Matthew 21 - "Your Will, Your Way, Your Time Lord!"
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “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's gospel now takes on the final leg of Jesus' journey to the cross. Jesus knew it was coming and had communicated it to the disciples many times. As we will see today, Jesus knew all of the details as well. As such, Jesus sent the disciples to a prearranged place, where there was a donkey with a colt that had never been ridden on before. This fulfilled this prophesy of Zechariah 9:9. We will see many fulfilled prophecies in the last week of Jesus' life, at least 12 of them.
Jesus didn't come riding in on a warhorse, but humbly on a donkey, a beast of burden. Jesus would carry our burdens to the cross. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come unto me all who are burdened and I will give you rest. Rest for your souls."
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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[d] in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Although Jesus didn't come in with pomp and circumstance, the crowds recognized him as a king by putting their cloaks on the road and also placing branches on the road. The crowds shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord". "Hosanna" means "God saves". And comes from Psalm 118.
"Son of David" is an allusion to the Messianic prophecy, as Jesus was from the lineage of King David. They recognized Jesus was a prophet, but did not yet recognize him as Savior and Lord.
Jesus at the Temple
12 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. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]” 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “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’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
These verses contain three more quotes from the OT. I.e. Isaiah 45, Jeremiah 7, Psalm 8. We will see in this last week Jesus does not have a hard time calling out the hypocrisy being practiced in the temple. Because it was near the time of Passover, people had to bring an offering. If they were poor and couldn't afford it, merchants would sell them doves. The moneychangers were making money by exchanging the foreign coins into Jewish currency for the temple tax.
Per usual, the children recognized Jesus and were praising him vociferously. They shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David". The religious leaders were irritated by them and tried to "shush" them. But, Jesus pointed out the prophecy from Psalm 8:2, "Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."
The fact that he received all of this praise shows he did not reject their worship and praise. Jesus always used those silenced by society to bring about his kingdom. I.e. children, women, lepers, tax collectors ... Then, he spent the night in Bethany.
At the time of Passover, and thousands of pilgrims crowded into Jerusalem. It was common for some to stay in the surrounding villages, and Bethany was close by. (Guzik)
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 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. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 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 sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Because it was Spring, the fig tree should have been in bloom. Jesus rebuked the tree and said it would never bear fruit again. What was this all about? It was metaphor for Israel, which was called the true Vine of God. Israel was suppposed to bear fruit by being a light to all people. Ultimately the fruit would be welcoming Jesus as the Messiah.
The teachings in Matthew 21 are a polemic against the people of Israel.
What is a polemic? "A piece of writing or a speech in which a person strongly attacks or defends a particular opinion, person, idea, or set of beliefs." (Oxford Dictionary)
Jesus also used the occasion to teach on faith. The disciples wondered how the fig tree withered. Jesus uttered the astonishing words, "Go throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done!" And,
"If you believe, you will receive whatever ask for in prayer".
Do you believe these words? Often it is harder to believe when our prayers are not answered and/or not answered in the way we thought they would be answered.
I have found a great way to pray is to release outcomes to God by saying, "Your will, your way, and in your time!".
Many of our prayers have been answered because it was not the right timing. Or, God's will was different than ours. We will never know why some of our prayers weren't answered. God alwayas hears and answers our prayers according to His will. Sometimes His will does not make sense to us and we have to trust Him in faith.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
Jesus was teaching in the temple court, which shows he had some authority amongst the people. But the religious leaders came to challenge him. Jesus answered a question with a question. He asked about John's baptism, "Was it from heaven or human origin?" Since John was revered as a true prophet, if they said his baptism was invalid, they would have had trouble on their hands. But if they said he baptism was legitimage, then they would have to acknowledge John's words about Jesus. For instance the first time John saw his cousin Jesus he said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." And when Jesus asked him to baptize him John felt unqualified to do so and said he was not worthy to untie the sandals of his feet. Finally, John said to Jesus, "I must decrease so you must increase!"
When they had no answer for Jesus, Jesus calmly told him, "Then I won't tell you by whose authority I am doing what I am doing!"
Answering a question is a good way to handle when someone is trying to deliberately trap you into saying something you don't want to say. It reminds me of the saying, "Jesus was the smartest man on earth!"
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “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. 32 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.
Jesus told another parable about what the kingdom of God is like. The simple story was that the man had two sons. He asked them to go in the vineyard and work. One said "no" and later changed his mind and went. One said "yes" and then changed his mind and didn't go.
Someone once said, "Don't overpromise and under deliver!"
In the context it was probably another polemic against the Jews. They were called first and didn't believe in him. The Gentiles were not the chosen ones, but many of them came to Christ, especially through the missionary work of the Apostle Paul.
This is confirmed when Jesus tells them that the tax collectors are entering the kingdom of God before them. This is quite a shocking statement for Jesus to make to these leaders. Clearly Jesus is turning the tables literally and figuratively. Jesus says, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first". And, "Those who willing to lose their lives will save it!"
The Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to 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. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “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.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “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.” 42 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’[h]?42 “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. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 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 parable is another polemic against the people of Israel. The landowner is God. The farmers are the Jewish people. The fruit was to obey God and reveal him to the world. When the people of Israel disobeyed God, he sent his prophets to correct them. They mistreated the prophets and even killed some of them. Finally, God sent His only Son, Jesus, thinking that they would at least respect him. Instead the killed him on a cross.
So what will the owner do when he returns? They will face wrath of the owner and the Vineyard will be rented to others who will bear fruit (the Gentiles). The kingdom of God (the rule and reign of God) would be given to others for the plan of reaching all people with God's love.
Jesus is called the "cornerstone of the building". The cornerstone is what held every building together. Remove the cornerstone and the building collapses.
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. (Guzik)
Realizing Jesus was talking about them, they began to look for a way to arrest him!
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