{"id":31648,"date":"2023-04-04T07:06:20","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T11:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=31648"},"modified":"2023-04-04T07:08:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T11:08:39","slug":"jesus-and-holy-week-tuesday-3-days-until-his-death-a-long-day-teaching-countering-religious-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=31648","title":{"rendered":"Jesus and Holy Week – Tuesday…3 Days Until His Death \u2013 A Long Day – Teaching & Countering Religious Opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo Credit \u2013 slidesharecdn.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When He [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, \u201cBy what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Matthew 21:23<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this long day, Jesus would demonstrate in one situation after another that he spoke and acted with the authority of God Himself.<\/strong> The barren fig tree cursed by Jesus the day before had indeed withered and died. The disciples saw it themselves that morning as they walked again from Bethany to Jerusalem. Jesus spoke to them of faith, which they would need all the more in the days ahead (Matthew 21:21-22<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s amazing that he even gained entry to the Temple after overturning the market just the day before. <\/strong>Again, another sign of his authority. He was untouchable, until he gave himself over to his own death on the cross\u2026for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an attempt to test Jesus\u2019 understanding of the law, a legal advisor to the Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the law<\/strong>. The Pharisees emphasized strict adherence to the laws of the Torah, all 613<\/a> of them! They were not prepared for Jesus\u2019 response:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus answered, \u201cThe foremost is, \u2018Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.\u2019 The second is this, \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 There is no other commandment greater than these.\u201d<\/em> \u2013   Mark 12:29-31<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two commands: 1) Love God with your whole being; 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pharisees<\/a>, Sadducees<\/a>, and other Jewish leaders grew more angry at Jesus and were vexed as to how to destroy his popularity and influence with the masses of Jews loyal to him. All their trickery failed this time. Jesus was not intimidated by them, and in fact, spoke some of his strongest words against them while teaching that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, leaving Jerusalem that day, Jesus stopped on the Mount of Olives (Olivet)<\/a> to speak about the future. He talked at length, to his disciples and all those who followed, about the end times. He cautioned them about false teachers and the evil that would rise up in those last days. What it must have been to listen to Jesus, the Messiah, on that Tuesday \u2013 filled with a mixture of faith in him and fear of what could lie ahead for them, and the generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So went Tuesday…for Jesus and all of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Read this post in its entirety, including Jesus’ strong indictments of his religious enemies, <\/a>here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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