All right. Thanks Ryan for your testimony. And I think that's what we're trying to do here. We're trying to see those many years ago how the life of Christ and the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ applies to people thousands of years later just like Ryan. That's what we're doing every single day this week.

As we get to Tuesday, that that wasn't just then. That Jesus was actually actively and intentionally, just as we learned both on Sunday and yesterday, intentionally moving his way towards the cross so that people like you and me could have life. And we're going to be continuing this observation of Jesus' walk on the cross today.

This is Tuesday. And what we see on Tuesday is kind of a heightening of this desire for the religious leaders to ensnare and to trap Jesus. That's what we're going to see. All these different people that come into play on this Tuesday, interestingly enough, is not going to be Roman soldiers.

They're not going to be Gentiles or Samaritans. It's going to be all different sorts of religious leaders. The people who are trying to ensnare Christ were the leaders of the people of God. They were the people of Israel. They're the Pharisees. They're scribes. They're these Herodians and Sadducees and priests.

And the crazy thing is, these Jewish sects were usually at odds with each other. There was no unity between these people. But they were unifying here on this day with the same goal. They didn't simply want to trap Jesus. They wanted Jesus dead. Jesus knew this. He knew that this was on their hearts.

Jesus knew who these teachers and religious leaders were. Jesus wasn't startled into this realization, and they were coming together to kill him. It's amazing to see what kind of obstacles can be overcome by the unity of the people of God, right? When we think about what it is for the people of God in the church of God to be unified, that overcomes all barriers and obstacles, that come united in a single cause of glorifying God and bringing his kingdom.

But there's another side too that brings great unity, and that's what we see here today. A unity that comes when people, even religious, these people are seemingly morally upright people coming together in their hatred of God. Isaiah chapter 29, verse 13. I want to direct our attention to this verse because we commonly go to this passage to remember, but today let's take a little extra time to remember that this is the people that were being talked about here in Isaiah many, many years ago.

It says there, "This people draw near me with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me, and their reverence for me consists of tradition learned by rote." In Psalm chapter 2, there's a Psalm there that describes all these nations that are coming together, raging together in their unity of their opposition before God.

And so you're going to have lots of different types of people, but anyone who is in opposition to God is not only found there in Psalm 2 with all the nations, but you see it very clearly here even in the nation of Israel, the people that were chosen by God.

These were people who saw Jesus' miracles. They saw his might. They saw his kindness. They saw how compassionate and gracious and loving he was. They saw what he was doing and the power that he came in. They saw his spirit-filled teaching. They were wondering, "Who is this man?" And after seeing all this, they schemed together.

They turn around and all these different groups of Jewish leaders come together and say, "How can we kill this man?" These are all different groups of people that were looking for some sort of an understanding of God, perhaps waiting for this Messiah for years and years and years. And when they finally encounter the man who is systematically fulfilling every single little prophecy that was given in the Old Testament, they come across this man and what happens?

How can we kill him? They were studying Scripture day by day. When he arrives, they're seething in anger. They want him not just set aside, but they want to annihilate him. They want him to be dead. They actually actively plot not just his death, but they're plotting his murder.

How can we kill him? Do you see the intention there? How can we kill him? They overcome great obstacles and barriers and unify before this Jesus, not to worship and love him, but to kill him. And here is this Messiah Jesus who imposes a threat on what they truly want.

This is a kingdom that they want for themselves. This is a world that revolves around them. This is a desire to say that, "I want to live on that throne. I want to live as God." So on this day of Passion Week, on this Tuesday, this is what is heightening.

They are scheming to get him to that cross, to kill him. The people who say, "Lord, Lord," are the very ones who are out to ensnare and murder Christ. And again, Jesus knew all of this. Think about that. Jesus was encountering these people and he knew exactly what they were doing.

Jesus who came down in love to his people, to extend a hand of grace and mercy to his people, to spend an entire earthly lifetime wanting nothing more for them to come to know him, to describe to them that, "I am he you've been waiting for." He's been praying for them.

He's been teaching them. He's been teaching them. He's been hoping for them to know he's condescended to humanity and their response isn't to surrender. Their response isn't love or awe. It isn't even neglect or ignorance. It is, "How can we kill him?" I'm saying this over and over for a reason because that is what we're moving towards here on this Passion Week.

Because that is the inevitable end of the sinner, that we want to kill him. And on this Tuesday morning, Jesus and the disciples wake up in Bethany and they head back to Jerusalem and the temple. And on the way to Jerusalem, they see the withered tree, the fig tree that we heard about yesterday.

And they're reminded of what happens to trees that don't produce fruit. We can't go into that too much, but that was describing the nation. And upon reaching the temple in Jerusalem, this is what it says in Matthew chapter 21 verse 23. We have it written up for you. It says, "When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him while he was teaching." And so Jesus, he sees while he's teaching, inside of the temple, these religious leaders are coming and he knows exactly why they're coming.

They're ready to ensnare and trap him today on this Tuesday, especially after what he did yesterday. Think about what happens. Sometimes when you get a good night of sleep, sometimes it helps you to let the emotions subside. Sometimes it helps you to rile up even more. And they're riled up.

And they're seeking blood. Jesus is a great threat to them, to their desires for their worldly kingdom. And if God is the means they need to go through to obtain their kingdom, then so be it. They want what they want. God and his kingdom is not their end here.

Their own kingdom is their end. They attach God's name to it, but it's their own kingdom, their own desire and will. And you see it immediately in their very first exchange. In Matthew chapter 21, verse 23, they ask a question of Jesus and they ask, "By what authority are you doing these things and who gave you this authority?" Now anyone with a mustard seed, just a small amount of faith should be able to look at what Jesus was doing and connect the dots.

They ought to know by whose authority Jesus comes. This is the Messiah. But because they don't like the message, because they don't like the fact that when he says he is the king, it is not the type of king they were thinking of, the king that would bring about my kingdom, but his.

The fact that he's saying he is the Lord, he is the master, what happens is they refuse to submit. They don't bow the knee. And so they ask a question. That's not really a question. They ask, "By whose authority do you come?" The true answer will never satisfy them.

So Jesus says to them, "I'm not going to tell you." Why? Because you already know, but you refuse to believe. And so he says in Matthew 21, 27, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." And this is recognizable to us today because it's always been like this with sinful man.

Always. It's never changed. God has always been used as a means to the end of the sinful man. Rather than submit to his authority, we ask him to bend to my authority. So we ask, "By whose authority do you come?" Think of the ridiculousness of that. As Jesus, the creator, stands before his people, and the people are asking him, "By whose authority do you come?" It's astonishing.

We understand this because we will pray to God, we will worship God, but only as much as it is to establish my own kingdom. The Lord's prayer for us is, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be my name. Make my kingdom come. Make my will be done." That's how we actually pray.

And this is what was happening with the Israelite leaders. And Jesus came to show that he had enough of this. Before he goes to the cross, this Tuesday is when Jesus makes his clearest rebuke against these leaders. Jesus goes into many parables to begin to describe to them in increasing clarity who they are.

And we'll focus on just two parables. Here's the first. The vineyard landowner. This is the first parable. Jesus tells this parable of a vineyard landowner who goes on a journey. And before he leaves, he rented it out to people who would keep the land and to pay him his share.

But what he would do is he would send these slaves to these renters, to these people who are renting the land to collect from the produce that they were gathering from. But with every slave he sends to receive some of the produce of his vineyard, it says, "They beat them and they kill them." He says.

He sends a slave and they beat them and kill them. He sends another one and he beats them and kills them. He sends another one and he beats them and kills them. Slave after slave after slave after slave. Kill. Stand in awe at the incredible nature of the patience of this landowner.

It's almost mind-blowing. How many slaves are you going to send? He just keeps killing them. What do you do? This man's patience is incredible here, right? That doesn't end. He says, "Maybe if I send my own son, they will listen." This isn't foolishness. This is incredible patience and love and graciousness, kindness.

He sends his very own son. This means, by the way, that this is the inheritor. If the landowner is sending his own son, this is the very man who is one day going to inherit all of it. And a sinful heart is laid bare of these religious leaders. Here it is in one statement, the sinful man's heart and intent.

In verse 38 of chapter 21, they say, they scheme together, all these people, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him." And what? He sees his inheritance. Jesus is telling them this parable because he knows. He knows through and through what's going on in their hearts. And when Jesus asked the Jewish leaders what the landowner will do when they kill this son, which they do, they kill the son so that they can have the inheritance, which doesn't even make sense.

It's almost eerie how well the religious leaders are able to answer what the landowner is going to do. In verse 41, just three verses after, the religious leader said to him, "He, the landowner, will bring those wretches to a wretched end and will rent out the vineyard to other vine growers who will pay in the proceeds at the proper season." And then in verse 45, it says, "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood." They understood that he was talking about them.

Now, there's many more parables, but here's another one, okay? The wedding feast is the second and last parable we're going to go into. Jesus goes on to tell another parable. A king holds a wedding feast for his son. And so now we've moved from a landowner to what? A king.

Matthew is all about the kingdom and the king. Now we're getting increasing clarity here. Now the parable's about a king and he's holding a wedding feast for his son. And he sends his slaves out to call those who have been invited to the wedding feast. But the people are unwilling to come.

And so again, the king sends other slaves with more information. By the way, if you haven't caught on yet, these slaves, these servants that are being sent out are alluding to the prophets of old, sent to the nation of Israel. And in Matthew chapter 22, verse 4, it says, "Tell those who have been invited, 'Behold, I have prepared my dinner.

My oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. It's to enjoy.'" But without going into the text itself, let me just explain to you. But those invited pay no attention because they don't care about the king. Instead, this is what Jesus says.

He describes them, okay? He says, "Number one, one owned a farm. Number two, one owned a business. And they said, 'I have this to tend to, so I cannot come.'" And thirdly, anyone else that's remaining, "Seize the slaves," and here it is again, "they killed them." Kill. They want their own life according to their own terms.

They don't care about the kingdom of the king. They care about their very own kingdom. They actually want nothing to do with God, nothing to do with him. They want to live their own lives. And remember that all these things are describing these Jewish leaders, the most religious people in Israel.

And he's speaking to them in the temple in Jerusalem. But this is what they're willing to do because they honor God with the lips. They say with their lips that they love God and they worship God, but they don't really. They actually want to live their own lives. They want their own kingdom.

And so when the Messiah comes and he does not say he's going to deliver to them what they want, they turn. Do they just turn a blind eye? No. They seethe. They want him dead. That's what's happening on this Tuesday. But Jesus knows and he's taking painstaking time to explain to them what they are.

You might see all this rebuke, but rebuke done by the sinless man, the son of God. And this is love, I think. This is grace. Showing that this is who you are. Do you not see it? They say, "Lord, Lord, did we not do all these things in your name?" One day Jesus will stare them back in the eye, unflinching, and say, "I never knew you." The kingdom is reserved for those who love the Lord and live for him.

The kingdom does not house people who live for their own glory. And so what is the result? The king in this parable sends his armies, destroys the murderers, and sets their city on fire. And then the king sends his slaves to the main highways, inviting anyone who would come into the wedding.

Those previously uninvited. The kingdom is reserved for those of faith. It does not matter what you look like on the outside. The kingdom is for those who have placed their faith in God and give their lives over to God. It's for the ones who have traded in all things for the king.

It's not for those who put up a religious show, but it's for those who live for him. So he's been teaching all day at this temple, and he concludes, after a full day's work done, Jesus caps it all off, as if there were any question as to the message to stay in Matthew chapter 23.

Let me read to us verse 2-7. The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Remember all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds. For they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men. For they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the places of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and being called rabbi by men. And when I hear these words of Jesus, all I can hear is, "Their kingdom, their kingdom, their kingdom." That's all I can hear in that.

And so what he does is pronounces, "Woe!" which is an exclamation of grief. And you can think of it like this, "Woe!"s mean how greatly one will suffer. When he says, pronounces a "Woe!" is what terrible pain will come. It means how horrible it will be. And he says, "Woe to the scribes and Pharisees." He says it seven times.

"Woe!" in verse 13. "Woe to the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" In verse 14. "Woe to the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" In verse 15. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Verse 16. "Woe to you, blind guides!" Verse 23. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Verse 25. Verse 27.

Verse 29. Verbatim. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" He's saying how horrible it will be for you. The judgment is being stored, and Jesus is making it clear that the proud and arrogant, you are not victims. This will be just recompense for your sin. They are hard-hearted people who are bringing judgment upon themselves.

He has spent this time exposing who they are and what their heart is like. They have proud and arrogant hearts that do not submit to Jesus as he's saying this, Jesus is standing before them, preaching his heart out, filled with desire. The King that has come, and all they want is for Jesus to fit their own agenda.

And now, because he does not fulfill that, they want to eliminate the threat, and so they go and scheme. It is intentional. God has been patient in his desire to extend his grace and mercy for years and years and years. And so in verse 34, he says, "Therefore," this is right after all the woes, "Woe, woe, woe, woe, woe to all of you," he says, "Therefore, therefore," the only therefore in this whole passage, okay?

He says, "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men, scribes, some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous bloodshed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah." The Jewish Bible started with Genesis, ended with 2 Chronicles, and these were the front and the end, the bookends of prophets that were given, that you will kill them all.

In verse 37, he cries out, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her? How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate." See, Jesus' heart is filled here.

He's not mean. He's incredibly sad. He is angry. So on the way home, back to Bethany on this Tuesday, they stop by the Mount of Olives. They go up, and it's a place as the sun is going down where they could look out across the whole city. They can see it, and Jesus begins to go into the Olivet Discourse.

If you're unfamiliar with that, it's where he starts talking about the end and what it will look like. Jesus describes the persecution, the tribulation, the judgment that happened not only to the prophets of old, but to those who will continue, the people of the kingdom, that those who are willing to kill God will most definitely kill his servants, and God's ultimate judgment is coming, and he warns them.

It is being reserved, but it is only for a time, and right now is still a time of grace. He warns them because he loves them, and he warns them, and he sends them out with this warning so that the church can deliver this. Right now is still a time of grace, but the call is still to seek the Lord while he may be found, and that is why we can celebrate Passion Week, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, every single year because we are still existing in a time of God's patient grace.

If you have friends and family who do not know Christ, bring them. Bring them on Friday. Bring them on Sunday, that they might come to know him. Would you take a moment now to pray? We're going to just give you maybe three or four minutes or so to pray, thinking about Jesus standing before these religious leaders, and take the time to see how closely our hearts resemble and mimic these religious leaders, to confess our sins, to repent of our selfish and self-centered ways, and to see it as more as flaws or wayward living, but see it as what it is, a desire for the elimination of God in our lives.

Our repentance needs to match what our sin actually is. Take this time to pray.