Occupy Till I Come

We began the chapter last week, which considers the story of Zacchaeus, that wee little man, as Jesus is journeying on to Jerusalem. We looked several weeks ago at this journey, which began way back in chapter 9. In fact, the last ten chapters of Luke deal with Jesus' movement towards Jerusalem for His last time. It began way up in the northern part of the country, in Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus was with His disciples. He took three of them up on the mountaintop in the north of Israel, and He was transfigured before them. You may remember the story found in Matthew chapter 17 and also here in Luke chapter 9.

As Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, there appeared with Him in glory Moses and Elijah. In Luke chapter 9, verse 31, it says, "They appeared in glory to Him, and they spoke concerning His death, which would soon be accomplished at Jerusalem." Then in Luke chapter 13, we continue to see that He went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying on towards Jerusalem. Now He is right there. He went from the northernmost part of Israel down into Galilee, around through Samaria, and down to Judea. Last week, we saw Him in Jericho, where He met Zacchaeus.

As we come to Luke chapter 19, verse 11, we read, "And as they heard these things, He added and spoke a parable because He was near to Jerusalem." As we consider this parable that Jesus is now going to speak with His disciples present, there is obviously a multitude present as well. Matthew's Gospel tells us that without a parable, He spoke not to the multitude. He spoke to the multitudes in parables, but unto His disciples, He opened the truth to them.

The multitude was present, and this was the murmuring multitude that had just seen Him say to Zacchaeus, "Today salvation has come to your house, Zacchaeus, for as much as you are a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost." Those who heard these things and stood there were the ones to whom He added and spoke this story, this parable, because Jesus was near unto Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

There was great anticipation in the nation of Israel during this day that the Messiah was to come. Why was there that anticipation? The people of the day knew the prophecies of the Old Testament, including the prophecy of Daniel that spoke of the seventy weeks. They understood that from the day the decree was given by Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem after the exile of the children of Israel, there would be a period of 483 years until the Messiah, the Prince, would come. The rabbis of the day, the chief priests, and the scribes knew that that time was very near, even at hand.

The anticipation of the Messiah was immense, especially as these people were surrounded and occupied by the Roman Empire. They wanted their Messiah; they wanted their political king to come in, cast off the Roman Empire, and exalt the nation of Israel as the supreme nation of the world. They longed to restore their former glory back to the days of David and Solomon. They looked forward to their kingdom being established here on earth and expected that the Messiah would bring this kingdom.

At this point in time, there were murmurings among the nation about this Jesus of Nazareth. This man, who heals the blind—that's a messianic role. He heals the lepers—that's also a messianic role. All these things He was doing led many to believe that He must be the Messiah; He had to be the Messiah. There was a prevailing thought that He was on His way to Jerusalem. There was great anticipation and a feeling among everyone that He was going to Jerusalem. He had been heading there for months, and with Passover approaching, the excitement grew.

All the people surrounding Him were expecting that He would bring in His kingdom, not just the multitudes but also His disciples. Even after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, after He had been with His disciples for those forty days, just before He ascended into heaven, His disciples asked Him their last question in Acts chapter 1: "Will you now restore the kingdom unto Israel?" You see, they believed and hoped that their kingdom would come on earth.

Their expectation was for a kingdom immediately, and Jesus knew this. Remember, this is the guy who reads minds. He knew what everybody was thinking and exactly what was going on in their hearts and minds.

We know that just a few days later, when Jesus is betrayed, Peter pulls a sword from his side. He probably even had it hidden underneath his robe at that moment. They were going to Jerusalem, and Peter thought he needed to get ready. He had never used a sword before; he had been a fisherman for a long time, but he was sure he could handle it. He thought the kingdom was coming. The disciples were jockeying for position, wondering who would be the greatest. In fact, James and John even brought their mother into the situation. She approached Jesus and asked, "Would you allow that my sons sit one on your right and one on your left when you come into your kingdom?" They all believed His kingdom was coming and were trying to find a way to be a part of it.

Knowing this, Jesus stated that the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost. Remember, that was the focus of Jesus's first coming. The prophecies of the Old Testament make it very clear that there are two distinct appearances of the Messiah. He would come as the suffering servant to seek and save that which is lost. However, there is coming a day when He will return as a conquering king.

He told the multitude around Him that the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Perhaps they were thinking, "All right, now He's going to say it. And to establish my kingdom." But that was not what He was going to say. Those who heard these things were expecting something different, so He added and spoke a parable because He was near to Jerusalem, the place where He would take over if He was going to take over. They thought the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

Therefore, in that context, Jesus said in verse 12 of Luke chapter 19, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom." They were probably thinking, "Oh man, He's talking about the kingdom." He went into a far country to receive a kingdom for himself and to return. He called his ten servants and delivered to them ten pounds or ten minas, saying to them, "Occupy until I come." However, the citizens of his country hated him and sent a message after him, saying, "We will not have this man to rule over us."

And it came to pass when he was returned, having received his kingdom. Then he commanded those servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Then came the first, saying, "Lord, thy pound has gained ten pounds." He said unto him, "Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in the very little, you have been given authority over ten cities."

Jesus begins to speak of this kingdom. He tells his disciples and the multitudes, the people who had this great expectation of a coming kingdom immediately. They thought, "Right now we're going to Jerusalem. He's going to get rid of Herod, he's going to get rid of Pilate, he's going to get rid of the Roman Empire. This guy is going to do it." His disciples had seen him calm the storms with a word. They knew his word was powerful. If he just uses that power for a moment, they were sure they could get rid of all these problems in Israel.

But he says to them, "There was a certain nobleman, and he was going to go into a far country to receive his kingdom." Jesus is preparing his disciples for the fact that the kingdom is not going to come immediately. There is going to be a period of time between that first coming and that second coming. In fact, there has been quite a period of time in our eyes—nearly 2,000 years to you and me.

Peter clues us in in one of his letters and says, "A day is with the Lord as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years as a day." To the Lord, it's just been a couple of days—not a very long time. But to you and me, we look at the scriptures and say, "Lord, when are you going to come?" Even some people begin to ask, "Where is the sign of his coming?"

The people in Jesus' day were anticipating that kingdom coming, but Jesus says, "No, there was a certain nobleman who went into a far country to receive his kingdom." The kingdom of our God is not going to be a physical kingdom right away.

He called ten of his servants, those who were his bondmen, his bond servants, to himself—those who had pledged themselves to the Lord by choice. He delivered unto ten of these servants each one pound, or one minna, or a hundred days' wages.

He called these ten servants and said, "Here, you're going to receive a hundred days' wages." He went down the list and gave each of them the same amount. However, he also gave them an instruction: "Occupy until I come." This really means to invest or use what I have given you until I return.

We were discussing this passage among some of the pastors last week, and when we mentioned the phrase "occupy until I come," Pastor Eric, who is a retired Marine, expressed his dislike for the word "occupy." He said, "Us Marines, we're on the offense. We're not just a group that occupies." I believe this reflects a misunderstanding of what is being said. Jesus is not saying to simply kick back and hold the ground until I come. The word "occupy" means to press forward and use what you've been given to produce gain. So, he tells his disciples and servants, "Occupy until I come."

There was another group of people in the story, not just the master, the nobleman, and not just the servants, but also the citizens of this nobleman's territory. These citizens hated him. When he went away to a far country to receive his kingdom, they sent a message saying, "We will not have this man to rule over us."

We see very clearly when we get to the Gospel of John that this group of people Jesus is speaking of in this story represents the nation of Israel. In John chapter 1, verse 11, we read, "He came to his own, and his own did not receive him." Jesus came to his own countrymen. He was Jewish and came to the Jews first, but they would not receive him. In fact, they would say, "We will not have this man to rule over us." When Pilate spoke to the people, he said, "Behold your king." They responded, "No, that's not our king. We will not have this man to rule over us."

The true heart of these people is indicated in this story: they hated their nobleman, the one who was over them, and declared that they would not allow him to rule over them. After a period of time, it came to pass.

That this nobleman returned after he had received his kingdom. He now returns with his kingdom and calls his servants to himself. He commanded that his servants be called, the ones to whom he had given the money, the hundred days' wages to each of them. He says, "Come, I want to see how much you've gained by trading. I have invested in you so that you could invest what I've given to you. How much have you gained?"

The first came to him and said, "Lord, your pound has gained ten pounds," which is a thousand percent increase. He gave to him just one pound, one mina, and he increased it a thousand times. The reaction of the king, the reaction of this nobleman when he hears this, is to say to him, "Well done, you good servant, because you have been faithful in very little. You will have authority in my kingdom." Remember, this nobleman went to receive his kingdom, and now he is bringing his kingdom back. He says, "You are going to have a place in my kingdom. You're going to have authority in my kingdom. Because you've been faithful in these things, I am going to make you ruler over ten cities."

The faithfulness of the servant in the story did not earn him just a good retirement in the kingdom of his master. He didn't receive just a good restful place, as if to say, "I'm going to go on a long trip." No, it gave him a multiplied amount of service to the king. It would appear that this servant was very happy and very thankful for the authority that was now given to him. However, the authority was given to him as he remained faithful with what his master had given to him.

While the second servant came to the Lord, he said, "Your pound has gained five pounds," which is a five hundred percent increase. The master said likewise to him, "Be thou also over five cities." There was a relationship between his stewardship and his position in the kingdom. As he was a good steward over that which his master had given to him, it brought him great blessing in the new kingdom that his master had received.

But there was another servant. In verse 20, another one of the servants came saying, "Lord, behold, here is thy pound."

The servant kept the money laid up in a handkerchief, or in the actual translation, a sweat rag. Think about that for a moment. The very thing you might use in a hot, dry environment, where you're working hard with your hands and maybe sweating, is that sweat rag. You would take it and wipe your face with it.

Here, this servant is a worker in the fields of a nobleman. The nobleman calls him and says, "Here, I'm going to give you this hundred days' wages." Whoa, that's a lot of money! "Yeah, occupy till I come." The servant takes out his sweat rag, folds it up, and hides it away. He gives a reason for this in verse 21: "For I feared because you are an austere man, or a harsh man. You are a rough guy, a tough guy."

This servant had a view of his master as someone who is rash, someone who reaps where he has not sown. As he says, "You take up that which you laid not down; you reap where you have not sown." So, he was afraid of the nobleman. He figured the nobleman was plenty powerful and didn't need him to do anything. He thought it best not to do wrong with what had been given to him because he didn't want any problems. So, he decided to give back what he received.

In verse 22, the nobleman said to him, "Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant. For you knew that I was an austere or harsh man, taking up that which I laid not down and reaping that which I did not sow. Therefore, why did you not give my money just to the bank, that at my coming I might have required my money with interest?"

He says the least the servant could have done was deposit the money in the bank so that when he returned, he would receive interest on it. Instead, the servant took it, despised what was given to him, and buried it in the ground. At the very least, he should have deposited it with the banker so that the nobleman could have received it with interest upon his return.

You see, there is a day, as we see in this story, when the master will return with his kingdom. Jesus is very clearly telling His disciples and the multitudes there.

I'm going away. The kingdom is not going to immediately be established right here and right now. I'm going away to receive my kingdom, and I am going to bring it back with me. That's why He instructed His disciples in Matthew chapter 6 and also Luke chapter 11, when you pray, pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He was going to heaven to receive His kingdom, and one day He is going to bring His kingdom here to the earth. We see that in Revelation at the end of the story.

Until then, He has called His servants unto Himself and says, "Occupy until I come." He has given us these wages, I guess you could say. He has given us this pound, as spoken of in the King James Version. Notice that He gave to each one the same amount. This is not the identical story as the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25; it's a different story. There, varying amounts of money were given to the servants. But here, every servant is given the same amount.

One invested and traded wisely and gained a thousand percent, another five hundred percent, but another despised what was given to him and said, "I'm just going to lay it aside, and when he returns, I'll give it back to him. If he even returns, who knows? He probably won't. He's a rash guy." So he says, "Out of your own mouth, I will judge you. You said, 'I am a harsh man.' Therefore, why didn't you just give my money to the bank?"

He said unto those who stood by, the other servants, "Take from him the pound and give it to him that has ten pounds." They replied, "Lord, he has ten pounds." He said, "For I say unto you that unto everyone which has shall be given, and from him that has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him."

The nobleman, the master, looks at His servants. There are ten of them there, but we only see three of them spoken to in this passage. To the first, He says, "How much have you gained by trading?" The servant replies, "Oh, I've gained ten pounds." To the second, He asks, and the servant responds, "I've received five pounds." Then the third comes and says, "Here, here's your pound. I knew you were a harsh guy. Take what's yours."

So He judged him and said, "Take from this wicked servant that one pound and give it to this one who..."

has ten pounds. Everybody's standing around. Maybe the other servants looked around and said, "Wait a minute, but he has ten pounds. Why would you give him an eleventh? What's the point?" The Lord says that everyone who has, it shall be given unto him, but he who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away.

You see, every single one of us has been given life today. On top of that, you and I have been given God's Word. How are we using it in His kingdom? How are we investing the things that He has given to each of us in His kingdom? In this story, Jesus makes it very clear that those servants were a group of servants. We will consider the citizens in a moment, but God deals with His servants first. As Peter would say, judgment begins at the house of God. Judgment begins with God's own servants, with His own people. He takes into consideration what He gave to them and whether they have been good stewards of it.

We considered stewardship several weeks ago in Luke chapter 17. God has called us to be good stewards of that which He has given to every single one of us: our life, His Word, and our position in this place. However, there was one who said, "Oh, my master, he's a harsh master, and I'll just give back to him what he gave to me." But the master says, "No, I'm going to take from you and give to the one who has ten." This blew the minds of everybody else.

There is coming a day of reckoning. There is coming a day of judgment for God's people. The judgment of God's people will come when God looks upon what He has given to us, as we see in the story. How have we used those things for Him? The scripture makes it very clear that there are rewards in heaven. There are rewards in heaven, and I don't completely understand that. The scripture doesn't really go in-depth on what those rewards are.

Sometimes we may think, as Christians, that eternal life is enough. Why do we need extra rewards in heaven? Many of you would probably agree with me on that. We may look at the rewards that God tells us are going to come in the next life in His kingdom, such as the authority over ten cities that was given to the man who exercised good stewardship. We may look at that and say, "We don't quite understand that." It doesn't even seem like that big of a deal to us. But, you know, that's the way things are in life, isn't it?

How so? What do I mean? Well, when I was a kid, about five years old, I remember seeing my parents kiss. I would think, "Oh, gross. Why do you do that? What's the point of that? That doesn't look fun to me. That doesn't look enjoyable to me." What's the point of it? Well, I'm married now, and I understand.

But see, there is a time now where we, as children here on earth, look at the kingdom that God has and those things that He is going to give to us. We ask, "What's the point of that? I don't need that. It doesn't look that great to me. I'm plenty happy here," just like this servant who despised what his Lord had given to him. He was plenty happy to just live as he was.

However, there is coming a day when rewards shall be given, when God will judge His servants. But those who were His enemies, those who were His citizens—remember, there was another group of people in the story. There weren't just the master's servants; there were also His citizens. God will deal with those citizens, those wicked citizens who, instead of merely being called citizens, made themselves enemies.

Verse 27 states, "But those that are my enemies, which would not have that I should rule over them, bring them here and slay them before me." You see, these citizens had committed treason. The servant there was just a wicked servant, and he was dealt with as a wicked servant, but he was not categorized or placed in the same group as these enemies in the story. The master said, "Bring my enemies to me, those citizens who said, 'We will not have this man to rule over us,' and slay them."

There is a judgment coming. If you sit in a place today saying, "I don't want the Lordship of Christ. I don't want to follow Him as king," understand that every knee shall bow. There is coming a day when He will return with His kingdom. There will be no opting out of His kingdom. If you sit in the place of saying, "I will not have this man to rule over me," there is a judgment coming—a very clear judgment. In fact, the Scripture tells us in Hebrews chapter 10 that the only thing that person has to look forward to is the consequence of not wanting to submit to the rule and leadership of Christ.

Christ, all they have to look forward to, according to Hebrews 11:27, is a certain and fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour his adversaries and enemies. Perhaps you sit in the place today of one saying, "I don't want the Lordship of Christ." I kind of have a feeling that probably not, because at the very least, you're here at church. But God has been, He is the Lord, the Lord of all, the King of Glory, as we read in Psalm 24 this morning. There is a day when He shall come again.

We are going to look at the next passage in the book of Luke, specifically Luke 19, where Jesus is going to enter into Jerusalem. I think it was very important that He shared this story with His disciples before He did, because remember their expectation was that He was going to establish His kingdom. Now, He is going to enter Jerusalem in a triumphant manner. Many people are going to be crying, "Hosanna! Save now! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." There will be multitudes around Him, casting their clothes down before Him, praising Him with palm branches, and singing.

However, He clues them in and says, "Listen, the kingdom is not going to be established now. There is a day when His kingdom shall come, but it will not be this day." He prepares His disciples and His servants for that day by illustrating what is going to happen at that time. There is going to be a judgment for the people of God, and there is also going to be a judgment for the citizens who say, "I will not have this man to rule over me."

In verse 28 of Luke 19, we read, "And when He had thus spoken, He went before ascending up to Jerusalem." It came to pass that when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village over against you. In the witch, at your entering, you shall find a colt tied, whereon never a man has sat. Loose him and bring him here to me. And if any man asks you, 'Why do you loose him?' thus shall you say unto him, 'Because the Lord has need of him.'"

They that were sent went their way and found it even as Jesus had said unto them. As they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, "Why do you loose the colt?" Just as Jesus had told them. They said, "The Lord has need of him." They brought him to Jesus and cast their...

Garments were placed upon the colt, and Jesus sat there on it. As He went, they spread their clothes in the way. When He was near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. They had witnessed Jesus perform many miraculous acts. Just before this moment, they had seen Him heal a blind man in Jericho. They had seen Him heal lepers, cast out demons, and raise the dead. They would soon witness Him raise another who was dead shortly after this point in our story. They had seen Him feed the multitude, and some had even seen Him walk on water. They praised God because of the mighty works they had experienced.

They cried out, saying, "Save now," quoting from Psalm 18. In Psalm 18, verse 24, we read, "This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Right after that, in verse 25, the psalmist says, "Save now," or "Hosanna, Hosanna, save now. We beg you, we beseech you, O Lord, O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Save your people." The people were crying out, "Hosanna, save now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." They had seen Him perform many mighty works, and they cried, "Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest," as noted in verse 38 of Luke 19.

Some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said to Him, "Master, rebuke your disciples." The Pharisees could not stand this show of praise, this outpouring of adoration towards Jesus. They despised Him, even though they had witnessed His miraculous works. Remember, these Pharisees followed Jesus' ministry just as His disciples did. They were present when He performed miracles. When He fed the multitudes, there were Pharisees sitting there watching. When Jesus taught, healed the sick, or cast out demons, the Pharisees scrutinized His every move. They accused Him of being from Satan, claiming that He performed these works by Beelzebub. They demanded a sign from heaven, saying, "Do a work, and we will believe you."

When they saw Jesus coming down into Jerusalem, the Passover was only days away. Jesus was riding on a colt, and the people were spreading out palm branches before Him. They were even taking their garments and casting them on the ground so that this donkey could walk over them. Remember, these people probably only had one or two changes of clothes. They didn't have much, yet they were willing to take what they had and cast it down before the Lord.

The Pharisees stood by and watched this in their nice Pharisaical garb, saying, "How dare He do these things?" They were likely at the point of tearing their clothing, just going, "I can't believe that He would allow this." The crowd was crying out to Him, "Hosanna!" This cry, "Hosanna," which means "save now," was messianic. They knew they were proclaiming Him as the Messiah. If ever there was a time for Jesus to come and establish His kingdom, it was now. It was there for the taking, in a sense.

This was the very purpose of the story He had told them just before entering Jerusalem. He wanted to convey that they were not going there to establish His kingdom yet. He had this triumphant entry, and all the people were crying out after Him, "Save now! Save now!" The Pharisees said, "Command your disciples, rebuke your disciples. Don't let them do this." The Pharisees believed this was blasphemy. They thought that what these people were saying was blasphemous, claiming, "Jesus, You're causing these people to blaspheme. Stop them! Rebuke them so they do not do this."

What they didn't understand was that they stood in the place of blasphemy. There they were, calling out to Jesus and demanding that He rebuke the crowd, while they themselves were the blasphemers. Jesus answered them in verse 40, saying, "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." This was a time of praise. It was good that the people would praise Jesus at this point in time.

Daniel the prophet foretold of this very coming when Jesus would enter Jerusalem in this way. If you consider the prophecies of Daniel and begin to study them, you will find that Daniel pinpointed the very day that Christ would come into Jerusalem in this manner. The Pharisees should have known it; they should have recognized it. Perhaps they even did know it, but they didn't want Jesus to be the Messiah. They wanted their own version of the Messiah.

But they just did not want Jesus. The Pharisees cried out, "Rebuke your disciples!" They placed themselves in the position of the wicked citizens in the story, declaring, "We will not have this man to rule over us." They knew the Messiah was coming soon, but they didn't want Jesus. This man was riding in on a donkey. He ate with sinners and tax collectors and hung out with fishermen. Come on, they stank!

"We're the Pharisees. We're not going to have this man rule over us." They looked at Him and thought, "Isaiah's prophecies tell us that when the Messiah comes, He will not have any form or comeliness that we should desire Him." He wasn't like Saul in the Old Testament, who was head and shoulders above everybody, very good-looking and desirable. When people looked at King Saul, they would say, "Behold our king." Then they looked at Jesus and thought, "Oh man, He hangs out with tax collectors and sinners and stinky fishermen." They wanted someone they could proudly proclaim, "Behold our king."

And here He came, riding in on a donkey. The multitudes, the very people the Pharisees wouldn't even commune with, were crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." The Pharisees were just going, "Oh dear God. Oy vey." They could not grasp it; they couldn't handle it.

But Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if they were to hold their peace, even the stones would cry out." There’s a part of me that almost wishes they had been quiet for a moment. I want to see what that would be like when the stones cry out after the Lord. I assume it would be very similar to what happened at His death when the earth quaked and the rocks split.

There is coming a day when Jesus will return to that very same spot at the Mount of Olives. What will happen then? That big mountain will split in two. The rocks will cry out in a sense, and we will be there to see that. We just get to read about it now, but we will be there to witness it. The Pharisees said, "Rebuke your disciples. Tell them not to do this." But if they hold their peace...

The rocks would cry out. When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it. He said, "If you had known, even thou Jerusalem, at least this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from your eyes." He says to them, "If you had only known," and they should have known. They should have known. Daniel prophesied of this very day that it would come to pass.

Jesus stands somewhere on the Mount of Olives and looks out over the city. The most prominent part of the city is the Temple Mount and the Temple. As we read in Josephus' works, Josephus was a historian who wrote about the nation of Israel. When he talks about that great city Jerusalem and the Temple, he describes it as having so much beautiful white marble and gold that when the sun would hit it, it would shine like a mirror. It would brightly shine across the countryside.

Imagine Jesus standing there, looking at this magnificent structure with the sun shining upon it. He weeps over it and says, "If you had only known this day. If you had only known that on this day, the things which belong unto your peace." Jerusalem means the city of peace, yet they didn't know about the Prince of Peace who was standing at the gate and looking at their city at that moment in time. The entire city should have been there to receive Him, but they weren't. Instead, the Pharisees, the leaders of Israel religiously, stood by and said, "Stop your disciples from doing this."

"If you had only known, if you had only known." They should have known. For the days shall come, Jesus now prophesies. They should have known based on the prophecies of the Old Testament that Jesus was coming. But now He prophesies and says, "The days shall come when your enemies shall cast a trench about thee and encompass thee round about, and keep thee in on every side. They shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another." Why? Because you knew not the time of thy visitation.

He prophesies of something that would come less than 40 years after this point when the Romans, led by Titus of Rome, would come with the legions of Rome and surround Jerusalem in April of 70 A.D. They would build this...

Trench about the city. In fact, Josephus speaks about how the city looked and that they had cut down all the trees in the region to make their towers and so forth to besiege the city. They surrounded the city from April of A.D. 70 until August of A.D. 70 when they completely sacked Jerusalem. One of the soldiers fired a flaming arrow into the temple, which started the temple on fire, causing all the gold of the temple to melt down into the rocks. To get the gold, the Romans tore the temple down stone by stone and cast the stones down into the Kidron Valley.

Just as Jesus said, there was coming a day when your enemies would surround you, lay siege to you, and destroy everything here, leaving not one stone upon another. Why? Because you did not know the time of your visitation. Because you said within your hearts, "We will not have this man to rule over us. We don't want him. He is not the king we want."

It was not the king that the Jews of Jesus' day looked for; they expected a Messiah who would come as a conquering king, arriving like a lion. However, He came the first time as a lamb. There is coming another day when He will return, and they will be looking for a lamb. In fact, those in Israel today who are seeking the Messiah are looking for a lamb to bring peace. They will think they have found their Messiah when one comes and establishes a peace treaty.

In Jesus' day, they were looking for a conquering king. Now, they are looking for someone to bring peace to the region. Everyone in the world is searching for someone to bring peace to this small piece of ground in the Middle East. There is coming a figure who will do that. If you see that happen, know that your redemption draws nigh. The scripture makes it very clear that he is not the Messiah, but the Messiah will come again, not as a lamb, but as a lion, upon a horse, not a donkey. He will come upon that same mountaintop with ten thousands of His saints. That rock will split in two, and every eye shall see it.

But because they did not know the time of their visitation, their city would be destroyed. He went into the temple and began to cast out those who sold therein.

And them that bought, saying unto them, "It is written, My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." This is the second time that Jesus, in the Gospels, does this. The first time came at the beginning of His ministry, the very first time He had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover, as recorded in John chapter 2. There, He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. It was in the court of the Gentiles, the only place on earth at that time where a Gentile could come and experience the worship of the one true God. However, this area was outside of the main courts of the temple. Only Jewish men could enter close to the temple and be in the presence of God.

The Gentiles had a portion on the temple mount where they could go and see what the worship of the one true God was all about. In that area, the chief priests had given permits, allowing all these salesmen to come in. The money changers were present because, at the temple, you couldn't use Roman money due to its inscription of Caesar. Therefore, you had to use the temple shekel. They would offer a pretty fair trade rate, but it was a little steep. You could only do it here in Jerusalem; it was like a magic kingdom for exchanging money.

If you came to offer a sacrifice, they would say, "That's a nice sheep, but whoa, what's that blemish there? No, you can't use that one. It doesn't have the seal of the chief priest." They would then present you with another option, saying, "What's the deal we have for you today?" They would insist, "No, no, no, you can't use that Roman money. I told you to go exchange it over there."

So when the Gentiles came to see what the worship of the one true God was all about, what did they see? All they saw was money and merchandising. The only place they could come to experience the worship of the one true God was filled with merchandising and money. This was a misrepresentation of God, and it was mandated by the chief priests. They were the ones who allowed this.

In John chapter 2, Jesus came in and cast these people out. The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered around Him and asked, "What sign do you give us of your authority? Tell us, how is it that you can do these things? We have the chief priest's signature here; we can have our shops here."

You tell us, what authority do you have to come in here and cast us out? He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again." But this he spoke of his body, the temple of his body. The people in John chapter two said, "It's taken 46 years to build this, and you're going to raise it up in three days?"

Look how quickly they returned to their merchandising, probably the next day after that in John chapter two. Here he is, three years later, coming to Jerusalem for the last time. He goes in, and it says there, "It is written that my house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." He cast them out of the temple; he drove them out of the temple.

We read in verse 47 that he taught daily in the temple, but the chief priests, the scribes, and the chief of the people sought to destroy him and could not find what they might do, for all the people were very attentive to hear him. The people wanted to hear what this man had to say. Who is this guy? He comes into the city riding upon a donkey, and everybody is crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

He goes into the temple and casts out the money changers and those who sold their wares. He drives them out and says, "It is written, my house..." I want you to note something: in John chapter two, he said, "My Father's house," but here he says, "My house is the house of prayer." This is my house, and you're not to sell these things here. Get this stuff out of here. He drove them out.

All the people, when they saw this, what were they expecting? He just came in triumphantly; he just cast the people out of the temple. He's going to establish his kingdom. They were very attentive to what he had to say. They all came listening to him, but the chief priests, the scribes, and the chief of the people gathered together and said, "We have to destroy this guy. We have to get rid of this man. We cannot have this. We will not have this man rule over us."

And so now begins that passion week of Christ in the book of Luke. The leaders of Israel devise a scheme to kill him. They say, "We have to get rid of this guy." Meanwhile, the people follow him, listening attentively, seeking that he might establish his kingdom. Sometimes we wonder why, as we continue through the remaining events.

In the chapters of Luke, we wonder why the people so quickly turned on Him and started to say, "Crucify Him." The same people who had shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," now called for His crucifixion just a few days later. Remember, what was their expectation? They believed He would cast off Rome, but now He was in the custody of Rome. He had been beaten, and they looked at Him and thought, "Oh man, another fake Messiah. Crucify Him. Just get Him out of here. We don't want anything to do with Him."

But He is the King, the King of Glory, as we read in Psalm 24. The Lord of Hosts is the King of Glory. He came first as a lamb, the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. Why? So that He could establish His kingdom in the hearts and souls of men. He will return one day to establish His kingdom here. And so we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Father, Your word is truth. We pray that You would sanctify us and cleanse us by Your truth as we consider Your word here. As we look at the fact that You've called us to be Your servants and have given us great blessings to be used for Your kingdom, I pray that You would help us as stewards to be found faithful. God, may we use that which You've given to us for the furtherance of Your kingdom—not just financially, Lord, but with our lives and everything that we have.

We look forward to the day when many people will triumphantly come with You once again to stand on the Mount of Olives, clothed in white. Lord, we sure do look forward to that day. We praise You and thank You for Your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

If you need prayer this morning, the pastors and elders will be up here to pray for you. May the Lord bless you this week as you continue to follow Him. Remember, Sunday is the first day of the week, and there is no better way to start the week than in the word. Amen? God bless you all. You are dismissed. Have a great day.