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Lesson 8 Leader’s notes: Matthew 21:1-22:46, Mark 11:1-12:37, and Luke 19:28-22:6
Work through the Jewish leaders section.
Holy Week summary.
If the ladies have Bibles ask some to have Matthew open, some Mark and some Luke.
As you read through ‘Holy Week Summary’ ask – who has what in the gospel they are looking at?
See how similar or dissimilar the three versions are.
Lesson 8 uses thought and logic
Lesson 9 uses feelings and emotion
Again, ask some of the ladies to have Matthew open, some Mark and some Luke.
Work through ‘A quick look at Holy Week‘ – who has which stories?
Draw out that together they make a more complete picture.
Student's page:
Lesson 8 The purpose of the true story from Matthew 21:1-22:46, Mark 11:1-12:37, and Luke 19:28-22:6
Jewish leaders. Pharisees – believed in resurrection and in the authority of the Old Testament Law and the oral traditions of the rabbis.
Sadducees did not believe in resurrection but believed in the Old Testament Law.
Rabbi – a teacher of the Jewish Law – a leader of a local synagogue.
Sanhedrin means “sitting together” -the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court -
a group of 71 rabbis in Jerusalem, probably comprising Sadducees and Pharisees.
Holy Week summary. As far as we know all the disciples were at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and stayed through that week until Last Supper. late Thursday. All the disciples were at the Last Supper – Judas may have left during it. All the disciples were in Gethsemane. Mark possibly was.( His mother, Mary had a large room where Jesus and His disciples may have met. See Acts 12:12-17 and see Mark 14:51-52.) We know that Peter and John were nearby after the arrest of Jesus and through the trials, and John was near the foot of the cross.
When the disciples met together after the Crucifixion and after the Resurrection they must have exchanged their experiences of the last few days. So Matthew, Peter, Mark and John know the events that happened. All four Gospel writers have a story to tell. Matthew, Mark and Luke cover a lot of the same narrative. John is much more selective.
A quick look through Holy Week
Sunday The so called Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. One donkey or two? Does it matter? No. Not ridden on before as befits a king. Hosanna – the crowd praise Jesus.
Monday The Temple is cleansed by Jesus – the Court of the Gentiles was as far as non-Jews could go into it. Those who changed money (at very high rates) into the kind of money that could be used to buy sacrificial animals, had made Jesus’ Father’s house into a den of robbers. They made it more difficult for non-Jews to find space there.
Tuesday The religious leaders were not amused by Jesus’ actions – He was challenging their authority. Judas makes a contract to betray Jesus.
Thursday The disciples make preparation for Passover – perhaps in Mark’s mother Mary’s house?
Thursday later on Jesus and the disciples share the Passover – Judas is sent (released by God’s sovereignty) to betray Jesus. Most disciples do not understand what was happening.
Thursday-Friday The grief of Gethsemane.
Friday Betrayal, arrest, desertion. Trials of Jesus, Peter’s denials, suicide of Judas, mockery by the Roman soldiers.
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Leader's page:
We’ll look at Jesus’ discussions with the Jewish leaders
using Matthew’s account for four occasions and Luke for one.
Matthew 21:23-27
Work through the leaders’ (the chief priests’ and elders’) questions, with Jesus’ answers.
Stay in one whole group.
For Matthew 21:28-22:14 Divide the class into three groups.
Read one parable in each group, with the ladies’ looking for what Jesus was actually telling the religious leaders. (two sons 21:28-32; tenants 21:33-41; wedding banquet
22:1-14).
Ask each group to share their answers. Try to keep them from looking at my suggestions while they are searching their Bible’s for themselves!
Matthew 22:15-40 Still in the three groups – give one of my questions opposite to each group. They can answer more than one if they finish their own quickly.
Matthew 22:41-46 Move on to the Messiah/Son of David teaching when appropriate.
I suggest you teach this to the group altogether.
Luke 21:1-4 The widow’s offering – how should we give to our Lord?
Create your own suitable picture or use the comparison below.
Compare this giving to the Lord:
- Rachel has a husband with a job, her children are married and she gives £5
- Emma has five young children and her husband cannot always get work and
she gives £5
- Lydia has one very sick child and her husband has a back injury and
cannot work – she gives £5
We are not seeking to judge other ladies, we are asking a question of ourselves.
Discuss the references at the end of the next two paragraphs with the ladies. They have these two paragraphs in their notes.
Jesus was born the Son of God and the Son of Man. But what He had come to do on earth was yet future. He had done wonderful things because of Who He was –
but His main purpose was yet to be fulfilled.
We are coming to the climax of Jesus’ ministry as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But we need to remember that our Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry of salvation is set in the context of eternity, from creation, through God’s eternal purposes to the glory of heaven for ever.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 19-23, 3:10-11; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Revelation 5:6-14.
Encourage the ladies to push their minds trying to understand God’s forever purposes.
Student's page:
Let’s look at Jesus’ discussions with the Jewish leaders, using Matthew and Luke.
Matthew 21:23-27 The leaders ask a question and Jesus responds with a question. The leaders are not willing to answer – why is this?
Consequently Jesus chooses not to answer them either, but after this interaction He instead tells them three teaching stories and asks one very important question:
Matthew 21:28-22:14
1. You have God’s commands but you only keep them if it suits you.
Total obedience is required.
2. You rejected the prophets, and now you are rejecting Me (Jesus your Messiah).
Others will receive your inheritance.
3. You have refused God’s wedding invitation.
You must enter God’s kingdom on His terms. Your own are not accepted.
Matthew 22:15-40
1. How does this apply to you today? Compare Matthew 22:15-22 to Romans 13:6-7.
2. How important is it to believe, and act on what the Bible teaches? Compare
Matthew 22:23-33 to 2 Timothy 2:15.
3. How is this commandment the greatest? Compare Matthew 22:34-40 to Micah 6:8.
In Matthew 22:41-46 Jesus poses another question to the Pharisees. Check Psalm 110:1. King David, the most respected and honoured king the Jews ever had, says ‘God Almighty is saying to Jesus, sit in the place of honour next to me’. Compare Revelation 5:1-14. Jesus is once again saying that He is God. Most of the Jewish leaders were furiously offended.
Luke 21:1-4 Mark and Luke both record the Jesus noticing a widow putting her offering into the Temple treasury. She gave very little. She had very little. She gave all she had. Offerings to God are not to be measured by how much we give, but how much we still have!
Jesus was born the Son of God and the Son of Man. But what He had come to do on earth was yet future. He had done wonderful things because of Who He was – but His main purpose was yet to be fulfilled.
We are coming to the climax of Jesus’ ministry as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But we need to remember that our Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry of salvation is in the context of eternity, from creation, through God’s eternal purposes to the glory of heaven for ever. Ephesians 1:3-6, 19-23, 3:10-11; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Revelation 5:6-14.
We really have to stretch our minds to begin understanding the scope of eternity, God’s eternal purposes and ‘forever’.
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