Before the raising up of the Apostle Paul in the middle of the Book of Acts, Jesus Christ’s prophetic program for the nation Israel was still being developed.

“This is a critical point to understand because it’s the last clarifying twist of the lens you need to keep in your mind, and when you’ve got it, you can then go back and appreciate what’s going on (in the Gospels and early Acts period),” says my pastor, Richard Jordan. “Old-time dispensationalists back150 years ago placed the fall of Israel during Christ’s ministry—it would compare with Matthew 12 or Luke 9—but the fall of Israel doesn’t take place there because you see Him, in Acts, continue to deal with (His disciples after His resurrection).”

In Acts 11:19, it even says the disciples “travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.”

Jordan says, “The disciples and apostles are not the Body of Christ; it’s a continuation of what Christ trained them for back (before His death). That’s why Hebrews 2:3 says, ‘How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord (in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him (in the early Acts period).’ What they’re doing in the early Acts period is confirming and proclaiming what Christ taught them back there.”

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In the last week of Christ’s life before He was crucified, He went into the temple in Jerusalem, as Malachi foretold, and cleansed it, casting out the money-changers.

Presenting Himself as the priest, Jesus Christ temporarily restored the temple back to God’s intended purpose for it, teaching in it daily, as Luke 19:47 reports.

“Not only is He the king and the priest, but He’s also the prophet of Israel,” explains Jordan. “He’s the ‘interpreter of the ways of God,’ as G. Campbell Morgan said. He’s teaching in the temple and the people hear Him, and this extends to the last day of His life.”

Luke 21:37 reports, “And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.”

From this, we know Christ didn’t spend His nights in Jerusalem, but went outside the city up on the Mount of Olives and slept under the stars.

“The point is there’s no place for Him; not in the beginning (of His life) in Bethlehem and not in the end,” says Jordan. “Jerusalem has rejected Him and He leaves the city, understanding He’s been rejected.

“The leadership of the nation has rejected Him and there comes a point where He withdraws Himself from the public preaching to the masses and trains (his disciples, the ‘little flock’) for the ministry they’re going to have in the early Acts period after He goes away. He instructs them, ‘Don’t go tell them I’m the Christ,’ (whereas previously they did so). It’s that withdrawal stage.”

In Luke 20, Christ, knowing He’s about ready to go to the Cross, brings out the final issues with the leaders of Israel.

“There’s a back-and-forth where they question Him and He answers them, and they question Him some more and He answers them and they try to trick Him and He’s not tricked,” says Jordan. “At the end of the chapter, you see He turns around and asks them one question, and then they’re afraid to talk to Him anymore. What He’s doing is pressing the final point.”

As Luke 20:1-8 reports, “And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
[2] And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
[3] And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:
[4] The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
[5] And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?
[6] But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.
[7] And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
[8] And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.”

Jordan explains, “The chief priests, scribes and elders had been questioning Him, and He responded to them about His authority, demonstrating they weren’t sincere. He then asked them about where did John get his authority, and His point was obvious. Then they wanted to know by what authority was He doing what He was doing, teaching in the temple.

“And He says, ‘Where did John get his authority?’ John, of course, was the one who witnessed of Him; ‘he bore witness to the truth’ and identified Christ as the Messiah, and he was not relying on his own personal claim—he relied upon the witness that God the Father gave him through others.

“Well, they wouldn’t answer Him, thinking, ‘Well, if we say, [From God,] He’s going to say, [Why didn’t you believe him?] and if we say, [Well, John didn’t get his authority from God], the people think John’s a prophet and they’ll get mad at us,’ so they took the dodge and said, ‘We can’t tell.’

“By the way, that’s the academic approach of scholarship and these were the scholars in the nation. There’s this professional courtesy among religious academics that says you can sit around the table, and you can have your convictions, but everyone else has their own tradition, so, ‘We just really don’t know for sure what’s right. We just all agree we’re sitting at the table.’ I’ve been in those meetings. That’s one of the reason I don’t go to them. It drives me nuts to be in a crowd like that.

“So now Christ’s going to turn to the people. And He spoke to them the parable: ‘a certain man planted a vineyard.’ He’s going to trace the history of Israel and then He’s going to talk about the fact that some people are going to try to kill Him and will succeed, but it’s going to wind up being their ruin.”

(Editor’s Note: The vineyard is a very common representative of the nation Israel. The vine tree represents the national life of Israel.)