Briefing: Do you know when you are beaten? Have you ever faced an enemy or foe so strong that no matter what you tried, you couldn’t win? I’ll bet you answered, “No”. As law enforcement, we are trained to never say die.

Dispatch (Assignment): Read Matthew 21:33-46.

On the Street: There is a movie that came out a couple of years ago called “Gladiator”. The main character of the movie was named Maximus. He was a general in the Roman army. His second in command was named Quintus. In the first battle scene, the Roman army is about to fight the Germanic tribes of Vindobona. Quintus says to Maximus, “People should know when they are conquered”. Maximus responds, “Would you Quintus? Would I?”

The Jewish leaders are fighting a losing battle. They hate Jesus. They hate Him for all the wrong reasons. Jesus was truth and light; in Him there was no darkness. What does light do to darkness? It exposes it. Darkness cannot exist in the light. These leaders were crooked and corrupt. Jesus was a threat to their way of life.

Every time I read passages like this I ask myself how these Jewish leaders, the most educated scholars of their time, did not realize who Jesus was. I can see that they would lose the battle against Jesus but they could not see it. They did not know that they (the old religious system) had already been conquered.

Jesus was going to conquer death also. Satan wanted Jesus dead. Just like in the parable in verse 38 the tenants say, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.” So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him”. Satan thought if he could kill Jesus that all would be his. Little did he know, Jesus was about to conquer death by dying on the cross and saving us from our sin and certain death.

Highlights from this Read: In verse 33, Jesus is still speaking to the elders and the chief priests. These guys should have been extremely familiar with this story. They are the “experts” of Old Testament scripture and yet they do not realize where Jesus was going with this story?

Have you heard the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees”? What do you think this means? For me it means something is so obvious that we look right past it. How about this, “it’s as plain as the nose on your face”. As law enforcement officers, what looms so big and obvious in our lives that we don’t see it or take note of it?

In 2 Samuel 12:1-12, Nathan confronts David about Bathsheba but David does not see it coming. Like the chief priests in this story, David answers harshly, passing judgment on himself.

Investigational Resources: For other gospel accounts, see Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19. See Isaiah 5:1-7 for more information on the first act of the parable of the tenants.

Officer Safety Principle: Know who Jesus is. Study Him, read about Him, and get to know the one who died for you.

from The Gospel of Matthew Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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