THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONFRONTED JESUS

LUKE 20, When Jesus preached the Good News in the Temple, the chief priests and other religious leaders and councilmen demanded to know by what authority he had driven out the merchants from the Temple. “I’ll ask you a question before I answer,” he replied. “Was John sent by God, or was he merely acting under his own authority?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say his message was from heaven, then we are trapped because he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say John was not sent from God, the people will mob us, for they are convinced that he was a prophet.” Finally they replied, “We don’t know!” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t answer your question either.” Now he told the people this story: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, and went away to a distant land to live for several years. When harvest time came, he sent one of his men to the farm to collect his share of the crops 3 times. But the tenants beat them up and sent them back empty-handed. “‘What shall I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. “But when the tenants saw his son, they said, ‘This is our chance! Let’s kill him, and then the land will be ours.’ So they killed the son. “What do you think the owner will do? I’ll tell you he will come and kill them and rent the vineyard to others.” FRIENDS, JESUS WAS THE SON WHO CAME TO SAVE THE JEWS, BUT THE LEADERS HAD HIM KILLED. THEN GOD ALLOWED THE JEWS AND GENTILES RECEIVE SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST'S DEATH ON THE CROSS. Romans 11:11 Does this mean that God has rejected his Jewish people forever? Of course not! His purpose was to make his salvation available to the Gentiles, and then the Jews would be jealous and begin to want God’s salvation for themselves.