Another excerpt from my book on the development of Simon Peter...still needs a lot of editing...
It had rained during the night and the morning air was crisp and clean. Sunrays sparkled through the droplets on the leaves of the trees and puddles reflected the clear blue of the sky. The disciples were far more animated today as they made their way back to the city. Simon even had a bounce in his step.
“Rabbi!” Simon said amazed. “The fig tree you cursed yesterday…it has withered completely.”
The sight of the once foliage laden tree now dried from the roots up was, in many ways, surreal. Jesus’ words, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again,” had come to pass in a dramatically permanent fashion. The tree would be barren for ever.
“How did the tree wither so quickly?” the disciples asked.
“This is one of his acted-out parables,” Simon thought. “It has to be, otherwise it is arbitrary and makes no sense. But what exactly did it mean?”
“Have faith in God,” Jesus said simply. “As I told you before, if you have faith in God and do not doubt Him you will be able to accomplish great things.”[1]
As they walked on, they crested the mount and gazed upon the glory of the city. “Surely the Temple was one of the wonders of the world!” Simon thought. “And the city…was there any city like Jerusalem? The City of the Great God!”
They stood in silence for a while, taking in the beauty of the landscape before them.
“Do you know,” Jesus said, “that if you truly believe and trust God without doubting, not only will you be able to do what was done to the fig tree, but also you could say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”
Was he looking directly at the city as he said these words? Simon wondered. Yes, he was…or more specifically at the Temple.
Simon turned to Andrew, his trusted source for Scriptural knowledge. “The day before yesterday, you thought Jesus was pronouncing judgement on Jerusalem and on the Temple. Do you think this is what he is saying now again? You know the Psalm, brother; ‘The Lord is great and much acclaimed in the city of our God – His holy mountain – fair-crested joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, summit of Zaphon, city of the great king.’[2] He says the mountain will be cast into the sea. Is he saying that the city will be taken over by pagans?”[3]
“I don’t know, brother, but Jesus’ words sound very much like Zechariah’s prophecy[4]. You know that the fig tree was used by the sages to describe us…and the prophets often spoke about God’s coming to seek early figs from us and finding none.[5] This is all similar language, but I really don’t know what to make of it.”
“And how are we to ask for this? Is he saying we must ask God to pour out his judgment on the city? Will God even listen to such a prayer?”
Simon became aware that Jesus was looking at him. Had he heard what they were discussing?
“If you believe, you receive whatever you ask in prayer,” Jesus said. He smiled sadly and then led them on.
“I think he is getting more and more difficult to comprehend,” Simon grumbled to himself. “It can’t just be me that doesn’t understand…the others all look confused too.”
Once more they entered into the Temple precincts and Jesus began to teach those who gathered around him. It wasn’t long before the leading priests and elders came to challenge him once more. “By what authority do you do the things you do? Who has given you permission? You have no right…”
Jesus looked up at them. For a while he said nothing. He just stared at them. Everyone began to feel awkward. Then he said, “I tell you what. Let me ask you a question. If you answer my question, I will tell you from where I derive my authority. John the Baptizer…”
A murmur went through the crowd at the mention of John’s name. The people revered John as a hero…more than a hero…a prophet. Another righteous martyr. The leaders no longer looked so sure of themselves.
“John’s authority to baptize…did it come from heaven or was it merely something he did of his own accord…something he made up himself?”
The leaders huddled together, talking to each other in hushed tones. One of them said: “If we answer, ‘from heaven’ then he will ask why we did not believe him.” “But,” another piped up, “but if we say it was merely human…” Another completed the sentence. “The crowd will surely stone us…they believe John was a prophet…we can’t say that.”
Simon could not help smiling. Secretly he was overjoyed when Jesus flummoxed the smug leaders.
“We cannot tell,” they said once more facing Jesus.
“Well then,” Jesus replied, “I won’t tell you by what authority I do the things I do.”
The leaders looked shocked. No one ever dared speak to them in this manner and yet there was nothing they could say in response.
“But tell me what you think about this.” Jesus said. “A man had two sons…he asked the first one to go and work in the field, but he refused.” He paused for dramatic effect. “But later he relented and went and did what his father required of him. But in the meantime, the father had also asked the other son to go and work in the field. He had said he would do his father’s bidding…but then he did not.”
The people always loved his stories, but Simon loved them because he knew that there was a hook somewhere…like bait for fishing. Somewhere the story would turn and catch his listeners.
“Which one did his father’s bidding?” Jesus asked.
One of the leaders scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Always the simple storyteller…who does he think we are? We’re not the illiterate rabble he loves to attract to himself.”
But another replied, “The first.”
Jesus nodded at his challengers and stared into their eyes. “Oh, those eyes,” Simon thought, “they bore into your soul!”
“Yes, the first. Listen very carefully…all of you. Corrupt tax-collectors and whores will gain access to the kingdom of God before you do, because they believed the message of John the Baptizer…they repented of their wicked ways and changed their lives…but you…you did not believe him. And even when you witnessed their changed lives, you still did not follow their example.”
“Oh, that must have hurt,” Simon thought. “Like a dagger to the heart.”
“But wait. Here’s another simple story. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard…”
“He is going to hit them with Isaiah’s song about the Lord’s vineyard![6]” Andrew whispered to Simon. “This is something they will understand and, I think, many in the crowd will as well. This is a clear rebuke, brother.”
“This man built a wall all around his vineyard…he did everything necessary…dug a winepress, built a watchtower for protection…everything. When he went on an extended journey, he leased it out to tenant farmers. At the time of harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the fruit. But the tenant farmers treated the servant with contempt…they beat him up and sent him back empty handed.”
“He is referring to the prophets of old…” Andrew said.
“And so they did with every one the man’s servants. All beaten, all sent back with no fruit.” Jesus continued.
“No fruit,” Simon repeated as if to himself. “No fruit on the fig tree…”
“Then he decided to send his only son, whom he loved dearly. His thought was that the tenant farmers would respect his son as they would respect his authority. But when they saw the son approaching, they hatched a wicked plan. As this was the man’s only heir, they decided that it was in their favour to kill him and thereby seize the vineyard for themselves.”
The silence in the Temple court was palpable. No one dared make a sound. Jesus was a master storyteller and he had strung them all along to this climactic point…they hung on his lips waiting with bated breath for the application of this shocking story.
“So, they laid hands on him and killed him and threw his body outside the vineyard walls.”
“No!” A man in the crowd clearly could no longer contain himself.
“Yes, that’s they did. Now…what do you all think the owner of the vineyard will do?”
The same man blurted out, “He will come and deal with those wretches himself! He will execute them and lease the vineyard to other more worthy tenants who will give him his share of the fruit!” If the situation was not so serious this man’s indignant outburst might have been comical…he was red in the face and spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke.
“Indeed,” Jesus said and then, turning to his challengers he said, “Tell me, have you ever read this in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our sight.’?”
“Simon, brother! This statement is from the same Psalm that the crowds were chanting as he rode into Jerusalem!” Andrew said excitedly. “He is declaring himself to be the Messiah!”
“He is?” Simon still could not understand why Jesus did not say as much in words that everyone could understand.
“Do you understand what this means?” Jesus said. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who will produce the required fruit of right living. Those who fall on this rejected cornerstone will be broken…but those on whom it falls…they will be completely crushed.”
Simon glanced over to the leaders. Their faces were white with rage. It was obvious that they knew Jesus had meant they were the wicked tenants…but they also knew there was nothing they could do as long as the crowds were around Jesus.
“This is heading for a major collision,” Simon thought to himself. “They may say nothing here and now, but they are clearly upset. He has exposed them, and they will want revenge. Their plots will continue as long as they refuse to believe in him.”
But Jesus had not yet finished teaching. “The Kingdom of Heaven,” he said. “What is it like? I’ll tell you. It is like a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. You know how that works, right? You send out all the invitations and then when the food is ready, you tell those who were invited to come, yes? Well, they refused!”
A collective gasp exploded from the crowd. “How rude,” said a few.
“Indeed,” Jesus said. He went on to elaborate, sketching the very scene of effrontery before the eyes of their imagination. Everything had been prepared…the host seemingly spared no expense…but those invited ignored the messengers, abused them, and even killed some. There were few in his audience that did not know that he was talking about the way their ancestors had treated God’s messengers in the past.
“The king was furious,” Jesus went on. “He sent his army to destroy the murderers and burn down their city.”
A hush fell on the crowd. What would the king do now they wondered?
Jesus went on to describe the king’s radically changed plan. He told his servants to gather the outcasts, the marginalised, the disenfranchised and invite them instead. The king thus had his palace filled with guests most respectable people would not consider inviting into their homes.
“This sounds like what Jesus has been doing, don’t you think, brother?” Andrew said under his breath.
Simon smiled. “What? Do you mean me?” They both laughed.
“But,” Jesus continued, “when the king came to meet his guests, there was one who had not received a wedding garment.”
“The man obviously tried to get in his own way,” Thomas said to the brothers. “He must have bypassed the porters at the door…for some or other reason. ”
It dawned on Simon that Jesus was once again speaking out against the current leaders of the Jewish people…or, at least, those who did not believe in him. As Jesus continued it became clearer to them all. He spoke about the man without the wedding garment being forcibly removed and cast out of the palace into an inhospitable place.
Jesus spoke so much about judgment and yet he did nothing. Simon just could not understand this…and yet he knew that this very direct line of attack was going somewhere…he was openly provoking the leaders now and exposing them for all to see.
“All are called, but not all are chosen.” Jesus declared.
“That’s the key,” Andrew said. Simon looked at him blankly. “Don’t you see? All were called to the feast, but because they refused, they forfeited the right to be present at the wedding, yes? They did not respond to the invitation…either the first or the second…they refused to heed the summons. So, they were not chosen to be present…only those who responded!” Simon still looked blank.
“Make way!” Everyone turned to see a few of the Herodians and some disciples of the Pharisees forcing their way through the crowd. They came to stand before Jesus as if to ask a question. The disciples later heard via the Jerusalem grapevine that the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus into saying something that would get him into trouble with the authorities. The aim was to find adequate grounds to arrest him.
“Teacher,” they purred.
“Oh, Lord have mercy,” Simon said. “Here they come with their honey brush and lay it on thick. Do they really think this will work?”
One of the Herodians gave Simon a withering look.
“Teacher, everyone knows that you are an honest man and that you teach the way of God according to the truth. And you are no respecter of persons…you are not concerned with the opinion of others because you are not swayed as other men by power or status. You are completely impartial.”
“Here it comes,” Simon thought. “First the honey, then the poison.”
“So, we were wondering…what is your thought on Roman taxation. Should we pay Caesar or not?”
“You play your parts well…play actors the lot of you! Why are your testing me? Show me the coin used for the tax!” Jesus was clearly irritated.
They handed him a coin.
Jesus held the coin up for all to see. It was a Roman coin…a denarius…not one most pious Jews would have on their person, because it not only bore the likeness of the Caesar on it, but also the inscription, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus”. Local coins did not have the profile of the Caesar stamped on them…the Jews considered the image on the denarius idolatrous.[7]
“Whose image and inscription are stamped on this coin?” Jesus asked the crowd.
“Caesar’s” they shouted in unison. Some spat on the ground in revulsion.
“Well then,” Jesus said handing back the coin, “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But…” he paused for a moment, looking directly into the eyes of the frustrated group, “But give to God what belongs to God.”
His reply so shocked them that they spun on their heels and left immediately.
But the attacks were not over. The Sadducees also approached him and told him a highly unlikely tale of a woman who married seven brothers, each one dying before producing an heir. The story was hypothetical, of course, but the challenge was very real. Was there a resurrection or not? Simon knew the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection…they believed that this life was all there was. This was convenient for them as if there is no resurrection then there are no consequences regarding the manner in which they lived. They also only ever read the five books of Moses…nothing else.
“Typical,” Simon thought. “When you don’t want to believe in something that will have an effect on the way you want to live then simply deny that it has any authority.”
Once again Jesus pointed out their misunderstanding of the very Scriptures they claimed to believe. After indicating that marriage was an earthly institution and the rules of the institution no longer applied in the hereafter, Jesus simply reminded them that Moses referred to the Lord as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…long after the patriarchs had died. God, Jesus said, was the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
“Well said, Teacher,” the teachers of the law responded. The crowds were dazzled by his teaching, but the Pharisees were not at all happy.
They had overheard the debate and were still intent on discrediting Jesus. So one of them, an expert in matters of the law, asked him to tell them which one of the commandments was the most important.
“How they love to nit-pick everything,” Simon thought. “Aren’t all the commandments equally important? Break one you break them all…how can one be more important than the other? How can one be ‘great’, and another be ‘little’[8] when they reflect the mind of God?”
But Jesus was not going to be drawn into an argument. He recited the Shema, leaving no door for disagreement. “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might!” But there was a sting in what he said next. “The second is like it. You must love your neighbour even as you love yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
“They had not asked him for a second most important law.” Simon reflected. “Jesus’ addition caught them by surprise. It was relatively easy to make a show of loving an invisible being through pious words and rituals…but it was an altogether different thing to demonstrate that love in a tangible fashion that could be seen and experienced by all.”
The law expert seemed at a loss for words. He had prepared himself for some back and forth, but Jesus’ reply had taken the wind out of his proverbial sails. The best response he could come up with was simply, “Well said, Teacher. You are right. There is only one God and to love Him with your entire being…as well as to love your neighbour as yourself…is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Jesus seemed surprised that he had not countered him. Simon noticed that he was looking into the man’s eyes…that look…those eyes. His look was like having every layer of one’s life laid aside until there was only the essence of your being left…the real you…and that real you he could see clearly.
“You have answered wisely.” Jesus said. “It is clear that you are not far from the kingdom of God.”
For a moment the man looked pleased…but then he became aware of his fellow Pharisees around him and he broke eye contact with Jesus. No one else dared to ask him another question…they would have to regroup and devise another devious plan.
“I just don’t understand,” Peter whispered to his brother. “Why don’t they believe? If a thick head like me can see that Jesus is the Messiah, why can’t they? They know the Scriptures better than any one of us does…besides, Jesus, of course.”
“Brother, learning in itself can make one dull too, you know…especially when what you learn is the dissection and reinterpretation of the Scriptures. That’s what they do all day long…they debate the meaning of words and numbers…so much so that they miss the real meaning of what they learn.”
But before the group left Jesus had his own question to pose to them. “Tell me,” he said, “How is it that you teachers of the law call the Messiah the Son of David when David himself, speaking under direction of the Holy Spirit of God, said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand while I make your enemies your footstool.”’ If David refers to him as his lord, how then is it possible for the Messiah to be his son?”
The crowd was delighted. He had floored them again. But this was leading to a showdown, of that Simon was convinced. These men were powerful, and they were being backed into a corner. God alone knew how long before their humiliation caused them to act rashly. But maybe that is exactly what Jesus wanted…a choice had to made by them all whether to follow him or to continue in a way he was intent on revealing to be a broken cistern holding no life-giving water.[9]
The expert on the law no longer looked pleased. He had chosen his side. They turned to walk away but stopped as they heard Jesus address the crowds once more.
He launched into a long series of woe pronouncements, like the prophets did long ago. It was a long disclosure of their hypocrisy. While they held positions of authority, they did not practice what they preached…they simply added burdens to an already overburdened people. Everything they did was for show and while they went to great lengths to obey the law, they missed the essence of the law completely. They were cruel in their religiosity and their hearts did not reflect the mercy of the God they claimed to represent. Jesus likened them to white-washed tombs, beautiful to behold but full of unclean things.
“Did he just call them snakes?” Simon was aghast. He had never heard Jesus speak so harshly before. He was laying the collective blood guilt of the nation upon their shoulders…their generation had filled up the measure of the sins of their forefathers. This statement reminded Simon of what God told Abraham about the sins of the Amorites that had to reach full measure.[10] By itself that was one of the most shocking things Jesus said. But his mind was reeling, and he simply did not know what to make of this denouncement.
“So, be weary of these teachers of the law,” Jesus said. “They like to draw attention to themselves. That’s why they dress in flowing robes, so that will be recognised and seen as important in the marketplace…they love to be addressed by titles such as ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’ and they jostle for position in the synagogues and compete for the seats of honour at banquets. Instead of caring for the widows they devour them and then they dare to make a spectacle of themselves by praying lengthy and wordy prayers. Such duplicity shall not go unpunished!”
Just then, a poor widow approached the nearby collection box. The rich had been depositing their gifs all the while Jesus was speaking, making a great show of how much they were putting in. She only put in two lepta as that was all she had to give. Pointing to her, Jesus said, “You know what? This widow has in reality given more than all the affluent people put together…they gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed everything she had.”
Jesus then suddenly stood up. “O Jerusalem…Jerusalem…you who slaughter the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I wanted to gather you to myself, as a mother hen protectively gathers her chicks under her wings…but you have repeatedly refused…now you are exposed to the full force of God’s fiery judgment. Your house will be left empty and desolate…nothing but ruins.[11]”
“Your house?” Simon thought. “He did not call the Temple God’s house, but your house…maybe he was not talking about the temple at all, but about their order…the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes.” It was difficult for him to imagine Jesus pronouncing wholesale destruction of the indescribably beautiful Temple structure itself. Surely it was still the house of God?
But Jesus was leaving. He stopped and turned to face the stunned leaders. “You will not encounter me again until you openly say of me, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The disciples were confused. Had he pronounced judgment on the Temple or not? Had he just said it would be destroyed? In an attempt to clarify they pointed out its magnificence.
“Yes,” Jesus said, “I see. But I tell you not one stone will be left upon another…every one of these gigantic blocks will be prized off the other and cast onto the pavement below.”
They walked in silence for a while, each one trying to make sense of what had just taken place. Finally, they decided to ask him to explain when what he had just said would actually occur. They also asked if there would be any accompanying signs of what he had referred to as his coming and of the end of the age.
In his reply, Jesus divided the question into two time periods…one filled with signs that would anticipate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple…the other, the end of the age, with no signs at all. In the first, he warned them there would be wars, rumours of wars, famines, earthquakes…that they would be persecuted and even put to death. He described the end of the city in such vivid and horrific terms that the disciples shuddered. He even warned them not believe those who claimed the Messiah had returned, as his return would be as obvious as lightening. He predicted the overthrow of the whole nation in prophetic terms, using the language of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Zephaniah[12]. He spoke of himself as the returning conquering Son of Man described in Daniel[13], indicating that the nation would mourn when He came in judgment. But, like the king in the parable, he would then send out messengers to gather in those who were now invited in the place of those who had refused. There was an urgency in his speech, as he told them this would all take place within their generation. How little they understood then…
But then he spoke of another time…the time of the end…unlike the predicted end of Jerusalem and the Temple, he said there were no signs for the end of the age. It would be as unpredictable and unexpected as the flood…everyone had gone about their lives as if there was no impending judgment…that was how the end would be. It would be like a thief at night…or like the unknown return of a master who had left his household in the charge of a servant. In both cases, they were charged to be watchful as the return of the Son of Man would be when they least expected.
“Just who is this Son of Man, I’d like to know?” Simon thought, but said nothing.
Jesus went on to tell parables about wise virgins who were ready and foolish virgins who were not. He spoke about a man who went on a journey leaving three servants with varying units of coinage to use according to their abilities. The last was as foolish as the virgins and was subsequently judged. He spoke of a time of judgment when the Son of Man would be seated on his throne separating people from one another as a shepherd separated the sheep from the goats. The sheep would be rewarded with eternal life while the goats would be cast into eternal fire.
The images were so graphic, and Simon felt he was so dull…this was so hard to understand. What did this have to do with their current situation? Was he going to restore the kingdom of Israel now or not? Why destroy the city and the temple? Why all this talk of judgment and eternity?
But then Jesus made it even worse. “You know the Passover is two days away, right? Then the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Simon felt like he had just been punched in the solar plexus. Passover. The slaughtering of the Lamb. Crucifixion. The Son of Man. What did this all mean? He just did not have it in him to ask any more questions. His head was hurting.
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[5] “This foundational metaphor for Israel’s spiritual health vividly blooms in the prophetic era. The time had come for God’s people to yield fruit that would bless the world (Isa. 27:6). Several times the prophets describe God as inspecting Israel for “early figs,” as a sign of spiritual fruitfulness (Mic. 7:1; Jer. 8:13; Hos. 9:10–17)—but he finds “no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.” So in two exiles (Assyrian and Babylonian), God pours out the curse of barrenness (Hos. 9:16), and Israel becomes a rotten fig (Jer. 29:17).” Cf. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-curse-fig-tree/
[8] “Jewish rabbis counted 613 individual statutes in the law and attempted to differentiate between “heavy” (or “great) and “light” (or “little”) command.” Archeological Study Bible, 1650.
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