Matthew: Chapter 21
Chapter 21 records Jesus entering Jerusalem triumphantly with honor fitting of a king and the acknowledgement from the people of this fact. Following this, Jesus cleanses the temple, heals the blind and the lame and has his authority questioned. The chapter closes with a parable through which Jesus alludes how he would be treated by the chief priest and others and the consequence of their actions.
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples to the village ahead of them, where soon as they enter, they would find a donkey and her colt, which they should untie and bring it back to Jesus. If anyone asks why they were doing this, they have to say that the Lord needs them, and they will be sent right away with the donkey and the colt. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.
All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Zechariah (Zech 9:9):
"Say to Daughter Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" Matthew 21:5
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| "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" |
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. This triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in such a manner marked his claim to a messianic kingship. The shouts of praise offered by the people served as an acknowledgement and recognition of this kingship.
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" Matthew 21:9
The word "Hosanna" is used here by the people to express their adoration and praise for Jesus Christ, for all that he had done for them so far. Also, the root word in Hebrew means "save, we pray", which was Jesus' mission on earth, "to save which was lost" and to redeem.
Jesus at the Temple
The arrival of Jesus at Jerusalem had the whole city stirred and asked "Who is this?" to which the crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
"It is written." he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.' Matthew 21:13 (Also see, Isa. 56:7, Jer. 7:11)
The blind and the lame came to Jesus at the temple, and he healed them. The action of Jesus here might feel uncharacteristic of Jesus we have seen so far. However, this is not the case. Jesus, by action showed the purpose of the House of the LORD. It is not to be a place of trade and exploitation, but a place of prayer and healing. This is why Jesus himself removed "the robbers" and healed the people who came there.
But when the chief priests and the teachers of law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. They couldn't bear that the righteous and miracles deeds done by Jesus is bringing praise to the LORD and wanted Jesus to stop the children saying these, to which Jesus replies quoting the scripture.
"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?" Matthew 21:16 (Also see, Psalm 8:2)
After this, Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Cursing the fig tree
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. The disciples were amazed by this. Jesus explains to them that if they ask with faith, and not doubt, they can do more than this.
Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the see,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:21,22
This by extension is said to us as well. Faith as we have seen many times throughout the book of Matthew, is an essential element in miracles and healing. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and with faith we can receive anything that we ask for in his name.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
Jesus entered the temple courts and while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and asked, "By what authority are you doing these things? and who gave you this authority?"
They, of course, didn't mean just the teaching, or the healing. It also included Jesus chasing away people who were buying and selling at the temple. So they challenged the authority of Jesus with which he did all these things. Jesus offered to answer them, if they answered a question of his.
Jesus asked, "John's baptism - where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?" The ones who asked Jesus the question of authority, discussed among themselves. They reasoned, "If we say, 'From Heaven', he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin' - we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And Jesus replied, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The fact that the teachers of law knew enough to classify John's baptism as from heaven, and then fail to respond to it, and then reasoning that they can't tell that its from heaven because they never repented, shows how far they have withdrawn from the LORD and are not interested in pleasing the LORD and repenting. Jesus points this out in the following parable.
The Parable of the Two Sons
There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and asked him to go and work in the vineyard for the day. The first son said no, but later changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and asked the same thing. The second son respectfully said that he will go, but he did not go. Jesus asked them, "What do you think?"
"Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Matthew 21:31,32
As the verse describes, the message of repentance came to all. The ones who are usually termed "sinners" are like the first son. Though they initially did not want to do what the father wanted, they later relented and did what was expected of them, which is repentance. However, the teachers of law and others, claimed to be the ones who follow what God wants, but in reality did not, despite the fact that they knew what was expected.
The Parable of the Tenants
Jesus told them another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. The landowner sent other servants and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all the landowner sent his son to them saying, "They will respect my son." But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance." So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Jesus then asked the listeners, "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" The ones listening replied, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed." Matthew 21:42-44 (Also see, Psalm 118:22,23)
This parable describes in detail, how the chief priests, the Pharisees, the teachers of law and the elders of the people, rejected the LORD. They didn't repent when the prophets uttered the message of the LORD. Rather they illtreated and even murdered some. Likewise, they will kill the Son of Man (Jesus), instead of repenting. The LORD, therefore will take away the salvation from them and give it to the rest of the world, so that anyone who earnestly repents will be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ.
In this way, the LORD made Jesus the cornerstone, which people rejected. And on Jesus Christ, the LORD built a new covenant. All of us, who accept this, and produce fruit will be a part of the kingdom of heaven.
Producing fruit, a fruit of repentance, a fruit worthy of the kingdom of heaven, a fruit of the spirit, a fruit which shows everyone the change and transformation through Christ, is necessary. This is the fruit which Jesus looks for in us. Symbolically, the cursing of the fig tree fits in here as well. When God comes to us, looking for fruit, and if he finds none, ours will be the same fate.
The chief priests and the Pharisees knew that Jesus was talking about them in the parables. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
This was the state of their fall. They were so long gone, that despite being clearly told their mistakes, and them clearly being able to understand the message, they refused to repent and change. Their lack of fruit, was not just because of their lack of goodness, but also because of their stubbornness to heed to the LORD.
To summarize, let's think of the fruit which we have to produce. Do we repent when pointed of our wrongs? or do we continue in the same with a hardened heart? Do we feign ignorance to the word of God? Lets self analyze. See you in the next one. Take care of yourselves and each other!
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