And he was teaching day by day in the temple and the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
Jesus spends His last days before the cross teaching in the temple every day. Luke shows two things at once: crowds who hang on His words, and leaders hunting for a way to kill Him.
His ministry had covered whole regions. Now it narrows to one building in one city.
Galilee, Samaria, Perea — people in each of these districts had known the Lord's presence and heard His voice. That was now over. The days when God visited them were past. A solemn thought. They would never again hear His preaching there — the voice of the One who spoke as no man ever spoke. Now for less than a week He would be teaching in Jerusalem and in the temple daily.
The word "daily" matters. It rules out the idea that Jesus spent any of these last days away from the crowds.
"He was teaching daily": He could not have spent the Wednesday alone, away from the crowds, as people often suppose. That would crowd everything in chapters 20 and 21 into the Tuesday. Compare 21:37 and the verses that follow. His teaching here would be in the Court of the Women.
Only a few verses separate His weeping over the city from the leaders' plan to destroy Him.
What a scene! Outside the city, the heartbroken Saviour weeping over sinners. Inside, hardened sinners seeking to destroy the Saviour — seeking to shed the blood of the One who shed His tears over them.
He was only teaching. Yet that teaching hardened them against Him, because of where His words landed.
Above all, the Word of God from His lips struck the consciences of men. The religious leaders had long rejected Him. So they not only lost all right feeling but were given up to a murderous hatred, soon to be satisfied. This is always what the world proves to be when the light of God confronts it. And the perfect love of God in Christ only provoked it the more.
These were not fringe agitators. Scripture uses the same word for the leading men of a place.
"First" in Scripture often means the most important. Scripture applies it in this sense to men, Mark 6:21; Luke 19:47; Acts 13:50; Acts 28:7; to Philippi, Acts 16:12; to Paul as a sinner, 1 Timothy 1:15.
The leaders had made up their minds, yet nothing happened. Two things held them back — one human, one higher.
By this time the chief priests and scribes had fully decided to kill the Lord. They were looking for an opportunity. But He taught daily in the temple during these days before His arrest. They could do nothing until God allowed it. The Lord Jesus went on acting for God in the face of their resentment and hatred. The people listened closely to His words. Because of this the leaders were afraid to arrest Him, in case it stirred the people to riot. The fear of God meant little to them, but the fear of man and the pride of self-righteousness always go hand in hand.
The people hung on His words. That popularity was easy to misread — even by the men who feared it.
He was in the temple day by day, teaching as no man ever taught, with the crowds hanging on His words. Those who did not look below the surface might say, as the priests themselves did, "The world goes after Him." But the more they feared, the more their anger against Him burned, and they sought His death.
- Daily — Less than a week was left. The voice once heard across Galilee, Samaria and Perea now sounded only in the temple, day after day, right up to the arrest.
- Tears — Outside the city He wept over sinners; inside it, those same sinners planned His death.
- Light — His words reached the conscience. That is what enraged men who had long rejected Him, and the perfect love of God in Christ only provoked them more.
- Restraint — The leaders had decided on murder, but they could do nothing until God allowed it. Fear of the crowd, not fear of God, held them back.
- Response — Crowds hung on His words, and on the surface it looked like the world going after Him. Yet the same popularity only inflamed His enemies.
and did not find what they could do, for all the people hung on him to hear.
Luke closes the chapter with the Lord teaching in the temple every day. Two reactions meet Him at once. The leaders look for a way to kill Him. The people hang on His words, and that is why the leaders cannot find their chance.
The weeping of verse 41 and the plotting of verse 47 belong to the same few days, and one writer sets them side by side to show what the Lord was meeting.
Still, the heartless treatment He received drew no anger from Christ. No bitter or revengeful word fell from His lips. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return, and when He suffered He did not threaten. The hardness of our hearts only drew out a sorrow that showed itself in His tears... So we read that "the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were seeking to destroy Him." What a scene! Outside the city, the heartbroken Saviour wept over sinners. Inside, hardened sinners were seeking to destroy Him — seeking to shed the blood of the One who shed His tears over them.
His words reached the consciences of those who heard Him. The leaders, who had long rejected Him, answered that same word with hatred.
The Word of God from His lips especially told on the consciences of men. The religious leaders had long rejected Him. They had lost all right feeling, and were given up to a murderous hatred that would soon have its way. This is what the world always proves to be when the light of God confronts it. And yet the perfect love of God in Christ only provoked it more.
The crowd is the reason Luke gives for the delay. One writer adds a second reason, and names the fear that ruled the leaders.
By this time the chief priests and scribes had fully determined to kill the Lord, and they looked for an opportunity to do it. But He taught daily in the temple during these days before His arrest. They could do nothing until God allowed it. The Lord Jesus continued to act for God in the face of their resentment and hostility. The people were attentive to His words. So the leaders were afraid to arrest Him, in case it stirred the people to riot. The fear of God counted for little with them, but the fear of man and the pride of self-righteousness always go hand in hand.
The crowd's devotion did not cool the leaders down. One writer notes the opposite effect:
Day by day He was in the temple, teaching as no man ever taught, with the crowds hanging on His lips. Anyone who looked only a little below the surface might say, as the priests themselves said, "The world goes after Him." But the more they feared, the more their anger burned against Him, and they sought His death.
Whatever the leaders were planning, the Lord used every remaining day to speak to the crowd — and Luke describes that activity in a particular way.
Now He returned to the temple and taught the people. As Luke tells us, in keeping with his gospel, the Lord was that morning preaching the good news to the crowd... Luke often presents the Lord as preaching the gospel, and he clearly delights to do it. Remember, this is not the gospel of the grace of God that we know, but the gospel of the kingdom (8:1), the gospel for that day.
The same writer marks where His voice had already been heard, and how little time was left:
In Galilee, Samaria and Perea the people had known the Lord's presence and heard His voice. That was now over. The days of their visitation were past. A solemn thought. He spoke as no man ever spoke, and His voice would be heard in those places no more. Now for less than a week He would be teaching in Jerusalem and in the temple daily.
The same crowd did not stay that way for long. One writer draws the hard conclusion.
How could the people change so quickly from hearers to persecutors, crying out for His crucifixion? It may seem astonishing to us. But that is the sad fickleness of a crowd who only hear the Word of God and never do it. They were curious, but unsaved, without true knowledge of who the Lord really is.
- Hatred. His words reached men's consciences. The leaders had already rejected Him, and they answered the light of God with a settled will to kill Him.
- Restraint. They could do nothing until God allowed it. Fear of the crowd, not fear of God, ruled them.
- Meekness. He met the plot with no anger and no threat. His answer to hard hearts was tears.
- Grace. His time in Galilee, Samaria and Perea was over. He used the days left to preach good news in the temple.
- Warning. Hanging on His words is not the same as trusting Him. The same crowd would soon call for His crucifixion.