Big Idea: Jesus’s dramatic arrival in Jerusalem provokes the religious leaders to question his credentials, but Jesus in turn uses a parable to challenge their legitimacy.

Understanding the Text

After the long journey southward (9:51–19:44) Jesus has deliberately entered Jerusalem as the Messiah, and his actions and teaching in the temple have thrown down the gauntlet to the religious authorities of Jerusalem (19:45–48). Now they take up the challenge, and the rest of chapter 20 will continue the public confrontation. While the authorities remain hostile, the larger crowd in the court of the Gentiles remains at least potentially open to Jesus’s appeal. It is only when they are able to detach Jesus from his popular support that the authorities will be able to carry out their plan to silen…