Paper 175 Overview: The Last Temple Discourse

Shortly after two o'clock on this Tuesday afternoon, Jesus arrived at the temple with eleven apostles, Joseph of Arimathea, thirty Greeks, and other disciples to deliver his last address within the sacred courts. This discourse was intended to serve as both his final appeal to the Jewish people and the concluding indictment of his enemies who sought to destroy him—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and chief rulers of Israel. Throughout the morning, various groups had questioned Jesus, but during this final address, no one dared to challenge him.

The temple court remained quiet and orderly as Jesus began to speak, notably different from the previous day when he had driven out the money-changers and merchants. Before beginning this momentous discourse, Jesus tenderly surveyed his audience who would soon hear his farewell public message—a dual address of mercy toward mankind coupled with a powerful denunciation of the false teachers and bigoted rulers of the Jews. This address marked a significant turning point, as it would be his last public teaching in the temple before his arrest and crucifixion.

Shortly after two o'clock on this Tuesday afternoon, Jesus arrived at the temple accompanied by eleven apostles, Joseph of Arimathea, the thirty Greeks, and several other disciples to deliver his final address in the courts of the sacred building. This discourse was deliberately crafted to serve as his last appeal to the Jewish people while also presenting a final indictment against his enemies—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and chief rulers of Israel—who were actively plotting his destruction. Throughout the morning, various groups had taken turns questioning Jesus, but during this final address, no one interrupted him with questions.

The temple court remained quiet and orderly as Jesus prepared to speak, markedly different from the previous day when he had forcefully driven out the money-changers and merchants. Before beginning this momentous discourse, Jesus gazed tenderly upon his audience who would soon hear his farewell public address—a message that balanced divine mercy with a powerful condemnation of the false teachers and prejudiced rulers of the Jews. The atmosphere was solemn as people sensed the significance of what was about to transpire in these sacred courts.

Jesus began by reminding his listeners of his extensive ministry throughout their land, proclaiming the Father's love for humanity and performing miracles including healing the sick and even raising the dead. He emphasized that many had seen the light and, through faith, had entered the kingdom of heaven, yet many others, particularly the religious leaders, had stubbornly refused to see the light and rejected the gospel. Jesus explained that he and his apostles had consistently tried to live peacefully with their fellow Jews, conforming to the reasonable requirements of Moses' law and Israel's traditions, but the leaders of Israel had rejected truth and light, making peace impossible.

With profound sorrow, Jesus warned that Jerusalem would soon face destruction because its inhabitants failed to recognize "the time of their divine visitation." He admonished the religious leaders for binding heavy burdens on people's shoulders while refusing to help carry those burdens themselves, and for their hypocritical love of public recognition and honor. He pronounced a series of "woes" upon the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites for their various failings—shutting the doors of the kingdom against sincere seekers, making converts twice as corrupted as themselves, focusing on trivial religious observances while neglecting weightier matters like faith, mercy, and judgment. Jesus concluded his powerful indictment by reminding them that they had historically persecuted and killed God's messengers, yet even now, he offered them mercy and forgiveness in the Father's name before departing from the temple forever, leaving their "house desolate."

The fact that the spiritual leaders and religious teachers of the Jewish nation once rejected Jesus' teachings and conspired to bring about his death does not affect the spiritual standing of any individual Jew before God. This historical reality should never cause Jesus' followers to harbor prejudice against Jews as fellow mortals, as the Jewish nation has already paid a terrible price for rejecting the Prince of Peace. Though they ceased being the spiritual light-bearers of divine truth to mankind long ago, this provides no justification for making individual Jews suffer persecution at the hands of intolerant, unworthy, and bigoted professed followers of Jesus, who was himself Jewish by birth.

Many times throughout history, this unreasoning and un-Christlike hatred toward Jews has resulted in the suffering and death of innocent individuals whose ancestors may have actually accepted Jesus' gospel and died for that truth. Celestial beings shudder with horror when observing professed followers of Jesus persecuting, harassing, or even murdering the descendants of the Palestinian Jews who gloriously gave their lives as the first martyrs for the gospel. It is especially cruel to make innocent children suffer for sins of their ancestors—sins of which they are completely unaware and for which they bear no responsibility—particularly when such wicked deeds are committed in the name of one who taught his disciples to love even their enemies.

At eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, the fateful meeting of the Sanhedrin convened to determine Jesus' fate. On many previous occasions, this supreme court of the Jewish nation had informally decreed Jesus' death, but this time was different. Just before midnight on Tuesday, April 4, A.D. 30, the Sanhedrin officially and unanimously voted to impose the death sentence upon both Jesus and Lazarus. This decisive action represented their bitter response to Jesus' last appeal in the temple earlier that day and their resentment of his powerful indictment against the chief priests and impenitent religious leaders.

The passing of the death sentence before Jesus even received a trial represented the Sanhedrin's final rejection of the heavenly mercy that had been extended to the Jewish nation. From this point forward, the Jews would complete their remaining time as a nation according to their purely human status among the nations of the world. Having repudiated the Son of the God who had made a covenant with Abraham, the divine plan to make Abraham's children the light-bearers of truth to the world was shattered. The divine covenant was officially abrogated, and the end of the Hebrew nation as God's chosen people was set in motion, with orders given for Jesus' arrest the following morning.

After Jesus concluded his last discourse in the temple, his apostles were once again left in confusion and consternation. Judas Iscariot had returned to the temple in time to hear the second half of Jesus' address—his scathing indictment of the Jewish leaders—but had missed the first portion offering mercy to these same leaders. While listening to Jesus' final condemnation of the religious authorities, Judas fully resolved to abandon the gospel movement and disassociate himself from Jesus and the other apostles. Throughout Jerusalem that evening, while the Sanhedrin deliberated Jesus' death and Jesus sat with his followers on the Mount of Olives predicting Jerusalem's destruction, the entire city buzzed with one pressing question: "What will they do with Jesus?"

The Sadducees and Pharisees had different but equally compelling reasons for wanting Jesus executed. The Sadducees feared his growing popularity might provoke Roman intervention, resented how his temple reforms affected their financial interests, and worried about the social disruption his teachings might cause. The Pharisees, meanwhile, saw Jesus as a threat to their traditional authority over the people, considered him a lawbreaker who disregarded Sabbath and ceremonial requirements, accused him of blasphemy for calling God his Father, and were deeply angered by his public denouncement of them in the temple. By midnight, the Sanhedrin had not only sentenced Jesus to death but had made practical arrangements for his arrest, specifying that he should be taken secretly rather than in public where his supporters might intervene, with instructions to bring him before the high Jewish court before midnight on Thursday.