Tag Archives: Religious Leaders

A Dinner Dripping with Intrigue

April 3, 2026 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
Luke 14:1 (NIV)

Context is essential.

The episodes of today’s chapter lie with concentric circles of context that Luke has carefully laid.

Way at the beginning he introduces us to baby Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth. At his dedication, Simeon prophesies:

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” (2:34-35)

In chapter 9, Jesus “resolutely” sets out for Jerusalem, having predicted that:

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (9:22)

Today’s chapter begins with a simple statement.

Easily overlooked.

“Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.“

Most people read that and forget it. But wait…

Everything in today’s chapter happens in this context.

The baby Messiah who will cause “the rise and fall of many in Israel,” and who will reveal the thoughts of their hearts.

The Messiah on a mission — heading to Jerusalem to be rejected by the religious power brokers – to be killed by them.

And, He is dining with one of those very men…
….at his house.
…under his critical gaze.

This isn’t a casual dinner.
This is a set-up.
The table is dripping with intrigue and tension.

They think they’re watching Him.
But He’s the one setting the table…

He prods His enemies. He pokes at them at every turn.

“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (He knows His host thinks it is.)
He heals a man with abnormal swelling sitting in the room.

[Poke]

Watching the prominent religious leaders vying for the seats of honor at the table. He calls them out. Directly.

“But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (vs 10-11)

[Poke]

Jesus then tells a parable. A great banquet feast is given. All the high-and-mighty guests on the list beg off. The host sends servants to bring in the lowly, the poor, the marginalized, the foreigners, the outcasts.

Translation: You are leaders of God’s people. He sent me to invite you to His great banquet. You’ve rejected me, so I’m inviting others.

[Poke]

Jesus then surveys the room. Some of the powerful religious leaders have been following Jesus. They’ve been listening. Some have even tried to befriend Him. In yesterday’s chapter, it was they who warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him — begging Him not to proceed to Jerusalem.

I believe Jesus’ final words at the party are for them.

It’s decision time, gentlemen.

Time to fish, or cut bait.

They are riding the fence. They enjoy the pomp and prominence of their position. They live lives of relative ease. Their names are etched in the boxes at the top of the Temple org chart.

If you’re truly going to follow me, you have to give it all up.

Count the cost, gentlemen.
You can’t sip the Kingdom wine I offer and keep your seat at Herod’s table.

“Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

[Poke]

If you follow the tension in the room. It leads somewhere.

It is Good Friday as I write this post. On this annual day to remember Jesus’ execution on a Roman cross, I’m reminded…

Jesus was resolute in walking toward suffering and death.

Jesus prodded His enemies, and provoked their actions against Him.

Still, He didn’t run.

He went to their houses for dinner. He sat in their midst.
He gave His enemies another chance…
to hear
to see
to choose
to follow

As Jesus hung on three nails between heaven and earth.

He was not a victim.

He was the Son of Man on a mission.

A suffering servant.
A sacrifice, once – for all.

For me.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Jesus, the Meta Communicator

September 2, 2014 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
Luke 20:1-4 (NIV)

One of our friends is a marriage and family therapist and over the years he’s commented on multiple occasions about the fact that Wendy and I meta communicate better than any couple he’s ever counseled. In other words, we communicate about how we’re communicating. Wendy and I don’t find this to be strange at all. We were both communication majors in college and theatre people by passion. We think about how things are being communicated all the time.

One of the things I love about Jesus is that He was a brilliant communicator. In today’s chapter, we find Jesus in Jerusalem the week before His execution and resurrection. He spends His days teaching in and around the Temple and He has stirred up a hornets nest of socio-political conflict. The crowds love Him. The religious leaders who control the Temple racket want Jesus rubbed out, but are afraid of His popularity and the potential political backlash if they move too quickly against Him. In an effort to publicly discredit Him and tarnish His popularity in the polls, the religious leaders send several waves of spies to try and trip Jesus up and provide them the ammunition to discredit the young rabbi.

But, Jesus (who had once claimed “I am the Word”) is a brilliant meta communicator. He sees through the questions coming at Him and immediately recognizes who is behind the question and what they are trying to do. So, Jesus applied a series of defensive communication strategies. First, He refuses to answer a direct question with a direct answer. Instead, Jesus responds to a question with a question and catches the chief priests in their own trap.

Wendy and I have noticed in recent years that our society and culture have slowly lost the art and ability to have honest, sincere conversations with people of differing opinions in an effort to explore ideas and opinions. The more polarized we become politically, socially and spiritually, the more our we find conversations are actually interrogations:

“Do you think homosexuals are going to hell?”
“Do you believe the Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God?”
“Don’t you believe a woman should have a right to do what she wants with her body?”
“Are you a Democrat or a Republican?”
“If a woman eight months pregnant is murdered, is it one homicide or two?”
“Do you really think a hunter needs an uzi?”

In my experience, questions like these are not typically asked with the honest intention to openly explore issues of life and society with another person, but instead are asked to trap the respondent into a corner from which the interrogator can easily label him or her. “Oh, well she’s obviously a [conservative, liberal, religious nut job, whacko, gun nut, feminist, misogynist, Republican, Democrat, homosexual, homophobe, and etc.]”. Once labeled, we find it easier to dismiss other people and their thoughts, words, beliefs, opinions, and person.

Today, I’m thankful Wendy and I enjoy a diverse group of family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who represent a broad spectrum of thoughts, experiences, ideas and opinions. I’m grateful for those who show me love and respect despite their differences with me, and I want to follow Jesus’ command to tangibly love my enemies (which includes perceived enemies of thought, opinion, beliefs and politics).

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Mark 11

December 1, 2011 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. Mark 11:18 (NLT)

This past weekend, Wendy and I watched the classic film The Godfather. I never cease to be amazed at this compelling and tragic story. When his family’s lives, power, and money were threatened, Michael Corleone found himself resorting to any means necessary to hold onto their influence.

I thought about that as I read today’s chapter. Jesus was a big problem for the established religious leaders in Jerusalem. It was one thing when He was off in the north of Galilee attracting the crowds with his traveling side show, but now Jesus had moved back onto their turf and he was a direct threat to their power and, more importantly, their money.

The sacrificial system around the temple in Jerusalem was a cash cow for the religious elite. Since all good Jews had to make a regular pilgrimage to the temple for sacrifice, the system had evolved into a den of corruption that victimized the poor pilgrims and lined the pockets of the Chief Priest and his cronies. They were organized crime dressed up in religious robes. Jesus threatened not only to start a riot, but to diminish the profits and power of the Chief Priest and his religious racketeering.

Jesus was not ignorant. The handwriting was on the wall. He knew that he had made powerful enemies. He knew their hearts. He knew that they would have to kill him to keep their grip on earthly power and the purse strings of their lucrative religious racket. He knew that the interests of God’s kingdom were in direct opposition to the little earthly kingdom they’d established for themselves.

Today, I’m thinking about every human organization with which I’ve ever been involved: businesses, churches, ministries, governments and service organizations. I’m recognizing that every one of them has “power brokers” within the system and political maneuvering and machinations play a part in each organizational system. It would be a lie for me to say that I’ve never allowed my own heart, mind and actions to be tainted and skewed by positions of power and influence within them.

Lord, have mercy on me.

I’m praying today that in my sphere of influence and in my roles within each earthly system, I can be more like Jesus and less like the religious leaders. I pray that I will serve God’s kingdom and others more than I serve myself.