The Savior's Teachings on His Last Tuesday

Tuesday of that last week began as Monday had with Jesus and his followers passing by the fig tree. Peter, seeing the withered tree, said to Jesus, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.”

And Jesus responded, “Have faith in God.” And went on to explain that with faith whatsoever they prayed for would be given, but that when they prayed they should forgive others.

Upon reaching the temple, Jesus’ authority was challenged by the chief priests and elders, but Jesus sidestepped went on teaching the people in parables. As he told them of the wicked husbandmen who killed the master’s son in order to take over the vineyard, you would think the priests would have recognized themselves, but they are too busy plotting and thinking up questions that they think will make Him look bad. One of them asks, if they should pay tribute to Caesar. In response he asks them to show him a coin. They produce a penny and he says, “Whose image is this?” 

“Caesar’s.” 

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:25). 

The Sadducees and Pharisees continue to ply him with questions, each hoping that Jesus will say something to incite the Romans, or to give them cause to arrest Him. The Sadducees, who don’t believe in an afterlife, ask about marriage in the next life. And a lawyer asks the famous question, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Undaunted, Jesus turns this into a teaching moment instructing them to love God and to love one another. 

In this way He continues teaching with parables but then laments over the fate of Jesusalem. Drawing on the familiar words of the Hallel once more, Jesus finally testifies of his own death but instead of repenting they argue with Him even about that. His response is simply, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47).

Sorrow can’t help but fill one’s heart as we read these accounts knowing that Jesus Christ is offering them the greatest gift ever offered to mankind and yet their pride and selfishness blind them so that they reject Eternal Life in exchange for satisfying their vanity.

At this point Jesus leaves, but his disciples follow him and ask several questions concerning the temple. This speech is found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and is called the Olivet Discourse or by some the Little Apocalypse. He explains that there will be false Messiahs and that destruction awaits Jerusalem and warns them to beware and to watch themselves at all times. He then goes on to teach them the parables of the ten virgins and the talents and finishes by telling them that He will judge the world. And what will be the criteria? As always His instruction is simple and easy to understand: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

This brief retelling doesn’t begin to capture the depth and breadth of Jesus’ final teachings to the people on that Tuesday before His death. He knows what is coming and in love makes His last pleas for the people to repent and follow Him. But blinded by their sin the majority of the people refuse. Thus the irony begins to unfold; He will suffer and die to redeem the very sin they are at that moment committing and all other sin.

Triumph!

There is a wonderful parable in the New Testament in which Jesus explains what will happen to those who follow Him:  “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock."

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46-49).

Sometimes we tend to think that if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, no storms will come into our lives. But this parable clearly teaches us that storms come to those who are building on the solid rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to those who are building on the shifting sands of the world. Both groups undergo adversity and trials. The difference isn’t in the adversity, the difference is in the strength, power, and help of those who build upon the rock. The promise is that when we build our foundation upon the rock we will triumph over the storms.

Leavening and Mustard Seed

Throughout the New Testament the Savior repeatedly teaches the people about the kingdom of God. Often He uses two or more examples at a time saying, “The kingdom of God is like. . .” and then goes on to give several metaphors. At one point he compares the kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed which grows into a tree that houses nesting birds. He immediately follows that by saying the kingdom of God is like leaven which grows to make three measures of dough rise.

Often there are layers of interpretation in metaphors and there are in this one. When we look at the parable on the macro level we see the kingdom of God is the Church and the Book of Mormon is the mustard seed “planted” in the earth to come from the Hill Cumorah and “grow” to cover the earth. The interesting thing is that there is no such thing as a mustard tree. The mustard seed grows into a bush that probably wouldn’t accommodate many nesting birds. The Savior knew this. So what he is saying is that this tiny mustard seed (His kingdom) was going to grow into something far beyond expectations. It would be miraculous. And as we know, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon has spread the gospel in miraculous ways and the angels, like birds, now reside in its branches. The Church has also risen like bread to nourish all the people of the world who partake of it.

But there is another interpretation. Later we are told that the kingdom of God can also be in us. “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21). Looking at the parable on this micro level we learn a different lesson. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines kingdom as “politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen” and “a realm or region in which something is dominant.” Thus we learn that if the kingdom of God is within us it has a king, Jesus Christ, and a dominant force, His gospel, within us. Both of these things, the mustard tree and the bread, begin with a tiny grain. What the Savior is teaching us is that all we need to do is plant the tiny grain and then make sure it is nourished by trusting and Living in Truth and then it will grow into a miraculous tree (something beyond our expectations) and into three loaves of bread that will nourish and sustain us—three being a symbol of the Godhead.

When the seed and/or the grain of leavening have grown, we can then offer others a safe and joyful place to reside and leavening so the kingdom of God can also abide in them.