The Son of Man’s Journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27)

Jesus had been teaching about three main subjects:

• The Son of Man's death and return at a time no one would expect (11:35-40)  

• The call for His disciples to be faithful as they waited for the moment of His return (11:41-48)  

• The need to understand what kind of fiery revolution He would bring (11:49-56) 

In the light of these subjects, Jesus then launched into His teaching on repentance. 

Jesus' Teaching on Repentance (1-9)

Pilate was a particularly provocative governor. In works from the historian Josephus, Pilate seems to have been the kind of man who enjoyed irritating the Jewish people by dishonoring their traditions. While Jesus was teaching about His return after death, some people told Jesus the story of the Galileans who went to offer sacrifices at the Temple and Pilate had them executed in the Temple courtyard. He then mixed their blood with the blood of the animal sacrifices. Pilate's butchery profaned the Temple and was a horror to all human sensibilities (1).  

Note the scene here. Jesus, a Galilean, was headed to Jerusalem; He was telling His followers He must go to Jerusalem and suffer. While Jesus was talking about all of this, someone came and told Jesus a story about some Galileans being butchered by the Roman Governor in Jerusalem. 

Jesus was really being asked two questions:

• Should You continue on?

• Is this the beginning of the fire on earth Jesus had been talking about (Luke 12:49)?

Jesus jumped in and answered the second question, making it clear that the Galileans were not worse sinners than anyone else. He then made His point: if Israel did not repent and give up its national obsession to be free from Rome, the whole nation would perish in a like manner (2-3).

Jesus then moved to another example of the tower of Siloam being built in Jerusalem, where 18 men died in the construction. Again, Jesus emphasized that they were not worse sinners than anyone else. Jesus also went on to say that if Israel did not repent, choose to follow Jesus as King, and give up their national obsession to revolt against Rome, a similar fate would come to pass (4-5).  

Jesus was like Jeremiah who told Israel not to fight and resist the Babylonians. Jesus spent time telling the generation of His day not to resist Rome. His call for Israel was to embrace a heavenly King, the Son of God, who would change the world from within. To understand this part of Jesus’ teaching is essential to comprehending much of what Jesus was seeking to do. Jesus loved Israel and had come to save them from a horrible fate; instead, they killed Him and embraced their fate.

Jesus then told the parable of the fig tree to bring the subject of repentance to a place of clarity. In the parable, the Father planted a fig tree in a vineyard. The fig tree represented Israel. He came seeking fruit but found none (6). He said to the keeper of the vineyard (Jesus) that He had allowed Him to work with the fig tree for three years, and it was time to cut it down (7). The keeper of the vineyard asked for one more year to tend to the fig tree's needs and then if it did not bear fruit, the Father could cut it down (8-9).

Jesus was warning here that He was the last hope to save Israel, and if they rejected Him, then Israel would be destroyed. Of course, they did reject Jesus and Rome sacked the nation, especially Jerusalem, in 70 A.D. 

Healing a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath (10-17)

In Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, He stopped at a synagogue and was invited to do some teaching (10). While teaching, a woman was present with a spirit of sickness that had bent her over so she could not stand up straight (11). Once Jesus saw her, He laid His hands on her and freed her from her disability; she was immediately healed and stood up straight, giving glory to God (12).

The ruler of the synagogue was agitated by being upstaged by Jesus and began the rhetoric of reciting the six days of work when healing should be done and not on the Sabbath (13-14). Jesus, of course, countered by rebuking the ruler, calling Him a hypocrite. He would have, on any given Sabbath, untied even his donkey to give it a drink. The woman, on the other hand, being a daughter of Abraham, had been tied up for 18 years and not allowed to drink healing waters, and she certainly rated higher than the ruler's donkey (15-16).

Jesus’ point was clear. He had come to untie Israel from their sickness of not being upright and lead the nation to the waters of repentance and revival, so they could stand up straight once again. Instead, they kept throwing their laws and traditions up as excuses, refusing Jesus’ message and invitation. By using the example of the donkey, Jesus put His adversaries to shame and released the people to rejoice (17).  

Two Parables: Mustard Seed and Leaven (18-21)

Jesus then told two parables, seeking to describe life in His Kingdom. 

• The Kingdom of God was compared to a mustard seed—a small, insignificant seed, as insignificant as healing a broken woman on the Sabbath when compared to the injustice of the entire world. Yet, every tiny Kingdom-seed and deed planted in the world would make a grand impact. A tiny seed could eventually provide a home for so many other things (18-19).

• In a similar manner, the Kingdom of God was like taking leaven and hiding it in flour. No one could see the effect, but it would permeate the whole loaf. Every Kingdom-seed and deed would make a huge impact on the entire world (20-21).  

The Narrow Door (22-30)

Jesus continued His quest toward Jerusalem, ministering in villages along the way (22). In one village, Jesus was asked if only a few would ultimately be saved (23-24). Jesus refused to speculate and satisfy bigoted curiosities but told His listeners they should exert much effort (strive) to enter the narrow door. While Jesus did say many would try and fail, it would seem lack of exertion would be the main reason for failure (24). It is important to note that Jesus never spoke of exerting much effort in keeping laws and traditions but rather regarding the effort of faith—great effort in developing a faith where Yahweh becomes ultimate in worship and pursuit.

Jesus went on to tell the crowd that once the door was shut, many would be knocking, assuming the door shut unfairly on those who held tickets to get in. Jesus answered to those on whom the door was shut: “He did not know where they had come from” (25). They would at that time recite for Jesus how they had hung out with Him and listened to His sermons (26). Jesus again reminded them that He did not know where they were coming from and then called on them to depart, for they worked evil (27).  

Jesus didn't know where they were coming from because they had not, by faith, entered the Kingdom of Heaven, following Yahweh through Jesus as being the ultimate focus of worship. They were not like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who did not ambitiously seek their fortunes at the expense of following Yahweh as their ultimate love. Jesus called upon them to depart to a place of great sorrow (28).

Jesus then went on to answer the question by saying people who had entered the narrow way into the Kingdom were from all over the Gentile world. He described the unusual nature of the Kingdom, as those who were last to hear the Kingdom message were included among God's firsts, and the first to hear God's message were outside and last (29-30).  

Jesus’ Heart for Jerusalem (31-35)

While Jesus was answering the “shall-few-be-saved” question, some moderate Pharisees came and warned Jesus not to go up to Jerusalem because Herod desired to kill Him (31).

Jesus had no respect for Herod. To Jesus, he was a fake king put in office because his father was a useful and corrupt politician of Rome. He told those Pharisees to go tell the fox, Herod, that He was going to cast out demons and heal for two more days and would be unavailable for death until He entered Jerusalem. He also told Herod that he should be warned: on the third day, Jesus would finish His course. Jesus was alluding to His own purposeful death. He further warned Herod that He would die, like all God's prophets, in Jerusalem (32-33). In retrospect, Jesus could not have been more clear—His mission was to die, and in His dying, to save. 

Jesus then launched into His love for Jerusalem, even though the city had been known for killing prophets. Jesus longed to gather Israel under His wings. Jesus wanted to be like a hen to Israel so that when the approaching storm or fire came, they could be saved through the catastrophe, as He tucked them safely under His Kingdom-wings. Israel, however, was unwilling. At this point, Jesus made it clear that the time-clock had run out on Israel; they had been forsaken by Rome and would not see Him again until they welcomed Him as the Messiah (34-35).