Luke 19:47 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

NIV: Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

NASB: And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to put Him to death,

CSB: Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill him,

NLT: After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him.

KJV: And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,

NKJV: And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him,

Luke continues to show Jesus living out a visceral representation of His prophecy in Luke 19:41–44. In the moment, Luke is summarizing Jesus' activities in the week before His crucifixion. This mostly consists of teaching in the temple while the leaders of Jerusalem stand in powerless fear of the people who love Jesus. But just as Jesus' clearing of the merchants in the Court of the Gentiles foreshadows the Roman army looting the temple of gold and silver, the Jewish leaders foreshadow their next generation's actions.

Two characteristics of the Jewish religious and civil leaders contributed to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem and the temple: corruption and a blatant disregard for the welfare of the people. The leaders of Jesus' day allowed merchants to cheat the travelers who needed materials for sacrifices. These pilgrims also needed top exchange coins for Jewish shekels for the temple tax—in part because the high priest received kickbacks. In AD 66, the Jewish people understood the ruling class of Sadducees were in league with the Romans who taxed the people into poverty.

As the Roman army approached Jerusalem, the leadership disregarded the safety of the people and spent several years fighting amongst themselves, wasting time they could have used to prepare for war. In the time depicted by Luke, the priests, experts in the law, and civil elders nurse their own jealousy of Jesus and plot to destroy Him. That is their choice, rather than acknowledging that He is the prophesied Messiah and leading their people to their intended salvation.

In a week's time, the Sanhedrin will think that they've won. Even when rumors spread that Jesus has risen from the dead, even when the disciples refuse to stop preaching Jesus' resurrection, they will still rule Jerusalem and the Jewish people. They don't know that by rejecting Jesus, they have refused God's plan for them to bless the Gentiles (Genesis 12:2–3), pulled their people away from their own Messiah and King, and set the stage for the destruction of their city and temple.

Luke 19:45–48 records Jesus cleansing the temple of merchants and money changers after His triumphal entry. It also contains the growing threat of religious leaders who oppose His teaching. It's as if Jesus is a living prophecy of how the Romans will rob the temple and roll over the corrupt Jewish religious leaders when they sack Jerusalem in AD 70 (Luke 19:43–44). More detailed versions of this story are in Matthew 21:12–13 and Mark 11:15–18.

Jesus approaches Jerusalem by way of Jericho. Along the road, he encounters Zacchaeus: an unusually short man and infamous tax collector. Zacchaeus responds to Jesus' invitation and demonstrates humility and repentance. Jesus gives a parable explaining a believer's obligation to encourage the spread of the gospel. Jesus enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, upsetting local Pharisees. As He rides, Jesus weeps to think of the future destruction in store for the city. He once again drives corrupt businessmen from the temple grounds. His enemies are furious, but too afraid of the adoring crowds to take direct action.

Luke 19 finishes the "travelogue of Christ to Jerusalem" and introduces His first actions there (Luke 9:51—19:27). This long passage semi-chronologically records Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the theological reasons why He must go to the cross. It finishes here, in this chapter, with Jesus meeting Zacchaeus and the parable of the ten minas. The chapter continues with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as its king—the triumphal entry. Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, its rejection of their Messiah, and its coming destruction in AD 70. He also cleanses the temple and teaches there. In the next segments, Luke covers the last hours of Jesus' earthly life (Luke 22—23) as well as Jesus' resurrection (Luke 24).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.