Matthew 21 - Jesus Isn't Always "Nice"!

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What's Happening in Matthew 21

Matthew 21 marks the beginning of Jesus going into Jerusalem with his eventual destination being the cross. While the crowds are calling out "Hosanna in the Highest", Jesus continues to confront the hypocrisy and unbelief of the religious leaders. He finishes with two parables, which foreshadow what will happen to him when the Pharisees realize that these parables are about them.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King 

This is also called "Jesus' Triumphal Entry". The word "king" comes from the word "messiah". But Jesus is a different kind of king. Instead of coming in on a warhorse and stirring up the crowds proclaiming victory over the Romans, he comes in on a humble donkey. Part of this fulfills Zechariah 9:9, where the prophet said, 

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.

This of one of 27 prophecies that Jesus will fulfill over the next week. But the irony here is the great crowd that gathered did realize that a king was in their midst. They cut down palm branches and lined the road with them. And they cried out, 

Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

The word "hosanna" is a shout or exclamation that means, "God save us!" It is also a quote from Psalm 118

People wondered who this was and the people answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus knew that the religious leaders were going to arrest Him and condemn Him and mock Him and scourge Him and deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion (Matthew 20:19). Yet He had the courage to not only enter Jerusalem, but to enter in as public a way as possible. This contrasts to His previous pattern of suppressing publicity. (Guzik)

Jesus at the Temple

Jesus makes a stop at the temple. The last time seemingly he was there when he was a teenager confounding the elders with his wisdom and teaching. But this time he had a different message. Because it was near the Passover, the people were required to bring sacrifices and exchange their own currency for local currency to pay the temple taxes. They were clearly taking advantage of the situation and using God's law for their own greed. 

Jesus rebukes them and angrily turns over the moneychanger's tables. He accuses them of turning the Father's house into a den of robbers, which is also a prophecy from Isaiah 56:7. The crowds knew Jesus was the Messiah and brought people and Jesus healed them all. The kids also knew who Jesus  was and were worshipping him as well. Again Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2. 

From the lips of children and infants

    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’

You can see how important it is for Matthew to connect all of the things happening with what had been foretold by the prophets. 

 The blind and the lame were restricted to the court of the Gentiles; they could not go closer to the temple and could not go to the altar to sacrifice. After purging the court of the Gentiles of merchants and robbers, Jesus then ministered to the outcasts who congregated there. Guzik

“Luther was greatly encouraged when he found that the children met together for prayer. He said, ‘God will hear them. The devil himself cannot defeat us now the children begin to pray.’” (Spurgeon)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

Jesus then teaches his disciples a lesson, as he curses the fig tree, which was supposed to bearing fruit during this Spring season. In the Old Testament, God portrays Jesus as the True Vine of God. As such God called them to bear fruit. But when Jesus rebuked the fig tree it quickly withered. The disciples were amazing and asked him about it. 

He used the opportunity to teach them about the power of faith and prayer. Metaphorically Jesus tells them if they pray with faith, they can "throw a mountain into the sea". We call it "mountain moving prayer." 

In this acted-out-parable, Jesus warned of coming judgment upon an unfruitful Israel. It showed God’s disapproval of people who are all leaves and no fruit. “The story is clear and simple, and its point obvious, that what counts is not promise but performance.” (France)

 This promise of God’s answer to the prayer of faith was made to disciples, not to the multitude. This is a promise to those who are following Jesus. (Guzik)

“Nothing is too big for true faith to obtain, but that faith must have a promise to lean upon.” (Poole)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Once again the Pharisees, jealous of the attention Jesus is getting, challenge him on where he is getting the authority to do the things he is doing. Jesus posed the question to them about the authority John the Baptist exercised when he baptized Jesus. Because John the Baptist was a beloved prophet, they were in a quandary. Jesus got the better of them on this day. 

They answered only after carefully calculating the political consequences of either answer. They didn’t seem interested in answering the question honestly, only cleverly. This showed they were more interested in the opinions of the multitude rather than the will of God, so Jesus didn’t answer their question to Him.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Jesus hits them even harder in the next parable. It is a parable of two sons. Again the context is a vineyard. Jesus later uses this metaphor in John 15 when he says, "I am the True Vine and You are the branches." He also said, "I have chosen you to bear fruit, fruit that will last!"  And also, "Anyone who does not bear fruit, I will prune so they can bear more fruit. But those branches that do not produce fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire"

The first son refused to listen his dad didn't go into the vineyard, but later went. The other son said he would go, and then did not. This first son could represent the Gentiles who rejected God but later accepted Jesus. The second son was the Jewish people who followed God at first but then rejected God and followed idols. The current Jewish leaders were no different.  

The religious leaders were the shepherds of God's people. If anyone should have been prepared to welcome the Messiah, based so many of the prophecies being fulfilled, it should have been them. But their pride and arrogance prevented them from believing in Jesus. 

The point of this parable is clear. What matters is living for God, not saying the right words. The religious leaders were good at talking righteous talk, but their stubbornly unrepentant hearts showed that repentant sinners would enter the kingdom before them.

Meanwhile Jesus says something shocking to them. He says, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." 

He could probably not say anything more offensive but it was true. Some people this Jesus was always "nice", but in the case of the moneychangers in the temple and these leaders, Jesus did not mince words. He exhibited what we call "righteous anger". 

“The shock value of Jesus’ statement can only be appreciated when the low esteem in which tax collectors were held, not to mention prostitutes, is taken into account.” (Carson)

The Parable of the Tenants

Once again Jesus uses the setting of a vineyard to indict the religious leaders. In this instance how they rejected Jesus, the Son. The landowner rented out his vineyard to tenants who were farmers. At harvest time he sent his servants to collect the fruit. He sent many of his servants one after another, but the tenants beat, killed, and stoned them. 

As if this weren't disrespectful enough, he sent His only Son assuming that they would at least respect him. But instead the tenants thought by killing the Son they would eventually inherit the vineyard when the landowner died. Jesus had set up the chief priests and elders. When he asked them what the landowner should do to these wicked tenants. 

Their response, 

He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 

Little did they know that the who parable was about then. But without waiting any longer Jesus quoted once again from the Old Testament. It was a prophecy about He would be treated from Psalm 118:22

‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

the Lord has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes

The cornerstone was the stone in the building that held everything together. When you removed the cornerstone it was like a house of cards. Jesus then ends by saying to them. 

“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. 

The Pharisees, chief priests, and elders had failed in the leadership. They were like the branches who bore no fruit. The time had come for their judgment, and they would be held accountable for not bearing fruit, but also for rejecting the True Vine who brought God's kingdom to this earth. 

The Vineyard, God's kingdom on earth, would now be given to those who believed in Jesus as the True Vine. 

Jesus warned the religious leaders that if they continued their rejection of God and His Messiah, they could expect that God would pass the leadership of His work on earth to others.

The choice before the religious leaders is the choice before every person. We can be broken in humble surrender before God or be completely broken in judgment.

By the end of this encounter it finally registers with the religious leaders that Jesus was talking about them. When they realized this, they started plotting Jesus' arrest. But they were afraid of the crowds. 

Are you living your life by remaining or abiding in Jesus? Are you bearing fruit in your life as a result of Your relationship with Him and the Holy Spirit's power in your life? Remember the "fruit of the Holy Spirit" from Galatians 5:22, 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Does your life reflect these character traits? We can only walk in the fruit of the Spirit as we stay connected to the Vine!

What is Happening in Matthew 22

Jesus continues to speak in parables as an indictment on the Pharisees and Sadducees.  The Pharisees will try to trap him in regard to paying taxes to Caesar and questions about the Messiah and the Resurrection. 

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