Paper 173 Overview: Monday in Jerusalem

On Monday, Jesus and his apostles journeyed to Jerusalem where Jesus performed a dramatic cleansing of the temple, driving out the sacrificial animals and inspiring the excited pilgrims to overturn the tables of the money-changers who had commercialized the sacred space. This bold action, combined with his continued teaching in the temple courts, further agitated the Jewish religious authorities who sought to discredit and trap him through a series of challenging questions about his authority, which Jesus skillfully deflected.

Throughout the day, Jesus delivered three significant parables: the parable of the two sons, the parable of the absent landlord, and the parable of the marriage feast. These parables were directed primarily at the religious leaders and illustrated their rejection of God's messengers, their imminent loss of spiritual leadership, and the consequences of refusing God's invitation to the kingdom. By the end of this pivotal day, the Sanhedrin had formally decided to put Jesus to death, though they remained fearful of arresting him publicly due to his popularity with the people.

Early on Monday morning, Jesus and the apostles gathered at Simon's home in Bethany before setting out for Jerusalem. The twelve were unusually quiet and thoughtful as they journeyed, still processing the previous day's events and uncertain about what would unfold in the days ahead.

Upon arriving at the temple around nine o'clock in the morning, Jesus immediately went to teach in one of the large courts while his apostles stood aside and observed. Meanwhile, Judas Iscariot was increasingly conflicted about his allegiance to Jesus, contemplating whether he should continue following him or withdraw from the apostolic group entirely.

The temple had become a center of commercial activity where merchants sold sacrificial animals at inflated prices and money-changers charged excessive fees to exchange foreign currency for temple currency. This practice exploited worshippers and financially benefited the temple authorities and high-priestly families. When Jesus observed this scene of commerce and the mistreatment of a simple Galilean by arrogant merchants, he was moved to decisive action.

Taking a whip from a lad who was driving cattle through the court, Jesus drove the animals from the temple and proceeded to open the gates of every animal stall to release the imprisoned animals. This dramatic action electrified the assembled pilgrims who, with uproarious shouting, moved toward the bazaars and began to overturn the tables of the money-changers. Jesus declared, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers." Guards were stationed at temple entrances to prevent further commerce that day. The chief priests and scribes were astonished and increasingly fearful of Jesus's influence over the people, while the apostles remained near the speaker's stand, surprised by their Master's unexpected and dramatic action.

The cleansing of the temple effectively postponed Jesus's arrest, as the Jewish leaders feared the public's reaction should they attempt to seize him. Nevertheless, at the noon meeting of the Sanhedrin, they unanimously agreed that Jesus must be destroyed, though they disagreed on the timing and method. They dispatched five groups to entangle Jesus in his teaching or otherwise discredit him before the people.

Around two o'clock, as Jesus was teaching about "The Liberty of Sonship," temple authorities interrupted him to question his authority. Jesus responded with a strategic counter-question about John the Baptist's authority: was it from heaven or from men? Unable to answer without either acknowledging John's divine mission or risking the anger of the people who believed John was a prophet, the leaders withdrew in confusion. Jesus had effectively exposed their dishonesty while implying that his own authority came from the same divine source as John's, which further angered the religious authorities but impressed the common people.

As the Pharisees stood silently before Jesus after their failed attempt to trap him, he addressed them with the parable of the two sons. In this story, a father asked his two sons to work in his vineyard. The first son initially refused but later repented and went to work, while the second son agreed to go but never followed through with his promise. Jesus asked which son truly did his father's will, and the people rightly answered that it was the first son.

Jesus then applied this parable directly to the religious leaders, explaining that tax collectors and sinners—despite their initial rejection—were entering the kingdom of God ahead of the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes who claimed to serve God but refused to genuinely do his will. Jesus emphasized that it was not these religious groups personally that he opposed, but rather their hypocritical systems of teaching and practice. Throughout this exchange, the twelve apostles remained near Jesus but did not participate in these confrontations, honoring his instruction to refrain from public teaching during Passover week.

After the chief Pharisees and scribes withdrew to plot further against him, Jesus addressed the multitude with the parable of the absent landlord. He described a householder who planted a vineyard, equipped it fully, and leased it to tenants before departing on a long journey. When harvest time came, the tenants refused to give the landlord's servants the rental payment, instead beating and killing them. The landlord sent more trusted servants, who were similarly mistreated, and finally sent his own son, whom the tenants killed, thinking they would inherit the property.

When Jesus asked what the landlord would do to these wicked tenants, the people replied that he would destroy them and lease the vineyard to trustworthy farmers. Some listeners recognized that this parable referred to the Jewish nation's treatment of the prophets and their imminent rejection of Jesus. Jesus confirmed this interpretation, drawing a parallel to the stone rejected by builders becoming the cornerstone, and warning that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to people who would produce its fruits. The religious leaders understood these references and became even more determined to arrest Jesus, though they continued to fear the multitude's reaction.

After the scribes and rulers withdrew, Jesus shared the parable of the marriage feast with the assembled crowd. He described a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son and sent messengers to summon the invited guests, but they refused to come and even mistreated his servants. In response, the king punished these rebellious invitees and instead invited strangers from the highways—both good and bad—to fill the wedding hall. When the king found one guest without a wedding garment, however, that person was cast out.

A believer in the crowd asked how they would know what sign would identify Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus answered enigmatically that only one sign would be given: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The people, including his apostles, did not understand that he was referring to his body and his coming resurrection. Around four o'clock that afternoon, Jesus led his apostles back to their new camp at Gethsemane. They traveled in silence, deeply troubled by the day's events and increasingly sensing that something momentous and possibly tragic was about to unfold.