Jesus is now on His final journey of His lifetime. The time has come for the final events to an end for Him. The prophecies concerning His death, burial, and resurrection are about to be fulfilled.
Privately with the Twelve
Jesus calls the twelve to Him to have a private conversation. He once again tells them that He is to be betrayed, tortured, and crucified. Even though He gives
them enough details that they should have understood everything that He told them, Luke says that they did not comprehend just what Jesus was telling them. It was probably one of those times when it was so horrible to imagine that their minds just could not accept it. Even though by this time, He has told them numerous times that this was going to happen, it still escapes them.
(Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40)
Matthew 20:20-23 20Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
They say unto him, We are able. 23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Mark 10:35-40 35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
36And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
As Jesus finishes His conversation with them, the mother of James and John approaches Him with a request. She asks that her sons, James, and John, be allowed to sit beside Jesus when He ascends to His throne. Jesus tells her she does not know what she is asking. He asks James and John if they are willing to suffer what He suffers, and they answer that they are willing. Little did they know that their lives would be fraught with trials and troubles because of their service and loyalty to Jesus. Not only that, but James would also become the first martyr of the disciples. According to Acts 12:2, and according to history, in 44 AD, King Herod had James killed by the sword. When Herod saw how that it had pleased the Jews, he took Peter also. Peter was imprisoned, chained between two Roman
soldiers, sentenced to death when morning came. The church prayed fervently for him and God delivered Peter out of Herod’s hands.
Needless to say, Salome’s request on the behalf of James and John, did not sit well with the rest of the apostles. They became quite upset with them. It caused no small amount of indignation with the remaining ten.
(Matthew 20:24-28; Mark 10:41-45)
Because of the strife among the twelve, Jesus took the occasion to bring a lesson on humility. Matthew 20:25-28: 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In the Vicinity of Jericho
(Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)
Matthew 20:29-34 29And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Mark 10:46-52 46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Luke 18:35-43 35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
In Jericho as Jesus and His companions arrive, there were two blind men sitting beside the road by which Jesus and His companions would pass. When they heard
the noise of the multitude, they asked what was happening. They were told that Jesus of Nazareth was coming. At least one of them, (Bartimaeus, according to Mark) began to cry out for Jesus to get His attention. Jesus heals them and they began to also follow Jesus.
This account presents us with another anomaly. Matthew records there were two blind beggars. Mark and Luke record only one. My answer to this is that only one of them did the talking, Bartimaeus, while the other one was silent. It would seem to reason that would be why the latter two writers only mentioned one. Mark was not present and with the crowd surrounding them, Luke was probably unaware of the second man, if he was even present. This would be of no surprise since the Scriptures record that there was a multitude of people following Jesus at the time.
City of Jericho
(Luke 19:1-10)
Luke 19:1-10 1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke is the only Gospel writer that records what happens in the city of Jericho.
Jesus, inside the city of Jericho, is followed by a multitude of people who are also on their way to Jerusalem. After all, it is approaching the time of the Passover, another of the times when all men are commanded by the Law to go to Jerusalem.
Zacchaeus, a publican (i.e., Jewish tax-collector for the Romans) hears the noise of the crowd approaching his part of the city. Being noticeably short, he runs ahead of the crowd and climbs up a sycamore tree. He had probably heard about Jesus and wanted to see Him for himself, but because of his being short, he would not be able to accomplish that if he did not get higher than the crowd. As the
crowd approached, to his amazement, Jesus stopped and looked up at him. He told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree for He wanted to spend the night with him before His resuming His journey to Jerusalem.
Luke mentions the fact that Jesus tells Zacchaeus that He must abide at his house.
Luke does not mention that Jesus will spend the night at Zacchaeus’ house. I believe that Jesus spent the night at his house. Many Bible scholars indicate this same thing. Why draw this conclusion because of the simple statement of Jesus?
There is nothing in the Greek language that also indicate this. This is one of those instances where we must draw a conclusion because of the time and setting.
Looking at Jericho toward the North
It was a full day’s journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. It was not safe to make the journey at night. Not only was the road rugged and dangerous, but there were also bandits that preyed through the area. We can know this from the parable that Jesus told concerning the Good Samaritan.
The journey from Jericho to Jerusalem is an arduous trip of 18 miles (29
km.). From an elevation of 800 feet (250 m.) below sea level to the summit of the Mount of Olives at 3,000 feet (940 m.) above sea level, Jesus and the other pilgrims would have climbed nearly 4,000 feet (1,250 m.) in the day’s journey. Furthermore, the terrain of the Judean Wilderness is dry, rugged, and with few sources of water. This un-populated region provided seclusion and refuge for those like Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist.
https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/1402/
Thus, the next morning, Jesus—and everyone else that was travelling to Jerusalem—
departed Jericho. Zaccheaus had publicly accepted Jesus as his Savior. His evidence was his declaration that he would give half of his goods to the poor and if there were any that he had charged to much tax, he would restore four-fold.
This proclamation caused Jesus to declare that “this day salvation has come to this
house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Jesus also declares that He had come to seek and to save that which was lost.
(Luke 19:11-27)
Luke 19:11-27 11And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
Many of the travelers had heard the declaration of Jesus. The travelers had paused on their journey and had probably stopped at a location that is now known as the Inn of the Good Samaritan. This was about a half-way point in their journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. It was this location that served as the backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan. According to the parable that Jesus told quite some time before, there was actually an inn at this location. It was during this pause that Jesus tells the parable of the nobleman and his three servants.
The Judean Wilderness
Luke tells us in verse 28 that Jesus, after telling the parable continues toward Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Sometime Before the Passover
(John 11:55-57)
John 11:55-57 55And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. 56Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? 57Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
John records that the Pharisees developed a plan to arrest Jesus during the Passover events and they put out the word that anyone who sees Jesus should tell them.
THE LAST WEEK
Bethany, Six Days Before the Passover
(John 12:1-8)
John 12:1-8 1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Since we know from other Scripture proofs, counting back from the Day of Passover, when Jesus would be crucified, it is on a Wednesday evening that Jesus is in the town of Bethany at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They put on a supper for Jesus and probably the twelve. Lazarus is also at the table with Jesus. Martha was the one who was serving. Many people came to Bethany, not only just to see Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. This deeply disturbed the Pharisees and the Chief Priest. They took council together to also include how they might kill Lazarus, because of Jesus raising him from the dead, many people became believers of Jesus. This could not do. Lazarus also must die. We know of course that this did not happen.
Only Jesus would die.
NOTE: Our Wednesday evening would make it a Thursday according to the Jewish time of reckoning.
During the supper, Mary came in and anointed Jesus’ feet with a pound of spikenard. John writes that it was very costly, meaning that it was awfully expensive. The scent of the spikenard filled the house. Judas Iscariot, being the treasurer, objected to this stating that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. He did not care that it was for Jesus, he only wanted the money to be put in “the bag.” John writes that he was a thief. Jesus rebuked him stating that Mary had saved it for His burying. He continued by saying that the poor would always be around, but He would not be.
Conclusion for Chapter 9
The time is swiftly approaching. It is only now, a matter of days. Much will happen during that time. Chapter 10 will begin with what many erroneously call
“Palm Sunday.” We will find that it is not a Sunday but rather a Thursday morning. This error is caused by believing Jesus died on a Friday. We will see exactly what the truth is.
