Day 7

Matthew 19-21

In Matthew 20:17-19, Jesus clearly and plainly foretold His death to the twelve disciples for the third time. 

After “The Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem, it seems as if Jesus’s mood begins to shift. You can sense the urgency through the text. We can only imagine how our Lord was so in touch with the Father that he was intrinsically familiar with the timeframe of the events that were to come. Jesus had just a week to accomplish everything that was left undone. 

Upon entering Jerusalem, He first overturns the tables of the money-changers. Next, He curses a fig tree. Finally, His authority is questioned and rather than answering the questions being asked of Him, He responded with more questions before explaining that He won’t answer their questions (Matthew 21:21-27). 

My favorite part of His teaching/ministry are the parables. What He just made plain to His disciples, He explains in parables to the chief priests and elders. In the second parable, the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus now foretells His death in this allegory format. Jesus is the heir. Jesus is the cornerstone that the builders reject. Days later, not only would Jesus be rejected, but they would crucify Him on a cross. When Jesus finished the parable of the tenants, He asked the question: “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They responded, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

This is scary stuff if you’re the one rejecting Jesus.