“I wanted to address our culture, God wanted to address ME.”
Luke 20:41-44
”Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? 42 For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 43 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.’ 44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
What Jesus shows ME here, is that there is a higher goal than just being right--but there is also a higher goal than just peace. The Higher Goal is Jesus
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The Political Landscape of Jesus’ Time
Zealots - The Zealot movement took the revolutionary option. It advocated outward violence, even armed rebellion, to rid Israel of Roman oppression. Nothing else, they figured, would bring final liberation to the Jewish people. Depending on the point of view, Zealots were looked upon as freedom-fighters or terrorists.
Sadducees - The Sadduccees were the great pragmatists of the day. As wealthy lay-nobles, priests and aristocrats, they sought to conserve their wealth and power through comprosmise with Rome. Politically speaking, this was the most realistic option. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin were from the Sadduccee group. Moreover, as the people at the top of the pecking order in the Jewish society of their time, they were much more concerned with present-day affairs than speculation on the life-to-come. In the Gospels, it is evidently the Sadduccees who are the main opponents of Jesus at the time of his trial and death. They rightly saw that Jesus' radical brand of religion threatened their power and status.
Pharisees - The Pharisees were in many ways the idealists of Jewish society. Most of the Scribes (the 'theologians' of the day) were Pharisees. In general, despite their 'bad press' in the Gospels, the Pharisees sought to live a life of spiritual purity by a meticulous following of the torah (Jewish law). They did not believe in compromise with the Romans (as did the Sadduccees) nor in revolutionary activity (as did the Zealots). No doubt their emphasis on the law could result in legalism which may, in turn, become a pretext for hypocrisy. Nonetheless, many Pharisees were highly committed and deeply spiritual people. They believed in the resurrection of the dead. From their perspective, Jesus seemed to relativize the law which explains their anger towards him.
Essenes - solved the problem of Jewish identity in a Roman-occupied Israel by withdrawing to a monastic-like setting. They were, if you like, the hippies of the day insofar as they completely opted out of mainstream Jewish society.
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Jesus asks them a rhetorical question to help them refocus on Him! He didn’t even answer the question! Anyone notice that detail yet? His goal in that moment wasn’t to prove himself right...or to fully explain an idea...but to pose a question for them to THINK about.
I think his goal in the moment was two-fold:
To refocus the minds of the prideful religious leaders who thought they knew everything, to the REAL MESSIAH.
To show the average person, beat up by religion, that maybe, just maybe, they were closer to the Kingdom, than those prideful leaders wanted them to believe.
To the zealots, He said, “love your enemies.”
To the Sadduccess, He said, “Give to ceasar what’s ceasar’s, give to God what’s God’s.”
About the Pharisees, He said, “Obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.”
They were expecting a very spiritual King. Someone to float down on the clouds riding horses of fire, or something, and save them. They couldn’t see that he would be the SON of David. That He is BOTH son, AND Lord. They didn’t expect the son of Joseph the Carpenter, from Nazareth. Born in a manger, in a BARN, for goodness sake.
And they missed Him.
“They were looking for a spiritual person to become a physical king. And what they GOT was a physical person, becoming a spiritual king.”
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Jesus’ silence in strategic moments made Him complicit in his own injustice, for the sake of you and I. It matters WHEN you say it. John 18:19-19:16
Does this mean we shouldn’t stand up for injustice? No...but it should confront your sense of comfort, and your judgemental attitudes about paying the price for other people’s sin.
TAKE IT FURTHER: Why did they want him to be the king? Could they have forced him? Most people would gladly accept more power…why didn’t Jesus?
He recognized government as an imperfect tool for justice and organization. It matters WHAT you say. Luke 20:19-26
In studying all of this, it struck me, how little Jesus speaks of Rome. He so rarely talks about it! When that’s ALL ANYONE ELSE EVER SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT in his culture! There are little moments, but overall, He doesn’t condemn them like everyone seems to want him to.
TAKE IT FURTHER: Why was Pilate scared? Why do you think Jesus responded the way He did? Why do you think Pilate asked, “what is truth?”
He resisted power, but used attention. (to show that it’s not POWER you need, to change the world, but love. It matters WHO you say it to. John 6:1-15
Palm Sunday was a political move...the palms, the welcome into the city...but he didn’t come on a horse, which would have been basically a declaration of war...he came on a donkey..and he didn’t go to the governor’s mansion….he went to the temple….
He USED the attention, but resisted power...even when it was THRUST upon Him.
TAKE IT FURTHER: Why would that question have trapped Jesus? What do you think they expected his answer to be?
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