When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” - Matthew 21:10-11

In Matthew’s Gospel, the adult Jesus spends the first twenty chapters in Galilee and the surrounding Decapolis. It’s not until Matthew 21 that he enters Jerusalem as an adult ready to teach, heal, and transform the culture. 

What transpires from Matthew 21 on is nothing short of amazing. 

The late John Lewis would call what Jesus does ‘good trouble.’ He inserts himself into the religious  sector (which is closely tied to the political one). He heals. He teaches. He loves. He admonishes. He transforms. He talks about the Kingdom of God as if it is at hand and something other than Caesar’s kingdom on earth. He does all of these things so well, it gets him in ‘good trouble’ with the politicians and the religious authorities (which again are closely aligned). 

Literally, the first thing Jesus does in Matthew 21 is walk into the Temple and overturn the money changers' tables. This defiance cannot be understated. He puts a target on his back from the first moment he enters the city, and people both love and hate him for it. 

The next thing he does is curse a fig tree for not producing good fruit. This obscure action ends up being another metaphor for the religious and political community who isn’t serving people in love. 

So we have the political system being cursed as well as the fruit-bearing religious community being cursed. Jesus has been on the scene for about thirty minutes and is declaring and demonstrating that a systemic evil is very much at hand, and he is preparing himself (and his followers) to change it. 

There’s very little reason, based on this context, to NOT understand why Jesus was killed. He went toe-to-toe with systems that had the authority to silence him. It was law and order that arrested him. It was the religious and political authorities that tried and killed him. Think about that. 

Jesus challenged and changed the status quo, but not everyone liked it — especially religious people. But what amazes me about all of Jesus’ time in Jerusalem is that even though, at least in how Matthew tells it, he upset the power players, he also created space and love for those on the margins.

The systems in place were failing the 'least of these.’ They weren’t moving people towards God. So Jesus comes to name this and declare it void as a new kingdom emerges — the kingdom of God. 

Jesus calls out these corrupt systems and then puts a spotlight on individuals showing their immoral complicity to them. And the connections to today are uncanny.

I’m not trying to say that America (or any one world leader) is functioning exactly like Rome, but what I am saying is that Jesus’ teachings then apply to us on an individual level as well as a systems level today. 

Join us through November as we explore the radical nature of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem. 

October 11 | Matthew 21:33-46 | The Parable of the Tenants

Verse 43 pretty much says all we need to know about the divisive nature of Jesus’ teachings in Jerusalem. He says to the chief priest and elders in the Temple: “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” Think about this. Jesus tells the religious authorities that the kingdom of God will not be their reward but rather those who produce the fruits of the kingdom. This parable predicts Jesus’ death as well as indicts the religious sector on wickedness. 

October 18 | Matthew 22:1-14 | The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Still talking to the chief priests and elders in the Temple, Jesus offers another parable, and it is equally as dark as the first. Much needs to be made about the type of story Jesus tells to the religious leaders. His parables are dark, full of death and corrupt leadership. Why do you think he speaks in this way? The parable is nuanced and full of imagery. Working our way through it together will not be a light-hearted task. 

October 25 | Matthew 22:34-40 | The Greatest Commandment 

Now confronted by the Pharisees (not just the Temple elders and Sadducees), this religious group tries to trap Jesus by asking him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus’ answer has reverberated across centuries and should shape our entire moral lens. All decisions must fit under the framework of Loving God and Loving Others as we Love Ourselves. 

November 1 | Matthew 23:1-12 | The Humble will be Exalted 

The tumultuous relationship between the religious authorities and Jesus is getting worse. To open this chapter, Jesus denounces their leadership by calling them hypocrites. He ends his admonishment by reminding us all in v11-12: “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

November 8 | Matthew 25:1-13 | The Parable of the Ten Women

As the gospel continues to move towards the cross, Jesus retreats with his disciples on the Mount of Olives and teaches them privately. Here, he offers a warning fo the disciples to keep their lamps trimmed and burning by telling a parable full of sadness and uncertainty for five bridesmaids. 

November 15 | Matthew 25:14-30 | The Parable of the Bags of Gold

Still on the Mount of Olives with the disciples, Jesus follows up last week’s parable with another. It’s equally as concerning. A servant gets thrown into outer darkness because he didn’t make much of the talents (gold) given to him. This story, along with last week’s, is a warning from Jesus to his disciples that they must make something of the time and opportunities given to them. 

November 22 | Matthew 25:31-46 | The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

To finish out this chapter, Jesus offers yet one more story. This time he draws on apocalyptic imagery that divides the people of the earth into sheep and goats. Hearing the words of this parable read out loud may be the most important spiritual exercise of the year. To be a sheep, we must help, love, and notice the ‘least of these.’ To be a goat, we simply have to overlook the ‘least of these.’ For what we do unto the least of these, we do unto Jesus. This teaching lesson is the last one we get before reading about the Pharisees plot to kill Jesus.