Jesus was sent by His Father to save sinners. But the religious leaders of that time refused to believe in Him and were leading the people away from God's grace. Jesus announced that judgment was coming upon that generation and that the spiritual care of the people was being handed over to a new group, namely His apostles and those who taught the apostles' doctrine.

The religious leaders ought to have known better, but they refused to acknowledge that Jesus came from God. They would not repent of their sin but stood fast in their own self-righteousness. But Jesus showed that His ministry was the fulfillment of the preliminary work of John the Baptist- people could enter the kingdom through repentance and Jesus is the One that John said was coming after him.

Jesus confronted the gross abuses of the religious leaders against God's house and against the people who worshiped there. The priests, scribes, and rulers of the people ought to have known better, but they sought to destroy Jesus because He opposed their teaching and their corrupt practices. All who come to God through Jesus must abandon their boast of ancestry and personal accomplishments, and instead repent, placing their faith in Jesus alone for forgiveness of sin.

The people celebrated Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as a conquering political king, but they would not recognize their need of a spiritual Savior. Their rejection of Jesus in this way resulted in God's judgment on the nation, as Jesus foretold here specifically regarding the destruction of Jerusalem. Whereas the people expected Jesus to lead them to victory over the Romans, Jesus mournfully decreed that the Romans would exercise great vengeance upon the people because they -did not recognize the time of your visitation.-

Jesus is coming again to rule on earth. While He is away, He expects His people to faithfully carry out His commands. When He returns, He will find some that are faithful and others that are false and unfaithful. Jesus will also execute judgment upon those who have hated Him. But now is our opportunity to repent and believe on Him and so receive salvation.

Jesus summarized His earthly ministry with the statement, -The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.- Zaccheus, a chief tax collector in Jericho, sought to see Jesus and was overjoyed to be sought by Him.

Jesus shows mercy to a blind man in this last recorded public miracle of Jesus in Luke-s gospel. The man-s faith honored the Lord and brought him physical and spiritual healing. The praise that followed the miracle stands in contrast to the obstinacy of the religious leaders who would not admit their need of a Savior.

Jesus fulfills the Word of God in His death, burial, and resurrection. Though the apostles could not understand until afterward, Jesus was fully aware of what He was walking into in Jerusalem, culminating in His victory over the grave. Praise God that Jesus came first to pay for sin and allow sinful people to enter His presence. Thank God that Jesus is coming again to reign in righteousness-

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. But he wasn-t willing to do the one thing that remained for him to do, because it cut into the heart of his idolatry- his wealth. The young man was not willing to give up his temporal wealth in order to gain eternal life.

We would normally love to hear someone ask, -What must I do to inherit eternal life-- When Jesus was asked about this, He challenged the man-s appetite for life by bringing him to the law of God. Would he acknowledge that he needs a righteousness outside of himself- Christ is the end of the law for those who believe. Would this man believe-