Jesus Goes On Offense [7-12-26]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeo5eGmII9M

July 12, 2026

Luke 20:41-21:4

“Jesus Goes on Offense”

We’re still in the final week of the earthly life of our Lord and Savior. Back in chapter nine, we were told he turned his face for Jerusalem. He knows what awaits him there. Jesus makes key points about who he is and what he will accomplish in Jerusalem through teaching, instruction, and actions. Some actions are miraculous. As we saw last month, in answering those who oppose him, Jesus never justifies, explains, or defends his words and actions. He simply continues teaching. Jesus, in one sense, leads people in a discovery of the truth. He neither berates nor bullies anyone.

As things build toward the cross, the tone shifts. Don’t forget, religious authorities have tried to trap and trick Jesus. But not now. Jesus takes the offensive. He now asks his own questions. Today’s passage is about what it means to be the Messiah. Jesus is Lord:

Luke 24:33-34…And they rose that same hour and returned to

Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

Acts 2:36…Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Those two passages lay out what Jesus wants people to understand about his Messiahship. Here’s something you might want to write down:

THE MESSIAH IS NOT A PURELY NATIONALISTIC FIGURE.

Here’s what that means. People thought the Messiah would be a nationalistic figure. They thought he would fight oppression. They thought he would kick the Romans out. They thought he would lead Israel to vanquish military foes. They thought he would usher in an age of political and economic prosperity. They thought he’d be a social justice warrior.

With those assumptions in mind, here’s Luke 20:41-21:4:

But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Our task today is to tie these three distinct pieces together.

First, remember back to Luke 19:41. “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.” Jesus weeps because the religious leaders are blind to the spiritual peace and salvation he brings. All they care about is earthly position, power, and influence. And so here, in today’s passage, Jesus tells them exactly who he is as Messiah. As he will make clear on the cross, no one will go to heaven who does not believe Jesus is God. No one.

Here’s how Paul closes 1 Corinthians 16:

“The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Cannot get any clearer than that.

Then there’s 1 John 2:22-25:

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us - eternal life.”

Again, a person has no relationship with the Father unless he or she confesses the truth about the Son. The Son is the Messiah who will die on the cross for our forgiveness. That’s the only battle the Messiah will wage and win.

One last point about these first four verses. Jesus quotes the Book of Psalms. “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The first reference here is to God creating the world, bringing deliverance to Israel, and shattering the enemy…meaning Egypt, where the Hebrews were enslaved…and then bringing them into the Promised Land, and finally showing His abiding love and mercy in rescuing those who call on the name of the Lord.

Here’s where Jesus takes that. As he sets his face for the cross, that promise from Psalm 110 is repositioned for the deeper, spiritual purpose. Jesus repurposes Psalm 110 as an expression of his role in re-creation and delivering us from sin and death. In Jesus Christ, our enemies…sin and death…are completely defeated, subdued, and humiliated. And again, as we’ve already said, you have no relationship with the Father unless you confess the truth about the Son.

Second, Jesus exposes frauds and hypocrites. These are the ones who want to be recognized for how important they think they are. They are legends in their own minds. So they wear the robes and the tassels. They stride through the marketplace for all to see. Look at me…notice me…pay attention to me…I’m a bigshot. It’s all about the show. No humility. They had elevated platforms in the front of the synagogue. One description fits them best:

They were driven by A CONSUMING ZEAL FOR ATTENTION.

Which leads us to the third point. It happens when Jesus looks up and sees rich people putting their money into the offering box. Jesus notices the rich

folks because they want to be noticed. They want to be seen putting their

money in the box. Remember that consuming zeal for attention.

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say as he points out the widow’s contribution. It’s something you might want to write down:

JESUS DOES NOT CALL US TO FOLLOW HER EXAMPLE.

He simply points out what she does. He doesn’t describe her giving as the kind of sacrificial giving we should all strive for. Jesus doesn’t say we should give 100% of what we have. Jesus doesn’t say, imagine how much more God’s going to pour into your life if you give as sacrificially as the widow.

It would be ridiculous, irresponsible, and foolish to read such things into these first four verses of Luke 21.

Before we get to the point, a sidenote. I think it helps make the point, in an albeit secular sort of way.

How many of you remember George Michael? Ironically, he died on

December 25, 2016. He was a widely popular pop singer. He had a hugely successful holiday song, “Last Christmas” which annoys me to this day. You cannot escape December without hearing it at least 1,000 times. And every time it plays, more money is added to his estate…about $2-3 million annually.

How George Michael’s estate manages his legacy is none of my business. All I know is his trust does support charitable causes. He’s still putting gifts in the box, as it were. Which continues what is now known about his personal practice. You see, George Michael never advertised it. He didn’t make a big show of it. He didn’t do it conspicuously so others would see. He secretly gave away millions. He didn’t want anyone to know.

Jesus only notices the widow because he’s Jesus and it’s important for him to notice. And there’s only one comment from Jesus. She gave. With her two little coins, she gave. And she gave generously.

Again. Jesus doesn’t then tell the disciples to reach into their pocketbooks

and give everything they have. He doesn’t say she’s more spiritual than

anybody else. He doesn’t say her action has earned her a place in heaven.

All things considered, it makes no sense to say that Jesus expects you to

give 100% of what you have so you have nothing left. Nothing about that at all in here. All Jesus says is she gave more of what she had than anybody else. That’s it. No deep, hidden meanings here. No great spiritual insights into money and giving. In fact, we’re not even told that Jesus is pleased with her giving. Nothing about her attitude.

One of the only things we can take from this is that what we give is between us and the Lord. That’s it.

One last thought, though. This will stretch us a wee bit.

I draw this perspective from a commentary by John MacArthur:

How would you feel? You're a person that loves the Lord, you're a person that loves others and cares about people and cares about their needs. How would you feel if you saw a destitute widow who only had two coins left to buy her food for her next meal give those two coins to a religious system? How would you feel? You would say, "Something is wrong with that system when that system takes the last two coins out of a widow's hand." That's what you would say and you would be right to say that. Giving your last two coins to a false religious system! How would you feel if you saw a destitute, impoverished person give to her religion her last hope for life to go home perhaps and die? You'd be sick. You'd feel terrible. You would be repulsed. Any religion that is built on the back of the poor is a false religion. What a sad, misguided, woeful, poor victimized lady. It's tragic, painful. And I think that's exactly how Jesus saw it, exactly.

He saw that corrupt system taking the last two pennies out of a widow's pocket. In desperation, hoping that maybe in that legalistic system her two coins would buy some blessing, trying to be dutiful. The rabbis had said with alms you purchase your salvation; trying to buy your way into heaven, trying to buy relief from your desperation, your destitution. Contemporary “evangelists” call this "seed faith." "Give me your money and God will multiply it back to you." God doesn't want a widow to give up her last two cents. You couldn't find that in the Bible

any place. That's the last thing God would want a widow to do.

Quite simply, this moment is about a system that spiritually abuses people into thinking they are made right with God by what they give to God or do for God. These so-called religious people think they’re right with God. But they’re not. They are horrible people. They abuse and manipulate for financial gain and social status. What we give is between us and God. It’s not to earn anything or gain God’s favor. We give out of love for and devotion to Jesus Christ. Never forget, false religion is always about money. It’s always about money…and pomp…and circumstance…and the show. None of that matters. All that matters is:

No one will go to heaven who does not believe Jesus is God.

That’s the most important thing of all.

Let’s pray:

HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU THAT IN YOUR WORD WE SEE THE DEITY AND GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST. THANK YOU THAT HE CAME AS AN OFFERING FOR OUR SIN. WE PRAY THAT NO HEART TODAY WILL BE TURNED AWAY, BUT ALL WILL EMBRACE

JESUS AS SAVIOR AND BELIEVE, REPENT, AND RECEIVE THE GIFT

OF ETERNAL LIFE. IN HIS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN.