Accepting the King

Gospel doctrine manual lesson 20.

Lesson for June 14. Taught by Corry.

In class we will focus on passages from Matthew 21 and Matthew 22.

Jesus enters as king in Jerusalem. He choreographs a triumphant entry that makes him a fulfillment of prophecies found in Genesis and Zechariah and comes with supporters from Bethphage and Bethany (where he had recently raised Lazarus from the grave) who herald him as "Son of David." He then goes to the temple where he overturns the tables of the money changers and calls the temple, "My house."

After Jesus cleanses the temple, the religious leaders ("chief priests and elders") in Jerusalem question his authority. They had authority through their schooling and moral living; Jesus was just an upstart without the proper credentials! Jesus's responses suggest that they have gotten in the way of their own salvation, that their understanding of religious authority prevents them from recognizing divine authority from the Father.  He offers several examples of how religious people fail to recognize Christ as king:

1) They put themselves in the place of God
Read the parable of the husbandmen/tenants (21.28-46)
Who do the different people represent?
How might people today be guilty of "killing the son" in the way the tenants do in this parable?

2) They don't want to change or give up the life they have
Read the parable of the wedding banquet (22.1-14)
Who are the first guests and why don't they come?
Who replaces them?
What's up with the garment story (verses 11-14)?

3) They put their ultimate faith in worldly structures
Read the account of the imperial head tax (22.15-22)
The coin in question is a denarius. Read about it here. What is its significance?
What does Christ's response imply about political power structures?
What should our commitment be to them?
What ultimately will change the world, according to this passage?