The day after Jesus cleansed the temple, He returned to teach as He often did. He taught with absolute authority, which offended the chief priests and elders, so they asked him by what authority He taught. Instead of humbling to their demands, Jesus asked them if the baptism of John was of God or of men, and when they couldn’t answer, Jesus said He wouldn’t tell them where He got His authority.

Without hesitation, Jesus continued teaching the multitude of hungry people, using several parables that stirred the priests and elders to anger. Jesus concluded His sermon with, “Therefore, say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:43-44).

The Pharisees were enraged because they knew Jesus was talking about them, and they could not allow Him to threaten their authority. They were religious leaders who controlled the people under the acceptance of the Roman government, which gave them that status because they WERE religious leaders. They were NOT about to surrender their power, riches, and authority to Jesus.

They wanted to stone Jesus but feared the multitude who believed He was a prophet. Jesus knew their thoughts but continued with another parable. He told of a wedding feast where the king prepared dinner for his guests, but they refused to come. So he told his servants to bring in people from the streets to take their place, inferring that those who refused to come would lose their status.

This was it for the Pharisees, and the plot for Jesus’s death began!

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Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day, and keep smiling because God loves YOU! … ronnie