Study Desk

"But when the outlaw cowboys saw the ranch owner's son coming up, they said to each other, 'Alright boys! Here's the chance we've been waiting on. We'll kill the rancher's only son and then there will be no one to inherit the ranch, and it will be ours!'

So they grabbed the son when he rode through the gate and strung him up and killed him."What do you think the ranch owner will do to those boys who killed his son?" Jesus asked.

Now the religious leaders and preachers wanted Jesus arrested immediately because they knew he was comparing them to the sorry cowboys who killed the rancher's son. They knew what Jesus was saying, but they were afraid of the crowds who seemed to love him.

So they conspired against Jesus and sent some of them in regular clothes to try and trap Jesus. They wanted him to say something against Rome so he could be arrested.

"Show me a coin and tell me whose picture is on it.""Caesar's picture is on it," they said.

They stood there with stupid looks on their faces. They were amazed by his wisdom and his answers. They shut their mouths and left.

They asked Jesus this question, "Boss, Moses said in his Code that if a man dies, leaving his wife behind without a child, then the man's brother should marry her and give her a child to carry on his brother's name.

Not only will they not be married, but they will live forever—just like the angels. They are God's children, and they will be brought back to life."

"Beware of these preachers and teachers of Moses's code. They like the honor their positions bring,

They gave a microscopic amount of their wealth and she gave everything she had."

Jesus replied, "Don't be fooled by imitations. Many people will come bearing what appears to be my name. They will say, 'I am the Top Hand who will save you' and also things like, 'Now is the time that God foretold!' But don't believe a word of it.

"But before any of this happens, there will be a great persecution of those who ride for God. His cowboys will be sent to prisons and punished in the churches. They will stand trial before national leaders just because they ride for me.

Also know this, those closest to you will double-cross you and stab you in the back. They will even have some of you murdered.

Those who live in Judea will need to lope out of town and into the hills. Those who live in Jerusalem better hightail it out of there if they know what's good for 'em.

They will be impaled with swords or sold as slaves to other countries. And Jerusalem? It will be walked on by foreigners until the time when God's people return.

The head preachers and keepers of the code of Moses were trying to figure out a way to kill Jesus. They went over many scenarios, but they were afraid that all their options would cause a riot.

They liked Judas's idea and decided to pay him for his betrayal.

He told them he would look for a time and place where they could arrest him without a bunch of people around.

and Jesus sent Pete and John ahead to find the place where they would share the Passover meal together.

Then Jesus turned to all the twelve cowboys and said, "When I sent all y'all out to gather and spread the good news of God's outfit, you did not take anything extra with you. You didn't take any extra money or clothes or anything else. During this time, did you ever need anything or go without?""No, sir," they all said.