Queen's Road Cell

 9. How was it possible that the Messiah was both David's descendant and greater than David? (see Rom 1:3-4)   The Jews regarded earlier generations as greater and wiser than the present one. David was the ideal king - not to be surpassed. For them, the Messiah, as David's Son (18:38–39; Matt. 21:9) saw the Messiah as someone who would defeat all Israel’s foes and bring in a new kingdom of David.,   Luke is not denying Jesus' Davidic descent (1:27, 32, 69; 2:4; 18:38f.). The Messiah will truly be a descendant of David (2 Sa 7:12-14, Ps 89:4, Is 11:1, 10, Jer 23:5)   But David himself referred to the Messiah as Lord (Ps. 110:1). The Messiah is therefore more than David’s son. He is unique and has greater honour than David.  Jesus challenged the presuppositions of the Jews.   10. Jesus condemned the teachers of the law for certain practices. What character traits did those practices show? (20:46-47)   Desire for public recognition, receiving approval ...

  The parable of the tenants sparked off opposition to Jesus, but in view of the people’s attitude violence was risky. It might provoke a riot and no-one could tell where a riot would end. The Romans would intervene and the privileged might lose their privileges. So Jesus’ enemies chose another method: they tried to discredit him. (Morris)   "so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor." (v.20) would relieve the Jewish leaders of the responsibility of getting rid of Jesus.  7. What was Jesus saying about our obligations to God and the secular government in 20:23-25? 'lawful' (v.22), i.e. in accord with the law of God. It was obviously in accordance with the law of Caesar. All three Synoptists make it clear that the reply confounded the critics. It left no room for an accusation of disloyalty to Caesar, but also stressed loyalty to God. Jesus is saying that we are citizens of heaven and earth at the same time. This does not mean dividing l...

4. What is Jesus trying to tell the crowd in 20:9-16? God owns the vineyard (Isa 5:1-7, Jer 12:10, Ez 19:10) . The Israelites are only tenants. The tenants are wicked and greedy: they have killed the prophets, and they will kill the son. The vineyard will be given to others. The tenants are the people ("he looked directly at them") Jesus is the cornerstone (Is 28:16, Eph 2:20, 1 Pet 2:7) : rejected, validated, precious, dangerous. Jesus quotes Ps 118:22. This part of the parable is also not hard to understand. In Acts 4:8-12 after being arrested for healing the lame man at the Temple, Peter interprets the second half of this parable for the Jewish leaders who had condemned Jesus just some months earlier. He says: “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you cruc...