Conclusion
Conclusion
The best available evidence suggests that Jesus told the parable of the tenants in Jerusalem before his passion. In this parable he implied his impending death at the hands of Jerusalem’s elite. He also challenged Israel’s guardians in other respects, most publicly and obviously by disturbing order in the Temple’s outer court. Against the traditional critical view, Jesus certainly could have predicted his death. In fact, he not only foreknew it — he deliberately provoked it. He could not but have known where his actions would lead if he neither fled nor fought; the priestly aristocrats would have viewed his actions as both an affront to their honor and a challenge to their authority.
Some of the strongest available evidence in the gospel tradition supports Jesus eating a final meal with his disciples, where he further interpreted his impending death. This meal undoubtedly occurred during the Passover season, as in the Gospels (Galileans likely visiting Jerusalem especially during the major pilgrimage festivals). In these words, Jesus offered a key for understanding his actions that were leading to his impending death: Jesus was offering himself as a martyr to turn away God’s anger from Israel, as Jewish tradition understood some other martyrs. His death was no unfortunate or unexpected accident.