that their opponents believed in a resurrection where marriage existed, otherwise their question would not make any sense to Christ or to the hearers.  Julie Smith argues convincingly that this is the case.
• Christ's answer is about the men and woman in the hypothetical, presumably Sadducees who don't even believe in a resurrection. The student manual explains, "Some people have misinterpreted the Savior’s words in Matthew 22:30 to mean there is no eternal marriage. Elder James E. Talmage pointed out that the Savior’s words do not state that marriages will not exist after the Resurrection, but that marriages will not be performed after the Resurrection: “In the resurrection there will be no marrying nor giving in marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time” (Jesus the Christ, 548).  An important key to understanding the Savior’s words is to remember that they were spoken to Sadducees, who “say that there is no resurrection” (Matthew 22:23). Therefore, the question they posed to the Savior was insincere—they were not truly interested in knowing about marriage in the Resurrection. The Savior’s reply that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage” (Matthew 22:30; italics added) referred to the individuals in question, who were Sadducees, for the questioners said that “there were with us seven brethren” (Matthew 22:25; italics added). For those who do not marry for eternity, marriage does not endure beyond this life (see D&C 132:15–17). In these latter days, the Lord revealed that marriage can be eternal only if it is entered into according to His law, performed by one who has authority, and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise (see D&C 132:19)."
• Christ then goes to the heart of the Sadducees doctrinal rejection of the resurrection by asking them how God could say to  "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" if those men were dead and dust instead of living after death?  "God is not a God of the dead, but of the living."
• This answer silenced the multitude.  I wonder if they were silenced by the power of his argument or by the truth they could sense behind it.

The Two Greatest Commandments and a Question about David's Son Matthew 22:34-46, Mark 12:28-37, Luke 20:41-44, (see also Luke 10:25-28), 

• Next a lawyer tries to catch Christ in his words by asking which is the greatest commandment?  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
• Some make the point that the way we love God is with everything we have, while the standard for loving our neighbor is a different standard, to love them the way we love ourselves.  
• I've also seen it pointed out that the ten commandments can be divided in half.  The first four, involve loving God, while the rest involve how to love our neighbor. 
• Jesus then asks them whose son the Christ will be?  They say David's.  Jesus then uses a scripture to show that David called the Christ Lord.  This is a paradox.  How could the Christ be both Lord of David and son of him?   Declaring himself as Jehovah over the Old Testament, and showing that the Messiah was not just a son of God, but the Jehovah and Lord of the Old Testament.

The Scribes and Pharisees Condemned, Matthew 23:1-36, Mark 12:38-40, Luke 11:37-54

• Now an entire chapter in Matthew is devoted to Christ's condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees.  As Christ puts down the wickedness of the rulers of the Jews, you start to get a sense for why they decide he needs to be killed.  He does not mince words.  Again, those who say we are not being Christlike when we talk about sin and its consequences should read these passages. 
• I made a list of some of the reasons the leaders were condemned.  What modern parallels do you see in these things?  What can we do to recognize such sins in ourselves and overcome them?
• They do not do what they teach.  
• They put heavy burdens on others and aren't willing to lift a finger to carry any of the burden themselves.  As a mom, I've tried to follow the opposite course in leading from the front.  As often as possible, I work with my kids.  I point out to them that I don't ask them to do anything I'm not also doing or would be willing to do.
• Do things just to be seen of others
• They enlarge their phylacteries and fringes to draw attention to their supposed righteousness.  

• They seek prominence and praise of the world.  
• They want to be called by grand titles like rabbi, father, master, and teacher.  Christ points out that each title is God's and shouldn't belong to these men who pretend to be aligned with God when they aren't.  Christ says again that the greatest among us will be a servant.
• They seek out followers and then make them even more wicked than they are. 
• "Through their oaths, they gave more reverence to the gold and furnishings of the temple than to the Lord, whom the temple honors." From the student manual.  
• They tithe but neglect weightier matters
• They are corrupt on the inside while making a show of being clean on the outside.  They are hypocrites.  They are like whited sepulchers full of dead man's bones.

Lament over Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37-39, (see also Luke 13:34-35)

• Then comes the sobering lament over Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
• The imagery of a hen gathering chickens is beautiful. This article points out, 

"Barbara Taylor Brown describes the hen’s unswerving devotion to her chicks this way: “A mother hen . . . stands between the chicks and those who mean to do them harm. She has no fangs, no claws, no rippling muscles. All she has is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body. If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first.” 9 It may appear that a hen’s wings offer little protection, but her willingness to fight for her chicks is limitless. There is no danger so compelling that the hen will desert her offspring. She will literally use her own body as a “shield” to protect them.

Further, the hen is a proactive creature. She “gather[s]” her chicks under her wings whenever the circumstances warrant it. She is vigilant and recognizes the dangers. As an adult, the mother hen uses her knowledge, power, and capacity to safely rear her chicks. Nature endows her with the determination to reproduce and nurture her young until they become self-sufficient."

• I love the image of vulnerable, protective power that it gives us.  Christ, too, stretched out his wings and bore the weight, pain, and danger upon his body on our behalf.  This video, of a hen watching over her eggs, is pretty powerful.

• I love that Christ uses a feminine image here. 
• In about 70 AD, the Romans leveled the temple and fulfilled the prophecy of the house left desolate.

Anointing by Mary, John 12:1-8

• We will cover this when we get to Matthew 26.  

Christ teaches about His Death, His Light, and His Father, John 12:20-50

• I feel a bit like this chapter in John deserves a lot more time and attention than I can give it here.  It is beautiful.  Christ compares himself to a wheat seed that will need to die in the earth to bring forth new fruit.
• He tells the people his soul is troubled, and yet he knows that "for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name."  A voice from heaven says, "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."  Some that heard it thought it was thunder and others that an angel spake.  We don't often have a record of the Father's voice speaking from heaven.  Christ says it was done "for your sakes."  I take that to mean that those who were ready to understand and listen had their faith confirmed through this sign from heaven.
• Jesus speaks of being lifted up from the earth.  The people must have understood he was prophesying of his death, for they wonder how the prophecies of Christ abiding forever can be fulfilled if the son of man is lifted up?  It doesn't fit their expectations.
• I love what Christ says next:  "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
• John weaves light imagery throughout his gospel.  Here, we are reminded that Christ is the light of the world and that through Him, we can see our path and find the truth.  Without him, we stumble in darkness.
• And then comes this sobering verse: "But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him"  How do we make sure that we do not discount the miracles that we witness?  
• Elder Henry B. Eyring spoke of ways to remember and recognize God's miracles:
"It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world.

That is why forgetting God has been such a persistent problem among His children since the world began. Think of the times of Moses, when God provided manna and in miraculous and visible ways led and protected His children. Still, the prophet warned the people who had been so blessed, as prophets always have warned and always will: “Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.”3

And the challenge to remember has always been the hardest for those who are blessed abundantly. Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers."


• Even among the chief rulers, "many believed on him" but they didn't say anything for fear of being put out of the synagogue, "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  
• We've seen lots of examples in the gospels of people putting something else before Christ.  It makes me wonder what I might be putting as a higher priority than God.  I was in a group a few months ago where something was discussed that didn't feel right.  I didn't say anything because it seemed like everyone agreed with the point made and I didn't want to be contentious.  But the next day, it bothered me.  I wished I would have politely spoken up and said something to counter what I felt to be the false ideas that were said.  I decided that the next time something like that happened, I would speak up.  I'm happy to say that I have kept that commitment.  There have been at least two occasions since then where I have been brave enough to politely point out a different way of approaching an issue.  
• I'm happy I've made that commitment.  But at the same time, I don't have time to get drawn into every controversy (especially online) and I don't believe contention is right.  So there's a balance to be found there.  
• He speaks of coming to save the world, not to judge or condemn those who don't believe him.  But he also says that the last day, the words that he has spoken will judge those who reject him.  Christ came not to condemn us, but to save us.  But at the last day, we will have to account for whether we were willing to follow him or not.
• The chapter finishes out with Christ testifying that those who believe in him believe on the One who sent him.  He also testifies that he speaks the words the Father gives him to speak.