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In what way is Jesus still with us always? How can we be assured of Hi s presence?
All the authorithy had be given to jesus in heaven and earth.and theyl feel the presence by the holy spirit.



By: Eric Mokebete Moloi
Category: The Great Commission
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
Why did Jesus answer a question with a question, rather than just telling the Pharisees by what authority He acted?

Matthew 21:23-27 

 

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

 

When He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? Who gave You this authority?" 

 

Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" 

 

They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe Him?' But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all hold John

as a prophet." They answered Jesus, and said, "We don't know." 

 

He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 

 

Why did Jesus answer a question with a question, rather than just telling the Pharisees by what authority He acted?

 

 

 

Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8

Matthew 21:23-27

Mark 11:27-33

Luke 20:1-8

23. And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him, saying By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee that authority? 2323     “Et qui est celuy qui t’a donné ceste authorité?” — “And who is he that gave thee that authority?”24. And Jesus answering said to them, I also will ask you something, which if you shall tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25. Whence was the baptism of John? From heaven, or from men? But they thought within themselves saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? 26. But if we shall say, From men, we dread the multitude, for they all hold John for a prophet. 27. And answering Jesus, they said, We do not know. And he saith to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

27. And they come again to Jerusalem; and while he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and scribes, and elders, come to him. 28. And they say to him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee that authority 2424     “Et qui est celuy qui t’a donné ceste authorité?” — “And who is he that gave thee that authority?” to do these things? 29. And Jesus answering said to them, I will also ask you something, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30. Whether was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me. 31. And they thought within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say, Why then did you not believe him?32. But if we say, From men, they dreaded the people; 2525     “Nous craignous le peuple;” — “we dread the people.” for all reckoned John that he was truly a prophet. 33. And they answering say to Jesus, We do not know. And Jesus answering saith to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

1. And it happened on one of those days, while he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, the chief priests, and scribes, with the elders, came upon him, 2. And spoke to him saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee that authority? 3. And Jesus answering said to them, I will also ask you something, and answer me. 4. Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? 5. But they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say, Why then did you not believe him?6. But if we shall say, From men, all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John is a prophet. 7. And they answered, That they did not know whence it was.8. And Jesus said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

 

Matthew 21:23By what authority doest thou these things. As the other schemes and open attempts to attack Christ had not succeeded, the priests and scribes now attempt, by indirect methods, if they may possibly cause Him to desist from the practice of teaching. They do not debate with Him as to the doctrine itself, whether it was true or not—for already had they often enough attacked Him in vain on that question—but they raise a dispute as to His calling and commission. And, indeed, there were plausible grounds; for since a man ought not, of His own accord, to intermeddle either with the honor of priesthood, or with the prophetical office, but ought to wait for the calling of God, much less would any man be at liberty to claim for himself the title of Messiah, unless it were evident that He had been chosen by God; for He must have been appointed, not only by the voice of God, but likewise by an oath, as it is written, (Psalm 110:4Hebrews 7:21.)

But when the divine majesty of Christ had been attested by so many miracles, they act maliciously and wickedly in inquiring whence He came, as if they had been ignorant of all that He had done. For what could be more unreasonable than that., after seeing the hand of God openly displayed in curing the lame and blind, they should doubt if He were a private individual who had rashly assumed this authority? Besides, more than enough of evidence had been already laid before them, that Christ was sent from heaven, so that nothing was farther from their wish than to approve of the performances of Christ, after having learned that God was the Author of them. They therefore insist on this., that he is not a lawful minister of God, because He had not been chosen by their votes, as if the power had dwelt solely with them. But though they had been the lawful guardians of the Church, still it was monstrous to rise up against God. We now understand why Christ did not make a direct reply to them. It was because they wickedly and shamelessly interrogated Him about a matter which was well known.

25 Whence was the baptism of John? Christ interrogates them about the baptism of John, not only to show that they were unworthy of any authority, because they had despised a holy prophet of God, but also to convict them, by their own reply, of having impudently pretended ignorance of a matter with which they were well acquainted. For we must bear in mind why John was sent, what was his commission, and on what subject he most of all insisted. He had been sent as Christ’s herald. He was not deficient in his duty, and claims nothing more for Himself than toprepare the way of the Lord.
 (
Malachi 3:1Luke 7:27.)

In short, he had pointed out Christ with the finger, and had declared Him to be the only Son of God. From what source then do the scribes mean that the new authority of Christ should be proved, since it had been fully attested by the preaching of John?

We now see that Christ employed no cunning stratagem in order to escape, but fully and perfectly answered the question which had been proposed; for it was impossible to acknowledge that John was a servant of God, without acknowledging that He was Himself the Lord. He did not therefore shelter arrogant men, “Ainsi done Christ n’a point voulu yei armer de response des glorieux et outrecuidez;” — “so then Christ did not intend here to arm, by His reply, haughty and presumptuous men.” who without any commission, but out of their own hardihood, take upon themselves a public office; nor did He countenance, by His example, the art of suppressing the truth, as many crafty men falsely plead His authority. If wicked men lay snares for us, we ought not always to reply in the same way, but ought to be prudently on our guard against their malice, yet in such a manner that truth may not be left without a proper defense.

Baptism denotes here not only the sign of washing, but the whole ministry of John; for Christ intended to draw out a reply, Was John a true and lawful prophet of God, or an impostor? Yet this mode of expression contains a useful doctrine, Is the of John from God, or from men? For hence we infer, that no doctrine and no sacrament ought to be received among the godly, unless it be evident that it has come from God; and that men are not at liberty to make any invention of this nature. The discourse relates to John, whom our Lord, in another passage, raises, by a remarkable commendation, above all the prophets, (Luke 7:26, 28.) Yet Christ declares that His baptism ought not to be received, unless it had been enjoined by God. What, then, must we say of the pretended sacraments, which men of no authority have foolishly introduced without any command from God? For Christ plainly declares by these words, that the whole government of the Church depends on the will of God in such a manner, that men have no right to introduce anything from themselves.

But they thought within themselves. Here we perceive the impiety of the priests. They do not inquire what is true, nor do they put the question to their own conscience; “Et n’examinent point la chose selon leur conscience;”—” and do not examine the thing according to their conscience.” and they are so base as to choose rather to shuffle than to acknowledge what they know to be true, that their tyranny may not be impaired. In this manner, all wicked men, though they pretend to be desirous of learning, shut the gate of truth, if they feel it to be opposed to their wicked desires. So then Christ does not allow those men to go without a reply, but sends them away ashamed and confounded, and, by bringing forward the testimony of John, sufficiently proves that He is furnished with divine power.  “Qu’il est muni et authorizé d’une puissance divine;” — “that He is furnished and authorized by a divine power.”

23     “Et qui est celuy qui t’a donné ceste authorité?” — “And who is He that gave thee that authority?”

24     “Et qui est celuy qui t’a donné ceste authorité?” — “And who is He that gave thee that authority?”

25     “Nous craignous le peuple;” — “we dread the people.”

26     “Ainsi done Christ n’a point voulu yei armer de response des glorieux et outrecuidez;” — “so then Christ did not intend here to arm, by his reply, haughty and presumptuous men.”

27     “Et n’examinent point la chose selon leur conscience;”—” and do not examine the thing according to their conscience.”

28     “Qu’il est muni et authorizé d’une puissance divine;” — “that he is furnished and authorized by a divine power.”

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

As with the First Reading, the Gospel also deals with the issue of authority. It is clear that the way Jesus used to teach was a source of disquiet among many of the Jewish religious leaders. They approach Him one day in the Temple and ask Him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus seldom directly answers provocative questions put to Him and in this case, as He does elsewhere, He answers with a question of His own. If they will answer His question, He will answer theirs.

 

His question is, "Was the baptism of John the Baptist of divine or human origin?" Immediately His questioners are in a dilemma. If they answer "divine", they will be further asked why they did not receive John’s baptism. We know that when John was baptizing they came to observe but they themselves clearly felt no need to be baptized themselves. To do so would have been to put themselves on the same level as the sinful and the unclean.

If they were to answer "human", then they would run the risk of offending the people who had no doubts about the matter. They all held that "John was a prophet". Lamely they answer, "We do not know." So Jesus refuses to reply to their question.

 

Ultimately the leaders were being accused of a stubborn blindness, unable and unwilling to see the hand of God either in the mission of Jesus or of John. They could not see that the authority with which Jesus spoke clearly resided in Himself. He was not just the bearer of a message; He was Himself the source of the message.

 

Perhaps a word about "authority" may be relevant here. The word comes from the Latin auctoritas, which is itself an abstract noun from the verb augere. Augere means "to increase, make bigger". We find the same verb in the word "author".

 

A person with ‘authority’ is not just someone who wields coercive power over others. The exercise of genuine authority is not to control, to keep in line but, on the contrary, to be an agent in releasing the potential that is in people, to be an empowering agent. Jesus did not wield coercive authority. He invited people to follow Him. He came to serve not be served. He came to give life, life in its fullness. He came to lead people into the full development of all they could be and were meant to be.

 

He did this dramatically when He got down on His knees and washed the feet of His disciples. This was an act of authority – the authority of outreaching love. It is up to each one to decide whether to follow the way of love or to go one’s own way.

 

Perhaps each one of us could examine how we exercise authority in our own lives – as parents, teachers, employers, or in any capacity where we have some responsibility with regard to others. Very few of us have no authority at all.

 

 

1) Opening prayer

 

Lord our God, in a world of injustice, war and exploitation, in which more and more people

have the means to live but not many reasons to live for, you promise us a star to follow, Jesus, your Son.

God, keep in us the hope alive that He will come today and that, if we are willing to take the demands of the Gospel seriously, we can become indeed a new people completely renewed in Christ, our Savior forever and ever. Amen

 

2) Matthew 21,23-27

 

Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him and said, 'What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?'

 

In reply Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; if you tell me the answer to it, then I will tell you My authority for acting like this.

 

John's baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?' And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, He will retort to us, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?"; but if we say human, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.'

So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And He retorted to them, 'Nor will I tell you My authority for acting like this.'

 

3) Reflection

 

• The Gospel today describes the conflict that Jesus had with the religious authority of the time, after that He drove out the merchants from the Temple. The priests and the elders of the people wanted to know with which authority Jesus was doing those things: to go into the Temple and drive out the merchants (cf. Mt 21, 12-13). The authority considered itself the master of all and thought that nobody could do anything without their permission. This is why they persecuted Jesus and tried to kill Him. Something similar was also happening in the Christian communities of the years seventy-eighty, the time in which the Gospel of Jesus was written. Those who resisted the authority of the Empire were persecuted. There were others, so as not to be persecuted, tried to reconcile Jesus’ project, with the project of the Roman Empire (cf. Ga 6, 12).

 

The description of the conflict of Jesus with the authority of His time was a help for the Christians, so that they could continue fearless in the persecutions and would not allow themselves to be manipulated by the ideology of the Empire. Today, also, some who exercise power, whether in society or in the Church and the family, want to control everything as if they were the masters of all the aspects of the life of the people. They even persecuted those who thought in a different way. Keeping in mind these thoughts and problems, let us read and meditate on today’s Gospel.

 

• Matthew 21, 23: The question of the religious authority to Jesus. “What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered: “And I will ask you a question, just one, if you tell me the answer to it, then I will tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism, what was its origin, heavenly or human?

 

Jesus went back to the Temple. When He taught, the chief priests and the elders of the people went close to Him and asked: With what authority do you do these things? Who has given you this authority?” Jesus again goes around the great square of the Temple. Then appear some priests and elders to question Him. After everything that Jesus had done the day before, they want to know with which authority He does these things. They did not ask which was the true reason which urged Jesus to drive out the merchants from the Temple (cf. Mt 21, 12-13). They only ask with which authority He does those things. They think that they have the right to control everything. They do not want to lose control of things.

 

• Matthew 21, 24-25ª: The question of Jesus to the authority. Jesus does not refuse answering, but He shows His independence and liberty and says: “I also, will ask you a question, if you tell Me the answer to it, then I will tell you My authority for acting like this. John’s baptism, what was its origin, heavenly or human?” This was an intelligent question, simple as a dove and cunning as a serpent! (cf. Mt 10, 16). The question shows the lack of honesty of His enemies. For Jesus, the baptism of John came from heaven, came from God. He himself had been baptized by John (Mt 3, 13-17). The men who had power, on the contrary, had plotted or planned the death of John (Mt 14, 3-12). And in this way they showed that they did not accept the message of John and that they considered His baptism like something from men and not from God.

 

• Matthew 21, 25b-26: Reasoning of the authority. The priests and the elders were aware of the importance or significance of the question and reasoned in the following way: "If we say heavenly, He will retort to us. Then why did you refuse to believe him? If we answer human, then we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet”. And therefore, so as not to expose themselves they answered: “We do not know!” This is an opportunist response, a pretence and interested one. Their only interest was not to lose their power over the people. Within themselves they had already decided everything: Jesus should be condemned to death (Mt 12, 14).

 

• Matthew 21, 27: Final conclusion of Jesus. And Jesus says to them: “Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this”. Their total lack of honesty makes them unworthy to receive an answer from Jesus.

 

4) Personal questions

 

Have you ever felt that you are being controlled without any right, by the authority of the house, in work, in the Church? Which was your reaction?

 

We all have some authority. Even in a conversation between two persons, each one has certain power, a certain authority. How do I use the power, how do I exercise authority: to serve and to liberate or to dominate and control?

 

5) Concluding prayer

 

Direct me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths.

Encourage me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. (Sal 25,4-5)

 

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27 by Dr. Knox Chamblin

THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY. 21:23-27.

I. INTRODUCTION.

"Between 21:23 and 22:46 there are recorded five controversies between Jesus and the authorities of Israel's religion. They are presented in the form of question and answer, a method used in connection with controversy material in the Talmud" (Hill, Matthew,296). The other four occur in 22:15-46.

Confronting and opposing Jesus in one or more of these controversies, are all elements of the nation's religious and secular leadership, namely the chief priests (controversy no. 1), the elders (no. 1), the Pharisees (nos. 2, 4 and 5), the Herodians (no. 2), and the Sadducees (no. 3).

II. THE OPENING QUESTION. 21:23. A. The Questioners.

Jesus is questioned by "the chief priests and the elders of the people" (Mk 11:27 includes "the teachers of the law" as well). The chief priests were "high functionaries of the Temple, former high priests [the term used here, archiereus, is used of Caiaphas in 26:3], and members of priestly families - mostly Sadduceean" (Hill, 296). The elders were "in this case probably no priestly members of the Sanhedrin, heads of the most influential lay families" (Carson, 447, following Jeremias, Jerusalem, 222-32, on "the lay nobility"). It is not at all surprising to find chief priests and elders working in concert (see Appendix A.).

B. The Question.

They ask, "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?" This twofold question (the nature of the authority depends on its source) embraces several things (note the plural "these things," tauta): Jesus' teaching ("while He was teaching," v. 23a), His healing miracles (v. 14), and His cleansing of the temple (vv. - 12-13). It is especially this last event that is in view; for the questioners are both directly involved in the workings of the temple and also very concerned about its stability and survival (cf. again Appendix A., on the Sadduceean and the lay view about the seat of power). Note that the "chief priests" were also among those who (on the preceding day) became indignant over Jesus' responses to the blind, the lame, and the children, while in the temple (v. 15).

C. The Motive.

Jesus prophesied that His suffering and death would come about at the hands of "the chief priests and the elders" (16:21; 20:18). Yet this (21:23) is the first time that either group has directly confronted Him; here they do so together. As there is no prior reference in Mt to their antagonism toward Jesus, we shall have to depend on the present passage for glimpses into their attitude toward Him and into their motives for asking the question.

From one standpoint the question is legitimate: "The Sanhedrin was concerned to learn why Jesus [in cleansing the temple] performed what appears to be an official act if He possesses no official status" (Lane, Mark, 413). Whether there are more hostile orsinister motives lurking beneath the surface, we shall have to see.

III. THE ENSUING DIALOGUE. 21:24-27.

A. Jesus' Question. 21:25.

Jesus hereby does three things: (1) He makes explicit the fundamental question concerning the source of authority, namely whether it is divine or human. (Were the questioners implying the same thing? or were they more concerned to learn whether Jesus had received the proper human authorization? See below.)

(2) By drawing attention to John the Baptist, He implies that the source of John's authority is the source of His as well.

(3) Thus He further implies that anyone who correctly identifies the source of John's authority (and therefore of His baptism) will thereby identify the source of Jesus' as well.

B. The Effects.

Jesus brings to light His interrogators' true condition.

1. Their pragmatism. Astonishingly, they admit that they are "afraid of the people" (v. 26). This admission reveals something else, namely their belief that John was nothing more than self-authorized. While the people "hold that John was a prophet," they do not; but they refuse to say so, because they fear the people. "That the Jewish leaders admit to themselves their policy of political expedience intensifies their guilt" (Gundry,420).

 

2. Their unbelief. By their own admission, they "did not believe" John (v. 25). Why should they? For in their eyes his authority is merely human and merely private - whereas theirs is corporate and divine (cf. comments on 15:1-9). Their failure to believe John, reveals in turn their failure to believe Jesus; believing the one would lead inevitably to believing the other (cf. comments on 11:7-19). It is interesting, in view of the leaders' present indignation over Jesus' ministry to the common people (vv. 14-15), to observe the same division in Mt 3: whereas ordinary Israelites confess their sins and receive John's baptism (3:5-6), the Pharisees and Sadducees are the objects of the Baptist's scathing denunciation (vv. 7-10).

3. Their imperceptions. Their unbelief rests on a failure to perceive the divine authority that underlies the ministries of both John and Jesus. This helps to explain Jesus' response. If the questioners recognize the source of John's authority, they will surely recognize the source of His own. But the chief priests and elders, having witnessed the ministries of John and Jesus, have nevertheless failed to recognize that God has authorized both.

This means that even if Jesus had answered the question of v. 23 with the words "God authorized Me," the questioners would have been no closer to faith. That kind of answer would simply provide the occasion for more skepticism ("How do we know that God sent you?") for persons who find it necessary to raise the question of v. 23 in the first place. Bruce comments: "If spiritual authority...is not recognized as self-authenticating, no amount of argument, not even a sign from heaven (cf. 12:38; 16:1) will validate it" (Matthew, 69). Cf. WCOF, Ch. 1, sec. V., on the self-authenticating character of Holy Scripture by virtue of the work of the Holy Spirit.

4. Their hostility. The questioners' attitude toward John, reveals their attitude toward Jesus. To their minds both John and Jesus are self-authorized. From the foregoing, three considerations that the question of v. 23 conceals a hostile intent and a desire to trap Jesus into self-betrayal. (This conclusion gains support from the Markan parallel.

According to Mk 11:27 "the teachers of the law" join the others in questioning Jesus. We know from Mt that these "scribes" have already demonstrated a suspicion and growing antipathy toward Jesus: cf. Mt 9:3; 12:38; 15:1.) By prodding Jesus into an open admission that God has authorized Him, the questioners seek to expose the absurdity of His claim.

For how (they reason) could God possibly authorize such a person to take the action of Mt 21:12-13? Not only does He lack priestly credentials. He has already shown Himself to be the enemy of the Law. The hostility that Jesus exposes, will continue to build until it comes to final expression in the crucifixion (16:21; 20:18; 21:45-46; 26:3-4 etc.).

Authority! - Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus went into the temple area. While Jesus was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, "Tell us! What authority (power) do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered, "I will ask you a question too. If you answer Me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. Tell Me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or was it only from other people?" The priests and the Jewish leaders talked about Jesus' question. They said to each other, "If we answer, 'John's baptism was from God,' then Jesus will say, 'Then why didn't you believe John?' But we can't say John's baptism was from someone else. We are afraid of the people, because they all believe that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know {where John's authority came from}." Then Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you what authority I have to do these things!" (ERV)

Key Thought

"By what authority?" Mmmm ... interesting question isn't it. By what authority did Jesus do all that He does in His ministry? This is the quintessential question of the Gospel. This is the ultimate question each of us must ask. Did Jesus do what He did based on the authority of God, as God's Son? Or was Jesus just another crackpot Messiah? The way we answer that must leave us in no lukewarm and safe place. Either we recognize Jesus as Lord with all authority or we do not. Incredibly, the journey through Jesus' crucifixion is supposed to be the asserting of religious and political authority over a rebellious peasant. In fact, even the trial scenes reveal that Jesus is the only one through all of it who has authority. The real question for us is whether we are ready to submit to that authority!

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, I believe Jesus has all authority. I want to live more and more each day under that authority, yielding to your will and doing your work in the world. In Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context — Matthew 21:12-22

Jesus went into the temple area. He threw out all the people that were selling and buying things there. Jesus turned over the tables that belonged to the men that were exchanging different kinds of money. And Jesus turned over the benches of those men that were selling doves. Jesus said to all the people there, "It is written {in the Scriptures }, 'My house will be called a house for prayer.' But you are changing God's house into a 'hiding place for thieves.' " Some blind people and some crippled people came to Jesus in the temple area. Jesus healed these people. The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw what Jesus did. They saw that Jesus was doing great things and saw the children praising Jesus in the temple area. The children were saying, "Praise to the Son of David. " All these things made the priests and the teachers of the law angry. The leading priests and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Do you hear the things these children are saying?" Jesus answered, "Yes. The Scripture says, 'You (God) have taught children and babies to give praise.' Have you not read that Scripture?" Then Jesus left that place and went out of the city to Bethany. Jesus stayed there that night. Early the next morning, Jesus was going back to the city. Jesus was very hungry. Jesus saw a fig tree beside the road. Jesus went to the fig tree {to get a fig to eat}. But there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, "You will never again have fruit!" And then the tree dried up and died. The followers saw this. They were very surprised. They asked, "How did the fig tree dry up and die so quickly?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. If you have faith and no doubts, you will be able to do the same as I did to this tree. And you will be able to do more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go, mountain, fall into the sea.' And if you have faith, it will happen. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer."

Jesus' Reasoning in Mark 11:27-33 (Matt 21:23-27; Luke 20:1-8) - By Jeremy Pierce

In Mark 11:27-33 (also related in Matthew 21:23-27 and Luke 20:1-8), Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees, and He seems to ignore their question entirely. What's buried behind His silence is an argument against their authority even to ask the question.

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, and they said to Him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer Me." And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'From man'? they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." (Mark 11:27-33, ESV)

The chief priests, scribes, and elders are challenging Jesus' authority, asking Him to testify in their court of law as to what gives Him the authority to do what He's been doing. He could have simply said that His authority comes from God. In other instances, He did as much. What He does in this instance is fairly interesting. He turns their challenge on its head. He asks them where John the Baptist's authority came from. They won't answer the question, because admitting to John's authority from God would mean that the one He explicitly said His ministry was pointing toward must be from God. They can't say what they believe, however, because the people would be mad due to John's popularity. Thus Jesus silences them.

Now this looks like a mere rhetorical trick. I won't answer you unless you answer Me first. That's no argument. I think it's a mistake to see it that way, though. What Jesus has done is itself an argument. They've asked Him a question, challenging His authority and seeking for Him to show that He's from God. He, of course, has already done so through His actions. They don't accept that evidence. That's the real issue here. His question about God brings that forth. The evidence is all out there regarding John. They know what He did. They know what He said. Yet they won't bring themselves to comment on that evidence, the sort of thing a genuine authority should be able to do. They won't allow their own courtroom to evaluate the evidence regarding John. This is despite their obvious opinion that He was not from God. Why should Jesus testify in their courtroom if they're so incompetent as to be unable to evaluate evidence in a reasonable manner and admit their conclusions in the same courtroom?

He has thus identified an inconsistency between their portrayal of their purpose and their actual methods. The argument is against them. He still hasn't answered their question, but He's shown that they have no right to expect an answer from Him until they can perform the job required of those who can ask such questions.

"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"    Is It From Heaven Or From Men? (21:23-27)

INTRODUCTION

1. While teaching in the temple, Jesus was confronted by the chief priests and elders...

   a. They questioned His authority to teach - Mt 21:23

   b. Jesus saw through their hypocrisy, and challenged them regarding the authority behind the baptism of John - Mt 21:24-25a

   c. Since they would not be honest in their answer, Jesus refused to answer their question - Mt 21:25b-27

2. In the process of exposing their hypocrisy, Jesus revealed an important principle regarding authority in matters of religion...

   a. All religious practices must come from one of two sources

   b. They come either from heaven, or from men - Mt 23:25

3. What Jesus asked regarding John's baptism, could be asked of many religious practices...

a. Infant baptism

b. Sprinkling or pouring instead of immersion

c. Denominationalism, a clergy-laity distinction

 d. The impossibility of apostasy, observing the Sabbath

 e. Instrumental music, burning of incense, etc., in our worship

   -- Are such practices from heaven, or from men?

In this study, we shall consider how one can know whether a particular religious practice is from heaven, or from man

I. TO BE FROM HEAVEN

A. IT MUST COME FROM JESUS...

      1. For He has been given all authority - Mt 28:18

      2. Both in heaven and on earth

Certainly if Jesus commanded it, it is from heaven

B. IT MUST COME THROUGH HIS APOSTLES...

      1. For Jesus delegated His authority to His apostles - Jn 13:20

      2. They serve as His official ambassadors - 2Co 5:20

      3. To ensure their reliability, Jesus promised the Spirit to remind them of what He   taught, and to guide them into all the truth - Jn 14:26; 16:12-13

      4. This is why the church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine - Ac 2:42; 1Co 14:37; 1Th 2:13

If the apostles of Christ taught it, it is from heaven!

 

C. IT MUST COME ONLY FROM THE APOSTLES...

      1. The apostles were given, and proclaimed, the whole counsel of God – Ac 20:27

      2. They were given all things that pertain to life and godliness

        - 2Pe 1:3

      3. The faith revealed through them was delivered once for all

        (lit., one time for all times) - Jude 3

There is no need for modern day revelations, for in the Scriptures we have all that is needed to be "complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2Ti 3:16-17). If a religious practice can be found to be taught by Jesus or His apostles, then it is truly from heaven!  Religious practices that are from men, however, might come from a variety of sources...

II. IT IS FROM MAN

A. IF BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT THE MAJORITY THINKS...

      1. Many people will accept whatever most people think about something

      2. Yet Jesus warned against following the majority - Mt 7:13-14

      3. If you had followed the majority...

        a. In Noah's day, you would have perished in the flood

        b. In Joshua's day, you would have perished in the wilderness

What the majority believes or does is not likely to be from heaven, but from men!

 

B. IF BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT PARENTS TAUGHT US...

      1. Some believe "If it was good enough for Mom and Dad, it is good enough for me."

      2. As much as we may love and respect our parents, Christ must come first - Mt 10:37

      3. If every generation had simply followed their parents, then we who are Gentiles would likely still be idol-worshippers and polytheistic!

Let us honor our parents, not by following them blindly, but by applying principles they themselves likely taught us, such as seek to do the right thing, obey God, etc.     

C. IF BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT PREACHERS TELL US...

      1. It is common for people to place their trust in their "preacher," "priest," or "pastor"

      2. They reason that surely these "men of God" could not be wrong or lead them astray

        a. Yet Paul warned of how we can easily be misled - cf. 2 Co 11:13-15

        b. And Jesus warned about the "blind leading the blind" – Mt 15:12-14

      3. Our attitude needs to be like that of the Bereans, who carefully examined Paul's teachings in light of the Scriptures - Ac 17:11

What a preacher teaches is only as good as the authority behind it; unless we wish to be led astray, we have the  responsibility to ask "Is it from God, or men?"

D. IF BASED SOLELY UPON CREEDS AND TRADITIONS OF MEN...

      1. This is where the denominations really get most of their authority

        a. E.g., for such things as infant baptism, pouring or sprinkling instead of immersion

        b. E.g, for such things as denominationalism, once saved always saved

      2. Indeed, adherence to the creeds of men is what produces denominations

        a. Accept the Bible only, and you become a Christian only

        b. Accept some man-made creed or tradition, and you become something else!

            1) Accept the Book of Mormon, and you become a Mormon

            2) Accept papal authority, and you become a Roman Catholic

            3) Accept the Lutheran Catechism, and you become a Lutheran

      3. Creeds are really not even necessary...

        a. If they say more than what the Bible says, they say too much

        b. If they say less than what the Bible says, they say too little

        c. If they say exactly what the Bible says, then why not let the Bible be our creed book?

The fact is creeds are filled with the traditions and commands of men, many of which conflict with and displace the commands of God! - cf. Mk 7:6-9

E. IF BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT YOUR CONSCIENCE TELLS YOU...

      1. "Let your conscience be your guide" is the motto of many

      2. But our conscience cannot always be reliable

        a. Paul had served God with a good conscience throughout his life - Ac 23:1

        b. Even at a time when he was persecuting Christians! - cf. Ac 26:9-11

      3. Our conscience is like a clock, which works properly if set correctly

      4. Once our conscience has been "set" by the "apostles' doctrine" then it can be a good guide

Unless what your conscience is telling you can be confirmed by the Word of God, then what you believe is from man, not God!

 

   F. IF BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT IS HUMAN WISDOM...

      1. Many believe that through their own wisdom they can determine

        right and wrong

        a. If it makes sense to them, they reason it must be true

        b. If it doesn't make sense, they won't accept it

      2. But God's thoughts and ways are not always our own - cf. Isa 55:8-9

      3. In fact, God has chosen to save man in a manner specifically designed to confound those who depend solely upon human wisdom - cf. 1Co 1:18-29

      4. For us to know God's will, it was necessary for Him to reveal it to us - 1Co 2:9-12

        a. This He has done through His Spirit-inspired apostles

        b. Who in turn shared it with us through their writings – Ep 3:1-5

Appeal to human reason to justify a certain practice, and it will likely be from man, not God!

G. IF BASED SOLELY UPON FEELINGS...

      1. This is often the "standard of authority" for many people

        a. Who go by whatever "feels right"

        b. Who place stock in a religion "better felt than told"

      2. Yet the Bible declares the danger of trusting in "feelings"

        a. "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." - Pr 14:12

        b. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool..." - Pr 28:26

        c. "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." - Jer 10:23

It should be evident that any religious practice or doctrine based upon "feelings" alone is from man, not God!

 

   H. IF BASED SOLELY UPON THE OLD TESTAMENT...

      1. People will sometimes resort to the O. T. to provide authority for some practice

        a. When they can't find authority for it in the teachings of Christ and/or His apostles

        b. For example, a clergy-laity system, burning of incense and use of instrumental music in worship, keeping the Sabbath, etc.

      2. But the O.T. was designed to be temporary, to fulfill a specific purpose and as a covenant has been replaced by the New Covenant (i.e., the New Testament)

        a. It was given because of transgressions, till Christ should come - Ga 3:19

        b. For those under the Law (Israel), it was a tutor

            1) A tutor designed to lead them to Christ - Ga 3:24

            2) A tutor that has been taken away - Ga 3:25

        c. When those who were under the Law came to Christ...

            1) They became dead to the Law - Ro 7:4

            2) They were delivered from the Law - Ro 7:6

        d. As prophesied by Jeremiah, God has made a "new covenant" to replace the "first covenant" which is now obsolete - He 8:7-13

      3. In handling the issue of circumcision, the apostles demonstrated that one cannot use the O.T. to teach something which they did not command

        a. Some sought to enforce circumcision and the Law upon Gentile believers - Ac 15:1,6

        b. But the apostles, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were able to defuse the problem by simply stating they themselves "gave no such commandment" - Ac 15:22-29

      4. This is not to say the O.T. is not of value to Christians...

        a. It was written for our learning, to provide patience, comfort, and hope - Ro 15:4

        b. It was written for our admonition, that we not make similar mistakes - 1Co 10:6,11

        c. We just can't use it to enjoin religious practices upon others which the apostles' themselves did not teach!

CONCLUSION

1. Do we want to avoid being led astray?

   a. By "blind leaders of the blind"? - cf. Mt 15:14

   b. By "false teachers...who will secretly bring in destructive heresies"? - cf. 2 Pe 2:1

2. Then we need to know how to ascertain whether a religious doctrine or practice...

   a. Is from God or from men

   b. Is based upon what the apostles of Christ taught, or some other "authority"

 

3. The solution is simple, but requires effort on our part...

   a. We must "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" – Ac 2:42

   b. We must "search the scriptures daily" - Ac 17:11

Only then can we be sure that what we believe or someone teaches is truly from God, and not from man!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible: See also Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-9.

Matthew 21:23

When He was come into the temple - That is, probably, into the inner court - the court of the Israelites.

They took this opportunity of questioning Him on this subject when He was not surrounded by the multitude.

By what authority ... - There was a show of propriety in this question. He was making great changes in the affairs of the temple, and they claimed the right to know why this was done, contrary to their permission. He was not "a priest;" He had no civil or ecclesiastical authority as a Jew. It was sufficient authority, indeed, that He came as a prophet and worked miracles. But they professed not to be satisfied with that.

These things - The things which He had just done, in overturning the seats of those that were engaged in traffic, Matthew 21:12.

Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

By what authority doest thou these things? - The things which the chief priests allude to, were His receiving the acclamations of the people as the promised Messiah, His casting the traders out of the temple, and His teaching the people publicly in it.

Who gave thee this authority? - Not them: for, like many of their successors, they were neither teachers nor cleansers; though they had the name and the profits of the place.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when He was come into the temple,.... The day following the cursing the fig tree: for the withering of it, and the notice the disciples took of it, and our Lord's discourse with them about it, were not in one and the same day, as is clear from the account the Evangelist Mark gives; but on the morning that Christ had conversed with His apostles by the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, concerning the strength of faith in prayer, and the success of it; when they were come into the city, and to the temple, whither He directly went, and entered upon His work of preaching to the people,

the chief priests and elders of the people came unto Him. The "chief priests" were not the high priest, and his "sagan", or deputy, but the principal of the priesthood, who were chosen from the rest of their brethren, to sit in the sanhedrim; and "the elders of the people" were the laity that were chosen from among the people, to be members of the same grand council: in this sense the Jewish writers interpret the word "elders", in Deuteronomy 21:2 "thy elders, and thy judges"; that is,

"thy elders, who are thy judges: it is a tradition, R. Eliezer ben Jacob says, , "thine eiders; this is the great sanhedrim" (a).

The other Evangelists Mark and Luke add to these, Scribes, who also were a part of this great assembly; so that the principal members of it, if not the whole sanhedrim, came in a body together, if possible, by their presence and authority, to daunt Christ, discourage his ministry, bring it into contempt with the people, and stop his proceedings and success. And this they did

as He was teaching; the people, that is, preaching the Gospel to them, as Luke explains it: He was instructing them in the things relating to Himself, and His kingdom, dispensing the mysteries of His grace, the doctrines of regeneration, justification, and salvation. Mark says, it was "as He was walking in the temple": and at the same time teaching the people, who flocked about Him in like manner, as the Peripatetic philosophers taught their scholars walking: whence they had their name,

And said, by what authority dost thou these things? that is, drive out the buyers and sellers out of the temple, which greatly provoked them, their own gain and interest being concerned therein; and perform these miracles of restoring sight to the blind, and causing the lame to walk; which He had very lately wrought in the temple; and particularly preach these doctrines, the work in which He was then engaged:

and who gave thee this authority? They do not object to His doctrines, or dispute whether they were true or false; nor examine His miracles, whether they were of God, or of the devil: in these points they might fear He would be able to put them to silence and confusion, of which some of them had had an experience before; but they proceed in another way, in which they might hope for success, and attack Him about His commission and authority under which He acted, whether He pretended to derive His authority from God, or from men: by this they designed to ensnare Him and hoped they should gain their point, let Him answer in what form He would. Should He say that God gave Him the authority to do these things, they would charge Him with enthusiasm and blasphemy, urging, that it was wickedness and presumption any man to pretend to be sent immediately from God; since the order of the priesthood, and of teaching was fixed, and none were to take upon them the office of a priest, or of a teacher of the people, but by their appointment; or none were called and sent, but through them, or by their means: and if He should say, that He had His authority from men, they would confront Him, and absolutely deny that He had any from them, who only had the power of giving men an authority of preaching in the temple; wherefore He must be an usurper of this office, and a turbulent, seditious person, that sought to destroy all order, civil and ecclesiastical,

(a) T. Hieros Sota, fol. 23. 3. Jarchi in Deuteronomy 21.2.

Geneva Study Bible

{6} And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what {k} authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

(6) Against those who neglect the doctrine and bind the calling and vocation to an ordinary succession, going about by that false pretext, to stop Christ's mouth.

(k) Or by what power.

 

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Mt 21:23-46. The Authority of Jesus Questioned and the Reply—The Parables of the Two Sons, and of the Wicked Husbandman. ( = Mr 11:27-12:12; Lu 20:1-19).

Now commences, as Alford remarks, that series of parables and discourses of our Lord with His enemies, in which He develops, more completely than ever before, His hostility to their hypocrisy and iniquity: and so they are stirred up to compass His death.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned, and the Reply (Mt 21:23-27).

23. By what authority doest thou these things!—referring particularly to the expulsion of the buyers and sellers from the temple,

and who gave thee this authority?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:23-27 As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

People's New Testament

21:23 When He was come into the temple. Compare Mr 11:27 Lu 20:1. This was on Tuesday, after the discourse on the fig tree, which occurred the morning after the curse was pronounced.

The chief priests and the elders. Mark and Luke add the scribes. These three classes made up the Sanhedrin, and this was probably a deputation from that body.

By what authority doest thou these things? Such acts as driving the money-changers and traders out of the temple, done the day before.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 23-ch. 22:14. - Our Lord's authority questioned: He replies by uttering three parables. (Mark 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-18.) Verses 23-27. - First attack, referring to His late actions: and Christ's answer. Verse 23. - When He was come into the temple. The conversation recorded here belongs to the Tuesday of the Holy Week, and took place in the courts of the temple, at this time filled with pilgrims from all parts of the world, who hung upon Christ's words, and beheld His doings with wonder and awe. This sight roused to fury the envy and anger of the authorities, and they sent forth sections of their cleverest men to undermine His authority in the eyes of the people, or to force from Him statements on which they might found criminal accusation against Him. The chief priests and the elders of the people. According to the other evangelists, there were also scribes, teachers of the Law, united with them in this deputation, which thus comprised all the elements of the Sanhedrin. This seems to have been the first time that the council took formal notice of Jesus' claims and actions, and demanded from Him personally an account of Himself. They had been quick enough in inquiring into the Baptist's credentials, when he suddenly appeared on the banks of Jordan (see John 1:19, etc.); but they had studiously, till quite lately, avoided any regular investigation of the pretensions of Jesus. In the thee of late proceedings, this could no longer be delayed. A crisis had arrived; their own peculiar province was publicly invaded, and their authority attacked; the opponent must be withstood by the action of the constituted court. As He was teaching. Jesus did not confine Himself to beneficent acts; He used the opportunity of the gathering of crowds around Him to preach unto them the gospel (Luke 20:1), to teach truths which came with double force from One who bad done such marvelous things. By what authority doest thou these things? They refer to the triumphal entry, the reception of the homage offered, the healing of the blind and lame, the teaching as with the authority of a rabbi, and especially to the cleansing of the temple. No one could presume to teach without a proper commission: where was His authorization? They were the guardians and rulers of the temple: what right had He to interfere with their management, and to use the sacred precincts for His own purposes? These and such like questions were in their mind when they addressed Him thus. Willfully ignoring the many proofs they had of Christ's Divine mission (which one of them, Nicodemus, had long before been constrained to own, John 3:2), they raised the question now as a novel and unanswered one. Who gave thee this authority? They resolve the general inquiry into the personal one - Who was it that conferred upon You this authority which you presume to exercise? Was it some earthly ruler, or was it God Himself? Perhaps they mean to insinuate that Satan was the master whose power he wielded - an accusation already often made. They thought thus to place Christ in an embarrassing position, from which He could not emerge without affording the opportunity which they desired. The trap was cleverly set, and, as they deemed, unavoidable. If He was forced to confess that He spoke and acted without any proper authorization, He would be humiliated in the eyes of the people, and might be officially silenced by the strong hand. If He asserted Himself to be the Messiah and the bearer of a Divine commission, they would at once bring against Him a charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Mark 11:27,28 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as He was walking in the temple,

Luke 19:47,48 And He taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the …

Luke 20:1,2 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as He taught the …

the chief priests.

1 Chronicles 24:1 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; …

By what.

Exodus 2:14 And he said, Who made you a prince and a judge over us? intend you …

Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the middle, they asked, By what power, …

Acts 7:27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made …

Wesley's Notes

21:23 When He was come into the temple, the chief priests came - Who thought He violated their right: and the elders of the people - Probably, members of the sanhedrim, to whom that title most properly belonged: which is the more probable, as they were the persons under whose cognizance the late action of Christ, in purging the temple, would naturally fall. These, with the chief priests, seem purposely to have appeared in a considerable company, to give the more weight to what they said, and if need were, to bear a united testimony against Him. As He was teaching - Which also they supposed He had no authority to do, being neither priest, nor Levite, nor scribe. Some of the priests (though not as priests) and all the scribes were authorized teachers. By what authority dost thou these things - Publicly teach the people! And drive out those who had our commission to traffic in the outer court? Luke 20:1; Mark 11:27

 

Chapter Contents

 

Christ enters Jerusalem. (1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple. (12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple. (23-27) The parable of the two sons. (28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen. (33-46)

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11

 

This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zechariah 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's Kingdom.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17

 

Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as He had done at His entering upon His ministry, John 2:13-17. His works testified of Him more than the hosannas; and His healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of His visible church, how many secret evils He would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion, would He show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

 

This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

 

As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

 

Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

 

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone. But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ be

 

Commentaries:

 

He wanted them to admit that He was Jesus but when they wouldn't He refused to tell them anything.  So, since they chose not to tell Him He did not tell them either.

 

Jesus answered a question with a question to test the Pharisees how well they know the LORD personally

 

JESUS many times spoke in Parables and "Beyond Humans Intelligence." JESUS knew the elders/scribes/Pharisees were only trying to Trap HIM. HE never gave them any answer nor would HE ever perform miracles around them. (Notice this: HE knew their hearts) HE knows ours too! If HE answered them either way they would have accused Him of evil as in (Luke11:14-23)

 

Because Jesus knew that the Pharisees' mind: trying to test Him, because of unbelief.

To find out what they truly believed and as a test of their faith.  Their faith in God would have to be sincere or they would not have believed in His power from heaven.

 

Jesus answered the Pharisees with a question because they did not actually want an answer from Him, they just wanted to trap Him into committing premature declaration of who He really was. They would have called Jesus a blasphemer.

 

They, the Pharisees had made up their minds to trap Him with that question but they were caught in their own trap hence their refusal to answer the question. Poor they! they never knew who was in their mist because of their disbelieve.

 

" By their answer they revealed that they really did not care whether John's baptism was from God or not. They were not interested in the truth, nor were they willing to answer that question at all; they only cared about serving their own interests. Thus they revealed themselves as being opposed to God's authority, acting only out of the intrigues and craftiness of men."

 

The Pharisees thought they were extremely clever and could trap JESUS. As it were, knew what they were thinking and answered as such for the time had not yet come whereby JESUS would be handed over.

 

Jesus know that they are hypocrites and they wanted to use one case to nail Him. So He perceived this in His spirit because His time has not yet come.

 

Jesus answered the question with the question because Jesus Knew that the Pharisees would not recognize any authority by their own self even though they knew everything in order to protect their own law and prove that their law is superior.

 

Jesus knew that the Pharisees are unbelievers and wanted to trap Him and challenge Him. That is why He put question to them rather to trap them in their own net. They did not answer the question of Jesus to be on safe side.

 

Pharisees are unbelievers they want to trap the Jesus  and they are still in doughty Jesus is a Son of God that is why Jesus answer a question with a question rather than telling the Pharisees by what authority you people will do..

 

He knew that they were trying to trap Him. And if He answered them then they would have accused Him of blasphemy and would have arrested Him and possibly crucified Him before it was time. Knowing their hearts He asked them a question knowing that they would not answer that so allowing Him not to fall in their trap.

 

Jesus answered a question with a question because He knew the Pharisees were trying to trap Him and they wouldn't believe Him. If He said He was doing these things under the authority of God His Father, they would have accused Him of blasphemy. The Pharisees were hypocrites.  They acted pious but they really weren't. They added to God's Law to serve their own purposes.



By: Gregorio Magdaleno
Category: The Authority of Jesus Questioned
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

Matthew 21:1-11 

 

The Triumphal Entry

 

When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them." 

 

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 

 

The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and He sat on them. A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. The multitudes who went before Him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 

 

When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" The multitudes said, "This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 

Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

 

Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

 

In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of His Passion.

 

In John 12:9-11, after raising Lazarus from the dead, crowds gather around Jesus and believe in Him, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as He enters Jerusalem. In Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19, as Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome Jesus as He triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

 

Christians celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as Palm Sunday, a week before Easter Sunday.

 

According to the Gospels, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus was staying at Bethany and Bethphage, and John 12:1 states that He was in Bethany six days before Passover. While there, Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against them, in order to retrieve a donkey that had been tied up but never been ridden, and to say, if questioned, that the donkey was needed by the Lord (or Master) but would be returned.

 

Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem, with the three Synoptic gospels stating that the disciples had first put their cloaks on it, so as to make it more comfortable. In Mark and John the entry takes place on a Sunday, in Matthew on a Monday; Luke does not specify the day. In Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin), foretelling the suffering that awaits the city.

 

The Gospels go on to recount how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and how the people there lay down their cloaks in front of Him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25-26: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless You from the house of the Lord....

 

In the Synoptic Gospels, this episode is followed by the Cleansing of the Temple episode, and in all four Gospels Jesus performs various healings and teaches by way of parables while in Jerusalem, until the Last Supper.

 

Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace, rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse.

 

Old Testament parallels

 

Matthew 21:1-11 refers to a passage from Book of Zechariah (9:9) and states: "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." The location of the Mount of Olives is significant in the Old Testament in that Zechariah 9:9 and Zechariah 14:1-5 stated that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives:

 

“Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.”

 

The triumphal entry and the palm branches, resemble the celebration of Jewish liberation in 1 Maccabeus (13:51) which states: And entered into it ... with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs.

 

Jesus' entry on a donkey has a parallel in Zechariah 9:9 which states that: thy king cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.

 

The symbolism of the donkey may also refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when He was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when He wanted to point out that He was coming in peace. Therefore Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized His entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war waging king

 

Palm Sunday

 

Palm Sunday is also Passion Sunday. The Palm Sunday passage moves us towards the Passion. It has its genesis in Jesus' strategy to bring Himself and His message to Jerusalem. This was much more than a PR opportunity not to be missed because of the concentration of people in Jerusalem during Passover. Rather it belongs to the body language of the message of the 'kingdom'. It is an expression of hope for change. Just as Jesus reflected the Jewish roots of His passion for change by choosing twelve disciples, so also His march on Zion reflects His people's vision that God would bring about a change beginning with Jerusalem. To affirm the vision of the kingdom and to live out its hopes in the present in action and symbol meant challenging existing structures of authority, both those of the temple leadership and those of Rome. This is the backdrop for the drama which follows. To journey with Jesus still means espousing a challenge to the powers which hold sway in our world (and our church).

 

Palm Sunday invites play, serious play. Here is the procession to end all processions. Here is adulation. The creative imagination can place the hearer among the crowd beside the road, reluctant, fully adoring, standing aloof in confusion or alienation, perhaps remembering key events from Jesus' ministry. Let the imagination run!

 

It is important, however, not to cut story from its moorings so that it becomes a triumphalism celebration. In Matthew, as in Mark, whom Matthew closely follows here, this is the fateful entry which will take Jesus to His death. The dramatic irony which celebrates Jesus as king and reaches its climax with Jesus crowned king of the Jews on the cross, is beginning. The acclamation of the crowd is, therefore, at least ambiguous. They will, in Matthew, call Jesus' blood upon themselves and their children. That will have fateful consequences, according to Matthew in the destruction of the temple and the widespread slaughter of its inhabitants, according to subsequent history in the annals of anti-Semitic hate. The scene is full of danger and denseness. John's gospel shows some sensitivity to the problem when he adds the footnote that the disciples did not really understand what was happening or what it meant until after Easter (12:16).

 

Nor should we picture an historical event in which the whole of Jerusalem lined the streets, thronging the new Messiah. An actual entry with some shouts of praise doubtless occurred but would have been sufficiently lost in the Passover crowds as not to warrant the military's attention, who would have been swift to put an end to what could have seemed like a potential disturbance. Whatever the event, it became highly symbolic. Perhaps it had this quality from the start, especially if we imagine a provocative act on Jesus' part in emulating Zechariah's prediction, which Matthew now fully cites; but this is doubtful. Throughout the passion narrative it is difficult to know where reports gave rise to scripture elaboration and where scripture gave rise to stories. Most echoes of scripture (especially the Psalms) probably began as allusions and subsequently became quotations, as here in Matthew. Matthew's concern for precise fulfillment has Jesus ride on 'them', that is, both the ass and its foal, one of the funniest results of 'fulfillments’' in the New Testament!

 

Matthew begins, as does Mark, with the finding of the animals, a miracle similar to the finding of the upper room a little later on. Hearers of the evangelists would recognize in this a sign of divine involvement; it worked for them. Matthew dwells on it less than Mark. The actions of the crowd are as they are reported in Mark. Their acclamation, using the words of Psalm 118, which finds it echo in the Eucharistic liturgy, is more than heralding a Passover pilgrim. It is heralding the Davidic Messiah. Matthew simplifies their cry. It becomes: 'Hosanna to the son of David.' 'Son of David' is an appropriate title for Israel's Messiah, a hope modeled on selective memory of His achievements. It is found on the lips of the Canaanite woman, two sets of two blind men (20:29-34; 9:27-31; cf. Mark 10:46-52), and a few verses later on the lips of children who also cry: 'Hosanna to the Son of David' (21:15). Matthew uses acclamation by outsiders, marginalized and little ones, to shame Israel for its failure to acknowledge Him as 'the Son of David' of Jewish hopes.

 

According to Matthew Jesus' presence sets Jerusalem in turmoil. One is reminded of the consternation caused there by the magi (2:3). To describe the turmoil Matthew uses the word for earthquake (eseisthe), which will reappear at Jesus' death (27:51) and again at His resurrection (28:2). The event was 'of earth shattering significance', certainly in world history, in retrospect, so Matthew writes this into the scene. It is his own creative addition to Mark's account.

 

The crowds in Jerusalem have not really grasped who He is, stopping at 'the prophet from Nazareth' (21:11). This nevertheless forms a good transition to what immediately follows in Matthew, the attempted reform of the temple (21:12-13). Matthew has removed from the scene the cursing of the fig tree which encapsulates the event in Mark (11:12-14; 20-21; Matthew brings it later: 21:18-19). Instead we see the true Son of David performing in the temple acts of healing which in Matthew appear strongly linked with Jesus as Son of David and may reflect popular traditions about the first Son of David, Solomon as a source of medical wisdom. They may also reflect fulfillment of the great prophetic hope that in the end times there will be healing on Mount Zion. The presence of 'the Son of David' in the episode immediately preceding the entry (20:30,31), in the entry and in the episode which immediately follows (21:15), has the effect of making the whole a celebration of His identity as Israel's Messiah, as the bringer of wholeness and healing.

 

Jesus was not entering a foreign city, nor entering the city of 'the Jews'. He was a Jew. He was entering the city which symbolized in His faith and His scriptures God's promise to Israel. To confront one's own faith and its traditions is painful. This is part of the drama of the event, both in Matthew's account and in the earlier forms of the story, not least in the event itself.

 

Thus Jesus' approach to Jerusalem has become for many a symbol of the confrontation they must make, including the confrontation with themselves. The issues at stake are not ultimate control or power, though it is easy to give this impression: Jesus is the rightful king! For then might dictates the terms and we reinforce the theme that might is right and right is might and reproduce its abuses in the swirl of deduction. The children acclaim the true signs of messiah ship and they have less to do with palms and crowns, which ultimately must be subverted into irony on the cross, and more to do with acts of healing and compassion. Without them the entry story is ambiguous, a potential disaster, which realizes itself in every generation in the name of piety. A radically subverted model of power exercised in compassion challenges the temple system and Rome in its day and their equivalents in our own, around us and within us.

 

The Liturgy of the Palms - Matthew 21:1-11

 

"Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

 

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Confitemini Domino

 

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.

2 Let Israel now proclaim, * "His mercy endures forever."

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *I will enter them;

I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 "This is the gate of the Lord; * he who is righteous may enter."

21 I will give thanks to You, for You answered me * and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected * has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord's doing, * and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! * Lord, send us now success.

26 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; * we bless You from the house of the Lord.

27 God is the LORD; he has shined upon us; * form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.

28 "You are My God, and I will thank You; * You are My God, and I will exalt You."

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; * His mercy endures forever, at The Liturgy of the Word

 

The Collect

 

Almighty and ever living God, in Your tender love for the human race You sent Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of His great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Old Testament - Isaiah 50:4-9a

 

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.

 

Morning by morning he wakens, wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

 

The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

 

The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; He who vindicates me is near.

 

Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.

 

It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

 

Psalm 31:9-16 . In te, Domine, speravi

 

9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; * my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly.

 

10 For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing; * my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed.

11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors, a dismay to those of my acquaintance; * when they see me in the street they avoid me.

 

12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; * I am as useless as a broken pot.

 

13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around; * they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.

 

14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. * I have said, "You are my God.

 

15 My times are in your hand; * rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

 

16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, * and in Your loving-kindness save me."

The Epistle

 

Philippians 2:5-11

 

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.

 

And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 

Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

The Gospel

 

Matthew 26:14- 27:66

 

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

 

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, `The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

 

When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me." And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." Judas, who betrayed Him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

 

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

 

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of Me this night; for it is written,

 

`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

 

But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." Peter said to Him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert You." Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even though I must die with You, I will not deny You." And so said all the disciples.

 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.

 

Then He said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with Me." And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what you want."

 

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and He said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with Me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again He went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."

 

Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

 

While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest Him." At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do."

 

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

 

Those who had arrested Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This fellow said, `I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'" The high priest stood up and said, "Have You no answer? What is it that they testify against You?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to Him, "I put You under oath before the living God, tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to Him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

 

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard His blasphemy. What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spat in His face and struck Him; and some slapped Him, saying, "Prophesy to us, You Messiah! Who is it that struck You?"

 

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

 

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about His death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

 

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, He repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."

 

Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.

"

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for Him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to Him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

 

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while He was still alive, `After three days I will rise again.' Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise His disciples may go and steal Him away, and tell the people, `He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

 

or

 

Matthew 27:11-54

 

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave Him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of This man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The Triumphal Entry.

 

I. The Preparation. 21:1-7.

 

A. Bethphage.

 

Jesus and His companions "approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount

of Olives" (v. 1). The company approaches Jerusalem from the east; between the Mount of Olives and the city lay the Kidron Valley. Bethphage was a village near Bethany (both parallels, Mk 11:1 and Lk 19:29, mention both places), on the eastern side of the mountain, about two miles from Jerusalem. "The village ahead of you" (v. 2) is probably Bethphage, not Bethany; for Bethphage alone is mentioned in v. 1, and it lay nearer to Jerusalem than did Bethany (cf. Lane, Mark, 394).

 

B. Jesus the Lord.

 

1. Jesus' insight, v. 2. Jesus instructions may rest on prior arrangements. On the other hand, the words of v. 2 may reflect extraordinary, which in Jesus' case means divine, insight, and Jesus' mastery of the entire situation.

 

2. Jesus' commands, vv. 2-3. The instructions are issued with full authority: "Go [present imperative poreuesthe]..., and at once you will find [future indicative heurssete, perhaps used volitionally].... Untie [aorist participle lusantes, perhaps used imperatively] them and bring [aorist imperative agagete] them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell [future indicative ereite, used volitionally] him that ..." (NIV).

 

3. Jesus' ownership, v. 3. NIV renders the middle of v. 3, "the Lord needs them" (for ho kyrios aut©n chreian echei). This is a defensible rendering. However, it is preferable to translate, "Their Lord has need [of them]".

 

As Jesus is Lord of all, He is the supreme and ultimate owner of the mother donkey and her colt. At the same time, Jesus respects the one who, under His Lordship, is entrusted with the animals' care; cf. Mk 11:3b, "The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly."

 

4. The human response. Jesus' commands are immediately, unquestioningly and completely obeyed, both by the animals' owner (v. 3b) and by the disciples (vv. 6-7).

 

II. The Prophecy. 21:4-5.

 

A. The Introduction. 21:4.

 

"This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet."

 

1. The placement of the quotation. While vital for understanding the Entry itself, the quotation is placed before the event. The opening "this" of v. 4 directs attention back to Jesus' instructions and shows their relevance for bringing the prophecy to fulfillment.

 

2. The source of the prophecy. The Word is spoken through (dia) the prophet, so (it is implied) by (hypo) Yahweh. See 1:22.

 

B. The First OT Passage: Isaiah 62:11.

 

The larger part of 21:5 is devoted to Zech 9:9. Yet Matthew replaces the opening words of this verse ("Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!") with Isa 62:11b, "Say to the Daughter of Zion." The proclamation of Isa 62 is universal in scope (Yahweh "has made proclamation to the ends of the earth," v. 11a) and saving in character ("See, your Savior comes!" v. 11c). Matthew's replacing Zech 9:9a ("Rejoice") with Isa 62:11 ("Say"), makes the following quote from Zech "an evangelistic challenge to unconverted Israel" (p. 408).

 

C. The Second OT Passage: Zechariah 9:9.

1. The prophecy in its original setting.

 

a. The preceding context. Following the visions of 1:7-6:15 and the oracles on fasting in 7:1-8:23, 9:1 introduces the third major division of Zech, the "prophetic apocalyptic" of chs. 9-14. 9:1-8 speaks of Yahweh's future judgment upon, and victory over, a host of Gentile nations (such as the Philistines) that formerly oppressed and disinherited Israel.

 

b. Verse 9. Responding to the glad tidings of 9:1-8, v. 9 exclaims: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Yahweh's coming victory is cause for great joy! "Your king" is the expected Messianic king of David's line, the One by whom Yahweh conquers the nations.

 

c. The following context, 9:10. V. 10a reads, "I [Yahweh] will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken." Yahweh envisages a reunited Israel, whose shalom will forever end the warfare between Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) and Southern (whose capital was Jerusalem). But the peace of Yahweh's reign is broader still. "He [the Messiah whom Yahweh appoints] will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River [i.e., the Euphrates] to the ends of the earth" (v. 10). The very nations to whom Yahweh announced judgment (vv. 1-8), now hear His proclamation of peace! Cf. the sequence in Gen 6-12.

 

This peace is assured "by the righteous king ruling over a world-wide empire".

 

2. The prophecy in Mt 21:5: "See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

a. The omission. Why does Matthew exclude the words "righteous and having salvation"?

 

(1) Matthew obviously believes these words are suitably applied to Jesus; fundamental to his Christology is that Jesus is the righteous Savior.

 

(2) But given the present rejection of Messiah, especially by the religious leadership in Jerusalem, these words are deliberately omitted (or at most, left to be inferred). Messiah has already (in His prior ministry) offered salvation; Israel will not receive salvation until she is ready to take the offer seriously.

 

b. The animals. The latter part of Zech 9:9 reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Hebrew hamor], on a colt ['ayir], the foal [bsn] of a donkey ['atonot, plural of 'aton]." How are these words, quoted in Mt 21:5, to be related to Mt 21:2, "a donkey...with her colt by her"?

 

(i) Zech presents a case of synonymous parallelism; the first donkey is the colt. This is clear from the Hebrew: the donkey on which the king rides is a hamor, or "male donkey," identified further as an 'ayir, which also means a "male donkey," and yet further as bsn, "son." The second donkey is an 'aton, "female donkey," the mother of the on which the king rides.

 

(ii) Matthew is sometimes accused of reading Zech 9:9 as though the first donkey (hamor) and the colt ('ayir) were two different animals. This accusation seems misguided, not to say incredible. Unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary, we may assume that Matthew will be responsive to the literary features of Hebrew poetry. (Here, as a matter of fact, His quotation depends on the Hebrew where the MT differs from the LXX.) To be sure, there is a notable linguistic parallel between 21:5 and 21:2. V. 5b reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Greek onon, accusative of onos], on a colt [p©lon, accusative of p©los], the foal [huion, "son"] of a donkey [hypozygiou, "beast of burden"; the only other NT instance is 2 Pet 2:16, where it again denotes a donkey - Balaam's]."

 

V. 2b reads, "you will find a donkey [onon] tied there, with her colt [p©lon] by her." Yet in Greek the masculine forms onos and p©los served for both male and female animals. Matthew's intention in 21:5 is not to distinguish the onos from the p©los (he readily recognizes the parallelism and knows that these are one and the same animal), but to distinguish the onos from the hypozygion (the Hebrew's distinction between the hamor and the 'aton is reflected in Matthew's change of nouns).

 

(iii) Matthew speaks of both the mother donkey and the colt, because Jesus' instructions embraced both animals. Here, as with the use of Isa 7:14 in ch. 1, Matthew's purpose is not to make the events of Jesus' life conform to OT prophecy, but rather to examine the OT in light of the actual events of Jesus' life. That Jesus would instruct the disciples to bring both the colt and its mother, is quite understandable in view of the fact (reported by the other Synopsis’s) that this is a colt "which no one has ever ridden" (Mk 11:2, par. Lk 19:30). But it is Jesus' intention to ride upon the colt alone; and it is in accord with this intention that Matthew quotes Zech 9:9.

 

(iv) We read in 21:7, "They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them." This verse is sometimes taken (in agreement with the view that

 thinks the first donkey and the colt of Zech are different animals) to mean that Jesus, somehow, sat on both animals. A much simpler, and far more realistic view, is that Jesus sat on the garments that had been placed on the animals. (The genitive aut©n applies as easily to saddle garments as to animals.)

 

c. The fact of Jesus' kingship. The prophecy's reference to Israel's ("Your") king, accords with Mt's portrait of Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of David" (1:1), the "king of the Jews" (2:2). Messiah's riding on a donkey colt is not a rejection of kingship. As a donkey was a fitting mount for royalty in OT times so it is

appropriate for Jesus the King.

 

d. The character of Jesus' reign. If Jesus was not rejecting kingship as such, He was just as surely repudiating a certain concept of kingship. For a king leading a march into war, a horse would be the right mount. But for a king embarking on a mission of peace, a lowly beast of burden was the eminently correct choice.

 

e. The extent of Jesus' reign. Zech 9:9 was directed to Israel, represented (in Hebrew idiom) as "the Daughter of Zion" and "the Daughter of Jerusalem." Correspondingly, Jesus' offer of peace is directed first to Israel (cf. above comments on Zech 9:10a). Jesus the Messiah offers Israel her only hope of shalom (Mt 10:13), of rest (11:28-30), and of security (23:37). But here, as in Zech 9:10b, Yahweh's proclamation of peace extends beyond the borders of Israel to embrace the Gentile nations.

 

The quotation of Mt 21:5 does not extend through Zech 9:10. Yet such is the thrust of Mt from the opening chapter, that we are meant to read Zech 9:9 as a pointer to the following verse. Jesus the Messiah of Israel has assuredly come to "proclaim peace to the nations" (Zech 9:10; LXX, ethn©n, as in Mt 28:19). Following the account of the Entry in Jn 12, the Pharisees exclaim, "Look how the whole world [kosmos] has gone after Him" (12:19b). Then "certain Greeks" seek an audience with Jesus (v. 20); soon afterwards He declares, "I will draw all men to Myself" (12:32).

 

III. The Entry Itself. 21:8-11.

 

A. The Crowd's Visible Homage. 21:8.

 

1. The cloaks. Both the garments on which Jesus sits and those which the crowd spread on the road (the word himatia is used in both vv. 7 and 8), signal His royalty.

 

2. The branches. Jn 12:13 identifies them as palm branches. Some argue that these are signs of Jewish nationalism (John, 1: 461), here expressive of the hope that Jesus will fulfill their expectations. We are on firmer ground if we associate the branches with the following quotation from Ps 118:26. 118:27 reads, "With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar" (but see NIV mg., where "ropes" replaces "boughs"). On the pilgrims' use of Ps 118, see further below.

 

B. The Crowd's Verbal Homage. 21:9.

 

1. The use of Ps 118. The crowd voices its jubilation in words drawn from Ps 118:25-26. This in turn makes it probable (as just suggested) that the crowd's use of branches is traceable to 118:27. That a Jewish crowd should shout the words of this Psalm on this occasion (a fact recorded in all four Gospels), is not in the least surprising.  For 118 is the concluding Psalm of the "Egyptian Hallel" (Ps 113-118), a series sung at Passover season in celebration of Yahweh's victory at the Exodus and in anticipation of other victories yet to come. Note further:

 

a. The Hebrew hallel means "praise." Cf. the exclamation hallelu Yah, "Praise Yah[weh]!" (hallelu is a Piel imperative of the verb hll).

 

b. Concerning the "Egyptian Hallel" Derek Kidner writes: "Only the second of them (114) speaks directly of the Exodus, but the theme of raising the downtrodden (113) and the note of corporate praise (115), personal thanksgiving (116), world vision (117) and festal procession (118) make it an appropriate series to mark the salvation which began in Egypt and will spread to the nations" (Psalms, 401).

 

c. It was customary for Ps 113 and 114 to be sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 afterwards. Cf. Mt 26:30a.

 

2. The original meaning of Ps 118:25-27. The Psalm speaks of a festal procession to the Temple as part of the Passover celebration. During the procession the pilgrims praise Yahweh for His great saving acts on their behalf, vv. 1-18. The worship is climaxed with the throng's arrival at the temple, vv. 19-29. Having entered the temple gates (vv. 19-20), the pilgrims continue to thank Yahweh for restoring and exalting His downtrodden people (vv. 21-24, 28-29), and implore Him to rescue them from present perils (v. 25, "O Lord, save us [hoshiana, transliterated into the Greek h©sanna]...").

 

In turn, the temple priests (i) give their blessing to the Davidic king who leads the

procession ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...," v. 26a) and to all

who accompany Him ("From the house of the Lord we bless You," v. 26b, where "you"

is plural); and (ii) summon the throng to their appointed goal ("With boughs in hand, join

in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar," v. 27b).

 

3. The present meaning of Psalm 118:25-27.

 

a. Signs of continuity. Here too the procession ends at the temple (21:12); also, the crowd identifies Jesus as Yahweh's representative ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" v. 9b) and as the heir of David's crown ("Hosanna to the Son of David!" v. 9a). V. 9c, "Hosanna in the highest!," speaks of heavenly jubilation answering to human jubilation on earth (cf. Ps 148:1).

 

b. Signs of deeper understanding. Matthew employs the shouts of the crowd in the service of his theology, and gives their words a far deeper meaning than the crowd intended. Ps 118 itself now comes to a deeper level of realization than was possible within its original context (cf. comments on plsro©, "fulfill," in 1:22). Reading the present passage in light of Mt as a whole, we may draw the following conclusions:

 

(i) The crowd rightly declares Jesus to be "the Son of David" (v. 9a; cf. 1:1); they rightly

identify Him as the One "who comes in the name of the Lord" (v. 9b; cf. 11:3). Yet we may be sure that the crowd's concept of Davidic Messiah ship is vastly different from that of Jesus. He has come as the Servant Messiah (3:17; 20:28), not as the Warrior Messiah, or at least He has not come to wage His war in the manner envisaged by the crowd ("He will be victor and victim in all His wars, and will make His triumph in defeat." The deficiency of the crowd's awareness is confirmed in v. 11, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee," words closer to 16:14 than to 16:16 (who sees the crowd here as "disciples representing the worldwide church to come").

 

(ii) The Son of David who comes in Yahweh's name is also Yahweh Himself. This is an aspect of Truth not fully revealed with the writing of Ps 118. That Psalm bears witness to the (true) distinction between the Messiah and God. What was not fully revealed until the Incarnation, was Messiah's deity (cf. comments on 16:16). It is now disclosed that there is both a distinction of person between Father and Son, and also an identity of character (as in Jn 1:1). The name "Yahweh" rightly applies to both.

 

(iii) God is about to give His supreme answer to the perennial cry "Hosanna." Jesus has come "to save His people from their sins" (1:21) by giving His life as a ransom for the many (20:28). By Jesus' day the utterance's original meaning "Save now!" had changed (we might almost say "degenerated") into an exclamation of praise (cf. the shift from "God, save the king!" to "God save the king!"; and, Were Israel aware of her true condition, both politically and (especially) spiritually, she would have more readily reverted to the original intention of "Hosanna."

 

(iv) Thus, despite the genuine excitement that attends Jesus' entry (v. 10), the crowd still shows itself to be lacking in the spiritual insight needed for rightly understanding Messiah's person and work. Yet among those to whom this insight has been given (13:11), there is cause for the greatest possible jubilation. For Christian believers who look back on the great eschatological Exodus, who praise God for His great victory over Sin and Death in the Cross of His Son, who on that basis repeatedly approach the place of worship and celebrate the Passover of the New Age (26:26-28), Ps 118 still provides a marvelous vehicle for praise. But as for the original pilgrims, the Psalm is still more than a song of thanksgiving. It is also a means of our shouting "O Lord, save us!", to

implore Him to complete His saving work and to bring His kingdom to full realization

(6:10) - to hasten the day when the Savior will come again (23:39).

 

C. The Intention of Jesus.

 

1. Jesus and prophecy. We now reach the conclusion to which the whole foregoing discussion has led, namely that Jesus the Messiah enters Jerusalem in conscious and deliberate fulfillment of Zech 9 and Ps 118. Matthew's theological declarations rest upon Jesus' own "acted quotation" of OT prophecy.

 

2. Jesus and Passover. Jesus enters Jerusalem on Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, just four days before the preparations for the Passover Meal. The Mosaic Law required (1) that Passover (or "the Feast of Unleavened Bread") be celebrated in Jerusalem, (2) that every Jewish male participate in the festival every year, and (3) that each worshipper come prepared to offer animal sacrifice (Deut 16:1-8,16-17). Thus in coming to Jerusalem at Passover, Jesus acts in obedience to the requirement of God's Law for Jewish males. He had done so twice before during His ministry: see Jn 2:13; 5:1, together with 6:4 (John, 299).

 

Jesus also comes (in keeping with the law) to offer sacrifice, not an animal (which would not suffice for the purpose, as Heb 10:1-10 explains) but Himself (Mt 20:28). In obedience to his mission, Jesus would die as the supreme, and the final, Passover sacrifice (Mt

26:17-30; 1 Cor 5:7).

 

Lectionary blogging: Palm Sunday, Matthew 21- 1-11


When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?”11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Translation:  And when they approached into Jerusalem and came into Bethphage, into the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village, the one over-against you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.  Loose (and) bring to Me."  And if anyone might speak to you, you will answer, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat (Him) upon them.  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Background and situation:  The original source is Mark (11: 1-11), the other parallels are Luke 19:28-38 and John 12:12-19.  Mark has three passion predictions which are mirrored in Matthew (16:21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19), each with some Matthean additions.

In the first passion prediction, Matthew adds to Mark a statement about the necessity of going to Jerusalem (16:21):  "From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem."  (Jesus doesn't actually head south until 19:1.)  In our text for Palm Sunday, He has arrived.

 

Dueling processions:  Jesus was approaching Jerusalem from the east.  Bethphage is just to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives is just east of the Temple.  (Random factoid:  The word Bethphage means "house of figs.")  The Mount of Olives was, in Israel's Sacred Memory, the place from which an assault on Israel's enemies was to begin (Zech 14: 2-4).  

 

The direction of approach is significant for at least two reasons:  (1)  Coming to the city from the Mount of Olives is a prophetic and eschatological image, and (2) there were two processions into Jerusalem during the time of Passover;  one, the procession of the Roman army, came from the west; the other, those with Jesus, came from the east.

 

The Roman army was coming to maintain order during Passover, a time when the population of Jerusalem would swell from around 50,000 to well over 200,000, both conservative estimates.  Moreover, Passover was a celebration of liberation from Pharoah in Egypt, and Rome was uneasy about the anti-imperial message of this association.

 

The Romans were headquartered at Caesarea Maritima, a city built by Herod the (so-called) Great to honor Caesar Augustus and make money for himself.  Herod built monuments to Caesar at every opportunity.  Caesar Augustus was Octavian, Julius Caesar's nephew and adopted son.  During the Roman civil war, Herod had been an ally of Octavian's enemy, Mark Antony.  Shifting his loyalty to Octavian after Antony's defeat was a nifty piece of political footwork on Herod's part, and may also have added to Herod's ebullient enthusiasm for all things Octavian.  He even named the harbor Sebastos, which is Greek for "Augustus."

 

Sebastos was one of the finest harbors in the world.  It was constructed over a 12 year period (25-13 BC) and was state-of-the-art for its day, rivaling both Athens and Alexandria.  It was used primarily for the export of agricultural products from the region; or, to put it another way, it provided an efficient harbor for the plunder of the region, and could also be used to supply the Roman Army in case of war with Parthia. 

 

The procession of the Roman army from Caesarea Maritima to Jerusalem would have been an imposing sight, Legionnaires on horseback, Roman standards flying, the Roman eagle prominently displayed, the clank of armor, the stomp of feet, and beating of drums.  The procession was designed to be a display of Roman imperial power.  The message?  Resistance is futile!

 

The counter-demonstration of Jesus came from the east, the opposite direction.  Jesus comes to the city not in a powerful way, but in a ludicrously humble way, inciting not fear, as in the Roman procession, but cheering crowds who clear his way and hail his presence. Sarcasm and irony are often the only mechanisms available for the oppressed to express themselves.  The procession of Jesus creatively mocks the Roman procession.  

 

The password:  Just before Jesus makes His final approach to Jerusalem, He sends two people into a nearby village.  The two disciples are instructed to go into the village and, as soon as they get there, they "will find a donkey tied and a colt with her."  They are to take this donkey and colt.  If anyone were to ask them about it, they are to give the "secret password" and say, "The Lord has need of them."

 

It appears there was a network of Jesus supporters operating "under the radar." Moreover, this network of Jesus supporters reaches even to a village just outside Jerusalem.  The Galilee-based Jesus movement reaches even into Judea, even to the very gates of the city of Jerusalem itself! 

 

Mark has a longer episode here in which the two disciples are questioned, say the password, and are then cleared to take a single colt.  Matthew shortens the exchange. The custodians of the donkey and colt are told only that "the Lord" needs the animals.  

 

In this passage, Matthew, for the first time, directly associates Jesus as king.  (The magi were looking for the "king of the Jews" in 2:3, but here the association is more explicit.) Jesus is treated as a royal figure throughout.  He doesn't get on the donkey.  He is "sat" on it by others.  Therefore, when Jesus' secret followers in the nearby village hear that "the Lord needs them," from Matthew's perspective, that is enough to say.

 

Riding on two animals at once: And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat Him upon (them).

 

Matthew then inserts the twelfth of fourteen "quotation formulas" from the Old Testament:  "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  The quote appears to be a combination of Isaiah 62:11 ("speak to the daughter of Zion") and Zechariah 9:9 (the rest).

 

This (mostly) Zechariah text is the interpretive center of the passage.  From the Zechariah text, Matthew leaves out the phrase "triumphant and victorious is He."  Jesus is obviously not going to be that kind of king, at least not yet.  As Matthew recounts it, the quote accents the humility and meekness of Jesus.

 

In referring to both a donkey and a colt, "humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", Zechariah was using a grammatical device known as "hendiadys," which means expressing a single idea with two nouns.  This parallelism is quite common in Hebrew poetry.  For example:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". (Ps. 119: 105)  The statement expresses one thought in two complementary ways.  

 

Scholarly opinion is all over the place on this one.  Some say that Matthew flat misses the parallelism.  Others say he knows about it but ignores it.  In any case, Matthew does clearly refer to two animals, both a donkey and a colt.  Some have cited this as evidence that Matthew didn't really understand the Hebrew language or the Hebrew people.  Any Hebrew would have known that parallelism is about speaking of one thing in two ways.

 

Gasp!  Was Matthew a gentile?  No.  Matthew was Jewish himself, and knew full well about Hebrew poetry and the parallelism in Zechariah.  He also knew full well that Mark, his source, clearly has only one animal involved in Jesus' procession.  Therefore, Matthew was deliberate in making the change to two animals, "and He sat on them" (epekathisen epano auton).

 

Yet others have said that, since Matthew was Jewish, he must have been a first century fundamentalist to take Zechariah so literally.  No again.  Matthew is not a literalist or a fundamentalist.  When he quotes from the Old Testament, Matthew feels free to tweak the texts he quotes in order to suit his purposes.  This is hardly the style of a literalist.  Yet here, Matthew quite obviously refers to two animals and everybody since has been scratching their head over why.  

 

Most likely, it was to underscore the fulfillment of the Zechariah text, not just one fulfillment, in other words, but a double one!   is more interested in literal fulfillment than historical probability.  Matthew knows full well that Jesus did not ride two animals at once.  He doesn't care.  His point is not historical precision, but theological insight.  His point is that "Your king comes to you," which is the fulfillment, in a complete and total way, of the prophetic Zechariah text. 

 

The entrance:  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  

 

Matthew anticipates the Hollywood "red carpet" by about two millennia.  He shifts focus to the action of the crowds, "a very great crowd" spread both garments and branches onto Jesus' path.  In 2 Kings 9:13, strewing cloaks onto the path was a sign of royal homage.  ("Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for Him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’")  The crowd, by strewing cloaks onto His path, is treating Jesus as a royal and kingly figure, which is further underlined by their comparison of Jesus to the Great King David. 

 

Notice that Jesus was not welcomed by the people of Jerusalem.  These crowds were not composed of Jerusalem city dwellers, but rather "the ones going before Him and the ones following."  Most likely, this refers to the disciples and those who joined the movement along the way to Jerusalem. 

 

This crowd is enthusiastic, shouting "hosanna to the son of David."  The literal meaning of "hosanna" is "save us" or "save, we beseech."  Indeed, the crowd appears to be quoting from Psalm 118: 25-26:  "Save now, we beseech you, O Lord...Blessed is the one that comes in the name of the Lord."  (In 11:3, the disciples had asked, "Are you the one that is to come?"  That question is now answered by the crowds.)

 

Psalm 118 speaks of being surrounded by many who threaten the nation's life, "They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;  in the name of the Lord I cut them off!" The Psalm calls for "the gates of righteousness" to be opened:  "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it."  The psalm even refers to waving of branches.  Those waving branches will go right to the altar itself!  

 

Psalm 118 is a psalm of victory:  "There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous!"  In the present situation, Jerusalem is under the brutal yoke of a foreign power, and the Temple is corrupt and in cahoots with the oppressors.  Jesus the Lord enters the city, more than a match for them all.   

 

The crowd seems to have in mind for Jesus the kind of kingdom now held in hallowed memory, the Golden Age of David, a time of prosperity, yes, and also one of military power and territorial expansion.  Yet, Jesus is not committed to a path of "glory," as in a Davidic-style kingdom, but rather a path of defeat.  He will not reign from a palace, but from a cross.

 

When Jesus actually entered into Jerusalem, Matthew says that "all the city was shaken."  Seio means moved, shaken to and fro, with the idea of shock or concussion.  It's the word for earthquake, and where we get our word "seismic."  An earthquake will also occur at the death of Jesus (27:54).  The city shook with fear when Jesus was born (2:3). Now, the place is roiled, shaken, and shocked when He enters as an adult.

 

The closing verse is reminiscent of a call-and-response liturgy.  A:  "Who is this?"  ""This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  (See the latter verses of Psalm 24, for example.)  

 

The dialog is between the city and the crowds.  The city asks the question:  "...all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  The crowds answer that this is "the prophet Jesus."  In doing so, they are fulfilling the text of another prophet, Zechariah.  They are telling "the daughter of Zion," which is Jerusalem, who comes.

 

The crowds' assessment is said to be lacking by many scholars because the crowds only identify Jesus as "prophet" and not as "king", the assumption being that "king" is a higher title than "prophet."  Is a political title really higher than a Biblical and spiritual one?  Would that have been the point of view of Matthew? 

 

The crowds are also providing some cover for Jesus.  The high regard in which the crowds hold Jesus, particularly as prophet, prevents the political authorities from arresting Him in public (21: 46).  Yet, we also know that this is also the city that kills the prophets (23:37), and we are under no illusions as to what will come next.

 

The Untriumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11        

 

Transcript

 

What we are going to have in the hour that follows is a passage gathered around some Old Testament Scriptures, and one in particular. Zechariah chapter 9, the next to the last book of the Old Testament, and verses 9 through 11 of that prophecy, and then we will turn to Matthew chapter 21. 

 

Zechariah is probably the greatest of the minor prophets and one of most important of the prophesies of the Old Testament; a prophet who was deeply indebted to the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, the prophet Isaiah.  And in the last six chapters of the book of Zechariah there are primarily two burdens that the prophet has, and each of these burdens consumes three of his chapters, so that in chapters 9 10 and 11 the burden is of “the king in rejection.”   And then in chapters 12, 13 and 14, the second burden is of “the king enthroned.”  These verses in the section in which he has a burden that touches the rejection of the Messianic king.  Verse 9 through verse 11 of Zechariah chapter 9 reads, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: (that incidentally is a kind of theme clause for the entire book of Matthew: behold thy King cometh unto thee.  The prophet continues) He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He (that is the rider) He shall speak peace unto the nations: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit in which is no water.”

 

Let’s turn now to Matthew chapter 21 and read the passage that contains the historical fulfillment of at least one major point of the prophecy that Zechariah gave so many hundreds of years ago.  Verse 1 of Matthew chapter 21, and the evangelist writes,

 

“And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, ‘Go into the village opposite against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me. And if any man say anything unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.’ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

 

May the Lord bless this reading from His Word, because it is important to remember that the reason that we do sing lies in the instruction that we receive from the things that we sing and also in the things that we express through the things that we sing.

 

And of course we sing best and we sing most meaningfully when the things that we are sing are true to the word of God.  This hymn is one the favorite hymns, and it also is so popular among members of the Christian church that other uses have been made of this particular hymn, and one of them:  “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever. 

 

And, in fact, we may even have to follow the word of God and follow it so necessarily that the membership of the church may suffer as a result.  And that we should remember that we must follow the word of God rather than, even, our natural desires to have a large congregation or, a large membership, and someone inserted these last words of this hymn but added to them, “Let goods and kindred go some membership also the body they may kill God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”  What was meant to express the truth that in the final analysis it is what God says in His word that is the important thing and not our success according to earthly standards while we are here upon the earth.

 

The subject for the exposition is the “The Un-triumphal Entry.”  It’s hardly without design that probably the two most significant figures of human history appeared in the same generation of the human story.  One of these was Augustus Caesar homo emperiosus, or imperial man who destroyed Cato’s dream of the old republic and its freedom.  Augustus has been called on the ancient inscriptions the “divine Caesar” and the “son of god” giving to him the titles that belonged ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, it is probable that the writer of the Book of Revelation was alluding to some of these things in the exaltation of the Roman emperors and particularly dominion when he spoke of the Lord Jesus and particularly Domitian as being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, because these titles were given to the Roman emperors, ultimately, as the worship of the emperor became more predominant in the Roman Empire.

 

Augustus, or homo emperiosus, shattered his foes by force but he could not bring in the golden age.  As one of the men who has dealt with this particular part of history in much depth has said, “He could find but he could not slay the dragon.”  The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace, principis pacis, or homo pacifare, or “the peace-bearing man.”  And of course that title is derived from Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, when the titles of Prince of Peace and other titles are given to Him, and it is said that on Him He shall bear on His shoulders the ultimate universal rule.

 

At the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus, by the path that He trod ,was able to wrest the kingdom from the ancient dragon, overcome Him, and make it possible for Messianic rule to take place upon the earth and then on into eternity.  So you can see that from the standpoint of earthly history, Calvary is as some of the ancient poets blindly anticipated, Virgil for one, Calvary is the hinge of history.  And our Western history is largely determined by what happened when Jesus Christ suffered upon that cross.

 

Now we’ve been looking through the Gospel of Matthew, and we have noted that there are a number of high points in the ministry of our Lord.  We think of course of His virgin birth, of His temptation, of His baptism, of the transfiguration, and later on we shall spend some time dealing with the agony in Gethsemane, and ultimately the death and resurrection.  One of the other high points of our Lord’s ministry, and high point of the steps that He took along the way to the climax of His work, was the triumphal entry.

 

We think of it today as Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday was a day of wild rapture of enthusiasm and the delirium of eager welcome, but of little genuine spirituality.  Those who were shouting out, “hosanna in the highest!” or as those words mean, hoshiana, “Save now, or save, we pray,” they little realized what they were saying.  Few seemed to understand the meaning of the hour, and to most the entry was not a triumphal entry at all, but very untriumphal.  And if you’re looking at it from the standpoint of worldly success, we all would have to say it was not a very triumphal entry.

 

There was something that was happening; that, while the world did not understand, we have now come to understand as being exceedingly significant.  The excitement that was there was real, but it was misguided.  Some of it understood the essential nature of the person of our Lord, because the things that were said were said by men who had truly believed in Him, though their understanding was limited. But most of it was totally misguided, and as a matter of fact, most of the people were totally unprepared for what our Lord did.  They were all looking for a king to slay their foes and lift them high though camest a little baby thing that made a woman cry.”  So we have a wild rapture of enthusiasm and eager excitement of welcome but misunderstanding of what was really transpiring.

 

Nowadays we have a great deal of that in some of our evangelical churches. We have a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm at times, but it is totally misguided.  It is not grounded in the words of Holy Scripture, not grounded in the sound doctrinal teaching of the word of God.  The entry of our Lord into Jerusalem has great doctrinal significance, because it is solemn declaration of Himself in His office.  It was His way of pointing out as effectively as could possibly be pointed out that He was the Old Testament, promised Messianic king.  It is interesting too that from this point on, the Lord Jesus does not seem to keep His Messianic secret any longer.  We have noticed in going through the Gospel of Matthew that at specific points in His ministry, when it was evident He had performed a mighty miracle, He frequently turned to them and said, “Now don’t say anything about it, because it was not yet His hour.  And He knew that their ideas of the Messianic kingdom were wrong, they thought of it only as a political kingdom, that if they had proclaimed that nature of it too soon, it might have hastened His crucifixion and been out of harmony with the slow measured progress that God the Father had determined.  And so, from time to time He said keep quiet.  Now they didn’t always keep quiet, but that’s what He was telling them.

 

From now on the mission and the dignity of the Son are no longer a secret, the ancient prophesies are to be fulfilled, and all of the parts of this little account here unite to proclaim to the nation Israel and to others, Behold Your king.  It was the feast time of the Passover.  Thirty years after the time of the Lord Jesus, the Romans took a census of the lambs that were slain in the city of Jerusalem on a later Passover feast, and according to the account, they counted two hundred and fifty thousand lambs were slain in one of those Passover feasts thirty years after the death of our Lord.

 

Now in rabbinic literature, it is stated that there should be ten individuals for each lamb, a minimum of ten individuals for each lamb.  In other words, when a lamb was slain, there should be at least ten people gathered in the house to eat that particular lamb.  So you can see if that were carried out at the time of our Lord’s death at the time of His visit to the city of Jerusalem, then the city of Jerusalem must have had a population of over two million people at this time.  Now since its ordinary population was of a relatively small city by our standards, you can see that it was packed and jammed with literally hundreds of thousands of people who had come from all over the land, and perhaps all over the inhabited world to celebrate this important feast in Judaism.  So that’s the background.

 

There is another thing we need to understand that is that the prophets of the Old Testament, and remember, our Lord, is the last and greatest of the prophets; He is the prophet of the prophets; He is the everlasting prophet; the Great Prophet, according to Moses in His prophesy.  These prophets of the Old Testament not only spoke their messages but they also often gave their messages by acting out in parabolic fashion, dramatically, the things that they wanted to say.  Now they usually accompanied this by words, because it is really impossible for us to be certain about the meaning of events if we do not have a written or spoken interpretation of them.  But they frequently were told by the Lord to carry out certain physical acts in order to get over their prophetic message.

 

For example, when it became evident that there was going to be a division in the kingdom at the time of Solomon’s death, and Rehoboam’s accession to the throne, and that most of the land was not going to follow the impetuous Rehoboam, God knowing all of this in advance, spoke to the Prophet Ahijah and made known to the Prophet Ahijah that it would be Jeraboam who would rule over the ten northern tribes and Rehoboam would rule over the two faithful southern tribes.

 

And so Ahijah was directed by God to go to Jeraboam with a new garment; and when he came into the presence of Jeraboam who was not yet king, he took off this garment and tore it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of the pieces to Jeraboam and kept two for himself, and this was his way of saying that the kingdom was going to be rent in two, and there would be a division into the northern and southern kingdoms, and ten of the tribes would follow Jeraboam and two would remain faithful to Rehoboam.  So this was a kind of acted parable of spiritual truth.

 

Later, Jeremiah, for example, Ezekiel does this often, but Jeremiah, when it also had become evident through the words of the Lord to him that it would be impossible for the nation to escape the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah made bonds and yokes and sent them to the cities round about the land of Palestine.  He sent these bonds and yokes in order to let them know. He sent them to Edom he sent them to Tyre, he sent them to Sidon and cities like this, that was to let them know that no matter what they did, they would not escape the Babylonian captivity.  And then Jeremiah put a yoke upon his own head in order to signify that the land of which he was a part would not escape the captivity.

 

Later on, the Prophet Hananiah, speaking, he was one of these prophets who liked to speak what people liked to hear rather than the truth of God. Hananiah, in objecting to this sad, defeatist message of Jeremiah, went up to Jeremiah and took the yoke off of his neck and broke it signifying that what Jeremiah had said was not going to come to pass.  But of course, God fulfills His words, and the words of His true prophets, and He did.

 

So now it is necessary for us to remember all of this as we come to the triumphal entry, because it’s obvious that the Lord Jesus acts here as the Great Prophet, and as a matter of fact, acts out in Messianic symbolism what He is really doing when He enters the city of Jerusalem.

 

We read in verse 1, “And when they drew near unto Jerusalem.”  They had come from Jericho, and He had come from the north, and they, according to the other gospel accounts, had spent the night in Bethany which was near the city of Jerusalem.  There the Lord Jesus always had a welcome in the little village of Bethany, because that was the place where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived.  They spent the night there and then the next morning they set out in the festive procession for the city of Jerusalem.

 

And it was fitting that they should come from Bethany to the mount of Olives, because the mount of Olives in the Old Testament had Messianic significance.  There were Messianic associations with it.  In passages like 2 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 32 and others, we remember that when the Lord Jesus comes in His second advent and comes to the earth, His feet shall touch the Mount of Olives.  So it was very fitting that He should approach the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

 

When He arrived at the little village of Bethphage, there He told two of His disciples to go over into a village that was just across the way from Bethphage, and He said to them, I want you to go into that village and you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her, and I want you to lose them and bring them to Me.  A great deal of speculation has been expended on what this really means and also how it was carried out.  Was this totally unexpected on the part of the person who owned these animals or had our Lord Jesus already made provision for it?  Well the Scriptures are silent on that particular point, but it does seem evident that this person must have been a believer. He understood exactly what was meant when they said the Lord had need of them. So either he had made preparation for this in advance, and that’s not unlikely because He made preparation for the Passover and the use of the upper room, so it’s entirely possible that He had said, when I enter the city of Jerusalem, I may need two of the animals, and keep them ready,  or it may be that He was simply a believer in the Lord Jesus and recognized the disciples as believers and when they said the Lord has need of them, he was willing to part with them.

 

At any rate that is what is said, and the other gospels add another important feature.  The Lord Jesus said to them you will find an ass and a colt, incidentally Matthew mentions two; they only mention one, and that also has occasioned a great deal of discussion by the commentators who have sought to find here a misunderstanding of the Book of Zechariah by Matthew because of Hebrew parallelism in the Old Testament, the passage in Zechariah probably has reference to only one animal, but Matthew, not reading it correctly, has seen two animals, failing to see the particular form of Hebrew expression there, so that he misunderstood the parallelism and saw two animals instead of one.

 

It is an amazing thing that people with a sound mind could believe that commentators in the Twentieth Century would know more about Hebrew parallelism and the meaning of Old Testament text than Hebrew men who were outstanding students of the word, and apostles of the Lord Jesus understood nineteen hundred years ago.  Now it strains our imagination to think that there could really be people who think that they understand more about the Old Testament than the apostles who were taught by our  Lord, but nevertheless that’s the truth.

 

Recently there has been a well known doctoral dissertation which has taken up this point, and this author, a respected man, has contended that the reason there are two animals is because in the case of the colt of the ass, it’s a well known fact that the colt of the ass, the foal of the ass, would not be ridable at all if the mother were not there and so the reference here to riding upon an ass is a reference to the mother, and the colt the foal of the ass, is to the offspring of the mother, and because the mother was present, then it was possible for our Lord to ride the animal on which no one had yet sat.

 

Now that’s the other thing that the other accounts add.  It is specifically stated that this ass should be an ass upon which no one has ever sat. The reason for that would be understood by people who lived two thousand years ago, but not so well by us.  It also was the custom when a village or people welcomed a king for them to do things for the king that were absolutely new.  For example, if we were in ancient times, and if it were told us that the president is going to visit us, we’ll transfer that and say the king in Washington is going to visit us, there’s certainly a similarity, then the city fathers or the village fathers would seek some way by which they can honor the king.  And one of the popular ways was to construct a new road into the village on which no one has ever traveled, so that in honor of the king, they would cut a new road so that when the king came, he would come in on a new road.

 

Furthermore nothing that was secondhand or used was ever to be put in put to the service of a king.  So when it is stated that He should come in upon an animal upon which no one has ever sat, that was an indication of the fact that our Lord was the Messianic king, and you’ll notice it comes from Him.  It is His claim in effect that He is the Messianic king.

 

Now when Matthew describes this he himself adds some things.  These incidentally are the evangelists’ interpretations.  Notice the 4th verse:  “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”  So we can see from these verses that Matthew has inserted here that the evangelist understands that all that our Lord is doing in taking the ass, riding upon the ass, with the people following along in front and in the rear, all of this was designed by our Lord to provide Israel with a giant object lesson to imprint upon the minds of the viewers this event and to say in effect to them, the kingdom is mine; I am the king. Zechariah, the prophecy in which it is said, thy king cometh unto thee is fulfilled in my entry into the city at this time.  So it was then, I say, our Lord’s way in parabolic fashion of teaching, that the kingdom came when He entered the city with Him.

 

Now in verses 6 through 9, the evangelist describes the procession towards Jerusalem.  The disciples had gone their way into the little village. And He and those that were associated with Him inched their way along the caravan road from Jericho to Jerusalem and made their way up toward the top of the Mount of Olives, at which when reaching, that He would look out over the city and break into tears mourning over the fact that their hearts were so cold and unresponsive to Him.

 

But we read in the 8th verse, and a very great multitude spread their garments in the way.  It’s important for us to understand what happened in order to understand what this really means.  The disciples had gone off into this little village, and in addition, there were many other disciples of the Lord who had also gone into the city of Jerusalem which was nearby, no doubt to spend the night.  Word had been noised abroad that the Lord, or Jesus of Nazareth, was in the area, and that created a great deal of interest on the part of those who were either curious about Him or who had seen some of the miracles He had performed and had been won to Him.

 

And furthermore, since He had been coming down from the north, and had reached the city of Jericho with a large group of people who were His disciples, there were those who were with Him who were His disciples, and then there were those who came out from the city out of curiosity, perhaps also some of them were disciples, and then of course there was the giant multitude in the city, who, as we shall see, are largely rebellious with reference to the claims of the king.

 

So, all of this group of people apparently meet, and the meeting of the groups of people in the presence of our Lord before He reaches the city evidently generates a great deal of enthusiasm and arouses the spontaneous shouting which we read of in verse 9:  “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”  So here is the crowd composed of disciples, of curious people who have come out from the city, going into the city, which is rebellious toward the Great King.

 

And the disciples, the apostles of the Lord, are traveling along now with the Lord Jesus as He rides on this little animal.  They have taken their garments off they’ve thrown their garments down in enthusiasm before the ass, before our Lord.  Others of His disciples have cut down limbs from the palm trees and myrtle trees and willow trees and they were throwing them out in front of the animal, because that had been done in the Old Testament when Jehu was anointed king as well. So carried away with the enthusiasm of the occasion and understanding something about it, the Lord Jesus was moving toward the city.

 

The disciples were walking along dazed and dazzled by everything that was happening.  They understood of course something about our Lord.  They had put their trust in Him but beyond that they understood very little of what was happening. The crowd that was acclaiming Him was primarily the provincials who had come from the north who were his friends.  You’ve often heard people say in reference to the Lord Jesus that the people who acclaimed Him as the king on one day in a few hours are shouting crucify Him, crucify Him!

 

Now of course, men’s hearts are that wicked, but so far as we know that is not what happened on this particular occasion.  There were two entirely different groups those that were shouting to Him, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the son of David; Hosanna in the highest, were those who had some concept of His greatness and His glory and who had believed in Him, but the crowd within the city that shouts out, crucify Him, crucify Him, that crowd is representative of the great of the mass of the nation who have never responded to the claims of the Lord Jesus.

 

Now it is striking, too, that they do shout, Hosanna to the son of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest, or as Luke said, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Again they reach back into the Old Testament, guided by the Holy Spirit, though they may not have understood much about it.  They reached back into the Old Testament they take out a text from Psalm 118, one of the greatest of the Messianic Psalms which someone has called a string of pearls each one independent of the other, because it’s a Psalm in which there are some magnificent expressions of theological truth, but it’s very difficult to follow the argument of that particular Psalm.

 

Now that Psalm the one 118th Psalm, was the Psalm that was used at the Feast of Tabernacles for the liturgy of that feast.  We don’t have time to talk about the seven great feasts in Israel, but this is the greatest and last of the feasts in which there is a recognition of the fact that there is to be a kingdom of God upon the earth, so at the Feast of Tabernacles, it is designed to represent the period of time in the future when the nation shall gather in rest in the kingdom upon the earth, and so it is very fitting that they should reach back again into the Old Testament, select a text that has to do with the Messianic king and His authority.

 

And even these branches that they took the lulabim as they were called, we also recognized as having some Messianic significance. They say, also, incidentally, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the expression He that cometh was one of the Messianic titles of the Old Testament.  So you see all the details of this event unite to show that this is the official presentation by the Lord Jesus of Himself to the nation Israel.

 

Now if this is the official presentation of the king to the nation, and if this is the royal procession, and if this is a king, it’s a strange king indeed.  Because He’s a king who doesn’t even have an ass of His own to ride upon; He has to borrow an ass.  And furthermore, instead of followers who are soldiers dressed in shining or resplendent armor, He has a group of peasants with palm branches.  Instead of having swords and weapons of warfare they have the palm branches.  What would a Roman soldier or one of Herod’s men have thought of this rustic procession of a pauper prince who’s riding on an ass and a hundred and two or more of weaponless, penniless men? They were very much unimpressed.

 

But Christ’s one moment of royal splendor is as eloquent of His humiliation as the long stretch of His whole of His lowly, humble life.  All of this is designed to express certain things about His character.  And yet, as is usually the case, side by side with the lowliness of our Lord, there gleams His supreme sovereignty.  We talk about lowliness, and after all, this was lowly because when a man rode upon an ass, He rode upon a beast of burden.  In the East, the beasts of burden were the asses, the camels, and the women. These were the beast of burden in those days.  And the ass was the lowliest beast of burden, so to ride upon the ass was about as humble as a person could get.

 

Now, it was a strange king and yet at the same time notice that amid this humility there is also sovereignty.  He speaks to those two disciples, and He says, now I want you to go into that city, and I want you to say to the man the Lord has need of them, and they will turn them over to you, and that’s exactly what happened. In other words as the king He requisitions those animals and they respond to it. So even in the midst of this humble appearance of our Lord, there is nevertheless, underneath, the dignity of the supreme sovereign of this universe.

 

And we usually have our own particular view of how we know spiritual things as a result of wrestling for many years over the questions of how we can know with certainty.  And finally comes an illumination from the Holy Spirit, the same thing that He had done with many others that we can ultimately know nothing apart from the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men.  And that the ultimate attestation of everything that we know must be divine. There can be no certainty in human experience apart from the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit which brings us to the conviction with the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s testimony within, that the word of God is true.

 

Now once He comes, then many things began to become perfectly plain. The problems of the gospels are there are many things we don’t understand yet.  And we put them aside to ponder and think about until God does reveal us the truth.  But you know one of the greatest problems is how it would be possible for anyone to think of a supreme sovereign, and at the same time an humble man who would ride upon an ass, and to weave together these two concepts of the supreme sovereignty of the Son of God and the utmost and lowliest humility into one harmonious picture.

 

If a Shakespeare or a Milton or any other great human being had attempted to do this, he would of course fail.  None of them ever attempted to do it.  All of the attempts have failed because there is no way in which these two things can be put together in such a way that you see one harmonious whole.

 

How is it then possible for these evangelists: Matthew who was nothing unusual, Mark, Luke, John; how were these ordinary men able to do it?  Well, of course, they were able to do it, because they were taught by the Holy Spirit.  But there is something else they were able to do it because they did not manufacture anything.  They were reporters.  In other words, what they saw, what they wrote about, were things that they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears and they simply reported them.

 

And these two great truths of divine sovereignty and utter lowliness are found beautifully meshed and harmonized in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they simply reported what they saw.  And we see that so beautifully here, because even as He rides upon the ass, He is the supreme sovereign of the universe who requisitions the animals upon which He rides, and men respond.

 

When He entered into the city there was a great deal of puzzlement.  The milling multitude entered the city, and as a result of their loud acclamations, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna to the son of David: Hosanna in the highest! As they shouted over the small city, the crowds began to gather around them, and Matthew says the all the city was moved.  Incidentally, that word moved is one that is used of earthquakes, so this was a rather severe moving.  They were agitated, but they were agitated by the anxiety that was created through the acclamations that were offered to the person of our Lord, and the agitation ultimately proceeded from the Spirit’s convicted ministry.  This is the crowd that later on, will shout crucify Him, but now they ask the worried question, who is this? Who is this?  And the answer of the multitude this is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

 

There is nothing more anticlimactic in all of the word of God than that.  Here is the Lord Jesus coming in upon the ass, people are shouting out, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the multitudes, agitated, speak out, who is this? Well we might expect them to say, why this is the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Israel the Messiah the Savior of the world; He is thy Lord, worship thou Him.

 

But instead, what do we get?  It’s Jesus, the human name, the prophet of  Nazareth of Galilee.  He’s just one of the long lines of men who have attached to themselves the name prophet.  We can see from this, our Lord, no doubt with some of the wetness of the tears that He shed on the Mount of Olives still upon His face, enters into the temple in a few moments.  He’s silent through all of this, and finally He turns and goes home late in the afternoon with hardly a word.  It’s obvious that He saw the die was cast.  The nation will not respond.

 

The evidence is overwhelming that He formally offered Himself to the nation here.  If we study the prophecy of Daniel, we will see, from Daniel chapter 9 verse 25 ,that this was the precise time when the sixty-nine weeks or the four hundred and eighty-three years had come to a conclusion at the time our Lord entered the city.  Some of the students of the prophetic word have even claimed that those sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled on the very day He entered Jerusalem.

 

Any student of Scripture should have known the Messiah was near at hand.  The prophetic symbolism and the fulfillment according to Zechariah 9:9 that made evident that this must be the fulfillment.  The Evangelist Matthew makes the comment and says, this was done so that prophesy might be fulfilled.  He understood this as the official presentation of Himself to the nation, and the following parabolic teaching is grounded in the fact that our Lord understands that the kingdom has been presented, and furthermore that it is being rejected and the peoples’ actions in the shouting out of Messianic texts concur.

 

To show how we blind men can be in the study of the Bible, a modern scholar has said the reason the Lord Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem riding on an ass is because He was tired, and the road was uphill all the way.  You cannot be blinder than that!

 

The provincial recognition of the deity of our Lord Jesus and His kingship did not carry national assent.  The nation stumbled at the stone of stumbling, expecting a king on a war horse, like a Bellerophon on a mighty Pegasus, or a Seattle, but instead the king came riding upon an ass.  Of course, in His first coming, He came to die.  O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written: Ought not Messiah to have suffered these things, He told them on the Emaus Road, and then to enter into His glory.  They didn’t understand that He must die first because of sin to make that atonement, and then would come the time of glory.  So they stumbled at the stone of stumbling.

 

Now all is not lost.  We read over in chapter 23 that later on the Lord Jesus said to the nation, behold your house is left unto you desolate, and then in chapter 23 verse 39 He says, for I say unto you, you shall not see Me henceforth till you shall say blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.  So there is a time coming when the nations shall respond saying, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and they shall say it genuinely at His second advent.  Then there shall be a triumphal entry that is truly triumphal.  In the meantime. the prayer lament of the genuine is. O come .O come Emmanuel. and ransom captive Israel that mourn and lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

 

If you’ve never believed in the Lord Jesus; remind that He has made an atonement for sinners, and if God the Holy Spirit has brought conviction to your heart that you need this salvation, it’s available for you as you turn to Him.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle said, and thou shalt be saved.  May God help us to truly believe. 

 

Prayer:

 

Father, these texts are so momentous, and it so difficult for us to adequately expound them, and we pray Lord, that Thou wilt take these very weak and failing words concerning the glory of the Son of God and bring them home to the hearts of those who to do need to hear concerning Him. So Lord we commit the word of God to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  May grace mercy and peace go with us.

 

For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

 

“Who Is This Jesus?” (Matthew 21:1-11)

 

First Sunday in Advent: As it’s the beginning of Advent, and the word “Advent” means “Coming,” our reading, particularly the Holy Gospel, focus our attention on the One who will be coming to us at Christmas, namely, the One who comes to us now in every church service, and Who will come again on the last day at the end of time. So Who is this One Who comes to us in these ways? None other than Christ our Lord.

 

The Holy Gospel for is the account of Christ riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As an Advent reading, it causes us to behold our king who comes to us during this season. And the hinge and hub of history, which is Jesus entering Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to rise again on Easter.

 

The appointed Gospel featured the most frequently is the Gospel according to St. Matthew. But really, the main question that each of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; they all address is the one we hear the crowds ask in today’s reading, and that is, “Who is this?” As we heard in our text: “And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’”

 

“Who is this Jesus?” This is the most important question that can ever be asked or answered. It is the question of the ages. Who is this man, Jesus of Nazareth? Where did He come from? What has He done? What is He doing? What will He do? Who is this fellow, and what does He mean for us, for everyone? Just who is He? Yes, this is the most important question you will ever ask or hear the answer to: “Who Is This Jesus?”

 

We hear some possible answers weaving through our text. One is: “Behold, Your king is coming to you.” Another is: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Or another answer to the question: “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Let’s explore these possibilities. What these answers might mean, and what they mean for us; this is vitally important for each one of us.

 

Let’s start with “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Sounds pretty simple, fairly straightforward. There was this man named Jesus, from a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee. That’s just basic information, nobody would dispute that. But the people were calling Him a “prophet,” and that takes it a step beyond. What does it mean that they would call Jesus a “prophet”?

 

At a minimum, it means that they recognized that Jesus was a man sent by God. They recognized and realized He was operating with some sort of divine authority. He was preaching, teaching, and His words were hitting home. Jesus had been calling people to repentance, calling out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus had been teaching the true meaning of the Word of God, and doing it with divine wisdom, beyond that of their usual teachers. It says earlier in Matthew: “The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

 

Jesus had been doing the works of a prophet, exercising divine power, doing miracles, signs and wonders: healing the sick, casting out demons, calming storms, multiplying loaves and fishes, even raising the dead. This was no ordinary man. God was with Him, there was no doubt. It was almost like . . . God was with us, in the person of this man Jesus. “Immanuel,” “God with us.” . . . That’s getting at it, isn’t it? Who is this man?

      

The people of Jerusalem at least are able to say that He is a prophet. But that may be low-balling Him. Earlier Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” In other words, “Who do men say that I am?” And they reported what they had been hearing: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” And you could understand how people might get those ideas. There were aspects to Jesus’ ministry that were like those of the great prophets of the past. But there was more. “Prophet” is good, but don’t stop there. And so Jesus asked His disciples what they thought: “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter piped up: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”!

 

And that leads us to another answer to our question that we hear the crowds applying to Jesus: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Now we’ve got the term, “the Son of David.” This is adding another layer to our understanding of who Jesus is. “The Son of David” is a reference back to the great king of Israel from centuries before: King David, who reigned in Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. King David was told that one of his sons would reign after him, in a way that would be greater than any king ever. This son of David, a descendant, would have an everlasting kingdom and usher in an age of blessing unsurpassed in the annals of history. And so this was the prophecy of a Messiah, a Christ, an anointed great king to come.

 

Thus when the crowds welcome Jesus into Jerusalem with cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” this is the one they are meaning. They are acclaiming Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah to come. “Come, Jesus, take up Your throne! Save us from our enemies! Reign over us as king, and bring us those glorious blessings!”

 

Well, although the crowds are right as far as recognizing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David, it seems they don’t quite get how it is that He is going to usher in His kingdom, and what shape that will take. If they’re thinking just in economic, military, political terms, if that’s the kind of king they’re hoping Jesus will be, driving out the Romans, putting bread on the table and a chicken in every pot, because, after all, we’re God’s chosen people, then they’re missing the point. They’ve got the wrong king, and the wrong Jesus.

 

What kind of a king are people looking for today? What kind of a Jesus do we want? A glory king, a prosperity king, who will bless us with a nice house in the suburbs, and a nice family, and a nice IRA, and a nice SUV that gets good gas mileage? Who is the Jesus that we want? A life coach? A moral teacher who dispenses good advice? A political Jesus, on either side, a socialist Jesus who advocates for the poor, or a conservative Jesus who preaches traditional moral values? Maybe people today, if we give Jesus any thought at all, which is doubtful, maybe we just want a non-judgmental Jesus who approves of whatever they want to do.

 

What about you? What kind of a king do you want Jesus to be? Who is this Jesus to you?

 

What kind of a king, what kind of a Jesus, people want may not match up with who the real Jesus is. It was true back then, and it is true today. Who is this Jesus? Perhaps we can find the answer to our question in this verse quoted in our text: “Behold, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” Because that is how Jesus came, according to His own choosing. He came as a humble king, a Scripture-fulfilling king, riding on a beast of burden.

 

It was fitting that Jesus would come this way, because He himself is carrying a burden, as He comes riding into Jerusalem. Christ comes bearing the burden of our sins. All the sins we have piled up over the years, all the sins of the world, for all time, this is what Christ is carrying. He is coming to Jerusalem to take our sins to the cross, suffering the rejection of His own people, suffering injustice at the hands of a weak ruler. But in so doing, He will be fulfilling the plan and purpose of God, namely, to redeem the world and to save sinners like us. This is how Jesus will reign as king, overcoming sin and death and the grave. This is the kingdom of blessing He comes to bring in, a kingdom of forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.

 

Who is this Jesus? He is a prophet, yes, but much more than that. He is the Son of David, yes, but no mere glory king. Who is this? This Jesus is the humble, Scripture-fulfilling, burden-bearing king, who saves us in the way we need to be saved. He is our king today, and our king forever. Welcome Him as such during this Advent season, and find out more about Him, grow in our faith in Christ. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11

 

This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens!

 

They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!

 

But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude joins the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17

 

Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as He had done at His entering upon His ministry, John 2:13-17. His works testified of Him more than the hosannas; and His healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of His visible church, how many secret evils He would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion, would He show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

 

This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

 

As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

 

Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

 

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone. But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of His church. May we be willing to follow Him, though despised and hated for His sake.

 

The Triumphal Entry of the King

 

The parallel accounts are found in Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40 and John 12:12-19. These ought to be read first. For a study on this periscope in Luke look at the exegetical notes for Advent II Series C.

 

On reasonable grounds it may be assumed that Bethany, the home of Simon the leper, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, was reached before sunset on Friday; that on the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) Jesus enjoyed the Sabbath-rest with His friends; that on Saturday evening a supper was given in His honor; and that the next day, being Sunday, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred.

 

Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, Where is this town? It is mentioned nowhere else in the Old or New Testament, and there is no trace of it now. Medieval tradition places it about halfway between Bethany and Jerusalem. Bethany can still be seen on the east side of the Mount of Olives.

 

Who the two disciples were, we do not know.

 

Matthew 21:2 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. This is our first indication of Jesus' omniscience and omnipotence. He knew precisely what would happen and was graciously ruling the entire matter.

 

Matthew 21:3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

 

Jesus foreknew what would happen. We draw the obvious conclusion that these owners were very good friends of Jesus and His disciples, but that can't be proved. Inasmuch as Jesus foreknew and if these were friends, would Jesus have said "anyone?"

 

Note especially that Jesus is here using the title "Lord" to designate Himself, see Matthew 11:27; 28:18. "The Lord" is the correct translation. LB, TEV, JB and NEB wrongly have: "The Master." We mention this because the IB, like others, says: "The Lord may be Jesus, but the evangelists seldom use this designation and Jesus does not use it of Himself."  The Lord in the same sense as used of Christ in the gospels and elsewhere. Matthew 8:25.

 

What lies at the bottom of the refusal to translate o kurios as "the Lord" is higher criticism which claims that Jesus got His title from the early Christian Church.

 

Implicit in "has need of them" is the divinity of Jesus. He owns them in the first place, and therefore, can speak thus. Again, Jesus knew precisely what would happen.

 

Matthew 21:4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Note that the fulfillment of a Messianic Prophecy is mentioned before the event itself, verses 6 and 7. The disciples did not realize this until after Jesus' resurrection, John 12:16. The point is: Jesus was consciously fulfilling prophecy as at Luke 4:21.

 

"Spoken through the prophet" is an expression found frequently in Matthew. God is the agent. The prophet was moved by the Holy Ghost to record it. The inspiration of the Old Testament is implicit in this verse: Matthew 21:5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

 

The first line is quoted from Isaiah 62:11. Good commentators, including Lutherans, say this line refers only to the believers in Jerusalem.

 

Hengstenberg: The prophet has in His mind only the better portion of the covenant nation, the true members of the people of God, not all Israel according to the flesh.

 

Kiel-Delitzsch: (Commenting on Zechariah 9:9) The Lord calls upon the daughter of Zion, i.e. the personified population of Jerusalem as a representative of the nation of Israel, namely the believing members of the covenant nation to rejoice. The word "See" alerts them to something important. Something like "look here".

 

Hengstenberg: (Commenting on 'King') He who alone is Your king, in the full and highest sense of the world, and in comparison with whom no other deserves the name.

 

Lenski: 'Your King' by His very birth as the Son of David, 2 Samuel 7:12 etc.; Psalm 110:1-2; Romans 1:3.

 

Ylvisaker: The kings of earth conquer by oppression. Jesus shall be victorious while He would seem to surrender.

 

Luther: He is a peculiar King: you do not seek Him, He seeks you; you do not find Him, He finds you; for the preachers come from Him not from you; their preaching come from Him not from you; your faith comes from Him not from you; and all that you faith works in you comes from Him not from you.

 

"Humble" means He made Himself of no reputation. Look at the use of this word in  Matthew 11:29. The incarnate Christ is lowly so that no burdened sinner is driven away.

 

Hengstenberg: 'Humble' embraces the whole of the lowly, sorrowing, suffering condition so fully depicted in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. The fact that He is riding upon an ass is a sign of the lowly condition of this King. The third line is to be taken as a unit. He could not mount more than one of the animals. Neither did He mount first one, and the later the other.

 

Matthew 21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They did exactly as Jesus commanded. They did not yet understand at this time that they were fulfilling prophecy but they did precisely as Jesus said. In a remarkable way the God-man ruled and over-ruled this whole situation, making them completely willing.

 

Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

 

"Cloaks" denotes their outer garments. No one told them to do this. It was all of God and prophecy. Somehow the disciples did this instinctively because of the will of Jesus, though unspoken. Without being told, they were anticipating Jesus' sitting on one of the animals, but they did not yet know which animal.

 

Mark and Luke do not mention the prophecy, not the two animals. John quotes the prophecy in abbreviated form, mentioning only one animal. Matthew quotes almost the entire prophecy, involving both animals. Therefore, Matthew alone treats both animals as to what happened. To say that Matthew pictures Jesus riding on two animals, either simultaneously or alternately, violates the translation of "namely" in the last line of Matthew 21:5 and violates the obvious antecedent of the second "them" which is "garments", not "the animals." Redaction critics claim that Matthew is here expanding Mark's account, but that Matthew misunderstood. Matthew, not the redaction critics, was a witness to what happened. And, if his account were different from Mark's, wouldn't he have made that clear?

 

Matthew 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

 

Matthew is likely indicating that the majority of those present did this. The disciples laid their outer garments on the animals. Taking this as their cue, but also because of the will of the Lord, though unstated, the majority spread their outer garments on the road where the animals would walk. What a remarkable thing to do! Another act of homage, instigated by the will of the Lord to fulfill the prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:9 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 in the highest!"

 

Only Luke does not distinguish two groups. The three others do. John is clear on these two crowds: one had gathered in Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus, now raised from the dead, and started with Jesus to Jerusalem; the other crowd, when it got word of Lazarus' raising from the dead and that Jesus was coming, came out from Jerusalem to meet Him.

 

From Luke 19:39 we know that there were some hostile Pharisees in the throng. Did this throng include pilgrims from Galilee and Perea? Hendriksen things so because of verse 11. That may be but the text does not say so.

 

At any rate, Matthew 21:9 clearly indicates two crowds, that with Him and the one coming out of Jerusalem.

 

"They began to cry and continued to do so." One cried this, another that. Compare the four Gospels on this point. It is a burst of acclamation, prayer and praise to Jesus, involving Messianic titles, the nature of His person and the nature of His work. Psalm 118:25-26 is quoted by them, a Messianic Psalm and also a Hallel Psalm, always used at the time of the Passover. The most often quoted Messianic Psalms in the New Testament are: 2, 22, 69, 89, 110 and 118.

 

"Hosanna" means "save" or "help." Under the Holy Spirit the people add "to the Son of David", a Messianic title. Together they mean: "Help the Son of David, may He succeed."

 

"Blessed" is consistently used only of human beings in the New Testament. "Praised be" is used only of God.

 

It is truly Advent. He comes to believers. "In the name of the Lord" has various translations: "In keeping with the revelation of the Lord"; "in obedience to the Lord's order"; "under the authority of the Lord." It is all of these. It tells us how and on what basis He comes: With the Lord's full backing and approval.

 

"May this hosanna resound in the highest heaven."

 

Hendriksen: It shows that the Messiah was regarded as a gift of God.

 

Lenski: In connection with God's abode.

 

We suggest that it means the same as in Luke 2:14: "Thank God because God and man are reconciled in this incarnate Christ."

 

By the way, under God's impulse the crowds add two phrases: "to the Son of David" and "in the highest."

 

Was all of this mere lip-service or was it meant genuinely? In view of Luke 19:39-40, we must insist that it was genuine, accepted by Jesus. But why did the people cry "Crucify Him" just a few days later? In the first place, human nature is very fickle and inconstant. There is a warning here: One day we may praise God to the highest heaven for what He has done. That is of God and is God-pleasing. A few days later we may be despondent and quite the opposite. That is not God's fault. It's our sinful nature.

 

Furthermore, it cannot be proved beyond a shadow of doubt that these crowds and those which condemned Him on Good Friday were identical although it's hard to believe that those who acclaimed Him on Sunday, if consistent, would have refrained from acknowledging Him on Friday, unless overcome by fear.

 

Matthew 21:10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

 

"Stirred" is "thrown in an uproar" or "in turmoil" or "went wild with excitement."

 

Expositor's Bible: Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism and socially undemonstrative, was stirred by the popular enthusiasm as by a mighty wind or by an earthquake.

 

Fahling: 'Who is this?' is asked from the windows, the roofs, the streets, and the bazaars. Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism, is moved.

 

Matthew 21:11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Not "a" prophet, but "the" Prophet.

 

Hendriksen: He was, and is, indeed a prophet, for He revealed and reveals the will of God to man. Note how in the present connection He is represented both as the fulfillment of prophecy, 21:4,5,9, and as being Himself a 'The' prophet, 21:11.

Why do they say: "from Nazareth of Galilee?"

 

Lenski: This reply sounds as though it was made by festival pilgrims from Galilee. We may note that tone of pride with which they name His home town. Most of the ministry of Jesus had, indeed, been devoted to Galilee, and these pilgrims from Galilee sum it up in the title 'the prophet'. Perhaps they told of His wonderful teaching and of His astounding miracles.

We add the thought that the One Who had been rejected in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry, Luke 4:16-29, is now acclaimed, under the influence of God, as The prophet.

 

Palm Sunday and the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11; Zechariah 9:9-13)

 

Jesus’ ministry is reaching its end. He’s arrived at Jerusalem, the site of the final showdown between almost everything we can think of: between Jesus and the authorities, between God’s kingdom and the empires of the world, between sin and grace, between life and death. This is the beginning of the end.

 

And Jesus announces this in a manner that seems, for Him, to be a little ostentatious. He enters the city riding on a donkey, which prompts a crowd of onlookers to start cheering, praising God, waving palm branches and throwing their coats onto the road for the donkey to walk on. News of this starts to get around: “Who is this?!” people ask, and while the easy answer is that it’s Jesus of Nazareth, the whole procession makes things a little more dramatic than they first appear.

 

For a start, it’s a fulfillment of a prophecy made by Zechariah, “See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey”. The donkey is important. King David’s household is recorded as riding on donkeys and mules in 2 Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 13:28-29. The donkey therefore links Jesus with Israel’s greatest king and establishes His own royal credentials.

 

Those credentials actually make Him more than just a king, they make Him the foretold Messiah, that’s what Zechariah’s prophecy is all about. This is more than a king having a parade to show off His might, it’s about God’s kingdom being inaugurated on Earth, an age of peace being brought into being. The bit of the prophecy quoted by Matthew is verse 9, but as Page points out, it goes on to say:

 

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.

 

He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

This is a king who brings peace to the world and reigns not just over a few geographic territories but over the entire planet. There’s no messing about here, Jesus entering Jerusalem like this announces that this king is now here. This is dynamite, it’s no wonder people start cheering and throwing cloaks on the ground to be trodden on by a young and nervous donkey. The age of peace, the age of the Messiah, the age of God’s kingdom has arrived. It wouldn’t arrive in the way everyone was expecting, of course, and it arrived in now-and-not-yet form, but arrive it did.

 

But wait: not only is this a royal procession, not only is it messianic, it’s also intensely political. Look at what Zechariah goes on to say about removing war horses and chariots from Israel when the Messiah arrives. Just think how that may have sounded in the context of a country that was occupied by the greatest empire the world had ever seen, a country oppressed by, well, people who used war-horses to assert their authority.

 

Now take into account that, around the same time that Jesus was entering Jerusalem on a donkey, the Roman Empire, in the form of Pontius Pilate and his troops were also arriving, a show of strength at a time when the city was full of Passover pilgrims and memories of how God had once freed His people from a mighty nation. “Just remember who’s in charge around here,” says Pilate’s procession; “Just remember who’s really in charge around here,” says Jesus’ parade, building on a prophecy that says empires built upon military might will one day give way to a kingdom built on peace.

 

“Who is this?” the people ask. Who’s this guy who seems to be founding a kingdom that will necessarily bring down Rome itself? Who’s this guy claiming to be the Messiah? The question echoes down through the ages and demands an answer. It’s a question that gets asked again and again throughout the remainder of the narrative:

 

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ask the high priests.

 

“Are you the King of the Jews?” asks Pilate.

 

Considering these questions are asked at trials, they reveal the heart behind them, Jesus is a threat, to the established order of the Empire, to the common perception of who and what the Messiah would be. And we don’t see Jesus as a threat, He’s the good guy who heals people and died for our sins. But this carries with it a price, it means He’s God and has a claim on our lives, and that can be a threat to the empires and kingdoms we’ve built up in our hearts.

 

And while we’re comfortable and confident in these kingdoms, heading towards them, riding on a donkey but implacable in His approach is Jesus. He arrives in town and things have to change. Do we change with them?

 

The Pulpit Commentaries - Matthew 21

 

Exposition - Matthew 21:1-11: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19.)

 

Matthew 21:1

 

We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on Matthew 21:10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6; John 12:1). Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls.

 

Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles.

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Alford suggests that the triumphal entry in Mark 11:1-33. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem, the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow But there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained. The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews."

 

By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him.

 

Matthew 21:2: The village over against You. Bethphage, to which He points as He speaks. He gives their commission to the two disciples, mentioning even some minute details. Straightway. "As soon as ye be entered into it" (Mark). Ye shall find an ass (a she ass) tied, and a colt with her. St. Matthew alone mentions the ass, the mother of the foal. This doubtless he does with exact reference to the prophecy, which, writing for Jews, he afterwards cites (verse 4).

 

St. Jerome gives a mystical reason: the ass represents the Jewish people, which had long borne the yoke of the Law; the colt adumbrates the Gentiles, as yet unbroken," whereon never man sat." Christ called them both, Jew and Gentile, by His apostles. Loose them, and bring them unto Me. He speaks with authority, as One able to make a requisition and command obedience.

 

Matthew 21:3: Say aught unto you. This might naturally be expected. Christ foresaw the opposition, and instructed the disciples how to overcome it with a word. The Lord; κυ ìριος, equivalent to "Jehovah," or the King Messiah. Doubtless the owner of the animals was a disciple, and acknowledged the claims of Jesus. His presence here was a providentially guided coincidence. If he was a stranger; as others suppose, be must have been divinely prompted to acquiesce in the appropriation of his beasts. He will send them. Some manuscripts read, "he sends them," here, as in St. Mark. The present is more forcible, but the future is well attested. The simple announcement that the asses were needed for God's service would silence all refusals. The disciples, indeed, were to act at once, as executing the orders of the supreme Lord, and were to use the given answer only in case of any objection. Throughout the transaction Christ assumes the character of the Divine Messiah, King of His people, the real Owner of all that they possess.

 

Matthew 21:4: All this was done; now ( δε Ì) all this hath come to pass. Many manuscripts omit "all," but it is probably genuine, as in other similar passages; e.g. Matthew 1:22; Matthew 26:56. This observation of the evangelist is intended to convey the truth that Christ was acting consciously on the lines of old prophecy, working out the will of God declared beforehand by divinely inspired seers. The disciples acted in blind obedience to Christ's command, not knowing that they were thus fulfilling prophecy, or having any such purpose in mind. The knowledge came afterwards (see John 12:16). That it might be fulfilled ( ἱ ìνα πληρωθῇ). The conjunction in this phrase is certainly used in its final, not in a consecutive or ecbatie sense; it denotes the purpose or design of the action of Christ, not the result. Not only the will of the Father, but the words of Scripture, had delineated the life of Christ, and in obeying that will He purposed to show that He fulfilled the prophecies which spake of Him. Thus any who knew the Scriptures, and were open to conviction, might see that it was He alone to whom these ancient oracles pointed, and in Him alone were their words accomplished. By (through, δια ì) the prophet. Zechariah 9:9, with a hint of Isaiah 62:11, a quotation being often woven from two or more passages (see on Matthew 27:9).

 

Matthew 21:5: Tell ye the daughter of Zion. This is from Isaiah (comp. Zephaniah 3:14). The passage in Zechariah begins, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem." The "daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem herself, named from the chief of the hills on which the city was built. Of course, the term includes all the inhabitants. Behold; marking the suddenness and unexpected nature of the event. Thy King. A King of thine own race, no stranger, one predestined for thee, foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David and to reign forever. Unto thee. For thy special good, to make His abode with thee (comp. Isaiah 9:6). Meek. As Christ Himself says, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29), far removed from pomp and warlike greatness; and yet, according to His own Beatitude, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), win victories which material forces can never obtain, triumph through humiliation. The original in Zechariah gives other characteristics of Messiah: "He is just, and having salvation;" i.e. endowed with salvation, either as being protected by God, or victorious and so able to save His people. Sitting upon an ass. Coming as King, He could not walk undistinguished among the crowd; He must ride. But to mount a war horse would denote that He was leader of an army or a worldly potentate; so He rides upon an ass, an animal used by the judges of Israel, and chieftains on peaceful errands ( 5:10; 10:4); one, too, greatly valued, and often of stately appearance in Palestine.

 

And ( και Ì) a colt the foal of an ass; such as she asses bear, and one not trained. It is questioned whether the conjunction here expresses addition, implying that Christ mounted both animals in succession, or is merely explanatory, equivalent to videlicet, an ass, yea, even the foal of an ass. It seems unlikely that, in accomplishing the short distance between Bethphage and Jerusalem (only a mile or two), our Lord should have changed from one beast to the other; and the other three evangelists say expressly that Christ rode the colt, omitting all mention of the mother. The she ass doubtless kept close to its foal, so the prophecy was exactly fulfilled, but the animal that bore the Savior was the colt. If the two animals represent respectively the Jews and Gentiles (see on verse 2), it seems hardly necessary for typical reasons that Jesus should thus symbolize His triumph over the disciplined Jews, while it is obvious that the lesson of His supremacy over the untaught Gentiles needed exemplification. The prophet certainly contemplates the two animals in the procession. "The old theocracy runs idly and instinctively by the side of the young Church, which has become the true bearer of the Divinity of Christ". No king had ever thus come to Jerusalem; such a circumstance was predicted of Messiah alone, and Christ alone fulfilled it to the letter, showing of what nature His kingdom was.

 

Matthew 21:6: As Jesus commanded them. They simply obeyed the order, not yet knowing what it portended, or how it carried out the will of God declared by His prophets.

 

Matthew 21:7 Brought the ass. The unbroken foal would be more easily subdued and guided when its mother was with it; such an addition to the ridden animal would usually be employed to carry the rider's luggage. They put on them ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν) their clothes (ἱμα ìτια). The two disciples, stripping off their heavy outer garments, abbas, or burnouses, put them as trappings on the two beasts, not knowing on which their Master meant to ride.

 

They set Him thereon ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν). Thus the received text, and the Vulgate, Et eum desuper sedere fecerunt. But most modern editors, with great man scriptural authority, read, "He sat thereon." Some have taken the pronoun αὐτῶν to refer to the beasts, and Alford supports the opinion by the common saying, "The postilion rode on the horses," when, in fact, He rode only one of the pair. But the analogy is erroneous. The postilion really guides and controls both; but no one contends that Christ kept the mother ass in hand while mounted on the colt. The pronoun is more suitably referred to the garments, which formed a saddle for the Savior, or housings and ornamental appendages. He came invested with a certain dignity and pomp, yet in such humble guise as to discountenance all idea of temporal sovereignty.

 

Matthew 21:8: A very great multitude; ὁδε Ì πλεῖστος ὀ ìχλος: Revised Version, the most part of the multitude. This interpretation has classical authority (see Alford), but the words may well mean," the very great multitude;" Vulgate, plurima autem turba. This crowd was composed of pilgrims who were coming to the festival at Jerusalem, and "the whole multitude of the disciples" (Luke 19:37). Spread their garments ( ἱμα ìτια) in the way. Fired with enthusiasm, they stripped off their abbas, as the two disciples had done, and with them made a carpet over which the Savior should ride.

 

Such honors were often paid to great men, and indeed, as we well know, are offered now on state occasions. Branches from the trees. St. John (John 12:13) particularizes palm trees as having been used on this occasion; but there was abundance of olive and other trees, from which branches and leaves could be cut or plucked to adorn the Savior’s road. The people appear to have behaved on this occasion as if at the Feast of Tabernacles, roused by enthusiasm to unpremeditated action. Of the three routes which lay before Him, Jesus is supposed to have taken the southern and most frequented, between the Mount of Olives and the Hill of Offence.

 

Matthew 21:9: The multitudes that went before, and that followed. These expressions point to two separate bodies, which combined in escorting Jesus at a certain portion of the route. We learn from St. John (John 12:18) that much people, greatly excited by the news of the raising of Lazarus, when they heard that He was in the neighborhood, hurried forth from Jerusalem to meet and do Him honor. These, when they met the other procession with Jesus riding in the midst, turned back again and preceded Him into the city.

 

St. Luke identifies the spot as "at the descent of the Mount of Olives." "As they approached the shoulder of the hill," "where the road bends downwards to the north, the sparse vegetation of the eastern slope changed, as in a moment, to the rich green of garden and trees, and Jerusalem in its glory rose before them.

 

It is hard for us to imagine now the splendor of the view. The city of God, seated on her hills, shone at the moment in the morning sun. Straight before stretched the vast white walls and buildings of the temple, its courts glittering with gold, rising one above the other; the steep sides of the hill of David crowned with lofty walls; the mighty castles towering above them; the sumptuous palace of Herod in its green parks; and the picturesque outlines of the streets." Hosanna to the Son of David! "Hosanna!" is compounded of two words meaning "save" and "now," or, "I pray," and is written in full Hoshia-na, translated by the Septuagint, σῶσον δη ì. The expressions uttered by the people are mostly derived from Psalms 118:1-29., which formed part of the great Hallel sung at the Feast of Tabernacles. "Hosanna!" was originally a formula of prayer and supplication, but later became a term of joy and congratulation.

 

So here the cry signifies "Blessings on [or, 'Jehovah bless'] the Son of David!" i.e. the Messiah, acknowledging Jesus to be He, the promised Prince of David's line. Thus we say, "God save the king!" This, the first Christian hymn, gave to Palm Sunday, in some parts of the Church, the name of the "day of Hosannas," and was incorporated into the liturgical service both in East and West. Blessed … of the Lord: (Psalms 118:26).

 

The formula is taken in two ways, the words, "ill the Name of the Lord," being connected either with "blessed" or with "cometh." In the former case the cry signifies, "The blessing of Jehovah rest on Him who cometh!" i.e., Messiah (Matthew 11:3; Revelation 1:8); in the latter, the meaning is, "Blessing on Him who cometh with Divine mission, sent with the authority of Jehovah!" The second interpretation seems to be correct. In the highest (comp. Luke 2:14). The people cry to God to ratify in heaven the blessing which they invoke on earth. This homage and the title of Messiah Jesus now accepts as His due, openly asserting His claims, and by His acquiescence encouraging the excitement. St. Matthew omits the touching scene of Christ's lamentations over Jerusalem, as He passed the spot where Roman legions would, a generation hence, encamp against the doomed city.

 

Matthew 21:10: Was come into Jerusalem. Those who consider that the day of this event was the tenth of Nisan see a peculiar fitness in the entry occurring on this day. On the tenth of this month the Paschal lamb was selected and taken up preparatory to its sacrifice four days after (Exodus 12:3, Exodus 12:6). So the true Paschal Lamb now is escorted to the place where alone the Passover could be sacrificed. Taking A.D. 30 to be the date of the Crucifixion, astronomers inform us that in that year the first day of Nisan fell on March 24. Consequently, the tenth would be on Sunday, April 2, and the fourteenth was reckoned item sunset of Thursday, April 6, to the sunset of Friday, April 7 (see on Matthew 21:1, and preliminary note Matthew 26:1-75.). Was moved ( ἐσει ìσθη); was shaken, as by an earthquake. St. Matthew alone mentions this commotion, though St. John (John 12:19) makes allusion to it, when he reports the vindictive exclamation of the Pharisees, "Behold, the world is gone after Him!"

 

Jerusalem had been stirred and troubled once before, when the Wise Men walked through the streets, inquiring, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3). But the excitement was far greater now, more general, composed of many different elements. The Romans expected some public rising; the Pharisaical party was aroused to new envy and malice; the Herodians dreaded a possible usurper; but the populace entertained for the moment the idea that their hopes were now fulfilled, that the long desired Messiah had at last appeared, and would lead them to victory. Who is this? The question may have been put by the strangers who came from all parts of the world to celebrate the Passover at Jerusalem, or by the crowds in the streets, when they beheld the unusual procession that was advancing.

 

Matthew 21:11: The multitude; οἱὀ ìχλοι: the multitudes. These were the people who took part in the procession; they kept repeating ( ἐ ìλεγον, imperfect) to all inquiries, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth. They give His name, title, and dwelling place. They call Him "the Prophet," either as being the One that was foretold (John 1:21; John 6:14), or as being inspired and commissioned by God (John 9:1-41.17). The appellation, "of Nazareth," clung to our Lord through all His earthly life. St. Matthew (Matthew 2:23) notes that the prophets had foretold that He was to be called a Nazarene, and that this prediction was in some sort fulfilled by his dwelling at Nazareth. We know not who were the prophets to whom the evangelist refers, and in this obscurity the attempted explanations of exegetes are far from satisfactory; so it is safer to fall back upon the inspired historian's verdict, and to mark the providential accomplishment of the prediction in the title by which Jesus was generally known. "Friends and foes, chief priests in hate, Pilate in mockery, angels in adoration, disciples in love, Christ Himself in lowliness (Acts 22:8), and now the multitudes in simplicity, all proclaim Him 'of Nazareth.'"

 

Matthew 21:12-17: The second cleansing of the temple. (Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48.)

 

Matthew 21:12: Went into the temple. The event here narrated seems to have taken place on the day following the triumphal entry; i.e. on the Monday of the Holy Week. This can be gathered from St. Mark's narrative, where it is stated that, on the day of triumph, Jesus was escorted to the temple, but merely "looked round about on all things," and then returned for the night to Bethany, visiting the temple again on the following morning, and driving out those who profaned it. St. Matthew often groups events, not in their proper chronological order, but in a certain logical sequence which corresponded with his design.

 

Thus he connects the cleansing with the triumphal entry, in order to display another example of Christ's self-manifestation at this time, and His purpose to show who He was and to put forth His claims publicly. In this visit of Christ we see the King coming to His palace, the place where His honor dwelleth, the fitting termination of His glorious march. This cleansing of the temple must not be confounded with the earlier incident narrated by St. John (John 2:13, etc.). The two acts marked respectively the beginning and close of Christ's earthly ministry, and denote the reverence which He taught for the house and the worshiper God.

 

The part of the temple which He now visited, and which was profaned to secular use, was the court of the Gentiles, separated from the sanctuary by a stone partition, and considered of lesser sanctity, though really an integral part of the temple. Cast out all them that sold and bought. In this large open space a market had been established, with the connivance, and much to the pecuniary emolument, of the priests. These let out the sacred area, of which they were the appointed guardians, to greedy and irreligious traders, who made a gain of others' piety. We find no trace of this market in the Old Testament; it probably was established after the Captivity, whence the Jews brought back that taste for commercial business and skill in financial matters for which they have ever since been celebrated. In the eyes of worldly-minded men the sanctity of a building and its appendages was no impediment to traffic and trade, hence they were glad to utilize the temple court, under the sanction of the priests, for the convenience of those who came from all regions to celebrate the great festivals.

 

Here was sold all that was required for the sacrifices which worshippers were minded to offer animals for victims, meal, incense, salt, etc. The scandalous abuse of the holy precincts, or the plain traces of it (if, as it was late in the day, the traffickers themselves had departed for a time), Christ had observed at His previous visit, when He "looked round about upon all things" (Mark 11:11), and now He proceeded to remedy the crying evil The details of the expulsion are not given. On the first occasion, we are told, He used "a scourge of small cords;" as far as we know, at this time He effected the purification unarmed and alone. It was a marvelous impulse that forced the greedy crew to obey the order of this unknown Man; their own consciences made them timid; they fled in dismay before the stern indignation of His eye, deserted their gainful trade to escape the reproach of that invincible zeal.

 

Money changers. These persons exchanged (for a certain percentage) foreign money or other coins for the half shekel demanded from all adults for the service of the temple (see on Matthew 17:24). They may have lent money to the needy. The sellers also probably played into their bands by refusing to receive any but current Jewish money in exchange for their wares. It is also certain that no coins stamped with a heathen symbol, or bearing a heathen monarch's image, could be paid into the temple treasury. The seats of them that sold (the) doves. These birds were used by the poor in the place of costlier victims (see Le John 12:6; John 14:22; Luke 2:24). The sellers were often women, who sat with tables before them on which were set cages containing the doves.

 

Matthew 21:13: It is written. Jesus confirms His action by the word of Scripture. He combines in one severe sentence a passage from Isaiah 56:7 ("Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples"), and one from Jeremiah 7:11 ("Is this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?"). He brings out in strong contrast the high design and use of the house of God (an allusion specially appropriate at the coming festival), and the vile and profane purposes to which the greed and impiety of men had subjected it. Ye have made it; Revised Version, ye make it; and so many modern editors on good manuscript authority. These base traffickers had turned the hallowed courts into a cavern where robbers stored their ill-gotten plunder. It may also be said that to make the place of prayer for all the nations a market for boasts was a robbery of the rights of the Gentiles. And Christ here vindicated the sanctity of the house of God: the Lord, according to the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1-3), had suddenly come to His temple to refine and purify, to show that none can profane what is dedicated to the service of God without most certain loss and punishment.

 

Matthew 21:14: The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple. This notice is peculiar to St. Matthew, though St. Luke (Luke 19:47) mentions that "He taught daily in the temple." An old expositor has remarked that Christ first as King purified His palace, and then took His seat therein, and of His royal bounty distributed gilts to His people. It was a new fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 35:4-6), which spake of Messiah coming to open the eyes of the blind, to unstop the ears of the deaf, to make the lame man leap as a hart. For acts of sacrilege which profaned the temple precincts, He substituted acts of mercy which hallowed them; the good Physician takes the place of the greedy trafficker; the den of thieves becomes a beneficent hospital. How many the acts of healing were, we are not told; but the words point to the relief of numberless sufferers, none of whom were sent empty away.

 

Matthew 21:15: The chief priests. This term is generally applied to the high priest's deputies and the heads of the twenty-four courses, but it seems here to mean certain sacerdotal members of the Sanhedrin, to whom supreme authority was delegated by the Romans or Herodians (see Josephus, 'Ant.,' 20.10, 5). They formed a wealthy, aristocratical body, and were many of them Sadducees. They joined with the scribes in expressing their outraged feeling, whether simulated or real. The wonderful things ( τασια); an expression found nowhere else in the New Testament. It refers to the cleansing of the temple and the cures lately performed there. Children crying in the temple. This fact is mentioned only by St. Matthew. Jesus loved children, and they loved and followed Him, taking up the cry which they had heard the day before from the multitude, and in simple faith applying it again to Christ. While grown men are silent or blaspheming, little children boldly sing his praises. Were sore displeased. Their envious hearts could not bear to see Jesus honored, elevated in men's eyes by His own beneficent actions, and now glorified by the spontaneous acclamations of these little ones.

 

Matthew 21:16: Hearest thou what these say? They profess a great zeal for God's honor. They recognize that these cries implied high homage, if not actual worship, and appeal to Jesus to put a stop to such unseemly behavior, approaching, as they would pretend, to formal blasphemy. Yea. Jesus replies that He hears what the children say, but sees no reason for silencing them; rather He proves that they were only fulfilling an old prophecy, originally, indeed, applied to Jehovah, but one which He claims as addressed to Himself. Have ye never read? (Matthew 12:5). The quotation is from the confessedly Messianic psalm (Psalms 8:1-9.), a psalm very often quoted in the New Testament, and as speaking of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6, etc.).

 

Suckling. This term was applied to children up to the age of three years (see 2 Macc. 7:27), but might be used metaphorically of those of tender age, though long weaned. Thou hast perfected praise. The words are from the Septuagint, which seems to have preserved the original reading. The present Hebrew text gives, "Thou hast ordained strength," or "established a power." In the Lord's mouth the citation signifies that God is praised acceptably by the weak and ignorant when, following the impulse of their simple nature, they do Him homage. Some expositors combine the force of the Hebrew and Greek by explaining that "the strength of the weak is praise, and that worship of Christ is strength". It is more simple to say that for the Hebrew "strength," "praise" is substituted, in order to give the idea that the children's acclamation was that which would still the enemy, as it certainly put to shame the captious objections of the Pharisees.

 

Matthew 21:17: He left them. The chief priests had nothing to say in reply to this testimony of Scripture. They feared to arrest Him in the face of the enthusiastic multitude; they bided their time, for the present apparently silenced. Jesus, wasting no further argument on these willfully unbelieving people, turned and left them. The King had no home in His royal city; He sought one in lowly Bethany, where He was always sure of a welcome in the house of Martha and Mary.

 

It is somewhat doubtful whether He availed Himself of His friends' hospitality at this time. The term "Bethany" would include the district so called in the vicinity of the town, as in the description of the scene of the Ascension (Luke 24:50). Lodged ( ηὐλι ìσθη). This word, if its strict classical use is pressed, would imply that Jesus passed the night in the open air; but it may mean merely "lodge," or "pass the night," without any further connotation; so no certain inference can be drawn from its employment in this passage. This withdrawal of Jesus obviated all danger of a rising in His favor, which, supported by the vast resources of the temple, might have had momentous consequences at this time of popular concourse and excitement.

 

Matthew 21:18-22: The cursing of the barren fig tree. (Mark 11:12-14 :, 20-26.)

 

Matthew 21:18: In the morning. St. Matthew has combined in one view a transaction which had two separate stages, as we gather from the narrative of St. Mark. The curse was uttered on the Monday morning, before the cleansing of the temple; the effect was beheld and the lesson given on the Tuesday, when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the third time (verses 20-22). Some scholars, resenting the miraculous in the incident, have imagined that the whole story is merely an embodiment and development of the parable of the fruitless fig tree recorded by St. Luke (Luke 13:6, etc.), which in course of time assumed this historical form. There is no ground whatever for this idea. It claims to be, and doubtless is, the account of a real fact, naturally connected with the circumstances of the time, and of great practical importance.

 

He hungered. True Man, He showed the weakness of His human nature, even when about to exert His power in the Divine. There is no need, rather it is unseemly to suppose that this hunger was miraculous or assumed, in order to give occasion for the coming miracle. Christ had either passed the night on the mountain-side in prayer and fasting, or had started from His lodging without breaking His fast. His followers do not seem to have suffered in the same way; and it was doubtless owing to His mental preoccupation and self-forgetfulness that the Lord had not attended to bodily wants.

 

Matthew 21:19: When He saw a ( μι ìαν, a single) fig tree in the way. The tree stood all alone in a conspicuous situation by the roadside, as if courting observation. It was allowable to pluck and eat fruit in an orchard (Deuteronomy 23:24, Deuteronomy 23:25); but this tree, placed where it was, seemed to be common property, belonging to no private owner. The sight of the leaves thereon, as St. Mark tells us, attracted the notice of Christ, who beheld with pleasure the prospect of relieving His long abstinence with the refreshment of cool and juicy fruit. He came to it. Knowing the nature of the tree, and that under some circumstances the fruit ripens before the leaves are fully out, Jesus naturally expected to find on it some figs fit to eat. Further, besides the fruit which comes to maturity in the usual way during the summer, there are often late figs produced in autumn which hang on the tree during winter, and ripen at the reawakening of vegetation in the spring.

 

The vigor of this particular tree was apparently proved by the luxuriance of its foliage, and it might reasonably be expected to retain some of its winter produce. Found nothing thereon, but leaves only. It was all outward show, promise without performance, seeming precocity with no adequate results. There is no question here of Christ's omniscience being at fault. He acted as a man would act; He was not deceived Himself nor did He deceive the apostles, though they at first misapprehended His purpose. The whole action was symbolical, and was meant so to appear.

 

In strict propriety of conduct, as a man led by the appearance of the tree might act, He carried out the figure, at the same time showing, by His treatment of this inanimate object, that He had something higher in view, and that He does not mean that which His outward conduct seemed to imply. He is enacting a parable where all the parts are in due keeping, and all have their twofold signification in the world of nature and the world of grace. The hunger is real, the tree is real, the expectation of fruit legitimate, the barrenness disappointing and criminal; the spiritual side, however, is left to be inferred, and, as we shall see, only one of many possible lessons is drawn from the result of the incident.

 

Let no fruit grow on thee (let there be no fruit from thee) henceforward forever. Such is the sentence passed on this ostentations tree. Christ addresses it as if replying to the profession made by its show of leaves. It had the sap of life, it had power to produce luxuriant leaves; therefore it might and ought to have borne fruit. It vaunted itself as being superior to its neighbors, and the boast was utterly empty. Presently ( παραχρῆμα) the fig tree withered away. The process was doubtless gradual, commencing at Christ's word, and continuing till the tree died; but St. Matthew completes the account at once, giving in one picture the event, with its surroundings and results. It was a moral necessity that what had incurred Christ's censure should perish; the spiritual controlled the material; the higher overbore the lower.

Thus the designed teaching was placed in visible shape before the eyes, and silently uttered its important lesson. It has been remarked that we are not to suppose that the tree thus handled was previously altogether sound and healthy. Its show of leaves at an unusual period without fruit may point to some abnormal development of activity which was consequent upon some radical defect. Had it been in vigorous health, it would not have been a fitting symbol of the Jewish Church; nor would it have corresponded with the idea which Christ designed to bring to the notice of His apostles. There was already some process at work which would have issued in decay, and Christ's curse merely accelerated this natural result.

 

This is considered to be the only instance in which our Lord exerted His miraculous power in destruction; all His other actions were beneficent, saving, gracious. The drowning of the swine at Gadara was only permitted for a wise purpose; it was not commanded or inflicted by Him. The whole transaction in our text is mysterious. That the Son of man should show wrath against a senseless tree, as tree, is, of course, not conceivable. Them was an apparent unfitness, if not injustice, in the proceeding, which at once demonstrated that the tree was not the real object of the action, that something more important was in view. Christ does not treat trees as moral agents, responsible for life and action. He uses inanimate objects to convey lessons to men, dealing with them according to His good pleasure, even His supreme will, which is the law by which they are controlled. In themselves they have no fault and incur no punishment, but they are treated in such a way as to profit the nobler creatures of God's hand.

 

There may have been two reasons for Christ's conduct which were not set prominently forward at the time. First, He desired to show His power, His absolute control, over material forces, so that, in what was about to happen to Him, His apostles might be sure that He suffered not through weakness or compulsion, but because He willed to have it so. This would prepare His followers for His own and their coming trials. Then there was another great lesson taught by the sign. The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish Church. The prophets had used both it. and the vine in this connection (comp. Hosea 9:10), and our Lord Himself makes an unmistakable allusion in His parable of the fig tree planted in the vineyard, from which the owner for three years sought fruit in vain (Luke 13:6, etc.).

 

Many of His subsequent discourses are, as it were, commentaries upon this incident (see verses 28-44; Matthew 22:1-14; 23-25.). Here was a parable enacted. The Savior had seen this tree, the Jewish Church, afar off, looking down upon it from heaven; it was one, single, standing conspicuous among all nations as that whereon the Lord had lavished most care, that which ought to have shown the effect of this culture in abundant produce of holiness and righteousness. But what was the result? Boasting to be children of Abraham, the special heritage of Jehovah, gifted with highest privileges, the sole possessors of the knowledge of God, the Israelites professed to have what no other people had, and were in reality empty and bare. There was plenty of outward show, rites, ceremonies, scrupulous observances, much speaking; but no real devotion, no righteousness, no heart worship, no good works.

 

Other nations, indeed, were equally fruitless, but they did not profess to be holy; they were sinners, and offered no cloak for their sinfulness. The Jews were no less unrighteous; but they were hypocrites, and boasted of the good which they had not. Other nations were unproductive, for their time had not come; but for Israel the season had arrived; she ought to have been the first to accept the Messiah, to unite the new with the old fruit, to pass from the Law to the gospel, and to learn and practice the lesson of faith. Perfect fruit was not yet to be expected; but Israel's sin was that she vaunted her perfection, counted herself sound and whole, while rotten at the very core, and barren of all good results.

 

Her falsehood, hypocrisy, and arrogant complacency were fearfully punished. The terms of the curse pronounced by the Judge are very emphatic. It denounces perpetual barrenness on the Jewish Church and people. From Judaea was to have gone forth the healing of the nations; from it all peoples of the earth were to be blessed. The complete fulfillment of this promise is no longer in the literal Israel; she is nothing in the world; no one resorts to her for food and refreshment; she has none to offer the wayfarer. For eighteen centuries has that fruitlessness continued; the withered tree still stands, a monument of unbelief and its punishment. The Lord's sentence, "forever," must be understood with some limitation. In His parable of the fig tree, which adumbrates the last days, He intimates that it shall someday bud and blossom, and be clothed once more with leaf and fruit; and St. Paul looks forward to the conversion of Israel, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Romans 11:23-26).

 

Matthew 21:20: They marveled, saying. The apostles' remark on the incident was made on the Tuesday, as we learn from St. Mark's more accurate account. After Christ had spoken His malediction, the little band went on their way to Jerusalem, where was performed the cleansing of the temple. On their return to Bethany, if they passed the tree, it was doubtless too dark to observe its present condition, and it was not till the next morning that they noticed what had happened. St. Matthew does not name the apostle who was the mouthpiece of the others in expressing astonishment at the miracle; he is satisfied with speaking generally of "the disciples" (comp. Matthew 26:8 with John 12:4). We learn from St. Mark that it was Peter who made the observation recorded, deeply affected by the sight of this instance of Christ's power, and awestruck by the speedy and complete accomplishment of the curse.

 

How soon is the fig tree withered away! better, How did the fig tree immediately wither away? Vulgate, Quomodo continue aruit? They saw, but could not comprehend, the effect of Christ's word, and wonderingly inquired how it came to pass. They did not at present realize the teaching of this parabolic act, how it gave solemn warning of the certainty of judgment on the unfruitful Jewish Church, which, hopelessly barren, must no longer cumber the earth. Christ did not help them to understand the typical nature of the transaction. He is not wont to explain in words the spiritual significance of His miracles; the connection between miracle and teaching is left to be inferred, to be brought out by meditation, prayer, faith, and subsequent circumstances. The total rejection of the Jews was a doctrine for which the apostles were not yet prepared; so the Lord, in wisdom and mercy, withheld its express enunciation at this moment. In mercy too He exemplified the sternness and severity of God's judgment by inflicting punishment on an inanimate object, and not on a sentient being; He withered a tree, not a sinful man, by the breath of His mouth.

 

Matthew 21:21: Jesus answered. To the apostles' question the Lord makes reply, drawing a lesson, not such as we should have expected, but one of quite a different nature, yet one which was naturally deduced from the transaction which had excited such astonishment. They marveled at this incident; let them have and exercise faith. and they should do greater things than this. Christ had already made a similar answer after the cure of the demoniac boy (Matthew 17:20). If ye have faith, and doubt not ( μη Ì διακριθῆτε). The whole phrase expresses the perfection of the grace. The latter verb means "to discriminate," to see a difference in things, hence to debate in one's mind. The Vulgate gives, Si habueritis fidem, et non haesitaveritis. What is here enjoined is that temper of mind which does not stop hesitatingly to consider whether a thing can be done or not, but believes that all is possible, that one can do all things through Christ who strengthens Him.

 

So the apostles are assured by Christ that they should not only be able to wither a tree with a word, but should accomplish far more difficult undertakings. This which is done to the fig tree ( το Ì τῆς συκῆς); as, "what was befallen to them that were possessed with devils ( τα Ìτῶν δαιμονιζομε ìνων)" (Matthew 8:33). The promise may intimate that it was to be through the preaching of the apostles, and the Jews' rejection of the salvation offered by them, that the judgment should fall on the chosen people. Thus they would do what was done to the fig tree. And in the following words we may see a prophecy of the destruction of the mountain of paganism. Or it may mean that theocratic Judaism must be cast into the sea of nations before the Church of Christ should reach its full development. This mountain. As He speaks, He points to the Mount of Olivet, on which they were standing, or to Moriah crowned by the glorious temple. Be thou removed; be thou taken up; ἀ ìρθητι, not the same word as in Matthew 17:20. The sea. The Mediterranean (see a similar promise, Luke 17:6). It shall be done. It was not likely that any such material miracle would literally be needed, and no one would ever pray for such a sign; but the expression is hyperbolically used to denote the performance of things most difficult and apparently impossible (see Zechariah 4:7; 1 Corinthians 13:2).

 

Matthew 21:22: All things. The promise is extended beyond the sphere of extraordinary miracles. In prayer; ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ: in the prayer; or, in your prayer. The use of the article may point to the prayer given by our Lord to His disciples, or to some definite form used from the earliest times in public worship (comp. Acts 1:14; Romans 12:12; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Colossians 4:2). Believing, ye shall receive. The condition for the success of prayer is stringent. A man must have no latent doubt in his heart; he must not debate whether the thing desired can be done or not; he must have absolute trust in the power and good will of God; and he must believe that "what he saith cometh to pass" (Mark 11:23). The faith required is the assurance of things hoped for, such as gives substance and being to them while yet out of sight. The words had their special application to the apostles, instructing them that they were not to expect to be able, like their Master, to work the wonders needed for the confirmation of the gospel by their own power. Such effects could be achieved only by prayer and faith. (On the general promise to faithful prayer, see Matthew 7:7-11.)

 

Verse 21:23-22:14. Our Lord's authority questioned: He replies by uttering three parables. (Mk 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-18.)

 

Matthew 21:23-27: First attack, referring to His late actions: and Christ's answer.

 

Matthew 21:23: When He was come into the temple. The conversation recorded here belongs to the Tuesday of the Holy Week, and took place in the courts of the temple, at this time filled with pilgrims from all parts of the world, who hung upon Christ's words, and beheld His doings with wonder and awe. This sight roused to fury the envy and anger of the authorities, and they sent forth sections of their cleverest men to undermine His authority in the eyes of the people, or to force from Him statements on which they might found criminal accusation against Him. The chief priests and the elders of the people.

 

According to the other evangelists, there were also scribes, teachers of the Law, united with them in this deputation, which thus comprised all the elements of the Sanhedrin. This seems to have been the first time that the council took formal notice of Jesus' claims and actions, and demanded from Him personally an account of Himself. They had been quick enough in inquiring into the Baptist's credentials, when he suddenly appeared on the banks of Jordan (see John 1:19, etc.); but they had studiously, till quite lately, avoided any regular investigation of the pretensions of Jesus.

In the thee of late proceedings, this could no longer be delayed. A crisis had arrived; their own peculiar province was publicly invaded, and their authority attacked; the opponent must be withstood by the action of the constituted court. As He was teaching. Jesus did not confine Himself to beneficent acts; He used the opportunity of the gathering of crowds around Him to preach unto them the gospel (Luke 20:1), to teach truths which came with double force from One who bad done such marvelous things. By what authority doest thou these things? They refer to the triumphal entry, the reception of the homage offered, the healing of the blind and lame, the teaching as with the authority of a rabbi, and especially to the cleansing of the temple. No one could presume to teach without a proper commission: where was His authorization? They were the guardians and rulers of the temple: what right had He to interfere with their management, and to use the sacred precincts for His own purposes?

 

These and such like questions were in their mind when they addressed Him thus. Willfully ignoring the many proofs they had of Christ's Divine mission (which one of them, Nicodemus, had long before been constrained to own, John 3:2), they raised the question now as a novel and unanswered one. Who gave thee this authority? They resolve the general inquiry into the personal one, Who was it that conferred upon You this authority which You presume to exercise? Was it some earthly ruler, or was it God Himself?

 

Perhaps they mean to insinuate that Satan was the master whose power He wielded, an accusation already often made. They thought thus to place Christ in an embarrassing position, from which He could not emerge without affording the opportunity which they desired. The trap was cleverly set, and, as they deemed, unavoidable. If He was forced to confess that He spoke and acted without any proper authorization, He would be humiliated in the eyes of the people, and might be officially silenced by the strong hand. If He asserted Himself to be the Messiah and the bearer of a Divine commission, they would at once bring against Him a charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65).

 

Matthew 21:24: I also will ask you one thing; λο ìγον ἑ ìνα: one word, question. Jesus does not reply directly to their insidious demand. He might have asserted His Divine mission, and appealed to His miracles in confirmation of such claim, which would have been in strict conformity with the old, established rule for discriminating false and true prophets (see Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 28:9); but He knew too well their skepticism and malice and inveterate prejudice to lay stress on this allegation at the present moment. Before He satisfied their inquiry, He must have their opinion concerning one whom they had received as a prophet a few years ago, and whose memory was still held in the highest respect, John the Baptist. The manner in which they regarded Him and His testimony would enable them to answer their own interrogation.

 

Matthew 21:25: The baptism of John ( το Ì βα ìπτισμα το Ì Ἰωα ìννου). By "the baptism which was of John" Christ means His whole ministry, doctrine, preaching, etc.; as by circumcision is implied the whole Mosaic Law, and the doctrine of the cross comprises all the teaching of the gospel, the chief characteristic connoting all particulars. From heaven, or of men? Did they regard John as one inspired and commissioned by God, or as a fanatic and impostor, who was self-sent and had received no external authorization? Now, two facts were plain and could not be denied. The rulers and the people with them had allowed John to be a prophet, and had never questioned his claims hitherto. This was one fact; the other was that John had borne unmistakable evidence to Christ. "Behold the Lamb of God!" etc. (John 1:32-36), he had said. He came and asserted that he came as Christ's forerunner; his mission was to prepare Christ's way, and had no meaning or intention but this. Here was a dilemma. They had asked for Jesus' credentials; the prophet, whose mission they had virtually endorsed testified that Jesus was the Messiah; if they believed that John spoke by inspiration, they must accept Christ; if now they discredited John, they would stultify themselves and endanger their influence with the people. They reasoned with themselves ( παρ ἑαυτοῖς). The somewhat unusual introduction of this preposition instead of the more common ἐν implies that the reflection was not confined to their own breast, but passed in consultation from one to another. They saw the difficulty, and deliberated how they could meet it without compromising themselves, seeking, not truth, but evasion. Why did ye not then ( διατι ì οὖν: why then did ye not) believe Him? i.e. when he bore such plain testimony to me. This appeal could be silenced only by denying John's mission, or asserting that he was mistaken in what he said,

 

Matthew 21:26: We fear the people. They dared not, as they would gladly have done, affirm that John was a false prophet and impostor; for then, as according to St. Luke they said, "All the people will stone us." Public opinion was too strong for them. Whatever view they really took of John's position, they were forced, for the sake of retaining popularity, to uphold its Divine character. All hold John as a prophet. Even Herod, for the same reason, long hesitated to put the Baptist to death (Matthew 14:5); and many of the Jews believed that Herod's defeat by Aretas was a judgment upon him for this murder (Josephus,' Ant.,' 18.5. 2); comp. Luke 7:29, which shows how extensive was the influence of this holy teacher, who indeed did no miracle, but persuaded men by pure doctrine, holy life, genuine love of souls, courageous reproof of sin wherever found. Others had drawn the very inference which Christ now demanded (see John 10:41, John 10:42).

 

Matthew 21:27: We cannot tell; οὐκ οἰ ìδαμεν: we know not; Vulgate, nescimus. The Authorized Version seems, at first sight, to be intended to give a false emphasis to "tell" in Christ's answer; but our translators often render the verb οἰ ìδα in this way (see John 3:8; John 8:14; John 16:18; 2 Corinthians 12:2). The questioners could find no way out of the dilemma in which Christ's unerring wisdom had placed them. Their evasive answer was a confession of defeat, and that in the presence of the gaping crowd who stood around listening to the conversation. They had every opportunity of judging the character of John's mission and that of Christ; it was their duty to form an opinion and to pronounce a verdict on such claims; and yet they, the leaders and teachers of Israel, for fear of compromising themselves, evade the obligation, refuse to solve or even to entertain the question, and, like a modern agnostic, content themselves with a profession of ignorance.

 

Many people, to avoid looking a disagreeable truth in the face, respond to all appeals with the stereotyped phrase, "We cannot tell." F.M. appositely quotes the comment of Donatus on Terent., 'Eunuch.,' 5.4, 31, "Perturbatur Parmeno; nec negare potuit, nec consentire volebat; sed quasi defensionis loco dixit, Nescio." And He said unto them; ἐ ìφη αὐτοῖς καις: He also said unto them. The Lord answers the thought which had dictated their words to Him. Neither tell I you, etc. With such double-minded men, who could give no clear decision concerning the mission of such a one as John the Baptist, it would be mere waste of words to argue further. They would not accept His testimony, and recognizing their malice and perversity, He declined to instruct them further. "Christ shows," says Jerome, "that they knew and were unwilling to answer; and that He knew, but held His peace, because they refused to utter what they well knew."

 

Matthew 21:28-32: The parable of the two sons.

 

Matthew 21:28: But what think ye? A formula connecting what follows with what has preceded, and making the hearers themselves the judges. By this and the succeeding parables, Jesus shows His interlocutors their true guilty position and the punishment that awaited them. He Himself explains the present parable in reference to His hearers, though, of course, it has, and is meant to have, a much wider application. A certain man (ἀìνθρωπος, a man) had two sons. The man represents God; the two sons symbolize two classes of Jews, the Pharisees, with their followers and imitators; and the lawless and sinful, who made no pretence of religion. The former are those who profess to keep the Law strictly, to the very letter, though they care nothing for its spirit, and virtually divorce religion from morality The latter are careless and profane persons, whom the Lord calls "publicans and harlots" (Matthew 21:31). Christ's reply countenances the received text, setting the repentant before the professing son. "The first son "here typifies the evil and immoral among the Jewish people. Go, work today. Two emphatic imperatives. Immediate obedience is required. "Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Psalms 95:7, Psalms 95:8). God called His sons to serve in His vineyard, the Church. He called them by the prophets, and more especially by John the Baptist, to turn from evil ways, and to do work meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8). Christ gives two examples, showing how this call was received.

 

Matthew 21:29: I will not. The answer is rude, curt, and disrespectful, such a one as would naturally issue from the lips of a person who was selfishly wrapped in his own pleasures, and cared nothing for the Law of God, the claims of relationship, the decencies of society. Repented, and went; i.e. into the vineyard to work. The worst sinners, when converted, often make great saints. There is more hope of their repentance than of the self-righteous or hypocrites, who profess the form of religion without the reality, and in their own view need no repentance.

 

Matthew 21:30: The second. He typifies the Pharisees, the scrupulous observers of outward form, while neglectful of the weightier matters, judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). I go, sir, ἐγω Ì κυ ìριε: Eo, domine. This son is outwardly respectful and dutiful; his answer is in marked contrast to the rough "I will not" of his brother. He professes zeal for the Law, and ready obedience. And went not. Such men did no real work for God, honoring Him with their lips and outward observances, while their heart was far from Him, and their morality was unprincipled and impure.

 

Matthew 21:31: Whether of them (the) twain! Christ forces from the unwilling hearers an answer which, at the moment, they do not see will condemn themselves. Unaccustomed to be criticized and put to the question, wrapped in a self-complacent righteousness, which was generally undisturbed, they missed the bearing of the parable on their own case, and answered without hesitation, as any unprejudiced person would have decided. The first; i.e. the son who first refused, but afterwards repented and went.

 

Verily I say unto you. Jesus drives the moral home to the hearts of these hypocrites. The publicans and the harlots. He specifies these excommunicated sinners as examples of those represented by the first son. Go into the kingdom of God before you; προα ìγουσιν ὑμας: are preceding you. This was the fact which Jesus saw and declared, He does not cut off all hope that the Pharisees might follow, if they willed to do so; He only shows that they have lost the position which they ought to have occupied, and that those whom they despised and spurned have accepted the offered salvation, and shall have their reward. We must remark that the Lord has no censure for those who sometime were disobedient, but afterwards repented; His rebuke falls on the professors and self-righteous, who ought to have been leaders and guides, and were in truth impious and irreligious.

 

Matthew 21:32: For John came unto you. This gives the reason for Christ's assertion at the end of the last verse. John came with a special call to the rulers of the people, and they made some show of interest, by sending a deputation to demand his credentials, and by coming to his baptism; but that was all. They did not alter their lives or change their faulty opinions at his preaching, though they "were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (John 5:35). In the way of righteousness. In that path of strict obedience to law, and of ascetic holiness, which you profess to regard so highly. If they had followed the path which John indicated, they would have attained to righteousness and salvation. John preached Christ who is "the Way" (John 14:6). (For "way," meaning doctrine, religious tenet and practice, see Matthew 22:16; Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23; 2 Peter 2:21.) Ye believed Him not, to any practical purpose, even as it is said elsewhere (Luke 7:30), "The Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, not having been baptized of Him."

 

Those who did receive his baptism were the exception; the great majority stood aloof. Believed him. Though these sinners may have first rejected him, yet his preaching softened their hearts; they repented, confessed their sins, and were baptized (see for examples, Luke 3:10, etc.; Luke 7:29). This was another call to the Pharisees to go and do likewise. When ye had seen it; i.e. the fruits of true repentance in these sinners, which conversion was indeed a loud appeal to the rulers to consider their own ways, and to bow to God's hand. Repented not (see verse 29). They profited not by this miracle of grace. That ye might believe him. The end and result of repentance would be to believe in John's mission, and to attend to his teaching.

 

Christ offers the above explanation of the parable (verses 31, 32) in view of the purpose for which he uttered it. It has been, and may be, taken in different senses, and in wider application. "What is set forth in individual cases is but a sample of what takes place in whole classes of persons, and even nations". Many expositors consider the two sons to represent Gentiles and Jews; the former making no profession of serving God, and yet in time being converted and turning to Him; the latter making much outward show of obedience, yet in reality denying Him and rejecting salvation. It is obvious that such explanation is allowable, and coincides with the letter of the parable; but it does not satisfy the context, and fails in not answering to Christ's intention in uttering this similitude.

 

Others see herein a picture of what happens in Christian lands, and is the experience of every Christian minister; how the irreligious and apparently irreclaimable are by God's grace brought, to repentance unto life; how the seemingly pious often make much show, but fall away, or bring no fruit unto perfection. And as the parable involves a general principle, so it may be applied universally to those who make great professions of religion, and are for a time full of good resolutions, but in practice fall very short; and to those who have been the slaves of lust, covetousness, or some other wickedness, but have been recovered from the snares of the devil, and have learned to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life.

 

Matthew 21:33-46: Parable of the vineyard let out to husbandmen. (Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19.)

 

Matthew 21:33: Hear another parable. The domineering and lately imperious party are reduced to the position of pupils; they have to listen to teaching, not to give it; to answer, not to put questions. This parable sets forth, under the guise of history, the Pharisaical party in its official character, and as the representative of the nation. It also denounces the punishment that surely awaited these rejecters of the offered salvation; thus exemplifying the teaching of the withered fig tree (Matthew 21:17-20). As applicable to the Jewish nation generally, it represents the long suffering of God and the various means which, in the course of their history, He had used to urge them to do their duty as His servants; and it ends with a prophecy of the coming events, and the terrible issue of impenitence. We must take the parable as partly retrospective, and partly predictive. There was a certain householder; a man ( ἀ ìνθρωπος) that was an householder. Christ in his parables often, as here, introduces God in His dealings with mankind as a man. His house is the house of Israel in particular, and in general the whole human family. A vineyard. God's kingdom upon earth, and particularly the Jewish Church. The figure is common throughout Scripture (see on Matthew 20:1). It was planted when God gave Israel a law, and put them in possession of the promised land. The parable itself is founded on Isaiah 5:1-7, where, however, the vineyard is tended by the Lord Himself, not by husbandmen, and it bears wild grapes, not good grapes. By these differences different developments of declension are indicated. In the earlier times it was the nation that apostatized, fell into idolatry and rebellion against God, the theocratic Head of their race and polity.

 

In later days it is the teachers, rabbis, priests, false prophets, who neglect the paths of righteousness, and lead people astray. In the parable these last come into painful prominence as criminally guilty of opposing God's messengers. Hedged it round; put a hedge around it. The fence would be a stone wall, a necessary defence against the incursions of wild animals. This fence has been regarded in two senses; first, as referring to the physical peculiarities of the position of the Holy Land, separated from alien nations by deserts, seas, rivers, and so isolated from evil contagion; second, as intimating the peculiar laws and minute restrictions of the Jewish polity, which differentiated Judaism from all other systems of religion, and tended to preserve purity and incorruption.

 

Probably the "hedge" is meant to adumbrate both senses. Many, however, see in it the protection of angels, or the righteousness of saints, which seem hardly to be sufficiently precise for the context. Digged a winepress. The phrase refers, not to the ordinary wooden troughs or vats which were used for the purpose of expressing and receiving the juice of the grapes, but to such as were cut in the rock, and were common in all parts of the country. Remains of these receptacles meet the traveler everywhere on the hill slopes of Judaea, and notably in the valleys of Carmel. The winepress is taken to signify the prophetic spirit, the temple services, or all things that typified the sacrifice and death of Christ. A tower; for the purpose of watching and guarding the vineyard. This may represent the temple itself, or the civil power.

 

Whatever interpretation may be put upon the various details, which, indeed, should not be unduly pressed, the general notion is that every care was taken of the Lord's inheritance, nothing was wanting for its convenience and security. Let it out to husbandmen. This is a new feature introduced into Isaiah's parable. Instead of paying an annual sum of money to the proprietor, these vine dressers paid in kind, furnishing a stipulated amount of fruit or wine as the hire of the vineyard. We have a lease on the former terms in So Isaiah 8:11, where the keepers have "to bring a thousand pieces of silver for the fruit."

 

The husbandmen are the children of Israel, who had to do their part in the Church, and show fruits of piety and devotion. Went into a far country; ἀπεδη ìμησεν: went abroad. In the parabolic sense, God withdrew for a time the sensible tokens of His presence, no longer manifested Himself as at Sinai, and in the cloud and pillar of fire. "Innuitur tempus divinae taciturnitatis, ubi homines agunt pro arbitrio". God's long suffering gives time of probation.

 

Matthew 21:34: When the time of the fruit drew near. The vintage season, when the rent, whether in money or kind, became due. In the Jewish history no particular time seems to be signified, but rather such periods or crises which forced God's claims upon men's notice, and made them consider what fruits they had to show for all the Lord's care, how they had lived after receiving the Law. Such times were the ages of Samuel, Elijah, the great prophets, the Maccabeus, and John the Baptist. His servants. The prophets, good kings, priests, and governors. "I have sent unto you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings" (Jeremiah 35:15). To receive the fruits of it ( του Ìς καρπου Ìς αὐτοῦ); or, his fruits, as rent.

 

Matthew 21:35: Took His servants. The exaction of rent in kind has always been a fruitful source of dispute, fraud, and discontent. In the Jewish Church God's messengers had been ill treated and put to death (see Matthew 23:34-37). "Which of the prophets have not your father’s persecuted?" cried St. Stephen; "and they have slain them which showed before the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been the betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). Beat … killed … stoned. A climax of iniquity and guilt. The statement is probably meant to be general; some, however, endeavor to individualize it, referring the "beating" to the treatment of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2), "killing" to Isaiah (Hebrews 11:37, "sawn asunder"), "stoning" to Zechariah son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20, 2 Chronicles 24:21). Doubtless, the incidents in such persecutions were often repeated.

 

Matthew 21:36: Other servants. God's loving kindness was not wearied out with the husbandmen's cruelty and violence. Each step of their wickedness and obstinacy was met with renewed mercy, with fresh calls to repentance. More ( πλει ìονας). More in number. In the latter days the number of God's messengers was much greater than in earlier times; so it is unnecessary to take πλει ìονας in the sense of "more honorable," "of higher dignity," though such interpretation is supported by its use in Matthew 6:25; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 11:4. Likewise. They resisted these new envoys as they had resisted these first sent, treating them with equal cruelty and violence.

 

Matthew 21:37: Last of all; ὑ ìστερον: afterwards, later on. The parable now allegorizes the near present, and future, in such a way as for the moment to conceal its bearing, and to lead the hearers to pronounce their own condemnation: His son. Even Jesus Christ, who was now among them, incarnate, teaching, and demanding of them fruits of righteousness. Here was the authorization which they had required (Matthew 21:23). God sent His Son. They will reverence My Son. God condescends to speak in human language, as hoping for a good result from this last effort for man's salvation. He, as it were, puts aside His foreknowledge, and gives scope to man's free will. Though the sad issue is known to Him, He often acts towards men as if He had hope that they would still use the occasion profitably. In the present case, whereas the immediate result of the last measure was disastrous, the expectation was ultimately realized in the conversion of many Jews to Christianity, which led to the bringing of all nations to the obedience of the faith.

 

Matthew 21:38: When the husbandmen saw the Son. As soon as they recognized this new and important messenger. This is the great element in the guilt of His rejection. They might have had the same consciousness of Christ's Divine mission as Nicodemus (John 3:2), having possessed the same opportunities of judging. Ancient prophecy, the signs of the times, the miracles and teaching of Christ, the testimony of the Baptist, pointed to one evident conclusion; evidence had been accumulating on all sides. A latent feeling had grown up that He was the Messiah (see John 11:49-52), and it was obstinate prejudice and perversity alone that prevented his open acknowledgment. "If I had not come and spoken unto them," said Christ, "they had not had sin; but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22; comp. John 9:41). They said among themselves. They plotted His destruction (see John 11:53). We are reminded of the conspiracy against Joseph, His father's well bellowed son (Genesis 37:20). Let us seize on ( κατα ìσχωμεν, take possession of, keep as our own) His inheritance. It would have been a wild and ignorant scheme of the husbandmen to consider that by murdering the heir they could obtain and hold possession of the vineyard. Here the parable bursts from the allegorical form, and becomes history and prophecy. In fact, the possession which the rulers coveted was supremacy over the minds and consciences of men; they wished to lord it over God's heritage; to retain their rights and prerogatives in the present system. This ambition Christ's teaching and action entirely overthrew. They felt no security in their possession of authority while He was present and working in their midst. Were He removed, their position would be safe, their claims undisputed. Hence their conspiracy and its result, a result very far from what they expected. They had their own way, but their gain was ruin. Says St. Augustine, "Ut possiderent, occiderunt; et quia occiderunt, perdiderunt."

 

Matthew 21:39: Cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him. This is prophecy, and alludes to a particular circumstance attending the death of Christ, viz. that He suffered without the city Jerusalem, Calvary being outside the walls (see John 19:17, and the parallel passages in the other evangelists, and especially Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:12, where it is significantly noted that Jesus "suffered without the gate"). The words may also contain a reference to the fact that He was excommunicated and given over to the heathen to be judged and condemned, thus suffering not actually at the hands of "the husbandmen" (comp. Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27). Christ, in His Divine prescience, speaks of His Passion and death as already accomplished.

 

Matthew 21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh; when therefore the lord, etc. Christ asks His hearers, who are both rulers and people, what in their opinion will be the course taken by the lord when He visits His vineyard, knowing all that has transpired. So Isaiah (Isaiah 5:3) makes the people give the verdict: "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard."

 

Matthew 21:41: They say unto Him. The Pharisees probably made the reply, not at the moment apprehending the sense of the parable. Or the words were spoken by some of the bystanders, and taken up and emphatically repeated by our Lord with an unmistakable application (Matthew 21:43). The conclusion was a necessary consequence, and this will account for Mark and Luke apparently making them a part of Christ's speech. By their answer they blindly condemn themselves, as David did at hearing Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:5). He will miserably ( κακῶς) destroy those wicked men ( κακου Ìς, miserable men); or, he will evilly destroy those evil men; Vulgate, Malos male perdet. He will make their punishment equal their crime. The slaughter and mortality at the siege of Jerusalem accomplished this prediction to the letter.

 

Unto other husbandmen; i.e. the Christian ministry, which took the place of the Jewish priests and teachers. As the husbandmen in the parable were rather the rulers and rabbis than the whole nation which, indeed, only followed their guides, so these others are not the whole Gentile world, but those who sustained the ministerial offices in the Christian Church. Which ( οἱ ìτινες); of such kind as, denoting a class of servants. The clause is peculiar to Matthew. The speakers did not clearly apprehend the bearing of this detail of the parable. In their seasons. The times when the various fruits are ripe and ready for harvesting. These would vary in different climates and under differing circumstances; but the good husbandmen would be always ready to render to their Lord the fruits of faith and obedience, at every holy season and in due proportion.

 

This parable, spoken originally of Israel, applies, like all such similitudes, to the Christian Church and to the human soul. How God dealt with individual Churches we see in His words to the seven Churches of Asia (Revelation 1-3.). Ecclesiastical history furnishes similar examples throughout all ages. God gives privileges, and looks for results worthy of these graces. He sends warnings; He raises up apostles, preachers, evangelists; and if a Church is still unfaithful, He takes away His Spirit, and lets it lapse, and gives its inheritance to others, In the other case, the vineyard is the soul of man, which He has to cultivate for His Master's use. God has hedged it round with the law, external and internal, given it the ministry and sacraments and the Scripture, and looks to it to bring forth the fruits of obedience, service, worship. He sends times of visitation, teaching, warning; He speaks to it by secret inspiration; He calls it in loving tones to closer union. If it hearkens to the call, it walks in the way of salvation; if it refuses to hear, it casts away the hope of its calling, and must share the lot of Christ's enemies.

 

Matthew 21:42: Did ye never read? It is as though Christ said, "Ye have answered rightly. You profess to know the Scriptures well; do you not, then, apprehend that Holy Writ foretells that concerning Messiah and His enemies which you have just announced?" The imagery is changed, but the subject is the same as in the preceding parable. The vineyard is now a building; the husbandmen are the builders; the Son is the stone. In the Scriptures. The quotation is from Psalms 118:22, Psalms 118:23, the same psalm which was used on the day of triumph when Christ was saluted with cries of "Hosanna!" and which, as some say, was first sung by Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles on the return from Captivity.

 

The stone. This figure was generally understood to represent Messiah, on whom depended the existence and support of the Kingdom of God. Many prophecies containing this metaphor were applied to Him; e.g. Isaiah 28:16; Daniel 2:34; Zechariah 3:9; so that the Pharisees could be at no loss to understand the allusion, seeing that Jesus claimed to be that Stone. Rejected; as being not suitable to the building, or useless in its construction. So the husbandmen rejected the Son. The ignorance and contempt of men are overruled by the great Architect. The head of the corner. The cornerstone, which stands at the base and binds together two principal walls (see St. Paul's grand words, Ephesians 2:19-22). We learn that Christ unites Jew and Gentile in one holy house. This ( αὑ ìτη), being feminine, is thought by some to refer to "head of the corner" ( κεφαλη Ìν, γωνι ìας); but it is better to take it as used by a Hebrew idiom for the neuter, and to refer generally to what has preceded, viz. the settlement of the cornerstone in its destined position, which is effected by the Lord Himself. The ultimate victory of the rejected Son is thus distinctly predicted (comp. Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33).

 

Matthew 21:43: Therefore I say unto you. Having denounced the sin, Christ now enunciates the punishment thereof, in continuation of His parable. Because ye slay the Son, reject the Cornerstone, the vineyard, i.e. the Kingdom of God, shall be taken from you. Ye shall no longer be God's peculiar people; your special privileges shall be taken away. A nation. The Christian Church, the spiritual Israel, formed chiefly from the Gentile peoples (Acts 15:14; 1 Peter 2:9). The fruits thereof ( αὐτῆς); i.e. of the Kingdom of God, such faith, life, good works, as become those thus favored by Divine grace.

 

Matthew 21:44: Christ proceeds to show the positive and terrible results of such unbelief. Whosoever shall fall ( πεσω Ìν, hath fallen) on this stone shall be broken ( συνθλασθη ìσεται, shall be shattered to pieces). This may refer to the practice of executing the punishment of stoning by first hurling the culprit from a raised platform on to a rock or stone, and then stoning him to death. The falling on the stone has been explained in more ways than one. Some think that it implies coming to Christ in repentance and humility, with a contrite heart, which He will not despise. But the subject here is the punishment of the obdurate. Others take it to represent an attack made by the enemies of Christ, who shall demolish themselves by such onslaught. The original will hardly allow this interpretation. Doubtless the allusion is to those who found in Christ's low estate a stone of stumbling and rock of offence. These suffered grievous loss and danger even in this present time.

The rejection of the doctrine of Christ crucified involves the loss of spiritual privileges, moral debility, and what is elsewhere called "the scattering abroad" (Matthew 12:30; comp. Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah 8:15). On whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder ( λικμη ìσει αὐτο Ìν, it will scatter him as chaff). The persons hero spoken of are not those who are offended at Christ's low estate; they are such as put themselves in active opposition to Him and His kingdom; on them He will fall in terrible vengeance, and will utterly destroy them without hope of recovery. The idea is re-repeated from Daniel 2:34, Daniel 2:35, and Daniel 2:44, Daniel 2:45. Christ in His humiliation is the Stone against which men fall; Christ in His glory and exaltation is the Stone which falls on them.

 

Matthew 21:45: Pharisees. They have not been specially mentioned hitherto, but they formed the majority in the Sanhedrin, and are properly here named by the evangelist. He spake of them. They could not fail, especially after Matthew 21:43, to see the drift of the parables; their own consciences must have made them feel that they themselves were herein signified, their motives and conduct fully discovered. But, as bad men always act, instead of repenting of the evil, they are only exasperated against Him who detected them, and only desire the more to wreak their vengeance upon Him.

 

Matthew 21:46: They feared the multitude. They did not dare to lay violent hands on Jesus in the presence of the excited crowd, which would have withstood any such attack at this moment. A Prophet (see Matthew 21:11). If they did not recognize Him as Messiah, they regarded Him as one inspired by God, and having a Divine mission. This accounts for the joyful acquiescence of the Pharisaical party in the offer of Judas, when he proposed to betray his Master in the absence of the multitude

 

Matthew 21:1-11: The entry into Jerusalem.

 

I. The Fulfillment of Prophecy.

 

1. Bethphage. The Lord had spent the Sabbath in that holy home at Bethany, where He was always a welcome Guest, with that family which was now more than ever devoted to His service, and bound to Him by the ties of the very deepest gratitude. On the Sunday morning (Palm Sunday) He made His solemn entry into the holy city. He set out from Bethany on foot; but He intended to enter Jerusalem as the King Messiah. He had hitherto avoided anything like a public announcement of His office and His claims. When the multitude wished to "take Him by force to make Him a King, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone." Not long ago He had forbidden His disciples to tell any man that He was the Christ. He had charged them to tell no man of the heavenly glory of the Transfiguration.

 

The earthly view of the Messiah's kingdom was universal. The apostles themselves, warned as they had been again and again of its untruth, again and again reverted to it. So strong was the hold which it had upon their minds, that even after the awful scenes of the Passion, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" The Lord would do nothing to sanction this vain expectation. His kingdom was not of this world. But now His hour was come, the hour that He should depart out of this world. It was time for Him now to make a public assertion of His claims. That assertion, He knew, would lead to His death, and, through His death, resurrection, and ascension, to the establishment of His spiritual kingdom over the hearts of men. He was drawing near to Jerusalem.

 

He was come to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives. He sent two disciples, bidding them fetch an ass and a colt whereon yet never man sat. He described the place minutely. If any man interfered, they were to say, "The Lord hath need of them." The Lord, the Lord of all; all things are His; He claims them when they are needed for His service. The words were simple, but they seem to convey a great meaning, to imply far-reaching claims. "The Lord hath need of them." The Savior describes Himself simply as the Lord, just as the Septuagint writers express the covenant name of God. The words would be understood as meaning that the ass was wanted in some way for God's service. The owners knew not how; but they saw the solemn procession passing by; they saw the lowly majesty of Christ. They must have known Him. He had been a frequent visitor at Bethany. But a short time ago He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Possibly they may have been among the number of His disciples. Even if not so, they must have felt something of the enthusiasm and excited expectation which were so widely diffused. They sent the ass. We must give readily and cheerfully when the Lord calls upon us; we must keep nothing back which He requires. "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."

 

2. The prophecy.

 

II. The Procession.

 

1.The approach to Jerusalem. The modest procession climbed the road that slopes up the Mount of Olives till, as they passed the shoulder of the hill, Jerusalem lay clear before them, the temple glittering in all its glory of gold and marble. The Lord wept as He gazed upon it. He, the Prince of Peace, was coming to the holy city; but that city, Jerusalem, the inheritance of peace, had not known the things that belonged to her peace; now they were hid from her eyes. There were outward demonstrations of joy; in some that joy was deep and true; in others it was. though not insincere, founded on mistaken hopes which would soon be dissipated; in very many it was mere excitement, worthless and unreal, one of those transitory bursts of apparent enthusiasm which are so contagious for a time, which run through unthinking crowds. The Lord was not dazzled by the popular applause; He estimated it at its true value. He wept as He looked upon Jerusalem; His eye gazed through the future, resting, not on His own approaching sufferings, but on the fearful doom which awaited the impenitent city.

 

2.The multitudes. The tidings of the Lord's approach reached Jerusalem; crowds of pilgrims, who had come thither for the Passover, went out to meet Him. There were pilgrims from Galilee, who could tell of many mighty deeds; there were others who were present when He called Lazarus out of his grave (John 12:17). That last wondrous miracle had for a time rekindled the old enthusiasm. The crowd issuing from Jerusalem joined the procession which came from Bethany; they swelled its numbers and increased the excitement. They hailed the Lord as King, spreading their garments in the way, as men had done to welcome kings (2 Kings 9:13); they strewed His path with branches from the trees; they cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they hailed the Lord as the Messiah.

 

The Pharisees had agreed that if any man did confess that He was Christ, He should be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). But they were powerless that day; they felt that they could prevail nothing; the world, they said, had gone after Him. The multitude owned Him to be the Messiah, the Son of David, the King of Israel. They raised the shout of "Hosanna!" originally a prayer, "Save us now!" (comp. Psalms 118:25); but now, it seems, a cry of triumphant welcome; a cry, however, which recognized Him as the Savior, and ascribed salvation to Him. That prayer, they hoped, would reach the heavens; that cry would be heard there; they prayed for blessings upon Him, using again the words of Psalms 118:1-29.; they prayed that God's blessing might rest upon Him, and bring to pass that salvation which was the real meaning of the hosanna cry. "Hosanna in the highest!" In the highest the hosts of angels need not lift the prayer, "Save us now!" for themselves; but they rejoice, we know, over each repentant sinner, over each lost sheep brought home to the fold on the shoulders of the good Shepherd; they may well re-echo the suppliant hosannas as they add the heavenly incense to the prayers of the saints which go up before God (Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:4).

 

We may well believe that, on that great Palm Sunday, the heavenly host bent in reverent adoration from their thrones of light, watched that lowly procession as it escorted the King of heaven into the holy city, listened to the earthly hosannas that welcomed His approach, and repeated with more solemn tones, more awful expectations, the high chant of praise which celebrated the Nativity, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Let us make that welcome our own. He who then came to Jerusalem comes now to us. Each day He cometh to expectant hearts, to souls craving peace and mercy. He cometh in the name of the Lord; Himself the Lord, He cometh from the Lord, to do His Father's will, "to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant." "Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" Let us welcome Him into our hearts with the hosanna cry of adoration and earnest supplication, "Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity!"

 

3. The inhabitants. "All the city was moved" stirred, shaken (so the Greek word means), at the approach of the jubilant procession. It was filled with crowds waiting for the celebration of the Passover, eager, excited crowds, ready to be stirred into commotion by any sudden impulse. "Who is this?" they said.

 

The form of the Lord must have been well known to most of the dwellers in Jerusalem. Perhaps the question was asked by strangers (see Acts 2:5, Acts 2:9-11); perhaps it was asked with something of scorn, "Who is this who comes with such a retinue, with all this festal applause?" The multitude, mostly perhaps Galileans, understood the suppressed contempt of the proud Pharisees, and answered with something of provincial pride, "This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." He belonged to them in a sense; the Pharisees had maintained, with ignorant scornfulness, that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." Even Nathanael, the Israelite in whom there was no guile, had asked, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" The Galileans had a Prophet now, a Prophet mighty in word and deed; nay, more than a Prophet, the Messiah that was to come. They were proud of His eminence, they shouted their hosannas.

 

Before the week was ended, some of them, it may be, would change that cry to "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" All would forsake Him and leave Him to His death. Popular excitement is a poor thing; the Christian must trust neither in crowds nor in princes, but only in God. "Who is this?" the world still asks, some in the spirit of anxious inquiry, some in scorn and unbelief; and still the Christian answers in faith and adoring love, "This is Jesus, the Prophet, the great High Priest, the King of kings and Lord of lords." He cometh to claim His kingdom in each human heart. Receive Him; He bringeth peace.

 

Lessons.

 

1. The King cometh; He is lowly. Only the lowly heart can receive the lowly King.

 

2. Greet Him with holy joy; pray that that joy may be deep and true, founded on a living faith.

 

3. Seek to know Him, to say, "This is Jesus," out of a true personal knowledge.

 

Matthew 21:12-16: The temple.

 

I. The Lord's Actions there.

1. His entrance. Jesus went into the temple of God. It was a fulfillment of the great prophecy of Malachi, "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." He came, but, they delighted not in Him. He came to "purify the sons of Levi, that they might offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." But, they would not be purified. The Lord might cleanse the temple; the priests who ministered there would not yield up their hearts to Him, that He might cleanse them. He looked round about upon all things. So the Lord comes to His temple now, so He looks round about upon all things; He notes the formal services, He notes the careless hearts. It is right that the house of God be kept in decent order and beauty, but far more deeply necessary that all who minister and all who worship there should offer up their hearts to Him cleansed, purified through faith in Him; a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice.

 

2. His ejection of the buyers and sellers. He had cleansed the temple once before, at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-17). The irreverent practices which He then checked had been resumed. The court of the Gentiles had again become a market for the oxen, sheep, and doves, which the worshippers needed for the various sacrifices. Again the money changers had established themselves there to exchange the foreign money brought by the worshippers from many lands for the sacred shekel of the sanctuary, which alone could be accepted in the temple. Probably now, in the Passover week, the traffic was busier than ever, the noise more unseemly, the bargaining more eager than at other times. It was a sad scene, an unholy intrusion of earth and earthly doings into the house of God. The Savior’s holy soul was moved within Him. Filled with that zeal for the house of God which had so much struck the apostles on the former occasion, He cast out all that sold and bought in the temple. There was a majesty in His look and bearing which could not be resisted; they fled before Him, conscience stricken. They felt that He was right; He was vindicating a great truth; God's house must be held in honor; they who reverence God must reverence His temple. "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy honor dwelleth."

 

3. His rebuke. He told them what the temple should be, a house of prayer; it should be pervaded with an atmosphere of prayer; those who came there should come in the spirit of prayer; they should go up into the temple to pray. But how was prayer possible amid this noise and hubbub? This unseemly trafficking unsettled the minds of the worshippers as they passed into the inner courts. The court of the Gentiles was like a den of robbers now; they were robbing God of the honor due to Him; they were driving this unholy traffic in His courts, their thoughts bent on dishonest gains. It must not be so, He said; God's house is a sacred place. We dishonor God's house if we allow worldly, covetous thoughts to occupy our minds when our bodies are present there. When the heart is like a den of robbers, the prayer of the lips will not reach the mercy seat. We must do each of us our part to make God's house indeed the house of prayer by praying ourselves, and that in spirit and in truth.

 

4. His miracles. The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. He would do works of mercy in the temple courts, as He would do them on the Sabbath; for, indeed, such deeds done in faith and love are acts of worship, pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father (James 1:27). It does our churches no dishonor to use them, as sometimes they have been used in times of special need, for the service of the sick and suffering. Still in the temple the Lord performs His miracles of grace; there He opens the eyes of those who came praying, '"Lord, increase our faith;" there He gives strength and energy to the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

 

II. The Displeasure of the Chief Priests.

1.Their remonstrance. They saw the wonderful things that He did. The miracles were wonderful; wonderful, too, was that strange majesty which so impressed the crowd of dealers and money changers that they obeyed Him, as it seems, without a word. It was a wonderful thing indeed that one Man, and one without any recognized position in the temple, without any official character, could overawe that concourse of traders. They heard the children crying in the temple, repeating the hosannas of the festal procession. They were sore displeased. They called the Lord's attention. They did not regard Him as the Messiah. He ought not, they thought, to allow those untaught children to hail Him with such a title.

 

2. The Lord's reply. He would not check the little ones. He ever loved children, and children ever loved to flock around Him and to listen to His voice. Besides, the children were right; their childlike hearts recognized the dignity of Christ. Their hearts taught them, with an intuitive knowledge, lessons which the learned rabbis, the dignitaries of the temple, could not reach. So now holy children often utter profound truths in their simple, innocent talk. Still God perfecteth praise out the mouths of babes and suckling. He accepts the children's prayer; He listens to the children's hymn. Nay, the prayers and praises of children are our example; for they are offered up in simplicity and truth.

 

Lessons.

 

1. "The Lord is in His holy temple:" enter it with reverence.

 

2. His house is a house of prayer; drive out worldly thoughts; hush your hearts into solemn attention.

 

3. Bring the little ones early to church; teach them the words of prayer and praise; their praises are acceptable unto God.

 

Matthew 21:17-22: The return to the temple.

 

I. The Walk to and from Bethany.

 

1. The Sunday evening. The Lord left the temple "when He had looked round upon all things." He had no home in the royal city. He went out unto Bethany, and there He lodged, perhaps in the house of Lazarus, perhaps, as many pilgrims did, in a booth on the hillside, or under the shelter of the trees. "The Son of man hath not where to lay His head."

 

2. Monday. Very early the Lord returned to the city. It seems He had eaten nothing; He hungered on the way. He was poor in this world. Let us learn of Him to be content in poverty and hardships.

 

II. The barren fig tree.

 

1. The curse. It stood alone, a conspicuous object. It was full of leaves. The time for figs was not yet, but this tree was singularly forward, precocious; the leaves promised early fruit, "hasty fruit before the summer" (Isaiah 28:4). It had none; it was barren. The Lord said, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever;" "and presently the fig tree withered away."

 

The miracle was symbolical, an acted parable. The priests and scribes whom the Lord was about to confront were like that fig tree, fair to look upon. They were held in honor, some for their official rank, some for their supposed righteousness, but they brought not forth the fruits of holiness. Such must wither when the Lord's searching eye is fixed upon them, when He comes seeking fruit. Leaves will not take the place of fruit, outward profession will not atone for the absence of holiness of heart and life. That fig tree was a meet emblem of the hypocrite. There were other trees without fruit; but they made no show of special forwardness, they were leafless still. This one tree was conspicuous for its foliage, but it had no fruit hidden beneath its leaves. The other trees might yet bring forth fruit in due time; this one had exhausted itself in leaves.

 

Such a show of life is worthless in the sight of God; it is not life, it is only a false appearance; it may deceive men, it cannot deceive God. "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." Many professing Christians seem to us like that fig tree. Take we heed to ourselves. The Lord passed on, His hunger unappeased. The whole world was His, the cattle on a thousand hills; yet He hungered, for He had taken our flesh. He suffered as we suffer; He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He went on to Jerusalem, to the temple. Now apparently took place that expulsion of unhallowed traffic, the miracles, the hosannas of the children, and the interference of the priests, which have been already related by anticipation in St. Matthew's Gospel. "When even was come, He went out of the city."

 

2. The astonishment of the disciples. The words of the Lord produced an immediate effect. The life of the tree, such as it was, was at once arrested; the sap ceased to circulate, the leaves began to wither. But it seems from the more minute account in St. Mark, that the disciples did not observe the result till they passed the tree again in going to Jerusalem on the Tuesday morning. Then they marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!" We wonder at their wonder. They had seen many wondrous manifestations of the Lord's mighty power: why should they wonder now? They were still weak in faith, as the nine had been when they sought in vain to cast out the evil spirit beneath the Mount of the Transfiguration.

 

The Lord repeats the lesson which He gave them then, "Have faith in God;" doubt not. Doubt destroys the strength of prayer. He that doubteth will not receive anything of the Lord; but if we ask in steadfast, undoubting faith, then there is the blessed promise, "All things are possible to Him that believeth," for the prayer of undoubting faith availeth much with God. What was done to the fig tree, the Lord said, was a small thing for faith to do; faith could do things greater far. The psalmist had sung of the Mount Zion, "It cannot be removed: it abideth forever." But the Lord said, pointing, it may be, to the mountains round Jerusalem, "If ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done."

 

Faith can remove mountains; difficulties vanish before the prayer of faith. Set the Lord's promises before you when you pray; claim them as your own; realize them, trust in them; pray with persevering importunity, and, doubt not, you shall receive what you ask in faithful prayer. This or that sin may seem like a mountain, rooted deep in the heart, immovable; but pray against it, pray that it may be cast out; pray in faith, believing in God's power, believing in His love, and it shall be done. It is our want of faith which makes our prayers so weak. If we fully believed that God is able and willing to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to make us whiter than snow, we should, in our own actual lives, overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Let it be our most earnest effort to be true and faithful, not to seem to be so. Hypocrisy is hateful in the sight of God.

 

2. Pray for a strong, undoubting faith; it is God's most precious gift.

 

3. Pray always; believe in the power of prayer.

 

Matthew 21:23-40 - The controversy in the temple.

 

I. The Lord's Authority called in question.

 

1. The intervention of the chief priests. St. Luke tells us that they had resolved to destroy our Lord. He had now allowed Himself to be saluted openly as the Christ, the Son of David. He had accepted the hosannas of the multitude in the city, in the temple itself. He had assumed a paramount authority in the temple. The chief priests regarded themselves as rulers there; the market in the court of the Gentiles was held by their license; it was a source of profit to them. They now determined to interpose publicly. They sent an official deputation, composed of members of the three classes of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, scribes, and elders; to demand the Lord's authority for His conduct. What right had He thus to intrude, as they deemed, into their province, to interfere with the administration of the temple? What right had He to teach publicly in the temple courts without license from the rabbis? What right had He to the titles of "King of Israel," "Son of David," which He had accepted from the people as His due?

 

2.The Lord's reply. His enemies had hoped to ensnare Him. They expected, doubtless, that He would openly assert His Divine mission, and they might then make His claims the basis of a formal accusation. But in that wonderful calmness and self-possession which we note so often in the history of our Lord, He answered at once with another question, "The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?" They could not deny His right to ask this; it was closely connected with their question. John had repeatedly asserted in the strongest terms the authority, the Divine mission of Him whose way he had come to prepare. They dared not deny openly the prophetic character of the Baptist; they feared the people, for the belief in John's sanctity was universal and enthusiastic. "All the people will stone us," they said. They were completely foiled. They could only say, in confusion and disappointed malice, "We cannot tell." It was a bitter humiliation. They were masters of Israel, and yet could not guide the people in a matter which had so profoundly stirred the religious thought of the time. They could only answer, "We cannot tell" to a question of such great spiritual importance. They were as ignorant as "the people of the earth," whom they so much despised. Alas for a country whose spiritual rulers are like those priests and scribes! Let us pray that our teachers may be taught of God.

 

II. The Parable of the Two Sons.

 

1. The story. It is very simple. One of the sons, when bidden to work in the vineyard, rudely refused to obey his father; the other respectfully promised obedience. The first afterwards repented and went. The second broke his promise and went not to the vineyard.

 

2. The spiritual meaning. There are open and notorious evil livers, who make no profession of religion, and exhibit in their lives an open and willful disobedience. Some of these are brought to repentance by the grace of God. They learn to see the guilt, the awful danger, of disobedience; a great change is wrought in their souls; they do their best to redeem the time; they go at last and work for God; and God, in His sovereign grace and generous bounty, accepts their service, though, it may be, they have wrought but one hour in their Father's vineyard.

 

There are others, brought up, perhaps, in Christian families, among good examples and surroundings, who maintain a respectful attitude towards religion, and regularly observe all the outward ordinances of the Church. But, alas! there are many such who have not given their hearts to God; they say from time to time (at Confirmation, for instance), "I go, sir," and perhaps at the moment they really have a sort of intention to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of their life. But they have no strength of purpose, they have not attained to the spirit of self-sacrifice; and when they are called to do work for God (whether inward or outward) which requires effort and self-denial, they shrink back from the Master's service. The yoke which the Lord calls "easy" seems to them hard and rough; the burden which the Lord calls "light" seems to them heavy and crushing; the cross terrifies them. They go not into the vineyard; they do not keep their promises; they do not work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, and so they do no real work for God.

 

3. The application. The Lord gives His testimony to John the Baptist, as he had done before; John came from God, a preacher of righteousness. He came "in the way of righteousness;" he had the righteousness of strict Levitical purity and the loftiest asceticism; he told men their duty plainly and sternly. Many notorious sinners, publicans and harlots, who had lived in open disobedience to God, heard him and repented. These priests and scribes and elders saw and heard him; they felt the holiness of his life, the power of his preaching; they had asked him if he was the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet that was to come. But they repented not; they believed not. The publicans and harlots went into the kingdom of God before the priests and scribes. They ought to have led the way; they ministered in the temple of God; they were the recognized teachers of the people. Yet the Lord does not shut out all hope. "The publicans go before you;" they might follow, if they would humble their proud hearts into self-abasement and lowly obedience. Pride hardens the heart in disobedience and willfulness; humility opens it to repentance, to the gracious voice of the Savior. Oh that we may listen, and repent, and work for God before it be too late!

 

III. The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.

 

1. The story. It was the well known parable of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7), related again with more authority and in greater detail. The lord of the vineyard asks again, "What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Hedge, winepress, tower; everything needful had been carefully provided. But the husbandmen were rebellious; they beat and murdered the servants who were sent to receive the fruits of the vineyard, and at last they cast out and slew their Lord's Only Son. The end of those men must be utter destruction. Judaea was a land of vineyards. The Lord often drew His parables from surrounding circumstances; in Galilee, from the corn land or the lake; in Judaea, from the vine or the fig tree. So Christian teachers should try to give life and interest to their teaching by connecting it with matters of daily life.

 

2. The meaning. Isaiah tells us, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." The hedge must be the Law, with its ordinances, circumcision, and other rites which served to separate Israel, as God's peculiar people, from other nations. The tower and winepress have been interpreted of the temple and the altar. But it is enough, without pressing these details, to understand the parable as meaning that God had given His people all things necessary for their spiritual welfare. The latter part of the parable differs from that in Isaiah. There the men of Israel are reproved: they brought forth wild grapes, not the fruits of righteousness. Here the Lord rebukes the husbandmen, the spiritual rulers of His people. The Lord of the vineyard went into a far country. God did not always manifest Himself as He had done on Mount Sinai. He sent His servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of the vineyard.

 

Those servants were the prophets, sent again and again, to supply the deficiencies of the ordinary ministry, to warn both priests and people of their sins, to call both priests and people to repentance. "I sent unto you," God said, by the mouth of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 44:4), "all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate!" Some of these were persecuted, some were slain. "They cast thy Law behind their backs" (we read, in the confession of the Levites in Nehemiah 9:26), "and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them unto thee."

 

But now the Lord's eye, which had ranged over the past history of the nation, turns towards the future. The lord of the vineyard had yet One Son, His well beloved; He sent Him last, saying, "They will reverence My Son." The parable veils the awful mysteries which hang around the relations between the infinite foreknowledge of God and the free will of man. Human thought cannot grapple with these mysteries; human words cannot express them. God gave His only begotten Son; the Son of God came to give His life a ransom for many. The purpose, the fore knowledge of God, did not destroy the free agency or remove the guilt of those who crucified the Lord of glory. These priests had already taken counsel to put the Lord to death. Caiaphas had already "prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:47-53). They had already said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance." They wished to keep possession of their old authority, their old exclusive privileges. Those privileges had been given them for a time; their priesthood was transitory. Christ was the Heir of all things; He was the Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

 

The Lord knew what was coming; they would cast Him out (Hebrews 13:12), they would kill Him. How calmly He prophesies His own death! how simply He asserts His own Divine character! yet in words which His enemies could not take hold of. He was the Son, the one only Son, the well beloved, of the Lord of the vineyard. They felt His meaning, but the parable afforded no ground for accusation.

 

3. The warning. "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?" Christ puts the question to the guilty men themselves, and forces them to pronounce their own condemnation. Perhaps they pretended not to see the drift of the parable, and to regard it as a story, and nothing more. Perhaps (and this surely is more probable) they were overawed by the Lord's dignity, by the solemn power of His words, and so, like Caiaphas, became prophets against their will. "He will miserably destroy those miserable men." They prophesied their own doom. Alas, that the approaching danger did not lead them to repentance! They prophesied also the loss of those exclusive privileges which they guarded so jealously. "He will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen." The Gentiles were to succeed to the privileges which the Jews possessed; they had been strangers and foreigners, but soon they would become fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. "I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 66:21). They would tend the Church of God; they would render the fruit in due season to the Lord of the vineyard.

 

IV. The Chief Cornerstone.

 

1. Its exaltation. The parable, like every other parable, was inadequate to express the whole spiritual truth. The heir was slain; He could not appear again in the story as the judge. The Lord adds another illustration, quoting the psalm (the hundred and eighteenth) from which the "Hosanna!" of Palm Sunday had been derived: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." The priests and scribes were the builders; it was their duty to rear up the spiritual temple. One stone they had rejected; it was mean and poor in their eyes. God Himself would raise that stone to the highest place of honor. It should become the head stone, with shouting’s, "Grace, grace unto it!" (Zechariah 4:7). This is the Lord's doing. God highly exalted Him whom the Jews rejected.

 

2. The application. The Lord now applies both parables directly and distinctly to the priests and scribes. They were the husbandmen, He told them, the rebellious husbandmen. The vineyard was the Kingdom of God; it should be taken from them; they should no longer possess its privileges. The spiritual Israel, the Israel of God, is the nation to whom the kingdom should be given; not one earthly nation, but the nations of the saved; of all nations, and kindred, and peoples, and tongues. And that nation, the great Catholic Church of Christ, would bring forth the fruits which the vineyard ought to yield, not wild grapes, but good grapes, the precious fruit of the Spirit.

 

The priests and scribes were also the foolish builders. They had rejected the chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, which the Lord would lay in Zion; it was becoming to them a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. The low estate of Christ was a stumbling block now; the cross of Christ would be a stumbling block afterwards. "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken," the Lord said, referring again to Isaiah (Isaiah 8:15), where we observe that the stone of stumbling (verses 13, 14) is the Lord of hosts Himself. The Jews were now incurring this guilt and this danger. But a greater danger remained; when the stone is become the head of the corner, when it is raised to its place of honor, it shall grind to powder those on whom it will fall. When the ascended Lord is exalted to the judgment throne, utter destruction will overtake those hardened, impenitent sinners who reject His offers of mercy unto the end, and will not know Him as a Savior, but must at last see Him, when every eye shall see Him, upon the great white throne.

 

3. The anger of the priests. They perceived that He spake of them; they felt the stern rebuke of His words; they felt, too, their truth. Their own consciences smote them. They blazed into fierce anger; they sought to seize Him; but for the moment they were powerless; they could do nothing while the multitude regarded Him as a prophet. May God give us grace to take reproof in a becoming spirit! It should produce, not anger, but repentance.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Profession without obedience is worthless. God bids us work in His vineyard; let us obey Him.

 

2. God has a right to the fruits of vineyard. His ministers must tend the vineyard. They must see, as far as lieth in them, that the fruit is rendered to the Lord.

 

3. Christ is the chief Cornerstone; the living stones of the spiritual temple must be built upon that one Cornerstone, elect, precious.

 

Matthew 21:1-5 - The ass of Bethphage.

 

We cannot tell whether our Lord's exact description of the locality where the ass and colt were to be found was derived from His superhuman knowledge, or whether, as seems more likely in so simple a case, He had agreed with one of His Judean disciples to have the animals in readiness at an appointed time. However this may be, we can see from the whole incident that Jesus paid especial attention to the arrangements for His entry into Jerusalem. This was very unlike His usual habit. Let us consider its significance from two points of view.

 

I. The lord's need.

 

1. Jesus needed one of God's humblest creatures.

 

2. Disciples obtained what their Master needed. He told His need; at once the two chosen messengers set off to have it supplied. It is not enough that we serve Christ in our own way. We have to discover what He really wants. Sometimes it may not be at all what we have chosen. But if it is serviceable to our Lord, that should be enough to determine our course of action.

 

3. The unknown owner of the animals was obedient to the message of Christ's need. "The Lord hath need of them" was the talisman to silence all remonstrances. Jesus may claim what is far more precious to us than any dumb animal. Yet if He calls, He needs; and if He needs, His claim is paramount. He may want a child in the other world; or He may require the child in the mission field. Then it is not for us to withhold our dearest from Him.

 

"Why should I keep one precious thing from thee, When thou hast given thine own dear self for Me?"

 

II. The use of the ass. Why did the Lord need the ass and its colt?

 

1. To fulfill prophecy. We do not often come across the conscious and intentioned fulfillment of prophecy. Usually the prediction comes true in spite of the ignorance of the actors in the fulfillment, or while they are aiming at something else than simply carrying out what a seer of old foretold. But now Christ sets Himself deliberately to put into practice an idea of Zechariah (see again John 19:28). What is best in the Old Testament is followed by Christ in the New.

 

2. To aid in a solemn triumph. Jesus had long forbidden a public confession of His Messiah ship. But now He will make it for Himself; for now it can do no harm. He is to ride in triumph, but in triumph to the cross. That glad entry to Jerusalem was to be just marching into the jaws of death.

 

3. To express the peaceful and gentle character of Christ's Kingship. Jesus did not choose the spirited war horse. Following the idea of the prophet, He selected the lowly ass, an animal which, although it was very superior in the East to the ill-treated ass of the West, was still associated with quietness and simplicity. It was to be a rustic triumph, an old world triumph, quaint and antique, and therefore a protest against the vulgar fashion of earthly glory.

 

Matthew 21:6-11 - The triumphant ride.

 

This was arranged by Christ, and enthusiastically promoted by His disciples. Here was a last glint of sunshine before the storm. The gladness of the scene is in strange contrast with the awful sequel. Palm Sunday ushers in Passion Week. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." While the evil day has not yet come, gladness and the assurance of victory may be the best preparation for it.

 

I. The King's Triumph. Few spectators would see anything kingly in this rustic fete. To the ruling classes of Jerusalem it would seem hut child's play. But to the childlike followers of Jesus it had a deep meaning. These Galileans pilgrims recognized in it the acceptance by Jesus of His royal rights. The question arises: Were they mistaken? He was riding in triumph to Jerusalem. But it was a simple, homely, unconventional triumph. Moreover, it did not lead to the throne, but its promise ended at Calvary, or seemed to end there. We know that the issue was disappointing to the early disciples (Luke 24:21). Nevertheless, we also know that, with Jesus, the way to death was the way to victory. He was most kingly when He suffered most. His Passion was His coronation. He reigns now in the hearts of His people, just because He died for them.

 

II. The people's enthusiasm. Long suppressed emotions now break forth into unrestrained utterance. It seems to be impossible to do too much, in the hastily improvised procession, to show devotion to the Christ. This is expressed in two ways.

 

1. By actions. Garments laid on the animal He rides, garments flung on the road for the honor of being trampled on, sprigs from the wayside trees scattered on the ground, palm branches waved overhead, these things show the utmost enthusiasm. Strong feeling must manifest itself in action.

 

2. By words. The people quoted a well known Messianic psalm, praying for a blessing on the Christ. Their words had nearly the same meaning as our "God save the king!" and they were prompted by an overmastering passion of enthusiasm. This is not at all wonderful. The only wonder is that there was but one Palm Sunday, and that our Lord's last Sunday on earth before His death. To know Him is to see grounds for unbounded devotion, for love beyond measure, for glad praises which no words can contain. This is the great distinction of our Christian faith, its keynote is enthusiasm for Christ.

 

III. The City's Wonder. The happy, noisy procession was heard in Jerusalem, and the citizens looked up from their trades and forgot their bargaining for a moment, in surprise at the unexpected commotion. We may preach the gospel by singing the praises of Christ. One reason why the world is apathetic about Christianity is that the Church is apathetic about Christ. A fearless enthusiasm for Christ will arouse the slumbering world. But we want to go further. In Jerusalem the effect was but slight and transitory. A deeper and more permanent impression was made at Pentecost; for it is the coming of the Holy Spirit, and no merely external excitement, that really touches and changes the hearts of people. Yet even this did not move the greater part of Jerusalem. Rejecting the peaceful coming of Christ, hardened sinners await His next coming, which is in wrath and judgment.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 - Christ cleansing the temple.

 

According to St. Mark's more detailed account, Jesus "looked round" on the day of Jibs triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, and effected His drastic reformation of temple abuses on the following morning. Thus we see that His action did not spring from a hasty outburst of passion. It was the result of deliberation. He had had a night in which to brood over the shameful desecration of His Father's house.

 

I. The desecration.

 

1. The nature of it. It would be a mistake to suppose that the temple was being used as a common market. The animals sold were not to be treated as meat at the shambles. They were for sacrifices. The money changing was not for the convenience of foreigners wanting to be able to do business in the city with the current coin. This was carried on in order to provide for visitors the Hebrew shekel with which to pay the temple dues. Therefore, it was thought, the business was of a religious character, and could be carried on in the temple as part of the sacred work. Animals were sacrificed there: why should they not be sold there? Money was collected there: why should it not be exchanged there?

 

2. The evil of it.

 

II. The Cleansing.

 

1. An act of holy indignation. Jesus was angry; He could be angry; sometimes He was "moved with indignation. It is no sign of sanctity to be unmoved at the sight of what dishonors God and wrongs our fellow men. There is a guilty complacency, a culpable silence, a sinful calm.

 

2. An act of Divine authority. It was His Father's house that Christ was cleansing. He spoke and acted as the messenger of God even to those who did not know that He was the Son of God. Christ has power and authority.

 

3. An act of righteousness. He used force, but of course, if He had met with resistance, the merely physical power He put forth would soon have been overborne. Why, then, did He succeed? Because He had an ally in the breast of every man whom He opposed; the consciences of the traders fought with Jesus against their guilty traffic. He who fights for the right has mighty unseen allies.

 

Do not we need a temple cleansing? The trade spirit desecrates religious work. Finance takes too prominent a place in the Church. It is possible to crush the spirit of private worship in low, unworthy ways of providing the means of public worship. We want the scourge of small cords to drive out the worldly methods of Christian work.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The Fruitless Fig Tree.

 

We may wonder how Jesus could have hungered during the short walk over the Mount of Olives from Bethany, if He had just left the hospitable roof of Martha. Had she taken His mild rebuke too literally when she was busying herself in providing a bountiful table on a former occasion? Or may we not think with more probability that Jesus, who was an early riser, had left the house before breakfast? If so, this would have been a trial to Martha; but it would have shown her and all the disciples how eager He was to be about His Father's business. Yet He is a man, and the fresh morning air on the hills awakens the natural appetite of hunger. A few verses back it is said that Jesus had need of an ass and its colt (Matthew 21:3). Here we see that He had need of a few wild figs, commonest of wayside fruit, so real was His human nature, so perfect the lowliness of His earthly state.

 

I. The condition of the Tree.

 

1. It had promise. This was a forward tree as far as leaves were concerned. Earlier than others of the same species in putting forth its foliage, it gave promise of an early supply of fruit, because the figs appear before the leaves. It is dangerous to make great pretensions. To stand out from our brother men with some claim to exceptional honor is to raise expectations of exceptional worth. We should do well to avoid taking such a position unless we are sure we can sustain it without disappointing the hopes we raise.

 

2. It was not true to its promise. This was the unhappy thing about the tree. If it had been like the backward trees, nothing would have been expected of it. But by giving a sign which in the course of nature should follow the putting forth of fruit, it made a false pretension. Possibly the vigor of the foliage absorbed the sap which should have helped the fruit buds. Great attention to display directly injures the cultivation of really worthy qualities. Religious ostentation is generally barren.

 

II. The doom of the Tree. It is to wither. The fig tree is only valued for the sake of its figs. If these are wanting, the tree is worthless. Its luxuriance of leaves is worse than useless, because it prevents other plants from growing where the fruitless branches overshadow the ground.

 

1. What is fruitless is worthless.

 

2. What is worthless must be destroyed. The fruitless Jerusalem was destroyed. Barren Churches have been swept away from Asia Minor and North Africa; barren Churches will be swept kern other parts of Christendom in the future. Fruitless souls will be cast out of the garden of the Lord.

 

Matthew 21:22 - The boundless possibilities of prayer.

 

Read literally, this is a very difficult verse. We cannot see how it is verified in experience. We should be horrified at its exact and verbal fulfillment, because this would be handing over the control of the universe to the praying mortal. The coachman would not put the reins in the hands of his infant son, however much the child begged for them; yet the disaster which would follow such an action would be nothing in comparison with the unspeakable calamities which would visit the universe if we, in our blindness, our ignorance, our folly, could have done for us whatever we chose to wish for, and that merely for the asking. We may indeed be thankful that no such fearful power has been entrusted to us. But then how are we to interpret the very clear and emphatic words of our Lord?

 

I. It is Faith that gives Efficiency to Prayer. Many prayers are absolutely void and useless because they are not borne upon the wings of faith. They grovel in the earth-mists of unbelief, and never see the light of God's presence. The connection of the verses seems to imply that it was His faith that gave Christ power to bring its doom to the barren fig tree (Matthew 21:21). It is reasonable to suppose that God will give many things to those who trust Him, which He will deny to people who will not rely upon Him. At all events, the setting forth of faith as a condition of the prayer that is to be answered shows that it is absolutely useless to practice an experiment with prayer by testing its efficacy in order to dispel doubt. The purpose of the experiment, and the grounds on which it is made, presuppose the absence of an essential condition of successful prayer. Therefore, if prayer is heard, as Christ tells us it is, such an experiment is foredoomed to failure. We want grounds for faith, but we cannot find them here; or rather we cannot have our first grounds here. The response to prayer will doubtless confirm and strengthen the faith which prompted the prayer. But there must be this prior faith.

 

II. The Prayer of Faith has Boundless Efficacy. We get slight answers to prayer because we have little faith. Yet we cannot expect to have just what we choose to ask for, even though we ask in faith. No; but observe:

 

1. Faith is not confidence in our own prayer, but trust in Christ. Now, when we trust Him we are led near to Him, we begin to understand Him, we learn to think as He thinks and to desire what He desires. Thus faith brings us into sympathy with Christ. But our foolish desires are quite un-Christ like. We shall no longer cherish them when He is by our side. Thus faith chastens prayer, purges it, elevates it, and brings it into harmony with the will of God. The prayer of faith will be such a prayer that God can hear, just in proportion as the faith is a spiritual power that unites us with God.

 

2. The prayer of faith will certainly be answered, though not necessarily in the way in which we expect. Jesus promised to those who lost lands and friends for the gospel's sake, more lands and friends (Matthew 19:29), and His disciples did not receive a literal fulfillment of this promise. But they had a good equivalent. The prayer of faith is answered in God's large, wise way, answered to the full, but by the gift of what He sees best, and not always of what we happen to name.

 

Matthew 21:23-27 - Question met by question.

 

Perhaps we shall best gather up the lessons of this incident if we look first at the form it assumed, then at the underlying substance.

 

I. The Form.

 

1. The question of the Rulers.

 

2. The counter question of Christ. He postpones His reply to a question He desires to have answered by the rulers.

 

II. The Substance. That was indeed an important question which the rulers put to Christ. If it were asked humbly and sincerely, it might be regarded as most just and reasonable. When it is so asked, Christ does answer it. Indeed, if the rulers had not been blind, they would have found a twofold reply close at hand. Christ justifies and confirms His claims:

 

1. By the authority of Conscience. When He startled the people in the temple by an unwonted exercise of authority, they submitted without an attempt at resistance, because their consciences confirmed His action. Christ speaks to the conscience, and the conscience echoes what He says.

 

2. By the authority of Knowledge. Who are the authoritative teachers? Surely the only teachers who can speak to us with authority are those who know the subjects they undertake to teach. Jesus "spoke with authority" (Matthew 7:29), because He spoke out of knowledge. There was a self-evidencing truthfulness and clearness of vision in Him.

 

3. By the Authority of God. The rulers could not see this. If their blindness had not been morally culpable, they would have been excused for rejecting the claims of Christ, because those claims were so great that no mere man could have a right to put them forth. When we perceive the Divine nature of Christ, all His words and deeds are justified, and His authority comes upon us with more than kingly power.

 

Matthew 21:28-32 - The two sons.

 

In this parable our Lord illustrates the great principle which He more than once enunciated, that "many shall be last that are first; and first that are last." It has a special reference to the Pharisees and publicans of Christ's time. But there are publicans and Pharisees in our own day. Let us consider the parable in its bearing on ourselves and the present conduct of people.

 

I. The Son who Refused and Repented.

 

1. His hasty refusal. Doubtless he spoke in impatience. His temper was hot, and the call to work amazed him. Thus he began the day badly, as many people begin life badly. This is altogether deplorable, because no subsequent amendment can obliterate the fact that the beginning was spoilt.

 

2. His later repentance. We need not be the slaves of our own past. If we started wrong, we are not forced to continue in the path of evil. "It is never too late to mend." There is a pride of consistency which only comes of folly; and there is a noble inconsistency, a sublime inconsequence. The change in the son showed

 

3. His obedient action. He "went." That was everything. He may not have said another word; but he obeyed His father, though in silence. The one thing God looks for is obedience. The way to make amends for past negligence is not to promise better things for the future, but just to do them.

 

4. His improving conduct. We see this son in two stages, and the second is better than the first. He was evidently moving in the right direction. The most important question is not: To what have we attained hitherto? But: Which way are we moving? Towards the light or from it?

 

5. His accepted obedience. This was the obedient son. His insolent words were forgiven when his subsequent conduct was penitent and obedient. God forgives the bad past in His penitent children. If they are now in the right path, He accepts them, although they were once far from it.

 

II. The Son who Consented and Disobeyed.

 

1. His ready assent. This was good in its way. But, being only verbal, or at best an intention not yet executed, it was of slight worth. God does not value religious professions as men prize them.

 

2. His courtesy. The second son was courteous to His father, addressing Him as "sir," while his brother was rude and insolent. Now, it is our duty to be courteous to all men, and to be especially respectful to parents. Yet there is an hypocritical tone about good manners when they are not accompanied by good actions. God prefers rude obedience to polite disobedience.

 

3. His subsequent disobedience. We need not suppose that this second son had lied to His father, promising in smooth words what he never intended to perform. It is more probable that our Lord would have us think of him as honest in his profession. He really intended to obey. But he did not count the cost, or the good mood of acquiescence passed away, or some other more fascinating attraction led him to forget, or at least to neglect, his promise. There is an enormous step to be taken from good resolutions to good actions. Many a hindrance, many a temptation, comes between.

 

4. His just condemnation. Jesus appealed to the bystanders for their verdict. He wished to convince their conscience; He desires now to make us see and feel the truth of what He says. Could there be a question as to the verdict? Good promises count for nothing, or rather they count against the man who disobeys in conduct. God judges by conduct alone.

 

Matthew 21:33-41 - The parable of the vineyard.

 

The vineyard is a favorite image in the Bible, and the mention of it by Christ would call to mind in His hearers the Old Testament illustrations of Israel. But more than Israel the nation must be intended by our Lord, because the vineyard is to go on after the destruction of the Jewish state. Our thoughts are therefore directed to the Kingdom of Heaven, partially realized in Israel, more fully realized in the Christian Church, but always a spiritual vineyard.

 

I. God Himself founds Kingdom of Heaven. The owner of the vineyard has it properly planted and all its arrangements completed before He sends husbandmen into it. They have not to begin in the wilderness. God does not behave like the Pharaoh who ordered the Israelites to make bricks without straw. He plants. Therefore He has a right to look for fruit.

 

II. God Entrusts the Work of His Vineyard to Men. There is work for God to be done in His kingdom. This is a high privilege, and it carries with it a grave responsibility. God will not have the just return for all His gifts if Husbandmen are not faithful in his service. The Jewish leaders were God's husbandmen. So are Christian workers today.

 

III. God expects Fruits from His Vineyard. God gives freely; but He looks for a return. It is not that He needs anything. But He does not desire His work to be wasted. He asks for grapes where He has planted a vine. This, then, is the one question for the Church, Is it bearing fruit? By so doing it can glorify God (John 15:8).

 

IV. The Messengers of God have been Shamefully treated. Evidently the servants represent the prophets of ancient Israel, ending with John the Baptist, who was beheaded, though not by the Jews. The reason for this ill treatment is here explained. It is selfishness. The leaders of Israel governed for their own advantage, and not for the glory of God. The leaders of the Church have too often shown a self-seeking spirit, and therefore they have rejected God's true servants.

 

V. The Advent of Christ is a Mark of God's Long Suffering Patience. The owner of the vineyard would try a last means. He would see if the husbandmen would reject His son. It was a great risk to run; but the fruit was precious, and the vineyard was worth rescuing from those who usurped the rights of ownership. God would not east out Israel till Christ had come. But now Christ has come to us as God's last Messenger.

 

VI. The Rejection of Christ is a Fatal Sin. After the husbandmen had killed the heir to the estate, no more patience could be shown to them. They had filled up their cup of guilt to the brim. They had rejected the last and greatest message from their Master. To be cast forth and destroyed is their rightful doom. This doom came upon the leaders of Israel in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Titus. It awaits those false and traitorous leaders of the Church who repeat the sin of the Hebrew hierarchy. It awaits all who work in the midst of the privileges of Christendom without rendering any fruit to the glory of God.

 

VII. The Doom of the Faithless is followed by the Appointment of New Workers. Gentiles took the place of Jews. God's work cannot stand still. He will have fruit, if not through our agency, then by other means. When the official leaders of the Church are unfaithful, God sets them aside, so that, though their doom is postponed, they are really no longer entrusted with any powers by God. Then He raises up men from outside the ranks of office. Thus the vineyard is saved, and God has the fruit of true service.

 

Matthew 21:1-22 - Entry into Jerusalem.

 

Our Lord had now entered on the last week of His life upon earth, but, save in His own heart, there is no premonition of His death. Having spent the Sabbath in Bethany, He proceeds on Sunday morning to the city. That was the day, four days before the Passover, on which the Jews were commanded to choose the Paschal lamb. Our Lord, conscious of His calling to die for His people, puts Himself into their hands. He now feels that His hour has come, and proclaims Himself as the promised Messiah, the King of Peace, by entering into Jerusalem, the metropolis of peace, in a manner which no one could fail to interpret, as One who would certainly furnish men with that which would not give one strong race power over others, but which would weld all men together and give them common feelings and interests, and restore in truth the unity of men. The points in the entry which Matthew considered significant are:

 

I. Our Lord's Proclamation of Himself as King of Peace by riding into Jerusalem on an Ass. He did not choose a horse, because that animal would have suggested royalty of quite another kind from His royalty which was maintained by war and outward force.

 

1. What is it, then, that Christ claims? No one could have the slightest doubt that He claimed to fulfill Old Testament prophecy, and to be that very Person who was to come and bring with Him to earth everything which the love of God could bestow. He professes His willingness to take command of earth, not in the easier sense of being able to lay down a political constitution for all races, but in the sense of being able to satisfy every individual, to give peace to every soul, however distracted by trouble and overwhelmed by sin. And some have through Him actually entered into such peace that they are impregnable to this world's assaults, and have gained the mastery over its temptations. They have found Him to be all He claims to be.

 

2. They proclaimed Him as the Savior and King of men, and He accepted these offices in a very different spirit from that in which they were ascribed to Him. He knew that to be the King of a people so down trodden with sin, so entangled in ancient evils, was full of danger and suffering; that in order to deliver such a people He must die for them. And it is His expectation that we on our side should open our eyes to what He has done, and acknowledge Him as our King. We must not grudge if it comes in the way of our duty to Him to make real sacrifices.

 

3. It must, indeed, have been a humbling experience for our Lord to have Himself ushered into Jerusalem by a crowd through whose hosannas He already heard the mutter of their curses. Such is the homage a perfect life has won.

 

II. Although our Lord makes no moan over His own fate as the rejected Messiah, He quite breaks down at the thought of the doom of His rejecters. Terrible, indeed, must the responsibility often have seemed to Him of being set as the test of men, of being the occasion of so many being found wanting. Are we in a condition so full of hazard and foreboding that it might justly bring tears to the eyes of Christ?

 

III. The Withering of the Fruitless Fig Tree was a symbolic act. Our Lord saw in it the very image of Jerusalem. There was there an exuberant display of all kinds of religious activity, with absolutely nothing that could feed the soul or satisfy God. And the withering of the fig tree reveals the other side of our Lord's character in connection with this rejection by the Jews. He wept, but He also pronounced doom. To calculate our own future we must keep in view not only the tears of Christ, but also His judgment. Throughout His life the one is as prominent as the other. Words which were rarely or never heard from the sternest Old Testament prophet are common on His lips. There is a day of visitation for each man, a day in which to us in our turn there appears a possibility and an invitation to enter into the presence of God, and be forever satisfied in Him and with His likeness. Picture to yourself the shame of being a failure, such a failure that the truest love and most inventive wisdom must give yon up and pronounce you useless.

 

Matthew 21:33-44 - Parable of the wicked husbandmen.

 

The priests and elders already stood convicted of having incapacitated themselves for recognizing the Divine in Jesus. But theirs was not the guilt of common unbelievers. It was not merely their personal, hut their official duty to keep themselves awake to the Divine, by righteousness of life. It was the duty for which their office existed. They are as agents whom a man has appointed to manage his business, and who use their position only to enrich themselves.

 

The parable under which this judgment is carried home to them is one they could not fail to understand. The vineyard was Israel, the small section of humanity railed off from the degrading barbarism around, as if to try what could be done by bestowing every advantage that could help men to produce the proper fruit of men. Nothing wanted which could win them to holiness, nothing which could enlarge, purify, fertilize human nature.

 

The result was that they were content, as many professing religion are content now, with receiving and doing nothing. They measured themselves by the care God spent on them, not by the fruit they yielded; by the amount of instruction, the grace they received, not by the use that they made of it. Again and again God sent to remind them He was expecting fruit of His care, but His messengers speedily found that they were willing enough to live upon God, but not to live to Him. But it is the keepers of the vineyard who are here censured for unfaithfulness, and that on two grounds.

 

1. They used their position solely for their own advantage. They had failed to remember they were servants. The religious leader is as liable as the political or military leader to be led by a desire for distinction, applause, power. Success may be the idol of the one as truly as of the other. It is not the sphere in which one's work is done that proves its spirituality or worthiness, nor even the nature of it, but the motive.

 

2. They are censured for their zeal in proselytizing, a more insidious form of the temptation to use their position for their own ends. The indignation of our Lord was roused by the same element in their zeal, which so often still taints zeal for the propagation of religious truth. It was the desire rather to bring men to their way of thinking than to bring them to the truth. How wide spreading and deep reaching this evil is those well know who have observed how dangerously near propagandas is to persecution. The zeal that proceeds from loving consideration of others does not, when opposed, darken into violence and ferocity. If we become bitter and fierce when contradicted, we may recognize our zeal as springing from desire to have our own influence acknowledged, rather than from deep love of others, or regard for the truth as truth.

 

The condemnation of the parable our Lord enforces by reference to the Scriptures of which they professed to be guardians. Rejection by the builders was one of the marks of the Foundation stone chosen by God. They caviled at His allowing the hosanna psalm to be applied to Himself, but this was itself proof that He was what the crowd affirmed Him to be. Note: Our Lord completes the warning, abandoning the figure of the parable, and making use of the figure of the stone.

 

Verse 45 - Ch. 22:14 - The marriage of the King's Son.

 

This parable, taken along with the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, forms a climax to them. In the first, God is represented as a Father issuing a command; in the second, as a Householder who expects the performance of a contract; in the third parable, God appears as a King, not commanding, but looking for acceptance of an enviable invitation.

 

Already the Kingdom of God had been likened to a feast, but here prominence is given to the circumstance of the host being a King, and the occasion the marriage of His son, and it is impossible to avoid the impression that our Lord meant to indicate that He was the King's Son. He and John had both familiarized the people with the title Bridegroom as applied to the Messiah. But it is rather from God's side than from man's the Bridegroom is here viewed. In Christ God and man are made one. No union can be so close. And in this, the greatest event in God's reign, and the indestructible glory of humanity, God might well expect that men should rejoice with Him. Proclamation had been made, invitation given, and people remained wholly indifferent. The earnest sincerity of God in seeking our good in this matter is marked by one or two unmistakable traits.

 

1. By the King's willing observance of every form of courtesy. One of these is the sending of a second messenger to announce the actual readiness of the feast. And so God had not only sent the prophets, bidding the Jews expect this festival, but sent John to remind and bring them. And so He still offers His blessings in ways which leave the reluctant without apology, He considers your needs and your feelings, and what He offers is that in which He has His own chief joy, fellowship with His Son.

 

2. By His wrath against the murderers. You may be so little in earnest about God's invitation that you scarcely seriously consider whether it is to be accepted or not, but nothing can so occupy Him as to turn His observation from you. To save sinners from destruction is His grand purpose, and no success in other parts of His government can repay Him for failure here.

 

The last scene in the parable forms an appendix directed to a special section in the audience. Seeing the gates of the kingdom thrown open, and absolute, unconditioned freedom of entrance given, the ill living and godless might be led to overlook the great moral change requisite in all who enter God's presence and propose to hold intercourse with Him. The refusal of the wedding dress provided was not only studied contempt and insult, but showed alienation of spirit, disaffection, want of sympathy with the feelings of the king.

 

The guest must have lacked the festive spirit, and was therefore "a spot in the feast." He sits there out of harmony with the spirit of the occasion, and disloyal to His king. Therefore is His punishment swift and sudden. The eye of the king marks the intruder, and neither the outer darkness of an Eastern street, nor the pitchy blackness in which he lies unseen and helpless, can hide him from that gaze of His Lord which he feels to be imprinted on his conscience forever. In applying this parable, we may mark:

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The triumph of Christ.

 

In His journey to Jerusalem Jesus rested at Bethany, where, stopping at the house of Simon the leper, Mary anointed His feet (cf. Matthew 26:6; John 12:2). His progress on the day following is here recorded. Observe:

 

I. That Jesus entered the Capital in the Royalty of Meekness.

 

1. He came in sacred character.

 

2. He came as the "Prince of Peace."

 

3. He came in humble state.

 

II. That Jesus entered the Capital for the Triumph of Destiny.

 

1. He came for the fulfillment of prophecy.

 

2. His coming was itself a prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:12-17 - The Lord of the temple.

 

"The temple of God" (Matthew 21:12) Jesus calls "My house" (Matthew 21:13), asserting Himself to be the Divine Lord of the temple. And quoting as He does from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, He identifies Himself as "Jehovah." Acting in this quality, He surveyed the characters He found in the temple and dealt with them accordingly. But the temple stands forth as a type of Christ's Church (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21, Ephesians 2:22; Hebrews 3:6), so the subject has its lessons for us. We may ask, then:

 

I. What sort of persons does Jesus find in His Church?

 

1. He finds the secularist there.

 

(a) By that scandalous traffic in holy things, which is so largely carried on within the borders of the professing Church, in simoniacal presentation, fraudulent exchanges, preferment obtained through flattery.

 

(b) By that worldly, covetous, money getting spirit which dwells in so many of its members. This spirit is demoralizing. It is also distracting to worship.

 

2. He finds the afflicted there.

 

3. He finds the true disciple there.

 

4. He finds the rituality and the traditionalist there.

 

II. What sort of treatment have they to expect from Him?

 

1. What has the secularist to expect?

 

2. What have the afflicted to expect?

 

3. What have the true disciples to expect?

 

4. What have the haughty to expect?

 

Matthew 21:18-22 - The omnipotence of faith.

 

The miracles of Jesus were generally miracles of mercy. There are a few exceptions. Conspicuous amongst these is the withering of the fig tree with a word. When the disciples marveled Jesus expounded to them His astonishing doctrine of the power of faith. We learn:

 

I. That Believing is Essential to Prevailing Prayer.

 

1. There can be no prayer without faith in a personal God.

 

2. There can be no prayer without faith in a Person susceptible to human appeals.

 

3. Faith is active in successful prayer.

 

II. That Believing Prayer is Infallibly Effective.

 

1. Because God has pledged Himself to it.

 

2. But how is the infallible effectiveness of believing prayer reconciled with the wisdom of God?

 

3. But how can efficacy in prayer comport with the uniformity of nature's processes?

 

III. That Prayer Fails through the influence of conditions inimical to Active Faith.

 

1. As when the matter of the suit is unwise.

 

2. As when the motive is unworthy of the suit.

 

3. As when the disposition of the suppliant is inconsistent with sincerity.

 

Matthew 21:23-32 - The authority of Jesus.

 

The "things" in reference to the doing of which this question of the authority of Jesus was raised by the chief priests and elders, were His purging the temple from the traffickers, His publicly teaching and working miracles of healing there. Mark, by more clearly placing the miracle of the withering of the fig tree in order before these things, brings them into closer connection with the passage before us. We may profitably consider the authority of Jesus:

 

I. As it is Evident in His Conduct.

 

1. His questioners were not ignorant of His claims.

 

2. His conduct vindicated His claims.

 

"Seest thou yon harlot, wooing all she meets;

 

The worn out nuisance of the public streets;

 

Herself from morn to night, from night to morn,

 

Her own abhorrence, and as much your scorn?

 

The gracious shower, unlimited and free,

 

Shall fall on her when Heaven denies it thee."

 

(Cowper.)

 

3. Note here the gospel call.

 

II. As it is Evident in the Testimony of John.

 

1. John's baptism was proved to be "from heaven."

 

(a) "The baptism of John" is here put for His doctrine.

 

(b) Jesus, by submitting to John's baptism, accepted and sanctioned His doctrine.

 

(c) Matthew 21:1-46

 

The vast multitudes who came to His baptism thereby professed faith in His teaching. Hence the general expression, "All hold John as a prophet." The defeat of Herod's army in the war with Aretas, King of Arabia, was esteemed by the Jews a judgment for the death of John (Josephus, 'Ant.,' John 18:7).

 

2. John's testimony therefore should be conclusive.

 

III. As it is Evident in the Discomfiture of His enemies.

 

1. They set up their authority against His.

 

Their question, "Who gave thee this authority?" suggests that they were offended because He not only taught without their permission, but contravened their concession to the traffickers when He drove them out.

 

2. He treated their presumption with contempt.

 

Matthew 21:33-46 - Goodness and severity: In this parable Jesus sets forth the privileges, the sins, and the impending ruin of the Jewish people. It brings before us for our admonition

 

I. What the Lord did for His people.

 

1. He became a Father to them.

 

2. He gave them a rich inheritance.

 

3. He made every provision for their benefit.

 

(a) By the "law of commandments contained in ordinances" He separated His people from the idolatrous nations surrounding.

 

(b) His providence was as a wall of fire for their defense (see Zechariah 2:5).

 

II. The Return He received for His Goodness.

 

1. The husbandmen kept from Him the fruits.

 

2. They maltreated His messengers.

 

3. They murdered the heir.

 

III. The Severity of His Retribution.

 

1. God dooms the sinner to the judgment of his sin.

 

2. He brings confusion upon his schemes.

 

3. He brings judgment upon them to destruction.

 

Matthew 21:3 - Ready response to Divine claims.

 

"Straightway He will send them." It does not at once appear whether our Lord made a claim on this animal, in a general way, for the service of God, or in a particular way, as a personal favor to Himself. He must have been well known in the neighborhood of Bethany, and it is quite conceivable that the man distinctly lent the animal to Jesus. It was not a working animal, and there was no loss of its labor, or its mother's, in this use of it by Jesus.

 

What stands out to view, as suggestive of helpful thoughts and useful lessons, is the ready response of this good man. Think of it as a Divine claim, and he presents an example of prompt, trustful, unquestioning obedience. Think of it as a request from the great Teacher, and then you have revealed a secret disciple, or at least one who felt the fascination of our Lord's presence.

 

I. Ready Response to Divine Claims as An Example.

 

There was no questioning or dispute; no hesitation or doubt; no anxiety, even, as to how the animals would be brought back again. There was no anxiety as to what was to be done with them; no fear as to any injury coming to them; the man did not even suggest that the colt would be of no use, for he had not been "broken in." It is beautiful and suggestive that the simple sentence, "The Lord hath need of them," sufficed to quiet and satisfy him. He could shift all the responsibility on the Lord. "He knows everything; He controls everything. What I have to do is to obey. Depend upon it, the rest will all come right." So away at once, and away cheerfully, went the animals.

 

That is a noble example indeed. We spoil so much of our obedience by criticizing the things we are called to do, or give, or bear. Then we hesitate, question, doubt, and do languidly at last what we do. If we know what God's will is, that should always be enough. We have nothing to do with the how or the why. Send the animals at once if you know that "the Lord hath need of them."

 

II. Ready Response to Divine Claims as A Revelation of Character.

 

We like the response of this man. We seem to know this man. His act reveals him. A simple-hearted sort of man, whose natural trustfulness has not been spoilt. An open-hearted, generous sort of man, with very little "calculation" in him. He reminds one of Nathanael, "in whom was no guile." And simple souls somehow get the best of life.

 

Matthew 21:5, Matthew 21:8 --Signs of meekness and sifters of joy.

 

"Thy King cometh unto thee, meek;" "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way." The word "meek" is used in Scripture for "not self-assertive," "not seeking one's own." It is not to be confounded with "humility." The apostle puts "humbleness of mind" and "meekness" alongside each other in such a way that we observe the distinction between them. Moses was the "meekest of men," but certainly not the most humble. It is usual to associate our Lord's "meekness" with His riding on so lowly an animal; but this is to transfer our Western ideas of asses to Eastern lands; and it also fails to observe that in Matthew 21:5 there are two assertions, each distinct from the other. Our Lord was "meek;" and our Lord was "sitting upon an ass." If we take the word "meek" here in its usual meaning, "not self-assertive," we may find fresh suggestion in the passage. The signs of joy given in Matthew 21:8, Matthew 21:9 are characteristically Eastern.

 

I. The Meekness of Jesus.

 

This is not the thing which first arrests attention. Indeed, on this one occasion Jesus seems to be asserting Himself. Look deeper, and it will be found that He is not. He is not in any of the senses men put into that term. There, riding into Jerusalem as a King, He has no intention of setting up any such kingdom as men expect; He does not mean to use any force; you could never mistake Him for a conqueror. There is submission, there is no self-assertion.

 

II. The Joy of the People.

 

In calling Jesus the "Son of David," the people recognized Him as the long promised Messiah; and, without clear apprehensions of what His work was to be, they could rejoice in the realization of the national hope. Their joy made it clear to the Jerusalem officials that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. There could be no mistake. They must accept or reject the claim.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 -The fitting and the unfitting in God's house.

 

"My house shall be called a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and changing foreign money into temple shekels, was right enough in its place; but the point is, that all this was being done in the wrong place. The sense of the appropriate, of the becoming, was lost; it was covered over and bidden by the greed of the trader, and the avarice of the money changer. Trade is not wrong, if it be honest trade, and buyer and seller pass fair equivalents. Banking is not wrong in itself, though it gives great opportunities to the covetous.

 

Our Lord never interfered with trades’ folk or with money changers; He only taught principles that would ensure their bargaining fairly. His righteous anger was roused by the offence these traffickers gave to His sense of the fitting, of the becoming. The true consecration of a building is no mere ceremony, it is the feeling of consecration that is in all reverent souls in relation to it. The consecration should have been in these traders, it was fitting to the place where they were; if it had been in them, they would never have thought of bringing the beasts, the cages, and the tables inside the gates of the temple of Jehovah.

 

I. The Sense of the Fitting an Impulse to Jesus.

We might properly expect that this "sense" would be at its keenest in the case of Jesus. The honor of the Father-God was the one all-mastering purpose of His life. He could not bear any slight to be put on God, on anything belonging to God, on anything associated with His Name. He was specially jealous, with a sanctified Jewish jealousy, of the temple where God was worshipped. He felt what was fitting to it: stillness, quiet, prayer, reverent attitudes. He felt what was unfitting: noise, dirt, quarrellings over bargains, shouts of drovers, and the greed and over-reaching of covetous men. So the consecration of our worship places is really the response to our quickened, spiritual, Christly, sense of what is fitting. The one thing we ask for is the sustained sense of harmony

 

II. Lack of the Sense of the Fitting gave License to the Traders.

 

In them the spiritual was hidden. Custom had covered it. Greed had covered it. They were thinking about themselves and their getting’s, and so lost all sense of the becoming. They must learn, by a hard, humbling, and awakening lesson, that God's temple is for God.

 

Matthew 21:16 - The ministry of the children.

 

Children are always delighted with a little public excitement, and readily catch up the common enthusiasm; but we do not look to children for calm and intelligent judgments on great issues. To our Lord children always represented simple, guileless, unprejudiced souls, who put up no barriers against His teachings, or against the gracious influences which He strove to exert. These children would be lads from twelve years old upward. They caught up the words of the excited disciples, and kept up the excitement by shouting, even in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

 

I. The Children comforted Jesus by what they did.

 

It was a bit of simple, honest, unrestrained enthusiasm. The young souls were carried away by the joyous excitement of the day. It comforted Jesus to hear some people speaking of Him who were unquestionably sincere; who just uttered their hearts; who were glad, and said so. For it must have been a heavy burden to our Lord that, even to the last, His disciples were so guileful; they seemed as if they could never rise above the idea that they were about to "get something good" by clinging to the Lord Jesus. "Hosanna!" from the lads who wanted nothing from Him must have been very comforting to our Lord, That is always one of the chief elements of pleasure in children's worship; it is guileless, genuine, the free unrestrained utterance of the passing mood. It is not the highest thing. That is the worship of the finally redeemed, who have won innocence through experience of sin; but it is the earth-suggestion of it. Children's praise is still the joy of Christian hearts.

 

II. The Children comforted Jesus by what they represented.

 

For to Him the children were types. "Babes and suckling" are types of simple, loving, trustful souls, and to such God's revelations come. Now, there are two kinds of trustful, humble, gentle souls.

 

1. Those who are trustful without ever having struggled. Some are naturally trustful, believing, receptive, and in all spheres of life they are loved and loving souls.

 

2. Those who are trustful as the victory out of struggle. These are the noblest ones, the true child souls, the true virgin souls; these walk the earth in white, and it is white that will never take a soil. In their praise Christ finds His supreme joy.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The tree type of the Hypocrite.

 

"Found nothing thereon, but leaves only." The attempted explanations of the condition of this fig tree bewilder us. Some say our Lord expected to find some stray figs on the tree left from the last harvest. Others say that, as He saw leaves, He naturally expected fruit, because the figs appear on the trees before the fruit. We must suppose that it was the custom to eat green figs, for it is certain that at this season of the year the fresh figs could not be ripened. What is clear is:

 

I. Our lord taught by symbolic actions.

 

There are spoken parables and acted parables; both were used in all teachings, especially in Eastern teachings; both were used by our Lord. All suggestion that our Lord was personally vexed at the failure of the tree must be carefully eliminated. With the genius of the teacher, our Lord at once saw, and seized, the opportunity for giving an impressive object lesson, which He completed by consummating at once the destruction of the tree. Explain that the tree must have been diseased, or it would have borne fruit. Its destruction was certain. The tree did not sin in being diseased or having no fruit; but the teacher may take it to represent one who sins in making outward show that has no answering goodness within it. Our Lord only took beasts or trees to illustrate Divine judgments.

 

II. What our Lord taught her was the certain doom of the hypocrite.

 

Christ never spoke so severely of any one as of the hypocrites. Insincerity was the fault most personally offensive to Him. The tree seemed to represent a hypocrite. It had leaves. There was fair outward show. It seemed to say, "Come to me if you are hungry; I can refresh you." And when Christ came He found the leaves were all it had to give. His thoughts were much occupied at this time with the Pharisees, who were making outside show of superior piety, but had no soul piety opening their hearts to give Him welcome. Perhaps our Lord meant to picture Judas Iscariot. Fair showing as any disciple, but rotten hearted. Let Pharisees learn, let Judas learn, let disciples learn, from that fig tree. It is dying; Christ hastens the corrupting process, and it dies in a day. The hypocrite is corrupting. He is under the curse of God. There is no hope in this life or the next for the man who is consciously insincere.

 

Matthew 21:22 - Believing, the condition of acceptable prayer.

 

The immediate lesson which Christ drew from the incident was not taken from the tree, that lesson He left the disciples to think out for themselves, but from their surprise at the result which followed His words. Our Lord seems always to have spoken of prayer in a large, general, and comprehensive way; and yet we may always discern some intimation of the qualifications and limitations which must always condition answer to human prayer.

 

It is true that "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer ye shall receive;" but it is also true that we must meet the appointed condition, and be "believers", those who cherish the spirit of openness and trust. "It was rather the power and wonder of their Lord's act, than the deeper significance of it, that moved the disciples. Yet Jesus follows the turn their thoughts take, and teaches that prayer and faith will remove mountains of difficulty."

 

I. Believing as God's Condition.

 

God's conditions are never to be thought of as arbitrary; they are always necessities, always sweetly reasonable. The term "believing" represents that state of mind and feeling in a man which alone fits him to receive, and make the best of, God's answer to his prayer. God might give, but his gift could be no real moral blessing if there was no fitness to receive. It is the "right state of mind for receiving" that is expressed in "believing." This includes humility, dependence, reliance, and hopefulness. It is opposed to the critical spirit that questions, and the doubting spirit that fears. Even we in common life make believing a condition. We gladly do things for others when they trust us fully.

 

II. Believing as man's difficulty.

 

Self-reliance is the essence of man's sin, seeing that he really is a dependent creature. Man does not care to trust anybody; he trusts himself. Other people may lean on him; he leans on nobody. And so long as a man has this spirit, all prayer must, for him, be a formality and a sham; because prayer is the expression of dependence which he does not feel. Keeping the spirit of full trust is the supreme difficulty of the Christian man all through his Christian course. He has to be always on the watch lest he should lose the right to answer because he is failing to believe, to trust.

 

III. Believing as the Christly Triumph.

 

The man who has altogether abandoned self-trust, and given himself wholly into the hands of Christ for salvation, has won the power of trusting, and has only to keep it up.

 

Matthew 21:24 - Christ become a Questioner.

 

Those who came to Christ on this occasion were distinctly officials, representatives of the Sanhedrin, the council which claimed and exercised authority in all matters related to religion. "Before its tribunal false prophets were arraigned. It dealt with questions of doctrine, and, when occasion arose, could exercise the functions of a council." "In the New Testament we see Christ before the Sanhedrin as a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65); the Apostles Peter and John, as false prophets and seducers of the people; as having blasphemed against God; and the Apostle Paul, as subverting the Law."

 

This was, no doubt, a very imposing deputation. Schemes to entangle Christ in His talk had miserably failed; now the officials resolved to act straightforwardly and imposingly. They would demand to know the authority on which Jesus acted. The three elements of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, elders, and scribes; were all represented, and we seem to see the confident haughtiness of their approach.

 

I. Christ asserting a superior authority.

 

"He knew what was in man." He was not in the least alarmed. He know their guilefulness so well that He was not in the least deferential. The prophet was never submissive to the temple officials. His authority was His commission direct from God. They had been pleased to decide that no one could be permitted to teach who had not passed through a rabbinical school. Jesus knew that every man has a right to teach who is himself taught of God. He, moreover, was more than a prophet; He is, in the highest and holiest sense, the Son and Sent of God. They had no right to question Him. He would recognize no such right, and give to their questionings no answer, He would exert His authority and question them; and never was official deputation more humiliated than when these men found themselves questioned, and hopelessly entangled by the question put to them. All putting Christ to the test implies a wrong state of mind. He speaks in the name of God, and as God, and our duty is unquestioning obedience.

 

II. Christ discomfiting His foes by His Superior Authority.

 

They felt His authority, and did not for a moment attempt to dispute it. They did not think of saying, "We came to question You, and cannot allow You to question us." They were mastered by His calmness, by His manifest superiority, by the skill of His question, which put them into the most awkward and humiliating position. They retired defeated and angry.

 

Matthew 21:29 - Speech tested by deed.

 

To see the point of this parable, it is necessary to observe the connection in which it stands. Our Lord was dealing with men who proposed to entangle Him in His talk, and, out of what He said, find accusation against Him. He had turned the tables on them, by putting to them a question which they dared not answer; and now, in this parable of the two sons, He presents to them a picture of themselves, which they could not fail to recognize.

 

They were like the son who made great professions of obedience, but did not obey. "The parable is too plain spoken to be evaded. They cannot deny that the satisfactory son is not the one who professes great respect for His father's authority, while he does only what pleases himself, but the one who does His father's bidding, even though he has at first disowned His authority. These men were so unceremoniously dealt with by our Lord because they were false. They may not have clearly seen that they were false, but they were so".

 

I. Speech shown to be Worthless by Deeds. Professions are good and right; they ought to be made. But professions must not stand alone. They ought to express purpose. They ought to be followed by appropriate action. The peril of religion in every age lies in the fact that credit is to be gained and confidence won by making profession; and so the insincere man, and the man who can deceive himself, are tempted to make religious profession hide their self-seeking. And it must also be said that religious profession, and observance of mere religious rites, becomes a prevailing custom, by which men are carried away, and relieved of anxiety about making deeds match words. The Pharisee class are evidently pictured in this son. They were extremely anxious about speaking right and showing right, but they were sadly indifferent about doing right. What needs to be continually re-impressed is, that supreme importance attaches to being right and doing right; these will find natural and proper expression. If we are right, our profession will match ourselves.

 

II. Speech put to shame by deeds.

 

The son is in no way to be commended who refused obedience. It was a bad profession, and found expression for a bad mind. But when he came to a good mind, and went and obeyed, the obedience put to shame the hasty and unworthy words. No doubt our Lord referred to the publican class, who had taken their own willful and self-pleasing way, but now they had come to a better mind, and were even pressing into the kingdom.

 

Matthew 21:33 - The wicked husbandmen.

 

This parable belongs to the series in which our Lord shows up His enemies, and reveals to them at once their own shameless scheming, and His complete knowledge of their devices. But while the relation of the parable to those Pharisees should be recognized, it is necessary also to see that the man of God can never let the evils of his age alone. Those Pharisees were holding men in creed and ceremonial bondage; Christ did not attack them because of their personal enmity to Him. It was this, a liberator of human thought can never let the thought enslavers alone. In this parable we have the dealings of God with men illustrated in the dealings of God with the Jews, and pictured in the parable of the vineyard renters. Explain the first references of the parable. Vineyard, God's chosen people. Husbandmen, the ordinary leaders and teachers of the nation. Servants, the prophets or special messengers. Destruction, the final siege of Jerusalem. Others, the transfer of gospel privileges to the Gentiles.

 

I. The Reasonableness of God's dealings with men. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. (Compare the more elaborate description in Isaiah 5:1-30.) Chosen ground. Planted. Nourished. Guarded. Pruned. And a wine-vat prepared in expectation of fruit. What could have been done more?

 

2. From the historical facts of God's dealings with Israel. God's call, redemption, provision, guidance, and prosperity. The final seeking fruit was Christ's coming.

 

3. From our own personal experience, as members of the spiritual Israel of God. Recall the graciousness of the Divine dealings with us.

 

II. The Unreasonableness of Men's dealings with God. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. The shame, dishonesty, ingratitude, and rebellion of these husbandmen. See to what length it goes.

 

2. From the historical facts. The resistance, again and again, of Jewish prophets, as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos. The willful casting out of the Son.

 

3. From our own personal experience. Take the case of one unsaved. Up to this resisted motherhood, friendship, Bible, inward call of Christ, etc. How must man's unreasonableness be divinely met?

 

Matthew 21:42 - The history of the Cornerstone.

 

Foundations are not now laid as in olden times. Foundation stones are now mere ornaments. There is no sense in which buildings now rest on them. Memorial stones are taking the place of foundation stones. Probably the figure of the "cornerstone" is taken from the corner of Mount Moriah, which had to be built up from the valley, in order to make a square area for the temple courts. Dean Plumptre says, "In the primary meaning of the psalm, the illustration seems to have been drawn from one of the stones, quarried, hewn, and marked, away from the site of the temple, which the builders, ignorant of the head architect's plans, had put on one side, as having no place in the building, but which was found afterwards to be that on which the completeness of the structure depended, that on which, as the chief cornerstone, the two walls met, and were bonded together." Take this suggestion, and consider:

 

I. Christ as the prepared cornerstone.

 

Describe the work done on the limestone block in order to fit it for its place as a foundation stone. The apostle permits us to think of the experiences of our Lord's human life as fitting Him to be the Savior He became. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, for His work as the "bringer on of souls." "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things that He suffered." The Cornerstone was being chiseled and, beveled for its place. Work out this figure.

 

II. Christ as the rejected cornerstone.

 

When our Lord spoke, the Cornerstone was almost ready; and there were the men who prided themselves on being the builders of God's temple of religion. And they were, then and there, rejecting that "tried Stone, that precious Cornerstone." They would put nothing on it. It was not to their mind. It may lie forever in the quarry for all they care. But happily they were only like overseers, or clerks of works. The Architect Himself may order this Stone to be brought, and made the "Head of the corner."

 

III. Christ as the honored cornerstone.

 

The Architect Himself did interfere, brushed those petty officials aside, had the tried Stone brought out, and on it He has had built the new temple of the ages. That temple is rising into ever richer and nobler proportions, and it was never more manifest than it is today, that the "Cornerstone is Christ."

 

New International Version: As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.

English Standard Version: Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New American Standard Bible: When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James Bible: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

Holman Christian Standard Bible: When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 

 

International Standard Version: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and 

 

NET Bible: Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And then as He approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, by the side of the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of His disciples,

 

GOD'S WORD® Translation: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of Him.

 

Jubilee Bible 2000: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James 2000 Bible: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American King James Version: And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American Standard Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples, 

 

Darby Bible Translation: And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

English Revised Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Webster's Bible Translation: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and had come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Weymouth New Testament: When they were come near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on in front,

 

World English Bible: When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Young's Literal Translation: And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Parallel Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

 

21:1-11 This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor.

 

Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

Pulpit Commentary:

 

Verses 1-11. - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11Luke 19:29-44John 12:12-19.) 

 

Verse 1. We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on ver. 10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6John 12:1). 

 

Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls. Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles. 

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Some suggest that the triumphal entry in Mark 11. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem; the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow but there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained.

 

The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews." By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him. 

 

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:

 

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when He drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, His disciples were with Him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account. They might well be said to be near to Jerusalem, since it is added, and were come to Bethphage; which the Jews say (n) was within the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and was in all respects as the city itself, and was the outermost part of it (o); and that all within the outward circumference of the city of Jerusalem was called Bethphage (p): it seems to be part of it within the city, and part of it without, in the suburbs of it, which reached to Bethany, and that to the Mount of Olives. Various are the derivations and etymologies of this place: some say it signifies "the house", or "place of a fountain", from a fountain that was in it; as if it was a compound of "Beth", an house, and "pege", a fountain: others, "the house of the mouth of a valley"; as if it was made up of those three words, , because the outward boundary of it was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, at the entrance of the valley of Jehoshaphat: others say, that the ancient reading was "Bethphage, the house of slaughter"; and Jerom says (q), it was a village of the priests, and he renders it, "the house of jaw bones": here indeed they might bake the showbread, and eat the holy things, as in Jerusalem (r); but the true reading and signification of it is, "the house of figs"; so called from the fig trees which grew in the outward limits of it, near Bethany, and the Mount of Olives; hence we read of (s) , "the figs of Bethany"; which place is mentioned along with, Bethphage, both by Mark and Luke, where Christ, and those with Him, were now come: the latter says, they were come nigh to these places, for they were come to the Mount of Olives; near to which were the furthermost limits of Bethany, and Bethphage, from Jerusalem. This mount was so called from the abundance of olive trees which grew upon it, and was on the east side of Jerusalem (t); and it was distant from it a Sabbath day's journey, Acts 1:12 which was two, thousand cubits, or eight furlongs, and which made one mile: then sent Jesus two disciples; who they were is not certain, perhaps Peter and John, who were afterwards sent by Him to prepare the Passover, Luke 22:8

 

Commentaries:

 

As written in Scripture;1st:"Jesus Knew the exact location and where the foal would be proving His Omniscience"; Also in (Zechariah9:9)"Behold, Your/Our King is Coming to you/Us; He is Just and Having salvation. Lowly(Humble) and riding on the foal of a Donkey." This proves Christ obedience unto His Fathers Perfect Will and it teaches us that His prophesying is and was True! Every scripture written was "By Gods Divine Inspiration." No man could ever have come up with any of this! Jesus is The Truth! Jesus is The Light! Jesus is The Way that leads to Eternal Life in Purity and Holiness with Him and His Father in Perfect Holiness! God cannot tolerate sin! It will be ecstatic! Beautiful beyond belief as well. I have seen tastes through deep Prayer. God is Holy and We will be after we shed these Earthly dwellings God has placed us into. We will then be Given Glorified Bodies in which to serve with Christ for eternity!

 

This was spoken through the prophet so it had to be fulfilled.  HE did this so the people would know he was not about glamour and fame but wanted them to know His Father.

 

Jesus choose a donkey to show the world He come to earth for the peole who sin and the poor. He did come with a horse - show of rich

 

To fulfill God's prophecy. He demonstrated humility to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.

 

In order for us here on earth to receive his grace we have to humble ourselves, for by grace we are saved through faith and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8)

 

I think the purpose in Jesus' humble existence to be sure that people, all people, understand that salvation, Heaven, God, His mercy, His Grace, all of His blessings, forgiveness, all of the gifts from God belong to anyone regardless of their social standing.

 

He wanted to enter into the city as one of their own but riding on a donkey with colt, he could be identified for those that worshiped the Lord as their Heavenly Father.  They would know that all that has been preached is true and that he is indeed the Son of God.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in the same manner He lived humbly...fulfilling the scriptures, that a King would enter Jerusalem in a humble manner.

 

Jesus wants to lay a good example for His disciples.  He did that when He went forward to wash the fit of His disciples.

 

Jesus choose to ride a donkey because He is humble and also to fulfilled the scriptures

 

Jesus led a very humble and poor life while on earth. If you think about the type of entrance a king would make into a city, you would probably imagine one that encompasses a great deal of pomp & circumstance. In this depiction, the greatest king to ever walk the earth choose to ride the back of a donkey, again reinforcing the fact that he practiced what he preached.

 

As I think about this event, his mother rode a donkey into Bethlehem 30 plus years prior. I have never thought about tying these two event together prior to this point, but I'm wondering if these two events are tied together symbolizing the life of JESUS' has come full circle.

 

It was to fulfill what the prophets had spoken long about Him as their King. Yes, that prophesy had to come true. It was also to show the type of His Kingship was, as opposed to what the Jews  had expected; a warrior  to free them from the Romans.

 

"He knew that His death had been decided by the rulers. He made ready for it. In a grand public demonstration that gave final notice to the Holy City, He entered amid the hallelujahs and hosannas of the expectant crowds. The people were jubilant. They thought the hour of deliverance was at hand. Jesus rode on a colt because it was foretold that Messiah would come that way (Zechariah 9:9)."

 

To show that He comes to earth to save the poor in spirits and one doesn't need to be rich to get to heaven just be humble.

 

To show his character, humbled, patient, and slow to anger.

 

Because it was written in the scriptures. Secondly He wanted to show to the world that He did not come as a king to rule. He came to rule in the hearts of people by forgiving their sins, by doing service to the humanity and to carry out the order of the God.

 

That show us that Jesus is special. He did need rich and high roles to make Him important He show He is for the poor and for every one that believe in Him..

 

Because He is the firstborn of everything, He  chose a humble  entry to Jerusalem to be the firstborn to humbleness of which we need to be.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem riding on the donkey so as to mark the official entry of Israel's King. He showed to the people of Israel that this king is not like the king of the earth. In fact, He was very humble at heart and came to serve the people rather than be served like other Kings. Second and foremost, what the prophet said had to come true.

Jesus was doing two things: fulfilling scripture and showing that he was not the worldly military king that most of the people following him thought he was. Jesus came to serve and we should be willing to do the same!

 

Jesus did this entry as to fulfill the words of the prophet.  Jesus himself was also very humble human being and people loved him so much that they spread their clothes on the road while other cut branches and spread it on the road.

 

To display the qualities of humility and modesty. To also fulfill the gospel of his entry to Jerusalem.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey to show that even though He is King of kings, LORD of lords yet He has no pride but just like anyone else.

 



By: Gregorio Magdaleno
Category: The Triumphal Entry
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
What lesson do you think Jesus taught the disciples by cursing the fig tree?

Matthew 21:18-22 

 

The Fig Tree Withers

 

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever!" 

 

Immediately the fig tree withered away. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying,

"How did the fig tree immediately wither away?" 

 

Jesus answered them, "Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith, and don't doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it would be done. All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

What lesson do you think Jesus taught the disciples by cursing the fig tree?

The Necessity Of Bearing Fruit (Matthew 21:18-46)

No one could walk into the temple and drive out the money-changers without stirring up a lot of antagonism. But when Jesus did this (Matt. 21:12-17), He did it to uncover the wickedness and sinfulness of those who claimed to be serving in the sanctuary but who gave no evidence of righteousness in their lives. The rest of the chapter, then, deals with this matter of producing fruit that will be evidence of a genuine life of faith. On the whole, Jesus was announcing here that the Jews as a whole had failed, and that God was going to turn to the Gentiles as the prophets had warned (see, for example, Mal. 1:11).

There are four sections to be covered here: The first episode is the cursing of the fig tree because it had no fruit on it (21:18-22), and then the second is a challenge to Jesus’ authority (21:23-27); this is followed by two parables, the parable of the two sons (21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (21:33-46). The last parable is the most important part of the section, because it explains what has come before it and clearly announces that the Messiah has been rejected by His own people who bear no fruit and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear fruit.

So we have two short narrative episodes, and two parables. In all of the material Jesus was clearly calling for repentance that leads to righteousness; and He had the authority to do this because He is the King, the Stone, who can exclude people from the kingdom as much as include those who love righteousness. The authority of Jesus is first demonstrated by His cursing of the tree, and then in the end by His announcement of the cursing of Israel by removing from them the kingdom. There was no need for the leaders to ask about His authority: The words and the works made it clear who He was, just as the words and the works of John made it clear He was the prophet.

For convenience it will be better to take each of the four parts separately and then at the end reiterate the message.

The Cursing of the Fig Tree (21:18-22)

There are several things that the student of the Scriptures needs to address in this little section. First is the comparison with Mark, the only other place where the cursing of the fig tree is mentioned. Mark has it in two parts, the cursing, and then the withering after the cleansing of the temple the next day. Matthew puts the two parts together for the topical value of the episode, and does not specify when the tree withered and the disciples marveled.

The cursing of the fig tree is in itself a parable of the cleansing of the temple, which has been recorded by Matthew just prior to this. So the study will have to determine the symbolism of the fig tree, and perhaps any symbolism of the mountain that is possibly moved, whether it represents any obstacle or just the mountain.

The passage appears to contain two lessons, the lesson of the cursing of the fig tree being the main message about the religious standing of Israel. But the disciples’ response was shallow, wondering how it was done. And so Jesus answered their question with a lesson on faith, the second message.

I. The Cursing of the Fig Tree (21:18-22)

This first episode can be divided into the two parts: the cursing of the tree, and the question of the disciples.

A. The Lack of Fruit Brings Judgment (vv. 18, 19).

This point has been worded as a principle that the incident teaches. Jesus was traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem, less than a mile, and came upon a fig tree. He was hungry and so hoping to find some figs on the tree. A simple incident! But there was no fruit on the tree and so Jesus cursed the tree.

It was a little early in the year for the harvest of figs, since this occurred during the holy week, which in 33 A.D. was the last week of March. But Mark tells us that there were leaves on the tree, and fig trees produce leaves and figs about the same time, this was early growth. The early figs are edible, but not as good as the figs that are harvested in June. The point is that the presence of leaves indicates there should be fruit. When Matthew says that He found only leaves, the readers would interpret there should have been figs. If this had taken place at the normal time of figs, Jesus could have simply gone to another fig tree. But this was an unusual early growth, and as Jesus was hungry, expected He could pick some fruit from it.

The question then is often raised as to why Jesus would curse a tree that was not supposed to be in season. Well, the action was symbolic. The point is that the leaves on the tree advertized that there were figs there as well, but it was a false advertisement. Jesus used this to teach a memorable lesson: The tree was cursed not just because it was not bearing fruit, but because it was making a show of life that promised fruit but delivered none.

What Jesus intended by this acted parable was that those who make a show of being religious but in fact are spiritually barren will be cursed. In this context it would apply directly to Israel, but it applies to all people who produce no evidence of genuine spiritual life. This teaching harmonizes with the previous account of the cleansing of the temple, and prepares for the messages to come (Matt. 23). The Jewish leaders in the context of Matthew are the primary targets, for they advertised piety without producing true righteousness.

 

It is interesting to note that Jesus’ miracles about cursing are directed at things other than people; the drowning of the pigs (8:28-34), and now the cursing of the fig tree. The warning is clearly for people to heed; but the way it is presented is indirect. Yet the message is clear: those who claim to be pious better produce the fruit of righteousness or they too will fall under the Lord’s judgment.

B. Faith is Essential for the Work of the Lord (vv. 20-22).

The second part of this story concerns the question that the disciples ask: How this was done, and not what it meant. Jesus’ answer draws upon His earlier teaching (17:20), that with faith all things are possible, even casting this mountain, probably the Mount of Olives on which they were standing, into the sea. This is a hyperbolic example of a miracle, whether what is to be done is great or small, faith is sufficient.

So based on this miracle and the disciples’ question, Jesus taught them on the power of believing prayer. The faith that He taught throughout His life was a genuine faith on the power of God and a developed discernment of His will. They should discover what the will of the Lord is, and then by faith pray for it to happen, not matter how impossible it might seem.

Because Jesus meant that the fig tree without fruit represented hypocritical religious people, the cursing anticipated their judgment. Thus, God’s plan includes the judgment of hypocrites; and Jesus’ cursing of the tree conformed with that part of the plan of God. Otherwise, there was no reason for Him to curse a tree that gave Him no food. Thus Jesus’ lesson on faith has to be seen in the context of Matthew, it was not just a lesson that faith could do all kinds of spectacular things, it was faith in praying! And prayer always must harmonize with the will of God.

The Challenge concerning Authority (21:23-27)

This episode is part of a longer section that runs through 22:46, a section that includes all kinds of controversies in the temple courtyard. We are presently dealing with chapter 21 as a unit since it is concerned with bearing fruit as obedience to do the will of God. In this section the leaders challenged Jesus’ authority for His works (cleansing the temple) and His stern words of judgment.

If the triumphal entry took place on Sunday as tradition claims, then these discourses took place on Tuesday according to Mark’s chronology. But there is good evidence that the entry may have taken place on Monday, which would make these discourses occur on Wednesday. In either case, the messages of chapters 21-23 were delivered in the temple area in the morning; and chapters 24, 25 were delivered in the later afternoon on the Mount of Olives (so the Olivet Discourse).

This first episode follows the account in Mark very closely (Mark 11:27-33).

II. The Authority of Jesus (21:23-27)

A. Hypocrites Challenge the Authority of Jesus (v. 23).

Jesus entered into the temple courts, which could refer to any of the walkways or porticos in the vast area (33 acres). There He was approached by members of the priestly aristocracy and elders, probably all members of the great Sanhedrin, the Jewish court. These were heads of the most influential families in the country. They had authority to make the decisions about the religious and civic affairs of the people.

But Jesus acted with authority, cleansing the temple and declaring things that went far beyond an ordinary teacher’s authority. They really did not want to know if there was authority given to Him; they were more interested in stifling His teachings, healing, and powerful works. Had they listened to His teachings and seen His miracles without their blind resistance, they would have known the source of His authority.

B. Those who Challenge Jesus’ Authority Display their Hypocrisy (24-27).

Jesus responded to their question with a question of their view of John’s baptism. By referring to John’s baptism, He was of course referring to John’s entire ministry. This is a masterful reply. If the religious leaders answered correctly, that is, that John’s ministry was of God, then they would have the answer to their own question, for John was sent by God as the messenger of Malachi 3:1 to prepare the way for the divine Messiah. If John was that messenger, then Jesus is the Lord who comes to His temple.

But if they said it was not of God, then the people would rise against them because they did believe John was a prophet from God. The leaders refuse to answer.

Jesus was not refusing to answer their question. He answered it with a question. He answered it in a way that the honest person who was actually looking for the truth without regard for public opinion would not fail to see that He was the Messiah, and that He had the authority of heaven behind Him. But the question uncovers a more deep seated problem, their blindness to the revelation of God. They rejected Christ totally, so they were not here looking for proof of His authority. They wanted to destroy Him.

Those who reject the revelation already given cannot expect to be given more revelation. Jesus, therefore, would not tell them. They had already misunderstood the revelation of Scripture, rejected the ministry of John, and accused Jesus of doing things by the power of Satan! They were not open to a clear answer from Jesus, and they were not fit for positions of authority themselves. They may have questioned His authority; but He questioned their spiritual competence to determine this issue.

While the text does not directly explain the connection between this challenge and the surrounding events, it is clear from the context that this kind of blindness was behind their hypocrisy. Here were people displaying piety, but they not righteous.

The Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32)

This is a short parable and will not take much time to develop in the message of the chapter. But for those who want to get into the criticism of the material, the study can become involved pretty quickly. There are lots of suggestions about the composition of the material, but when all is said and done the parable appears to be authentically Matthean and an integral part of the block of material found in 21:23 - 22:46. This material preserves confrontational discussions that took place on this one occasion.

For the lower or textual criticism, there are different readings for the parable, one being followed by the NIV and the other by the NASB. It is a question of which of the sons went and which did not. While the textual difficulty has to be taken seriously and sorted out for the precise reading, the variation does not change the basic meaning of the passage: one said he would go and did not, one said he would not and did go.

III. Genuine Repentance and not Religious Intentions (21:28-32)

Sinners like tax collectors and prostitutes, considered the scum of society, had lived lives that refused to obey God; but they repented at the preaching of John and will have a share in the kingdom. But the pious religious authorities say yes to God in ways that everyone could hear, but inwardly they do not obey His Word. They do not enter into the kingdom. So the distinction is between religious leaders with expressed intentions and public sinners who changed their minds and entered the kingdom.

John came in the way of righteousness (literally, v. 32); i.e., he came preaching God’s will about what was right. His message (3:2-3) was a call for ethical reform in the light of the appearance of the Messiah. But the religious leaders did not believe in his message, even when people were being converted. Those religious leaders will not enter the kingdom.

In the context this parable is an open rebuke to the religious leaders who were opposing Jesus. They, like the fig tree, made all the appearances of being spiritual and devout, but they showed no signs of repentance and no acts of righteousness. The sinners who believed and repented would have a share in Messiah’s kingdom.

The Parable of the Tenants (21:33-46)

Here we have the simple pattern again of the parable following by the explanation of it as well as a concluding narrative report. The meaning in the story is pretty obvious: God is the landowner, the vineyard is Israel, the tenants are the leaders of the nation, the servants are the prophets, and Jesus is the son.

Critical scholars find this simple arrangement problematic and so have reconstructed the parable. Some have argued that the parable did not come from Jesus but from the early Church influenced by Isaiah 5. But there is no reason that Jesus could not have used Isaiah 5 and its imagery to describe the situation with His enemies. Others do not think that Jesus would have used the language of "son" for Himself, but that it was introduced by the early Church. It would be difficult to imagine how Jesus would tell this story without immediately thinking of the son as Himself. Others have tried to argue that the original story is in the Gospel of Thomas (65, 66); but the omissions in the story are due to the Gnostic influence there and show how that version relied on the Syriac. The passage is authentic and belongs in this place in the argument of the book.

IV. The Kingdom Will Be Taken away for Lack of Fruit (21:33-46).

A. The Parable (21:33-41)

The meaning of the parable is pretty straightforward. Jesus had been telling His disciples for months that He was going to be killed by the religious leaders in Jerusalem; now in the temple a few days before Passover He is telling the people and the leaders, albeit in parable form. But they knew what He was saying.

It will be helpful to point out some of the details in the parable. The first is the loving care the landowner (God) has for His vineyard (Israel; cf. Isa. 5:1-7 and Ps. 80:6-16). He build a protecting wall, a watchtower (against thieves) and a winepress to press the grapes right there. This shows His anticipation that there will be fruit from the vineyard that can be pressed into wine.

The servants are sent to collect some of the fruit from the tenant farmers who rent and work the vineyard. They do not come for all the fruit, only for the agreed upon portion that the owner expects. These are the prophets that the Lord sent to Israel to see if they were producing fruits of righteousness.

The tenants are mean and calloused. The owner sends servants and they are beaten; He sends others (are the two sets the former and the latter prophets?) and they too are treated roughly. Their motive is selfish, they want to keep everything and feel no responsibility to the true owner of the vineyard. Lastly when the owner sends His son, they kill Him.

Some commentators argue that the Jewish leaders did not know who Jesus was and would not have killed their Messiah. But this argument is not convincing. They should have known because of His works and His words; they should have known because of Old Testament prophecy that said Messiah would die. And even if they did not know or understand, their guilt remains.

The fact is that these religious leaders were unwilling to discover Jesus’ true identity (see 23:37). Besides, the main charge of the parable is not just that they killed the son, but that they bore no fruit. They were not righteous, they were self-righteous, and that is not the same at all. When Jesus came calling for repentance and righteousness, they did not want to bow to His authority. They wanted Him to submit to them, but they were hypocrites (see chap. 23). Their rejection of Jesus is the last act of unrighteousness; they would be judged.

After telling the parable, Jesus drew out of the people the self-condemning response to the story.

B. The Application (21:42-46)

Now to make the lesson clear, Jesus drew upon Psalm 118, with the formula, "Have you never read." They had read it, probably knew it by heart, but He was saying they needed to take a closer look at it now. The message of the psalm explains what God’s program is, and how the rejection of the Messiah is one of the ironic twists of the program.

Psalm 118 was probably written after the exile when the Hebrews finally could return to their land and worship once again. They approached the rebuilt temple doors with the intent of praising God for delivering them from the nations who had captured them. Their praise is essentially that the stone that the builders had rejected had now become central to God’s building program. The stone in the psalm represents Israel, probably their political leader who represents Israel. The builders were the nations, Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, who rejected Israel when they were building their empires, as a builder would toss aside a small stone when building a palace. But now, that stone has been restored to its land, and is at the center of God’s kingdom. This was the day the Lord had made; this was marvelous in their eyes.

Matthew gives full expression to Jesus’ claims to being the true seed of Abraham, everything Israel was supposed to be but was not. Jesus is the stone now. In fact, a number of Old Testament prophets use the stone image for the Messiah and His kingdom (see Isa. 8; Dan. 2; Zech. 3). The builders, then, would be the chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, all who were trying to build a nation. They rejected Christ (which means He was killed - in the parable they killed the son), but He would become the main stone in the new building of God (which presupposes the resurrection). Jesus is not only vindicated through His resurrection, but becomes the central figure of the New Covenant of God. What the leaders rejected, Jesus the Messiah, is the very program God has designated for the redemption of the world. Because they reject Him, they do not have a share in the new program of God.

Then, in verse 43, Jesus further explains the parable. Because those entrusted with the vineyard of God had cared for it so badly, and then killed the son, the responsibility of leading God’s program would be given to another people who would produce righteousness. The verse does not go fully forward to say the kingdom is taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles, although it leads to that; it speaks of ending the role of Jewish rulers over God’s covenant people. Besides, in the early church there was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles.

Matthew confirms that the religious leaders knew that Jesus was talking about them. They should have realized that the image of the stone for Messiah is a dangerous image: it can be a stumbling stone (Isa. 8) for those who do not believe; and it will be a stone of judgment for those caught up in the world (Dan. 2).

Amazingly, the religious leaders who have just heard the parable that they will kill the son set about planning how to kill Him. Here is true spiritual blindness.

Concluding Observations

The theme of these four sections is the teaching of the authoritative Christ that the religious leaders and most of the people had failed to do what God had intended them to do, to be the faithful people of God producing works of righteousness. Paul will tell the Romans that because of their unbelief, the natural branches of the tree were lopped off, and wild branches grafted into the tree. Gentiles have been grafted into the tree, that is, by God’s grace been brought into Israel’s New Covenant. And Paul warns that if God did not spare the natural branches of the tree, those generations of Jews who rejected Him, He need not spare us either if we do not produce righteousness.

The warning for all time is that God rejects the show of piety without the fruit of righteousness. Those who claim to be devout must submit to the authority of Christ and bring forth fruit of repentance, a changed life.

 

Cursing the fig tree - From Wikipedia

Cursing the fig tree is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. It is included in the gospels of Mark and Matthew, but not in Luke or John. In the Markan text it comes in two parts: in the first, just after the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem and before the Cleansing of the Temple, Jesus curses a fig tree for being barren; in the second part, presumably the next day, the tree has withered, prompting Jesus to speak of the efficacy of prayer. Matthew presents it as a single event.

Most scholars believe that Mark was the first gospel, and was used as a source for Matthew. The differences between the incident as described in Mark, and the version given in Matthew, are explicable from the view-point of Markan priority, i.e. that Matthew revised the story found in Mark.

Interpretations:

Traditional Christian exegesis regarding these accounts include affirmation of the Divinity of Jesus by demonstrating His authority over nature. Traditional Reformed thinking states that this event was a sign given by Jesus of the end of the exclusive covenant between God and the Jews (see also Supersessionism). According to this interpretation, the tree is a metaphor for the Jewish nation i.e. it had the outward appearance of godly grandeur (the leaves), but it was not producing anything for God's glory (the lack of fruit). This interpretation is connected to the parable of the barren fig tree.

F. F. Bruce states that fig trees produce 'taqsh' before the season if they are going to bear fruit in the season itself. Since this one didn't, it was a sign that it would not produce any fruit that year either. Craig Keener has used these passages as a reason for an early dating for the Gospel of Matthew, saying only someone with a close knowledge of the Mount of Olives would have known that its fig trees come out in leaves around the Passover time of year.

"Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?"

The account of Jesus cursing the barren fig tree is found in two different gospel accounts. First, it is seen in Matthew 21:18-22, and then also in Mark 11:12-14. While there are slight differences between the two accounts, they are easily reconciled by studying the passages. Like all Scripture, the key to understanding this passage comes from understanding the context in which it happened. In order to properly understand this passage, we must first look at the chronological and geographical setting.

For example, when did this occur, what was the setting, and where did it happen? Also, in order to fully understand this passage, we need to have an understanding of the importance of the fig tree as it relates to the nation of Israel and understand how the fig tree is often used in the Scriptures to symbolically represent Israel. Finally, we must have a basic understanding of the fig tree itself, its growing seasons, etc.

First, in looking at the general chronological setting of the passage, we see that it happened during the week before His crucifixion. Jesus had entered Jerusalem a day earlier amid the praise and worship of the Jewish people who were looking to Him as the King/Messiah who was going to deliver them from Roman occupation (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11).

Now, the next day, Jesus is again on His way to Jerusalem from where He was staying in Bethany. On His way, both Matthew and Mark record that He was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance that had leaves on it (Mark 11:13). Upon coming to the tree expecting to find something to eat, Jesus instead discovered that the fig tree had no fruit on it and cursed the tree saying, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:14).

Matthew records the cursing and the withering of the fig tree all in one account and includes it after the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple of the moneychangers. Mark explains that it actually took place over two days, with Jesus cursing the fig tree the first day on the way to cleanse the Temple, and the disciples seeing the tree withered on the second day when they were again going to Jerusalem from Bethany (Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-20). Of course, upon seeing the tree “withered from the roots up,” the disciples were amazed, as that would have normally taken several weeks.

Having reviewed the general chronological setting of the story, we can begin to answer some of many questions that are often asked of it.

First of all is the question, Why did Jesus curse the fig tree if it was not the right season for figs? The answer to this question can be determined by studying the characteristics of fig trees. The fruit of the fig tree generally appears before the leaves, and, because the fruit is green it blends in with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples saw from a distance that the tree had leaves, they would have expected it to also have fruit on it even though it was earlier in the season than what would be normal for a fig tree to be bearing fruit. Also, each tree would often produce two to three crops of figs each season. There would be an early crop in the spring followed by one or two later crops.

In some parts of Israel, depending on climate and conditions, it was also possible that a tree might produce fruit ten out of twelve months. This also explains why Jesus and His disciples would be looking for fruit on the fig tree even if it was not in the main growing season. The fact that the tree already had leaves on it even though it was at a higher elevation around Jerusalem, and therefore would have been outside the normal season for figs, would have seemed to be a good indication that there would also be fruit on it.

As to the significance of this passage and what it means, the answer to that is again found in the chronological setting and in understanding how a fig tree is often used symbolically to represent Israel in the Scriptures. First of all, chronologically, Jesus had just arrived at Jerusalem amid great fanfare and great expectations, but then proceeds to cleanse the Temple and curse the barren fig tree. Both had significance as to the spiritual condition of Israel. With His cleansing of the Temple and His criticism of the worship that was going on there (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17), Jesus was effectively denouncing Israel’s worship of God. With the cursing of the fig tree, He was symbolically denouncing Israel as a nation and, in a sense, even denouncing unfruitful “Christians” (that is, people who profess to be Christian but have no evidence of a relationship with Christ).

The presence of a fruitful fig tree was considered to be a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Likewise, the absence or death of a fig tree would symbolize judgment and rejection. Symbolically, the fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel, who while very religious outwardly with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, were spiritually barren because of their sins.

By cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, causing it to wither and die, Jesus was pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out. It also teaches the principle that religious profession and observance are not enough to guarantee salvation, unless there is the fruit of genuine salvation evidenced in the life of the person. James would later echo this truth when he wrote that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity. God judges fruitlessness, and expects that those who have a relationship with Him will “bear much fruit” (John 15:5-8).

Why did God send Jesus when He did?

Why not earlier?

Why not later?

Was Jesus a pacifist?

Why is there a curse associated with hanging on a tree?

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of living water?

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree?

Jesus and the Fig Tree

Throughout the centuries, people have longed to know which generation will witness the return of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the answer to that question appeared in the form of a fig tree nearly two thousand years ago.

Although not spoken to His disciples in the form of a parable, this story about the fig tree and its lack of fruit strikes at the heart of the gospel message.

The Meaning of the Curse

The disappointment of Jesus with the fig tree is an extremely significant event. At first glance, one might think Jesus is merely upset with an actual tree that failed to feed Him when He was hungry. But the fig tree and its fruit play a much larger role. They are symbols of the nation of Israel and its faith.

In Jeremiah 24, the people of Israel are compared to figs, both good and rotten. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He symbolically placed a curse on Israel. The reason for the curse is straightforward. The fig tree (Israel) failed to bear fruit (faith), even though its leaves indicate it was in season (the appointed time for the coming of the Messiah). Due to its lack of fruit, the fig tree withered. Likewise, Israel's lack of faith when presented with her Messiah led to her eventual destruction at the hands of the Romans in ad 70.

What Is Good Fruit?

Jesus cursed the fig tree because of its refusal to bear fruit, and in so doing, He makes it clear that He expects His followers to bear fruit as well—and not just any kind of fruit, but, specifically, good fruit.

If Jesus expects us to bear good fruit, it's essential to know what constitutes good fruit in the first place. What is good fruit? And how do we bear it? Paul defines "good fruit" in his letters to the Galatians and the Philippians:

"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT).

This is the fruit we should produce: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Why? Because ultimately, the good fruit we bear comes from faith in Jesus Christ:

"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation, those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will bring much glory and praise to God" (Philippians 1:11, NLT).

Good fruit should never be confused with the world's definition of good works. Good fruit is born in the heart and blossoms outward into the world. Its only motive is Jesus Christ. But good works as defined by the world can have many motives, sometimes even evil motives. Yet, no matter how justified we feel in our own eyes, God will always measure our inner motives, never our outward deeds. Placing our trust and faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably produce the good fruits Paul mentioned in his letter to the Galatians. When we exhibit these good fruits, the world will witness through our lives the glory that is Jesus Christ.

Good Fruit vs. Bad Fruit

To make sure we're producing good fruit and not bad fruit, we need to know how to tell the difference. Before He placed the curse on the fig tree, Jesus warned His disciples to beware of false prophets and teachers. In fact, He used fruit as a metaphor for identifying the righteous from the evil, explaining that if a tree doesn't bear fruit, it will be chopped down and thrown into the fire:

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced" (Matthew 7:15-20, NLT).

A good tree will bear good fruit, and a bad tree will produce rotten fruit. Therefore, you can always identify the righteous and the evil based on what they produce.

God's great commandment is to believe in the one He has sent. Those who do will bear good fruit as a natural result. This is because Jesus is the branch on which all good fruit grows, and His righteous branch can't help but bear good fruit. Long ago, the prophet Isaiah identified the Messiah as the branch of Jesse:

"Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot; yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root" (Isaiah 11:1, NLT).

If the generation that rejected Jesus had instead made Him the basis of their faith, the very root of their spiritual sustenance, then they would have borne good fruit that is pleasing to the Lord.

So what do good fruit, bad fruit, and a barren fig tree have to do with the timing of the Second Coming of Christ? To find out, we must first understand why the fig tree had to wither.

The Withered Fig Tree

Why did the fig tree have to wither in the first place? Why did the generation which witnessed the birth of Christ lack faith in God's promise of the coming Messiah? They committed to memory the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, and they knew the exact year in which the Messiah would appear in Jerusalem. Yet, because they lacked faith, they failed to recognize the time of His Coming. As a result, an entire generation failed to produce fruit for the Messiah. But why?

Although the Jews didn't plan to reject the Messiah, God did have a plan. His plan was to spread the salvation of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Israel's lack of faith was integral to this process, providing the catalyst for God to offer this salvation to the Gentiles as well. As a result, the salvation God had previously reserved for the Jews alone was offered to the entire world:

"For since the Jews' rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, how much more wonderful their acceptance will be. It will be life for those who were dead! And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their children will also be holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God's rich nourishment of His special olive tree.

But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember, you are just a branch, not the root. 'Well,' you may say, 'those branches were broken off to make room for me.' Yes, but remember ”those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn't believe God, and you are there because you do believe. Don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the branches He put there in the first place, He won't spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the Jews turn from their unbelief, God will graft them back into the tree again. He has the power to do it. For if God was willing to take you who were, by nature, branches from a wild olive tree and graft you into His own good tree, a very unusual thing to do, He will be far more eager to graft the Jews back into the tree where they belong" (Romans 11:15-24, NLT).

When Israel rejected Jesus Christ, she opened the door to salvation for the Gentiles. But God never forgot His promise to Israel, and He promises the day will come when Israel will fully embrace the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

A Second Chance for Israel

Just as Paul stated in his letter to the Romans, the Lord hasn't forgotten Israel. She will have one more chance to bear fruit for her Messiah, and this opportunity is the key to understanding the hour of Christ's return. Jesus illustrates this when He tells a parable about a planted fig tree:

"Then Jesus used this illustration: 'A man planted a fig tree in His garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but He was always disappointed. Finally, He said to His gardener, "I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's taking up space we can use for something else." The gardener answered, "Give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it down."'" (Luke 13:6-9, NLT).

For three years, Jesus spread His message throughout Israel, performing miracles, exhibiting unprecedented knowledge of the Scriptures and offering ample evidence of His claim to be the long-awaited Messiah. Yet despite three years of testimony, Israel refused to believe in the one who was sent.

According to this parable, Israel will get one more year with "special attention and plenty of fertilizer." If she still fails to bear fruit, she will be cut down (destroyed).

As Jesus reveals, Israel will be given a final chance to exhibit faith in Him in the last days, just prior to His glorious appearing. To do so, Israel must first become a nation once again, a miraculous feat that took place in May 1948. The reestablishment of Israel as a nation is the foremost sign to our generation that Christ's return is imminent. And that's why the fig tree is the key to understanding which generation will witness His Second Coming. Through the nation of Israel, God has given the world a sign that is impossible to ignore. Nevertheless, most of the world has chosen to ignore it.

The Sign of Our Generation

In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), Jesus revealed to His disciples that the primary sign of the end of the age and His soon return would be the restoration of Israel as a nation. However, He didn't plainly say so. Instead, He once again used the fig tree as a metaphor for the nation of Israel:

"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know His return is very near, right at the door. I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will remain forever" (Matthew 24:32-35, NLT).

The fig tree is Israel. It's been six decades since Israel was once again declared a nation against all worldly odds. In Matthew 24, Jesus promises that the generation that witnesses the reestablishment of Israel will not die off until the end of the age comes to pass. Given the Bible's impeccable track record, we have every reason to expect His imminent return. Jesus will return soon, within our generation, and a wise person will prepare accordingly.

Just as the time of His first coming was clearly revealed to the previous generation, the season of His return has been clearly revealed to ours. The previous generation was unprepared for His arrival. Ours should be watching with a patient and enduring faith, fully confident in the glory we are about to witness. Christ is coming. The fig tree is in bloom, and ours is the generation.

The Cursing of the Fig Tree. 21:18-22.

I. The Cursing itself. 21:18-19.

A. The Condition of the Tree.

Returning with His disciples from Bethany to Jerusalem on Monday morning, Jesus sees a fig tree by the road. On inspection He finds "nothing on it except leaves" (v. 19a).

1. Three kinds of figs. According to NBD, 422, s.v. "Fig, Fig-Tree," fig trees in Palestine bore successively three kinds of fruit: (a) Late or autumn figs, which furnished the main crop from August till winter; (b) green or winter figs, "which, having had no time to ripen, spend the winter on the branches and grow ruddy at the first touch of spring, yet remain small and are easily blown off by the wind"; and (c) the first-ripe figs, those of the second kind that stay on the tree and ripen from June onwards.

2. What Jesus expected. The Markan parallel to Mt 21:19 reads, "Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs" (11:13). Jesus, as portrayed in Mt, expected to find figs to satisfy His hunger (v. 12b): "Jesus must have hoped to find green winter figs which, not having ripened before the tree lost its leaves in the autumn, had stayed on the branches through the winter and were ripening with the leafing of the tree in the spring" (p. 417; cf. 1. b. above).

Accordingly, Matthew has deliberately omitted Mark's note about its not being the season for figs. To speak of such an omission is to testify to the weakness of the position. It is preferable to take Mark's factual statement, "It was not the season for figs," as a helpful guide to understanding Jesus' actual intention on this occasion, as recorded in both Mk and Mt (neither Luke nor John reports this episode; but see Lk 13:6-9).

In saying "it was not the season for figs," Mark may be speaking of "first-ripe figs" (c. above) and/or "late or autumn figs" (a. above). The early ones begin to form in March and are ripe at the end of May. As the first crop of the year they are much appreciated, cf. Isa 28:4. But the late figs are the main crop. These develop on the new shoots. They ripen in late summer and are gathered, not all at once, but from the middle of August to well on in October."

If Mark has "early figs" in mind, then he is telling his readers that such figs are not ripe by Passover (it falls in March or April; they do not fall till late May). If he is thinking (also or instead) of "late figs," then he is reminding his readers that fall, not spring, is "the [main] season for figs."

In either case, Jesus went to the fig tree not expecting to find figs, but on the contrary expecting that there would not be figs (or at least desirable figs) to satisfy His hunger.

B. Jesus' Judgment upon the Jewish Nation.

Finding nothing but leaves on the tree, Jesus pronounces the curse, "May you never bear fruit again!" whereupon the tree immediately withers (v. 19b).

1. The background. The OT prophets frequently used the fig tree and its fruit as images of Israel's relationship to Yahweh and her experience of His judgment: Isa 34:4; Jer 8:13; 29:17; Hos 2:12; 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7; Mic 7:1-6.

2. The Matthean context. This passage is surrounded by words and acts of judgment.

(a) The cleansing of the temple. Reflected in Jesus' expulsion of the merchants is a judgment upon the priesthood, and indeed upon the temple itself. This last idea is closer to the surface in John's account of the Cleansing (2:12-22) than in the Synoptics (Jn 2:19, "Destroy this temple ...," while referring directly to Jesus' own body, implies that with His resurrection from the dead the temple in Jerusalem will have served its purpose, and that there is now nothing to prevent the execution of the divine judgment pronounced upon it). Cf. also earlier remarks about Jesus' abandoning Jerusalem's religious leaders.

(b) The debate over authority, 21:23-27, where the chief priests and elders are indicted for failing to recognize the source of Jesus' and John's authority.

(c)The three parables of 21:28-22:14, which combine as a powerful pronouncement of

judgment upon Jewry.

3. Jesus' shocking action.

a. The fact of the curse. Jesus' very cursing of the tree, quite apart from the time of the curse, is terribly shocking. His miracles characteristically heal and restore God's creatures. Here, and here alone, He deliberately curses and destroys something that God has made!

b. The time of the curse. As though the fact of the curse were not enough, Jesus seemingly pronounces a curse upon an innocent victim. For at the time of the imprecation, fig trees are not expected to bear fruit! How can the poor tree be blamed for not having figs? The very fact that Jesus goes to the tree to look for fruit that could not be expected, and then proceeds to pronounce the curse because there was no fruit, is a most effective way (with OT antecedents) for Him to grab the disciples' attention and to point them to the reason for His action.

c. The message of the curse. This miracle is an enacted parable, a visible parable corresponding to the verbal parable of Lk 13:6-9. Like a verbal parable, this visible one serves to jar witnesses into serious thinking and spiritual probing: "Why should Jesus do such a thing? Why should He show such seeming disrespect for God's creation? Why should He show such apparent pique? He has been hungry before but has not reacted like this. This act seems so out of character."

It is most significant that Jesus offers the disciples no interpretation of the cursing itself. He does draw a lesson, but it concerns a different matter (cf. below on 21:20-22). The disciples will surely remember the incident (how could they shake it off?). And as they ponder it, and relate it to other events and teachings of Jesus' ministry, they will come to understand its meaning: that Yahweh is responding to Israel's unfruitfulness (3:10; Lk 13:6-9), unbelief, and in particular her rejection of Messiah, with the severest judgment.

Just as Jesus - "God with us" - here curses the fig tree so that it immediately withers, never to bear fruit again, so the present generation of Jews, together with their land, their capital, and their temple, is to suffer sudden and irretrievable judgment at the hand of God.

II. Lessons for the Disciples. 21:20-22.

A. The Transition.

"When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. 'How did the fig tree wither so quickly?' they asked" (v. 20). The disciples focus on the miracle itself rather than its spiritual meaning. Rather than dismissing their question, Jesus uses it as an opportunity to teach a lesson about faith and prayer. But in doing so, He maintains a link both with the immediate surroundings ("this mountain" is the Mount of Olives) and with the parable that He has just enacted.

B. Faith and Prayer.

We approach v. 21 by way of the more general statement of v. 22: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." The Markan parallel (11:24) is yet stronger: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

1. The problem.

In this promise there is no limitation on the petitions ("whatever you ask for") and no qualification attached to the divine response (Mt, "you will receive"; Mk, "it will be yours"). The only condition attaches to the petition (is it a prayer of faith or not?). What are we to make of the promise of v. 22 (together with its parallel in Mk 11:24)? Particularly in anticipation of Gethsemane, where Jesus Himself considers that the Father's response to His prayer is conditional ("Yet not as I will, but as you will," 26:39) and where Jesus' request is denied rather than granted (the cup is not taken from Him).

2. The prayer of faith.

The prayer of 21:22 expresses dependence upon God; cf. the parallel in Mk 11:22, "Have faith in God." "True prayer takes hold of God's strength". Prayer is "impotence grasping hold of omnipotence." One is to "ask for" certain things, and to "receive" them.

Things are "done for" the one who prays (Mk 11:23). The sovereign God remains in control. His sovereignty is not supplanted by a sovereign faith to which God in turn is forced to yield. The unqualified and comprehensive promise, does not alter the fact that the response to the prayer is a gracious gift of God to His children. "The power to believe a promise depends entirely, and only, on faith in the promiser".

Not merely the account of Gethsemane, but this passage too, teaches submission to God's will. Could one really trust God without depending on His will?

3. Interpreting Scripture by Scripture.

A cardinal principle of biblical interpretation is that Scripture must interpret Scripturs. Thus the promise of Mt 21:22 must not be divorced from the rest of Mt. This means, e.g., that it must be taken together with the the petition of 6:10 ("Thy will be done..."), which occurs in fairly close proximity to the promises of 7:7-11. It is also helpful to compare 1 Jn 5:14-15:

"This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us , whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him."

Prayer's true freedom depends upon the protection of God's will.

4. The uniqueness of Jesus' experience.

In a certain respect the experience of Jesus in Gethsemane is unique, and does not provide a model for our prayers.

5. Claiming the promise.

Perhaps we in the Reformed tradition find it easier to pray "Thy will be done," than to claim the promise of Mt 21:22. It is possible to resign oneself to the will of God without first wrestling and struggling with Him in prayer. There is a place for persistence in prayer, even clamor in prayer, beseeching God to be true to what He has revealed about Himself, to honor His promises and be faithful to His covenant people.

Let us not minimize the call to faith imbedded in the promise of Mk 11:24b, "believe that you have received it...." The use of the aorist verb elabete implies that one prays as though the petition were already granted; such is the confidence of faith.

We have become so accustomed to limit the wonderful love and the large promises of our God, that we cannot read the simplest and clearest statements of our Lord without the qualifying clauses by which we guard and expound them. As a statement such as Mk 11:22, "the keynote of all true prayer [is] the joyful adoration of a God whose hand always secures the fulfillment of what His mouth has spoken".

C. Faith and the Kingdom of God.

Mt 21:22 relates to prayers in general (note "whatever"). Yet the teaching must not be divorced from its immediate context.

1. Jesus' act of faith.

The disciples' exercise of faith is to be modeled on Jesus' own. So we ask: Just what was it that Jesus believed, upon precisely what was His faith in God focusing, as He invoked the miraculous power needed for destroying the fig tree?

From the preceding discussion the answer is clear: Jesus acted in the conviction, not merely that God would supply the power needed to kill the tree, but also that God would surely accomplish what this episode symbolized, namely the judging of rebellious Israel. In other words, Jesus exercises faith concerning promises related to the coming of the Kingdom of God. The prayer in view in v. 22 must include, or at least be based upon, the foundational prayer of 6:9-13.

For the citizens of the Age to Come, prayer must be historical and eschatological, as well as personal, in character.

2. Removing the mountain.

Jesus moves from the figure of the fig tree to "this mountain," which in this context must mean the Mount of Olives. It would be going too far to limit the present promise to prayers concerning this particular mountain; for in the very similar promise of 17:20, "this mountain" is the Mount of Transfiguration (17:1), a site other than the Mount of Olives. Perhaps, nonetheless, Jesus speaks here of the removal of "this mountain" in conscious allusion to Zech 14:4,

"On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west...."

The reasons for thinking so: (1) The influence of Zech on Jesus and the Evangelists at several other places in the Passion Narrative; and (2) the occupation of Zech 14 with the coming of the Day of Yahweh for both judgment and salvation, a dual theme that fits well within the present context of Mt.

If there is merit in the view, then Jesus is underscoring the point made with reference to the fig tree, namely that disciples should fervently pray for the swift and final coming of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Curses the Nation for Fruitlessness

This brief paragraph contains one of the more puzzling acts of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is actually a symbolic indictment on the apostate nation of Israel. Remember this is building toward the Lord’s sufferings in Jerusalem and His ministry has increasingly come under criticism by the Jewish leaders. Here we discover: Jesus Cursing of the Fig Tree and Jesus Teaching His Disciples.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree for Fruitlessness

In the land of Palestine the fig tree was greatly appreciated. Not only did it provide a good snack but comforting shade. It had became a symbol of the nation of Israel at peace. For example, when Jesus first saw Nathianiel......coming to Him, [He said to Philip] Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathaniel saith unto Him, How knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (cf. John 1:47-48)

Evidently, Nathaniel was enjoying a peaceful time of meditation under his fig tree and Jesus, in His omnipresence "saw him." But secondly, the fig tree, had also became an emblem of the nation of Israel herself. When Jesus walked by, looking for figs and found only leaves, it illustrated that the nation was spiritual barren of fruit for the glory of God and only offered the leaves of the religious trappings.

The Lord had just purified the temple, with its religious worship and now He rebukes the nations lack of spiritual fruit. Actually He did more than rebuke the nation, He symbolically cursed the nation. God had previously promised the covenant nation that if she obeyed He would bless her, but if she disobeyed He would curse the nation. Deuteronomy 28 is God uncluttered testimony to this curse. God would thoroughly curse the nation as Jesus does here, for her disobedience and lack of spiritual fruit. The nation was called to be distinct from all nations of the earth and bring forth fruit for God's glory, by impacting other nations evangelistically.

But she had become a self-serving religious nation, barren of any impacting witness. The Pharisees were evangelistic, but unfortunately "they compassed sea and land to make one proselyte, and when they are found, they make them into twice the son of hell" as themselves. Instead of fruit, the nation offered only leaves and thorns! The purpose of the nation was to bring forth fruit for God's glory. At the giving of the Mosaic law or ten commandments, God said...

 

...if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. (cf. Exodus 19:5-6)

That is, if the nation obeyed, then she would be a kingdom of "priests" to the nations of the world, a distinct people. The greatest fruit a person or nation can produce is obedience to the will of God. But the nation didn't and she failed to impact the nations around her for the glory of God.

It often reminds of the parable the Lord in Luke 13...

A certain man had a fig tree planted in His vineyard; and He came and sought fruit on it, and found none. Then said He unto the dresser of His vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this tree and find none. Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he, answering, said unto Him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I dig about it, and fertilize it; and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that Thou shalt cut it down. (cf. Luke 13:6-9)

Jesus was explaining His search for three years, for spiritual fruit on the tree of the nation of Israel. During His three year ministry He only found leaves or the religious trappings of the nation. And in His absence, the nation would be given one more chance to bear fruit, as the Apostles preached for Israel to "repent" and bear fruit for God's glory, by embracing their Messiah. But unfortunately, the nation would refuse to repent and God would issue a final culminating judgment by sending the Romans to "cut it down" at the roots, i.e., Jerusalem herself would be destroyed and the Temple itself torn down. What Jesus was doing here as He cursed the fig tree was resurrecting that parable in the minds of His disciples. They knew He was referring to the nation and the time of her judgment was near at hand. But they were amazed at the physical manifestation of Jesus' object lesson, for we read next...

Jesus Teaches His Disciples on Prayer - Matthew 21:20-22

Fig trees took months and years to die and no doubt would not show its decay for some time, but on the return journey into Jerusalem, the disciples noticed that the fig tree was "withered away" and Mark's Gospel adds, "they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots." (cf. Mark 11:20)

No doubt the Apostles would immediately remember both the parable of Luke 13 and the cursing of the tree the night before. And notice, it was the root system, which would determine if fruit would be produced or not, was withered up suddenly. At the question of the disciples, Jesus took the opportunity to capture the teachable moment and teach a lesson on faith. But His lesson isn't a jump onto another spiritual truth, but connected with the rebuke of the nation for her lack of bearing fruit.

What the nation of Israel didn't have was "faith," in the sense of a commitment to her Messiah; she didn't have faith in God's Word that issued in obedience; and she only had the empty shell of religious duty, which would soon result in God's devastating judgment! As we discovered in Matthew 17, when Jesus referred to faith being able to "say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and cast into the sea, and it shall be done," He was reminding His Jewish disciples of a rabbinical proverb. The Jews referred to rabbis who could remove great difficulties by their answers, as "removing mountains." Nowhere in the four Gospels do we ever read of Jesus or the Apostles in the Book of Acts, ever rearranging the geographical landscape with their faith. Such a supernatural display was what the legalistic Pharisees wanted, in Matthew 16, but is not the issue here. Christians should keep in mind that we are called to bear fruit for the glory of God. Peter wrote 35 years later...

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people of His own, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.(cf. 1 Pet.2:9)

Similar to what the nation of Israel was called to do but failed to do, so we are called to continually show forth the praises of God by lives lived in distinctive fruitfulness. The lack of fruit by Israel called for the curse of Christ and it's no different today. An outward show of religion, without genuine fruit for God’s glory, is an abomination before the Lord, i.e., under His angry curse!

Main Idea: To be satisfied with an outward display of religion but without fruit to the glory of God calls for the Lord’s angry intervention. There comes a time when the patience of the Lord is exhausted, as illustrated in the nation of Israel. We are called to faithfully bear fruit for the glory of God.

Exploring the Bigger Picture

Application Recommendations

It is easy to become self satisfied with an outward show of religion but not concentrate on the hard work of bringing forth fruit for the glory of God and the good of others.

Since the beginning of the year, what fruit have you produced? What genuine Christ like character? What converts won to Christ? What attitudes changed? What encouragement given? What lives impacted in a deep way?

Considering your reaction to the question above, what excuses did you provide as to why you are not producing fruit consistently? What does the Lord think about those excuses?

Our children need to understand that a pleasant disposition, a friendly personality or even a desire to please ones parents, is not necessarily genuine spiritual fruit. It could be outward leaves.

Explain to your children the difference between an outward show of religion and the life bringing glory to God by definite good works or spiritual fruit.

Take your children to the peace orchard to pick peaches and reinforce the lesson in this passage.

Have you ever gone to share the Gospel to someone lost, with your discipleship partner? Being the human instruments to introduce someone to Christ is a central means of bearing fruit. cf. Rom. 1:13-16. And all Christians should be involved in aggressive evangelism.

In the next 3 weeks schedule a time with your discipleship partner to share the Gospel with several.

After you have done so answer this question: Did you notice the mutual encouragement and extra boldness you experienced with a partner with you?

The Withered Fig Tree, or Israel Under a Curse, Matthew 21:18-22     

The incident which is the subject of the message which will follow has to do with “The Withered Fig Tree or Israel Under a Curse.”  It is another one of those incidents in the Bible which is also found in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11.  The interesting thing about these two accounts is that according to Matthew’s account, the incident evidently occurred on the Tuesday morning following our Lord’s entrance into the city, on Palm Sunday, whereas in the Mark’s account the description is divided and part of the incident occurs on Monday and part on Tuesday.

The reason for this is that Matthew is a gospel that records the events in our Lord’s life topically, whereas in Mark, there is much more given to chronological detail.  So we read this in the Matthew’s account, but realize that it occurred actually in two states:  one stage, the first day our Lord cursed the tree; the next day, as the apostles and disciples came by the tree again, they marveled that the tree had so quickly withered up and evidently had died.  So we read now beginning in verse 18 of Mathew 21, the account in the Gospel of Matthew-

Incidentally the reference to “this mountain” is an expression that probably refers to the Mount of Olives which is nearby, and since the sea is evidently the Dead Sea, the Mount of Olives together with the distance below sea level, it meant the removal of a mountain about four thousand feet, so it would be quite a feat to move a mountain into the sea.  The incident concludes with the final words of Lord in verse 22,

“And all things, whatever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

May the Lord bless this reading of His word.  Let’s bow together in prayer:

We come to thee, Lord, again with thanksgiving and praise for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we rejoice in these invitations to prayer which He so often gave to the disciples, and through the word given to the disciples to us.  We thank thee that we have the access that we have by virtue of the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus who is our Mediator, and through whom we may come directly to Thee. And so Lord we want to praise Thee and thank Thee again for all of the blessings of life, and we thank Thee for last week for which thou hast brought us, and we look forward to this week that has just begun and pray, O God, that in it our lives may truly reflect the glory of the Son of God who loved us and has loosed us from our sins in His own precious blood.

We rejoice that we are justified declared righteous through the blood that was shed.  We rejoice in the forgiveness of sins, not only of the guilt of sins past, but of those that are in our present experience and those that shall be part of our life in the future.  We praise Thee that the Son of God has died for sinners and that the sins of sinners have been covered through the blood that was shed.  And so we praise Thee in the words of the Psalmist, blessed is the man whose sins have been forgiven.

And we thank Thee Lord for all of the other blessings of life that have come through the forgiveness:  The presence of the Holy Spirit, the possession of the word of God, the written word of God about which we have just been singing.  Truly Thou hast made wonderful provision for the saints as they travel on their way to the eternal city, the new Jerusalem.  We look forward to that.

We pray O God that Thou enable us to realize the importance of our present sojourn here upon this earth where we are strangers and pilgrims.  Enable us, Lord, to reflect upon the importance of having our priorities straightened out in the light of the divine truth.  Enable us to put Thee first  In the interest of our great triune God first in our lives, enable us to remember the importance of the spiritual as over against the material.  O Father, we pray Thou speak very directly to each of us and give us a true sense of value in the light of eternity for the young who are here.  We pray especially for them and ask that their whole lives may be given over into Thy hands for the direction of the Holy Spirit.

For those of us who are old we pray O God that the remainder of the life that we have may be the life in which Thou art glorified, and through the testimony of Believers, Lord, we pray that there may go forth the sweet savor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that others shall come to know Him whom to know is life eternal.  Out of gratitude, enable us, Lord to serve Thee in a way that will please Thee.

We pray for the sick, for those who are hospitalized, we ask that Thou be with them comfort them strengthen them restore them to health and strength in accordance with Thy will.

And we commit the ministry of the chapel to thee, and it’s various forms of outreach, and ask Lord that Thy hand of blessing may be upon it.  May O God it have the marks of being that which pleases Thee, that which comes from Thee, that which has its origin in the heart of our great God.  So we commit the work to Thee.  We pray for the elders.  We pray for the deacons.  We pray for each individual member that together we may recognize the destiny which Thou hast set forth for us in the eternal counsels of ages past.

We worship Thee, we glorify Thy name, the great sovereign, majestic, triune God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The subject for this chapter is “The Withered Fig Tree, or Israel Under a Curse.  The incident of the withered fig tree has been criticized by those who have read the Scriptures on three grounds.  It is said by some that it was an act of injustice.  Imagine the Lord Jesus coming to an innocent fig tree, pronouncing a curse upon it and having it wither away and die.

Now it is difficult to see how this could be, so it is important that we remember that this was April and not June to start with, and it was June when the figs should have been on the tree.  In fact, Mark, says it was not yet the time of the figs.  When they had leaves they normally had fruit, and so that is the reason for the surprise that our Lord experienced, as a man when He came to the tree and saw that it was full of foliage but had no fruit.  This one, however, did not have any fruit, though it had a great deal of foliage, and we can probably surmise that as a result of this, it may well have been a diseased tree, and if it was a diseased tree, then what is the injustice of doing what our Lord did?

Or if it were a tree that was reverting to its wild nature as often happened, because the trees were usually grafted trees in which a cultivated scion was grafted onto a wild stock, and so if that were so, then it is possible for this to be a tree that was reverting to its wildness.

If it was a sound tree; then it’s use, that is the use to which our Lord Jesus put it, justified the curse, as one of the best of the interpreters of the Gospel of Matthew has said.  If the narrative is historical, and of course we believe it was historical, the tree fulfilled a more important function by dying than by living, and it is a false sentiment to think of it as badly treated if our Lord used the tree which had no moral responsibility to communicate the important truth that He evidently has communicated through it.  So we cannot call this an act of injustice on our Lord’s part.

It has also been said it was an act of ill-tempered irritation, or of selfish anger on the part of the Lord.  He was hungry.  He saw the tree far off, saw a great deal of foliage, and thinking there were figs upon it, He walked over to it expecting to get some of the figs to as swage the pangs of hunger, and then when there were no figs upon it, He became irritated and angry and cursed the tree and it withered up and died because of His irritation.

Well now there are other reasonable explanations, and it is very unreasonable to lean upon such an explanation in which we charge the Lord with something of which He was never guilty anywhere else.  Others have said it is out of harmony with His method of action; He doesn’t normally go around cursing fig trees.  Well, of course, our Lord never did that.  He did not walk around and whenever He saw a fig tree cast a random curse at it to see if it would wither up and die.

It is obvious this had special certain significance in the light of the situation in which He found Himself at this time, but to say that it is contrary to His method of action ignores this very context in which He has entered into the temple area, and there He has cast out those that sold and bought the animals for the sacrifices, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and chased them out of the temple.  We would call that an act of violence today, and in the same context we have this act of violence and cursing the fig tree, so if one of these is His method of action, the other is as well.  So it seems these accounts, the cleansing of the temple, and the cursing of the fig tree, are in beautiful harmony, and will show in the message that follows, that this is true.

Why did our Lord curse the fig tree?  Well, we know He has just finished the cleansing of the temple, and that was a dramatic denunciation by the king of the wicked worship that was carried on, or the perversion of worship that was carried on in the temple area.   Now this seems a very dramatic, symbolic, denunciation of the wicked witness of the nation in failing to fulfill their national calling.  If the tree represents the nation in some way then it evidently was making a great profession, but there was no reality there.  And so by virtue of this act of denunciation, the Lord Jesus accomplishes the very vivid and dramatic purpose of saying, Israel, who are making very great professions, do not have any real reality there, and therefore they are not fulfilling their appointed and chosen tasks of communicating the truth concerning the triune God to the world.

So in one, we have a denunciation of the wicked worship of the nation, and the other a denunciation of the wicked witness of the nation.  We will develop a little more in a moment. Let’s look now at the parabolic illustration first, and then we will look at its interpretation and finally try to make a personal application of the incident as a whole, but we will not escape application as we go along, because we’ll see at more than one stage, the propriety of applying some of the things this incident illustrates.

Now we should begin right at the beginning and notice the situation as it is described for us in the 18th verse of chapter 21.  Now in the morning as he returned into the city He was hungry.  Why the Lord Jesus was hungry the account does not tell us.  We do know from other incidental references here in this gospel and also in the others when our Lord Jesus made His entrance into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, having finished that entrance, He went out and stayed overnight in Bethany.  It is the feeling of many that He stayed in Bethany through the whole week until the day of His crucifixion.

Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and it was a place where the Lord Jesus always, it seemed, received a favorable reception, one of the few, if perhaps the only place in the land, where He did seem to receive a favorable reception most of the time.  But whether He slept with them in their home and had breakfast with them, the Scriptures do not say.  It is possible as was His custom often that He slept out under the hills, on the hills under the stars.

At any rate, it is very easy to understand how He might have been hungry.  Perhaps e had an early breakfast with the family in Bethany, but then He had to walk several miles into the city of Jerusalem, and it would be natural for Him in the middle of the morning, seeing the fruit tree with its profession of figs, to walk over to it to seek to meet the natural pangs of hunger that came to Him after that rather lengthy walk.  If He had not had breakfast at all, we can understand further why He would want to eat and why He would be hungry.

So He has come into the city and He is hungry.  This word, hungry, evidently gives a great deal of depth and meaning to passages in the New Testament, which stress the true humanity of the Lord Jesus.  It is something we often fail to realize as evangelicals because we are so anxious to preach the deity of the Lord Jesus since our liberal friends deny it, and we fail to realize often that He was a truly human person.  He possessed true humanity apart from sin, and so He could be hungry.  In fact, He could be weary as we read in the 4th chapter in the Gospel of John, so He had the natural feelings that a man has, because humanity is weak, created by God and possessed with all of the natural weakness of created material.  He was hungry.

Paul in the 2nd chapter in the Rpistle to the Philippians in the great kenosis passage which speaks of His emptying of Himself, says that He was in the form of God, which means that He possessed all of the attributes of God.  That was a philosophical term, to be in the form of something meant to possess all of the essential attributes, and so the expression, “He was in the form of God,” meant that He was fully God.

But then having said that He was in the form of God, the text of Scripture says that He did not count it to be something to be held on to or grasped, but He emptied Himself and took upon Him the form of a servant.  That is, He took to Himself an additional nature, a human nature with all of its limitations.  And so this incident here is an illustration of how the true humanity of our Lord Jesus is just as our humanity,  and it enables us to understand how He can be a high priest who sympathizes with those for whom He ministers.  He knows what it is to be without food.  He knows what it is to be weak.  He knows what it is to be tempted and tested, not from within. but to be tested by the world, tempted by the world, and tempted by Satan.  All of these things make Him the kind of high priest who can sympathize with us.

It is great to have a high priest who can sympathize in that way, and incidentally, He knows temptations that we have never known, because we fall when the temptation reaches a certain intensity.  But at that intensity He goes on and therefore He knows strengths of temptation that we do not know, and further He not only knows that through which every one of us has ever passed, but He has the strength to overcome, and He offers that strength to His saints who call upon Him.  So He emptied Himself.

This is a beautiful picture that He became hungry or He was hungry, beautiful picture of His humanity.  But now we don’t lose sight of the fact that there was a glory side to His marvelous personality as well, and in a moment we will see that when He curses the fig tree and that tree withers up and dies.

The imprecation or the curse that follows when the Lord Jesus came to the fig tree has had a great deal of study directed toward it, and we will not try to take you into an libratory of an exegete and explain the textural problem that exists here, and then the result of text and what it means.  The statement as being a prohibition, what He is saying is, essentially, let no fruit come from thee forever.  So as He stood in front of the fig tree and saw that it had no fruit but simply luxuriant foliage, He spoke out and said, let no fruit come from thee forever.  He expressed His will, and incidentally His will was done because He is the eternal Son.

Now to understand what lies back of this we need to understand something about fig trees.  Many of us may have a fig tree in your yard or in your home or in your estate. Now is you have a fig tree you’ve learned something about fig trees. The fig tree of course had very pleasant associations for Israel, because fig trees and olive trees and grape vines were the types of things with which they were acquainted, and in the Old Testament, we read about the Israelites when they are in places of blessing, or in places of rest, are said to be sitting under their own vine and under their own fig tree.   So that was a figure of speech expressive of the fact of the finest kind of existence.

Such as some of us today might say, we were sitting by the side of lake so-and-so with a fishing pole in our hand.  Or another person might be, I was out on the golf course, I spent all of my time on the golf course.  These are expressions that speak of the things that we like most.  Well, to sit under a vine and under a fig tree was something the Israelites liked to do, particularly if you had the Scriptures in your hands, if you’re a good Christian who believed in the Old Testament.

So the fig tree had pleasant associations for Israel.  When they were told about the land into which they were to go, it was said that it was a land that contained fig trees and figs, so figs were things that they were acquainted with and things that they liked.

Now, from the Bible, we noticed if you’ll look at the fig tree  in December, it looks as if it’s dead of course like most trees that are dormant.  And there’s nothing green on that tree, but then in January or February on the tips of the branches of the fig tree there will appear little green knobs, almost like a little knobs. These little knobs are called pageen, and it is from these little green tips that the fruit comes, and the striking thing about a fig tree is that when it begins to, in the Spring, begins to get ready to bear fruit, it’s the fruit that comes first, and not the leaves, so the figs appear first and then the leaves.  There’s not a great deal of difference between them, but the figs definitely appear first.  So you see whenever you see a tree in foliage you expect to find the figs there because the figs come before the leaves.

That is what happened here.  The Lord Jesus looked saw the foliage even though it was not the time for the figs.  Figs, incidentally, in Palestine, usually were produced in June and in September. So the Lord Jesus came in April, this is the Passover time, in April He came He saw the foliage, thought in His human nature, here is an unusual tree, it evidently has figs before its time but when He came found no figs, only the leaves, Mark says it was not the time for figs yet.

The important thing about it of course is why, well, it could have been a diseased tree.  It could have been a tree that was reverting to its wild state, but the ultimate reason for this is that the Lord Jesus, through this, was giving us this tree existed as it existed, providentially, in order that it might become an acted parable of certain spiritual truth which He wished to proclaim.

The reason for the imprecation then, becomes plain.  The reason for the imprecation or curse is not that the fig was without fruit.  It was it was giving a false profession.  It was not the fruitlessness for which it was cursed, but the falsity of its profession.  It was not the time of the figs yet.  But it had this luxuriate growth, as if it did have figs upon it, and so our Lord Jesus comes to it, and because it had the promise of figs but lacked the performance of actual fruit, then it becomes the object of the divine curse.  Both of these accounts stress the fact that when He went there He found nothing but figs [sic., leaves] so it was a case of a great profession but no reality.  It was, in effect, a lying fig tree.

What is the application of this?  As we pass by, what happens here is that the disciples are very amazed by what they see when the Lord Jesus curses the tree, and they’re amazed the next day as they walk by to find the tree has already withered away.  So it was a remarkable thing that had happened to the fig tree.  One day He says, let no fruit hence forth forever come from thee; the very next day they pass by and the leaves are withered, and it’s obvious that the tree is dead or dying.  Now the Lord Jesus answers their amazement here and applies in a practical way what He has been saying by expressing an answer to their implied request for an explanation,  “Verily I say unto you if you have faith and doubt not ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree but also if ye shall say unto this mountain be thee removed and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done, and all things whatever ye shall ask in prayer believing you shall receive.”

What is the point of this, suddenly introducing these statements concerning prayer into an incident that obviously has reference to the national purpose for which the Lord Jesus had come?  What He is saying to them is, if you will look at what I have done, you will discover that it has been done by the prayer of faith in God and then He encourages them to the exercise of a similar time of faith in God.

That brings up the subject of prayer, and many people have prayed earnestly for some definite blessing from God, and when they have failed to obtain that for which they have prayed, they have grown bitter and sometimes even cynical.  After all, praying over and over again for something, and it does not come to pass.  They say to have lost faith in prayer.

That is a very frequent refrain that you hear from people saying, I have lost faith in prayer.  But think about that statement for a moment:  I have lost faith in prayer.  The very phrasing of that statement, I have lost faith in prayer reveals a misunderstanding of the right attitude toward prayer.  Faith in prayer is one thing, but the prayer of faith (in God) is another.  Faith in prayer is not the same as a prayer of faith.  The man who starts out only with faith in prayer puts too much emphasis upon prayer, and to little emphasis upon the one to whom prayer is directed.

In fact, the person who speaks about faith in prayer, as if he really has faith in prayer, is a person who is using prayer as a sort of magic talisman, as a kind of “open sesame” to the things he wants, a quick way of getting things he wants from God.  And so when he doesn’t get what he asks for, he gives up prayer like the heathen who beats his fetish when he falls into trouble and doesn’t get what he is supposed to get from that fetish.

Prayer is prayer that arises out of faith in God, so the prayer of faith is the prayer of faith in God.  Now when our prayer is directed toward God rather than our prayer directed toward faith in prayer, then that is an entirely different kind of thing.  The prayer of faith that rests in God can rest even though the answers are not necessarily yes.  All of us who have prayed, have had often no’s to our prayer request, but if we realize it is directed toward God our prayer, and if we are really resting upon Him, then we can rest in Him when the answer does come, no or yes or wait, because our faith is faith that is ultimately in God and not in this magic of prayer itself.  So the object of our faith is not prayer.  The object of our faith is God, and faith in prayer can be a cheap thing bordering on superstition, like knocking on wood, like we used to do for many years before we became  Christians.

The Lord Jesus then said if you want to know how to have power with God then it comes through prayer directed toward God.  Now then there is one other thing that we of course notice here.  He does say in all things whatever ye shall ask in prayer believing, you shall receive.  Now does that mean that we have a kind of promise from the Lord which is a signed blank check, and we can ask for anything that we wish and expect to get a yes answer?  No.  It does not mean that.

It means of course that if the faith that has been given by God exists in a certain thing, we can expect that answer to be answered, but God answers prayers with no’s as well as with yes’s.  And what is meant here is not to be taken out of the context of the New Testament in which He says if you ask anything according to His will He hears you.  So we see when we read this we are not to understand that we are going to have a blank check and no matter what we ask, no matter if it is the Lord’s will or not, we are going to get it.  We should so thankful it is that way, because we have asked so often for things that really were bad for us, and it is obvious as time goes by that they were bad for us.  One of the fortunate things about being related to the Lord is that He sits so high in the heavens that He is able to see down the road a little bit, and therefore He knows what is best over the long run, and when He says no, those no’s are the best things in the world for us.  So it is great to have a God who cares for us and who does say no.

Incidentally it is great to have a father who says no, too, and for the children who are reading, we urge you to thank God for a father who says no, and says it often, incidentally.  We really thank God for the fact that we had a father who said, no often, sometimes too often, but nevertheless he said it often, and we learned a great deal by having a father who said no, because it was really an expression of his love and care for us.  And if there is anything good that has come from us, part of it is due to the fact that we had a rather strict old father who was an elder, but one who really cared enough for his children to say no, and there are lots of things we never had even though he could have provided them, because he thought they were bad for us.

Now interpreting this parable, because it is important for us to see it in the light of its context, in addition to this practical application that we have been talking about.  What is meant by the fig tree?  If we are to understand this we must understand it in the light of its context ,and we must ask ourselves now what is the fig tree.

It has been said, that there are two primary interpretations of the fig tree.  Some have said, when the Lord Jesus said, let no fruit grow on thee hence forward forever, in reference to the fig tree, that He was referring to the Jewish nation as a whole.  Now if you turn to the Old Testament you will find some passages in which it appears that the fig tree is a symbol of the Nation Israel.  Hosea 9:10 is such a place, and therefore when He said, let no fruit grow on thee hence forward forever, those who take this as a reference to the Jewish nation say what He is saying is, as a result of their disobedience and the rejection of the Messiah, He was saying that there was no national future for Israel thereafter.  Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward forever, Israel.

Now we see a problem with that interpretation, because of that time expression, forever.  Because when we read the Old Testament and the New Testament we see that there are manifold passages that describe Israel’s national or ethnic future.  We all remember the passage in Romans chapter 11 verse 26 which says, “And so, all Israel shall be saved,” and a fair reading of that context must refer that expression to the future.  All Israel shall be saved in the future.  There is going to be a national or ethnic restoration of Israel to her promised Abraham blessings, so if this refers to the Nation Israel, then there is some contradiction in the word:  let no fruit grow on thee hence forward forever. 

Therefore this the expression of the fig tree, refers not to the Jewish nation, but to the generation of the Jewish nation that was on the earth when our Lord was here and which rejected Him.  So it is for that generation that this implication or curse is.

Now back in the 12th chapter and the 39th verse, the Lord Jesus had made reference to this generation, He had said, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.  Again in chapter 16 and verse 4 He said the same thing.  So the curse then stands upon the generation of the nation that was on the earth when the Lord Jesus was here.  Now that of course is a curse that stands fulfilled and will be fulfilled on into the future.  What happened was that when the Lord Jesus came, the generation on the earth that should have responded to His Messianic claims did not, but actually carried out with the gentiles the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.  It is upon them that the curse is pronounced.

Secondly, what is the meaning of the leaves?  Well now, Bible students ought to know what fig leaves mean, because as you begin to read the Bible and start in Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 3, in the 3rd chapter in the book of Genesis, we read about fig leaves.  After Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden, and then feeling the reproach of their nakedness, and sensing that as the Lord came down as His custom was into the garden to have fellowship with them, they would be in his presence naked, they sought to cover their nakedness by aprons which they had made out of fig leaves.

Not a very nice garment, incidentally.  If you take a fig leaf and just rub your hand across it you will see that it is not a very smooth kind of leaf, so this must have been an unusual kind of garment that they possessed. But fig leaves come right from the first mention in the Bible, symbolic of man’s attempt to cover the nakedness of his wrong relationship with God.  Fig leaves become, in a sense, a pretension.  They represent bustling religious activity seeking to cover up the fact that they have no righteous standing before God, having lost it by virtue of their fall.  So the fig leaves, then, represent that which is a lie.

To translate that of course into modern life is very simple, because it is very common and has been common down through the years through Israel’s experience and through the church’s experience for us, individually, to cover up the fact that we do not have a righteous standing before God by our own bustling religious activity, and if it is not in the Christian religion, it is in some other religion.  We are basically naturally religious because God has created us in the image of God, and we are fighting against that knowledge of God which is placed within us, every one of us.  And so one of the most popular and most common ways to do it is to cover it up by religious activity.

And in this country, because it is popular to be a member of a church, we join a church.  We are baptized.  We sit at the Lord’s table.  We attend the meetings.  We usher in the meetings.  We give to the work of the church.  We put on an outward shell of religious activity, very bustling, sometimes we even become elders and deacons.  And tell it not in gaffe, publish it not in Ashkelon, less the uncircumcised Philistines of some other religion hear, they even become ministers in Christian churches, but they don’t know anything about the relationship with the Lord that comes through the knowledge of our guilt and condemnation and our falling down before the cross and receiving the forgiveness of God out of sense of our own need and serving God, then, out of gratitude for what He has done.

Too often in our congregations, they are congregations that do not know anything about the soul’s despair and its breathless gratitude for that which Jesus Christ has done.  Fig leaves.  Listen, it is very easy for Christians to go to leaf, very easy for them to cover up the fact that they have lost touch with the Lord, by religious activities.  Even attending Believer’s Chapel service or even the eight thirty service, attending the meetings during the week, sitting at the Lord’s table, all of these things.

The curse incidentally is, of course, eternal punishment for barren legalism and perfunctory ceremonialism.  Have you ever noticed a fig tree when it didn’t have its leaves?  Upon it is a very vivid picture.  It is not a very pretty tree.  In fact, when the fig leaves are off of the tree fig tree, it stands there with a rather gnarled look.  In fact, it’s branches have this strange, weird, appearance as if it’s a kind of skeleton itself.  Have you ever noticed that about a fig tree?  Well, take a good look next time.  It’s almost as if when its leaves are off its a standing picture of something that is dead, a skeleton.  So when they went by the next day, that’s the picture that they got.  It was a picture of the curse of eternal punishment that rests upon those who refuse to respond to the Lord Jesus.

The Nation Israel, at that time that generation had made a great profession of having reality with all of its service, its priesthood, its offerings, its stress upon the law of the Old Testament and the covenant, it was the religious nation of the eastern world.  It had made a great profession, but at the time He was, there were no figs upon the tree, luxurious foliage but no reality.

It is possible for Christians to have great knowledge of truth.  It is possible for them to profess some of the greatest doctrines of the word of God.  It is possible for them to profess belief in total depravity and not really know anything about total depravity, never having really felt any of their own depravity.  It is possible to confess that you have been elected by God but not to know anything, really, about what it is to have been called by the Holy Spirit and brought to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  And such profession of grace without the experience of grace is the funeral pageantry of a dead soul.

One of the great expositors has said, “Religion without holiness is the light that comes from rotten wood; the phosphorescence of a decayed.”  Speaking dread words, how can we speak less dreadfully?.  If we have a name to live but are dead what a state we are in ours is something worse than corruption it’s the corruption of corruption.   It’s bad to be corrupt and to reject the things that the Spirit of God, but what is worse than that is the corruption of corruption to add to our lack of touch with God, the hypocrisy of religious profession.  That is the corruption of corruption.

This is a vivid, dramatic, denunciation of that generation of Israel. Is we reflect upon the fact that this was very much like life, that there are people who go through life and who do not really understand what is happening.  They are borne in the midst of the people who are living but they don’t understand life.  They are like people who read a book but read only the words and don’t understand what is being said.  They look about them at nature and do not see the hand of God in it at all.  They look at their own lives and do not see their lives in the light of the total program that God is carrying out,” and then we can make the application that this is true of us spiritually as well.

We are walking through life and don’t understand anything about God, because we can actually hear the word of God, read the word of God, but until we have been born again through the Spirit of God, we don’t understand.  The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.

And if we have never come to know the Lord Jesus, and we come to a service like this, we are like the man sitting and not understanding anything that is going on, hearing it all, seeing others singing, seeing others understanding things, evidently (unless they are hypocrites too), but nevertheless we don’t grasp it at all.  And we know we can put on a façade that makes people think we really are getting it when we really are not.

And in the final analysis, the difference between reality and that which contends for reality is:  profession.  There can be great profession but no performance, and that is unreality.  May God deliver us from profession without performance, from the fig leaves of religious activity, even spiritual activity such as most of us engage in, without the reality of the relationship to the Lord.

As we close.  Did you notice when the Lord Jesus came and saw that fig tree a far off, Mark says, He went right to that fig tree hoping perhaps He might find fruit upon it?  That is expressive that the Lord Jesus loves to find the fruit when there is profession.  It pleases Him.  It is honoring to Him for reality to exist.  May God help us to respond to the appeal of the Lord.  To give Him that which pleases Him:  the reality of a relationship to Him that means something.  Shall we stand for the benediction?

Father, we are so grateful to Thee for the privilege and opportunity to hear the word of God and to read from holy Scripture the things that please Thee, the things that give Thee joy.

And Lord we do pray that amidst all our profession of a relationship to Thee there may be the reality of the figs.  O God deliver us from a profession in which there is no production of fruit.  If there should be someone here, Lord who has not yet believe in the Lord Jesus who died for sinners.  O God give them no rest nor peace until they rest in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus, and have come to know Thee as the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.  Go with us we pray with the blessing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

You Must Be Fruitful! - Matthew 21:18-22

Early the next morning, Jesus was going back to the city. Jesus was very hungry. Jesus saw a fig tree beside the road. Jesus went to the fig tree {to get a fig to eat}. But there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, "You will never again have fruit!" And then the tree dried up and died. The followers saw this. They were very surprised. They asked, "How did the fig tree dry up and die so quickly?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. If you have faith and no doubts, you will be able to do the same as I did to this tree. And you will be able to do more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go, mountain, fall into the sea.' And if you have faith, it will happen. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer." (ERV) Full Text

Key Thought

Like Jerusalem, we are given so many opportunities to be fruitful, to show our faith and faithfulness to the Lord, and to live a life that blesses others to the Father's glory. But opportunities are not forever. God calls us to reflect His character and grace. When we don't, and this refusal and neglect become habitual, God will give us opportunities to repent and change our actions. But there comes a time when we must change or judgment comes. If we are truly connected to Jesus, if we are truly His disciples, we will bear fruit that reflects His character. The Spirit will help make sure of this. Our love for the Savior will call us to this. Our friends in Christ will encourage this. But ultimately, we must decide that Jesus is Lord and is worthy of our life's commitment to Him!

Today's Prayer

Holy and gracious Father, You have given me so many opportunities to start over, to live for You, to overcome my sinfulness. I cannot thank You enough for the incredible outpouring of Your grace and patience for me. Thank you so much. I commit again today to live reflecting Your character and grace and ask that You not only be pleased, but that You also supply me with the power to help me do this. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Chapter Contents

Christ enters Jerusalem. (1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple. (12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple. (23-27) The parable of the two sons. (28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen. (33-46)

Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone. But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of His church. May we be willing to follow Him, though despised and hated for His sake.       

New International Version: Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, He was hungry.

New Living Translation: In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry,

English Standard Version: In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

New American Standard Bible: Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

King James Bible: Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered.

Holman Christian Standard Bible: Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry.

International Standard Version: In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He became hungry.

NET Bible: Now early in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English: But at dawn when He returned to the city He was hungry.

GOD'S WORD® Translation: In the morning, as Jesus returned to the city, He became hungry.

Jubilee Bible 2000: Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered.

King James 2000 Bible: Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered.

American King James Version: Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungry.

American Standard Version: Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He hungered.

Douay-Rheims Bible: And in the morning, returning into the city, He was hungry.

Darby Bible Translation: But early in the morning, as He came back into the city, He hungered.

English Revised Version: Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He hungered.

Webster's Bible Translation: Now in the morning as He was returning into the city, He was hungry.

Weymouth New Testament: Early in the morning as He was on His way to return to the city He was hungry,

World English Bible: Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.

Young's Literal Translation: and in the morning turning back to the city, He hungered,

Parallel Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:18-22 This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 18-22. - The cursing of the barren fig tree. (Mark 11:12-14:, 20-26.) Verse 18. - In the morning (πρωίας, which implies a very early time of the day, and is a term used for the fourth or last watch of the night, Mark 1:35). St. Matthew has combined in one view a transaction which had two separate stages, as we gather from the narrative of St. Mark. The curse was uttered on the Monday morning, before the cleansing of the temple; the effect was beheld and the lesson given on the Tuesday, when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the third time (vers. 20-22). Strauss and his followers, resenting the miraculous in the incident, have imagined that the whole story is merely an embodiment and development of the parable of the fruitless fig tree recorded by St. Luke (Luke 13:6, etc.), which in course of time assumed this historical form.

There is no ground whatever for this idea. It claims to be, and doubtless is, the account of a real fact, naturally connected with the circumstances of the time, and of great practical importance. He hungered. True Man, He showed the weakness of His human nature, even when about to exert His power in the Divine. There is no need, rather it is unseemly to suppose (as many old commentators have done), that this hunger was miraculous or assumed, in order to give occasion for the coming miracle. Christ had either passed the night on the mountain-side in prayer and fasting, or had started from His lodging without breaking His fast. His followers do not seem to have suffered in the same way; and it was doubtless owing to His mental preoccupation and self-forgetfulness that the Lord had not attended to bodily wants.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now in the morning,.... Greek "in the first", or morning light, in the dawn, or break of day, the first spring of light; so the Latins (s) use "prima luce" for early in the morning, as soon as ever day breaks: so early did Christ rise, and return from Bethany to Jerusalem;

and as He returned to the city. The Persic version renders it, "they returned"; which, though not a good version, gives a true sense; for, as Christ went with the twelve to Bethany, as Mark affirms, so these returned with Him, as is clear from what follows. Thus Christ, day after day, went to and from Jerusalem: in the evening He went to Bethany, or to some part of the Mount of Olives, and there abode all night, and returned in the daytime to Jerusalem, and taught in the temple; for it does not appear that He was one night in Jerusalem, before the night of the Passover.

He hungered, rising so early before His friends were up, He had eaten nothing that morning, and so before He had got far from Bethany, found Himself hungry; which proves the truth of His human nature, which was in all respects like to ours, excepting sin.

Commentaries:

 

Jesus taught 2 lessons in currsing the fig tree.  One that they have to be fruitful, if they are not fruitful they are cursed and will be cast away to wither.  Two they with faith they can do anything.

 

He taught them if they truly belief and have faith in Him anything is possible. He also taught them to ready to preach the gospel and that they bear the fruit of their belief in Him

 

If you truly have faith in God, your wishes will be granted if within His commandments.  Good will be granted to the good.

 

"In this record, we see that we have been given both permission and authority to carry out supernatural works. But today the average Christian will say, “Well, Jesus could do that stuff, but you and I can’t.” That was not Christ’s attitude. When the disciples questioned what had happened Jesus immediately started teaching them how to do the same thing!"

 

Jesus was teaching us that we need to believe totally in Him, with Him anything is possible. Blessings.

 

In cursing the fig tree, Jesus taught the disciples that if you believe in faith and ask in faith, it shall be done and you will receive.

 

Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that who believes in can create wonders but the person who does not believe in God will be finished.

 

The disciples learned that Jesus is all powerful and through faith in him, they would inherit the power as well

 

We should produce good fruit if we are his children, if you are not a child of God you will be put away into hell. We should produce good fruit if we are his children, if you are not a child of God you will be put away into hell.

 

Jesus taught the disciples the lesson that the unfaithful ones are useless because they do not bear fruits,they are like the cursed tree.

 

Jesus taught the disciples that anyone who does not obey the words of God, does not bear spiritual fruit, such people will be cursed like the fig tree and will never bear fruits in their life.

 

Two lessons; one is the anger after the fig was not fruitful and therefore He is not happy of unfruitful believers. Two is the faith that someone need to make things done for them by the Lord.   

 

We have to be faith  we should not live like look warm christians if we have faith   and dont dought. faith will bring victory whatever you ask in prayer believe it you will receive.

 

Jesus taught the disciples to have unconditional faith that works to produce good result; because faith without works is death as the fig tree that failed to produce fruits died. 

 

The lesson there for us to learn is that we should live out the Christ-like life expected of us. We should show good examples and bear good fruit, in order not to be uprooted or cut off.

 

He taught them that whatever you ask of Him, as long as you do so, knowing that your request will be answered without doubting, that it will be done. He was teaching them how to have faith.

 

He wanted to teach them that if you have faith, all things are possible. He also wanted to teach them that as christians we have to do good and bear fruit. If we dont bear fruit we are cut down.

 

Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that all beings on the earth have a purpose to serve and they, which include us human beings, should make use of our individual resources to help one another but not to stand there and stare at others in need.

 

To believe and have faith.  When we believe and have faith not doubt anything is possible through prayer.

 

I think Jesus emphasized both our need for, and the Power of Faith. Several times in His teaching He pointed at our lack of Faith (storm in a boat, walking in water), and the small size of our Faith (mustard seeds). In this passage Jesus demands that only with pure and strong Faith from the bottom of our hearts we would yield its strength, to accomplish anything through Him, even to move mountains. Besides, I think, there is a warning that we should walk the talk, and model by example. The fig tree was not bearing fruit as it was meant to on earth. It also emphasizes that we have to behave and act as good Christians and bear good fruit in everything we do and say.

 



By: Gregorio Magdaleno
Category: The Fig Tree Withers
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

Matthew 21:1-11 

 

The Triumphal Entry

 

When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them." 

 

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 

 

The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and He sat on them. A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. The multitudes who went before Him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 

 

When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" The multitudes said, "This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 

Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

 

Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

 

In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of His Passion.

 

In John 12:9-11, after raising Lazarus from the dead, crowds gather around Jesus and believe in Him, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as He enters Jerusalem. In Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19, as Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome Jesus as He triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

 

Christians celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as Palm Sunday, a week before Easter Sunday.

 

According to the Gospels, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus was staying at Bethany and Bethphage, and John 12:1 states that He was in Bethany six days before Passover. While there, Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against them, in order to retrieve a donkey that had been tied up but never been ridden, and to say, if questioned, that the donkey was needed by the Lord (or Master) but would be returned.

 

Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem, with the three Synoptic gospels stating that the disciples had first put their cloaks on it, so as to make it more comfortable. In Mark and John the entry takes place on a Sunday, in Matthew on a Monday; Luke does not specify the day. In Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin), foretelling the suffering that awaits the city.

 

The Gospels go on to recount how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and how the people there lay down their cloaks in front of Him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25-26: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless You from the house of the Lord....

 

In the Synoptic Gospels, this episode is followed by the Cleansing of the Temple episode, and in all four Gospels Jesus performs various healings and teaches by way of parables while in Jerusalem, until the Last Supper.

 

Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace, rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse.

 

Old Testament parallels

 

Matthew 21:1-11 refers to a passage from Book of Zechariah (9:9) and states: "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." The location of the Mount of Olives is significant in the Old Testament in that Zechariah 9:9 and Zechariah 14:1-5 stated that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives:

 

“Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.”

 

The triumphal entry and the palm branches, resemble the celebration of Jewish liberation in 1 Maccabeus (13:51) which states: And entered into it ... with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs.

 

Jesus' entry on a donkey has a parallel in Zechariah 9:9 which states that: thy king cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.

 

The symbolism of the donkey may also refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when He was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when He wanted to point out that He was coming in peace. Therefore Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized His entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war waging king

 

Palm Sunday

 

Palm Sunday is also Passion Sunday. The Palm Sunday passage moves us towards the Passion. It has its genesis in Jesus' strategy to bring Himself and His message to Jerusalem. This was much more than a PR opportunity not to be missed because of the concentration of people in Jerusalem during Passover. Rather it belongs to the body language of the message of the 'kingdom'. It is an expression of hope for change. Just as Jesus reflected the Jewish roots of His passion for change by choosing twelve disciples, so also His march on Zion reflects His people's vision that God would bring about a change beginning with Jerusalem. To affirm the vision of the kingdom and to live out its hopes in the present in action and symbol meant challenging existing structures of authority, both those of the temple leadership and those of Rome. This is the backdrop for the drama which follows. To journey with Jesus still means espousing a challenge to the powers which hold sway in our world (and our church).

 

Palm Sunday invites play, serious play. Here is the procession to end all processions. Here is adulation. The creative imagination can place the hearer among the crowd beside the road, reluctant, fully adoring, standing aloof in confusion or alienation, perhaps remembering key events from Jesus' ministry. Let the imagination run!

 

It is important, however, not to cut story from its moorings so that it becomes a triumphalism celebration. In Matthew, as in Mark, whom Matthew closely follows here, this is the fateful entry which will take Jesus to His death. The dramatic irony which celebrates Jesus as king and reaches its climax with Jesus crowned king of the Jews on the cross, is beginning. The acclamation of the crowd is, therefore, at least ambiguous. They will, in Matthew, call Jesus' blood upon themselves and their children. That will have fateful consequences, according to Matthew in the destruction of the temple and the widespread slaughter of its inhabitants, according to subsequent history in the annals of anti-Semitic hate. The scene is full of danger and denseness. John's gospel shows some sensitivity to the problem when he adds the footnote that the disciples did not really understand what was happening or what it meant until after Easter (12:16).

 

Nor should we picture an historical event in which the whole of Jerusalem lined the streets, thronging the new Messiah. An actual entry with some shouts of praise doubtless occurred but would have been sufficiently lost in the Passover crowds as not to warrant the military's attention, who would have been swift to put an end to what could have seemed like a potential disturbance. Whatever the event, it became highly symbolic. Perhaps it had this quality from the start, especially if we imagine a provocative act on Jesus' part in emulating Zechariah's prediction, which Matthew now fully cites; but this is doubtful. Throughout the passion narrative it is difficult to know where reports gave rise to scripture elaboration and where scripture gave rise to stories. Most echoes of scripture (especially the Psalms) probably began as allusions and subsequently became quotations, as here in Matthew. Matthew's concern for precise fulfillment has Jesus ride on 'them', that is, both the ass and its foal, one of the funniest results of 'fulfillments’' in the New Testament!

 

Matthew begins, as does Mark, with the finding of the animals, a miracle similar to the finding of the upper room a little later on. Hearers of the evangelists would recognize in this a sign of divine involvement; it worked for them. Matthew dwells on it less than Mark. The actions of the crowd are as they are reported in Mark. Their acclamation, using the words of Psalm 118, which finds it echo in the Eucharistic liturgy, is more than heralding a Passover pilgrim. It is heralding the Davidic Messiah. Matthew simplifies their cry. It becomes: 'Hosanna to the son of David.' 'Son of David' is an appropriate title for Israel's Messiah, a hope modeled on selective memory of His achievements. It is found on the lips of the Canaanite woman, two sets of two blind men (20:29-34; 9:27-31; cf. Mark 10:46-52), and a few verses later on the lips of children who also cry: 'Hosanna to the Son of David' (21:15). Matthew uses acclamation by outsiders, marginalized and little ones, to shame Israel for its failure to acknowledge Him as 'the Son of David' of Jewish hopes.

 

According to Matthew Jesus' presence sets Jerusalem in turmoil. One is reminded of the consternation caused there by the magi (2:3). To describe the turmoil Matthew uses the word for earthquake (eseisthe), which will reappear at Jesus' death (27:51) and again at His resurrection (28:2). The event was 'of earth shattering significance', certainly in world history, in retrospect, so Matthew writes this into the scene. It is his own creative addition to Mark's account.

 

The crowds in Jerusalem have not really grasped who He is, stopping at 'the prophet from Nazareth' (21:11). This nevertheless forms a good transition to what immediately follows in Matthew, the attempted reform of the temple (21:12-13). Matthew has removed from the scene the cursing of the fig tree which encapsulates the event in Mark (11:12-14; 20-21; Matthew brings it later: 21:18-19). Instead we see the true Son of David performing in the temple acts of healing which in Matthew appear strongly linked with Jesus as Son of David and may reflect popular traditions about the first Son of David, Solomon as a source of medical wisdom. They may also reflect fulfillment of the great prophetic hope that in the end times there will be healing on Mount Zion. The presence of 'the Son of David' in the episode immediately preceding the entry (20:30,31), in the entry and in the episode which immediately follows (21:15), has the effect of making the whole a celebration of His identity as Israel's Messiah, as the bringer of wholeness and healing.

 

Jesus was not entering a foreign city, nor entering the city of 'the Jews'. He was a Jew. He was entering the city which symbolized in His faith and His scriptures God's promise to Israel. To confront one's own faith and its traditions is painful. This is part of the drama of the event, both in Matthew's account and in the earlier forms of the story, not least in the event itself.

 

Thus Jesus' approach to Jerusalem has become for many a symbol of the confrontation they must make, including the confrontation with themselves. The issues at stake are not ultimate control or power, though it is easy to give this impression: Jesus is the rightful king! For then might dictates the terms and we reinforce the theme that might is right and right is might and reproduce its abuses in the swirl of deduction. The children acclaim the true signs of messiah ship and they have less to do with palms and crowns, which ultimately must be subverted into irony on the cross, and more to do with acts of healing and compassion. Without them the entry story is ambiguous, a potential disaster, which realizes itself in every generation in the name of piety. A radically subverted model of power exercised in compassion challenges the temple system and Rome in its day and their equivalents in our own, around us and within us.

 

The Liturgy of the Palms - Matthew 21:1-11

 

"Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

 

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Confitemini Domino

 

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.

2 Let Israel now proclaim, * "His mercy endures forever."

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *I will enter them;

I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 "This is the gate of the Lord; * he who is righteous may enter."

21 I will give thanks to You, for You answered me * and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected * has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord's doing, * and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! * Lord, send us now success.

26 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; * we bless You from the house of the Lord.

27 God is the LORD; he has shined upon us; * form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.

28 "You are My God, and I will thank You; * You are My God, and I will exalt You."

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; * His mercy endures forever, at The Liturgy of the Word

 

The Collect

 

Almighty and ever living God, in Your tender love for the human race You sent Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of His great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Old Testament - Isaiah 50:4-9a

 

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.

 

Morning by morning he wakens, wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

 

The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

 

The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; He who vindicates me is near.

 

Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.

 

It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

 

Psalm 31:9-16 . In te, Domine, speravi

 

9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; * my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly.

 

10 For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing; * my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed.

11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors, a dismay to those of my acquaintance; * when they see me in the street they avoid me.

 

12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; * I am as useless as a broken pot.

 

13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around; * they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.

 

14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. * I have said, "You are my God.

 

15 My times are in your hand; * rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

 

16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, * and in Your loving-kindness save me."

The Epistle

 

Philippians 2:5-11

 

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.

 

And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 

Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

The Gospel

 

Matthew 26:14- 27:66

 

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

 

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, `The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

 

When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me." And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." Judas, who betrayed Him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

 

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

 

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of Me this night; for it is written,

 

`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

 

But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." Peter said to Him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert You." Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even though I must die with You, I will not deny You." And so said all the disciples.

 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.

 

Then He said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with Me." And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what you want."

 

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and He said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with Me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again He went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."

 

Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

 

While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest Him." At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do."

 

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

 

Those who had arrested Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This fellow said, `I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'" The high priest stood up and said, "Have You no answer? What is it that they testify against You?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to Him, "I put You under oath before the living God, tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to Him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

 

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard His blasphemy. What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spat in His face and struck Him; and some slapped Him, saying, "Prophesy to us, You Messiah! Who is it that struck You?"

 

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

 

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about His death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

 

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, He repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."

 

Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.

"

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for Him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to Him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

 

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while He was still alive, `After three days I will rise again.' Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise His disciples may go and steal Him away, and tell the people, `He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

 

or

 

Matthew 27:11-54

 

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave Him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of This man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The Triumphal Entry.

 

I. The Preparation. 21:1-7.

 

A. Bethphage.

 

Jesus and His companions "approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount

of Olives" (v. 1). The company approaches Jerusalem from the east; between the Mount of Olives and the city lay the Kidron Valley. Bethphage was a village near Bethany (both parallels, Mk 11:1 and Lk 19:29, mention both places), on the eastern side of the mountain, about two miles from Jerusalem. "The village ahead of you" (v. 2) is probably Bethphage, not Bethany; for Bethphage alone is mentioned in v. 1, and it lay nearer to Jerusalem than did Bethany (cf. Lane, Mark, 394).

 

B. Jesus the Lord.

 

1. Jesus' insight, v. 2. Jesus instructions may rest on prior arrangements. On the other hand, the words of v. 2 may reflect extraordinary, which in Jesus' case means divine, insight, and Jesus' mastery of the entire situation.

 

2. Jesus' commands, vv. 2-3. The instructions are issued with full authority: "Go [present imperative poreuesthe]..., and at once you will find [future indicative heurssete, perhaps used volitionally].... Untie [aorist participle lusantes, perhaps used imperatively] them and bring [aorist imperative agagete] them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell [future indicative ereite, used volitionally] him that ..." (NIV).

 

3. Jesus' ownership, v. 3. NIV renders the middle of v. 3, "the Lord needs them" (for ho kyrios aut©n chreian echei). This is a defensible rendering. However, it is preferable to translate, "Their Lord has need [of them]".

 

As Jesus is Lord of all, He is the supreme and ultimate owner of the mother donkey and her colt. At the same time, Jesus respects the one who, under His Lordship, is entrusted with the animals' care; cf. Mk 11:3b, "The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly."

 

4. The human response. Jesus' commands are immediately, unquestioningly and completely obeyed, both by the animals' owner (v. 3b) and by the disciples (vv. 6-7).

 

II. The Prophecy. 21:4-5.

 

A. The Introduction. 21:4.

 

"This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet."

 

1. The placement of the quotation. While vital for understanding the Entry itself, the quotation is placed before the event. The opening "this" of v. 4 directs attention back to Jesus' instructions and shows their relevance for bringing the prophecy to fulfillment.

 

2. The source of the prophecy. The Word is spoken through (dia) the prophet, so (it is implied) by (hypo) Yahweh. See 1:22.

 

B. The First OT Passage: Isaiah 62:11.

 

The larger part of 21:5 is devoted to Zech 9:9. Yet Matthew replaces the opening words of this verse ("Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!") with Isa 62:11b, "Say to the Daughter of Zion." The proclamation of Isa 62 is universal in scope (Yahweh "has made proclamation to the ends of the earth," v. 11a) and saving in character ("See, your Savior comes!" v. 11c). Matthew's replacing Zech 9:9a ("Rejoice") with Isa 62:11 ("Say"), makes the following quote from Zech "an evangelistic challenge to unconverted Israel" (p. 408).

 

C. The Second OT Passage: Zechariah 9:9.

1. The prophecy in its original setting.

 

a. The preceding context. Following the visions of 1:7-6:15 and the oracles on fasting in 7:1-8:23, 9:1 introduces the third major division of Zech, the "prophetic apocalyptic" of chs. 9-14. 9:1-8 speaks of Yahweh's future judgment upon, and victory over, a host of Gentile nations (such as the Philistines) that formerly oppressed and disinherited Israel.

 

b. Verse 9. Responding to the glad tidings of 9:1-8, v. 9 exclaims: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Yahweh's coming victory is cause for great joy! "Your king" is the expected Messianic king of David's line, the One by whom Yahweh conquers the nations.

 

c. The following context, 9:10. V. 10a reads, "I [Yahweh] will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken." Yahweh envisages a reunited Israel, whose shalom will forever end the warfare between Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) and Southern (whose capital was Jerusalem). But the peace of Yahweh's reign is broader still. "He [the Messiah whom Yahweh appoints] will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River [i.e., the Euphrates] to the ends of the earth" (v. 10). The very nations to whom Yahweh announced judgment (vv. 1-8), now hear His proclamation of peace! Cf. the sequence in Gen 6-12.

 

This peace is assured "by the righteous king ruling over a world-wide empire".

 

2. The prophecy in Mt 21:5: "See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

a. The omission. Why does Matthew exclude the words "righteous and having salvation"?

 

(1) Matthew obviously believes these words are suitably applied to Jesus; fundamental to his Christology is that Jesus is the righteous Savior.

 

(2) But given the present rejection of Messiah, especially by the religious leadership in Jerusalem, these words are deliberately omitted (or at most, left to be inferred). Messiah has already (in His prior ministry) offered salvation; Israel will not receive salvation until she is ready to take the offer seriously.

 

b. The animals. The latter part of Zech 9:9 reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Hebrew hamor], on a colt ['ayir], the foal [bsn] of a donkey ['atonot, plural of 'aton]." How are these words, quoted in Mt 21:5, to be related to Mt 21:2, "a donkey...with her colt by her"?

 

(i) Zech presents a case of synonymous parallelism; the first donkey is the colt. This is clear from the Hebrew: the donkey on which the king rides is a hamor, or "male donkey," identified further as an 'ayir, which also means a "male donkey," and yet further as bsn, "son." The second donkey is an 'aton, "female donkey," the mother of the on which the king rides.

 

(ii) Matthew is sometimes accused of reading Zech 9:9 as though the first donkey (hamor) and the colt ('ayir) were two different animals. This accusation seems misguided, not to say incredible. Unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary, we may assume that Matthew will be responsive to the literary features of Hebrew poetry. (Here, as a matter of fact, His quotation depends on the Hebrew where the MT differs from the LXX.) To be sure, there is a notable linguistic parallel between 21:5 and 21:2. V. 5b reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Greek onon, accusative of onos], on a colt [p©lon, accusative of p©los], the foal [huion, "son"] of a donkey [hypozygiou, "beast of burden"; the only other NT instance is 2 Pet 2:16, where it again denotes a donkey - Balaam's]."

 

V. 2b reads, "you will find a donkey [onon] tied there, with her colt [p©lon] by her." Yet in Greek the masculine forms onos and p©los served for both male and female animals. Matthew's intention in 21:5 is not to distinguish the onos from the p©los (he readily recognizes the parallelism and knows that these are one and the same animal), but to distinguish the onos from the hypozygion (the Hebrew's distinction between the hamor and the 'aton is reflected in Matthew's change of nouns).

 

(iii) Matthew speaks of both the mother donkey and the colt, because Jesus' instructions embraced both animals. Here, as with the use of Isa 7:14 in ch. 1, Matthew's purpose is not to make the events of Jesus' life conform to OT prophecy, but rather to examine the OT in light of the actual events of Jesus' life. That Jesus would instruct the disciples to bring both the colt and its mother, is quite understandable in view of the fact (reported by the other Synopsis’s) that this is a colt "which no one has ever ridden" (Mk 11:2, par. Lk 19:30). But it is Jesus' intention to ride upon the colt alone; and it is in accord with this intention that Matthew quotes Zech 9:9.

 

(iv) We read in 21:7, "They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them." This verse is sometimes taken (in agreement with the view that

 thinks the first donkey and the colt of Zech are different animals) to mean that Jesus, somehow, sat on both animals. A much simpler, and far more realistic view, is that Jesus sat on the garments that had been placed on the animals. (The genitive aut©n applies as easily to saddle garments as to animals.)

 

c. The fact of Jesus' kingship. The prophecy's reference to Israel's ("Your") king, accords with Mt's portrait of Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of David" (1:1), the "king of the Jews" (2:2). Messiah's riding on a donkey colt is not a rejection of kingship. As a donkey was a fitting mount for royalty in OT times so it is

appropriate for Jesus the King.

 

d. The character of Jesus' reign. If Jesus was not rejecting kingship as such, He was just as surely repudiating a certain concept of kingship. For a king leading a march into war, a horse would be the right mount. But for a king embarking on a mission of peace, a lowly beast of burden was the eminently correct choice.

 

e. The extent of Jesus' reign. Zech 9:9 was directed to Israel, represented (in Hebrew idiom) as "the Daughter of Zion" and "the Daughter of Jerusalem." Correspondingly, Jesus' offer of peace is directed first to Israel (cf. above comments on Zech 9:10a). Jesus the Messiah offers Israel her only hope of shalom (Mt 10:13), of rest (11:28-30), and of security (23:37). But here, as in Zech 9:10b, Yahweh's proclamation of peace extends beyond the borders of Israel to embrace the Gentile nations.

 

The quotation of Mt 21:5 does not extend through Zech 9:10. Yet such is the thrust of Mt from the opening chapter, that we are meant to read Zech 9:9 as a pointer to the following verse. Jesus the Messiah of Israel has assuredly come to "proclaim peace to the nations" (Zech 9:10; LXX, ethn©n, as in Mt 28:19). Following the account of the Entry in Jn 12, the Pharisees exclaim, "Look how the whole world [kosmos] has gone after Him" (12:19b). Then "certain Greeks" seek an audience with Jesus (v. 20); soon afterwards He declares, "I will draw all men to Myself" (12:32).

 

III. The Entry Itself. 21:8-11.

 

A. The Crowd's Visible Homage. 21:8.

 

1. The cloaks. Both the garments on which Jesus sits and those which the crowd spread on the road (the word himatia is used in both vv. 7 and 8), signal His royalty.

 

2. The branches. Jn 12:13 identifies them as palm branches. Some argue that these are signs of Jewish nationalism (John, 1: 461), here expressive of the hope that Jesus will fulfill their expectations. We are on firmer ground if we associate the branches with the following quotation from Ps 118:26. 118:27 reads, "With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar" (but see NIV mg., where "ropes" replaces "boughs"). On the pilgrims' use of Ps 118, see further below.

 

B. The Crowd's Verbal Homage. 21:9.

 

1. The use of Ps 118. The crowd voices its jubilation in words drawn from Ps 118:25-26. This in turn makes it probable (as just suggested) that the crowd's use of branches is traceable to 118:27. That a Jewish crowd should shout the words of this Psalm on this occasion (a fact recorded in all four Gospels), is not in the least surprising.  For 118 is the concluding Psalm of the "Egyptian Hallel" (Ps 113-118), a series sung at Passover season in celebration of Yahweh's victory at the Exodus and in anticipation of other victories yet to come. Note further:

 

a. The Hebrew hallel means "praise." Cf. the exclamation hallelu Yah, "Praise Yah[weh]!" (hallelu is a Piel imperative of the verb hll).

 

b. Concerning the "Egyptian Hallel" Derek Kidner writes: "Only the second of them (114) speaks directly of the Exodus, but the theme of raising the downtrodden (113) and the note of corporate praise (115), personal thanksgiving (116), world vision (117) and festal procession (118) make it an appropriate series to mark the salvation which began in Egypt and will spread to the nations" (Psalms, 401).

 

c. It was customary for Ps 113 and 114 to be sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 afterwards. Cf. Mt 26:30a.

 

2. The original meaning of Ps 118:25-27. The Psalm speaks of a festal procession to the Temple as part of the Passover celebration. During the procession the pilgrims praise Yahweh for His great saving acts on their behalf, vv. 1-18. The worship is climaxed with the throng's arrival at the temple, vv. 19-29. Having entered the temple gates (vv. 19-20), the pilgrims continue to thank Yahweh for restoring and exalting His downtrodden people (vv. 21-24, 28-29), and implore Him to rescue them from present perils (v. 25, "O Lord, save us [hoshiana, transliterated into the Greek h©sanna]...").

 

In turn, the temple priests (i) give their blessing to the Davidic king who leads the

procession ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...," v. 26a) and to all

who accompany Him ("From the house of the Lord we bless You," v. 26b, where "you"

is plural); and (ii) summon the throng to their appointed goal ("With boughs in hand, join

in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar," v. 27b).

 

3. The present meaning of Psalm 118:25-27.

 

a. Signs of continuity. Here too the procession ends at the temple (21:12); also, the crowd identifies Jesus as Yahweh's representative ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" v. 9b) and as the heir of David's crown ("Hosanna to the Son of David!" v. 9a). V. 9c, "Hosanna in the highest!," speaks of heavenly jubilation answering to human jubilation on earth (cf. Ps 148:1).

 

b. Signs of deeper understanding. Matthew employs the shouts of the crowd in the service of his theology, and gives their words a far deeper meaning than the crowd intended. Ps 118 itself now comes to a deeper level of realization than was possible within its original context (cf. comments on plsro©, "fulfill," in 1:22). Reading the present passage in light of Mt as a whole, we may draw the following conclusions:

 

(i) The crowd rightly declares Jesus to be "the Son of David" (v. 9a; cf. 1:1); they rightly

identify Him as the One "who comes in the name of the Lord" (v. 9b; cf. 11:3). Yet we may be sure that the crowd's concept of Davidic Messiah ship is vastly different from that of Jesus. He has come as the Servant Messiah (3:17; 20:28), not as the Warrior Messiah, or at least He has not come to wage His war in the manner envisaged by the crowd ("He will be victor and victim in all His wars, and will make His triumph in defeat." The deficiency of the crowd's awareness is confirmed in v. 11, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee," words closer to 16:14 than to 16:16 (who sees the crowd here as "disciples representing the worldwide church to come").

 

(ii) The Son of David who comes in Yahweh's name is also Yahweh Himself. This is an aspect of Truth not fully revealed with the writing of Ps 118. That Psalm bears witness to the (true) distinction between the Messiah and God. What was not fully revealed until the Incarnation, was Messiah's deity (cf. comments on 16:16). It is now disclosed that there is both a distinction of person between Father and Son, and also an identity of character (as in Jn 1:1). The name "Yahweh" rightly applies to both.

 

(iii) God is about to give His supreme answer to the perennial cry "Hosanna." Jesus has come "to save His people from their sins" (1:21) by giving His life as a ransom for the many (20:28). By Jesus' day the utterance's original meaning "Save now!" had changed (we might almost say "degenerated") into an exclamation of praise (cf. the shift from "God, save the king!" to "God save the king!"; and, Were Israel aware of her true condition, both politically and (especially) spiritually, she would have more readily reverted to the original intention of "Hosanna."

 

(iv) Thus, despite the genuine excitement that attends Jesus' entry (v. 10), the crowd still shows itself to be lacking in the spiritual insight needed for rightly understanding Messiah's person and work. Yet among those to whom this insight has been given (13:11), there is cause for the greatest possible jubilation. For Christian believers who look back on the great eschatological Exodus, who praise God for His great victory over Sin and Death in the Cross of His Son, who on that basis repeatedly approach the place of worship and celebrate the Passover of the New Age (26:26-28), Ps 118 still provides a marvelous vehicle for praise. But as for the original pilgrims, the Psalm is still more than a song of thanksgiving. It is also a means of our shouting "O Lord, save us!", to

implore Him to complete His saving work and to bring His kingdom to full realization

(6:10) - to hasten the day when the Savior will come again (23:39).

 

C. The Intention of Jesus.

 

1. Jesus and prophecy. We now reach the conclusion to which the whole foregoing discussion has led, namely that Jesus the Messiah enters Jerusalem in conscious and deliberate fulfillment of Zech 9 and Ps 118. Matthew's theological declarations rest upon Jesus' own "acted quotation" of OT prophecy.

 

2. Jesus and Passover. Jesus enters Jerusalem on Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, just four days before the preparations for the Passover Meal. The Mosaic Law required (1) that Passover (or "the Feast of Unleavened Bread") be celebrated in Jerusalem, (2) that every Jewish male participate in the festival every year, and (3) that each worshipper come prepared to offer animal sacrifice (Deut 16:1-8,16-17). Thus in coming to Jerusalem at Passover, Jesus acts in obedience to the requirement of God's Law for Jewish males. He had done so twice before during His ministry: see Jn 2:13; 5:1, together with 6:4 (John, 299).

 

Jesus also comes (in keeping with the law) to offer sacrifice, not an animal (which would not suffice for the purpose, as Heb 10:1-10 explains) but Himself (Mt 20:28). In obedience to his mission, Jesus would die as the supreme, and the final, Passover sacrifice (Mt

26:17-30; 1 Cor 5:7).

 

Lectionary blogging: Palm Sunday, Matthew 21- 1-11


When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?”11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Translation:  And when they approached into Jerusalem and came into Bethphage, into the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village, the one over-against you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.  Loose (and) bring to Me."  And if anyone might speak to you, you will answer, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat (Him) upon them.  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Background and situation:  The original source is Mark (11: 1-11), the other parallels are Luke 19:28-38 and John 12:12-19.  Mark has three passion predictions which are mirrored in Matthew (16:21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19), each with some Matthean additions.

In the first passion prediction, Matthew adds to Mark a statement about the necessity of going to Jerusalem (16:21):  "From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem."  (Jesus doesn't actually head south until 19:1.)  In our text for Palm Sunday, He has arrived.

 

Dueling processions:  Jesus was approaching Jerusalem from the east.  Bethphage is just to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives is just east of the Temple.  (Random factoid:  The word Bethphage means "house of figs.")  The Mount of Olives was, in Israel's Sacred Memory, the place from which an assault on Israel's enemies was to begin (Zech 14: 2-4).  

 

The direction of approach is significant for at least two reasons:  (1)  Coming to the city from the Mount of Olives is a prophetic and eschatological image, and (2) there were two processions into Jerusalem during the time of Passover;  one, the procession of the Roman army, came from the west; the other, those with Jesus, came from the east.

 

The Roman army was coming to maintain order during Passover, a time when the population of Jerusalem would swell from around 50,000 to well over 200,000, both conservative estimates.  Moreover, Passover was a celebration of liberation from Pharoah in Egypt, and Rome was uneasy about the anti-imperial message of this association.

 

The Romans were headquartered at Caesarea Maritima, a city built by Herod the (so-called) Great to honor Caesar Augustus and make money for himself.  Herod built monuments to Caesar at every opportunity.  Caesar Augustus was Octavian, Julius Caesar's nephew and adopted son.  During the Roman civil war, Herod had been an ally of Octavian's enemy, Mark Antony.  Shifting his loyalty to Octavian after Antony's defeat was a nifty piece of political footwork on Herod's part, and may also have added to Herod's ebullient enthusiasm for all things Octavian.  He even named the harbor Sebastos, which is Greek for "Augustus."

 

Sebastos was one of the finest harbors in the world.  It was constructed over a 12 year period (25-13 BC) and was state-of-the-art for its day, rivaling both Athens and Alexandria.  It was used primarily for the export of agricultural products from the region; or, to put it another way, it provided an efficient harbor for the plunder of the region, and could also be used to supply the Roman Army in case of war with Parthia. 

 

The procession of the Roman army from Caesarea Maritima to Jerusalem would have been an imposing sight, Legionnaires on horseback, Roman standards flying, the Roman eagle prominently displayed, the clank of armor, the stomp of feet, and beating of drums.  The procession was designed to be a display of Roman imperial power.  The message?  Resistance is futile!

 

The counter-demonstration of Jesus came from the east, the opposite direction.  Jesus comes to the city not in a powerful way, but in a ludicrously humble way, inciting not fear, as in the Roman procession, but cheering crowds who clear his way and hail his presence. Sarcasm and irony are often the only mechanisms available for the oppressed to express themselves.  The procession of Jesus creatively mocks the Roman procession.  

 

The password:  Just before Jesus makes His final approach to Jerusalem, He sends two people into a nearby village.  The two disciples are instructed to go into the village and, as soon as they get there, they "will find a donkey tied and a colt with her."  They are to take this donkey and colt.  If anyone were to ask them about it, they are to give the "secret password" and say, "The Lord has need of them."

 

It appears there was a network of Jesus supporters operating "under the radar." Moreover, this network of Jesus supporters reaches even to a village just outside Jerusalem.  The Galilee-based Jesus movement reaches even into Judea, even to the very gates of the city of Jerusalem itself! 

 

Mark has a longer episode here in which the two disciples are questioned, say the password, and are then cleared to take a single colt.  Matthew shortens the exchange. The custodians of the donkey and colt are told only that "the Lord" needs the animals.  

 

In this passage, Matthew, for the first time, directly associates Jesus as king.  (The magi were looking for the "king of the Jews" in 2:3, but here the association is more explicit.) Jesus is treated as a royal figure throughout.  He doesn't get on the donkey.  He is "sat" on it by others.  Therefore, when Jesus' secret followers in the nearby village hear that "the Lord needs them," from Matthew's perspective, that is enough to say.

 

Riding on two animals at once: And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat Him upon (them).

 

Matthew then inserts the twelfth of fourteen "quotation formulas" from the Old Testament:  "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  The quote appears to be a combination of Isaiah 62:11 ("speak to the daughter of Zion") and Zechariah 9:9 (the rest).

 

This (mostly) Zechariah text is the interpretive center of the passage.  From the Zechariah text, Matthew leaves out the phrase "triumphant and victorious is He."  Jesus is obviously not going to be that kind of king, at least not yet.  As Matthew recounts it, the quote accents the humility and meekness of Jesus.

 

In referring to both a donkey and a colt, "humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", Zechariah was using a grammatical device known as "hendiadys," which means expressing a single idea with two nouns.  This parallelism is quite common in Hebrew poetry.  For example:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". (Ps. 119: 105)  The statement expresses one thought in two complementary ways.  

 

Scholarly opinion is all over the place on this one.  Some say that Matthew flat misses the parallelism.  Others say he knows about it but ignores it.  In any case, Matthew does clearly refer to two animals, both a donkey and a colt.  Some have cited this as evidence that Matthew didn't really understand the Hebrew language or the Hebrew people.  Any Hebrew would have known that parallelism is about speaking of one thing in two ways.

 

Gasp!  Was Matthew a gentile?  No.  Matthew was Jewish himself, and knew full well about Hebrew poetry and the parallelism in Zechariah.  He also knew full well that Mark, his source, clearly has only one animal involved in Jesus' procession.  Therefore, Matthew was deliberate in making the change to two animals, "and He sat on them" (epekathisen epano auton).

 

Yet others have said that, since Matthew was Jewish, he must have been a first century fundamentalist to take Zechariah so literally.  No again.  Matthew is not a literalist or a fundamentalist.  When he quotes from the Old Testament, Matthew feels free to tweak the texts he quotes in order to suit his purposes.  This is hardly the style of a literalist.  Yet here, Matthew quite obviously refers to two animals and everybody since has been scratching their head over why.  

 

Most likely, it was to underscore the fulfillment of the Zechariah text, not just one fulfillment, in other words, but a double one!   is more interested in literal fulfillment than historical probability.  Matthew knows full well that Jesus did not ride two animals at once.  He doesn't care.  His point is not historical precision, but theological insight.  His point is that "Your king comes to you," which is the fulfillment, in a complete and total way, of the prophetic Zechariah text. 

 

The entrance:  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  

 

Matthew anticipates the Hollywood "red carpet" by about two millennia.  He shifts focus to the action of the crowds, "a very great crowd" spread both garments and branches onto Jesus' path.  In 2 Kings 9:13, strewing cloaks onto the path was a sign of royal homage.  ("Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for Him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’")  The crowd, by strewing cloaks onto His path, is treating Jesus as a royal and kingly figure, which is further underlined by their comparison of Jesus to the Great King David. 

 

Notice that Jesus was not welcomed by the people of Jerusalem.  These crowds were not composed of Jerusalem city dwellers, but rather "the ones going before Him and the ones following."  Most likely, this refers to the disciples and those who joined the movement along the way to Jerusalem. 

 

This crowd is enthusiastic, shouting "hosanna to the son of David."  The literal meaning of "hosanna" is "save us" or "save, we beseech."  Indeed, the crowd appears to be quoting from Psalm 118: 25-26:  "Save now, we beseech you, O Lord...Blessed is the one that comes in the name of the Lord."  (In 11:3, the disciples had asked, "Are you the one that is to come?"  That question is now answered by the crowds.)

 

Psalm 118 speaks of being surrounded by many who threaten the nation's life, "They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;  in the name of the Lord I cut them off!" The Psalm calls for "the gates of righteousness" to be opened:  "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it."  The psalm even refers to waving of branches.  Those waving branches will go right to the altar itself!  

 

Psalm 118 is a psalm of victory:  "There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous!"  In the present situation, Jerusalem is under the brutal yoke of a foreign power, and the Temple is corrupt and in cahoots with the oppressors.  Jesus the Lord enters the city, more than a match for them all.   

 

The crowd seems to have in mind for Jesus the kind of kingdom now held in hallowed memory, the Golden Age of David, a time of prosperity, yes, and also one of military power and territorial expansion.  Yet, Jesus is not committed to a path of "glory," as in a Davidic-style kingdom, but rather a path of defeat.  He will not reign from a palace, but from a cross.

 

When Jesus actually entered into Jerusalem, Matthew says that "all the city was shaken."  Seio means moved, shaken to and fro, with the idea of shock or concussion.  It's the word for earthquake, and where we get our word "seismic."  An earthquake will also occur at the death of Jesus (27:54).  The city shook with fear when Jesus was born (2:3). Now, the place is roiled, shaken, and shocked when He enters as an adult.

 

The closing verse is reminiscent of a call-and-response liturgy.  A:  "Who is this?"  ""This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  (See the latter verses of Psalm 24, for example.)  

 

The dialog is between the city and the crowds.  The city asks the question:  "...all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  The crowds answer that this is "the prophet Jesus."  In doing so, they are fulfilling the text of another prophet, Zechariah.  They are telling "the daughter of Zion," which is Jerusalem, who comes.

 

The crowds' assessment is said to be lacking by many scholars because the crowds only identify Jesus as "prophet" and not as "king", the assumption being that "king" is a higher title than "prophet."  Is a political title really higher than a Biblical and spiritual one?  Would that have been the point of view of Matthew? 

 

The crowds are also providing some cover for Jesus.  The high regard in which the crowds hold Jesus, particularly as prophet, prevents the political authorities from arresting Him in public (21: 46).  Yet, we also know that this is also the city that kills the prophets (23:37), and we are under no illusions as to what will come next.

 

The Untriumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11        

 

Transcript

 

What we are going to have in the hour that follows is a passage gathered around some Old Testament Scriptures, and one in particular. Zechariah chapter 9, the next to the last book of the Old Testament, and verses 9 through 11 of that prophecy, and then we will turn to Matthew chapter 21. 

 

Zechariah is probably the greatest of the minor prophets and one of most important of the prophesies of the Old Testament; a prophet who was deeply indebted to the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, the prophet Isaiah.  And in the last six chapters of the book of Zechariah there are primarily two burdens that the prophet has, and each of these burdens consumes three of his chapters, so that in chapters 9 10 and 11 the burden is of “the king in rejection.”   And then in chapters 12, 13 and 14, the second burden is of “the king enthroned.”  These verses in the section in which he has a burden that touches the rejection of the Messianic king.  Verse 9 through verse 11 of Zechariah chapter 9 reads, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: (that incidentally is a kind of theme clause for the entire book of Matthew: behold thy King cometh unto thee.  The prophet continues) He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He (that is the rider) He shall speak peace unto the nations: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit in which is no water.”

 

Let’s turn now to Matthew chapter 21 and read the passage that contains the historical fulfillment of at least one major point of the prophecy that Zechariah gave so many hundreds of years ago.  Verse 1 of Matthew chapter 21, and the evangelist writes,

 

“And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, ‘Go into the village opposite against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me. And if any man say anything unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.’ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

 

May the Lord bless this reading from His Word, because it is important to remember that the reason that we do sing lies in the instruction that we receive from the things that we sing and also in the things that we express through the things that we sing.

 

And of course we sing best and we sing most meaningfully when the things that we are sing are true to the word of God.  This hymn is one the favorite hymns, and it also is so popular among members of the Christian church that other uses have been made of this particular hymn, and one of them:  “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever. 

 

And, in fact, we may even have to follow the word of God and follow it so necessarily that the membership of the church may suffer as a result.  And that we should remember that we must follow the word of God rather than, even, our natural desires to have a large congregation or, a large membership, and someone inserted these last words of this hymn but added to them, “Let goods and kindred go some membership also the body they may kill God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”  What was meant to express the truth that in the final analysis it is what God says in His word that is the important thing and not our success according to earthly standards while we are here upon the earth.

 

The subject for the exposition is the “The Un-triumphal Entry.”  It’s hardly without design that probably the two most significant figures of human history appeared in the same generation of the human story.  One of these was Augustus Caesar homo emperiosus, or imperial man who destroyed Cato’s dream of the old republic and its freedom.  Augustus has been called on the ancient inscriptions the “divine Caesar” and the “son of god” giving to him the titles that belonged ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, it is probable that the writer of the Book of Revelation was alluding to some of these things in the exaltation of the Roman emperors and particularly dominion when he spoke of the Lord Jesus and particularly Domitian as being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, because these titles were given to the Roman emperors, ultimately, as the worship of the emperor became more predominant in the Roman Empire.

 

Augustus, or homo emperiosus, shattered his foes by force but he could not bring in the golden age.  As one of the men who has dealt with this particular part of history in much depth has said, “He could find but he could not slay the dragon.”  The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace, principis pacis, or homo pacifare, or “the peace-bearing man.”  And of course that title is derived from Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, when the titles of Prince of Peace and other titles are given to Him, and it is said that on Him He shall bear on His shoulders the ultimate universal rule.

 

At the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus, by the path that He trod ,was able to wrest the kingdom from the ancient dragon, overcome Him, and make it possible for Messianic rule to take place upon the earth and then on into eternity.  So you can see that from the standpoint of earthly history, Calvary is as some of the ancient poets blindly anticipated, Virgil for one, Calvary is the hinge of history.  And our Western history is largely determined by what happened when Jesus Christ suffered upon that cross.

 

Now we’ve been looking through the Gospel of Matthew, and we have noted that there are a number of high points in the ministry of our Lord.  We think of course of His virgin birth, of His temptation, of His baptism, of the transfiguration, and later on we shall spend some time dealing with the agony in Gethsemane, and ultimately the death and resurrection.  One of the other high points of our Lord’s ministry, and high point of the steps that He took along the way to the climax of His work, was the triumphal entry.

 

We think of it today as Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday was a day of wild rapture of enthusiasm and the delirium of eager welcome, but of little genuine spirituality.  Those who were shouting out, “hosanna in the highest!” or as those words mean, hoshiana, “Save now, or save, we pray,” they little realized what they were saying.  Few seemed to understand the meaning of the hour, and to most the entry was not a triumphal entry at all, but very untriumphal.  And if you’re looking at it from the standpoint of worldly success, we all would have to say it was not a very triumphal entry.

 

There was something that was happening; that, while the world did not understand, we have now come to understand as being exceedingly significant.  The excitement that was there was real, but it was misguided.  Some of it understood the essential nature of the person of our Lord, because the things that were said were said by men who had truly believed in Him, though their understanding was limited. But most of it was totally misguided, and as a matter of fact, most of the people were totally unprepared for what our Lord did.  They were all looking for a king to slay their foes and lift them high though camest a little baby thing that made a woman cry.”  So we have a wild rapture of enthusiasm and eager excitement of welcome but misunderstanding of what was really transpiring.

 

Nowadays we have a great deal of that in some of our evangelical churches. We have a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm at times, but it is totally misguided.  It is not grounded in the words of Holy Scripture, not grounded in the sound doctrinal teaching of the word of God.  The entry of our Lord into Jerusalem has great doctrinal significance, because it is solemn declaration of Himself in His office.  It was His way of pointing out as effectively as could possibly be pointed out that He was the Old Testament, promised Messianic king.  It is interesting too that from this point on, the Lord Jesus does not seem to keep His Messianic secret any longer.  We have noticed in going through the Gospel of Matthew that at specific points in His ministry, when it was evident He had performed a mighty miracle, He frequently turned to them and said, “Now don’t say anything about it, because it was not yet His hour.  And He knew that their ideas of the Messianic kingdom were wrong, they thought of it only as a political kingdom, that if they had proclaimed that nature of it too soon, it might have hastened His crucifixion and been out of harmony with the slow measured progress that God the Father had determined.  And so, from time to time He said keep quiet.  Now they didn’t always keep quiet, but that’s what He was telling them.

 

From now on the mission and the dignity of the Son are no longer a secret, the ancient prophesies are to be fulfilled, and all of the parts of this little account here unite to proclaim to the nation Israel and to others, Behold Your king.  It was the feast time of the Passover.  Thirty years after the time of the Lord Jesus, the Romans took a census of the lambs that were slain in the city of Jerusalem on a later Passover feast, and according to the account, they counted two hundred and fifty thousand lambs were slain in one of those Passover feasts thirty years after the death of our Lord.

 

Now in rabbinic literature, it is stated that there should be ten individuals for each lamb, a minimum of ten individuals for each lamb.  In other words, when a lamb was slain, there should be at least ten people gathered in the house to eat that particular lamb.  So you can see if that were carried out at the time of our Lord’s death at the time of His visit to the city of Jerusalem, then the city of Jerusalem must have had a population of over two million people at this time.  Now since its ordinary population was of a relatively small city by our standards, you can see that it was packed and jammed with literally hundreds of thousands of people who had come from all over the land, and perhaps all over the inhabited world to celebrate this important feast in Judaism.  So that’s the background.

 

There is another thing we need to understand that is that the prophets of the Old Testament, and remember, our Lord, is the last and greatest of the prophets; He is the prophet of the prophets; He is the everlasting prophet; the Great Prophet, according to Moses in His prophesy.  These prophets of the Old Testament not only spoke their messages but they also often gave their messages by acting out in parabolic fashion, dramatically, the things that they wanted to say.  Now they usually accompanied this by words, because it is really impossible for us to be certain about the meaning of events if we do not have a written or spoken interpretation of them.  But they frequently were told by the Lord to carry out certain physical acts in order to get over their prophetic message.

 

For example, when it became evident that there was going to be a division in the kingdom at the time of Solomon’s death, and Rehoboam’s accession to the throne, and that most of the land was not going to follow the impetuous Rehoboam, God knowing all of this in advance, spoke to the Prophet Ahijah and made known to the Prophet Ahijah that it would be Jeraboam who would rule over the ten northern tribes and Rehoboam would rule over the two faithful southern tribes.

 

And so Ahijah was directed by God to go to Jeraboam with a new garment; and when he came into the presence of Jeraboam who was not yet king, he took off this garment and tore it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of the pieces to Jeraboam and kept two for himself, and this was his way of saying that the kingdom was going to be rent in two, and there would be a division into the northern and southern kingdoms, and ten of the tribes would follow Jeraboam and two would remain faithful to Rehoboam.  So this was a kind of acted parable of spiritual truth.

 

Later, Jeremiah, for example, Ezekiel does this often, but Jeremiah, when it also had become evident through the words of the Lord to him that it would be impossible for the nation to escape the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah made bonds and yokes and sent them to the cities round about the land of Palestine.  He sent these bonds and yokes in order to let them know. He sent them to Edom he sent them to Tyre, he sent them to Sidon and cities like this, that was to let them know that no matter what they did, they would not escape the Babylonian captivity.  And then Jeremiah put a yoke upon his own head in order to signify that the land of which he was a part would not escape the captivity.

 

Later on, the Prophet Hananiah, speaking, he was one of these prophets who liked to speak what people liked to hear rather than the truth of God. Hananiah, in objecting to this sad, defeatist message of Jeremiah, went up to Jeremiah and took the yoke off of his neck and broke it signifying that what Jeremiah had said was not going to come to pass.  But of course, God fulfills His words, and the words of His true prophets, and He did.

 

So now it is necessary for us to remember all of this as we come to the triumphal entry, because it’s obvious that the Lord Jesus acts here as the Great Prophet, and as a matter of fact, acts out in Messianic symbolism what He is really doing when He enters the city of Jerusalem.

 

We read in verse 1, “And when they drew near unto Jerusalem.”  They had come from Jericho, and He had come from the north, and they, according to the other gospel accounts, had spent the night in Bethany which was near the city of Jerusalem.  There the Lord Jesus always had a welcome in the little village of Bethany, because that was the place where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived.  They spent the night there and then the next morning they set out in the festive procession for the city of Jerusalem.

 

And it was fitting that they should come from Bethany to the mount of Olives, because the mount of Olives in the Old Testament had Messianic significance.  There were Messianic associations with it.  In passages like 2 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 32 and others, we remember that when the Lord Jesus comes in His second advent and comes to the earth, His feet shall touch the Mount of Olives.  So it was very fitting that He should approach the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

 

When He arrived at the little village of Bethphage, there He told two of His disciples to go over into a village that was just across the way from Bethphage, and He said to them, I want you to go into that village and you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her, and I want you to lose them and bring them to Me.  A great deal of speculation has been expended on what this really means and also how it was carried out.  Was this totally unexpected on the part of the person who owned these animals or had our Lord Jesus already made provision for it?  Well the Scriptures are silent on that particular point, but it does seem evident that this person must have been a believer. He understood exactly what was meant when they said the Lord had need of them. So either he had made preparation for this in advance, and that’s not unlikely because He made preparation for the Passover and the use of the upper room, so it’s entirely possible that He had said, when I enter the city of Jerusalem, I may need two of the animals, and keep them ready,  or it may be that He was simply a believer in the Lord Jesus and recognized the disciples as believers and when they said the Lord has need of them, he was willing to part with them.

 

At any rate that is what is said, and the other gospels add another important feature.  The Lord Jesus said to them you will find an ass and a colt, incidentally Matthew mentions two; they only mention one, and that also has occasioned a great deal of discussion by the commentators who have sought to find here a misunderstanding of the Book of Zechariah by Matthew because of Hebrew parallelism in the Old Testament, the passage in Zechariah probably has reference to only one animal, but Matthew, not reading it correctly, has seen two animals, failing to see the particular form of Hebrew expression there, so that he misunderstood the parallelism and saw two animals instead of one.

 

It is an amazing thing that people with a sound mind could believe that commentators in the Twentieth Century would know more about Hebrew parallelism and the meaning of Old Testament text than Hebrew men who were outstanding students of the word, and apostles of the Lord Jesus understood nineteen hundred years ago.  Now it strains our imagination to think that there could really be people who think that they understand more about the Old Testament than the apostles who were taught by our  Lord, but nevertheless that’s the truth.

 

Recently there has been a well known doctoral dissertation which has taken up this point, and this author, a respected man, has contended that the reason there are two animals is because in the case of the colt of the ass, it’s a well known fact that the colt of the ass, the foal of the ass, would not be ridable at all if the mother were not there and so the reference here to riding upon an ass is a reference to the mother, and the colt the foal of the ass, is to the offspring of the mother, and because the mother was present, then it was possible for our Lord to ride the animal on which no one had yet sat.

 

Now that’s the other thing that the other accounts add.  It is specifically stated that this ass should be an ass upon which no one has ever sat. The reason for that would be understood by people who lived two thousand years ago, but not so well by us.  It also was the custom when a village or people welcomed a king for them to do things for the king that were absolutely new.  For example, if we were in ancient times, and if it were told us that the president is going to visit us, we’ll transfer that and say the king in Washington is going to visit us, there’s certainly a similarity, then the city fathers or the village fathers would seek some way by which they can honor the king.  And one of the popular ways was to construct a new road into the village on which no one has ever traveled, so that in honor of the king, they would cut a new road so that when the king came, he would come in on a new road.

 

Furthermore nothing that was secondhand or used was ever to be put in put to the service of a king.  So when it is stated that He should come in upon an animal upon which no one has ever sat, that was an indication of the fact that our Lord was the Messianic king, and you’ll notice it comes from Him.  It is His claim in effect that He is the Messianic king.

 

Now when Matthew describes this he himself adds some things.  These incidentally are the evangelists’ interpretations.  Notice the 4th verse:  “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”  So we can see from these verses that Matthew has inserted here that the evangelist understands that all that our Lord is doing in taking the ass, riding upon the ass, with the people following along in front and in the rear, all of this was designed by our Lord to provide Israel with a giant object lesson to imprint upon the minds of the viewers this event and to say in effect to them, the kingdom is mine; I am the king. Zechariah, the prophecy in which it is said, thy king cometh unto thee is fulfilled in my entry into the city at this time.  So it was then, I say, our Lord’s way in parabolic fashion of teaching, that the kingdom came when He entered the city with Him.

 

Now in verses 6 through 9, the evangelist describes the procession towards Jerusalem.  The disciples had gone their way into the little village. And He and those that were associated with Him inched their way along the caravan road from Jericho to Jerusalem and made their way up toward the top of the Mount of Olives, at which when reaching, that He would look out over the city and break into tears mourning over the fact that their hearts were so cold and unresponsive to Him.

 

But we read in the 8th verse, and a very great multitude spread their garments in the way.  It’s important for us to understand what happened in order to understand what this really means.  The disciples had gone off into this little village, and in addition, there were many other disciples of the Lord who had also gone into the city of Jerusalem which was nearby, no doubt to spend the night.  Word had been noised abroad that the Lord, or Jesus of Nazareth, was in the area, and that created a great deal of interest on the part of those who were either curious about Him or who had seen some of the miracles He had performed and had been won to Him.

 

And furthermore, since He had been coming down from the north, and had reached the city of Jericho with a large group of people who were His disciples, there were those who were with Him who were His disciples, and then there were those who came out from the city out of curiosity, perhaps also some of them were disciples, and then of course there was the giant multitude in the city, who, as we shall see, are largely rebellious with reference to the claims of the king.

 

So, all of this group of people apparently meet, and the meeting of the groups of people in the presence of our Lord before He reaches the city evidently generates a great deal of enthusiasm and arouses the spontaneous shouting which we read of in verse 9:  “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”  So here is the crowd composed of disciples, of curious people who have come out from the city, going into the city, which is rebellious toward the Great King.

 

And the disciples, the apostles of the Lord, are traveling along now with the Lord Jesus as He rides on this little animal.  They have taken their garments off they’ve thrown their garments down in enthusiasm before the ass, before our Lord.  Others of His disciples have cut down limbs from the palm trees and myrtle trees and willow trees and they were throwing them out in front of the animal, because that had been done in the Old Testament when Jehu was anointed king as well. So carried away with the enthusiasm of the occasion and understanding something about it, the Lord Jesus was moving toward the city.

 

The disciples were walking along dazed and dazzled by everything that was happening.  They understood of course something about our Lord.  They had put their trust in Him but beyond that they understood very little of what was happening. The crowd that was acclaiming Him was primarily the provincials who had come from the north who were his friends.  You’ve often heard people say in reference to the Lord Jesus that the people who acclaimed Him as the king on one day in a few hours are shouting crucify Him, crucify Him!

 

Now of course, men’s hearts are that wicked, but so far as we know that is not what happened on this particular occasion.  There were two entirely different groups those that were shouting to Him, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the son of David; Hosanna in the highest, were those who had some concept of His greatness and His glory and who had believed in Him, but the crowd within the city that shouts out, crucify Him, crucify Him, that crowd is representative of the great of the mass of the nation who have never responded to the claims of the Lord Jesus.

 

Now it is striking, too, that they do shout, Hosanna to the son of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest, or as Luke said, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Again they reach back into the Old Testament, guided by the Holy Spirit, though they may not have understood much about it.  They reached back into the Old Testament they take out a text from Psalm 118, one of the greatest of the Messianic Psalms which someone has called a string of pearls each one independent of the other, because it’s a Psalm in which there are some magnificent expressions of theological truth, but it’s very difficult to follow the argument of that particular Psalm.

 

Now that Psalm the one 118th Psalm, was the Psalm that was used at the Feast of Tabernacles for the liturgy of that feast.  We don’t have time to talk about the seven great feasts in Israel, but this is the greatest and last of the feasts in which there is a recognition of the fact that there is to be a kingdom of God upon the earth, so at the Feast of Tabernacles, it is designed to represent the period of time in the future when the nation shall gather in rest in the kingdom upon the earth, and so it is very fitting that they should reach back again into the Old Testament, select a text that has to do with the Messianic king and His authority.

 

And even these branches that they took the lulabim as they were called, we also recognized as having some Messianic significance. They say, also, incidentally, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the expression He that cometh was one of the Messianic titles of the Old Testament.  So you see all the details of this event unite to show that this is the official presentation by the Lord Jesus of Himself to the nation Israel.

 

Now if this is the official presentation of the king to the nation, and if this is the royal procession, and if this is a king, it’s a strange king indeed.  Because He’s a king who doesn’t even have an ass of His own to ride upon; He has to borrow an ass.  And furthermore, instead of followers who are soldiers dressed in shining or resplendent armor, He has a group of peasants with palm branches.  Instead of having swords and weapons of warfare they have the palm branches.  What would a Roman soldier or one of Herod’s men have thought of this rustic procession of a pauper prince who’s riding on an ass and a hundred and two or more of weaponless, penniless men? They were very much unimpressed.

 

But Christ’s one moment of royal splendor is as eloquent of His humiliation as the long stretch of His whole of His lowly, humble life.  All of this is designed to express certain things about His character.  And yet, as is usually the case, side by side with the lowliness of our Lord, there gleams His supreme sovereignty.  We talk about lowliness, and after all, this was lowly because when a man rode upon an ass, He rode upon a beast of burden.  In the East, the beasts of burden were the asses, the camels, and the women. These were the beast of burden in those days.  And the ass was the lowliest beast of burden, so to ride upon the ass was about as humble as a person could get.

 

Now, it was a strange king and yet at the same time notice that amid this humility there is also sovereignty.  He speaks to those two disciples, and He says, now I want you to go into that city, and I want you to say to the man the Lord has need of them, and they will turn them over to you, and that’s exactly what happened. In other words as the king He requisitions those animals and they respond to it. So even in the midst of this humble appearance of our Lord, there is nevertheless, underneath, the dignity of the supreme sovereign of this universe.

 

And we usually have our own particular view of how we know spiritual things as a result of wrestling for many years over the questions of how we can know with certainty.  And finally comes an illumination from the Holy Spirit, the same thing that He had done with many others that we can ultimately know nothing apart from the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men.  And that the ultimate attestation of everything that we know must be divine. There can be no certainty in human experience apart from the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit which brings us to the conviction with the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s testimony within, that the word of God is true.

 

Now once He comes, then many things began to become perfectly plain. The problems of the gospels are there are many things we don’t understand yet.  And we put them aside to ponder and think about until God does reveal us the truth.  But you know one of the greatest problems is how it would be possible for anyone to think of a supreme sovereign, and at the same time an humble man who would ride upon an ass, and to weave together these two concepts of the supreme sovereignty of the Son of God and the utmost and lowliest humility into one harmonious picture.

 

If a Shakespeare or a Milton or any other great human being had attempted to do this, he would of course fail.  None of them ever attempted to do it.  All of the attempts have failed because there is no way in which these two things can be put together in such a way that you see one harmonious whole.

 

How is it then possible for these evangelists: Matthew who was nothing unusual, Mark, Luke, John; how were these ordinary men able to do it?  Well, of course, they were able to do it, because they were taught by the Holy Spirit.  But there is something else they were able to do it because they did not manufacture anything.  They were reporters.  In other words, what they saw, what they wrote about, were things that they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears and they simply reported them.

 

And these two great truths of divine sovereignty and utter lowliness are found beautifully meshed and harmonized in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they simply reported what they saw.  And we see that so beautifully here, because even as He rides upon the ass, He is the supreme sovereign of the universe who requisitions the animals upon which He rides, and men respond.

 

When He entered into the city there was a great deal of puzzlement.  The milling multitude entered the city, and as a result of their loud acclamations, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna to the son of David: Hosanna in the highest! As they shouted over the small city, the crowds began to gather around them, and Matthew says the all the city was moved.  Incidentally, that word moved is one that is used of earthquakes, so this was a rather severe moving.  They were agitated, but they were agitated by the anxiety that was created through the acclamations that were offered to the person of our Lord, and the agitation ultimately proceeded from the Spirit’s convicted ministry.  This is the crowd that later on, will shout crucify Him, but now they ask the worried question, who is this? Who is this?  And the answer of the multitude this is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

 

There is nothing more anticlimactic in all of the word of God than that.  Here is the Lord Jesus coming in upon the ass, people are shouting out, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the multitudes, agitated, speak out, who is this? Well we might expect them to say, why this is the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Israel the Messiah the Savior of the world; He is thy Lord, worship thou Him.

 

But instead, what do we get?  It’s Jesus, the human name, the prophet of  Nazareth of Galilee.  He’s just one of the long lines of men who have attached to themselves the name prophet.  We can see from this, our Lord, no doubt with some of the wetness of the tears that He shed on the Mount of Olives still upon His face, enters into the temple in a few moments.  He’s silent through all of this, and finally He turns and goes home late in the afternoon with hardly a word.  It’s obvious that He saw the die was cast.  The nation will not respond.

 

The evidence is overwhelming that He formally offered Himself to the nation here.  If we study the prophecy of Daniel, we will see, from Daniel chapter 9 verse 25 ,that this was the precise time when the sixty-nine weeks or the four hundred and eighty-three years had come to a conclusion at the time our Lord entered the city.  Some of the students of the prophetic word have even claimed that those sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled on the very day He entered Jerusalem.

 

Any student of Scripture should have known the Messiah was near at hand.  The prophetic symbolism and the fulfillment according to Zechariah 9:9 that made evident that this must be the fulfillment.  The Evangelist Matthew makes the comment and says, this was done so that prophesy might be fulfilled.  He understood this as the official presentation of Himself to the nation, and the following parabolic teaching is grounded in the fact that our Lord understands that the kingdom has been presented, and furthermore that it is being rejected and the peoples’ actions in the shouting out of Messianic texts concur.

 

To show how we blind men can be in the study of the Bible, a modern scholar has said the reason the Lord Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem riding on an ass is because He was tired, and the road was uphill all the way.  You cannot be blinder than that!

 

The provincial recognition of the deity of our Lord Jesus and His kingship did not carry national assent.  The nation stumbled at the stone of stumbling, expecting a king on a war horse, like a Bellerophon on a mighty Pegasus, or a Seattle, but instead the king came riding upon an ass.  Of course, in His first coming, He came to die.  O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written: Ought not Messiah to have suffered these things, He told them on the Emaus Road, and then to enter into His glory.  They didn’t understand that He must die first because of sin to make that atonement, and then would come the time of glory.  So they stumbled at the stone of stumbling.

 

Now all is not lost.  We read over in chapter 23 that later on the Lord Jesus said to the nation, behold your house is left unto you desolate, and then in chapter 23 verse 39 He says, for I say unto you, you shall not see Me henceforth till you shall say blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.  So there is a time coming when the nations shall respond saying, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and they shall say it genuinely at His second advent.  Then there shall be a triumphal entry that is truly triumphal.  In the meantime. the prayer lament of the genuine is. O come .O come Emmanuel. and ransom captive Israel that mourn and lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

 

If you’ve never believed in the Lord Jesus; remind that He has made an atonement for sinners, and if God the Holy Spirit has brought conviction to your heart that you need this salvation, it’s available for you as you turn to Him.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle said, and thou shalt be saved.  May God help us to truly believe. 

 

Prayer:

 

Father, these texts are so momentous, and it so difficult for us to adequately expound them, and we pray Lord, that Thou wilt take these very weak and failing words concerning the glory of the Son of God and bring them home to the hearts of those who to do need to hear concerning Him. So Lord we commit the word of God to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  May grace mercy and peace go with us.

 

For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

 

“Who Is This Jesus?” (Matthew 21:1-11)

 

First Sunday in Advent: As it’s the beginning of Advent, and the word “Advent” means “Coming,” our reading, particularly the Holy Gospel, focus our attention on the One who will be coming to us at Christmas, namely, the One who comes to us now in every church service, and Who will come again on the last day at the end of time. So Who is this One Who comes to us in these ways? None other than Christ our Lord.

 

The Holy Gospel for is the account of Christ riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As an Advent reading, it causes us to behold our king who comes to us during this season. And the hinge and hub of history, which is Jesus entering Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to rise again on Easter.

 

The appointed Gospel featured the most frequently is the Gospel according to St. Matthew. But really, the main question that each of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; they all address is the one we hear the crowds ask in today’s reading, and that is, “Who is this?” As we heard in our text: “And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’”

 

“Who is this Jesus?” This is the most important question that can ever be asked or answered. It is the question of the ages. Who is this man, Jesus of Nazareth? Where did He come from? What has He done? What is He doing? What will He do? Who is this fellow, and what does He mean for us, for everyone? Just who is He? Yes, this is the most important question you will ever ask or hear the answer to: “Who Is This Jesus?”

 

We hear some possible answers weaving through our text. One is: “Behold, Your king is coming to you.” Another is: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Or another answer to the question: “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Let’s explore these possibilities. What these answers might mean, and what they mean for us; this is vitally important for each one of us.

 

Let’s start with “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Sounds pretty simple, fairly straightforward. There was this man named Jesus, from a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee. That’s just basic information, nobody would dispute that. But the people were calling Him a “prophet,” and that takes it a step beyond. What does it mean that they would call Jesus a “prophet”?

 

At a minimum, it means that they recognized that Jesus was a man sent by God. They recognized and realized He was operating with some sort of divine authority. He was preaching, teaching, and His words were hitting home. Jesus had been calling people to repentance, calling out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus had been teaching the true meaning of the Word of God, and doing it with divine wisdom, beyond that of their usual teachers. It says earlier in Matthew: “The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

 

Jesus had been doing the works of a prophet, exercising divine power, doing miracles, signs and wonders: healing the sick, casting out demons, calming storms, multiplying loaves and fishes, even raising the dead. This was no ordinary man. God was with Him, there was no doubt. It was almost like . . . God was with us, in the person of this man Jesus. “Immanuel,” “God with us.” . . . That’s getting at it, isn’t it? Who is this man?

      

The people of Jerusalem at least are able to say that He is a prophet. But that may be low-balling Him. Earlier Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” In other words, “Who do men say that I am?” And they reported what they had been hearing: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” And you could understand how people might get those ideas. There were aspects to Jesus’ ministry that were like those of the great prophets of the past. But there was more. “Prophet” is good, but don’t stop there. And so Jesus asked His disciples what they thought: “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter piped up: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”!

 

And that leads us to another answer to our question that we hear the crowds applying to Jesus: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Now we’ve got the term, “the Son of David.” This is adding another layer to our understanding of who Jesus is. “The Son of David” is a reference back to the great king of Israel from centuries before: King David, who reigned in Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. King David was told that one of his sons would reign after him, in a way that would be greater than any king ever. This son of David, a descendant, would have an everlasting kingdom and usher in an age of blessing unsurpassed in the annals of history. And so this was the prophecy of a Messiah, a Christ, an anointed great king to come.

 

Thus when the crowds welcome Jesus into Jerusalem with cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” this is the one they are meaning. They are acclaiming Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah to come. “Come, Jesus, take up Your throne! Save us from our enemies! Reign over us as king, and bring us those glorious blessings!”

 

Well, although the crowds are right as far as recognizing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David, it seems they don’t quite get how it is that He is going to usher in His kingdom, and what shape that will take. If they’re thinking just in economic, military, political terms, if that’s the kind of king they’re hoping Jesus will be, driving out the Romans, putting bread on the table and a chicken in every pot, because, after all, we’re God’s chosen people, then they’re missing the point. They’ve got the wrong king, and the wrong Jesus.

 

What kind of a king are people looking for today? What kind of a Jesus do we want? A glory king, a prosperity king, who will bless us with a nice house in the suburbs, and a nice family, and a nice IRA, and a nice SUV that gets good gas mileage? Who is the Jesus that we want? A life coach? A moral teacher who dispenses good advice? A political Jesus, on either side, a socialist Jesus who advocates for the poor, or a conservative Jesus who preaches traditional moral values? Maybe people today, if we give Jesus any thought at all, which is doubtful, maybe we just want a non-judgmental Jesus who approves of whatever they want to do.

 

What about you? What kind of a king do you want Jesus to be? Who is this Jesus to you?

 

What kind of a king, what kind of a Jesus, people want may not match up with who the real Jesus is. It was true back then, and it is true today. Who is this Jesus? Perhaps we can find the answer to our question in this verse quoted in our text: “Behold, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” Because that is how Jesus came, according to His own choosing. He came as a humble king, a Scripture-fulfilling king, riding on a beast of burden.

 

It was fitting that Jesus would come this way, because He himself is carrying a burden, as He comes riding into Jerusalem. Christ comes bearing the burden of our sins. All the sins we have piled up over the years, all the sins of the world, for all time, this is what Christ is carrying. He is coming to Jerusalem to take our sins to the cross, suffering the rejection of His own people, suffering injustice at the hands of a weak ruler. But in so doing, He will be fulfilling the plan and purpose of God, namely, to redeem the world and to save sinners like us. This is how Jesus will reign as king, overcoming sin and death and the grave. This is the kingdom of blessing He comes to bring in, a kingdom of forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.

 

Who is this Jesus? He is a prophet, yes, but much more than that. He is the Son of David, yes, but no mere glory king. Who is this? This Jesus is the humble, Scripture-fulfilling, burden-bearing king, who saves us in the way we need to be saved. He is our king today, and our king forever. Welcome Him as such during this Advent season, and find out more about Him, grow in our faith in Christ. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11

 

This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens!

 

They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!

 

But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude joins the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17

 

Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as He had done at His entering upon His ministry, John 2:13-17. His works testified of Him more than the hosannas; and His healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of His visible church, how many secret evils He would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion, would He show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

 

This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

 

As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

 

Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

 

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone. But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of His church. May we be willing to follow Him, though despised and hated for His sake.

 

The Triumphal Entry of the King

 

The parallel accounts are found in Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40 and John 12:12-19. These ought to be read first. For a study on this periscope in Luke look at the exegetical notes for Advent II Series C.

 

On reasonable grounds it may be assumed that Bethany, the home of Simon the leper, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, was reached before sunset on Friday; that on the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) Jesus enjoyed the Sabbath-rest with His friends; that on Saturday evening a supper was given in His honor; and that the next day, being Sunday, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred.

 

Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, Where is this town? It is mentioned nowhere else in the Old or New Testament, and there is no trace of it now. Medieval tradition places it about halfway between Bethany and Jerusalem. Bethany can still be seen on the east side of the Mount of Olives.

 

Who the two disciples were, we do not know.

 

Matthew 21:2 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. This is our first indication of Jesus' omniscience and omnipotence. He knew precisely what would happen and was graciously ruling the entire matter.

 

Matthew 21:3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

 

Jesus foreknew what would happen. We draw the obvious conclusion that these owners were very good friends of Jesus and His disciples, but that can't be proved. Inasmuch as Jesus foreknew and if these were friends, would Jesus have said "anyone?"

 

Note especially that Jesus is here using the title "Lord" to designate Himself, see Matthew 11:27; 28:18. "The Lord" is the correct translation. LB, TEV, JB and NEB wrongly have: "The Master." We mention this because the IB, like others, says: "The Lord may be Jesus, but the evangelists seldom use this designation and Jesus does not use it of Himself."  The Lord in the same sense as used of Christ in the gospels and elsewhere. Matthew 8:25.

 

What lies at the bottom of the refusal to translate o kurios as "the Lord" is higher criticism which claims that Jesus got His title from the early Christian Church.

 

Implicit in "has need of them" is the divinity of Jesus. He owns them in the first place, and therefore, can speak thus. Again, Jesus knew precisely what would happen.

 

Matthew 21:4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Note that the fulfillment of a Messianic Prophecy is mentioned before the event itself, verses 6 and 7. The disciples did not realize this until after Jesus' resurrection, John 12:16. The point is: Jesus was consciously fulfilling prophecy as at Luke 4:21.

 

"Spoken through the prophet" is an expression found frequently in Matthew. God is the agent. The prophet was moved by the Holy Ghost to record it. The inspiration of the Old Testament is implicit in this verse: Matthew 21:5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

 

The first line is quoted from Isaiah 62:11. Good commentators, including Lutherans, say this line refers only to the believers in Jerusalem.

 

Hengstenberg: The prophet has in His mind only the better portion of the covenant nation, the true members of the people of God, not all Israel according to the flesh.

 

Kiel-Delitzsch: (Commenting on Zechariah 9:9) The Lord calls upon the daughter of Zion, i.e. the personified population of Jerusalem as a representative of the nation of Israel, namely the believing members of the covenant nation to rejoice. The word "See" alerts them to something important. Something like "look here".

 

Hengstenberg: (Commenting on 'King') He who alone is Your king, in the full and highest sense of the world, and in comparison with whom no other deserves the name.

 

Lenski: 'Your King' by His very birth as the Son of David, 2 Samuel 7:12 etc.; Psalm 110:1-2; Romans 1:3.

 

Ylvisaker: The kings of earth conquer by oppression. Jesus shall be victorious while He would seem to surrender.

 

Luther: He is a peculiar King: you do not seek Him, He seeks you; you do not find Him, He finds you; for the preachers come from Him not from you; their preaching come from Him not from you; your faith comes from Him not from you; and all that you faith works in you comes from Him not from you.

 

"Humble" means He made Himself of no reputation. Look at the use of this word in  Matthew 11:29. The incarnate Christ is lowly so that no burdened sinner is driven away.

 

Hengstenberg: 'Humble' embraces the whole of the lowly, sorrowing, suffering condition so fully depicted in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. The fact that He is riding upon an ass is a sign of the lowly condition of this King. The third line is to be taken as a unit. He could not mount more than one of the animals. Neither did He mount first one, and the later the other.

 

Matthew 21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They did exactly as Jesus commanded. They did not yet understand at this time that they were fulfilling prophecy but they did precisely as Jesus said. In a remarkable way the God-man ruled and over-ruled this whole situation, making them completely willing.

 

Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

 

"Cloaks" denotes their outer garments. No one told them to do this. It was all of God and prophecy. Somehow the disciples did this instinctively because of the will of Jesus, though unspoken. Without being told, they were anticipating Jesus' sitting on one of the animals, but they did not yet know which animal.

 

Mark and Luke do not mention the prophecy, not the two animals. John quotes the prophecy in abbreviated form, mentioning only one animal. Matthew quotes almost the entire prophecy, involving both animals. Therefore, Matthew alone treats both animals as to what happened. To say that Matthew pictures Jesus riding on two animals, either simultaneously or alternately, violates the translation of "namely" in the last line of Matthew 21:5 and violates the obvious antecedent of the second "them" which is "garments", not "the animals." Redaction critics claim that Matthew is here expanding Mark's account, but that Matthew misunderstood. Matthew, not the redaction critics, was a witness to what happened. And, if his account were different from Mark's, wouldn't he have made that clear?

 

Matthew 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

 

Matthew is likely indicating that the majority of those present did this. The disciples laid their outer garments on the animals. Taking this as their cue, but also because of the will of the Lord, though unstated, the majority spread their outer garments on the road where the animals would walk. What a remarkable thing to do! Another act of homage, instigated by the will of the Lord to fulfill the prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:9 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 in the highest!"

 

Only Luke does not distinguish two groups. The three others do. John is clear on these two crowds: one had gathered in Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus, now raised from the dead, and started with Jesus to Jerusalem; the other crowd, when it got word of Lazarus' raising from the dead and that Jesus was coming, came out from Jerusalem to meet Him.

 

From Luke 19:39 we know that there were some hostile Pharisees in the throng. Did this throng include pilgrims from Galilee and Perea? Hendriksen things so because of verse 11. That may be but the text does not say so.

 

At any rate, Matthew 21:9 clearly indicates two crowds, that with Him and the one coming out of Jerusalem.

 

"They began to cry and continued to do so." One cried this, another that. Compare the four Gospels on this point. It is a burst of acclamation, prayer and praise to Jesus, involving Messianic titles, the nature of His person and the nature of His work. Psalm 118:25-26 is quoted by them, a Messianic Psalm and also a Hallel Psalm, always used at the time of the Passover. The most often quoted Messianic Psalms in the New Testament are: 2, 22, 69, 89, 110 and 118.

 

"Hosanna" means "save" or "help." Under the Holy Spirit the people add "to the Son of David", a Messianic title. Together they mean: "Help the Son of David, may He succeed."

 

"Blessed" is consistently used only of human beings in the New Testament. "Praised be" is used only of God.

 

It is truly Advent. He comes to believers. "In the name of the Lord" has various translations: "In keeping with the revelation of the Lord"; "in obedience to the Lord's order"; "under the authority of the Lord." It is all of these. It tells us how and on what basis He comes: With the Lord's full backing and approval.

 

"May this hosanna resound in the highest heaven."

 

Hendriksen: It shows that the Messiah was regarded as a gift of God.

 

Lenski: In connection with God's abode.

 

We suggest that it means the same as in Luke 2:14: "Thank God because God and man are reconciled in this incarnate Christ."

 

By the way, under God's impulse the crowds add two phrases: "to the Son of David" and "in the highest."

 

Was all of this mere lip-service or was it meant genuinely? In view of Luke 19:39-40, we must insist that it was genuine, accepted by Jesus. But why did the people cry "Crucify Him" just a few days later? In the first place, human nature is very fickle and inconstant. There is a warning here: One day we may praise God to the highest heaven for what He has done. That is of God and is God-pleasing. A few days later we may be despondent and quite the opposite. That is not God's fault. It's our sinful nature.

 

Furthermore, it cannot be proved beyond a shadow of doubt that these crowds and those which condemned Him on Good Friday were identical although it's hard to believe that those who acclaimed Him on Sunday, if consistent, would have refrained from acknowledging Him on Friday, unless overcome by fear.

 

Matthew 21:10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

 

"Stirred" is "thrown in an uproar" or "in turmoil" or "went wild with excitement."

 

Expositor's Bible: Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism and socially undemonstrative, was stirred by the popular enthusiasm as by a mighty wind or by an earthquake.

 

Fahling: 'Who is this?' is asked from the windows, the roofs, the streets, and the bazaars. Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism, is moved.

 

Matthew 21:11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Not "a" prophet, but "the" Prophet.

 

Hendriksen: He was, and is, indeed a prophet, for He revealed and reveals the will of God to man. Note how in the present connection He is represented both as the fulfillment of prophecy, 21:4,5,9, and as being Himself a 'The' prophet, 21:11.

Why do they say: "from Nazareth of Galilee?"

 

Lenski: This reply sounds as though it was made by festival pilgrims from Galilee. We may note that tone of pride with which they name His home town. Most of the ministry of Jesus had, indeed, been devoted to Galilee, and these pilgrims from Galilee sum it up in the title 'the prophet'. Perhaps they told of His wonderful teaching and of His astounding miracles.

We add the thought that the One Who had been rejected in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry, Luke 4:16-29, is now acclaimed, under the influence of God, as The prophet.

 

Palm Sunday and the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11; Zechariah 9:9-13)

 

Jesus’ ministry is reaching its end. He’s arrived at Jerusalem, the site of the final showdown between almost everything we can think of: between Jesus and the authorities, between God’s kingdom and the empires of the world, between sin and grace, between life and death. This is the beginning of the end.

 

And Jesus announces this in a manner that seems, for Him, to be a little ostentatious. He enters the city riding on a donkey, which prompts a crowd of onlookers to start cheering, praising God, waving palm branches and throwing their coats onto the road for the donkey to walk on. News of this starts to get around: “Who is this?!” people ask, and while the easy answer is that it’s Jesus of Nazareth, the whole procession makes things a little more dramatic than they first appear.

 

For a start, it’s a fulfillment of a prophecy made by Zechariah, “See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey”. The donkey is important. King David’s household is recorded as riding on donkeys and mules in 2 Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 13:28-29. The donkey therefore links Jesus with Israel’s greatest king and establishes His own royal credentials.

 

Those credentials actually make Him more than just a king, they make Him the foretold Messiah, that’s what Zechariah’s prophecy is all about. This is more than a king having a parade to show off His might, it’s about God’s kingdom being inaugurated on Earth, an age of peace being brought into being. The bit of the prophecy quoted by Matthew is verse 9, but as Page points out, it goes on to say:

 

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.

 

He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

This is a king who brings peace to the world and reigns not just over a few geographic territories but over the entire planet. There’s no messing about here, Jesus entering Jerusalem like this announces that this king is now here. This is dynamite, it’s no wonder people start cheering and throwing cloaks on the ground to be trodden on by a young and nervous donkey. The age of peace, the age of the Messiah, the age of God’s kingdom has arrived. It wouldn’t arrive in the way everyone was expecting, of course, and it arrived in now-and-not-yet form, but arrive it did.

 

But wait: not only is this a royal procession, not only is it messianic, it’s also intensely political. Look at what Zechariah goes on to say about removing war horses and chariots from Israel when the Messiah arrives. Just think how that may have sounded in the context of a country that was occupied by the greatest empire the world had ever seen, a country oppressed by, well, people who used war-horses to assert their authority.

 

Now take into account that, around the same time that Jesus was entering Jerusalem on a donkey, the Roman Empire, in the form of Pontius Pilate and his troops were also arriving, a show of strength at a time when the city was full of Passover pilgrims and memories of how God had once freed His people from a mighty nation. “Just remember who’s in charge around here,” says Pilate’s procession; “Just remember who’s really in charge around here,” says Jesus’ parade, building on a prophecy that says empires built upon military might will one day give way to a kingdom built on peace.

 

“Who is this?” the people ask. Who’s this guy who seems to be founding a kingdom that will necessarily bring down Rome itself? Who’s this guy claiming to be the Messiah? The question echoes down through the ages and demands an answer. It’s a question that gets asked again and again throughout the remainder of the narrative:

 

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ask the high priests.

 

“Are you the King of the Jews?” asks Pilate.

 

Considering these questions are asked at trials, they reveal the heart behind them, Jesus is a threat, to the established order of the Empire, to the common perception of who and what the Messiah would be. And we don’t see Jesus as a threat, He’s the good guy who heals people and died for our sins. But this carries with it a price, it means He’s God and has a claim on our lives, and that can be a threat to the empires and kingdoms we’ve built up in our hearts.

 

And while we’re comfortable and confident in these kingdoms, heading towards them, riding on a donkey but implacable in His approach is Jesus. He arrives in town and things have to change. Do we change with them?

 

The Pulpit Commentaries - Matthew 21

 

Exposition - Matthew 21:1-11: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19.)

 

Matthew 21:1

 

We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on Matthew 21:10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6; John 12:1). Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls.

 

Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles.

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Alford suggests that the triumphal entry in Mark 11:1-33. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem, the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow But there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained. The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews."

 

By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him.

 

Matthew 21:2: The village over against You. Bethphage, to which He points as He speaks. He gives their commission to the two disciples, mentioning even some minute details. Straightway. "As soon as ye be entered into it" (Mark). Ye shall find an ass (a she ass) tied, and a colt with her. St. Matthew alone mentions the ass, the mother of the foal. This doubtless he does with exact reference to the prophecy, which, writing for Jews, he afterwards cites (verse 4).

 

St. Jerome gives a mystical reason: the ass represents the Jewish people, which had long borne the yoke of the Law; the colt adumbrates the Gentiles, as yet unbroken," whereon never man sat." Christ called them both, Jew and Gentile, by His apostles. Loose them, and bring them unto Me. He speaks with authority, as One able to make a requisition and command obedience.

 

Matthew 21:3: Say aught unto you. This might naturally be expected. Christ foresaw the opposition, and instructed the disciples how to overcome it with a word. The Lord; κυ ìριος, equivalent to "Jehovah," or the King Messiah. Doubtless the owner of the animals was a disciple, and acknowledged the claims of Jesus. His presence here was a providentially guided coincidence. If he was a stranger; as others suppose, be must have been divinely prompted to acquiesce in the appropriation of his beasts. He will send them. Some manuscripts read, "he sends them," here, as in St. Mark. The present is more forcible, but the future is well attested. The simple announcement that the asses were needed for God's service would silence all refusals. The disciples, indeed, were to act at once, as executing the orders of the supreme Lord, and were to use the given answer only in case of any objection. Throughout the transaction Christ assumes the character of the Divine Messiah, King of His people, the real Owner of all that they possess.

 

Matthew 21:4: All this was done; now ( δε Ì) all this hath come to pass. Many manuscripts omit "all," but it is probably genuine, as in other similar passages; e.g. Matthew 1:22; Matthew 26:56. This observation of the evangelist is intended to convey the truth that Christ was acting consciously on the lines of old prophecy, working out the will of God declared beforehand by divinely inspired seers. The disciples acted in blind obedience to Christ's command, not knowing that they were thus fulfilling prophecy, or having any such purpose in mind. The knowledge came afterwards (see John 12:16). That it might be fulfilled ( ἱ ìνα πληρωθῇ). The conjunction in this phrase is certainly used in its final, not in a consecutive or ecbatie sense; it denotes the purpose or design of the action of Christ, not the result. Not only the will of the Father, but the words of Scripture, had delineated the life of Christ, and in obeying that will He purposed to show that He fulfilled the prophecies which spake of Him. Thus any who knew the Scriptures, and were open to conviction, might see that it was He alone to whom these ancient oracles pointed, and in Him alone were their words accomplished. By (through, δια ì) the prophet. Zechariah 9:9, with a hint of Isaiah 62:11, a quotation being often woven from two or more passages (see on Matthew 27:9).

 

Matthew 21:5: Tell ye the daughter of Zion. This is from Isaiah (comp. Zephaniah 3:14). The passage in Zechariah begins, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem." The "daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem herself, named from the chief of the hills on which the city was built. Of course, the term includes all the inhabitants. Behold; marking the suddenness and unexpected nature of the event. Thy King. A King of thine own race, no stranger, one predestined for thee, foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David and to reign forever. Unto thee. For thy special good, to make His abode with thee (comp. Isaiah 9:6). Meek. As Christ Himself says, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29), far removed from pomp and warlike greatness; and yet, according to His own Beatitude, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), win victories which material forces can never obtain, triumph through humiliation. The original in Zechariah gives other characteristics of Messiah: "He is just, and having salvation;" i.e. endowed with salvation, either as being protected by God, or victorious and so able to save His people. Sitting upon an ass. Coming as King, He could not walk undistinguished among the crowd; He must ride. But to mount a war horse would denote that He was leader of an army or a worldly potentate; so He rides upon an ass, an animal used by the judges of Israel, and chieftains on peaceful errands ( 5:10; 10:4); one, too, greatly valued, and often of stately appearance in Palestine.

 

And ( και Ì) a colt the foal of an ass; such as she asses bear, and one not trained. It is questioned whether the conjunction here expresses addition, implying that Christ mounted both animals in succession, or is merely explanatory, equivalent to videlicet, an ass, yea, even the foal of an ass. It seems unlikely that, in accomplishing the short distance between Bethphage and Jerusalem (only a mile or two), our Lord should have changed from one beast to the other; and the other three evangelists say expressly that Christ rode the colt, omitting all mention of the mother. The she ass doubtless kept close to its foal, so the prophecy was exactly fulfilled, but the animal that bore the Savior was the colt. If the two animals represent respectively the Jews and Gentiles (see on verse 2), it seems hardly necessary for typical reasons that Jesus should thus symbolize His triumph over the disciplined Jews, while it is obvious that the lesson of His supremacy over the untaught Gentiles needed exemplification. The prophet certainly contemplates the two animals in the procession. "The old theocracy runs idly and instinctively by the side of the young Church, which has become the true bearer of the Divinity of Christ". No king had ever thus come to Jerusalem; such a circumstance was predicted of Messiah alone, and Christ alone fulfilled it to the letter, showing of what nature His kingdom was.

 

Matthew 21:6: As Jesus commanded them. They simply obeyed the order, not yet knowing what it portended, or how it carried out the will of God declared by His prophets.

 

Matthew 21:7 Brought the ass. The unbroken foal would be more easily subdued and guided when its mother was with it; such an addition to the ridden animal would usually be employed to carry the rider's luggage. They put on them ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν) their clothes (ἱμα ìτια). The two disciples, stripping off their heavy outer garments, abbas, or burnouses, put them as trappings on the two beasts, not knowing on which their Master meant to ride.

 

They set Him thereon ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν). Thus the received text, and the Vulgate, Et eum desuper sedere fecerunt. But most modern editors, with great man scriptural authority, read, "He sat thereon." Some have taken the pronoun αὐτῶν to refer to the beasts, and Alford supports the opinion by the common saying, "The postilion rode on the horses," when, in fact, He rode only one of the pair. But the analogy is erroneous. The postilion really guides and controls both; but no one contends that Christ kept the mother ass in hand while mounted on the colt. The pronoun is more suitably referred to the garments, which formed a saddle for the Savior, or housings and ornamental appendages. He came invested with a certain dignity and pomp, yet in such humble guise as to discountenance all idea of temporal sovereignty.

 

Matthew 21:8: A very great multitude; ὁδε Ì πλεῖστος ὀ ìχλος: Revised Version, the most part of the multitude. This interpretation has classical authority (see Alford), but the words may well mean," the very great multitude;" Vulgate, plurima autem turba. This crowd was composed of pilgrims who were coming to the festival at Jerusalem, and "the whole multitude of the disciples" (Luke 19:37). Spread their garments ( ἱμα ìτια) in the way. Fired with enthusiasm, they stripped off their abbas, as the two disciples had done, and with them made a carpet over which the Savior should ride.

 

Such honors were often paid to great men, and indeed, as we well know, are offered now on state occasions. Branches from the trees. St. John (John 12:13) particularizes palm trees as having been used on this occasion; but there was abundance of olive and other trees, from which branches and leaves could be cut or plucked to adorn the Savior’s road. The people appear to have behaved on this occasion as if at the Feast of Tabernacles, roused by enthusiasm to unpremeditated action. Of the three routes which lay before Him, Jesus is supposed to have taken the southern and most frequented, between the Mount of Olives and the Hill of Offence.

 

Matthew 21:9: The multitudes that went before, and that followed. These expressions point to two separate bodies, which combined in escorting Jesus at a certain portion of the route. We learn from St. John (John 12:18) that much people, greatly excited by the news of the raising of Lazarus, when they heard that He was in the neighborhood, hurried forth from Jerusalem to meet and do Him honor. These, when they met the other procession with Jesus riding in the midst, turned back again and preceded Him into the city.

 

St. Luke identifies the spot as "at the descent of the Mount of Olives." "As they approached the shoulder of the hill," "where the road bends downwards to the north, the sparse vegetation of the eastern slope changed, as in a moment, to the rich green of garden and trees, and Jerusalem in its glory rose before them.

 

It is hard for us to imagine now the splendor of the view. The city of God, seated on her hills, shone at the moment in the morning sun. Straight before stretched the vast white walls and buildings of the temple, its courts glittering with gold, rising one above the other; the steep sides of the hill of David crowned with lofty walls; the mighty castles towering above them; the sumptuous palace of Herod in its green parks; and the picturesque outlines of the streets." Hosanna to the Son of David! "Hosanna!" is compounded of two words meaning "save" and "now," or, "I pray," and is written in full Hoshia-na, translated by the Septuagint, σῶσον δη ì. The expressions uttered by the people are mostly derived from Psalms 118:1-29., which formed part of the great Hallel sung at the Feast of Tabernacles. "Hosanna!" was originally a formula of prayer and supplication, but later became a term of joy and congratulation.

 

So here the cry signifies "Blessings on [or, 'Jehovah bless'] the Son of David!" i.e. the Messiah, acknowledging Jesus to be He, the promised Prince of David's line. Thus we say, "God save the king!" This, the first Christian hymn, gave to Palm Sunday, in some parts of the Church, the name of the "day of Hosannas," and was incorporated into the liturgical service both in East and West. Blessed … of the Lord: (Psalms 118:26).

 

The formula is taken in two ways, the words, "ill the Name of the Lord," being connected either with "blessed" or with "cometh." In the former case the cry signifies, "The blessing of Jehovah rest on Him who cometh!" i.e., Messiah (Matthew 11:3; Revelation 1:8); in the latter, the meaning is, "Blessing on Him who cometh with Divine mission, sent with the authority of Jehovah!" The second interpretation seems to be correct. In the highest (comp. Luke 2:14). The people cry to God to ratify in heaven the blessing which they invoke on earth. This homage and the title of Messiah Jesus now accepts as His due, openly asserting His claims, and by His acquiescence encouraging the excitement. St. Matthew omits the touching scene of Christ's lamentations over Jerusalem, as He passed the spot where Roman legions would, a generation hence, encamp against the doomed city.

 

Matthew 21:10: Was come into Jerusalem. Those who consider that the day of this event was the tenth of Nisan see a peculiar fitness in the entry occurring on this day. On the tenth of this month the Paschal lamb was selected and taken up preparatory to its sacrifice four days after (Exodus 12:3, Exodus 12:6). So the true Paschal Lamb now is escorted to the place where alone the Passover could be sacrificed. Taking A.D. 30 to be the date of the Crucifixion, astronomers inform us that in that year the first day of Nisan fell on March 24. Consequently, the tenth would be on Sunday, April 2, and the fourteenth was reckoned item sunset of Thursday, April 6, to the sunset of Friday, April 7 (see on Matthew 21:1, and preliminary note Matthew 26:1-75.). Was moved ( ἐσει ìσθη); was shaken, as by an earthquake. St. Matthew alone mentions this commotion, though St. John (John 12:19) makes allusion to it, when he reports the vindictive exclamation of the Pharisees, "Behold, the world is gone after Him!"

 

Jerusalem had been stirred and troubled once before, when the Wise Men walked through the streets, inquiring, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3). But the excitement was far greater now, more general, composed of many different elements. The Romans expected some public rising; the Pharisaical party was aroused to new envy and malice; the Herodians dreaded a possible usurper; but the populace entertained for the moment the idea that their hopes were now fulfilled, that the long desired Messiah had at last appeared, and would lead them to victory. Who is this? The question may have been put by the strangers who came from all parts of the world to celebrate the Passover at Jerusalem, or by the crowds in the streets, when they beheld the unusual procession that was advancing.

 

Matthew 21:11: The multitude; οἱὀ ìχλοι: the multitudes. These were the people who took part in the procession; they kept repeating ( ἐ ìλεγον, imperfect) to all inquiries, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth. They give His name, title, and dwelling place. They call Him "the Prophet," either as being the One that was foretold (John 1:21; John 6:14), or as being inspired and commissioned by God (John 9:1-41.17). The appellation, "of Nazareth," clung to our Lord through all His earthly life. St. Matthew (Matthew 2:23) notes that the prophets had foretold that He was to be called a Nazarene, and that this prediction was in some sort fulfilled by his dwelling at Nazareth. We know not who were the prophets to whom the evangelist refers, and in this obscurity the attempted explanations of exegetes are far from satisfactory; so it is safer to fall back upon the inspired historian's verdict, and to mark the providential accomplishment of the prediction in the title by which Jesus was generally known. "Friends and foes, chief priests in hate, Pilate in mockery, angels in adoration, disciples in love, Christ Himself in lowliness (Acts 22:8), and now the multitudes in simplicity, all proclaim Him 'of Nazareth.'"

 

Matthew 21:12-17: The second cleansing of the temple. (Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48.)

 

Matthew 21:12: Went into the temple. The event here narrated seems to have taken place on the day following the triumphal entry; i.e. on the Monday of the Holy Week. This can be gathered from St. Mark's narrative, where it is stated that, on the day of triumph, Jesus was escorted to the temple, but merely "looked round about on all things," and then returned for the night to Bethany, visiting the temple again on the following morning, and driving out those who profaned it. St. Matthew often groups events, not in their proper chronological order, but in a certain logical sequence which corresponded with his design.

 

Thus he connects the cleansing with the triumphal entry, in order to display another example of Christ's self-manifestation at this time, and His purpose to show who He was and to put forth His claims publicly. In this visit of Christ we see the King coming to His palace, the place where His honor dwelleth, the fitting termination of His glorious march. This cleansing of the temple must not be confounded with the earlier incident narrated by St. John (John 2:13, etc.). The two acts marked respectively the beginning and close of Christ's earthly ministry, and denote the reverence which He taught for the house and the worshiper God.

 

The part of the temple which He now visited, and which was profaned to secular use, was the court of the Gentiles, separated from the sanctuary by a stone partition, and considered of lesser sanctity, though really an integral part of the temple. Cast out all them that sold and bought. In this large open space a market had been established, with the connivance, and much to the pecuniary emolument, of the priests. These let out the sacred area, of which they were the appointed guardians, to greedy and irreligious traders, who made a gain of others' piety. We find no trace of this market in the Old Testament; it probably was established after the Captivity, whence the Jews brought back that taste for commercial business and skill in financial matters for which they have ever since been celebrated. In the eyes of worldly-minded men the sanctity of a building and its appendages was no impediment to traffic and trade, hence they were glad to utilize the temple court, under the sanction of the priests, for the convenience of those who came from all regions to celebrate the great festivals.

 

Here was sold all that was required for the sacrifices which worshippers were minded to offer animals for victims, meal, incense, salt, etc. The scandalous abuse of the holy precincts, or the plain traces of it (if, as it was late in the day, the traffickers themselves had departed for a time), Christ had observed at His previous visit, when He "looked round about upon all things" (Mark 11:11), and now He proceeded to remedy the crying evil The details of the expulsion are not given. On the first occasion, we are told, He used "a scourge of small cords;" as far as we know, at this time He effected the purification unarmed and alone. It was a marvelous impulse that forced the greedy crew to obey the order of this unknown Man; their own consciences made them timid; they fled in dismay before the stern indignation of His eye, deserted their gainful trade to escape the reproach of that invincible zeal.

 

Money changers. These persons exchanged (for a certain percentage) foreign money or other coins for the half shekel demanded from all adults for the service of the temple (see on Matthew 17:24). They may have lent money to the needy. The sellers also probably played into their bands by refusing to receive any but current Jewish money in exchange for their wares. It is also certain that no coins stamped with a heathen symbol, or bearing a heathen monarch's image, could be paid into the temple treasury. The seats of them that sold (the) doves. These birds were used by the poor in the place of costlier victims (see Le John 12:6; John 14:22; Luke 2:24). The sellers were often women, who sat with tables before them on which were set cages containing the doves.

 

Matthew 21:13: It is written. Jesus confirms His action by the word of Scripture. He combines in one severe sentence a passage from Isaiah 56:7 ("Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples"), and one from Jeremiah 7:11 ("Is this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?"). He brings out in strong contrast the high design and use of the house of God (an allusion specially appropriate at the coming festival), and the vile and profane purposes to which the greed and impiety of men had subjected it. Ye have made it; Revised Version, ye make it; and so many modern editors on good manuscript authority. These base traffickers had turned the hallowed courts into a cavern where robbers stored their ill-gotten plunder. It may also be said that to make the place of prayer for all the nations a market for boasts was a robbery of the rights of the Gentiles. And Christ here vindicated the sanctity of the house of God: the Lord, according to the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1-3), had suddenly come to His temple to refine and purify, to show that none can profane what is dedicated to the service of God without most certain loss and punishment.

 

Matthew 21:14: The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple. This notice is peculiar to St. Matthew, though St. Luke (Luke 19:47) mentions that "He taught daily in the temple." An old expositor has remarked that Christ first as King purified His palace, and then took His seat therein, and of His royal bounty distributed gilts to His people. It was a new fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 35:4-6), which spake of Messiah coming to open the eyes of the blind, to unstop the ears of the deaf, to make the lame man leap as a hart. For acts of sacrilege which profaned the temple precincts, He substituted acts of mercy which hallowed them; the good Physician takes the place of the greedy trafficker; the den of thieves becomes a beneficent hospital. How many the acts of healing were, we are not told; but the words point to the relief of numberless sufferers, none of whom were sent empty away.

 

Matthew 21:15: The chief priests. This term is generally applied to the high priest's deputies and the heads of the twenty-four courses, but it seems here to mean certain sacerdotal members of the Sanhedrin, to whom supreme authority was delegated by the Romans or Herodians (see Josephus, 'Ant.,' 20.10, 5). They formed a wealthy, aristocratical body, and were many of them Sadducees. They joined with the scribes in expressing their outraged feeling, whether simulated or real. The wonderful things ( τασια); an expression found nowhere else in the New Testament. It refers to the cleansing of the temple and the cures lately performed there. Children crying in the temple. This fact is mentioned only by St. Matthew. Jesus loved children, and they loved and followed Him, taking up the cry which they had heard the day before from the multitude, and in simple faith applying it again to Christ. While grown men are silent or blaspheming, little children boldly sing his praises. Were sore displeased. Their envious hearts could not bear to see Jesus honored, elevated in men's eyes by His own beneficent actions, and now glorified by the spontaneous acclamations of these little ones.

 

Matthew 21:16: Hearest thou what these say? They profess a great zeal for God's honor. They recognize that these cries implied high homage, if not actual worship, and appeal to Jesus to put a stop to such unseemly behavior, approaching, as they would pretend, to formal blasphemy. Yea. Jesus replies that He hears what the children say, but sees no reason for silencing them; rather He proves that they were only fulfilling an old prophecy, originally, indeed, applied to Jehovah, but one which He claims as addressed to Himself. Have ye never read? (Matthew 12:5). The quotation is from the confessedly Messianic psalm (Psalms 8:1-9.), a psalm very often quoted in the New Testament, and as speaking of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6, etc.).

 

Suckling. This term was applied to children up to the age of three years (see 2 Macc. 7:27), but might be used metaphorically of those of tender age, though long weaned. Thou hast perfected praise. The words are from the Septuagint, which seems to have preserved the original reading. The present Hebrew text gives, "Thou hast ordained strength," or "established a power." In the Lord's mouth the citation signifies that God is praised acceptably by the weak and ignorant when, following the impulse of their simple nature, they do Him homage. Some expositors combine the force of the Hebrew and Greek by explaining that "the strength of the weak is praise, and that worship of Christ is strength". It is more simple to say that for the Hebrew "strength," "praise" is substituted, in order to give the idea that the children's acclamation was that which would still the enemy, as it certainly put to shame the captious objections of the Pharisees.

 

Matthew 21:17: He left them. The chief priests had nothing to say in reply to this testimony of Scripture. They feared to arrest Him in the face of the enthusiastic multitude; they bided their time, for the present apparently silenced. Jesus, wasting no further argument on these willfully unbelieving people, turned and left them. The King had no home in His royal city; He sought one in lowly Bethany, where He was always sure of a welcome in the house of Martha and Mary.

 

It is somewhat doubtful whether He availed Himself of His friends' hospitality at this time. The term "Bethany" would include the district so called in the vicinity of the town, as in the description of the scene of the Ascension (Luke 24:50). Lodged ( ηὐλι ìσθη). This word, if its strict classical use is pressed, would imply that Jesus passed the night in the open air; but it may mean merely "lodge," or "pass the night," without any further connotation; so no certain inference can be drawn from its employment in this passage. This withdrawal of Jesus obviated all danger of a rising in His favor, which, supported by the vast resources of the temple, might have had momentous consequences at this time of popular concourse and excitement.

 

Matthew 21:18-22: The cursing of the barren fig tree. (Mark 11:12-14 :, 20-26.)

 

Matthew 21:18: In the morning. St. Matthew has combined in one view a transaction which had two separate stages, as we gather from the narrative of St. Mark. The curse was uttered on the Monday morning, before the cleansing of the temple; the effect was beheld and the lesson given on the Tuesday, when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the third time (verses 20-22). Some scholars, resenting the miraculous in the incident, have imagined that the whole story is merely an embodiment and development of the parable of the fruitless fig tree recorded by St. Luke (Luke 13:6, etc.), which in course of time assumed this historical form. There is no ground whatever for this idea. It claims to be, and doubtless is, the account of a real fact, naturally connected with the circumstances of the time, and of great practical importance.

 

He hungered. True Man, He showed the weakness of His human nature, even when about to exert His power in the Divine. There is no need, rather it is unseemly to suppose that this hunger was miraculous or assumed, in order to give occasion for the coming miracle. Christ had either passed the night on the mountain-side in prayer and fasting, or had started from His lodging without breaking His fast. His followers do not seem to have suffered in the same way; and it was doubtless owing to His mental preoccupation and self-forgetfulness that the Lord had not attended to bodily wants.

 

Matthew 21:19: When He saw a ( μι ìαν, a single) fig tree in the way. The tree stood all alone in a conspicuous situation by the roadside, as if courting observation. It was allowable to pluck and eat fruit in an orchard (Deuteronomy 23:24, Deuteronomy 23:25); but this tree, placed where it was, seemed to be common property, belonging to no private owner. The sight of the leaves thereon, as St. Mark tells us, attracted the notice of Christ, who beheld with pleasure the prospect of relieving His long abstinence with the refreshment of cool and juicy fruit. He came to it. Knowing the nature of the tree, and that under some circumstances the fruit ripens before the leaves are fully out, Jesus naturally expected to find on it some figs fit to eat. Further, besides the fruit which comes to maturity in the usual way during the summer, there are often late figs produced in autumn which hang on the tree during winter, and ripen at the reawakening of vegetation in the spring.

 

The vigor of this particular tree was apparently proved by the luxuriance of its foliage, and it might reasonably be expected to retain some of its winter produce. Found nothing thereon, but leaves only. It was all outward show, promise without performance, seeming precocity with no adequate results. There is no question here of Christ's omniscience being at fault. He acted as a man would act; He was not deceived Himself nor did He deceive the apostles, though they at first misapprehended His purpose. The whole action was symbolical, and was meant so to appear.

 

In strict propriety of conduct, as a man led by the appearance of the tree might act, He carried out the figure, at the same time showing, by His treatment of this inanimate object, that He had something higher in view, and that He does not mean that which His outward conduct seemed to imply. He is enacting a parable where all the parts are in due keeping, and all have their twofold signification in the world of nature and the world of grace. The hunger is real, the tree is real, the expectation of fruit legitimate, the barrenness disappointing and criminal; the spiritual side, however, is left to be inferred, and, as we shall see, only one of many possible lessons is drawn from the result of the incident.

 

Let no fruit grow on thee (let there be no fruit from thee) henceforward forever. Such is the sentence passed on this ostentations tree. Christ addresses it as if replying to the profession made by its show of leaves. It had the sap of life, it had power to produce luxuriant leaves; therefore it might and ought to have borne fruit. It vaunted itself as being superior to its neighbors, and the boast was utterly empty. Presently ( παραχρῆμα) the fig tree withered away. The process was doubtless gradual, commencing at Christ's word, and continuing till the tree died; but St. Matthew completes the account at once, giving in one picture the event, with its surroundings and results. It was a moral necessity that what had incurred Christ's censure should perish; the spiritual controlled the material; the higher overbore the lower.

Thus the designed teaching was placed in visible shape before the eyes, and silently uttered its important lesson. It has been remarked that we are not to suppose that the tree thus handled was previously altogether sound and healthy. Its show of leaves at an unusual period without fruit may point to some abnormal development of activity which was consequent upon some radical defect. Had it been in vigorous health, it would not have been a fitting symbol of the Jewish Church; nor would it have corresponded with the idea which Christ designed to bring to the notice of His apostles. There was already some process at work which would have issued in decay, and Christ's curse merely accelerated this natural result.

 

This is considered to be the only instance in which our Lord exerted His miraculous power in destruction; all His other actions were beneficent, saving, gracious. The drowning of the swine at Gadara was only permitted for a wise purpose; it was not commanded or inflicted by Him. The whole transaction in our text is mysterious. That the Son of man should show wrath against a senseless tree, as tree, is, of course, not conceivable. Them was an apparent unfitness, if not injustice, in the proceeding, which at once demonstrated that the tree was not the real object of the action, that something more important was in view. Christ does not treat trees as moral agents, responsible for life and action. He uses inanimate objects to convey lessons to men, dealing with them according to His good pleasure, even His supreme will, which is the law by which they are controlled. In themselves they have no fault and incur no punishment, but they are treated in such a way as to profit the nobler creatures of God's hand.

 

There may have been two reasons for Christ's conduct which were not set prominently forward at the time. First, He desired to show His power, His absolute control, over material forces, so that, in what was about to happen to Him, His apostles might be sure that He suffered not through weakness or compulsion, but because He willed to have it so. This would prepare His followers for His own and their coming trials. Then there was another great lesson taught by the sign. The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish Church. The prophets had used both it. and the vine in this connection (comp. Hosea 9:10), and our Lord Himself makes an unmistakable allusion in His parable of the fig tree planted in the vineyard, from which the owner for three years sought fruit in vain (Luke 13:6, etc.).

 

Many of His subsequent discourses are, as it were, commentaries upon this incident (see verses 28-44; Matthew 22:1-14; 23-25.). Here was a parable enacted. The Savior had seen this tree, the Jewish Church, afar off, looking down upon it from heaven; it was one, single, standing conspicuous among all nations as that whereon the Lord had lavished most care, that which ought to have shown the effect of this culture in abundant produce of holiness and righteousness. But what was the result? Boasting to be children of Abraham, the special heritage of Jehovah, gifted with highest privileges, the sole possessors of the knowledge of God, the Israelites professed to have what no other people had, and were in reality empty and bare. There was plenty of outward show, rites, ceremonies, scrupulous observances, much speaking; but no real devotion, no righteousness, no heart worship, no good works.

 

Other nations, indeed, were equally fruitless, but they did not profess to be holy; they were sinners, and offered no cloak for their sinfulness. The Jews were no less unrighteous; but they were hypocrites, and boasted of the good which they had not. Other nations were unproductive, for their time had not come; but for Israel the season had arrived; she ought to have been the first to accept the Messiah, to unite the new with the old fruit, to pass from the Law to the gospel, and to learn and practice the lesson of faith. Perfect fruit was not yet to be expected; but Israel's sin was that she vaunted her perfection, counted herself sound and whole, while rotten at the very core, and barren of all good results.

 

Her falsehood, hypocrisy, and arrogant complacency were fearfully punished. The terms of the curse pronounced by the Judge are very emphatic. It denounces perpetual barrenness on the Jewish Church and people. From Judaea was to have gone forth the healing of the nations; from it all peoples of the earth were to be blessed. The complete fulfillment of this promise is no longer in the literal Israel; she is nothing in the world; no one resorts to her for food and refreshment; she has none to offer the wayfarer. For eighteen centuries has that fruitlessness continued; the withered tree still stands, a monument of unbelief and its punishment. The Lord's sentence, "forever," must be understood with some limitation. In His parable of the fig tree, which adumbrates the last days, He intimates that it shall someday bud and blossom, and be clothed once more with leaf and fruit; and St. Paul looks forward to the conversion of Israel, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Romans 11:23-26).

 

Matthew 21:20: They marveled, saying. The apostles' remark on the incident was made on the Tuesday, as we learn from St. Mark's more accurate account. After Christ had spoken His malediction, the little band went on their way to Jerusalem, where was performed the cleansing of the temple. On their return to Bethany, if they passed the tree, it was doubtless too dark to observe its present condition, and it was not till the next morning that they noticed what had happened. St. Matthew does not name the apostle who was the mouthpiece of the others in expressing astonishment at the miracle; he is satisfied with speaking generally of "the disciples" (comp. Matthew 26:8 with John 12:4). We learn from St. Mark that it was Peter who made the observation recorded, deeply affected by the sight of this instance of Christ's power, and awestruck by the speedy and complete accomplishment of the curse.

 

How soon is the fig tree withered away! better, How did the fig tree immediately wither away? Vulgate, Quomodo continue aruit? They saw, but could not comprehend, the effect of Christ's word, and wonderingly inquired how it came to pass. They did not at present realize the teaching of this parabolic act, how it gave solemn warning of the certainty of judgment on the unfruitful Jewish Church, which, hopelessly barren, must no longer cumber the earth. Christ did not help them to understand the typical nature of the transaction. He is not wont to explain in words the spiritual significance of His miracles; the connection between miracle and teaching is left to be inferred, to be brought out by meditation, prayer, faith, and subsequent circumstances. The total rejection of the Jews was a doctrine for which the apostles were not yet prepared; so the Lord, in wisdom and mercy, withheld its express enunciation at this moment. In mercy too He exemplified the sternness and severity of God's judgment by inflicting punishment on an inanimate object, and not on a sentient being; He withered a tree, not a sinful man, by the breath of His mouth.

 

Matthew 21:21: Jesus answered. To the apostles' question the Lord makes reply, drawing a lesson, not such as we should have expected, but one of quite a different nature, yet one which was naturally deduced from the transaction which had excited such astonishment. They marveled at this incident; let them have and exercise faith. and they should do greater things than this. Christ had already made a similar answer after the cure of the demoniac boy (Matthew 17:20). If ye have faith, and doubt not ( μη Ì διακριθῆτε). The whole phrase expresses the perfection of the grace. The latter verb means "to discriminate," to see a difference in things, hence to debate in one's mind. The Vulgate gives, Si habueritis fidem, et non haesitaveritis. What is here enjoined is that temper of mind which does not stop hesitatingly to consider whether a thing can be done or not, but believes that all is possible, that one can do all things through Christ who strengthens Him.

 

So the apostles are assured by Christ that they should not only be able to wither a tree with a word, but should accomplish far more difficult undertakings. This which is done to the fig tree ( το Ì τῆς συκῆς); as, "what was befallen to them that were possessed with devils ( τα Ìτῶν δαιμονιζομε ìνων)" (Matthew 8:33). The promise may intimate that it was to be through the preaching of the apostles, and the Jews' rejection of the salvation offered by them, that the judgment should fall on the chosen people. Thus they would do what was done to the fig tree. And in the following words we may see a prophecy of the destruction of the mountain of paganism. Or it may mean that theocratic Judaism must be cast into the sea of nations before the Church of Christ should reach its full development. This mountain. As He speaks, He points to the Mount of Olivet, on which they were standing, or to Moriah crowned by the glorious temple. Be thou removed; be thou taken up; ἀ ìρθητι, not the same word as in Matthew 17:20. The sea. The Mediterranean (see a similar promise, Luke 17:6). It shall be done. It was not likely that any such material miracle would literally be needed, and no one would ever pray for such a sign; but the expression is hyperbolically used to denote the performance of things most difficult and apparently impossible (see Zechariah 4:7; 1 Corinthians 13:2).

 

Matthew 21:22: All things. The promise is extended beyond the sphere of extraordinary miracles. In prayer; ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ: in the prayer; or, in your prayer. The use of the article may point to the prayer given by our Lord to His disciples, or to some definite form used from the earliest times in public worship (comp. Acts 1:14; Romans 12:12; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Colossians 4:2). Believing, ye shall receive. The condition for the success of prayer is stringent. A man must have no latent doubt in his heart; he must not debate whether the thing desired can be done or not; he must have absolute trust in the power and good will of God; and he must believe that "what he saith cometh to pass" (Mark 11:23). The faith required is the assurance of things hoped for, such as gives substance and being to them while yet out of sight. The words had their special application to the apostles, instructing them that they were not to expect to be able, like their Master, to work the wonders needed for the confirmation of the gospel by their own power. Such effects could be achieved only by prayer and faith. (On the general promise to faithful prayer, see Matthew 7:7-11.)

 

Verse 21:23-22:14. Our Lord's authority questioned: He replies by uttering three parables. (Mk 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-18.)

 

Matthew 21:23-27: First attack, referring to His late actions: and Christ's answer.

 

Matthew 21:23: When He was come into the temple. The conversation recorded here belongs to the Tuesday of the Holy Week, and took place in the courts of the temple, at this time filled with pilgrims from all parts of the world, who hung upon Christ's words, and beheld His doings with wonder and awe. This sight roused to fury the envy and anger of the authorities, and they sent forth sections of their cleverest men to undermine His authority in the eyes of the people, or to force from Him statements on which they might found criminal accusation against Him. The chief priests and the elders of the people.

 

According to the other evangelists, there were also scribes, teachers of the Law, united with them in this deputation, which thus comprised all the elements of the Sanhedrin. This seems to have been the first time that the council took formal notice of Jesus' claims and actions, and demanded from Him personally an account of Himself. They had been quick enough in inquiring into the Baptist's credentials, when he suddenly appeared on the banks of Jordan (see John 1:19, etc.); but they had studiously, till quite lately, avoided any regular investigation of the pretensions of Jesus.

In the thee of late proceedings, this could no longer be delayed. A crisis had arrived; their own peculiar province was publicly invaded, and their authority attacked; the opponent must be withstood by the action of the constituted court. As He was teaching. Jesus did not confine Himself to beneficent acts; He used the opportunity of the gathering of crowds around Him to preach unto them the gospel (Luke 20:1), to teach truths which came with double force from One who bad done such marvelous things. By what authority doest thou these things? They refer to the triumphal entry, the reception of the homage offered, the healing of the blind and lame, the teaching as with the authority of a rabbi, and especially to the cleansing of the temple. No one could presume to teach without a proper commission: where was His authorization? They were the guardians and rulers of the temple: what right had He to interfere with their management, and to use the sacred precincts for His own purposes?

 

These and such like questions were in their mind when they addressed Him thus. Willfully ignoring the many proofs they had of Christ's Divine mission (which one of them, Nicodemus, had long before been constrained to own, John 3:2), they raised the question now as a novel and unanswered one. Who gave thee this authority? They resolve the general inquiry into the personal one, Who was it that conferred upon You this authority which You presume to exercise? Was it some earthly ruler, or was it God Himself?

 

Perhaps they mean to insinuate that Satan was the master whose power He wielded, an accusation already often made. They thought thus to place Christ in an embarrassing position, from which He could not emerge without affording the opportunity which they desired. The trap was cleverly set, and, as they deemed, unavoidable. If He was forced to confess that He spoke and acted without any proper authorization, He would be humiliated in the eyes of the people, and might be officially silenced by the strong hand. If He asserted Himself to be the Messiah and the bearer of a Divine commission, they would at once bring against Him a charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65).

 

Matthew 21:24: I also will ask you one thing; λο ìγον ἑ ìνα: one word, question. Jesus does not reply directly to their insidious demand. He might have asserted His Divine mission, and appealed to His miracles in confirmation of such claim, which would have been in strict conformity with the old, established rule for discriminating false and true prophets (see Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 28:9); but He knew too well their skepticism and malice and inveterate prejudice to lay stress on this allegation at the present moment. Before He satisfied their inquiry, He must have their opinion concerning one whom they had received as a prophet a few years ago, and whose memory was still held in the highest respect, John the Baptist. The manner in which they regarded Him and His testimony would enable them to answer their own interrogation.

 

Matthew 21:25: The baptism of John ( το Ì βα ìπτισμα το Ì Ἰωα ìννου). By "the baptism which was of John" Christ means His whole ministry, doctrine, preaching, etc.; as by circumcision is implied the whole Mosaic Law, and the doctrine of the cross comprises all the teaching of the gospel, the chief characteristic connoting all particulars. From heaven, or of men? Did they regard John as one inspired and commissioned by God, or as a fanatic and impostor, who was self-sent and had received no external authorization? Now, two facts were plain and could not be denied. The rulers and the people with them had allowed John to be a prophet, and had never questioned his claims hitherto. This was one fact; the other was that John had borne unmistakable evidence to Christ. "Behold the Lamb of God!" etc. (John 1:32-36), he had said. He came and asserted that he came as Christ's forerunner; his mission was to prepare Christ's way, and had no meaning or intention but this. Here was a dilemma. They had asked for Jesus' credentials; the prophet, whose mission they had virtually endorsed testified that Jesus was the Messiah; if they believed that John spoke by inspiration, they must accept Christ; if now they discredited John, they would stultify themselves and endanger their influence with the people. They reasoned with themselves ( παρ ἑαυτοῖς). The somewhat unusual introduction of this preposition instead of the more common ἐν implies that the reflection was not confined to their own breast, but passed in consultation from one to another. They saw the difficulty, and deliberated how they could meet it without compromising themselves, seeking, not truth, but evasion. Why did ye not then ( διατι ì οὖν: why then did ye not) believe Him? i.e. when he bore such plain testimony to me. This appeal could be silenced only by denying John's mission, or asserting that he was mistaken in what he said,

 

Matthew 21:26: We fear the people. They dared not, as they would gladly have done, affirm that John was a false prophet and impostor; for then, as according to St. Luke they said, "All the people will stone us." Public opinion was too strong for them. Whatever view they really took of John's position, they were forced, for the sake of retaining popularity, to uphold its Divine character. All hold John as a prophet. Even Herod, for the same reason, long hesitated to put the Baptist to death (Matthew 14:5); and many of the Jews believed that Herod's defeat by Aretas was a judgment upon him for this murder (Josephus,' Ant.,' 18.5. 2); comp. Luke 7:29, which shows how extensive was the influence of this holy teacher, who indeed did no miracle, but persuaded men by pure doctrine, holy life, genuine love of souls, courageous reproof of sin wherever found. Others had drawn the very inference which Christ now demanded (see John 10:41, John 10:42).

 

Matthew 21:27: We cannot tell; οὐκ οἰ ìδαμεν: we know not; Vulgate, nescimus. The Authorized Version seems, at first sight, to be intended to give a false emphasis to "tell" in Christ's answer; but our translators often render the verb οἰ ìδα in this way (see John 3:8; John 8:14; John 16:18; 2 Corinthians 12:2). The questioners could find no way out of the dilemma in which Christ's unerring wisdom had placed them. Their evasive answer was a confession of defeat, and that in the presence of the gaping crowd who stood around listening to the conversation. They had every opportunity of judging the character of John's mission and that of Christ; it was their duty to form an opinion and to pronounce a verdict on such claims; and yet they, the leaders and teachers of Israel, for fear of compromising themselves, evade the obligation, refuse to solve or even to entertain the question, and, like a modern agnostic, content themselves with a profession of ignorance.

 

Many people, to avoid looking a disagreeable truth in the face, respond to all appeals with the stereotyped phrase, "We cannot tell." F.M. appositely quotes the comment of Donatus on Terent., 'Eunuch.,' 5.4, 31, "Perturbatur Parmeno; nec negare potuit, nec consentire volebat; sed quasi defensionis loco dixit, Nescio." And He said unto them; ἐ ìφη αὐτοῖς καις: He also said unto them. The Lord answers the thought which had dictated their words to Him. Neither tell I you, etc. With such double-minded men, who could give no clear decision concerning the mission of such a one as John the Baptist, it would be mere waste of words to argue further. They would not accept His testimony, and recognizing their malice and perversity, He declined to instruct them further. "Christ shows," says Jerome, "that they knew and were unwilling to answer; and that He knew, but held His peace, because they refused to utter what they well knew."

 

Matthew 21:28-32: The parable of the two sons.

 

Matthew 21:28: But what think ye? A formula connecting what follows with what has preceded, and making the hearers themselves the judges. By this and the succeeding parables, Jesus shows His interlocutors their true guilty position and the punishment that awaited them. He Himself explains the present parable in reference to His hearers, though, of course, it has, and is meant to have, a much wider application. A certain man (ἀìνθρωπος, a man) had two sons. The man represents God; the two sons symbolize two classes of Jews, the Pharisees, with their followers and imitators; and the lawless and sinful, who made no pretence of religion. The former are those who profess to keep the Law strictly, to the very letter, though they care nothing for its spirit, and virtually divorce religion from morality The latter are careless and profane persons, whom the Lord calls "publicans and harlots" (Matthew 21:31). Christ's reply countenances the received text, setting the repentant before the professing son. "The first son "here typifies the evil and immoral among the Jewish people. Go, work today. Two emphatic imperatives. Immediate obedience is required. "Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Psalms 95:7, Psalms 95:8). God called His sons to serve in His vineyard, the Church. He called them by the prophets, and more especially by John the Baptist, to turn from evil ways, and to do work meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8). Christ gives two examples, showing how this call was received.

 

Matthew 21:29: I will not. The answer is rude, curt, and disrespectful, such a one as would naturally issue from the lips of a person who was selfishly wrapped in his own pleasures, and cared nothing for the Law of God, the claims of relationship, the decencies of society. Repented, and went; i.e. into the vineyard to work. The worst sinners, when converted, often make great saints. There is more hope of their repentance than of the self-righteous or hypocrites, who profess the form of religion without the reality, and in their own view need no repentance.

 

Matthew 21:30: The second. He typifies the Pharisees, the scrupulous observers of outward form, while neglectful of the weightier matters, judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). I go, sir, ἐγω Ì κυ ìριε: Eo, domine. This son is outwardly respectful and dutiful; his answer is in marked contrast to the rough "I will not" of his brother. He professes zeal for the Law, and ready obedience. And went not. Such men did no real work for God, honoring Him with their lips and outward observances, while their heart was far from Him, and their morality was unprincipled and impure.

 

Matthew 21:31: Whether of them (the) twain! Christ forces from the unwilling hearers an answer which, at the moment, they do not see will condemn themselves. Unaccustomed to be criticized and put to the question, wrapped in a self-complacent righteousness, which was generally undisturbed, they missed the bearing of the parable on their own case, and answered without hesitation, as any unprejudiced person would have decided. The first; i.e. the son who first refused, but afterwards repented and went.

 

Verily I say unto you. Jesus drives the moral home to the hearts of these hypocrites. The publicans and the harlots. He specifies these excommunicated sinners as examples of those represented by the first son. Go into the kingdom of God before you; προα ìγουσιν ὑμας: are preceding you. This was the fact which Jesus saw and declared, He does not cut off all hope that the Pharisees might follow, if they willed to do so; He only shows that they have lost the position which they ought to have occupied, and that those whom they despised and spurned have accepted the offered salvation, and shall have their reward. We must remark that the Lord has no censure for those who sometime were disobedient, but afterwards repented; His rebuke falls on the professors and self-righteous, who ought to have been leaders and guides, and were in truth impious and irreligious.

 

Matthew 21:32: For John came unto you. This gives the reason for Christ's assertion at the end of the last verse. John came with a special call to the rulers of the people, and they made some show of interest, by sending a deputation to demand his credentials, and by coming to his baptism; but that was all. They did not alter their lives or change their faulty opinions at his preaching, though they "were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (John 5:35). In the way of righteousness. In that path of strict obedience to law, and of ascetic holiness, which you profess to regard so highly. If they had followed the path which John indicated, they would have attained to righteousness and salvation. John preached Christ who is "the Way" (John 14:6). (For "way," meaning doctrine, religious tenet and practice, see Matthew 22:16; Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23; 2 Peter 2:21.) Ye believed Him not, to any practical purpose, even as it is said elsewhere (Luke 7:30), "The Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, not having been baptized of Him."

 

Those who did receive his baptism were the exception; the great majority stood aloof. Believed him. Though these sinners may have first rejected him, yet his preaching softened their hearts; they repented, confessed their sins, and were baptized (see for examples, Luke 3:10, etc.; Luke 7:29). This was another call to the Pharisees to go and do likewise. When ye had seen it; i.e. the fruits of true repentance in these sinners, which conversion was indeed a loud appeal to the rulers to consider their own ways, and to bow to God's hand. Repented not (see verse 29). They profited not by this miracle of grace. That ye might believe him. The end and result of repentance would be to believe in John's mission, and to attend to his teaching.

 

Christ offers the above explanation of the parable (verses 31, 32) in view of the purpose for which he uttered it. It has been, and may be, taken in different senses, and in wider application. "What is set forth in individual cases is but a sample of what takes place in whole classes of persons, and even nations". Many expositors consider the two sons to represent Gentiles and Jews; the former making no profession of serving God, and yet in time being converted and turning to Him; the latter making much outward show of obedience, yet in reality denying Him and rejecting salvation. It is obvious that such explanation is allowable, and coincides with the letter of the parable; but it does not satisfy the context, and fails in not answering to Christ's intention in uttering this similitude.

 

Others see herein a picture of what happens in Christian lands, and is the experience of every Christian minister; how the irreligious and apparently irreclaimable are by God's grace brought, to repentance unto life; how the seemingly pious often make much show, but fall away, or bring no fruit unto perfection. And as the parable involves a general principle, so it may be applied universally to those who make great professions of religion, and are for a time full of good resolutions, but in practice fall very short; and to those who have been the slaves of lust, covetousness, or some other wickedness, but have been recovered from the snares of the devil, and have learned to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life.

 

Matthew 21:33-46: Parable of the vineyard let out to husbandmen. (Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19.)

 

Matthew 21:33: Hear another parable. The domineering and lately imperious party are reduced to the position of pupils; they have to listen to teaching, not to give it; to answer, not to put questions. This parable sets forth, under the guise of history, the Pharisaical party in its official character, and as the representative of the nation. It also denounces the punishment that surely awaited these rejecters of the offered salvation; thus exemplifying the teaching of the withered fig tree (Matthew 21:17-20). As applicable to the Jewish nation generally, it represents the long suffering of God and the various means which, in the course of their history, He had used to urge them to do their duty as His servants; and it ends with a prophecy of the coming events, and the terrible issue of impenitence. We must take the parable as partly retrospective, and partly predictive. There was a certain householder; a man ( ἀ ìνθρωπος) that was an householder. Christ in his parables often, as here, introduces God in His dealings with mankind as a man. His house is the house of Israel in particular, and in general the whole human family. A vineyard. God's kingdom upon earth, and particularly the Jewish Church. The figure is common throughout Scripture (see on Matthew 20:1). It was planted when God gave Israel a law, and put them in possession of the promised land. The parable itself is founded on Isaiah 5:1-7, where, however, the vineyard is tended by the Lord Himself, not by husbandmen, and it bears wild grapes, not good grapes. By these differences different developments of declension are indicated. In the earlier times it was the nation that apostatized, fell into idolatry and rebellion against God, the theocratic Head of their race and polity.

 

In later days it is the teachers, rabbis, priests, false prophets, who neglect the paths of righteousness, and lead people astray. In the parable these last come into painful prominence as criminally guilty of opposing God's messengers. Hedged it round; put a hedge around it. The fence would be a stone wall, a necessary defence against the incursions of wild animals. This fence has been regarded in two senses; first, as referring to the physical peculiarities of the position of the Holy Land, separated from alien nations by deserts, seas, rivers, and so isolated from evil contagion; second, as intimating the peculiar laws and minute restrictions of the Jewish polity, which differentiated Judaism from all other systems of religion, and tended to preserve purity and incorruption.

 

Probably the "hedge" is meant to adumbrate both senses. Many, however, see in it the protection of angels, or the righteousness of saints, which seem hardly to be sufficiently precise for the context. Digged a winepress. The phrase refers, not to the ordinary wooden troughs or vats which were used for the purpose of expressing and receiving the juice of the grapes, but to such as were cut in the rock, and were common in all parts of the country. Remains of these receptacles meet the traveler everywhere on the hill slopes of Judaea, and notably in the valleys of Carmel. The winepress is taken to signify the prophetic spirit, the temple services, or all things that typified the sacrifice and death of Christ. A tower; for the purpose of watching and guarding the vineyard. This may represent the temple itself, or the civil power.

 

Whatever interpretation may be put upon the various details, which, indeed, should not be unduly pressed, the general notion is that every care was taken of the Lord's inheritance, nothing was wanting for its convenience and security. Let it out to husbandmen. This is a new feature introduced into Isaiah's parable. Instead of paying an annual sum of money to the proprietor, these vine dressers paid in kind, furnishing a stipulated amount of fruit or wine as the hire of the vineyard. We have a lease on the former terms in So Isaiah 8:11, where the keepers have "to bring a thousand pieces of silver for the fruit."

 

The husbandmen are the children of Israel, who had to do their part in the Church, and show fruits of piety and devotion. Went into a far country; ἀπεδη ìμησεν: went abroad. In the parabolic sense, God withdrew for a time the sensible tokens of His presence, no longer manifested Himself as at Sinai, and in the cloud and pillar of fire. "Innuitur tempus divinae taciturnitatis, ubi homines agunt pro arbitrio". God's long suffering gives time of probation.

 

Matthew 21:34: When the time of the fruit drew near. The vintage season, when the rent, whether in money or kind, became due. In the Jewish history no particular time seems to be signified, but rather such periods or crises which forced God's claims upon men's notice, and made them consider what fruits they had to show for all the Lord's care, how they had lived after receiving the Law. Such times were the ages of Samuel, Elijah, the great prophets, the Maccabeus, and John the Baptist. His servants. The prophets, good kings, priests, and governors. "I have sent unto you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings" (Jeremiah 35:15). To receive the fruits of it ( του Ìς καρπου Ìς αὐτοῦ); or, his fruits, as rent.

 

Matthew 21:35: Took His servants. The exaction of rent in kind has always been a fruitful source of dispute, fraud, and discontent. In the Jewish Church God's messengers had been ill treated and put to death (see Matthew 23:34-37). "Which of the prophets have not your father’s persecuted?" cried St. Stephen; "and they have slain them which showed before the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been the betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). Beat … killed … stoned. A climax of iniquity and guilt. The statement is probably meant to be general; some, however, endeavor to individualize it, referring the "beating" to the treatment of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2), "killing" to Isaiah (Hebrews 11:37, "sawn asunder"), "stoning" to Zechariah son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20, 2 Chronicles 24:21). Doubtless, the incidents in such persecutions were often repeated.

 

Matthew 21:36: Other servants. God's loving kindness was not wearied out with the husbandmen's cruelty and violence. Each step of their wickedness and obstinacy was met with renewed mercy, with fresh calls to repentance. More ( πλει ìονας). More in number. In the latter days the number of God's messengers was much greater than in earlier times; so it is unnecessary to take πλει ìονας in the sense of "more honorable," "of higher dignity," though such interpretation is supported by its use in Matthew 6:25; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 11:4. Likewise. They resisted these new envoys as they had resisted these first sent, treating them with equal cruelty and violence.

 

Matthew 21:37: Last of all; ὑ ìστερον: afterwards, later on. The parable now allegorizes the near present, and future, in such a way as for the moment to conceal its bearing, and to lead the hearers to pronounce their own condemnation: His son. Even Jesus Christ, who was now among them, incarnate, teaching, and demanding of them fruits of righteousness. Here was the authorization which they had required (Matthew 21:23). God sent His Son. They will reverence My Son. God condescends to speak in human language, as hoping for a good result from this last effort for man's salvation. He, as it were, puts aside His foreknowledge, and gives scope to man's free will. Though the sad issue is known to Him, He often acts towards men as if He had hope that they would still use the occasion profitably. In the present case, whereas the immediate result of the last measure was disastrous, the expectation was ultimately realized in the conversion of many Jews to Christianity, which led to the bringing of all nations to the obedience of the faith.

 

Matthew 21:38: When the husbandmen saw the Son. As soon as they recognized this new and important messenger. This is the great element in the guilt of His rejection. They might have had the same consciousness of Christ's Divine mission as Nicodemus (John 3:2), having possessed the same opportunities of judging. Ancient prophecy, the signs of the times, the miracles and teaching of Christ, the testimony of the Baptist, pointed to one evident conclusion; evidence had been accumulating on all sides. A latent feeling had grown up that He was the Messiah (see John 11:49-52), and it was obstinate prejudice and perversity alone that prevented his open acknowledgment. "If I had not come and spoken unto them," said Christ, "they had not had sin; but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22; comp. John 9:41). They said among themselves. They plotted His destruction (see John 11:53). We are reminded of the conspiracy against Joseph, His father's well bellowed son (Genesis 37:20). Let us seize on ( κατα ìσχωμεν, take possession of, keep as our own) His inheritance. It would have been a wild and ignorant scheme of the husbandmen to consider that by murdering the heir they could obtain and hold possession of the vineyard. Here the parable bursts from the allegorical form, and becomes history and prophecy. In fact, the possession which the rulers coveted was supremacy over the minds and consciences of men; they wished to lord it over God's heritage; to retain their rights and prerogatives in the present system. This ambition Christ's teaching and action entirely overthrew. They felt no security in their possession of authority while He was present and working in their midst. Were He removed, their position would be safe, their claims undisputed. Hence their conspiracy and its result, a result very far from what they expected. They had their own way, but their gain was ruin. Says St. Augustine, "Ut possiderent, occiderunt; et quia occiderunt, perdiderunt."

 

Matthew 21:39: Cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him. This is prophecy, and alludes to a particular circumstance attending the death of Christ, viz. that He suffered without the city Jerusalem, Calvary being outside the walls (see John 19:17, and the parallel passages in the other evangelists, and especially Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:12, where it is significantly noted that Jesus "suffered without the gate"). The words may also contain a reference to the fact that He was excommunicated and given over to the heathen to be judged and condemned, thus suffering not actually at the hands of "the husbandmen" (comp. Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27). Christ, in His Divine prescience, speaks of His Passion and death as already accomplished.

 

Matthew 21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh; when therefore the lord, etc. Christ asks His hearers, who are both rulers and people, what in their opinion will be the course taken by the lord when He visits His vineyard, knowing all that has transpired. So Isaiah (Isaiah 5:3) makes the people give the verdict: "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard."

 

Matthew 21:41: They say unto Him. The Pharisees probably made the reply, not at the moment apprehending the sense of the parable. Or the words were spoken by some of the bystanders, and taken up and emphatically repeated by our Lord with an unmistakable application (Matthew 21:43). The conclusion was a necessary consequence, and this will account for Mark and Luke apparently making them a part of Christ's speech. By their answer they blindly condemn themselves, as David did at hearing Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:5). He will miserably ( κακῶς) destroy those wicked men ( κακου Ìς, miserable men); or, he will evilly destroy those evil men; Vulgate, Malos male perdet. He will make their punishment equal their crime. The slaughter and mortality at the siege of Jerusalem accomplished this prediction to the letter.

 

Unto other husbandmen; i.e. the Christian ministry, which took the place of the Jewish priests and teachers. As the husbandmen in the parable were rather the rulers and rabbis than the whole nation which, indeed, only followed their guides, so these others are not the whole Gentile world, but those who sustained the ministerial offices in the Christian Church. Which ( οἱ ìτινες); of such kind as, denoting a class of servants. The clause is peculiar to Matthew. The speakers did not clearly apprehend the bearing of this detail of the parable. In their seasons. The times when the various fruits are ripe and ready for harvesting. These would vary in different climates and under differing circumstances; but the good husbandmen would be always ready to render to their Lord the fruits of faith and obedience, at every holy season and in due proportion.

 

This parable, spoken originally of Israel, applies, like all such similitudes, to the Christian Church and to the human soul. How God dealt with individual Churches we see in His words to the seven Churches of Asia (Revelation 1-3.). Ecclesiastical history furnishes similar examples throughout all ages. God gives privileges, and looks for results worthy of these graces. He sends warnings; He raises up apostles, preachers, evangelists; and if a Church is still unfaithful, He takes away His Spirit, and lets it lapse, and gives its inheritance to others, In the other case, the vineyard is the soul of man, which He has to cultivate for His Master's use. God has hedged it round with the law, external and internal, given it the ministry and sacraments and the Scripture, and looks to it to bring forth the fruits of obedience, service, worship. He sends times of visitation, teaching, warning; He speaks to it by secret inspiration; He calls it in loving tones to closer union. If it hearkens to the call, it walks in the way of salvation; if it refuses to hear, it casts away the hope of its calling, and must share the lot of Christ's enemies.

 

Matthew 21:42: Did ye never read? It is as though Christ said, "Ye have answered rightly. You profess to know the Scriptures well; do you not, then, apprehend that Holy Writ foretells that concerning Messiah and His enemies which you have just announced?" The imagery is changed, but the subject is the same as in the preceding parable. The vineyard is now a building; the husbandmen are the builders; the Son is the stone. In the Scriptures. The quotation is from Psalms 118:22, Psalms 118:23, the same psalm which was used on the day of triumph when Christ was saluted with cries of "Hosanna!" and which, as some say, was first sung by Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles on the return from Captivity.

 

The stone. This figure was generally understood to represent Messiah, on whom depended the existence and support of the Kingdom of God. Many prophecies containing this metaphor were applied to Him; e.g. Isaiah 28:16; Daniel 2:34; Zechariah 3:9; so that the Pharisees could be at no loss to understand the allusion, seeing that Jesus claimed to be that Stone. Rejected; as being not suitable to the building, or useless in its construction. So the husbandmen rejected the Son. The ignorance and contempt of men are overruled by the great Architect. The head of the corner. The cornerstone, which stands at the base and binds together two principal walls (see St. Paul's grand words, Ephesians 2:19-22). We learn that Christ unites Jew and Gentile in one holy house. This ( αὑ ìτη), being feminine, is thought by some to refer to "head of the corner" ( κεφαλη Ìν, γωνι ìας); but it is better to take it as used by a Hebrew idiom for the neuter, and to refer generally to what has preceded, viz. the settlement of the cornerstone in its destined position, which is effected by the Lord Himself. The ultimate victory of the rejected Son is thus distinctly predicted (comp. Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33).

 

Matthew 21:43: Therefore I say unto you. Having denounced the sin, Christ now enunciates the punishment thereof, in continuation of His parable. Because ye slay the Son, reject the Cornerstone, the vineyard, i.e. the Kingdom of God, shall be taken from you. Ye shall no longer be God's peculiar people; your special privileges shall be taken away. A nation. The Christian Church, the spiritual Israel, formed chiefly from the Gentile peoples (Acts 15:14; 1 Peter 2:9). The fruits thereof ( αὐτῆς); i.e. of the Kingdom of God, such faith, life, good works, as become those thus favored by Divine grace.

 

Matthew 21:44: Christ proceeds to show the positive and terrible results of such unbelief. Whosoever shall fall ( πεσω Ìν, hath fallen) on this stone shall be broken ( συνθλασθη ìσεται, shall be shattered to pieces). This may refer to the practice of executing the punishment of stoning by first hurling the culprit from a raised platform on to a rock or stone, and then stoning him to death. The falling on the stone has been explained in more ways than one. Some think that it implies coming to Christ in repentance and humility, with a contrite heart, which He will not despise. But the subject here is the punishment of the obdurate. Others take it to represent an attack made by the enemies of Christ, who shall demolish themselves by such onslaught. The original will hardly allow this interpretation. Doubtless the allusion is to those who found in Christ's low estate a stone of stumbling and rock of offence. These suffered grievous loss and danger even in this present time.

The rejection of the doctrine of Christ crucified involves the loss of spiritual privileges, moral debility, and what is elsewhere called "the scattering abroad" (Matthew 12:30; comp. Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah 8:15). On whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder ( λικμη ìσει αὐτο Ìν, it will scatter him as chaff). The persons hero spoken of are not those who are offended at Christ's low estate; they are such as put themselves in active opposition to Him and His kingdom; on them He will fall in terrible vengeance, and will utterly destroy them without hope of recovery. The idea is re-repeated from Daniel 2:34, Daniel 2:35, and Daniel 2:44, Daniel 2:45. Christ in His humiliation is the Stone against which men fall; Christ in His glory and exaltation is the Stone which falls on them.

 

Matthew 21:45: Pharisees. They have not been specially mentioned hitherto, but they formed the majority in the Sanhedrin, and are properly here named by the evangelist. He spake of them. They could not fail, especially after Matthew 21:43, to see the drift of the parables; their own consciences must have made them feel that they themselves were herein signified, their motives and conduct fully discovered. But, as bad men always act, instead of repenting of the evil, they are only exasperated against Him who detected them, and only desire the more to wreak their vengeance upon Him.

 

Matthew 21:46: They feared the multitude. They did not dare to lay violent hands on Jesus in the presence of the excited crowd, which would have withstood any such attack at this moment. A Prophet (see Matthew 21:11). If they did not recognize Him as Messiah, they regarded Him as one inspired by God, and having a Divine mission. This accounts for the joyful acquiescence of the Pharisaical party in the offer of Judas, when he proposed to betray his Master in the absence of the multitude

 

Matthew 21:1-11: The entry into Jerusalem.

 

I. The Fulfillment of Prophecy.

 

1. Bethphage. The Lord had spent the Sabbath in that holy home at Bethany, where He was always a welcome Guest, with that family which was now more than ever devoted to His service, and bound to Him by the ties of the very deepest gratitude. On the Sunday morning (Palm Sunday) He made His solemn entry into the holy city. He set out from Bethany on foot; but He intended to enter Jerusalem as the King Messiah. He had hitherto avoided anything like a public announcement of His office and His claims. When the multitude wished to "take Him by force to make Him a King, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone." Not long ago He had forbidden His disciples to tell any man that He was the Christ. He had charged them to tell no man of the heavenly glory of the Transfiguration.

 

The earthly view of the Messiah's kingdom was universal. The apostles themselves, warned as they had been again and again of its untruth, again and again reverted to it. So strong was the hold which it had upon their minds, that even after the awful scenes of the Passion, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" The Lord would do nothing to sanction this vain expectation. His kingdom was not of this world. But now His hour was come, the hour that He should depart out of this world. It was time for Him now to make a public assertion of His claims. That assertion, He knew, would lead to His death, and, through His death, resurrection, and ascension, to the establishment of His spiritual kingdom over the hearts of men. He was drawing near to Jerusalem.

 

He was come to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives. He sent two disciples, bidding them fetch an ass and a colt whereon yet never man sat. He described the place minutely. If any man interfered, they were to say, "The Lord hath need of them." The Lord, the Lord of all; all things are His; He claims them when they are needed for His service. The words were simple, but they seem to convey a great meaning, to imply far-reaching claims. "The Lord hath need of them." The Savior describes Himself simply as the Lord, just as the Septuagint writers express the covenant name of God. The words would be understood as meaning that the ass was wanted in some way for God's service. The owners knew not how; but they saw the solemn procession passing by; they saw the lowly majesty of Christ. They must have known Him. He had been a frequent visitor at Bethany. But a short time ago He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Possibly they may have been among the number of His disciples. Even if not so, they must have felt something of the enthusiasm and excited expectation which were so widely diffused. They sent the ass. We must give readily and cheerfully when the Lord calls upon us; we must keep nothing back which He requires. "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."

 

2. The prophecy.

 

II. The Procession.

 

1.The approach to Jerusalem. The modest procession climbed the road that slopes up the Mount of Olives till, as they passed the shoulder of the hill, Jerusalem lay clear before them, the temple glittering in all its glory of gold and marble. The Lord wept as He gazed upon it. He, the Prince of Peace, was coming to the holy city; but that city, Jerusalem, the inheritance of peace, had not known the things that belonged to her peace; now they were hid from her eyes. There were outward demonstrations of joy; in some that joy was deep and true; in others it was. though not insincere, founded on mistaken hopes which would soon be dissipated; in very many it was mere excitement, worthless and unreal, one of those transitory bursts of apparent enthusiasm which are so contagious for a time, which run through unthinking crowds. The Lord was not dazzled by the popular applause; He estimated it at its true value. He wept as He looked upon Jerusalem; His eye gazed through the future, resting, not on His own approaching sufferings, but on the fearful doom which awaited the impenitent city.

 

2.The multitudes. The tidings of the Lord's approach reached Jerusalem; crowds of pilgrims, who had come thither for the Passover, went out to meet Him. There were pilgrims from Galilee, who could tell of many mighty deeds; there were others who were present when He called Lazarus out of his grave (John 12:17). That last wondrous miracle had for a time rekindled the old enthusiasm. The crowd issuing from Jerusalem joined the procession which came from Bethany; they swelled its numbers and increased the excitement. They hailed the Lord as King, spreading their garments in the way, as men had done to welcome kings (2 Kings 9:13); they strewed His path with branches from the trees; they cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they hailed the Lord as the Messiah.

 

The Pharisees had agreed that if any man did confess that He was Christ, He should be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). But they were powerless that day; they felt that they could prevail nothing; the world, they said, had gone after Him. The multitude owned Him to be the Messiah, the Son of David, the King of Israel. They raised the shout of "Hosanna!" originally a prayer, "Save us now!" (comp. Psalms 118:25); but now, it seems, a cry of triumphant welcome; a cry, however, which recognized Him as the Savior, and ascribed salvation to Him. That prayer, they hoped, would reach the heavens; that cry would be heard there; they prayed for blessings upon Him, using again the words of Psalms 118:1-29.; they prayed that God's blessing might rest upon Him, and bring to pass that salvation which was the real meaning of the hosanna cry. "Hosanna in the highest!" In the highest the hosts of angels need not lift the prayer, "Save us now!" for themselves; but they rejoice, we know, over each repentant sinner, over each lost sheep brought home to the fold on the shoulders of the good Shepherd; they may well re-echo the suppliant hosannas as they add the heavenly incense to the prayers of the saints which go up before God (Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:4).

 

We may well believe that, on that great Palm Sunday, the heavenly host bent in reverent adoration from their thrones of light, watched that lowly procession as it escorted the King of heaven into the holy city, listened to the earthly hosannas that welcomed His approach, and repeated with more solemn tones, more awful expectations, the high chant of praise which celebrated the Nativity, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Let us make that welcome our own. He who then came to Jerusalem comes now to us. Each day He cometh to expectant hearts, to souls craving peace and mercy. He cometh in the name of the Lord; Himself the Lord, He cometh from the Lord, to do His Father's will, "to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant." "Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" Let us welcome Him into our hearts with the hosanna cry of adoration and earnest supplication, "Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity!"

 

3. The inhabitants. "All the city was moved" stirred, shaken (so the Greek word means), at the approach of the jubilant procession. It was filled with crowds waiting for the celebration of the Passover, eager, excited crowds, ready to be stirred into commotion by any sudden impulse. "Who is this?" they said.

 

The form of the Lord must have been well known to most of the dwellers in Jerusalem. Perhaps the question was asked by strangers (see Acts 2:5, Acts 2:9-11); perhaps it was asked with something of scorn, "Who is this who comes with such a retinue, with all this festal applause?" The multitude, mostly perhaps Galileans, understood the suppressed contempt of the proud Pharisees, and answered with something of provincial pride, "This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." He belonged to them in a sense; the Pharisees had maintained, with ignorant scornfulness, that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." Even Nathanael, the Israelite in whom there was no guile, had asked, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" The Galileans had a Prophet now, a Prophet mighty in word and deed; nay, more than a Prophet, the Messiah that was to come. They were proud of His eminence, they shouted their hosannas.

 

Before the week was ended, some of them, it may be, would change that cry to "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" All would forsake Him and leave Him to His death. Popular excitement is a poor thing; the Christian must trust neither in crowds nor in princes, but only in God. "Who is this?" the world still asks, some in the spirit of anxious inquiry, some in scorn and unbelief; and still the Christian answers in faith and adoring love, "This is Jesus, the Prophet, the great High Priest, the King of kings and Lord of lords." He cometh to claim His kingdom in each human heart. Receive Him; He bringeth peace.

 

Lessons.

 

1. The King cometh; He is lowly. Only the lowly heart can receive the lowly King.

 

2. Greet Him with holy joy; pray that that joy may be deep and true, founded on a living faith.

 

3. Seek to know Him, to say, "This is Jesus," out of a true personal knowledge.

 

Matthew 21:12-16: The temple.

 

I. The Lord's Actions there.

1. His entrance. Jesus went into the temple of God. It was a fulfillment of the great prophecy of Malachi, "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." He came, but, they delighted not in Him. He came to "purify the sons of Levi, that they might offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." But, they would not be purified. The Lord might cleanse the temple; the priests who ministered there would not yield up their hearts to Him, that He might cleanse them. He looked round about upon all things. So the Lord comes to His temple now, so He looks round about upon all things; He notes the formal services, He notes the careless hearts. It is right that the house of God be kept in decent order and beauty, but far more deeply necessary that all who minister and all who worship there should offer up their hearts to Him cleansed, purified through faith in Him; a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice.

 

2. His ejection of the buyers and sellers. He had cleansed the temple once before, at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-17). The irreverent practices which He then checked had been resumed. The court of the Gentiles had again become a market for the oxen, sheep, and doves, which the worshippers needed for the various sacrifices. Again the money changers had established themselves there to exchange the foreign money brought by the worshippers from many lands for the sacred shekel of the sanctuary, which alone could be accepted in the temple. Probably now, in the Passover week, the traffic was busier than ever, the noise more unseemly, the bargaining more eager than at other times. It was a sad scene, an unholy intrusion of earth and earthly doings into the house of God. The Savior’s holy soul was moved within Him. Filled with that zeal for the house of God which had so much struck the apostles on the former occasion, He cast out all that sold and bought in the temple. There was a majesty in His look and bearing which could not be resisted; they fled before Him, conscience stricken. They felt that He was right; He was vindicating a great truth; God's house must be held in honor; they who reverence God must reverence His temple. "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy honor dwelleth."

 

3. His rebuke. He told them what the temple should be, a house of prayer; it should be pervaded with an atmosphere of prayer; those who came there should come in the spirit of prayer; they should go up into the temple to pray. But how was prayer possible amid this noise and hubbub? This unseemly trafficking unsettled the minds of the worshippers as they passed into the inner courts. The court of the Gentiles was like a den of robbers now; they were robbing God of the honor due to Him; they were driving this unholy traffic in His courts, their thoughts bent on dishonest gains. It must not be so, He said; God's house is a sacred place. We dishonor God's house if we allow worldly, covetous thoughts to occupy our minds when our bodies are present there. When the heart is like a den of robbers, the prayer of the lips will not reach the mercy seat. We must do each of us our part to make God's house indeed the house of prayer by praying ourselves, and that in spirit and in truth.

 

4. His miracles. The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. He would do works of mercy in the temple courts, as He would do them on the Sabbath; for, indeed, such deeds done in faith and love are acts of worship, pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father (James 1:27). It does our churches no dishonor to use them, as sometimes they have been used in times of special need, for the service of the sick and suffering. Still in the temple the Lord performs His miracles of grace; there He opens the eyes of those who came praying, '"Lord, increase our faith;" there He gives strength and energy to the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

 

II. The Displeasure of the Chief Priests.

1.Their remonstrance. They saw the wonderful things that He did. The miracles were wonderful; wonderful, too, was that strange majesty which so impressed the crowd of dealers and money changers that they obeyed Him, as it seems, without a word. It was a wonderful thing indeed that one Man, and one without any recognized position in the temple, without any official character, could overawe that concourse of traders. They heard the children crying in the temple, repeating the hosannas of the festal procession. They were sore displeased. They called the Lord's attention. They did not regard Him as the Messiah. He ought not, they thought, to allow those untaught children to hail Him with such a title.

 

2. The Lord's reply. He would not check the little ones. He ever loved children, and children ever loved to flock around Him and to listen to His voice. Besides, the children were right; their childlike hearts recognized the dignity of Christ. Their hearts taught them, with an intuitive knowledge, lessons which the learned rabbis, the dignitaries of the temple, could not reach. So now holy children often utter profound truths in their simple, innocent talk. Still God perfecteth praise out the mouths of babes and suckling. He accepts the children's prayer; He listens to the children's hymn. Nay, the prayers and praises of children are our example; for they are offered up in simplicity and truth.

 

Lessons.

 

1. "The Lord is in His holy temple:" enter it with reverence.

 

2. His house is a house of prayer; drive out worldly thoughts; hush your hearts into solemn attention.

 

3. Bring the little ones early to church; teach them the words of prayer and praise; their praises are acceptable unto God.

 

Matthew 21:17-22: The return to the temple.

 

I. The Walk to and from Bethany.

 

1. The Sunday evening. The Lord left the temple "when He had looked round upon all things." He had no home in the royal city. He went out unto Bethany, and there He lodged, perhaps in the house of Lazarus, perhaps, as many pilgrims did, in a booth on the hillside, or under the shelter of the trees. "The Son of man hath not where to lay His head."

 

2. Monday. Very early the Lord returned to the city. It seems He had eaten nothing; He hungered on the way. He was poor in this world. Let us learn of Him to be content in poverty and hardships.

 

II. The barren fig tree.

 

1. The curse. It stood alone, a conspicuous object. It was full of leaves. The time for figs was not yet, but this tree was singularly forward, precocious; the leaves promised early fruit, "hasty fruit before the summer" (Isaiah 28:4). It had none; it was barren. The Lord said, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever;" "and presently the fig tree withered away."

 

The miracle was symbolical, an acted parable. The priests and scribes whom the Lord was about to confront were like that fig tree, fair to look upon. They were held in honor, some for their official rank, some for their supposed righteousness, but they brought not forth the fruits of holiness. Such must wither when the Lord's searching eye is fixed upon them, when He comes seeking fruit. Leaves will not take the place of fruit, outward profession will not atone for the absence of holiness of heart and life. That fig tree was a meet emblem of the hypocrite. There were other trees without fruit; but they made no show of special forwardness, they were leafless still. This one tree was conspicuous for its foliage, but it had no fruit hidden beneath its leaves. The other trees might yet bring forth fruit in due time; this one had exhausted itself in leaves.

 

Such a show of life is worthless in the sight of God; it is not life, it is only a false appearance; it may deceive men, it cannot deceive God. "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." Many professing Christians seem to us like that fig tree. Take we heed to ourselves. The Lord passed on, His hunger unappeased. The whole world was His, the cattle on a thousand hills; yet He hungered, for He had taken our flesh. He suffered as we suffer; He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He went on to Jerusalem, to the temple. Now apparently took place that expulsion of unhallowed traffic, the miracles, the hosannas of the children, and the interference of the priests, which have been already related by anticipation in St. Matthew's Gospel. "When even was come, He went out of the city."

 

2. The astonishment of the disciples. The words of the Lord produced an immediate effect. The life of the tree, such as it was, was at once arrested; the sap ceased to circulate, the leaves began to wither. But it seems from the more minute account in St. Mark, that the disciples did not observe the result till they passed the tree again in going to Jerusalem on the Tuesday morning. Then they marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!" We wonder at their wonder. They had seen many wondrous manifestations of the Lord's mighty power: why should they wonder now? They were still weak in faith, as the nine had been when they sought in vain to cast out the evil spirit beneath the Mount of the Transfiguration.

 

The Lord repeats the lesson which He gave them then, "Have faith in God;" doubt not. Doubt destroys the strength of prayer. He that doubteth will not receive anything of the Lord; but if we ask in steadfast, undoubting faith, then there is the blessed promise, "All things are possible to Him that believeth," for the prayer of undoubting faith availeth much with God. What was done to the fig tree, the Lord said, was a small thing for faith to do; faith could do things greater far. The psalmist had sung of the Mount Zion, "It cannot be removed: it abideth forever." But the Lord said, pointing, it may be, to the mountains round Jerusalem, "If ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done."

 

Faith can remove mountains; difficulties vanish before the prayer of faith. Set the Lord's promises before you when you pray; claim them as your own; realize them, trust in them; pray with persevering importunity, and, doubt not, you shall receive what you ask in faithful prayer. This or that sin may seem like a mountain, rooted deep in the heart, immovable; but pray against it, pray that it may be cast out; pray in faith, believing in God's power, believing in His love, and it shall be done. It is our want of faith which makes our prayers so weak. If we fully believed that God is able and willing to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to make us whiter than snow, we should, in our own actual lives, overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Let it be our most earnest effort to be true and faithful, not to seem to be so. Hypocrisy is hateful in the sight of God.

 

2. Pray for a strong, undoubting faith; it is God's most precious gift.

 

3. Pray always; believe in the power of prayer.

 

Matthew 21:23-40 - The controversy in the temple.

 

I. The Lord's Authority called in question.

 

1. The intervention of the chief priests. St. Luke tells us that they had resolved to destroy our Lord. He had now allowed Himself to be saluted openly as the Christ, the Son of David. He had accepted the hosannas of the multitude in the city, in the temple itself. He had assumed a paramount authority in the temple. The chief priests regarded themselves as rulers there; the market in the court of the Gentiles was held by their license; it was a source of profit to them. They now determined to interpose publicly. They sent an official deputation, composed of members of the three classes of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, scribes, and elders; to demand the Lord's authority for His conduct. What right had He thus to intrude, as they deemed, into their province, to interfere with the administration of the temple? What right had He to teach publicly in the temple courts without license from the rabbis? What right had He to the titles of "King of Israel," "Son of David," which He had accepted from the people as His due?

 

2.The Lord's reply. His enemies had hoped to ensnare Him. They expected, doubtless, that He would openly assert His Divine mission, and they might then make His claims the basis of a formal accusation. But in that wonderful calmness and self-possession which we note so often in the history of our Lord, He answered at once with another question, "The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?" They could not deny His right to ask this; it was closely connected with their question. John had repeatedly asserted in the strongest terms the authority, the Divine mission of Him whose way he had come to prepare. They dared not deny openly the prophetic character of the Baptist; they feared the people, for the belief in John's sanctity was universal and enthusiastic. "All the people will stone us," they said. They were completely foiled. They could only say, in confusion and disappointed malice, "We cannot tell." It was a bitter humiliation. They were masters of Israel, and yet could not guide the people in a matter which had so profoundly stirred the religious thought of the time. They could only answer, "We cannot tell" to a question of such great spiritual importance. They were as ignorant as "the people of the earth," whom they so much despised. Alas for a country whose spiritual rulers are like those priests and scribes! Let us pray that our teachers may be taught of God.

 

II. The Parable of the Two Sons.

 

1. The story. It is very simple. One of the sons, when bidden to work in the vineyard, rudely refused to obey his father; the other respectfully promised obedience. The first afterwards repented and went. The second broke his promise and went not to the vineyard.

 

2. The spiritual meaning. There are open and notorious evil livers, who make no profession of religion, and exhibit in their lives an open and willful disobedience. Some of these are brought to repentance by the grace of God. They learn to see the guilt, the awful danger, of disobedience; a great change is wrought in their souls; they do their best to redeem the time; they go at last and work for God; and God, in His sovereign grace and generous bounty, accepts their service, though, it may be, they have wrought but one hour in their Father's vineyard.

 

There are others, brought up, perhaps, in Christian families, among good examples and surroundings, who maintain a respectful attitude towards religion, and regularly observe all the outward ordinances of the Church. But, alas! there are many such who have not given their hearts to God; they say from time to time (at Confirmation, for instance), "I go, sir," and perhaps at the moment they really have a sort of intention to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of their life. But they have no strength of purpose, they have not attained to the spirit of self-sacrifice; and when they are called to do work for God (whether inward or outward) which requires effort and self-denial, they shrink back from the Master's service. The yoke which the Lord calls "easy" seems to them hard and rough; the burden which the Lord calls "light" seems to them heavy and crushing; the cross terrifies them. They go not into the vineyard; they do not keep their promises; they do not work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, and so they do no real work for God.

 

3. The application. The Lord gives His testimony to John the Baptist, as he had done before; John came from God, a preacher of righteousness. He came "in the way of righteousness;" he had the righteousness of strict Levitical purity and the loftiest asceticism; he told men their duty plainly and sternly. Many notorious sinners, publicans and harlots, who had lived in open disobedience to God, heard him and repented. These priests and scribes and elders saw and heard him; they felt the holiness of his life, the power of his preaching; they had asked him if he was the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet that was to come. But they repented not; they believed not. The publicans and harlots went into the kingdom of God before the priests and scribes. They ought to have led the way; they ministered in the temple of God; they were the recognized teachers of the people. Yet the Lord does not shut out all hope. "The publicans go before you;" they might follow, if they would humble their proud hearts into self-abasement and lowly obedience. Pride hardens the heart in disobedience and willfulness; humility opens it to repentance, to the gracious voice of the Savior. Oh that we may listen, and repent, and work for God before it be too late!

 

III. The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.

 

1. The story. It was the well known parable of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7), related again with more authority and in greater detail. The lord of the vineyard asks again, "What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Hedge, winepress, tower; everything needful had been carefully provided. But the husbandmen were rebellious; they beat and murdered the servants who were sent to receive the fruits of the vineyard, and at last they cast out and slew their Lord's Only Son. The end of those men must be utter destruction. Judaea was a land of vineyards. The Lord often drew His parables from surrounding circumstances; in Galilee, from the corn land or the lake; in Judaea, from the vine or the fig tree. So Christian teachers should try to give life and interest to their teaching by connecting it with matters of daily life.

 

2. The meaning. Isaiah tells us, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." The hedge must be the Law, with its ordinances, circumcision, and other rites which served to separate Israel, as God's peculiar people, from other nations. The tower and winepress have been interpreted of the temple and the altar. But it is enough, without pressing these details, to understand the parable as meaning that God had given His people all things necessary for their spiritual welfare. The latter part of the parable differs from that in Isaiah. There the men of Israel are reproved: they brought forth wild grapes, not the fruits of righteousness. Here the Lord rebukes the husbandmen, the spiritual rulers of His people. The Lord of the vineyard went into a far country. God did not always manifest Himself as He had done on Mount Sinai. He sent His servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of the vineyard.

 

Those servants were the prophets, sent again and again, to supply the deficiencies of the ordinary ministry, to warn both priests and people of their sins, to call both priests and people to repentance. "I sent unto you," God said, by the mouth of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 44:4), "all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate!" Some of these were persecuted, some were slain. "They cast thy Law behind their backs" (we read, in the confession of the Levites in Nehemiah 9:26), "and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them unto thee."

 

But now the Lord's eye, which had ranged over the past history of the nation, turns towards the future. The lord of the vineyard had yet One Son, His well beloved; He sent Him last, saying, "They will reverence My Son." The parable veils the awful mysteries which hang around the relations between the infinite foreknowledge of God and the free will of man. Human thought cannot grapple with these mysteries; human words cannot express them. God gave His only begotten Son; the Son of God came to give His life a ransom for many. The purpose, the fore knowledge of God, did not destroy the free agency or remove the guilt of those who crucified the Lord of glory. These priests had already taken counsel to put the Lord to death. Caiaphas had already "prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:47-53). They had already said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance." They wished to keep possession of their old authority, their old exclusive privileges. Those privileges had been given them for a time; their priesthood was transitory. Christ was the Heir of all things; He was the Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

 

The Lord knew what was coming; they would cast Him out (Hebrews 13:12), they would kill Him. How calmly He prophesies His own death! how simply He asserts His own Divine character! yet in words which His enemies could not take hold of. He was the Son, the one only Son, the well beloved, of the Lord of the vineyard. They felt His meaning, but the parable afforded no ground for accusation.

 

3. The warning. "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?" Christ puts the question to the guilty men themselves, and forces them to pronounce their own condemnation. Perhaps they pretended not to see the drift of the parable, and to regard it as a story, and nothing more. Perhaps (and this surely is more probable) they were overawed by the Lord's dignity, by the solemn power of His words, and so, like Caiaphas, became prophets against their will. "He will miserably destroy those miserable men." They prophesied their own doom. Alas, that the approaching danger did not lead them to repentance! They prophesied also the loss of those exclusive privileges which they guarded so jealously. "He will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen." The Gentiles were to succeed to the privileges which the Jews possessed; they had been strangers and foreigners, but soon they would become fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. "I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 66:21). They would tend the Church of God; they would render the fruit in due season to the Lord of the vineyard.

 

IV. The Chief Cornerstone.

 

1. Its exaltation. The parable, like every other parable, was inadequate to express the whole spiritual truth. The heir was slain; He could not appear again in the story as the judge. The Lord adds another illustration, quoting the psalm (the hundred and eighteenth) from which the "Hosanna!" of Palm Sunday had been derived: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." The priests and scribes were the builders; it was their duty to rear up the spiritual temple. One stone they had rejected; it was mean and poor in their eyes. God Himself would raise that stone to the highest place of honor. It should become the head stone, with shouting’s, "Grace, grace unto it!" (Zechariah 4:7). This is the Lord's doing. God highly exalted Him whom the Jews rejected.

 

2. The application. The Lord now applies both parables directly and distinctly to the priests and scribes. They were the husbandmen, He told them, the rebellious husbandmen. The vineyard was the Kingdom of God; it should be taken from them; they should no longer possess its privileges. The spiritual Israel, the Israel of God, is the nation to whom the kingdom should be given; not one earthly nation, but the nations of the saved; of all nations, and kindred, and peoples, and tongues. And that nation, the great Catholic Church of Christ, would bring forth the fruits which the vineyard ought to yield, not wild grapes, but good grapes, the precious fruit of the Spirit.

 

The priests and scribes were also the foolish builders. They had rejected the chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, which the Lord would lay in Zion; it was becoming to them a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. The low estate of Christ was a stumbling block now; the cross of Christ would be a stumbling block afterwards. "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken," the Lord said, referring again to Isaiah (Isaiah 8:15), where we observe that the stone of stumbling (verses 13, 14) is the Lord of hosts Himself. The Jews were now incurring this guilt and this danger. But a greater danger remained; when the stone is become the head of the corner, when it is raised to its place of honor, it shall grind to powder those on whom it will fall. When the ascended Lord is exalted to the judgment throne, utter destruction will overtake those hardened, impenitent sinners who reject His offers of mercy unto the end, and will not know Him as a Savior, but must at last see Him, when every eye shall see Him, upon the great white throne.

 

3. The anger of the priests. They perceived that He spake of them; they felt the stern rebuke of His words; they felt, too, their truth. Their own consciences smote them. They blazed into fierce anger; they sought to seize Him; but for the moment they were powerless; they could do nothing while the multitude regarded Him as a prophet. May God give us grace to take reproof in a becoming spirit! It should produce, not anger, but repentance.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Profession without obedience is worthless. God bids us work in His vineyard; let us obey Him.

 

2. God has a right to the fruits of vineyard. His ministers must tend the vineyard. They must see, as far as lieth in them, that the fruit is rendered to the Lord.

 

3. Christ is the chief Cornerstone; the living stones of the spiritual temple must be built upon that one Cornerstone, elect, precious.

 

Matthew 21:1-5 - The ass of Bethphage.

 

We cannot tell whether our Lord's exact description of the locality where the ass and colt were to be found was derived from His superhuman knowledge, or whether, as seems more likely in so simple a case, He had agreed with one of His Judean disciples to have the animals in readiness at an appointed time. However this may be, we can see from the whole incident that Jesus paid especial attention to the arrangements for His entry into Jerusalem. This was very unlike His usual habit. Let us consider its significance from two points of view.

 

I. The lord's need.

 

1. Jesus needed one of God's humblest creatures.

 

2. Disciples obtained what their Master needed. He told His need; at once the two chosen messengers set off to have it supplied. It is not enough that we serve Christ in our own way. We have to discover what He really wants. Sometimes it may not be at all what we have chosen. But if it is serviceable to our Lord, that should be enough to determine our course of action.

 

3. The unknown owner of the animals was obedient to the message of Christ's need. "The Lord hath need of them" was the talisman to silence all remonstrances. Jesus may claim what is far more precious to us than any dumb animal. Yet if He calls, He needs; and if He needs, His claim is paramount. He may want a child in the other world; or He may require the child in the mission field. Then it is not for us to withhold our dearest from Him.

 

"Why should I keep one precious thing from thee, When thou hast given thine own dear self for Me?"

 

II. The use of the ass. Why did the Lord need the ass and its colt?

 

1. To fulfill prophecy. We do not often come across the conscious and intentioned fulfillment of prophecy. Usually the prediction comes true in spite of the ignorance of the actors in the fulfillment, or while they are aiming at something else than simply carrying out what a seer of old foretold. But now Christ sets Himself deliberately to put into practice an idea of Zechariah (see again John 19:28). What is best in the Old Testament is followed by Christ in the New.

 

2. To aid in a solemn triumph. Jesus had long forbidden a public confession of His Messiah ship. But now He will make it for Himself; for now it can do no harm. He is to ride in triumph, but in triumph to the cross. That glad entry to Jerusalem was to be just marching into the jaws of death.

 

3. To express the peaceful and gentle character of Christ's Kingship. Jesus did not choose the spirited war horse. Following the idea of the prophet, He selected the lowly ass, an animal which, although it was very superior in the East to the ill-treated ass of the West, was still associated with quietness and simplicity. It was to be a rustic triumph, an old world triumph, quaint and antique, and therefore a protest against the vulgar fashion of earthly glory.

 

Matthew 21:6-11 - The triumphant ride.

 

This was arranged by Christ, and enthusiastically promoted by His disciples. Here was a last glint of sunshine before the storm. The gladness of the scene is in strange contrast with the awful sequel. Palm Sunday ushers in Passion Week. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." While the evil day has not yet come, gladness and the assurance of victory may be the best preparation for it.

 

I. The King's Triumph. Few spectators would see anything kingly in this rustic fete. To the ruling classes of Jerusalem it would seem hut child's play. But to the childlike followers of Jesus it had a deep meaning. These Galileans pilgrims recognized in it the acceptance by Jesus of His royal rights. The question arises: Were they mistaken? He was riding in triumph to Jerusalem. But it was a simple, homely, unconventional triumph. Moreover, it did not lead to the throne, but its promise ended at Calvary, or seemed to end there. We know that the issue was disappointing to the early disciples (Luke 24:21). Nevertheless, we also know that, with Jesus, the way to death was the way to victory. He was most kingly when He suffered most. His Passion was His coronation. He reigns now in the hearts of His people, just because He died for them.

 

II. The people's enthusiasm. Long suppressed emotions now break forth into unrestrained utterance. It seems to be impossible to do too much, in the hastily improvised procession, to show devotion to the Christ. This is expressed in two ways.

 

1. By actions. Garments laid on the animal He rides, garments flung on the road for the honor of being trampled on, sprigs from the wayside trees scattered on the ground, palm branches waved overhead, these things show the utmost enthusiasm. Strong feeling must manifest itself in action.

 

2. By words. The people quoted a well known Messianic psalm, praying for a blessing on the Christ. Their words had nearly the same meaning as our "God save the king!" and they were prompted by an overmastering passion of enthusiasm. This is not at all wonderful. The only wonder is that there was but one Palm Sunday, and that our Lord's last Sunday on earth before His death. To know Him is to see grounds for unbounded devotion, for love beyond measure, for glad praises which no words can contain. This is the great distinction of our Christian faith, its keynote is enthusiasm for Christ.

 

III. The City's Wonder. The happy, noisy procession was heard in Jerusalem, and the citizens looked up from their trades and forgot their bargaining for a moment, in surprise at the unexpected commotion. We may preach the gospel by singing the praises of Christ. One reason why the world is apathetic about Christianity is that the Church is apathetic about Christ. A fearless enthusiasm for Christ will arouse the slumbering world. But we want to go further. In Jerusalem the effect was but slight and transitory. A deeper and more permanent impression was made at Pentecost; for it is the coming of the Holy Spirit, and no merely external excitement, that really touches and changes the hearts of people. Yet even this did not move the greater part of Jerusalem. Rejecting the peaceful coming of Christ, hardened sinners await His next coming, which is in wrath and judgment.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 - Christ cleansing the temple.

 

According to St. Mark's more detailed account, Jesus "looked round" on the day of Jibs triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, and effected His drastic reformation of temple abuses on the following morning. Thus we see that His action did not spring from a hasty outburst of passion. It was the result of deliberation. He had had a night in which to brood over the shameful desecration of His Father's house.

 

I. The desecration.

 

1. The nature of it. It would be a mistake to suppose that the temple was being used as a common market. The animals sold were not to be treated as meat at the shambles. They were for sacrifices. The money changing was not for the convenience of foreigners wanting to be able to do business in the city with the current coin. This was carried on in order to provide for visitors the Hebrew shekel with which to pay the temple dues. Therefore, it was thought, the business was of a religious character, and could be carried on in the temple as part of the sacred work. Animals were sacrificed there: why should they not be sold there? Money was collected there: why should it not be exchanged there?

 

2. The evil of it.

 

II. The Cleansing.

 

1. An act of holy indignation. Jesus was angry; He could be angry; sometimes He was "moved with indignation. It is no sign of sanctity to be unmoved at the sight of what dishonors God and wrongs our fellow men. There is a guilty complacency, a culpable silence, a sinful calm.

 

2. An act of Divine authority. It was His Father's house that Christ was cleansing. He spoke and acted as the messenger of God even to those who did not know that He was the Son of God. Christ has power and authority.

 

3. An act of righteousness. He used force, but of course, if He had met with resistance, the merely physical power He put forth would soon have been overborne. Why, then, did He succeed? Because He had an ally in the breast of every man whom He opposed; the consciences of the traders fought with Jesus against their guilty traffic. He who fights for the right has mighty unseen allies.

 

Do not we need a temple cleansing? The trade spirit desecrates religious work. Finance takes too prominent a place in the Church. It is possible to crush the spirit of private worship in low, unworthy ways of providing the means of public worship. We want the scourge of small cords to drive out the worldly methods of Christian work.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The Fruitless Fig Tree.

 

We may wonder how Jesus could have hungered during the short walk over the Mount of Olives from Bethany, if He had just left the hospitable roof of Martha. Had she taken His mild rebuke too literally when she was busying herself in providing a bountiful table on a former occasion? Or may we not think with more probability that Jesus, who was an early riser, had left the house before breakfast? If so, this would have been a trial to Martha; but it would have shown her and all the disciples how eager He was to be about His Father's business. Yet He is a man, and the fresh morning air on the hills awakens the natural appetite of hunger. A few verses back it is said that Jesus had need of an ass and its colt (Matthew 21:3). Here we see that He had need of a few wild figs, commonest of wayside fruit, so real was His human nature, so perfect the lowliness of His earthly state.

 

I. The condition of the Tree.

 

1. It had promise. This was a forward tree as far as leaves were concerned. Earlier than others of the same species in putting forth its foliage, it gave promise of an early supply of fruit, because the figs appear before the leaves. It is dangerous to make great pretensions. To stand out from our brother men with some claim to exceptional honor is to raise expectations of exceptional worth. We should do well to avoid taking such a position unless we are sure we can sustain it without disappointing the hopes we raise.

 

2. It was not true to its promise. This was the unhappy thing about the tree. If it had been like the backward trees, nothing would have been expected of it. But by giving a sign which in the course of nature should follow the putting forth of fruit, it made a false pretension. Possibly the vigor of the foliage absorbed the sap which should have helped the fruit buds. Great attention to display directly injures the cultivation of really worthy qualities. Religious ostentation is generally barren.

 

II. The doom of the Tree. It is to wither. The fig tree is only valued for the sake of its figs. If these are wanting, the tree is worthless. Its luxuriance of leaves is worse than useless, because it prevents other plants from growing where the fruitless branches overshadow the ground.

 

1. What is fruitless is worthless.

 

2. What is worthless must be destroyed. The fruitless Jerusalem was destroyed. Barren Churches have been swept away from Asia Minor and North Africa; barren Churches will be swept kern other parts of Christendom in the future. Fruitless souls will be cast out of the garden of the Lord.

 

Matthew 21:22 - The boundless possibilities of prayer.

 

Read literally, this is a very difficult verse. We cannot see how it is verified in experience. We should be horrified at its exact and verbal fulfillment, because this would be handing over the control of the universe to the praying mortal. The coachman would not put the reins in the hands of his infant son, however much the child begged for them; yet the disaster which would follow such an action would be nothing in comparison with the unspeakable calamities which would visit the universe if we, in our blindness, our ignorance, our folly, could have done for us whatever we chose to wish for, and that merely for the asking. We may indeed be thankful that no such fearful power has been entrusted to us. But then how are we to interpret the very clear and emphatic words of our Lord?

 

I. It is Faith that gives Efficiency to Prayer. Many prayers are absolutely void and useless because they are not borne upon the wings of faith. They grovel in the earth-mists of unbelief, and never see the light of God's presence. The connection of the verses seems to imply that it was His faith that gave Christ power to bring its doom to the barren fig tree (Matthew 21:21). It is reasonable to suppose that God will give many things to those who trust Him, which He will deny to people who will not rely upon Him. At all events, the setting forth of faith as a condition of the prayer that is to be answered shows that it is absolutely useless to practice an experiment with prayer by testing its efficacy in order to dispel doubt. The purpose of the experiment, and the grounds on which it is made, presuppose the absence of an essential condition of successful prayer. Therefore, if prayer is heard, as Christ tells us it is, such an experiment is foredoomed to failure. We want grounds for faith, but we cannot find them here; or rather we cannot have our first grounds here. The response to prayer will doubtless confirm and strengthen the faith which prompted the prayer. But there must be this prior faith.

 

II. The Prayer of Faith has Boundless Efficacy. We get slight answers to prayer because we have little faith. Yet we cannot expect to have just what we choose to ask for, even though we ask in faith. No; but observe:

 

1. Faith is not confidence in our own prayer, but trust in Christ. Now, when we trust Him we are led near to Him, we begin to understand Him, we learn to think as He thinks and to desire what He desires. Thus faith brings us into sympathy with Christ. But our foolish desires are quite un-Christ like. We shall no longer cherish them when He is by our side. Thus faith chastens prayer, purges it, elevates it, and brings it into harmony with the will of God. The prayer of faith will be such a prayer that God can hear, just in proportion as the faith is a spiritual power that unites us with God.

 

2. The prayer of faith will certainly be answered, though not necessarily in the way in which we expect. Jesus promised to those who lost lands and friends for the gospel's sake, more lands and friends (Matthew 19:29), and His disciples did not receive a literal fulfillment of this promise. But they had a good equivalent. The prayer of faith is answered in God's large, wise way, answered to the full, but by the gift of what He sees best, and not always of what we happen to name.

 

Matthew 21:23-27 - Question met by question.

 

Perhaps we shall best gather up the lessons of this incident if we look first at the form it assumed, then at the underlying substance.

 

I. The Form.

 

1. The question of the Rulers.

 

2. The counter question of Christ. He postpones His reply to a question He desires to have answered by the rulers.

 

II. The Substance. That was indeed an important question which the rulers put to Christ. If it were asked humbly and sincerely, it might be regarded as most just and reasonable. When it is so asked, Christ does answer it. Indeed, if the rulers had not been blind, they would have found a twofold reply close at hand. Christ justifies and confirms His claims:

 

1. By the authority of Conscience. When He startled the people in the temple by an unwonted exercise of authority, they submitted without an attempt at resistance, because their consciences confirmed His action. Christ speaks to the conscience, and the conscience echoes what He says.

 

2. By the authority of Knowledge. Who are the authoritative teachers? Surely the only teachers who can speak to us with authority are those who know the subjects they undertake to teach. Jesus "spoke with authority" (Matthew 7:29), because He spoke out of knowledge. There was a self-evidencing truthfulness and clearness of vision in Him.

 

3. By the Authority of God. The rulers could not see this. If their blindness had not been morally culpable, they would have been excused for rejecting the claims of Christ, because those claims were so great that no mere man could have a right to put them forth. When we perceive the Divine nature of Christ, all His words and deeds are justified, and His authority comes upon us with more than kingly power.

 

Matthew 21:28-32 - The two sons.

 

In this parable our Lord illustrates the great principle which He more than once enunciated, that "many shall be last that are first; and first that are last." It has a special reference to the Pharisees and publicans of Christ's time. But there are publicans and Pharisees in our own day. Let us consider the parable in its bearing on ourselves and the present conduct of people.

 

I. The Son who Refused and Repented.

 

1. His hasty refusal. Doubtless he spoke in impatience. His temper was hot, and the call to work amazed him. Thus he began the day badly, as many people begin life badly. This is altogether deplorable, because no subsequent amendment can obliterate the fact that the beginning was spoilt.

 

2. His later repentance. We need not be the slaves of our own past. If we started wrong, we are not forced to continue in the path of evil. "It is never too late to mend." There is a pride of consistency which only comes of folly; and there is a noble inconsistency, a sublime inconsequence. The change in the son showed

 

3. His obedient action. He "went." That was everything. He may not have said another word; but he obeyed His father, though in silence. The one thing God looks for is obedience. The way to make amends for past negligence is not to promise better things for the future, but just to do them.

 

4. His improving conduct. We see this son in two stages, and the second is better than the first. He was evidently moving in the right direction. The most important question is not: To what have we attained hitherto? But: Which way are we moving? Towards the light or from it?

 

5. His accepted obedience. This was the obedient son. His insolent words were forgiven when his subsequent conduct was penitent and obedient. God forgives the bad past in His penitent children. If they are now in the right path, He accepts them, although they were once far from it.

 

II. The Son who Consented and Disobeyed.

 

1. His ready assent. This was good in its way. But, being only verbal, or at best an intention not yet executed, it was of slight worth. God does not value religious professions as men prize them.

 

2. His courtesy. The second son was courteous to His father, addressing Him as "sir," while his brother was rude and insolent. Now, it is our duty to be courteous to all men, and to be especially respectful to parents. Yet there is an hypocritical tone about good manners when they are not accompanied by good actions. God prefers rude obedience to polite disobedience.

 

3. His subsequent disobedience. We need not suppose that this second son had lied to His father, promising in smooth words what he never intended to perform. It is more probable that our Lord would have us think of him as honest in his profession. He really intended to obey. But he did not count the cost, or the good mood of acquiescence passed away, or some other more fascinating attraction led him to forget, or at least to neglect, his promise. There is an enormous step to be taken from good resolutions to good actions. Many a hindrance, many a temptation, comes between.

 

4. His just condemnation. Jesus appealed to the bystanders for their verdict. He wished to convince their conscience; He desires now to make us see and feel the truth of what He says. Could there be a question as to the verdict? Good promises count for nothing, or rather they count against the man who disobeys in conduct. God judges by conduct alone.

 

Matthew 21:33-41 - The parable of the vineyard.

 

The vineyard is a favorite image in the Bible, and the mention of it by Christ would call to mind in His hearers the Old Testament illustrations of Israel. But more than Israel the nation must be intended by our Lord, because the vineyard is to go on after the destruction of the Jewish state. Our thoughts are therefore directed to the Kingdom of Heaven, partially realized in Israel, more fully realized in the Christian Church, but always a spiritual vineyard.

 

I. God Himself founds Kingdom of Heaven. The owner of the vineyard has it properly planted and all its arrangements completed before He sends husbandmen into it. They have not to begin in the wilderness. God does not behave like the Pharaoh who ordered the Israelites to make bricks without straw. He plants. Therefore He has a right to look for fruit.

 

II. God Entrusts the Work of His Vineyard to Men. There is work for God to be done in His kingdom. This is a high privilege, and it carries with it a grave responsibility. God will not have the just return for all His gifts if Husbandmen are not faithful in his service. The Jewish leaders were God's husbandmen. So are Christian workers today.

 

III. God expects Fruits from His Vineyard. God gives freely; but He looks for a return. It is not that He needs anything. But He does not desire His work to be wasted. He asks for grapes where He has planted a vine. This, then, is the one question for the Church, Is it bearing fruit? By so doing it can glorify God (John 15:8).

 

IV. The Messengers of God have been Shamefully treated. Evidently the servants represent the prophets of ancient Israel, ending with John the Baptist, who was beheaded, though not by the Jews. The reason for this ill treatment is here explained. It is selfishness. The leaders of Israel governed for their own advantage, and not for the glory of God. The leaders of the Church have too often shown a self-seeking spirit, and therefore they have rejected God's true servants.

 

V. The Advent of Christ is a Mark of God's Long Suffering Patience. The owner of the vineyard would try a last means. He would see if the husbandmen would reject His son. It was a great risk to run; but the fruit was precious, and the vineyard was worth rescuing from those who usurped the rights of ownership. God would not east out Israel till Christ had come. But now Christ has come to us as God's last Messenger.

 

VI. The Rejection of Christ is a Fatal Sin. After the husbandmen had killed the heir to the estate, no more patience could be shown to them. They had filled up their cup of guilt to the brim. They had rejected the last and greatest message from their Master. To be cast forth and destroyed is their rightful doom. This doom came upon the leaders of Israel in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Titus. It awaits those false and traitorous leaders of the Church who repeat the sin of the Hebrew hierarchy. It awaits all who work in the midst of the privileges of Christendom without rendering any fruit to the glory of God.

 

VII. The Doom of the Faithless is followed by the Appointment of New Workers. Gentiles took the place of Jews. God's work cannot stand still. He will have fruit, if not through our agency, then by other means. When the official leaders of the Church are unfaithful, God sets them aside, so that, though their doom is postponed, they are really no longer entrusted with any powers by God. Then He raises up men from outside the ranks of office. Thus the vineyard is saved, and God has the fruit of true service.

 

Matthew 21:1-22 - Entry into Jerusalem.

 

Our Lord had now entered on the last week of His life upon earth, but, save in His own heart, there is no premonition of His death. Having spent the Sabbath in Bethany, He proceeds on Sunday morning to the city. That was the day, four days before the Passover, on which the Jews were commanded to choose the Paschal lamb. Our Lord, conscious of His calling to die for His people, puts Himself into their hands. He now feels that His hour has come, and proclaims Himself as the promised Messiah, the King of Peace, by entering into Jerusalem, the metropolis of peace, in a manner which no one could fail to interpret, as One who would certainly furnish men with that which would not give one strong race power over others, but which would weld all men together and give them common feelings and interests, and restore in truth the unity of men. The points in the entry which Matthew considered significant are:

 

I. Our Lord's Proclamation of Himself as King of Peace by riding into Jerusalem on an Ass. He did not choose a horse, because that animal would have suggested royalty of quite another kind from His royalty which was maintained by war and outward force.

 

1. What is it, then, that Christ claims? No one could have the slightest doubt that He claimed to fulfill Old Testament prophecy, and to be that very Person who was to come and bring with Him to earth everything which the love of God could bestow. He professes His willingness to take command of earth, not in the easier sense of being able to lay down a political constitution for all races, but in the sense of being able to satisfy every individual, to give peace to every soul, however distracted by trouble and overwhelmed by sin. And some have through Him actually entered into such peace that they are impregnable to this world's assaults, and have gained the mastery over its temptations. They have found Him to be all He claims to be.

 

2. They proclaimed Him as the Savior and King of men, and He accepted these offices in a very different spirit from that in which they were ascribed to Him. He knew that to be the King of a people so down trodden with sin, so entangled in ancient evils, was full of danger and suffering; that in order to deliver such a people He must die for them. And it is His expectation that we on our side should open our eyes to what He has done, and acknowledge Him as our King. We must not grudge if it comes in the way of our duty to Him to make real sacrifices.

 

3. It must, indeed, have been a humbling experience for our Lord to have Himself ushered into Jerusalem by a crowd through whose hosannas He already heard the mutter of their curses. Such is the homage a perfect life has won.

 

II. Although our Lord makes no moan over His own fate as the rejected Messiah, He quite breaks down at the thought of the doom of His rejecters. Terrible, indeed, must the responsibility often have seemed to Him of being set as the test of men, of being the occasion of so many being found wanting. Are we in a condition so full of hazard and foreboding that it might justly bring tears to the eyes of Christ?

 

III. The Withering of the Fruitless Fig Tree was a symbolic act. Our Lord saw in it the very image of Jerusalem. There was there an exuberant display of all kinds of religious activity, with absolutely nothing that could feed the soul or satisfy God. And the withering of the fig tree reveals the other side of our Lord's character in connection with this rejection by the Jews. He wept, but He also pronounced doom. To calculate our own future we must keep in view not only the tears of Christ, but also His judgment. Throughout His life the one is as prominent as the other. Words which were rarely or never heard from the sternest Old Testament prophet are common on His lips. There is a day of visitation for each man, a day in which to us in our turn there appears a possibility and an invitation to enter into the presence of God, and be forever satisfied in Him and with His likeness. Picture to yourself the shame of being a failure, such a failure that the truest love and most inventive wisdom must give yon up and pronounce you useless.

 

Matthew 21:33-44 - Parable of the wicked husbandmen.

 

The priests and elders already stood convicted of having incapacitated themselves for recognizing the Divine in Jesus. But theirs was not the guilt of common unbelievers. It was not merely their personal, hut their official duty to keep themselves awake to the Divine, by righteousness of life. It was the duty for which their office existed. They are as agents whom a man has appointed to manage his business, and who use their position only to enrich themselves.

 

The parable under which this judgment is carried home to them is one they could not fail to understand. The vineyard was Israel, the small section of humanity railed off from the degrading barbarism around, as if to try what could be done by bestowing every advantage that could help men to produce the proper fruit of men. Nothing wanted which could win them to holiness, nothing which could enlarge, purify, fertilize human nature.

 

The result was that they were content, as many professing religion are content now, with receiving and doing nothing. They measured themselves by the care God spent on them, not by the fruit they yielded; by the amount of instruction, the grace they received, not by the use that they made of it. Again and again God sent to remind them He was expecting fruit of His care, but His messengers speedily found that they were willing enough to live upon God, but not to live to Him. But it is the keepers of the vineyard who are here censured for unfaithfulness, and that on two grounds.

 

1. They used their position solely for their own advantage. They had failed to remember they were servants. The religious leader is as liable as the political or military leader to be led by a desire for distinction, applause, power. Success may be the idol of the one as truly as of the other. It is not the sphere in which one's work is done that proves its spirituality or worthiness, nor even the nature of it, but the motive.

 

2. They are censured for their zeal in proselytizing, a more insidious form of the temptation to use their position for their own ends. The indignation of our Lord was roused by the same element in their zeal, which so often still taints zeal for the propagation of religious truth. It was the desire rather to bring men to their way of thinking than to bring them to the truth. How wide spreading and deep reaching this evil is those well know who have observed how dangerously near propagandas is to persecution. The zeal that proceeds from loving consideration of others does not, when opposed, darken into violence and ferocity. If we become bitter and fierce when contradicted, we may recognize our zeal as springing from desire to have our own influence acknowledged, rather than from deep love of others, or regard for the truth as truth.

 

The condemnation of the parable our Lord enforces by reference to the Scriptures of which they professed to be guardians. Rejection by the builders was one of the marks of the Foundation stone chosen by God. They caviled at His allowing the hosanna psalm to be applied to Himself, but this was itself proof that He was what the crowd affirmed Him to be. Note: Our Lord completes the warning, abandoning the figure of the parable, and making use of the figure of the stone.

 

Verse 45 - Ch. 22:14 - The marriage of the King's Son.

 

This parable, taken along with the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, forms a climax to them. In the first, God is represented as a Father issuing a command; in the second, as a Householder who expects the performance of a contract; in the third parable, God appears as a King, not commanding, but looking for acceptance of an enviable invitation.

 

Already the Kingdom of God had been likened to a feast, but here prominence is given to the circumstance of the host being a King, and the occasion the marriage of His son, and it is impossible to avoid the impression that our Lord meant to indicate that He was the King's Son. He and John had both familiarized the people with the title Bridegroom as applied to the Messiah. But it is rather from God's side than from man's the Bridegroom is here viewed. In Christ God and man are made one. No union can be so close. And in this, the greatest event in God's reign, and the indestructible glory of humanity, God might well expect that men should rejoice with Him. Proclamation had been made, invitation given, and people remained wholly indifferent. The earnest sincerity of God in seeking our good in this matter is marked by one or two unmistakable traits.

 

1. By the King's willing observance of every form of courtesy. One of these is the sending of a second messenger to announce the actual readiness of the feast. And so God had not only sent the prophets, bidding the Jews expect this festival, but sent John to remind and bring them. And so He still offers His blessings in ways which leave the reluctant without apology, He considers your needs and your feelings, and what He offers is that in which He has His own chief joy, fellowship with His Son.

 

2. By His wrath against the murderers. You may be so little in earnest about God's invitation that you scarcely seriously consider whether it is to be accepted or not, but nothing can so occupy Him as to turn His observation from you. To save sinners from destruction is His grand purpose, and no success in other parts of His government can repay Him for failure here.

 

The last scene in the parable forms an appendix directed to a special section in the audience. Seeing the gates of the kingdom thrown open, and absolute, unconditioned freedom of entrance given, the ill living and godless might be led to overlook the great moral change requisite in all who enter God's presence and propose to hold intercourse with Him. The refusal of the wedding dress provided was not only studied contempt and insult, but showed alienation of spirit, disaffection, want of sympathy with the feelings of the king.

 

The guest must have lacked the festive spirit, and was therefore "a spot in the feast." He sits there out of harmony with the spirit of the occasion, and disloyal to His king. Therefore is His punishment swift and sudden. The eye of the king marks the intruder, and neither the outer darkness of an Eastern street, nor the pitchy blackness in which he lies unseen and helpless, can hide him from that gaze of His Lord which he feels to be imprinted on his conscience forever. In applying this parable, we may mark:

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The triumph of Christ.

 

In His journey to Jerusalem Jesus rested at Bethany, where, stopping at the house of Simon the leper, Mary anointed His feet (cf. Matthew 26:6; John 12:2). His progress on the day following is here recorded. Observe:

 

I. That Jesus entered the Capital in the Royalty of Meekness.

 

1. He came in sacred character.

 

2. He came as the "Prince of Peace."

 

3. He came in humble state.

 

II. That Jesus entered the Capital for the Triumph of Destiny.

 

1. He came for the fulfillment of prophecy.

 

2. His coming was itself a prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:12-17 - The Lord of the temple.

 

"The temple of God" (Matthew 21:12) Jesus calls "My house" (Matthew 21:13), asserting Himself to be the Divine Lord of the temple. And quoting as He does from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, He identifies Himself as "Jehovah." Acting in this quality, He surveyed the characters He found in the temple and dealt with them accordingly. But the temple stands forth as a type of Christ's Church (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21, Ephesians 2:22; Hebrews 3:6), so the subject has its lessons for us. We may ask, then:

 

I. What sort of persons does Jesus find in His Church?

 

1. He finds the secularist there.

 

(a) By that scandalous traffic in holy things, which is so largely carried on within the borders of the professing Church, in simoniacal presentation, fraudulent exchanges, preferment obtained through flattery.

 

(b) By that worldly, covetous, money getting spirit which dwells in so many of its members. This spirit is demoralizing. It is also distracting to worship.

 

2. He finds the afflicted there.

 

3. He finds the true disciple there.

 

4. He finds the rituality and the traditionalist there.

 

II. What sort of treatment have they to expect from Him?

 

1. What has the secularist to expect?

 

2. What have the afflicted to expect?

 

3. What have the true disciples to expect?

 

4. What have the haughty to expect?

 

Matthew 21:18-22 - The omnipotence of faith.

 

The miracles of Jesus were generally miracles of mercy. There are a few exceptions. Conspicuous amongst these is the withering of the fig tree with a word. When the disciples marveled Jesus expounded to them His astonishing doctrine of the power of faith. We learn:

 

I. That Believing is Essential to Prevailing Prayer.

 

1. There can be no prayer without faith in a personal God.

 

2. There can be no prayer without faith in a Person susceptible to human appeals.

 

3. Faith is active in successful prayer.

 

II. That Believing Prayer is Infallibly Effective.

 

1. Because God has pledged Himself to it.

 

2. But how is the infallible effectiveness of believing prayer reconciled with the wisdom of God?

 

3. But how can efficacy in prayer comport with the uniformity of nature's processes?

 

III. That Prayer Fails through the influence of conditions inimical to Active Faith.

 

1. As when the matter of the suit is unwise.

 

2. As when the motive is unworthy of the suit.

 

3. As when the disposition of the suppliant is inconsistent with sincerity.

 

Matthew 21:23-32 - The authority of Jesus.

 

The "things" in reference to the doing of which this question of the authority of Jesus was raised by the chief priests and elders, were His purging the temple from the traffickers, His publicly teaching and working miracles of healing there. Mark, by more clearly placing the miracle of the withering of the fig tree in order before these things, brings them into closer connection with the passage before us. We may profitably consider the authority of Jesus:

 

I. As it is Evident in His Conduct.

 

1. His questioners were not ignorant of His claims.

 

2. His conduct vindicated His claims.

 

"Seest thou yon harlot, wooing all she meets;

 

The worn out nuisance of the public streets;

 

Herself from morn to night, from night to morn,

 

Her own abhorrence, and as much your scorn?

 

The gracious shower, unlimited and free,

 

Shall fall on her when Heaven denies it thee."

 

(Cowper.)

 

3. Note here the gospel call.

 

II. As it is Evident in the Testimony of John.

 

1. John's baptism was proved to be "from heaven."

 

(a) "The baptism of John" is here put for His doctrine.

 

(b) Jesus, by submitting to John's baptism, accepted and sanctioned His doctrine.

 

(c) Matthew 21:1-46

 

The vast multitudes who came to His baptism thereby professed faith in His teaching. Hence the general expression, "All hold John as a prophet." The defeat of Herod's army in the war with Aretas, King of Arabia, was esteemed by the Jews a judgment for the death of John (Josephus, 'Ant.,' John 18:7).

 

2. John's testimony therefore should be conclusive.

 

III. As it is Evident in the Discomfiture of His enemies.

 

1. They set up their authority against His.

 

Their question, "Who gave thee this authority?" suggests that they were offended because He not only taught without their permission, but contravened their concession to the traffickers when He drove them out.

 

2. He treated their presumption with contempt.

 

Matthew 21:33-46 - Goodness and severity: In this parable Jesus sets forth the privileges, the sins, and the impending ruin of the Jewish people. It brings before us for our admonition

 

I. What the Lord did for His people.

 

1. He became a Father to them.

 

2. He gave them a rich inheritance.

 

3. He made every provision for their benefit.

 

(a) By the "law of commandments contained in ordinances" He separated His people from the idolatrous nations surrounding.

 

(b) His providence was as a wall of fire for their defense (see Zechariah 2:5).

 

II. The Return He received for His Goodness.

 

1. The husbandmen kept from Him the fruits.

 

2. They maltreated His messengers.

 

3. They murdered the heir.

 

III. The Severity of His Retribution.

 

1. God dooms the sinner to the judgment of his sin.

 

2. He brings confusion upon his schemes.

 

3. He brings judgment upon them to destruction.

 

Matthew 21:3 - Ready response to Divine claims.

 

"Straightway He will send them." It does not at once appear whether our Lord made a claim on this animal, in a general way, for the service of God, or in a particular way, as a personal favor to Himself. He must have been well known in the neighborhood of Bethany, and it is quite conceivable that the man distinctly lent the animal to Jesus. It was not a working animal, and there was no loss of its labor, or its mother's, in this use of it by Jesus.

 

What stands out to view, as suggestive of helpful thoughts and useful lessons, is the ready response of this good man. Think of it as a Divine claim, and he presents an example of prompt, trustful, unquestioning obedience. Think of it as a request from the great Teacher, and then you have revealed a secret disciple, or at least one who felt the fascination of our Lord's presence.

 

I. Ready Response to Divine Claims as An Example.

 

There was no questioning or dispute; no hesitation or doubt; no anxiety, even, as to how the animals would be brought back again. There was no anxiety as to what was to be done with them; no fear as to any injury coming to them; the man did not even suggest that the colt would be of no use, for he had not been "broken in." It is beautiful and suggestive that the simple sentence, "The Lord hath need of them," sufficed to quiet and satisfy him. He could shift all the responsibility on the Lord. "He knows everything; He controls everything. What I have to do is to obey. Depend upon it, the rest will all come right." So away at once, and away cheerfully, went the animals.

 

That is a noble example indeed. We spoil so much of our obedience by criticizing the things we are called to do, or give, or bear. Then we hesitate, question, doubt, and do languidly at last what we do. If we know what God's will is, that should always be enough. We have nothing to do with the how or the why. Send the animals at once if you know that "the Lord hath need of them."

 

II. Ready Response to Divine Claims as A Revelation of Character.

 

We like the response of this man. We seem to know this man. His act reveals him. A simple-hearted sort of man, whose natural trustfulness has not been spoilt. An open-hearted, generous sort of man, with very little "calculation" in him. He reminds one of Nathanael, "in whom was no guile." And simple souls somehow get the best of life.

 

Matthew 21:5, Matthew 21:8 --Signs of meekness and sifters of joy.

 

"Thy King cometh unto thee, meek;" "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way." The word "meek" is used in Scripture for "not self-assertive," "not seeking one's own." It is not to be confounded with "humility." The apostle puts "humbleness of mind" and "meekness" alongside each other in such a way that we observe the distinction between them. Moses was the "meekest of men," but certainly not the most humble. It is usual to associate our Lord's "meekness" with His riding on so lowly an animal; but this is to transfer our Western ideas of asses to Eastern lands; and it also fails to observe that in Matthew 21:5 there are two assertions, each distinct from the other. Our Lord was "meek;" and our Lord was "sitting upon an ass." If we take the word "meek" here in its usual meaning, "not self-assertive," we may find fresh suggestion in the passage. The signs of joy given in Matthew 21:8, Matthew 21:9 are characteristically Eastern.

 

I. The Meekness of Jesus.

 

This is not the thing which first arrests attention. Indeed, on this one occasion Jesus seems to be asserting Himself. Look deeper, and it will be found that He is not. He is not in any of the senses men put into that term. There, riding into Jerusalem as a King, He has no intention of setting up any such kingdom as men expect; He does not mean to use any force; you could never mistake Him for a conqueror. There is submission, there is no self-assertion.

 

II. The Joy of the People.

 

In calling Jesus the "Son of David," the people recognized Him as the long promised Messiah; and, without clear apprehensions of what His work was to be, they could rejoice in the realization of the national hope. Their joy made it clear to the Jerusalem officials that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. There could be no mistake. They must accept or reject the claim.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 -The fitting and the unfitting in God's house.

 

"My house shall be called a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and changing foreign money into temple shekels, was right enough in its place; but the point is, that all this was being done in the wrong place. The sense of the appropriate, of the becoming, was lost; it was covered over and bidden by the greed of the trader, and the avarice of the money changer. Trade is not wrong, if it be honest trade, and buyer and seller pass fair equivalents. Banking is not wrong in itself, though it gives great opportunities to the covetous.

 

Our Lord never interfered with trades’ folk or with money changers; He only taught principles that would ensure their bargaining fairly. His righteous anger was roused by the offence these traffickers gave to His sense of the fitting, of the becoming. The true consecration of a building is no mere ceremony, it is the feeling of consecration that is in all reverent souls in relation to it. The consecration should have been in these traders, it was fitting to the place where they were; if it had been in them, they would never have thought of bringing the beasts, the cages, and the tables inside the gates of the temple of Jehovah.

 

I. The Sense of the Fitting an Impulse to Jesus.

We might properly expect that this "sense" would be at its keenest in the case of Jesus. The honor of the Father-God was the one all-mastering purpose of His life. He could not bear any slight to be put on God, on anything belonging to God, on anything associated with His Name. He was specially jealous, with a sanctified Jewish jealousy, of the temple where God was worshipped. He felt what was fitting to it: stillness, quiet, prayer, reverent attitudes. He felt what was unfitting: noise, dirt, quarrellings over bargains, shouts of drovers, and the greed and over-reaching of covetous men. So the consecration of our worship places is really the response to our quickened, spiritual, Christly, sense of what is fitting. The one thing we ask for is the sustained sense of harmony

 

II. Lack of the Sense of the Fitting gave License to the Traders.

 

In them the spiritual was hidden. Custom had covered it. Greed had covered it. They were thinking about themselves and their getting’s, and so lost all sense of the becoming. They must learn, by a hard, humbling, and awakening lesson, that God's temple is for God.

 

Matthew 21:16 - The ministry of the children.

 

Children are always delighted with a little public excitement, and readily catch up the common enthusiasm; but we do not look to children for calm and intelligent judgments on great issues. To our Lord children always represented simple, guileless, unprejudiced souls, who put up no barriers against His teachings, or against the gracious influences which He strove to exert. These children would be lads from twelve years old upward. They caught up the words of the excited disciples, and kept up the excitement by shouting, even in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

 

I. The Children comforted Jesus by what they did.

 

It was a bit of simple, honest, unrestrained enthusiasm. The young souls were carried away by the joyous excitement of the day. It comforted Jesus to hear some people speaking of Him who were unquestionably sincere; who just uttered their hearts; who were glad, and said so. For it must have been a heavy burden to our Lord that, even to the last, His disciples were so guileful; they seemed as if they could never rise above the idea that they were about to "get something good" by clinging to the Lord Jesus. "Hosanna!" from the lads who wanted nothing from Him must have been very comforting to our Lord, That is always one of the chief elements of pleasure in children's worship; it is guileless, genuine, the free unrestrained utterance of the passing mood. It is not the highest thing. That is the worship of the finally redeemed, who have won innocence through experience of sin; but it is the earth-suggestion of it. Children's praise is still the joy of Christian hearts.

 

II. The Children comforted Jesus by what they represented.

 

For to Him the children were types. "Babes and suckling" are types of simple, loving, trustful souls, and to such God's revelations come. Now, there are two kinds of trustful, humble, gentle souls.

 

1. Those who are trustful without ever having struggled. Some are naturally trustful, believing, receptive, and in all spheres of life they are loved and loving souls.

 

2. Those who are trustful as the victory out of struggle. These are the noblest ones, the true child souls, the true virgin souls; these walk the earth in white, and it is white that will never take a soil. In their praise Christ finds His supreme joy.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The tree type of the Hypocrite.

 

"Found nothing thereon, but leaves only." The attempted explanations of the condition of this fig tree bewilder us. Some say our Lord expected to find some stray figs on the tree left from the last harvest. Others say that, as He saw leaves, He naturally expected fruit, because the figs appear on the trees before the fruit. We must suppose that it was the custom to eat green figs, for it is certain that at this season of the year the fresh figs could not be ripened. What is clear is:

 

I. Our lord taught by symbolic actions.

 

There are spoken parables and acted parables; both were used in all teachings, especially in Eastern teachings; both were used by our Lord. All suggestion that our Lord was personally vexed at the failure of the tree must be carefully eliminated. With the genius of the teacher, our Lord at once saw, and seized, the opportunity for giving an impressive object lesson, which He completed by consummating at once the destruction of the tree. Explain that the tree must have been diseased, or it would have borne fruit. Its destruction was certain. The tree did not sin in being diseased or having no fruit; but the teacher may take it to represent one who sins in making outward show that has no answering goodness within it. Our Lord only took beasts or trees to illustrate Divine judgments.

 

II. What our Lord taught her was the certain doom of the hypocrite.

 

Christ never spoke so severely of any one as of the hypocrites. Insincerity was the fault most personally offensive to Him. The tree seemed to represent a hypocrite. It had leaves. There was fair outward show. It seemed to say, "Come to me if you are hungry; I can refresh you." And when Christ came He found the leaves were all it had to give. His thoughts were much occupied at this time with the Pharisees, who were making outside show of superior piety, but had no soul piety opening their hearts to give Him welcome. Perhaps our Lord meant to picture Judas Iscariot. Fair showing as any disciple, but rotten hearted. Let Pharisees learn, let Judas learn, let disciples learn, from that fig tree. It is dying; Christ hastens the corrupting process, and it dies in a day. The hypocrite is corrupting. He is under the curse of God. There is no hope in this life or the next for the man who is consciously insincere.

 

Matthew 21:22 - Believing, the condition of acceptable prayer.

 

The immediate lesson which Christ drew from the incident was not taken from the tree, that lesson He left the disciples to think out for themselves, but from their surprise at the result which followed His words. Our Lord seems always to have spoken of prayer in a large, general, and comprehensive way; and yet we may always discern some intimation of the qualifications and limitations which must always condition answer to human prayer.

 

It is true that "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer ye shall receive;" but it is also true that we must meet the appointed condition, and be "believers", those who cherish the spirit of openness and trust. "It was rather the power and wonder of their Lord's act, than the deeper significance of it, that moved the disciples. Yet Jesus follows the turn their thoughts take, and teaches that prayer and faith will remove mountains of difficulty."

 

I. Believing as God's Condition.

 

God's conditions are never to be thought of as arbitrary; they are always necessities, always sweetly reasonable. The term "believing" represents that state of mind and feeling in a man which alone fits him to receive, and make the best of, God's answer to his prayer. God might give, but his gift could be no real moral blessing if there was no fitness to receive. It is the "right state of mind for receiving" that is expressed in "believing." This includes humility, dependence, reliance, and hopefulness. It is opposed to the critical spirit that questions, and the doubting spirit that fears. Even we in common life make believing a condition. We gladly do things for others when they trust us fully.

 

II. Believing as man's difficulty.

 

Self-reliance is the essence of man's sin, seeing that he really is a dependent creature. Man does not care to trust anybody; he trusts himself. Other people may lean on him; he leans on nobody. And so long as a man has this spirit, all prayer must, for him, be a formality and a sham; because prayer is the expression of dependence which he does not feel. Keeping the spirit of full trust is the supreme difficulty of the Christian man all through his Christian course. He has to be always on the watch lest he should lose the right to answer because he is failing to believe, to trust.

 

III. Believing as the Christly Triumph.

 

The man who has altogether abandoned self-trust, and given himself wholly into the hands of Christ for salvation, has won the power of trusting, and has only to keep it up.

 

Matthew 21:24 - Christ become a Questioner.

 

Those who came to Christ on this occasion were distinctly officials, representatives of the Sanhedrin, the council which claimed and exercised authority in all matters related to religion. "Before its tribunal false prophets were arraigned. It dealt with questions of doctrine, and, when occasion arose, could exercise the functions of a council." "In the New Testament we see Christ before the Sanhedrin as a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65); the Apostles Peter and John, as false prophets and seducers of the people; as having blasphemed against God; and the Apostle Paul, as subverting the Law."

 

This was, no doubt, a very imposing deputation. Schemes to entangle Christ in His talk had miserably failed; now the officials resolved to act straightforwardly and imposingly. They would demand to know the authority on which Jesus acted. The three elements of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, elders, and scribes; were all represented, and we seem to see the confident haughtiness of their approach.

 

I. Christ asserting a superior authority.

 

"He knew what was in man." He was not in the least alarmed. He know their guilefulness so well that He was not in the least deferential. The prophet was never submissive to the temple officials. His authority was His commission direct from God. They had been pleased to decide that no one could be permitted to teach who had not passed through a rabbinical school. Jesus knew that every man has a right to teach who is himself taught of God. He, moreover, was more than a prophet; He is, in the highest and holiest sense, the Son and Sent of God. They had no right to question Him. He would recognize no such right, and give to their questionings no answer, He would exert His authority and question them; and never was official deputation more humiliated than when these men found themselves questioned, and hopelessly entangled by the question put to them. All putting Christ to the test implies a wrong state of mind. He speaks in the name of God, and as God, and our duty is unquestioning obedience.

 

II. Christ discomfiting His foes by His Superior Authority.

 

They felt His authority, and did not for a moment attempt to dispute it. They did not think of saying, "We came to question You, and cannot allow You to question us." They were mastered by His calmness, by His manifest superiority, by the skill of His question, which put them into the most awkward and humiliating position. They retired defeated and angry.

 

Matthew 21:29 - Speech tested by deed.

 

To see the point of this parable, it is necessary to observe the connection in which it stands. Our Lord was dealing with men who proposed to entangle Him in His talk, and, out of what He said, find accusation against Him. He had turned the tables on them, by putting to them a question which they dared not answer; and now, in this parable of the two sons, He presents to them a picture of themselves, which they could not fail to recognize.

 

They were like the son who made great professions of obedience, but did not obey. "The parable is too plain spoken to be evaded. They cannot deny that the satisfactory son is not the one who professes great respect for His father's authority, while he does only what pleases himself, but the one who does His father's bidding, even though he has at first disowned His authority. These men were so unceremoniously dealt with by our Lord because they were false. They may not have clearly seen that they were false, but they were so".

 

I. Speech shown to be Worthless by Deeds. Professions are good and right; they ought to be made. But professions must not stand alone. They ought to express purpose. They ought to be followed by appropriate action. The peril of religion in every age lies in the fact that credit is to be gained and confidence won by making profession; and so the insincere man, and the man who can deceive himself, are tempted to make religious profession hide their self-seeking. And it must also be said that religious profession, and observance of mere religious rites, becomes a prevailing custom, by which men are carried away, and relieved of anxiety about making deeds match words. The Pharisee class are evidently pictured in this son. They were extremely anxious about speaking right and showing right, but they were sadly indifferent about doing right. What needs to be continually re-impressed is, that supreme importance attaches to being right and doing right; these will find natural and proper expression. If we are right, our profession will match ourselves.

 

II. Speech put to shame by deeds.

 

The son is in no way to be commended who refused obedience. It was a bad profession, and found expression for a bad mind. But when he came to a good mind, and went and obeyed, the obedience put to shame the hasty and unworthy words. No doubt our Lord referred to the publican class, who had taken their own willful and self-pleasing way, but now they had come to a better mind, and were even pressing into the kingdom.

 

Matthew 21:33 - The wicked husbandmen.

 

This parable belongs to the series in which our Lord shows up His enemies, and reveals to them at once their own shameless scheming, and His complete knowledge of their devices. But while the relation of the parable to those Pharisees should be recognized, it is necessary also to see that the man of God can never let the evils of his age alone. Those Pharisees were holding men in creed and ceremonial bondage; Christ did not attack them because of their personal enmity to Him. It was this, a liberator of human thought can never let the thought enslavers alone. In this parable we have the dealings of God with men illustrated in the dealings of God with the Jews, and pictured in the parable of the vineyard renters. Explain the first references of the parable. Vineyard, God's chosen people. Husbandmen, the ordinary leaders and teachers of the nation. Servants, the prophets or special messengers. Destruction, the final siege of Jerusalem. Others, the transfer of gospel privileges to the Gentiles.

 

I. The Reasonableness of God's dealings with men. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. (Compare the more elaborate description in Isaiah 5:1-30.) Chosen ground. Planted. Nourished. Guarded. Pruned. And a wine-vat prepared in expectation of fruit. What could have been done more?

 

2. From the historical facts of God's dealings with Israel. God's call, redemption, provision, guidance, and prosperity. The final seeking fruit was Christ's coming.

 

3. From our own personal experience, as members of the spiritual Israel of God. Recall the graciousness of the Divine dealings with us.

 

II. The Unreasonableness of Men's dealings with God. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. The shame, dishonesty, ingratitude, and rebellion of these husbandmen. See to what length it goes.

 

2. From the historical facts. The resistance, again and again, of Jewish prophets, as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos. The willful casting out of the Son.

 

3. From our own personal experience. Take the case of one unsaved. Up to this resisted motherhood, friendship, Bible, inward call of Christ, etc. How must man's unreasonableness be divinely met?

 

Matthew 21:42 - The history of the Cornerstone.

 

Foundations are not now laid as in olden times. Foundation stones are now mere ornaments. There is no sense in which buildings now rest on them. Memorial stones are taking the place of foundation stones. Probably the figure of the "cornerstone" is taken from the corner of Mount Moriah, which had to be built up from the valley, in order to make a square area for the temple courts. Dean Plumptre says, "In the primary meaning of the psalm, the illustration seems to have been drawn from one of the stones, quarried, hewn, and marked, away from the site of the temple, which the builders, ignorant of the head architect's plans, had put on one side, as having no place in the building, but which was found afterwards to be that on which the completeness of the structure depended, that on which, as the chief cornerstone, the two walls met, and were bonded together." Take this suggestion, and consider:

 

I. Christ as the prepared cornerstone.

 

Describe the work done on the limestone block in order to fit it for its place as a foundation stone. The apostle permits us to think of the experiences of our Lord's human life as fitting Him to be the Savior He became. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, for His work as the "bringer on of souls." "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things that He suffered." The Cornerstone was being chiseled and, beveled for its place. Work out this figure.

 

II. Christ as the rejected cornerstone.

 

When our Lord spoke, the Cornerstone was almost ready; and there were the men who prided themselves on being the builders of God's temple of religion. And they were, then and there, rejecting that "tried Stone, that precious Cornerstone." They would put nothing on it. It was not to their mind. It may lie forever in the quarry for all they care. But happily they were only like overseers, or clerks of works. The Architect Himself may order this Stone to be brought, and made the "Head of the corner."

 

III. Christ as the honored cornerstone.

 

The Architect Himself did interfere, brushed those petty officials aside, had the tried Stone brought out, and on it He has had built the new temple of the ages. That temple is rising into ever richer and nobler proportions, and it was never more manifest than it is today, that the "Cornerstone is Christ."

 

New International Version: As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.

English Standard Version: Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New American Standard Bible: When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James Bible: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

Holman Christian Standard Bible: When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 

 

International Standard Version: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and 

 

NET Bible: Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And then as He approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, by the side of the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of His disciples,

 

GOD'S WORD® Translation: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of Him.

 

Jubilee Bible 2000: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James 2000 Bible: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American King James Version: And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American Standard Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples, 

 

Darby Bible Translation: And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

English Revised Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Webster's Bible Translation: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and had come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Weymouth New Testament: When they were come near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on in front,

 

World English Bible: When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Young's Literal Translation: And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Parallel Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

 

21:1-11 This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor.

 

Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

Pulpit Commentary:

 

Verses 1-11. - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11Luke 19:29-44John 12:12-19.) 

 

Verse 1. We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on ver. 10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6John 12:1). 

 

Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls. Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles. 

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Some suggest that the triumphal entry in Mark 11. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem; the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow but there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained.

 

The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews." By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him. 

 

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:

 

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when He drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, His disciples were with Him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account. They might well be said to be near to Jerusalem, since it is added, and were come to Bethphage; which the Jews say (n) was within the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and was in all respects as the city itself, and was the outermost part of it (o); and that all within the outward circumference of the city of Jerusalem was called Bethphage (p): it seems to be part of it within the city, and part of it without, in the suburbs of it, which reached to Bethany, and that to the Mount of Olives. Various are the derivations and etymologies of this place: some say it signifies "the house", or "place of a fountain", from a fountain that was in it; as if it was a compound of "Beth", an house, and "pege", a fountain: others, "the house of the mouth of a valley"; as if it was made up of those three words, , because the outward boundary of it was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, at the entrance of the valley of Jehoshaphat: others say, that the ancient reading was "Bethphage, the house of slaughter"; and Jerom says (q), it was a village of the priests, and he renders it, "the house of jaw bones": here indeed they might bake the showbread, and eat the holy things, as in Jerusalem (r); but the true reading and signification of it is, "the house of figs"; so called from the fig trees which grew in the outward limits of it, near Bethany, and the Mount of Olives; hence we read of (s) , "the figs of Bethany"; which place is mentioned along with, Bethphage, both by Mark and Luke, where Christ, and those with Him, were now come: the latter says, they were come nigh to these places, for they were come to the Mount of Olives; near to which were the furthermost limits of Bethany, and Bethphage, from Jerusalem. This mount was so called from the abundance of olive trees which grew upon it, and was on the east side of Jerusalem (t); and it was distant from it a Sabbath day's journey, Acts 1:12 which was two, thousand cubits, or eight furlongs, and which made one mile: then sent Jesus two disciples; who they were is not certain, perhaps Peter and John, who were afterwards sent by Him to prepare the Passover, Luke 22:8

 

Commentaries:

 

As written in Scripture;1st:"Jesus Knew the exact location and where the foal would be proving His Omniscience"; Also in (Zechariah9:9)"Behold, Your/Our King is Coming to you/Us; He is Just and Having salvation. Lowly(Humble) and riding on the foal of a Donkey." This proves Christ obedience unto His Fathers Perfect Will and it teaches us that His prophesying is and was True! Every scripture written was "By Gods Divine Inspiration." No man could ever have come up with any of this! Jesus is The Truth! Jesus is The Light! Jesus is The Way that leads to Eternal Life in Purity and Holiness with Him and His Father in Perfect Holiness! God cannot tolerate sin! It will be ecstatic! Beautiful beyond belief as well. I have seen tastes through deep Prayer. God is Holy and We will be after we shed these Earthly dwellings God has placed us into. We will then be Given Glorified Bodies in which to serve with Christ for eternity!

 

This was spoken through the prophet so it had to be fulfilled.  HE did this so the people would know he was not about glamour and fame but wanted them to know His Father.

 

Jesus choose a donkey to show the world He come to earth for the peole who sin and the poor. He did come with a horse - show of rich

 

To fulfill God's prophecy. He demonstrated humility to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.

 

In order for us here on earth to receive his grace we have to humble ourselves, for by grace we are saved through faith and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8)

 

I think the purpose in Jesus' humble existence to be sure that people, all people, understand that salvation, Heaven, God, His mercy, His Grace, all of His blessings, forgiveness, all of the gifts from God belong to anyone regardless of their social standing.

 

He wanted to enter into the city as one of their own but riding on a donkey with colt, he could be identified for those that worshiped the Lord as their Heavenly Father.  They would know that all that has been preached is true and that he is indeed the Son of God.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in the same manner He lived humbly...fulfilling the scriptures, that a King would enter Jerusalem in a humble manner.

 

Jesus wants to lay a good example for His disciples.  He did that when He went forward to wash the fit of His disciples.

 

Jesus choose to ride a donkey because He is humble and also to fulfilled the scriptures

 

Jesus led a very humble and poor life while on earth. If you think about the type of entrance a king would make into a city, you would probably imagine one that encompasses a great deal of pomp & circumstance. In this depiction, the greatest king to ever walk the earth choose to ride the back of a donkey, again reinforcing the fact that he practiced what he preached.

 

As I think about this event, his mother rode a donkey into Bethlehem 30 plus years prior. I have never thought about tying these two event together prior to this point, but I'm wondering if these two events are tied together symbolizing the life of JESUS' has come full circle.

 

It was to fulfill what the prophets had spoken long about Him as their King. Yes, that prophesy had to come true. It was also to show the type of His Kingship was, as opposed to what the Jews  had expected; a warrior  to free them from the Romans.

 

"He knew that His death had been decided by the rulers. He made ready for it. In a grand public demonstration that gave final notice to the Holy City, He entered amid the hallelujahs and hosannas of the expectant crowds. The people were jubilant. They thought the hour of deliverance was at hand. Jesus rode on a colt because it was foretold that Messiah would come that way (Zechariah 9:9)."

 

To show that He comes to earth to save the poor in spirits and one doesn't need to be rich to get to heaven just be humble.

 

To show his character, humbled, patient, and slow to anger.

 

Because it was written in the scriptures. Secondly He wanted to show to the world that He did not come as a king to rule. He came to rule in the hearts of people by forgiving their sins, by doing service to the humanity and to carry out the order of the God.

 

That show us that Jesus is special. He did need rich and high roles to make Him important He show He is for the poor and for every one that believe in Him..

 

Because He is the firstborn of everything, He  chose a humble  entry to Jerusalem to be the firstborn to humbleness of which we need to be.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem riding on the donkey so as to mark the official entry of Israel's King. He showed to the people of Israel that this king is not like the king of the earth. In fact, He was very humble at heart and came to serve the people rather than be served like other Kings. Second and foremost, what the prophet said had to come true.

Jesus was doing two things: fulfilling scripture and showing that he was not the worldly military king that most of the people following him thought he was. Jesus came to serve and we should be willing to do the same!

 

Jesus did this entry as to fulfill the words of the prophet.  Jesus himself was also very humble human being and people loved him so much that they spread their clothes on the road while other cut branches and spread it on the road.

 

To display the qualities of humility and modesty. To also fulfill the gospel of his entry to Jerusalem.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey to show that even though He is King of kings, LORD of lords yet He has no pride but just like anyone else.



By: Gregorio Magdaleno
Category: The Triumphal Entry
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

Matthew 21:1-11 

 

The Triumphal Entry

 

When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them." 

 

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 

 

The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and He sat on them. A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. The multitudes who went before Him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 

 

When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" The multitudes said, "This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 

Why did Jesus choose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey?

 

Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

 

In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of His Passion.

 

In John 12:9-11, after raising Lazarus from the dead, crowds gather around Jesus and believe in Him, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as He enters Jerusalem. In Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19, as Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome Jesus as He triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

 

Christians celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as Palm Sunday, a week before Easter Sunday.

 

According to the Gospels, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus was staying at Bethany and Bethphage, and John 12:1 states that He was in Bethany six days before Passover. While there, Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against them, in order to retrieve a donkey that had been tied up but never been ridden, and to say, if questioned, that the donkey was needed by the Lord (or Master) but would be returned.

 

Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem, with the three Synoptic gospels stating that the disciples had first put their cloaks on it, so as to make it more comfortable. In Mark and John the entry takes place on a Sunday, in Matthew on a Monday; Luke does not specify the day. In Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin), foretelling the suffering that awaits the city.

 

The Gospels go on to recount how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and how the people there lay down their cloaks in front of Him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25-26: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless You from the house of the Lord....

 

In the Synoptic Gospels, this episode is followed by the Cleansing of the Temple episode, and in all four Gospels Jesus performs various healings and teaches by way of parables while in Jerusalem, until the Last Supper.

 

Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace, rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse.

 

Old Testament parallels

 

Matthew 21:1-11 refers to a passage from Book of Zechariah (9:9) and states: "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." The location of the Mount of Olives is significant in the Old Testament in that Zechariah 9:9 and Zechariah 14:1-5 stated that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives:

 

“Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.”

 

The triumphal entry and the palm branches, resemble the celebration of Jewish liberation in 1 Maccabeus (13:51) which states: And entered into it ... with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs.

 

Jesus' entry on a donkey has a parallel in Zechariah 9:9 which states that: thy king cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.

 

The symbolism of the donkey may also refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when He was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when He wanted to point out that He was coming in peace. Therefore Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized His entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war waging king

 

Palm Sunday

 

Palm Sunday is also Passion Sunday. The Palm Sunday passage moves us towards the Passion. It has its genesis in Jesus' strategy to bring Himself and His message to Jerusalem. This was much more than a PR opportunity not to be missed because of the concentration of people in Jerusalem during Passover. Rather it belongs to the body language of the message of the 'kingdom'. It is an expression of hope for change. Just as Jesus reflected the Jewish roots of His passion for change by choosing twelve disciples, so also His march on Zion reflects His people's vision that God would bring about a change beginning with Jerusalem. To affirm the vision of the kingdom and to live out its hopes in the present in action and symbol meant challenging existing structures of authority, both those of the temple leadership and those of Rome. This is the backdrop for the drama which follows. To journey with Jesus still means espousing a challenge to the powers which hold sway in our world (and our church).

 

Palm Sunday invites play, serious play. Here is the procession to end all processions. Here is adulation. The creative imagination can place the hearer among the crowd beside the road, reluctant, fully adoring, standing aloof in confusion or alienation, perhaps remembering key events from Jesus' ministry. Let the imagination run!

 

It is important, however, not to cut story from its moorings so that it becomes a triumphalism celebration. In Matthew, as in Mark, whom Matthew closely follows here, this is the fateful entry which will take Jesus to His death. The dramatic irony which celebrates Jesus as king and reaches its climax with Jesus crowned king of the Jews on the cross, is beginning. The acclamation of the crowd is, therefore, at least ambiguous. They will, in Matthew, call Jesus' blood upon themselves and their children. That will have fateful consequences, according to Matthew in the destruction of the temple and the widespread slaughter of its inhabitants, according to subsequent history in the annals of anti-Semitic hate. The scene is full of danger and denseness. John's gospel shows some sensitivity to the problem when he adds the footnote that the disciples did not really understand what was happening or what it meant until after Easter (12:16).

 

Nor should we picture an historical event in which the whole of Jerusalem lined the streets, thronging the new Messiah. An actual entry with some shouts of praise doubtless occurred but would have been sufficiently lost in the Passover crowds as not to warrant the military's attention, who would have been swift to put an end to what could have seemed like a potential disturbance. Whatever the event, it became highly symbolic. Perhaps it had this quality from the start, especially if we imagine a provocative act on Jesus' part in emulating Zechariah's prediction, which Matthew now fully cites; but this is doubtful. Throughout the passion narrative it is difficult to know where reports gave rise to scripture elaboration and where scripture gave rise to stories. Most echoes of scripture (especially the Psalms) probably began as allusions and subsequently became quotations, as here in Matthew. Matthew's concern for precise fulfillment has Jesus ride on 'them', that is, both the ass and its foal, one of the funniest results of 'fulfillments’' in the New Testament!

 

Matthew begins, as does Mark, with the finding of the animals, a miracle similar to the finding of the upper room a little later on. Hearers of the evangelists would recognize in this a sign of divine involvement; it worked for them. Matthew dwells on it less than Mark. The actions of the crowd are as they are reported in Mark. Their acclamation, using the words of Psalm 118, which finds it echo in the Eucharistic liturgy, is more than heralding a Passover pilgrim. It is heralding the Davidic Messiah. Matthew simplifies their cry. It becomes: 'Hosanna to the son of David.' 'Son of David' is an appropriate title for Israel's Messiah, a hope modeled on selective memory of His achievements. It is found on the lips of the Canaanite woman, two sets of two blind men (20:29-34; 9:27-31; cf. Mark 10:46-52), and a few verses later on the lips of children who also cry: 'Hosanna to the Son of David' (21:15). Matthew uses acclamation by outsiders, marginalized and little ones, to shame Israel for its failure to acknowledge Him as 'the Son of David' of Jewish hopes.

 

According to Matthew Jesus' presence sets Jerusalem in turmoil. One is reminded of the consternation caused there by the magi (2:3). To describe the turmoil Matthew uses the word for earthquake (eseisthe), which will reappear at Jesus' death (27:51) and again at His resurrection (28:2). The event was 'of earth shattering significance', certainly in world history, in retrospect, so Matthew writes this into the scene. It is his own creative addition to Mark's account.

 

The crowds in Jerusalem have not really grasped who He is, stopping at 'the prophet from Nazareth' (21:11). This nevertheless forms a good transition to what immediately follows in Matthew, the attempted reform of the temple (21:12-13). Matthew has removed from the scene the cursing of the fig tree which encapsulates the event in Mark (11:12-14; 20-21; Matthew brings it later: 21:18-19). Instead we see the true Son of David performing in the temple acts of healing which in Matthew appear strongly linked with Jesus as Son of David and may reflect popular traditions about the first Son of David, Solomon as a source of medical wisdom. They may also reflect fulfillment of the great prophetic hope that in the end times there will be healing on Mount Zion. The presence of 'the Son of David' in the episode immediately preceding the entry (20:30,31), in the entry and in the episode which immediately follows (21:15), has the effect of making the whole a celebration of His identity as Israel's Messiah, as the bringer of wholeness and healing.

 

Jesus was not entering a foreign city, nor entering the city of 'the Jews'. He was a Jew. He was entering the city which symbolized in His faith and His scriptures God's promise to Israel. To confront one's own faith and its traditions is painful. This is part of the drama of the event, both in Matthew's account and in the earlier forms of the story, not least in the event itself.

 

Thus Jesus' approach to Jerusalem has become for many a symbol of the confrontation they must make, including the confrontation with themselves. The issues at stake are not ultimate control or power, though it is easy to give this impression: Jesus is the rightful king! For then might dictates the terms and we reinforce the theme that might is right and right is might and reproduce its abuses in the swirl of deduction. The children acclaim the true signs of messiah ship and they have less to do with palms and crowns, which ultimately must be subverted into irony on the cross, and more to do with acts of healing and compassion. Without them the entry story is ambiguous, a potential disaster, which realizes itself in every generation in the name of piety. A radically subverted model of power exercised in compassion challenges the temple system and Rome in its day and their equivalents in our own, around us and within us.

 

The Liturgy of the Palms - Matthew 21:1-11

 

"Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

 

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Confitemini Domino

 

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.

2 Let Israel now proclaim, * "His mercy endures forever."

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *I will enter them;

I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 "This is the gate of the Lord; * he who is righteous may enter."

21 I will give thanks to You, for You answered me * and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected * has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord's doing, * and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! * Lord, send us now success.

26 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; * we bless You from the house of the Lord.

27 God is the LORD; he has shined upon us; * form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.

28 "You are My God, and I will thank You; * You are My God, and I will exalt You."

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; * His mercy endures forever, at The Liturgy of the Word

 

The Collect

 

Almighty and ever living God, in Your tender love for the human race You sent Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of His great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Old Testament - Isaiah 50:4-9a

 

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.

 

Morning by morning he wakens, wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

 

The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

 

The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; He who vindicates me is near.

 

Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.

 

It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

 

Psalm 31:9-16 . In te, Domine, speravi

 

9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; * my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly.

 

10 For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing; * my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed.

11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors, a dismay to those of my acquaintance; * when they see me in the street they avoid me.

 

12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; * I am as useless as a broken pot.

 

13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around; * they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.

 

14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. * I have said, "You are my God.

 

15 My times are in your hand; * rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

 

16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, * and in Your loving-kindness save me."

The Epistle

 

Philippians 2:5-11

 

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.

 

And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 

Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

The Gospel

 

Matthew 26:14- 27:66

 

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

 

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, `The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

 

When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me." And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." Judas, who betrayed Him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

 

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

 

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of Me this night; for it is written,

 

`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

 

But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." Peter said to Him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert You." Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even though I must die with You, I will not deny You." And so said all the disciples.

 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.

 

Then He said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with Me." And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what you want."

 

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and He said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with Me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again He went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."

 

Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

 

While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest Him." At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do."

 

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

 

Those who had arrested Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This fellow said, `I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'" The high priest stood up and said, "Have You no answer? What is it that they testify against You?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to Him, "I put You under oath before the living God, tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to Him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

 

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard His blasphemy. What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spat in His face and struck Him; and some slapped Him, saying, "Prophesy to us, You Messiah! Who is it that struck You?"

 

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

 

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about His death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

 

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, He repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."

 

Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.

"

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for Him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to Him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

 

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while He was still alive, `After three days I will rise again.' Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise His disciples may go and steal Him away, and tell the people, `He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

 

or

 

Matthew 27:11-54

 

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against You?" But He gave Him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let Him be crucified!" Then he asked, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified!"

 

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of This man's blood; see to it yourselves." Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a reed in His right hand and knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. After mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

 

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

 

Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, `I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The Triumphal Entry.

 

I. The Preparation. 21:1-7.

 

A. Bethphage.

 

Jesus and His companions "approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount

of Olives" (v. 1). The company approaches Jerusalem from the east; between the Mount of Olives and the city lay the Kidron Valley. Bethphage was a village near Bethany (both parallels, Mk 11:1 and Lk 19:29, mention both places), on the eastern side of the mountain, about two miles from Jerusalem. "The village ahead of you" (v. 2) is probably Bethphage, not Bethany; for Bethphage alone is mentioned in v. 1, and it lay nearer to Jerusalem than did Bethany (cf. Lane, Mark, 394).

 

B. Jesus the Lord.

 

1. Jesus' insight, v. 2. Jesus instructions may rest on prior arrangements. On the other hand, the words of v. 2 may reflect extraordinary, which in Jesus' case means divine, insight, and Jesus' mastery of the entire situation.

 

2. Jesus' commands, vv. 2-3. The instructions are issued with full authority: "Go [present imperative poreuesthe]..., and at once you will find [future indicative heurssete, perhaps used volitionally].... Untie [aorist participle lusantes, perhaps used imperatively] them and bring [aorist imperative agagete] them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell [future indicative ereite, used volitionally] him that ..." (NIV).

 

3. Jesus' ownership, v. 3. NIV renders the middle of v. 3, "the Lord needs them" (for ho kyrios aut©n chreian echei). This is a defensible rendering. However, it is preferable to translate, "Their Lord has need [of them]".

 

As Jesus is Lord of all, He is the supreme and ultimate owner of the mother donkey and her colt. At the same time, Jesus respects the one who, under His Lordship, is entrusted with the animals' care; cf. Mk 11:3b, "The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly."

 

4. The human response. Jesus' commands are immediately, unquestioningly and completely obeyed, both by the animals' owner (v. 3b) and by the disciples (vv. 6-7).

 

II. The Prophecy. 21:4-5.

 

A. The Introduction. 21:4.

 

"This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet."

 

1. The placement of the quotation. While vital for understanding the Entry itself, the quotation is placed before the event. The opening "this" of v. 4 directs attention back to Jesus' instructions and shows their relevance for bringing the prophecy to fulfillment.

 

2. The source of the prophecy. The Word is spoken through (dia) the prophet, so (it is implied) by (hypo) Yahweh. See 1:22.

 

B. The First OT Passage: Isaiah 62:11.

 

The larger part of 21:5 is devoted to Zech 9:9. Yet Matthew replaces the opening words of this verse ("Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!") with Isa 62:11b, "Say to the Daughter of Zion." The proclamation of Isa 62 is universal in scope (Yahweh "has made proclamation to the ends of the earth," v. 11a) and saving in character ("See, your Savior comes!" v. 11c). Matthew's replacing Zech 9:9a ("Rejoice") with Isa 62:11 ("Say"), makes the following quote from Zech "an evangelistic challenge to unconverted Israel" (p. 408).

 

C. The Second OT Passage: Zechariah 9:9.

1. The prophecy in its original setting.

 

a. The preceding context. Following the visions of 1:7-6:15 and the oracles on fasting in 7:1-8:23, 9:1 introduces the third major division of Zech, the "prophetic apocalyptic" of chs. 9-14. 9:1-8 speaks of Yahweh's future judgment upon, and victory over, a host of Gentile nations (such as the Philistines) that formerly oppressed and disinherited Israel.

 

b. Verse 9. Responding to the glad tidings of 9:1-8, v. 9 exclaims: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Yahweh's coming victory is cause for great joy! "Your king" is the expected Messianic king of David's line, the One by whom Yahweh conquers the nations.

 

c. The following context, 9:10. V. 10a reads, "I [Yahweh] will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken." Yahweh envisages a reunited Israel, whose shalom will forever end the warfare between Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) and Southern (whose capital was Jerusalem). But the peace of Yahweh's reign is broader still. "He [the Messiah whom Yahweh appoints] will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River [i.e., the Euphrates] to the ends of the earth" (v. 10). The very nations to whom Yahweh announced judgment (vv. 1-8), now hear His proclamation of peace! Cf. the sequence in Gen 6-12.

 

This peace is assured "by the righteous king ruling over a world-wide empire".

 

2. The prophecy in Mt 21:5: "See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

 

a. The omission. Why does Matthew exclude the words "righteous and having salvation"?

 

(1) Matthew obviously believes these words are suitably applied to Jesus; fundamental to his Christology is that Jesus is the righteous Savior.

 

(2) But given the present rejection of Messiah, especially by the religious leadership in Jerusalem, these words are deliberately omitted (or at most, left to be inferred). Messiah has already (in His prior ministry) offered salvation; Israel will not receive salvation until she is ready to take the offer seriously.

 

b. The animals. The latter part of Zech 9:9 reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Hebrew hamor], on a colt ['ayir], the foal [bsn] of a donkey ['atonot, plural of 'aton]." How are these words, quoted in Mt 21:5, to be related to Mt 21:2, "a donkey...with her colt by her"?

 

(i) Zech presents a case of synonymous parallelism; the first donkey is the colt. This is clear from the Hebrew: the donkey on which the king rides is a hamor, or "male donkey," identified further as an 'ayir, which also means a "male donkey," and yet further as bsn, "son." The second donkey is an 'aton, "female donkey," the mother of the on which the king rides.

 

(ii) Matthew is sometimes accused of reading Zech 9:9 as though the first donkey (hamor) and the colt ('ayir) were two different animals. This accusation seems misguided, not to say incredible. Unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary, we may assume that Matthew will be responsive to the literary features of Hebrew poetry. (Here, as a matter of fact, His quotation depends on the Hebrew where the MT differs from the LXX.) To be sure, there is a notable linguistic parallel between 21:5 and 21:2. V. 5b reads, "gentle and riding on a donkey [Greek onon, accusative of onos], on a colt [p©lon, accusative of p©los], the foal [huion, "son"] of a donkey [hypozygiou, "beast of burden"; the only other NT instance is 2 Pet 2:16, where it again denotes a donkey - Balaam's]."

 

V. 2b reads, "you will find a donkey [onon] tied there, with her colt [p©lon] by her." Yet in Greek the masculine forms onos and p©los served for both male and female animals. Matthew's intention in 21:5 is not to distinguish the onos from the p©los (he readily recognizes the parallelism and knows that these are one and the same animal), but to distinguish the onos from the hypozygion (the Hebrew's distinction between the hamor and the 'aton is reflected in Matthew's change of nouns).

 

(iii) Matthew speaks of both the mother donkey and the colt, because Jesus' instructions embraced both animals. Here, as with the use of Isa 7:14 in ch. 1, Matthew's purpose is not to make the events of Jesus' life conform to OT prophecy, but rather to examine the OT in light of the actual events of Jesus' life. That Jesus would instruct the disciples to bring both the colt and its mother, is quite understandable in view of the fact (reported by the other Synopsis’s) that this is a colt "which no one has ever ridden" (Mk 11:2, par. Lk 19:30). But it is Jesus' intention to ride upon the colt alone; and it is in accord with this intention that Matthew quotes Zech 9:9.

 

(iv) We read in 21:7, "They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them." This verse is sometimes taken (in agreement with the view that

 thinks the first donkey and the colt of Zech are different animals) to mean that Jesus, somehow, sat on both animals. A much simpler, and far more realistic view, is that Jesus sat on the garments that had been placed on the animals. (The genitive aut©n applies as easily to saddle garments as to animals.)

 

c. The fact of Jesus' kingship. The prophecy's reference to Israel's ("Your") king, accords with Mt's portrait of Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of David" (1:1), the "king of the Jews" (2:2). Messiah's riding on a donkey colt is not a rejection of kingship. As a donkey was a fitting mount for royalty in OT times so it is

appropriate for Jesus the King.

 

d. The character of Jesus' reign. If Jesus was not rejecting kingship as such, He was just as surely repudiating a certain concept of kingship. For a king leading a march into war, a horse would be the right mount. But for a king embarking on a mission of peace, a lowly beast of burden was the eminently correct choice.

 

e. The extent of Jesus' reign. Zech 9:9 was directed to Israel, represented (in Hebrew idiom) as "the Daughter of Zion" and "the Daughter of Jerusalem." Correspondingly, Jesus' offer of peace is directed first to Israel (cf. above comments on Zech 9:10a). Jesus the Messiah offers Israel her only hope of shalom (Mt 10:13), of rest (11:28-30), and of security (23:37). But here, as in Zech 9:10b, Yahweh's proclamation of peace extends beyond the borders of Israel to embrace the Gentile nations.

 

The quotation of Mt 21:5 does not extend through Zech 9:10. Yet such is the thrust of Mt from the opening chapter, that we are meant to read Zech 9:9 as a pointer to the following verse. Jesus the Messiah of Israel has assuredly come to "proclaim peace to the nations" (Zech 9:10; LXX, ethn©n, as in Mt 28:19). Following the account of the Entry in Jn 12, the Pharisees exclaim, "Look how the whole world [kosmos] has gone after Him" (12:19b). Then "certain Greeks" seek an audience with Jesus (v. 20); soon afterwards He declares, "I will draw all men to Myself" (12:32).

 

III. The Entry Itself. 21:8-11.

 

A. The Crowd's Visible Homage. 21:8.

 

1. The cloaks. Both the garments on which Jesus sits and those which the crowd spread on the road (the word himatia is used in both vv. 7 and 8), signal His royalty.

 

2. The branches. Jn 12:13 identifies them as palm branches. Some argue that these are signs of Jewish nationalism (John, 1: 461), here expressive of the hope that Jesus will fulfill their expectations. We are on firmer ground if we associate the branches with the following quotation from Ps 118:26. 118:27 reads, "With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar" (but see NIV mg., where "ropes" replaces "boughs"). On the pilgrims' use of Ps 118, see further below.

 

B. The Crowd's Verbal Homage. 21:9.

 

1. The use of Ps 118. The crowd voices its jubilation in words drawn from Ps 118:25-26. This in turn makes it probable (as just suggested) that the crowd's use of branches is traceable to 118:27. That a Jewish crowd should shout the words of this Psalm on this occasion (a fact recorded in all four Gospels), is not in the least surprising.  For 118 is the concluding Psalm of the "Egyptian Hallel" (Ps 113-118), a series sung at Passover season in celebration of Yahweh's victory at the Exodus and in anticipation of other victories yet to come. Note further:

 

a. The Hebrew hallel means "praise." Cf. the exclamation hallelu Yah, "Praise Yah[weh]!" (hallelu is a Piel imperative of the verb hll).

 

b. Concerning the "Egyptian Hallel" Derek Kidner writes: "Only the second of them (114) speaks directly of the Exodus, but the theme of raising the downtrodden (113) and the note of corporate praise (115), personal thanksgiving (116), world vision (117) and festal procession (118) make it an appropriate series to mark the salvation which began in Egypt and will spread to the nations" (Psalms, 401).

 

c. It was customary for Ps 113 and 114 to be sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 afterwards. Cf. Mt 26:30a.

 

2. The original meaning of Ps 118:25-27. The Psalm speaks of a festal procession to the Temple as part of the Passover celebration. During the procession the pilgrims praise Yahweh for His great saving acts on their behalf, vv. 1-18. The worship is climaxed with the throng's arrival at the temple, vv. 19-29. Having entered the temple gates (vv. 19-20), the pilgrims continue to thank Yahweh for restoring and exalting His downtrodden people (vv. 21-24, 28-29), and implore Him to rescue them from present perils (v. 25, "O Lord, save us [hoshiana, transliterated into the Greek h©sanna]...").

 

In turn, the temple priests (i) give their blessing to the Davidic king who leads the

procession ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...," v. 26a) and to all

who accompany Him ("From the house of the Lord we bless You," v. 26b, where "you"

is plural); and (ii) summon the throng to their appointed goal ("With boughs in hand, join

in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar," v. 27b).

 

3. The present meaning of Psalm 118:25-27.

 

a. Signs of continuity. Here too the procession ends at the temple (21:12); also, the crowd identifies Jesus as Yahweh's representative ("Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" v. 9b) and as the heir of David's crown ("Hosanna to the Son of David!" v. 9a). V. 9c, "Hosanna in the highest!," speaks of heavenly jubilation answering to human jubilation on earth (cf. Ps 148:1).

 

b. Signs of deeper understanding. Matthew employs the shouts of the crowd in the service of his theology, and gives their words a far deeper meaning than the crowd intended. Ps 118 itself now comes to a deeper level of realization than was possible within its original context (cf. comments on plsro©, "fulfill," in 1:22). Reading the present passage in light of Mt as a whole, we may draw the following conclusions:

 

(i) The crowd rightly declares Jesus to be "the Son of David" (v. 9a; cf. 1:1); they rightly

identify Him as the One "who comes in the name of the Lord" (v. 9b; cf. 11:3). Yet we may be sure that the crowd's concept of Davidic Messiah ship is vastly different from that of Jesus. He has come as the Servant Messiah (3:17; 20:28), not as the Warrior Messiah, or at least He has not come to wage His war in the manner envisaged by the crowd ("He will be victor and victim in all His wars, and will make His triumph in defeat." The deficiency of the crowd's awareness is confirmed in v. 11, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee," words closer to 16:14 than to 16:16 (who sees the crowd here as "disciples representing the worldwide church to come").

 

(ii) The Son of David who comes in Yahweh's name is also Yahweh Himself. This is an aspect of Truth not fully revealed with the writing of Ps 118. That Psalm bears witness to the (true) distinction between the Messiah and God. What was not fully revealed until the Incarnation, was Messiah's deity (cf. comments on 16:16). It is now disclosed that there is both a distinction of person between Father and Son, and also an identity of character (as in Jn 1:1). The name "Yahweh" rightly applies to both.

 

(iii) God is about to give His supreme answer to the perennial cry "Hosanna." Jesus has come "to save His people from their sins" (1:21) by giving His life as a ransom for the many (20:28). By Jesus' day the utterance's original meaning "Save now!" had changed (we might almost say "degenerated") into an exclamation of praise (cf. the shift from "God, save the king!" to "God save the king!"; and, Were Israel aware of her true condition, both politically and (especially) spiritually, she would have more readily reverted to the original intention of "Hosanna."

 

(iv) Thus, despite the genuine excitement that attends Jesus' entry (v. 10), the crowd still shows itself to be lacking in the spiritual insight needed for rightly understanding Messiah's person and work. Yet among those to whom this insight has been given (13:11), there is cause for the greatest possible jubilation. For Christian believers who look back on the great eschatological Exodus, who praise God for His great victory over Sin and Death in the Cross of His Son, who on that basis repeatedly approach the place of worship and celebrate the Passover of the New Age (26:26-28), Ps 118 still provides a marvelous vehicle for praise. But as for the original pilgrims, the Psalm is still more than a song of thanksgiving. It is also a means of our shouting "O Lord, save us!", to

implore Him to complete His saving work and to bring His kingdom to full realization

(6:10) - to hasten the day when the Savior will come again (23:39).

 

C. The Intention of Jesus.

 

1. Jesus and prophecy. We now reach the conclusion to which the whole foregoing discussion has led, namely that Jesus the Messiah enters Jerusalem in conscious and deliberate fulfillment of Zech 9 and Ps 118. Matthew's theological declarations rest upon Jesus' own "acted quotation" of OT prophecy.

 

2. Jesus and Passover. Jesus enters Jerusalem on Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, just four days before the preparations for the Passover Meal. The Mosaic Law required (1) that Passover (or "the Feast of Unleavened Bread") be celebrated in Jerusalem, (2) that every Jewish male participate in the festival every year, and (3) that each worshipper come prepared to offer animal sacrifice (Deut 16:1-8,16-17). Thus in coming to Jerusalem at Passover, Jesus acts in obedience to the requirement of God's Law for Jewish males. He had done so twice before during His ministry: see Jn 2:13; 5:1, together with 6:4 (John, 299).

 

Jesus also comes (in keeping with the law) to offer sacrifice, not an animal (which would not suffice for the purpose, as Heb 10:1-10 explains) but Himself (Mt 20:28). In obedience to his mission, Jesus would die as the supreme, and the final, Passover sacrifice (Mt

26:17-30; 1 Cor 5:7).

 

Lectionary blogging: Palm Sunday, Matthew 21- 1-11


When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?”11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Translation:  And when they approached into Jerusalem and came into Bethphage, into the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village, the one over-against you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.  Loose (and) bring to Me."  And if anyone might speak to you, you will answer, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat (Him) upon them.  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Background and situation:  The original source is Mark (11: 1-11), the other parallels are Luke 19:28-38 and John 12:12-19.  Mark has three passion predictions which are mirrored in Matthew (16:21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19), each with some Matthean additions.

In the first passion prediction, Matthew adds to Mark a statement about the necessity of going to Jerusalem (16:21):  "From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem."  (Jesus doesn't actually head south until 19:1.)  In our text for Palm Sunday, He has arrived.

 

Dueling processions:  Jesus was approaching Jerusalem from the east.  Bethphage is just to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives is just east of the Temple.  (Random factoid:  The word Bethphage means "house of figs.")  The Mount of Olives was, in Israel's Sacred Memory, the place from which an assault on Israel's enemies was to begin (Zech 14: 2-4).  

 

The direction of approach is significant for at least two reasons:  (1)  Coming to the city from the Mount of Olives is a prophetic and eschatological image, and (2) there were two processions into Jerusalem during the time of Passover;  one, the procession of the Roman army, came from the west; the other, those with Jesus, came from the east.

 

The Roman army was coming to maintain order during Passover, a time when the population of Jerusalem would swell from around 50,000 to well over 200,000, both conservative estimates.  Moreover, Passover was a celebration of liberation from Pharoah in Egypt, and Rome was uneasy about the anti-imperial message of this association.

 

The Romans were headquartered at Caesarea Maritima, a city built by Herod the (so-called) Great to honor Caesar Augustus and make money for himself.  Herod built monuments to Caesar at every opportunity.  Caesar Augustus was Octavian, Julius Caesar's nephew and adopted son.  During the Roman civil war, Herod had been an ally of Octavian's enemy, Mark Antony.  Shifting his loyalty to Octavian after Antony's defeat was a nifty piece of political footwork on Herod's part, and may also have added to Herod's ebullient enthusiasm for all things Octavian.  He even named the harbor Sebastos, which is Greek for "Augustus."

 

Sebastos was one of the finest harbors in the world.  It was constructed over a 12 year period (25-13 BC) and was state-of-the-art for its day, rivaling both Athens and Alexandria.  It was used primarily for the export of agricultural products from the region; or, to put it another way, it provided an efficient harbor for the plunder of the region, and could also be used to supply the Roman Army in case of war with Parthia. 

 

The procession of the Roman army from Caesarea Maritima to Jerusalem would have been an imposing sight, Legionnaires on horseback, Roman standards flying, the Roman eagle prominently displayed, the clank of armor, the stomp of feet, and beating of drums.  The procession was designed to be a display of Roman imperial power.  The message?  Resistance is futile!

 

The counter-demonstration of Jesus came from the east, the opposite direction.  Jesus comes to the city not in a powerful way, but in a ludicrously humble way, inciting not fear, as in the Roman procession, but cheering crowds who clear his way and hail his presence. Sarcasm and irony are often the only mechanisms available for the oppressed to express themselves.  The procession of Jesus creatively mocks the Roman procession.  

 

The password:  Just before Jesus makes His final approach to Jerusalem, He sends two people into a nearby village.  The two disciples are instructed to go into the village and, as soon as they get there, they "will find a donkey tied and a colt with her."  They are to take this donkey and colt.  If anyone were to ask them about it, they are to give the "secret password" and say, "The Lord has need of them."

 

It appears there was a network of Jesus supporters operating "under the radar." Moreover, this network of Jesus supporters reaches even to a village just outside Jerusalem.  The Galilee-based Jesus movement reaches even into Judea, even to the very gates of the city of Jerusalem itself! 

 

Mark has a longer episode here in which the two disciples are questioned, say the password, and are then cleared to take a single colt.  Matthew shortens the exchange. The custodians of the donkey and colt are told only that "the Lord" needs the animals.  

 

In this passage, Matthew, for the first time, directly associates Jesus as king.  (The magi were looking for the "king of the Jews" in 2:3, but here the association is more explicit.) Jesus is treated as a royal figure throughout.  He doesn't get on the donkey.  He is "sat" on it by others.  Therefore, when Jesus' secret followers in the nearby village hear that "the Lord needs them," from Matthew's perspective, that is enough to say.

 

Riding on two animals at once: And this had happened so that it might be fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  And the disciples went and did just as Jesus appointed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and they placed the garments upon them, and they sat Him upon (them).

 

Matthew then inserts the twelfth of fourteen "quotation formulas" from the Old Testament:  "Speak to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, Your king comes to you, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden."  The quote appears to be a combination of Isaiah 62:11 ("speak to the daughter of Zion") and Zechariah 9:9 (the rest).

 

This (mostly) Zechariah text is the interpretive center of the passage.  From the Zechariah text, Matthew leaves out the phrase "triumphant and victorious is He."  Jesus is obviously not going to be that kind of king, at least not yet.  As Matthew recounts it, the quote accents the humility and meekness of Jesus.

 

In referring to both a donkey and a colt, "humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", Zechariah was using a grammatical device known as "hendiadys," which means expressing a single idea with two nouns.  This parallelism is quite common in Hebrew poetry.  For example:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". (Ps. 119: 105)  The statement expresses one thought in two complementary ways.  

 

Scholarly opinion is all over the place on this one.  Some say that Matthew flat misses the parallelism.  Others say he knows about it but ignores it.  In any case, Matthew does clearly refer to two animals, both a donkey and a colt.  Some have cited this as evidence that Matthew didn't really understand the Hebrew language or the Hebrew people.  Any Hebrew would have known that parallelism is about speaking of one thing in two ways.

 

Gasp!  Was Matthew a gentile?  No.  Matthew was Jewish himself, and knew full well about Hebrew poetry and the parallelism in Zechariah.  He also knew full well that Mark, his source, clearly has only one animal involved in Jesus' procession.  Therefore, Matthew was deliberate in making the change to two animals, "and He sat on them" (epekathisen epano auton).

 

Yet others have said that, since Matthew was Jewish, he must have been a first century fundamentalist to take Zechariah so literally.  No again.  Matthew is not a literalist or a fundamentalist.  When he quotes from the Old Testament, Matthew feels free to tweak the texts he quotes in order to suit his purposes.  This is hardly the style of a literalist.  Yet here, Matthew quite obviously refers to two animals and everybody since has been scratching their head over why.  

 

Most likely, it was to underscore the fulfillment of the Zechariah text, not just one fulfillment, in other words, but a double one!   is more interested in literal fulfillment than historical probability.  Matthew knows full well that Jesus did not ride two animals at once.  He doesn't care.  His point is not historical precision, but theological insight.  His point is that "Your king comes to you," which is the fulfillment, in a complete and total way, of the prophetic Zechariah text. 

 

The entrance:  And a very great crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and were spreading in the way.  And the crowds, the ones going before Him and the ones following, were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed (is) the one coming in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest."  And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  

 

Matthew anticipates the Hollywood "red carpet" by about two millennia.  He shifts focus to the action of the crowds, "a very great crowd" spread both garments and branches onto Jesus' path.  In 2 Kings 9:13, strewing cloaks onto the path was a sign of royal homage.  ("Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for Him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’")  The crowd, by strewing cloaks onto His path, is treating Jesus as a royal and kingly figure, which is further underlined by their comparison of Jesus to the Great King David. 

 

Notice that Jesus was not welcomed by the people of Jerusalem.  These crowds were not composed of Jerusalem city dwellers, but rather "the ones going before Him and the ones following."  Most likely, this refers to the disciples and those who joined the movement along the way to Jerusalem. 

 

This crowd is enthusiastic, shouting "hosanna to the son of David."  The literal meaning of "hosanna" is "save us" or "save, we beseech."  Indeed, the crowd appears to be quoting from Psalm 118: 25-26:  "Save now, we beseech you, O Lord...Blessed is the one that comes in the name of the Lord."  (In 11:3, the disciples had asked, "Are you the one that is to come?"  That question is now answered by the crowds.)

 

Psalm 118 speaks of being surrounded by many who threaten the nation's life, "They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;  in the name of the Lord I cut them off!" The Psalm calls for "the gates of righteousness" to be opened:  "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it."  The psalm even refers to waving of branches.  Those waving branches will go right to the altar itself!  

 

Psalm 118 is a psalm of victory:  "There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous!"  In the present situation, Jerusalem is under the brutal yoke of a foreign power, and the Temple is corrupt and in cahoots with the oppressors.  Jesus the Lord enters the city, more than a match for them all.   

 

The crowd seems to have in mind for Jesus the kind of kingdom now held in hallowed memory, the Golden Age of David, a time of prosperity, yes, and also one of military power and territorial expansion.  Yet, Jesus is not committed to a path of "glory," as in a Davidic-style kingdom, but rather a path of defeat.  He will not reign from a palace, but from a cross.

 

When Jesus actually entered into Jerusalem, Matthew says that "all the city was shaken."  Seio means moved, shaken to and fro, with the idea of shock or concussion.  It's the word for earthquake, and where we get our word "seismic."  An earthquake will also occur at the death of Jesus (27:54).  The city shook with fear when Jesus was born (2:3). Now, the place is roiled, shaken, and shocked when He enters as an adult.

 

The closing verse is reminiscent of a call-and-response liturgy.  A:  "Who is this?"  ""This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."  (See the latter verses of Psalm 24, for example.)  

 

The dialog is between the city and the crowds.  The city asks the question:  "...all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"  The crowds answer that this is "the prophet Jesus."  In doing so, they are fulfilling the text of another prophet, Zechariah.  They are telling "the daughter of Zion," which is Jerusalem, who comes.

 

The crowds' assessment is said to be lacking by many scholars because the crowds only identify Jesus as "prophet" and not as "king", the assumption being that "king" is a higher title than "prophet."  Is a political title really higher than a Biblical and spiritual one?  Would that have been the point of view of Matthew? 

 

The crowds are also providing some cover for Jesus.  The high regard in which the crowds hold Jesus, particularly as prophet, prevents the political authorities from arresting Him in public (21: 46).  Yet, we also know that this is also the city that kills the prophets (23:37), and we are under no illusions as to what will come next.

 

The Untriumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11        

 

Transcript

 

What we are going to have in the hour that follows is a passage gathered around some Old Testament Scriptures, and one in particular. Zechariah chapter 9, the next to the last book of the Old Testament, and verses 9 through 11 of that prophecy, and then we will turn to Matthew chapter 21. 

 

Zechariah is probably the greatest of the minor prophets and one of most important of the prophesies of the Old Testament; a prophet who was deeply indebted to the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, the prophet Isaiah.  And in the last six chapters of the book of Zechariah there are primarily two burdens that the prophet has, and each of these burdens consumes three of his chapters, so that in chapters 9 10 and 11 the burden is of “the king in rejection.”   And then in chapters 12, 13 and 14, the second burden is of “the king enthroned.”  These verses in the section in which he has a burden that touches the rejection of the Messianic king.  Verse 9 through verse 11 of Zechariah chapter 9 reads, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: (that incidentally is a kind of theme clause for the entire book of Matthew: behold thy King cometh unto thee.  The prophet continues) He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He (that is the rider) He shall speak peace unto the nations: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit in which is no water.”

 

Let’s turn now to Matthew chapter 21 and read the passage that contains the historical fulfillment of at least one major point of the prophecy that Zechariah gave so many hundreds of years ago.  Verse 1 of Matthew chapter 21, and the evangelist writes,

 

“And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, ‘Go into the village opposite against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me. And if any man say anything unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.’ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

 

May the Lord bless this reading from His Word, because it is important to remember that the reason that we do sing lies in the instruction that we receive from the things that we sing and also in the things that we express through the things that we sing.

 

And of course we sing best and we sing most meaningfully when the things that we are sing are true to the word of God.  This hymn is one the favorite hymns, and it also is so popular among members of the Christian church that other uses have been made of this particular hymn, and one of them:  “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever. 

 

And, in fact, we may even have to follow the word of God and follow it so necessarily that the membership of the church may suffer as a result.  And that we should remember that we must follow the word of God rather than, even, our natural desires to have a large congregation or, a large membership, and someone inserted these last words of this hymn but added to them, “Let goods and kindred go some membership also the body they may kill God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”  What was meant to express the truth that in the final analysis it is what God says in His word that is the important thing and not our success according to earthly standards while we are here upon the earth.

 

The subject for the exposition is the “The Un-triumphal Entry.”  It’s hardly without design that probably the two most significant figures of human history appeared in the same generation of the human story.  One of these was Augustus Caesar homo emperiosus, or imperial man who destroyed Cato’s dream of the old republic and its freedom.  Augustus has been called on the ancient inscriptions the “divine Caesar” and the “son of god” giving to him the titles that belonged ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, it is probable that the writer of the Book of Revelation was alluding to some of these things in the exaltation of the Roman emperors and particularly dominion when he spoke of the Lord Jesus and particularly Domitian as being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, because these titles were given to the Roman emperors, ultimately, as the worship of the emperor became more predominant in the Roman Empire.

 

Augustus, or homo emperiosus, shattered his foes by force but he could not bring in the golden age.  As one of the men who has dealt with this particular part of history in much depth has said, “He could find but he could not slay the dragon.”  The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace, principis pacis, or homo pacifare, or “the peace-bearing man.”  And of course that title is derived from Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, when the titles of Prince of Peace and other titles are given to Him, and it is said that on Him He shall bear on His shoulders the ultimate universal rule.

 

At the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus, by the path that He trod ,was able to wrest the kingdom from the ancient dragon, overcome Him, and make it possible for Messianic rule to take place upon the earth and then on into eternity.  So you can see that from the standpoint of earthly history, Calvary is as some of the ancient poets blindly anticipated, Virgil for one, Calvary is the hinge of history.  And our Western history is largely determined by what happened when Jesus Christ suffered upon that cross.

 

Now we’ve been looking through the Gospel of Matthew, and we have noted that there are a number of high points in the ministry of our Lord.  We think of course of His virgin birth, of His temptation, of His baptism, of the transfiguration, and later on we shall spend some time dealing with the agony in Gethsemane, and ultimately the death and resurrection.  One of the other high points of our Lord’s ministry, and high point of the steps that He took along the way to the climax of His work, was the triumphal entry.

 

We think of it today as Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday was a day of wild rapture of enthusiasm and the delirium of eager welcome, but of little genuine spirituality.  Those who were shouting out, “hosanna in the highest!” or as those words mean, hoshiana, “Save now, or save, we pray,” they little realized what they were saying.  Few seemed to understand the meaning of the hour, and to most the entry was not a triumphal entry at all, but very untriumphal.  And if you’re looking at it from the standpoint of worldly success, we all would have to say it was not a very triumphal entry.

 

There was something that was happening; that, while the world did not understand, we have now come to understand as being exceedingly significant.  The excitement that was there was real, but it was misguided.  Some of it understood the essential nature of the person of our Lord, because the things that were said were said by men who had truly believed in Him, though their understanding was limited. But most of it was totally misguided, and as a matter of fact, most of the people were totally unprepared for what our Lord did.  They were all looking for a king to slay their foes and lift them high though camest a little baby thing that made a woman cry.”  So we have a wild rapture of enthusiasm and eager excitement of welcome but misunderstanding of what was really transpiring.

 

Nowadays we have a great deal of that in some of our evangelical churches. We have a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm at times, but it is totally misguided.  It is not grounded in the words of Holy Scripture, not grounded in the sound doctrinal teaching of the word of God.  The entry of our Lord into Jerusalem has great doctrinal significance, because it is solemn declaration of Himself in His office.  It was His way of pointing out as effectively as could possibly be pointed out that He was the Old Testament, promised Messianic king.  It is interesting too that from this point on, the Lord Jesus does not seem to keep His Messianic secret any longer.  We have noticed in going through the Gospel of Matthew that at specific points in His ministry, when it was evident He had performed a mighty miracle, He frequently turned to them and said, “Now don’t say anything about it, because it was not yet His hour.  And He knew that their ideas of the Messianic kingdom were wrong, they thought of it only as a political kingdom, that if they had proclaimed that nature of it too soon, it might have hastened His crucifixion and been out of harmony with the slow measured progress that God the Father had determined.  And so, from time to time He said keep quiet.  Now they didn’t always keep quiet, but that’s what He was telling them.

 

From now on the mission and the dignity of the Son are no longer a secret, the ancient prophesies are to be fulfilled, and all of the parts of this little account here unite to proclaim to the nation Israel and to others, Behold Your king.  It was the feast time of the Passover.  Thirty years after the time of the Lord Jesus, the Romans took a census of the lambs that were slain in the city of Jerusalem on a later Passover feast, and according to the account, they counted two hundred and fifty thousand lambs were slain in one of those Passover feasts thirty years after the death of our Lord.

 

Now in rabbinic literature, it is stated that there should be ten individuals for each lamb, a minimum of ten individuals for each lamb.  In other words, when a lamb was slain, there should be at least ten people gathered in the house to eat that particular lamb.  So you can see if that were carried out at the time of our Lord’s death at the time of His visit to the city of Jerusalem, then the city of Jerusalem must have had a population of over two million people at this time.  Now since its ordinary population was of a relatively small city by our standards, you can see that it was packed and jammed with literally hundreds of thousands of people who had come from all over the land, and perhaps all over the inhabited world to celebrate this important feast in Judaism.  So that’s the background.

 

There is another thing we need to understand that is that the prophets of the Old Testament, and remember, our Lord, is the last and greatest of the prophets; He is the prophet of the prophets; He is the everlasting prophet; the Great Prophet, according to Moses in His prophesy.  These prophets of the Old Testament not only spoke their messages but they also often gave their messages by acting out in parabolic fashion, dramatically, the things that they wanted to say.  Now they usually accompanied this by words, because it is really impossible for us to be certain about the meaning of events if we do not have a written or spoken interpretation of them.  But they frequently were told by the Lord to carry out certain physical acts in order to get over their prophetic message.

 

For example, when it became evident that there was going to be a division in the kingdom at the time of Solomon’s death, and Rehoboam’s accession to the throne, and that most of the land was not going to follow the impetuous Rehoboam, God knowing all of this in advance, spoke to the Prophet Ahijah and made known to the Prophet Ahijah that it would be Jeraboam who would rule over the ten northern tribes and Rehoboam would rule over the two faithful southern tribes.

 

And so Ahijah was directed by God to go to Jeraboam with a new garment; and when he came into the presence of Jeraboam who was not yet king, he took off this garment and tore it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of the pieces to Jeraboam and kept two for himself, and this was his way of saying that the kingdom was going to be rent in two, and there would be a division into the northern and southern kingdoms, and ten of the tribes would follow Jeraboam and two would remain faithful to Rehoboam.  So this was a kind of acted parable of spiritual truth.

 

Later, Jeremiah, for example, Ezekiel does this often, but Jeremiah, when it also had become evident through the words of the Lord to him that it would be impossible for the nation to escape the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah made bonds and yokes and sent them to the cities round about the land of Palestine.  He sent these bonds and yokes in order to let them know. He sent them to Edom he sent them to Tyre, he sent them to Sidon and cities like this, that was to let them know that no matter what they did, they would not escape the Babylonian captivity.  And then Jeremiah put a yoke upon his own head in order to signify that the land of which he was a part would not escape the captivity.

 

Later on, the Prophet Hananiah, speaking, he was one of these prophets who liked to speak what people liked to hear rather than the truth of God. Hananiah, in objecting to this sad, defeatist message of Jeremiah, went up to Jeremiah and took the yoke off of his neck and broke it signifying that what Jeremiah had said was not going to come to pass.  But of course, God fulfills His words, and the words of His true prophets, and He did.

 

So now it is necessary for us to remember all of this as we come to the triumphal entry, because it’s obvious that the Lord Jesus acts here as the Great Prophet, and as a matter of fact, acts out in Messianic symbolism what He is really doing when He enters the city of Jerusalem.

 

We read in verse 1, “And when they drew near unto Jerusalem.”  They had come from Jericho, and He had come from the north, and they, according to the other gospel accounts, had spent the night in Bethany which was near the city of Jerusalem.  There the Lord Jesus always had a welcome in the little village of Bethany, because that was the place where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived.  They spent the night there and then the next morning they set out in the festive procession for the city of Jerusalem.

 

And it was fitting that they should come from Bethany to the mount of Olives, because the mount of Olives in the Old Testament had Messianic significance.  There were Messianic associations with it.  In passages like 2 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 32 and others, we remember that when the Lord Jesus comes in His second advent and comes to the earth, His feet shall touch the Mount of Olives.  So it was very fitting that He should approach the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

 

When He arrived at the little village of Bethphage, there He told two of His disciples to go over into a village that was just across the way from Bethphage, and He said to them, I want you to go into that village and you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her, and I want you to lose them and bring them to Me.  A great deal of speculation has been expended on what this really means and also how it was carried out.  Was this totally unexpected on the part of the person who owned these animals or had our Lord Jesus already made provision for it?  Well the Scriptures are silent on that particular point, but it does seem evident that this person must have been a believer. He understood exactly what was meant when they said the Lord had need of them. So either he had made preparation for this in advance, and that’s not unlikely because He made preparation for the Passover and the use of the upper room, so it’s entirely possible that He had said, when I enter the city of Jerusalem, I may need two of the animals, and keep them ready,  or it may be that He was simply a believer in the Lord Jesus and recognized the disciples as believers and when they said the Lord has need of them, he was willing to part with them.

 

At any rate that is what is said, and the other gospels add another important feature.  The Lord Jesus said to them you will find an ass and a colt, incidentally Matthew mentions two; they only mention one, and that also has occasioned a great deal of discussion by the commentators who have sought to find here a misunderstanding of the Book of Zechariah by Matthew because of Hebrew parallelism in the Old Testament, the passage in Zechariah probably has reference to only one animal, but Matthew, not reading it correctly, has seen two animals, failing to see the particular form of Hebrew expression there, so that he misunderstood the parallelism and saw two animals instead of one.

 

It is an amazing thing that people with a sound mind could believe that commentators in the Twentieth Century would know more about Hebrew parallelism and the meaning of Old Testament text than Hebrew men who were outstanding students of the word, and apostles of the Lord Jesus understood nineteen hundred years ago.  Now it strains our imagination to think that there could really be people who think that they understand more about the Old Testament than the apostles who were taught by our  Lord, but nevertheless that’s the truth.

 

Recently there has been a well known doctoral dissertation which has taken up this point, and this author, a respected man, has contended that the reason there are two animals is because in the case of the colt of the ass, it’s a well known fact that the colt of the ass, the foal of the ass, would not be ridable at all if the mother were not there and so the reference here to riding upon an ass is a reference to the mother, and the colt the foal of the ass, is to the offspring of the mother, and because the mother was present, then it was possible for our Lord to ride the animal on which no one had yet sat.

 

Now that’s the other thing that the other accounts add.  It is specifically stated that this ass should be an ass upon which no one has ever sat. The reason for that would be understood by people who lived two thousand years ago, but not so well by us.  It also was the custom when a village or people welcomed a king for them to do things for the king that were absolutely new.  For example, if we were in ancient times, and if it were told us that the president is going to visit us, we’ll transfer that and say the king in Washington is going to visit us, there’s certainly a similarity, then the city fathers or the village fathers would seek some way by which they can honor the king.  And one of the popular ways was to construct a new road into the village on which no one has ever traveled, so that in honor of the king, they would cut a new road so that when the king came, he would come in on a new road.

 

Furthermore nothing that was secondhand or used was ever to be put in put to the service of a king.  So when it is stated that He should come in upon an animal upon which no one has ever sat, that was an indication of the fact that our Lord was the Messianic king, and you’ll notice it comes from Him.  It is His claim in effect that He is the Messianic king.

 

Now when Matthew describes this he himself adds some things.  These incidentally are the evangelists’ interpretations.  Notice the 4th verse:  “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”  So we can see from these verses that Matthew has inserted here that the evangelist understands that all that our Lord is doing in taking the ass, riding upon the ass, with the people following along in front and in the rear, all of this was designed by our Lord to provide Israel with a giant object lesson to imprint upon the minds of the viewers this event and to say in effect to them, the kingdom is mine; I am the king. Zechariah, the prophecy in which it is said, thy king cometh unto thee is fulfilled in my entry into the city at this time.  So it was then, I say, our Lord’s way in parabolic fashion of teaching, that the kingdom came when He entered the city with Him.

 

Now in verses 6 through 9, the evangelist describes the procession towards Jerusalem.  The disciples had gone their way into the little village. And He and those that were associated with Him inched their way along the caravan road from Jericho to Jerusalem and made their way up toward the top of the Mount of Olives, at which when reaching, that He would look out over the city and break into tears mourning over the fact that their hearts were so cold and unresponsive to Him.

 

But we read in the 8th verse, and a very great multitude spread their garments in the way.  It’s important for us to understand what happened in order to understand what this really means.  The disciples had gone off into this little village, and in addition, there were many other disciples of the Lord who had also gone into the city of Jerusalem which was nearby, no doubt to spend the night.  Word had been noised abroad that the Lord, or Jesus of Nazareth, was in the area, and that created a great deal of interest on the part of those who were either curious about Him or who had seen some of the miracles He had performed and had been won to Him.

 

And furthermore, since He had been coming down from the north, and had reached the city of Jericho with a large group of people who were His disciples, there were those who were with Him who were His disciples, and then there were those who came out from the city out of curiosity, perhaps also some of them were disciples, and then of course there was the giant multitude in the city, who, as we shall see, are largely rebellious with reference to the claims of the king.

 

So, all of this group of people apparently meet, and the meeting of the groups of people in the presence of our Lord before He reaches the city evidently generates a great deal of enthusiasm and arouses the spontaneous shouting which we read of in verse 9:  “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”  So here is the crowd composed of disciples, of curious people who have come out from the city, going into the city, which is rebellious toward the Great King.

 

And the disciples, the apostles of the Lord, are traveling along now with the Lord Jesus as He rides on this little animal.  They have taken their garments off they’ve thrown their garments down in enthusiasm before the ass, before our Lord.  Others of His disciples have cut down limbs from the palm trees and myrtle trees and willow trees and they were throwing them out in front of the animal, because that had been done in the Old Testament when Jehu was anointed king as well. So carried away with the enthusiasm of the occasion and understanding something about it, the Lord Jesus was moving toward the city.

 

The disciples were walking along dazed and dazzled by everything that was happening.  They understood of course something about our Lord.  They had put their trust in Him but beyond that they understood very little of what was happening. The crowd that was acclaiming Him was primarily the provincials who had come from the north who were his friends.  You’ve often heard people say in reference to the Lord Jesus that the people who acclaimed Him as the king on one day in a few hours are shouting crucify Him, crucify Him!

 

Now of course, men’s hearts are that wicked, but so far as we know that is not what happened on this particular occasion.  There were two entirely different groups those that were shouting to Him, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the son of David; Hosanna in the highest, were those who had some concept of His greatness and His glory and who had believed in Him, but the crowd within the city that shouts out, crucify Him, crucify Him, that crowd is representative of the great of the mass of the nation who have never responded to the claims of the Lord Jesus.

 

Now it is striking, too, that they do shout, Hosanna to the son of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest, or as Luke said, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Again they reach back into the Old Testament, guided by the Holy Spirit, though they may not have understood much about it.  They reached back into the Old Testament they take out a text from Psalm 118, one of the greatest of the Messianic Psalms which someone has called a string of pearls each one independent of the other, because it’s a Psalm in which there are some magnificent expressions of theological truth, but it’s very difficult to follow the argument of that particular Psalm.

 

Now that Psalm the one 118th Psalm, was the Psalm that was used at the Feast of Tabernacles for the liturgy of that feast.  We don’t have time to talk about the seven great feasts in Israel, but this is the greatest and last of the feasts in which there is a recognition of the fact that there is to be a kingdom of God upon the earth, so at the Feast of Tabernacles, it is designed to represent the period of time in the future when the nation shall gather in rest in the kingdom upon the earth, and so it is very fitting that they should reach back again into the Old Testament, select a text that has to do with the Messianic king and His authority.

 

And even these branches that they took the lulabim as they were called, we also recognized as having some Messianic significance. They say, also, incidentally, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the expression He that cometh was one of the Messianic titles of the Old Testament.  So you see all the details of this event unite to show that this is the official presentation by the Lord Jesus of Himself to the nation Israel.

 

Now if this is the official presentation of the king to the nation, and if this is the royal procession, and if this is a king, it’s a strange king indeed.  Because He’s a king who doesn’t even have an ass of His own to ride upon; He has to borrow an ass.  And furthermore, instead of followers who are soldiers dressed in shining or resplendent armor, He has a group of peasants with palm branches.  Instead of having swords and weapons of warfare they have the palm branches.  What would a Roman soldier or one of Herod’s men have thought of this rustic procession of a pauper prince who’s riding on an ass and a hundred and two or more of weaponless, penniless men? They were very much unimpressed.

 

But Christ’s one moment of royal splendor is as eloquent of His humiliation as the long stretch of His whole of His lowly, humble life.  All of this is designed to express certain things about His character.  And yet, as is usually the case, side by side with the lowliness of our Lord, there gleams His supreme sovereignty.  We talk about lowliness, and after all, this was lowly because when a man rode upon an ass, He rode upon a beast of burden.  In the East, the beasts of burden were the asses, the camels, and the women. These were the beast of burden in those days.  And the ass was the lowliest beast of burden, so to ride upon the ass was about as humble as a person could get.

 

Now, it was a strange king and yet at the same time notice that amid this humility there is also sovereignty.  He speaks to those two disciples, and He says, now I want you to go into that city, and I want you to say to the man the Lord has need of them, and they will turn them over to you, and that’s exactly what happened. In other words as the king He requisitions those animals and they respond to it. So even in the midst of this humble appearance of our Lord, there is nevertheless, underneath, the dignity of the supreme sovereign of this universe.

 

And we usually have our own particular view of how we know spiritual things as a result of wrestling for many years over the questions of how we can know with certainty.  And finally comes an illumination from the Holy Spirit, the same thing that He had done with many others that we can ultimately know nothing apart from the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men.  And that the ultimate attestation of everything that we know must be divine. There can be no certainty in human experience apart from the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit which brings us to the conviction with the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s testimony within, that the word of God is true.

 

Now once He comes, then many things began to become perfectly plain. The problems of the gospels are there are many things we don’t understand yet.  And we put them aside to ponder and think about until God does reveal us the truth.  But you know one of the greatest problems is how it would be possible for anyone to think of a supreme sovereign, and at the same time an humble man who would ride upon an ass, and to weave together these two concepts of the supreme sovereignty of the Son of God and the utmost and lowliest humility into one harmonious picture.

 

If a Shakespeare or a Milton or any other great human being had attempted to do this, he would of course fail.  None of them ever attempted to do it.  All of the attempts have failed because there is no way in which these two things can be put together in such a way that you see one harmonious whole.

 

How is it then possible for these evangelists: Matthew who was nothing unusual, Mark, Luke, John; how were these ordinary men able to do it?  Well, of course, they were able to do it, because they were taught by the Holy Spirit.  But there is something else they were able to do it because they did not manufacture anything.  They were reporters.  In other words, what they saw, what they wrote about, were things that they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears and they simply reported them.

 

And these two great truths of divine sovereignty and utter lowliness are found beautifully meshed and harmonized in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they simply reported what they saw.  And we see that so beautifully here, because even as He rides upon the ass, He is the supreme sovereign of the universe who requisitions the animals upon which He rides, and men respond.

 

When He entered into the city there was a great deal of puzzlement.  The milling multitude entered the city, and as a result of their loud acclamations, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna to the son of David: Hosanna in the highest! As they shouted over the small city, the crowds began to gather around them, and Matthew says the all the city was moved.  Incidentally, that word moved is one that is used of earthquakes, so this was a rather severe moving.  They were agitated, but they were agitated by the anxiety that was created through the acclamations that were offered to the person of our Lord, and the agitation ultimately proceeded from the Spirit’s convicted ministry.  This is the crowd that later on, will shout crucify Him, but now they ask the worried question, who is this? Who is this?  And the answer of the multitude this is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

 

There is nothing more anticlimactic in all of the word of God than that.  Here is the Lord Jesus coming in upon the ass, people are shouting out, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the multitudes, agitated, speak out, who is this? Well we might expect them to say, why this is the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Israel the Messiah the Savior of the world; He is thy Lord, worship thou Him.

 

But instead, what do we get?  It’s Jesus, the human name, the prophet of  Nazareth of Galilee.  He’s just one of the long lines of men who have attached to themselves the name prophet.  We can see from this, our Lord, no doubt with some of the wetness of the tears that He shed on the Mount of Olives still upon His face, enters into the temple in a few moments.  He’s silent through all of this, and finally He turns and goes home late in the afternoon with hardly a word.  It’s obvious that He saw the die was cast.  The nation will not respond.

 

The evidence is overwhelming that He formally offered Himself to the nation here.  If we study the prophecy of Daniel, we will see, from Daniel chapter 9 verse 25 ,that this was the precise time when the sixty-nine weeks or the four hundred and eighty-three years had come to a conclusion at the time our Lord entered the city.  Some of the students of the prophetic word have even claimed that those sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled on the very day He entered Jerusalem.

 

Any student of Scripture should have known the Messiah was near at hand.  The prophetic symbolism and the fulfillment according to Zechariah 9:9 that made evident that this must be the fulfillment.  The Evangelist Matthew makes the comment and says, this was done so that prophesy might be fulfilled.  He understood this as the official presentation of Himself to the nation, and the following parabolic teaching is grounded in the fact that our Lord understands that the kingdom has been presented, and furthermore that it is being rejected and the peoples’ actions in the shouting out of Messianic texts concur.

 

To show how we blind men can be in the study of the Bible, a modern scholar has said the reason the Lord Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem riding on an ass is because He was tired, and the road was uphill all the way.  You cannot be blinder than that!

 

The provincial recognition of the deity of our Lord Jesus and His kingship did not carry national assent.  The nation stumbled at the stone of stumbling, expecting a king on a war horse, like a Bellerophon on a mighty Pegasus, or a Seattle, but instead the king came riding upon an ass.  Of course, in His first coming, He came to die.  O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written: Ought not Messiah to have suffered these things, He told them on the Emaus Road, and then to enter into His glory.  They didn’t understand that He must die first because of sin to make that atonement, and then would come the time of glory.  So they stumbled at the stone of stumbling.

 

Now all is not lost.  We read over in chapter 23 that later on the Lord Jesus said to the nation, behold your house is left unto you desolate, and then in chapter 23 verse 39 He says, for I say unto you, you shall not see Me henceforth till you shall say blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.  So there is a time coming when the nations shall respond saying, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and they shall say it genuinely at His second advent.  Then there shall be a triumphal entry that is truly triumphal.  In the meantime. the prayer lament of the genuine is. O come .O come Emmanuel. and ransom captive Israel that mourn and lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

 

If you’ve never believed in the Lord Jesus; remind that He has made an atonement for sinners, and if God the Holy Spirit has brought conviction to your heart that you need this salvation, it’s available for you as you turn to Him.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle said, and thou shalt be saved.  May God help us to truly believe. 

 

Prayer:

 

Father, these texts are so momentous, and it so difficult for us to adequately expound them, and we pray Lord, that Thou wilt take these very weak and failing words concerning the glory of the Son of God and bring them home to the hearts of those who to do need to hear concerning Him. So Lord we commit the word of God to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  May grace mercy and peace go with us.

 

For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

 

“Who Is This Jesus?” (Matthew 21:1-11)

 

First Sunday in Advent: As it’s the beginning of Advent, and the word “Advent” means “Coming,” our reading, particularly the Holy Gospel, focus our attention on the One who will be coming to us at Christmas, namely, the One who comes to us now in every church service, and Who will come again on the last day at the end of time. So Who is this One Who comes to us in these ways? None other than Christ our Lord.

 

The Holy Gospel for is the account of Christ riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As an Advent reading, it causes us to behold our king who comes to us during this season. And the hinge and hub of history, which is Jesus entering Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to rise again on Easter.

 

The appointed Gospel featured the most frequently is the Gospel according to St. Matthew. But really, the main question that each of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; they all address is the one we hear the crowds ask in today’s reading, and that is, “Who is this?” As we heard in our text: “And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’”

 

“Who is this Jesus?” This is the most important question that can ever be asked or answered. It is the question of the ages. Who is this man, Jesus of Nazareth? Where did He come from? What has He done? What is He doing? What will He do? Who is this fellow, and what does He mean for us, for everyone? Just who is He? Yes, this is the most important question you will ever ask or hear the answer to: “Who Is This Jesus?”

 

We hear some possible answers weaving through our text. One is: “Behold, Your king is coming to you.” Another is: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Or another answer to the question: “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Let’s explore these possibilities. What these answers might mean, and what they mean for us; this is vitally important for each one of us.

 

Let’s start with “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Sounds pretty simple, fairly straightforward. There was this man named Jesus, from a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee. That’s just basic information, nobody would dispute that. But the people were calling Him a “prophet,” and that takes it a step beyond. What does it mean that they would call Jesus a “prophet”?

 

At a minimum, it means that they recognized that Jesus was a man sent by God. They recognized and realized He was operating with some sort of divine authority. He was preaching, teaching, and His words were hitting home. Jesus had been calling people to repentance, calling out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus had been teaching the true meaning of the Word of God, and doing it with divine wisdom, beyond that of their usual teachers. It says earlier in Matthew: “The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

 

Jesus had been doing the works of a prophet, exercising divine power, doing miracles, signs and wonders: healing the sick, casting out demons, calming storms, multiplying loaves and fishes, even raising the dead. This was no ordinary man. God was with Him, there was no doubt. It was almost like . . . God was with us, in the person of this man Jesus. “Immanuel,” “God with us.” . . . That’s getting at it, isn’t it? Who is this man?

      

The people of Jerusalem at least are able to say that He is a prophet. But that may be low-balling Him. Earlier Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” In other words, “Who do men say that I am?” And they reported what they had been hearing: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” And you could understand how people might get those ideas. There were aspects to Jesus’ ministry that were like those of the great prophets of the past. But there was more. “Prophet” is good, but don’t stop there. And so Jesus asked His disciples what they thought: “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter piped up: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”!

 

And that leads us to another answer to our question that we hear the crowds applying to Jesus: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Now we’ve got the term, “the Son of David.” This is adding another layer to our understanding of who Jesus is. “The Son of David” is a reference back to the great king of Israel from centuries before: King David, who reigned in Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. King David was told that one of his sons would reign after him, in a way that would be greater than any king ever. This son of David, a descendant, would have an everlasting kingdom and usher in an age of blessing unsurpassed in the annals of history. And so this was the prophecy of a Messiah, a Christ, an anointed great king to come.

 

Thus when the crowds welcome Jesus into Jerusalem with cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” this is the one they are meaning. They are acclaiming Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah to come. “Come, Jesus, take up Your throne! Save us from our enemies! Reign over us as king, and bring us those glorious blessings!”

 

Well, although the crowds are right as far as recognizing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David, it seems they don’t quite get how it is that He is going to usher in His kingdom, and what shape that will take. If they’re thinking just in economic, military, political terms, if that’s the kind of king they’re hoping Jesus will be, driving out the Romans, putting bread on the table and a chicken in every pot, because, after all, we’re God’s chosen people, then they’re missing the point. They’ve got the wrong king, and the wrong Jesus.

 

What kind of a king are people looking for today? What kind of a Jesus do we want? A glory king, a prosperity king, who will bless us with a nice house in the suburbs, and a nice family, and a nice IRA, and a nice SUV that gets good gas mileage? Who is the Jesus that we want? A life coach? A moral teacher who dispenses good advice? A political Jesus, on either side, a socialist Jesus who advocates for the poor, or a conservative Jesus who preaches traditional moral values? Maybe people today, if we give Jesus any thought at all, which is doubtful, maybe we just want a non-judgmental Jesus who approves of whatever they want to do.

 

What about you? What kind of a king do you want Jesus to be? Who is this Jesus to you?

 

What kind of a king, what kind of a Jesus, people want may not match up with who the real Jesus is. It was true back then, and it is true today. Who is this Jesus? Perhaps we can find the answer to our question in this verse quoted in our text: “Behold, Your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” Because that is how Jesus came, according to His own choosing. He came as a humble king, a Scripture-fulfilling king, riding on a beast of burden.

 

It was fitting that Jesus would come this way, because He himself is carrying a burden, as He comes riding into Jerusalem. Christ comes bearing the burden of our sins. All the sins we have piled up over the years, all the sins of the world, for all time, this is what Christ is carrying. He is coming to Jerusalem to take our sins to the cross, suffering the rejection of His own people, suffering injustice at the hands of a weak ruler. But in so doing, He will be fulfilling the plan and purpose of God, namely, to redeem the world and to save sinners like us. This is how Jesus will reign as king, overcoming sin and death and the grave. This is the kingdom of blessing He comes to bring in, a kingdom of forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.

 

Who is this Jesus? He is a prophet, yes, but much more than that. He is the Son of David, yes, but no mere glory king. Who is this? This Jesus is the humble, Scripture-fulfilling, burden-bearing king, who saves us in the way we need to be saved. He is our king today, and our king forever. Welcome Him as such during this Advent season, and find out more about Him, grow in our faith in Christ. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11

 

This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens!

 

They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!

 

But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude joins the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17

 

Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as He had done at His entering upon His ministry, John 2:13-17. His works testified of Him more than the hosannas; and His healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of His visible church, how many secret evils He would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion, would He show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

 

This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

 

As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

 

Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

 

Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

 

This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone. But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of His church. May we be willing to follow Him, though despised and hated for His sake.

 

The Triumphal Entry of the King

 

The parallel accounts are found in Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40 and John 12:12-19. These ought to be read first. For a study on this periscope in Luke look at the exegetical notes for Advent II Series C.

 

On reasonable grounds it may be assumed that Bethany, the home of Simon the leper, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, was reached before sunset on Friday; that on the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) Jesus enjoyed the Sabbath-rest with His friends; that on Saturday evening a supper was given in His honor; and that the next day, being Sunday, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred.

 

Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, Where is this town? It is mentioned nowhere else in the Old or New Testament, and there is no trace of it now. Medieval tradition places it about halfway between Bethany and Jerusalem. Bethany can still be seen on the east side of the Mount of Olives.

 

Who the two disciples were, we do not know.

 

Matthew 21:2 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. This is our first indication of Jesus' omniscience and omnipotence. He knew precisely what would happen and was graciously ruling the entire matter.

 

Matthew 21:3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

 

Jesus foreknew what would happen. We draw the obvious conclusion that these owners were very good friends of Jesus and His disciples, but that can't be proved. Inasmuch as Jesus foreknew and if these were friends, would Jesus have said "anyone?"

 

Note especially that Jesus is here using the title "Lord" to designate Himself, see Matthew 11:27; 28:18. "The Lord" is the correct translation. LB, TEV, JB and NEB wrongly have: "The Master." We mention this because the IB, like others, says: "The Lord may be Jesus, but the evangelists seldom use this designation and Jesus does not use it of Himself."  The Lord in the same sense as used of Christ in the gospels and elsewhere. Matthew 8:25.

 

What lies at the bottom of the refusal to translate o kurios as "the Lord" is higher criticism which claims that Jesus got His title from the early Christian Church.

 

Implicit in "has need of them" is the divinity of Jesus. He owns them in the first place, and therefore, can speak thus. Again, Jesus knew precisely what would happen.

 

Matthew 21:4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Note that the fulfillment of a Messianic Prophecy is mentioned before the event itself, verses 6 and 7. The disciples did not realize this until after Jesus' resurrection, John 12:16. The point is: Jesus was consciously fulfilling prophecy as at Luke 4:21.

 

"Spoken through the prophet" is an expression found frequently in Matthew. God is the agent. The prophet was moved by the Holy Ghost to record it. The inspiration of the Old Testament is implicit in this verse: Matthew 21:5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

 

The first line is quoted from Isaiah 62:11. Good commentators, including Lutherans, say this line refers only to the believers in Jerusalem.

 

Hengstenberg: The prophet has in His mind only the better portion of the covenant nation, the true members of the people of God, not all Israel according to the flesh.

 

Kiel-Delitzsch: (Commenting on Zechariah 9:9) The Lord calls upon the daughter of Zion, i.e. the personified population of Jerusalem as a representative of the nation of Israel, namely the believing members of the covenant nation to rejoice. The word "See" alerts them to something important. Something like "look here".

 

Hengstenberg: (Commenting on 'King') He who alone is Your king, in the full and highest sense of the world, and in comparison with whom no other deserves the name.

 

Lenski: 'Your King' by His very birth as the Son of David, 2 Samuel 7:12 etc.; Psalm 110:1-2; Romans 1:3.

 

Ylvisaker: The kings of earth conquer by oppression. Jesus shall be victorious while He would seem to surrender.

 

Luther: He is a peculiar King: you do not seek Him, He seeks you; you do not find Him, He finds you; for the preachers come from Him not from you; their preaching come from Him not from you; your faith comes from Him not from you; and all that you faith works in you comes from Him not from you.

 

"Humble" means He made Himself of no reputation. Look at the use of this word in  Matthew 11:29. The incarnate Christ is lowly so that no burdened sinner is driven away.

 

Hengstenberg: 'Humble' embraces the whole of the lowly, sorrowing, suffering condition so fully depicted in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. The fact that He is riding upon an ass is a sign of the lowly condition of this King. The third line is to be taken as a unit. He could not mount more than one of the animals. Neither did He mount first one, and the later the other.

 

Matthew 21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They did exactly as Jesus commanded. They did not yet understand at this time that they were fulfilling prophecy but they did precisely as Jesus said. In a remarkable way the God-man ruled and over-ruled this whole situation, making them completely willing.

 

Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

 

"Cloaks" denotes their outer garments. No one told them to do this. It was all of God and prophecy. Somehow the disciples did this instinctively because of the will of Jesus, though unspoken. Without being told, they were anticipating Jesus' sitting on one of the animals, but they did not yet know which animal.

 

Mark and Luke do not mention the prophecy, not the two animals. John quotes the prophecy in abbreviated form, mentioning only one animal. Matthew quotes almost the entire prophecy, involving both animals. Therefore, Matthew alone treats both animals as to what happened. To say that Matthew pictures Jesus riding on two animals, either simultaneously or alternately, violates the translation of "namely" in the last line of Matthew 21:5 and violates the obvious antecedent of the second "them" which is "garments", not "the animals." Redaction critics claim that Matthew is here expanding Mark's account, but that Matthew misunderstood. Matthew, not the redaction critics, was a witness to what happened. And, if his account were different from Mark's, wouldn't he have made that clear?

 

Matthew 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

 

Matthew is likely indicating that the majority of those present did this. The disciples laid their outer garments on the animals. Taking this as their cue, but also because of the will of the Lord, though unstated, the majority spread their outer garments on the road where the animals would walk. What a remarkable thing to do! Another act of homage, instigated by the will of the Lord to fulfill the prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:9 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 in the highest!"

 

Only Luke does not distinguish two groups. The three others do. John is clear on these two crowds: one had gathered in Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus, now raised from the dead, and started with Jesus to Jerusalem; the other crowd, when it got word of Lazarus' raising from the dead and that Jesus was coming, came out from Jerusalem to meet Him.

 

From Luke 19:39 we know that there were some hostile Pharisees in the throng. Did this throng include pilgrims from Galilee and Perea? Hendriksen things so because of verse 11. That may be but the text does not say so.

 

At any rate, Matthew 21:9 clearly indicates two crowds, that with Him and the one coming out of Jerusalem.

 

"They began to cry and continued to do so." One cried this, another that. Compare the four Gospels on this point. It is a burst of acclamation, prayer and praise to Jesus, involving Messianic titles, the nature of His person and the nature of His work. Psalm 118:25-26 is quoted by them, a Messianic Psalm and also a Hallel Psalm, always used at the time of the Passover. The most often quoted Messianic Psalms in the New Testament are: 2, 22, 69, 89, 110 and 118.

 

"Hosanna" means "save" or "help." Under the Holy Spirit the people add "to the Son of David", a Messianic title. Together they mean: "Help the Son of David, may He succeed."

 

"Blessed" is consistently used only of human beings in the New Testament. "Praised be" is used only of God.

 

It is truly Advent. He comes to believers. "In the name of the Lord" has various translations: "In keeping with the revelation of the Lord"; "in obedience to the Lord's order"; "under the authority of the Lord." It is all of these. It tells us how and on what basis He comes: With the Lord's full backing and approval.

 

"May this hosanna resound in the highest heaven."

 

Hendriksen: It shows that the Messiah was regarded as a gift of God.

 

Lenski: In connection with God's abode.

 

We suggest that it means the same as in Luke 2:14: "Thank God because God and man are reconciled in this incarnate Christ."

 

By the way, under God's impulse the crowds add two phrases: "to the Son of David" and "in the highest."

 

Was all of this mere lip-service or was it meant genuinely? In view of Luke 19:39-40, we must insist that it was genuine, accepted by Jesus. But why did the people cry "Crucify Him" just a few days later? In the first place, human nature is very fickle and inconstant. There is a warning here: One day we may praise God to the highest heaven for what He has done. That is of God and is God-pleasing. A few days later we may be despondent and quite the opposite. That is not God's fault. It's our sinful nature.

 

Furthermore, it cannot be proved beyond a shadow of doubt that these crowds and those which condemned Him on Good Friday were identical although it's hard to believe that those who acclaimed Him on Sunday, if consistent, would have refrained from acknowledging Him on Friday, unless overcome by fear.

 

Matthew 21:10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

 

"Stirred" is "thrown in an uproar" or "in turmoil" or "went wild with excitement."

 

Expositor's Bible: Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism and socially undemonstrative, was stirred by the popular enthusiasm as by a mighty wind or by an earthquake.

 

Fahling: 'Who is this?' is asked from the windows, the roofs, the streets, and the bazaars. Even Jerusalem, frozen with religious formalism, is moved.

 

Matthew 21:11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Not "a" prophet, but "the" Prophet.

 

Hendriksen: He was, and is, indeed a prophet, for He revealed and reveals the will of God to man. Note how in the present connection He is represented both as the fulfillment of prophecy, 21:4,5,9, and as being Himself a 'The' prophet, 21:11.

Why do they say: "from Nazareth of Galilee?"

 

Lenski: This reply sounds as though it was made by festival pilgrims from Galilee. We may note that tone of pride with which they name His home town. Most of the ministry of Jesus had, indeed, been devoted to Galilee, and these pilgrims from Galilee sum it up in the title 'the prophet'. Perhaps they told of His wonderful teaching and of His astounding miracles.

We add the thought that the One Who had been rejected in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry, Luke 4:16-29, is now acclaimed, under the influence of God, as The prophet.

 

Palm Sunday and the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11; Zechariah 9:9-13)

 

Jesus’ ministry is reaching its end. He’s arrived at Jerusalem, the site of the final showdown between almost everything we can think of: between Jesus and the authorities, between God’s kingdom and the empires of the world, between sin and grace, between life and death. This is the beginning of the end.

 

And Jesus announces this in a manner that seems, for Him, to be a little ostentatious. He enters the city riding on a donkey, which prompts a crowd of onlookers to start cheering, praising God, waving palm branches and throwing their coats onto the road for the donkey to walk on. News of this starts to get around: “Who is this?!” people ask, and while the easy answer is that it’s Jesus of Nazareth, the whole procession makes things a little more dramatic than they first appear.

 

For a start, it’s a fulfillment of a prophecy made by Zechariah, “See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey”. The donkey is important. King David’s household is recorded as riding on donkeys and mules in 2 Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 13:28-29. The donkey therefore links Jesus with Israel’s greatest king and establishes His own royal credentials.

 

Those credentials actually make Him more than just a king, they make Him the foretold Messiah, that’s what Zechariah’s prophecy is all about. This is more than a king having a parade to show off His might, it’s about God’s kingdom being inaugurated on Earth, an age of peace being brought into being. The bit of the prophecy quoted by Matthew is verse 9, but as Page points out, it goes on to say:

 

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.

 

He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

This is a king who brings peace to the world and reigns not just over a few geographic territories but over the entire planet. There’s no messing about here, Jesus entering Jerusalem like this announces that this king is now here. This is dynamite, it’s no wonder people start cheering and throwing cloaks on the ground to be trodden on by a young and nervous donkey. The age of peace, the age of the Messiah, the age of God’s kingdom has arrived. It wouldn’t arrive in the way everyone was expecting, of course, and it arrived in now-and-not-yet form, but arrive it did.

 

But wait: not only is this a royal procession, not only is it messianic, it’s also intensely political. Look at what Zechariah goes on to say about removing war horses and chariots from Israel when the Messiah arrives. Just think how that may have sounded in the context of a country that was occupied by the greatest empire the world had ever seen, a country oppressed by, well, people who used war-horses to assert their authority.

 

Now take into account that, around the same time that Jesus was entering Jerusalem on a donkey, the Roman Empire, in the form of Pontius Pilate and his troops were also arriving, a show of strength at a time when the city was full of Passover pilgrims and memories of how God had once freed His people from a mighty nation. “Just remember who’s in charge around here,” says Pilate’s procession; “Just remember who’s really in charge around here,” says Jesus’ parade, building on a prophecy that says empires built upon military might will one day give way to a kingdom built on peace.

 

“Who is this?” the people ask. Who’s this guy who seems to be founding a kingdom that will necessarily bring down Rome itself? Who’s this guy claiming to be the Messiah? The question echoes down through the ages and demands an answer. It’s a question that gets asked again and again throughout the remainder of the narrative:

 

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ask the high priests.

 

“Are you the King of the Jews?” asks Pilate.

 

Considering these questions are asked at trials, they reveal the heart behind them, Jesus is a threat, to the established order of the Empire, to the common perception of who and what the Messiah would be. And we don’t see Jesus as a threat, He’s the good guy who heals people and died for our sins. But this carries with it a price, it means He’s God and has a claim on our lives, and that can be a threat to the empires and kingdoms we’ve built up in our hearts.

 

And while we’re comfortable and confident in these kingdoms, heading towards them, riding on a donkey but implacable in His approach is Jesus. He arrives in town and things have to change. Do we change with them?

 

The Pulpit Commentaries - Matthew 21

 

Exposition - Matthew 21:1-11: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19.)

 

Matthew 21:1

 

We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on Matthew 21:10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6; John 12:1). Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls.

 

Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles.

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Alford suggests that the triumphal entry in Mark 11:1-33. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem, the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow But there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained. The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews."

 

By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him.

 

Matthew 21:2: The village over against You. Bethphage, to which He points as He speaks. He gives their commission to the two disciples, mentioning even some minute details. Straightway. "As soon as ye be entered into it" (Mark). Ye shall find an ass (a she ass) tied, and a colt with her. St. Matthew alone mentions the ass, the mother of the foal. This doubtless he does with exact reference to the prophecy, which, writing for Jews, he afterwards cites (verse 4).

 

St. Jerome gives a mystical reason: the ass represents the Jewish people, which had long borne the yoke of the Law; the colt adumbrates the Gentiles, as yet unbroken," whereon never man sat." Christ called them both, Jew and Gentile, by His apostles. Loose them, and bring them unto Me. He speaks with authority, as One able to make a requisition and command obedience.

 

Matthew 21:3: Say aught unto you. This might naturally be expected. Christ foresaw the opposition, and instructed the disciples how to overcome it with a word. The Lord; κυ ìριος, equivalent to "Jehovah," or the King Messiah. Doubtless the owner of the animals was a disciple, and acknowledged the claims of Jesus. His presence here was a providentially guided coincidence. If he was a stranger; as others suppose, be must have been divinely prompted to acquiesce in the appropriation of his beasts. He will send them. Some manuscripts read, "he sends them," here, as in St. Mark. The present is more forcible, but the future is well attested. The simple announcement that the asses were needed for God's service would silence all refusals. The disciples, indeed, were to act at once, as executing the orders of the supreme Lord, and were to use the given answer only in case of any objection. Throughout the transaction Christ assumes the character of the Divine Messiah, King of His people, the real Owner of all that they possess.

 

Matthew 21:4: All this was done; now ( δε Ì) all this hath come to pass. Many manuscripts omit "all," but it is probably genuine, as in other similar passages; e.g. Matthew 1:22; Matthew 26:56. This observation of the evangelist is intended to convey the truth that Christ was acting consciously on the lines of old prophecy, working out the will of God declared beforehand by divinely inspired seers. The disciples acted in blind obedience to Christ's command, not knowing that they were thus fulfilling prophecy, or having any such purpose in mind. The knowledge came afterwards (see John 12:16). That it might be fulfilled ( ἱ ìνα πληρωθῇ). The conjunction in this phrase is certainly used in its final, not in a consecutive or ecbatie sense; it denotes the purpose or design of the action of Christ, not the result. Not only the will of the Father, but the words of Scripture, had delineated the life of Christ, and in obeying that will He purposed to show that He fulfilled the prophecies which spake of Him. Thus any who knew the Scriptures, and were open to conviction, might see that it was He alone to whom these ancient oracles pointed, and in Him alone were their words accomplished. By (through, δια ì) the prophet. Zechariah 9:9, with a hint of Isaiah 62:11, a quotation being often woven from two or more passages (see on Matthew 27:9).

 

Matthew 21:5: Tell ye the daughter of Zion. This is from Isaiah (comp. Zephaniah 3:14). The passage in Zechariah begins, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem." The "daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem herself, named from the chief of the hills on which the city was built. Of course, the term includes all the inhabitants. Behold; marking the suddenness and unexpected nature of the event. Thy King. A King of thine own race, no stranger, one predestined for thee, foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David and to reign forever. Unto thee. For thy special good, to make His abode with thee (comp. Isaiah 9:6). Meek. As Christ Himself says, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29), far removed from pomp and warlike greatness; and yet, according to His own Beatitude, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), win victories which material forces can never obtain, triumph through humiliation. The original in Zechariah gives other characteristics of Messiah: "He is just, and having salvation;" i.e. endowed with salvation, either as being protected by God, or victorious and so able to save His people. Sitting upon an ass. Coming as King, He could not walk undistinguished among the crowd; He must ride. But to mount a war horse would denote that He was leader of an army or a worldly potentate; so He rides upon an ass, an animal used by the judges of Israel, and chieftains on peaceful errands ( 5:10; 10:4); one, too, greatly valued, and often of stately appearance in Palestine.

 

And ( και Ì) a colt the foal of an ass; such as she asses bear, and one not trained. It is questioned whether the conjunction here expresses addition, implying that Christ mounted both animals in succession, or is merely explanatory, equivalent to videlicet, an ass, yea, even the foal of an ass. It seems unlikely that, in accomplishing the short distance between Bethphage and Jerusalem (only a mile or two), our Lord should have changed from one beast to the other; and the other three evangelists say expressly that Christ rode the colt, omitting all mention of the mother. The she ass doubtless kept close to its foal, so the prophecy was exactly fulfilled, but the animal that bore the Savior was the colt. If the two animals represent respectively the Jews and Gentiles (see on verse 2), it seems hardly necessary for typical reasons that Jesus should thus symbolize His triumph over the disciplined Jews, while it is obvious that the lesson of His supremacy over the untaught Gentiles needed exemplification. The prophet certainly contemplates the two animals in the procession. "The old theocracy runs idly and instinctively by the side of the young Church, which has become the true bearer of the Divinity of Christ". No king had ever thus come to Jerusalem; such a circumstance was predicted of Messiah alone, and Christ alone fulfilled it to the letter, showing of what nature His kingdom was.

 

Matthew 21:6: As Jesus commanded them. They simply obeyed the order, not yet knowing what it portended, or how it carried out the will of God declared by His prophets.

 

Matthew 21:7 Brought the ass. The unbroken foal would be more easily subdued and guided when its mother was with it; such an addition to the ridden animal would usually be employed to carry the rider's luggage. They put on them ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν) their clothes (ἱμα ìτια). The two disciples, stripping off their heavy outer garments, abbas, or burnouses, put them as trappings on the two beasts, not knowing on which their Master meant to ride.

 

They set Him thereon ( ἐπα ìνω αὐτῶν). Thus the received text, and the Vulgate, Et eum desuper sedere fecerunt. But most modern editors, with great man scriptural authority, read, "He sat thereon." Some have taken the pronoun αὐτῶν to refer to the beasts, and Alford supports the opinion by the common saying, "The postilion rode on the horses," when, in fact, He rode only one of the pair. But the analogy is erroneous. The postilion really guides and controls both; but no one contends that Christ kept the mother ass in hand while mounted on the colt. The pronoun is more suitably referred to the garments, which formed a saddle for the Savior, or housings and ornamental appendages. He came invested with a certain dignity and pomp, yet in such humble guise as to discountenance all idea of temporal sovereignty.

 

Matthew 21:8: A very great multitude; ὁδε Ì πλεῖστος ὀ ìχλος: Revised Version, the most part of the multitude. This interpretation has classical authority (see Alford), but the words may well mean," the very great multitude;" Vulgate, plurima autem turba. This crowd was composed of pilgrims who were coming to the festival at Jerusalem, and "the whole multitude of the disciples" (Luke 19:37). Spread their garments ( ἱμα ìτια) in the way. Fired with enthusiasm, they stripped off their abbas, as the two disciples had done, and with them made a carpet over which the Savior should ride.

 

Such honors were often paid to great men, and indeed, as we well know, are offered now on state occasions. Branches from the trees. St. John (John 12:13) particularizes palm trees as having been used on this occasion; but there was abundance of olive and other trees, from which branches and leaves could be cut or plucked to adorn the Savior’s road. The people appear to have behaved on this occasion as if at the Feast of Tabernacles, roused by enthusiasm to unpremeditated action. Of the three routes which lay before Him, Jesus is supposed to have taken the southern and most frequented, between the Mount of Olives and the Hill of Offence.

 

Matthew 21:9: The multitudes that went before, and that followed. These expressions point to two separate bodies, which combined in escorting Jesus at a certain portion of the route. We learn from St. John (John 12:18) that much people, greatly excited by the news of the raising of Lazarus, when they heard that He was in the neighborhood, hurried forth from Jerusalem to meet and do Him honor. These, when they met the other procession with Jesus riding in the midst, turned back again and preceded Him into the city.

 

St. Luke identifies the spot as "at the descent of the Mount of Olives." "As they approached the shoulder of the hill," "where the road bends downwards to the north, the sparse vegetation of the eastern slope changed, as in a moment, to the rich green of garden and trees, and Jerusalem in its glory rose before them.

 

It is hard for us to imagine now the splendor of the view. The city of God, seated on her hills, shone at the moment in the morning sun. Straight before stretched the vast white walls and buildings of the temple, its courts glittering with gold, rising one above the other; the steep sides of the hill of David crowned with lofty walls; the mighty castles towering above them; the sumptuous palace of Herod in its green parks; and the picturesque outlines of the streets." Hosanna to the Son of David! "Hosanna!" is compounded of two words meaning "save" and "now," or, "I pray," and is written in full Hoshia-na, translated by the Septuagint, σῶσον δη ì. The expressions uttered by the people are mostly derived from Psalms 118:1-29., which formed part of the great Hallel sung at the Feast of Tabernacles. "Hosanna!" was originally a formula of prayer and supplication, but later became a term of joy and congratulation.

 

So here the cry signifies "Blessings on [or, 'Jehovah bless'] the Son of David!" i.e. the Messiah, acknowledging Jesus to be He, the promised Prince of David's line. Thus we say, "God save the king!" This, the first Christian hymn, gave to Palm Sunday, in some parts of the Church, the name of the "day of Hosannas," and was incorporated into the liturgical service both in East and West. Blessed … of the Lord: (Psalms 118:26).

 

The formula is taken in two ways, the words, "ill the Name of the Lord," being connected either with "blessed" or with "cometh." In the former case the cry signifies, "The blessing of Jehovah rest on Him who cometh!" i.e., Messiah (Matthew 11:3; Revelation 1:8); in the latter, the meaning is, "Blessing on Him who cometh with Divine mission, sent with the authority of Jehovah!" The second interpretation seems to be correct. In the highest (comp. Luke 2:14). The people cry to God to ratify in heaven the blessing which they invoke on earth. This homage and the title of Messiah Jesus now accepts as His due, openly asserting His claims, and by His acquiescence encouraging the excitement. St. Matthew omits the touching scene of Christ's lamentations over Jerusalem, as He passed the spot where Roman legions would, a generation hence, encamp against the doomed city.

 

Matthew 21:10: Was come into Jerusalem. Those who consider that the day of this event was the tenth of Nisan see a peculiar fitness in the entry occurring on this day. On the tenth of this month the Paschal lamb was selected and taken up preparatory to its sacrifice four days after (Exodus 12:3, Exodus 12:6). So the true Paschal Lamb now is escorted to the place where alone the Passover could be sacrificed. Taking A.D. 30 to be the date of the Crucifixion, astronomers inform us that in that year the first day of Nisan fell on March 24. Consequently, the tenth would be on Sunday, April 2, and the fourteenth was reckoned item sunset of Thursday, April 6, to the sunset of Friday, April 7 (see on Matthew 21:1, and preliminary note Matthew 26:1-75.). Was moved ( ἐσει ìσθη); was shaken, as by an earthquake. St. Matthew alone mentions this commotion, though St. John (John 12:19) makes allusion to it, when he reports the vindictive exclamation of the Pharisees, "Behold, the world is gone after Him!"

 

Jerusalem had been stirred and troubled once before, when the Wise Men walked through the streets, inquiring, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3). But the excitement was far greater now, more general, composed of many different elements. The Romans expected some public rising; the Pharisaical party was aroused to new envy and malice; the Herodians dreaded a possible usurper; but the populace entertained for the moment the idea that their hopes were now fulfilled, that the long desired Messiah had at last appeared, and would lead them to victory. Who is this? The question may have been put by the strangers who came from all parts of the world to celebrate the Passover at Jerusalem, or by the crowds in the streets, when they beheld the unusual procession that was advancing.

 

Matthew 21:11: The multitude; οἱὀ ìχλοι: the multitudes. These were the people who took part in the procession; they kept repeating ( ἐ ìλεγον, imperfect) to all inquiries, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth. They give His name, title, and dwelling place. They call Him "the Prophet," either as being the One that was foretold (John 1:21; John 6:14), or as being inspired and commissioned by God (John 9:1-41.17). The appellation, "of Nazareth," clung to our Lord through all His earthly life. St. Matthew (Matthew 2:23) notes that the prophets had foretold that He was to be called a Nazarene, and that this prediction was in some sort fulfilled by his dwelling at Nazareth. We know not who were the prophets to whom the evangelist refers, and in this obscurity the attempted explanations of exegetes are far from satisfactory; so it is safer to fall back upon the inspired historian's verdict, and to mark the providential accomplishment of the prediction in the title by which Jesus was generally known. "Friends and foes, chief priests in hate, Pilate in mockery, angels in adoration, disciples in love, Christ Himself in lowliness (Acts 22:8), and now the multitudes in simplicity, all proclaim Him 'of Nazareth.'"

 

Matthew 21:12-17: The second cleansing of the temple. (Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48.)

 

Matthew 21:12: Went into the temple. The event here narrated seems to have taken place on the day following the triumphal entry; i.e. on the Monday of the Holy Week. This can be gathered from St. Mark's narrative, where it is stated that, on the day of triumph, Jesus was escorted to the temple, but merely "looked round about on all things," and then returned for the night to Bethany, visiting the temple again on the following morning, and driving out those who profaned it. St. Matthew often groups events, not in their proper chronological order, but in a certain logical sequence which corresponded with his design.

 

Thus he connects the cleansing with the triumphal entry, in order to display another example of Christ's self-manifestation at this time, and His purpose to show who He was and to put forth His claims publicly. In this visit of Christ we see the King coming to His palace, the place where His honor dwelleth, the fitting termination of His glorious march. This cleansing of the temple must not be confounded with the earlier incident narrated by St. John (John 2:13, etc.). The two acts marked respectively the beginning and close of Christ's earthly ministry, and denote the reverence which He taught for the house and the worshiper God.

 

The part of the temple which He now visited, and which was profaned to secular use, was the court of the Gentiles, separated from the sanctuary by a stone partition, and considered of lesser sanctity, though really an integral part of the temple. Cast out all them that sold and bought. In this large open space a market had been established, with the connivance, and much to the pecuniary emolument, of the priests. These let out the sacred area, of which they were the appointed guardians, to greedy and irreligious traders, who made a gain of others' piety. We find no trace of this market in the Old Testament; it probably was established after the Captivity, whence the Jews brought back that taste for commercial business and skill in financial matters for which they have ever since been celebrated. In the eyes of worldly-minded men the sanctity of a building and its appendages was no impediment to traffic and trade, hence they were glad to utilize the temple court, under the sanction of the priests, for the convenience of those who came from all regions to celebrate the great festivals.

 

Here was sold all that was required for the sacrifices which worshippers were minded to offer animals for victims, meal, incense, salt, etc. The scandalous abuse of the holy precincts, or the plain traces of it (if, as it was late in the day, the traffickers themselves had departed for a time), Christ had observed at His previous visit, when He "looked round about upon all things" (Mark 11:11), and now He proceeded to remedy the crying evil The details of the expulsion are not given. On the first occasion, we are told, He used "a scourge of small cords;" as far as we know, at this time He effected the purification unarmed and alone. It was a marvelous impulse that forced the greedy crew to obey the order of this unknown Man; their own consciences made them timid; they fled in dismay before the stern indignation of His eye, deserted their gainful trade to escape the reproach of that invincible zeal.

 

Money changers. These persons exchanged (for a certain percentage) foreign money or other coins for the half shekel demanded from all adults for the service of the temple (see on Matthew 17:24). They may have lent money to the needy. The sellers also probably played into their bands by refusing to receive any but current Jewish money in exchange for their wares. It is also certain that no coins stamped with a heathen symbol, or bearing a heathen monarch's image, could be paid into the temple treasury. The seats of them that sold (the) doves. These birds were used by the poor in the place of costlier victims (see Le John 12:6; John 14:22; Luke 2:24). The sellers were often women, who sat with tables before them on which were set cages containing the doves.

 

Matthew 21:13: It is written. Jesus confirms His action by the word of Scripture. He combines in one severe sentence a passage from Isaiah 56:7 ("Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples"), and one from Jeremiah 7:11 ("Is this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?"). He brings out in strong contrast the high design and use of the house of God (an allusion specially appropriate at the coming festival), and the vile and profane purposes to which the greed and impiety of men had subjected it. Ye have made it; Revised Version, ye make it; and so many modern editors on good manuscript authority. These base traffickers had turned the hallowed courts into a cavern where robbers stored their ill-gotten plunder. It may also be said that to make the place of prayer for all the nations a market for boasts was a robbery of the rights of the Gentiles. And Christ here vindicated the sanctity of the house of God: the Lord, according to the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1-3), had suddenly come to His temple to refine and purify, to show that none can profane what is dedicated to the service of God without most certain loss and punishment.

 

Matthew 21:14: The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple. This notice is peculiar to St. Matthew, though St. Luke (Luke 19:47) mentions that "He taught daily in the temple." An old expositor has remarked that Christ first as King purified His palace, and then took His seat therein, and of His royal bounty distributed gilts to His people. It was a new fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 35:4-6), which spake of Messiah coming to open the eyes of the blind, to unstop the ears of the deaf, to make the lame man leap as a hart. For acts of sacrilege which profaned the temple precincts, He substituted acts of mercy which hallowed them; the good Physician takes the place of the greedy trafficker; the den of thieves becomes a beneficent hospital. How many the acts of healing were, we are not told; but the words point to the relief of numberless sufferers, none of whom were sent empty away.

 

Matthew 21:15: The chief priests. This term is generally applied to the high priest's deputies and the heads of the twenty-four courses, but it seems here to mean certain sacerdotal members of the Sanhedrin, to whom supreme authority was delegated by the Romans or Herodians (see Josephus, 'Ant.,' 20.10, 5). They formed a wealthy, aristocratical body, and were many of them Sadducees. They joined with the scribes in expressing their outraged feeling, whether simulated or real. The wonderful things ( τασια); an expression found nowhere else in the New Testament. It refers to the cleansing of the temple and the cures lately performed there. Children crying in the temple. This fact is mentioned only by St. Matthew. Jesus loved children, and they loved and followed Him, taking up the cry which they had heard the day before from the multitude, and in simple faith applying it again to Christ. While grown men are silent or blaspheming, little children boldly sing his praises. Were sore displeased. Their envious hearts could not bear to see Jesus honored, elevated in men's eyes by His own beneficent actions, and now glorified by the spontaneous acclamations of these little ones.

 

Matthew 21:16: Hearest thou what these say? They profess a great zeal for God's honor. They recognize that these cries implied high homage, if not actual worship, and appeal to Jesus to put a stop to such unseemly behavior, approaching, as they would pretend, to formal blasphemy. Yea. Jesus replies that He hears what the children say, but sees no reason for silencing them; rather He proves that they were only fulfilling an old prophecy, originally, indeed, applied to Jehovah, but one which He claims as addressed to Himself. Have ye never read? (Matthew 12:5). The quotation is from the confessedly Messianic psalm (Psalms 8:1-9.), a psalm very often quoted in the New Testament, and as speaking of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6, etc.).

 

Suckling. This term was applied to children up to the age of three years (see 2 Macc. 7:27), but might be used metaphorically of those of tender age, though long weaned. Thou hast perfected praise. The words are from the Septuagint, which seems to have preserved the original reading. The present Hebrew text gives, "Thou hast ordained strength," or "established a power." In the Lord's mouth the citation signifies that God is praised acceptably by the weak and ignorant when, following the impulse of their simple nature, they do Him homage. Some expositors combine the force of the Hebrew and Greek by explaining that "the strength of the weak is praise, and that worship of Christ is strength". It is more simple to say that for the Hebrew "strength," "praise" is substituted, in order to give the idea that the children's acclamation was that which would still the enemy, as it certainly put to shame the captious objections of the Pharisees.

 

Matthew 21:17: He left them. The chief priests had nothing to say in reply to this testimony of Scripture. They feared to arrest Him in the face of the enthusiastic multitude; they bided their time, for the present apparently silenced. Jesus, wasting no further argument on these willfully unbelieving people, turned and left them. The King had no home in His royal city; He sought one in lowly Bethany, where He was always sure of a welcome in the house of Martha and Mary.

 

It is somewhat doubtful whether He availed Himself of His friends' hospitality at this time. The term "Bethany" would include the district so called in the vicinity of the town, as in the description of the scene of the Ascension (Luke 24:50). Lodged ( ηὐλι ìσθη). This word, if its strict classical use is pressed, would imply that Jesus passed the night in the open air; but it may mean merely "lodge," or "pass the night," without any further connotation; so no certain inference can be drawn from its employment in this passage. This withdrawal of Jesus obviated all danger of a rising in His favor, which, supported by the vast resources of the temple, might have had momentous consequences at this time of popular concourse and excitement.

 

Matthew 21:18-22: The cursing of the barren fig tree. (Mark 11:12-14 :, 20-26.)

 

Matthew 21:18: In the morning. St. Matthew has combined in one view a transaction which had two separate stages, as we gather from the narrative of St. Mark. The curse was uttered on the Monday morning, before the cleansing of the temple; the effect was beheld and the lesson given on the Tuesday, when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the third time (verses 20-22). Some scholars, resenting the miraculous in the incident, have imagined that the whole story is merely an embodiment and development of the parable of the fruitless fig tree recorded by St. Luke (Luke 13:6, etc.), which in course of time assumed this historical form. There is no ground whatever for this idea. It claims to be, and doubtless is, the account of a real fact, naturally connected with the circumstances of the time, and of great practical importance.

 

He hungered. True Man, He showed the weakness of His human nature, even when about to exert His power in the Divine. There is no need, rather it is unseemly to suppose that this hunger was miraculous or assumed, in order to give occasion for the coming miracle. Christ had either passed the night on the mountain-side in prayer and fasting, or had started from His lodging without breaking His fast. His followers do not seem to have suffered in the same way; and it was doubtless owing to His mental preoccupation and self-forgetfulness that the Lord had not attended to bodily wants.

 

Matthew 21:19: When He saw a ( μι ìαν, a single) fig tree in the way. The tree stood all alone in a conspicuous situation by the roadside, as if courting observation. It was allowable to pluck and eat fruit in an orchard (Deuteronomy 23:24, Deuteronomy 23:25); but this tree, placed where it was, seemed to be common property, belonging to no private owner. The sight of the leaves thereon, as St. Mark tells us, attracted the notice of Christ, who beheld with pleasure the prospect of relieving His long abstinence with the refreshment of cool and juicy fruit. He came to it. Knowing the nature of the tree, and that under some circumstances the fruit ripens before the leaves are fully out, Jesus naturally expected to find on it some figs fit to eat. Further, besides the fruit which comes to maturity in the usual way during the summer, there are often late figs produced in autumn which hang on the tree during winter, and ripen at the reawakening of vegetation in the spring.

 

The vigor of this particular tree was apparently proved by the luxuriance of its foliage, and it might reasonably be expected to retain some of its winter produce. Found nothing thereon, but leaves only. It was all outward show, promise without performance, seeming precocity with no adequate results. There is no question here of Christ's omniscience being at fault. He acted as a man would act; He was not deceived Himself nor did He deceive the apostles, though they at first misapprehended His purpose. The whole action was symbolical, and was meant so to appear.

 

In strict propriety of conduct, as a man led by the appearance of the tree might act, He carried out the figure, at the same time showing, by His treatment of this inanimate object, that He had something higher in view, and that He does not mean that which His outward conduct seemed to imply. He is enacting a parable where all the parts are in due keeping, and all have their twofold signification in the world of nature and the world of grace. The hunger is real, the tree is real, the expectation of fruit legitimate, the barrenness disappointing and criminal; the spiritual side, however, is left to be inferred, and, as we shall see, only one of many possible lessons is drawn from the result of the incident.

 

Let no fruit grow on thee (let there be no fruit from thee) henceforward forever. Such is the sentence passed on this ostentations tree. Christ addresses it as if replying to the profession made by its show of leaves. It had the sap of life, it had power to produce luxuriant leaves; therefore it might and ought to have borne fruit. It vaunted itself as being superior to its neighbors, and the boast was utterly empty. Presently ( παραχρῆμα) the fig tree withered away. The process was doubtless gradual, commencing at Christ's word, and continuing till the tree died; but St. Matthew completes the account at once, giving in one picture the event, with its surroundings and results. It was a moral necessity that what had incurred Christ's censure should perish; the spiritual controlled the material; the higher overbore the lower.

Thus the designed teaching was placed in visible shape before the eyes, and silently uttered its important lesson. It has been remarked that we are not to suppose that the tree thus handled was previously altogether sound and healthy. Its show of leaves at an unusual period without fruit may point to some abnormal development of activity which was consequent upon some radical defect. Had it been in vigorous health, it would not have been a fitting symbol of the Jewish Church; nor would it have corresponded with the idea which Christ designed to bring to the notice of His apostles. There was already some process at work which would have issued in decay, and Christ's curse merely accelerated this natural result.

 

This is considered to be the only instance in which our Lord exerted His miraculous power in destruction; all His other actions were beneficent, saving, gracious. The drowning of the swine at Gadara was only permitted for a wise purpose; it was not commanded or inflicted by Him. The whole transaction in our text is mysterious. That the Son of man should show wrath against a senseless tree, as tree, is, of course, not conceivable. Them was an apparent unfitness, if not injustice, in the proceeding, which at once demonstrated that the tree was not the real object of the action, that something more important was in view. Christ does not treat trees as moral agents, responsible for life and action. He uses inanimate objects to convey lessons to men, dealing with them according to His good pleasure, even His supreme will, which is the law by which they are controlled. In themselves they have no fault and incur no punishment, but they are treated in such a way as to profit the nobler creatures of God's hand.

 

There may have been two reasons for Christ's conduct which were not set prominently forward at the time. First, He desired to show His power, His absolute control, over material forces, so that, in what was about to happen to Him, His apostles might be sure that He suffered not through weakness or compulsion, but because He willed to have it so. This would prepare His followers for His own and their coming trials. Then there was another great lesson taught by the sign. The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish Church. The prophets had used both it. and the vine in this connection (comp. Hosea 9:10), and our Lord Himself makes an unmistakable allusion in His parable of the fig tree planted in the vineyard, from which the owner for three years sought fruit in vain (Luke 13:6, etc.).

 

Many of His subsequent discourses are, as it were, commentaries upon this incident (see verses 28-44; Matthew 22:1-14; 23-25.). Here was a parable enacted. The Savior had seen this tree, the Jewish Church, afar off, looking down upon it from heaven; it was one, single, standing conspicuous among all nations as that whereon the Lord had lavished most care, that which ought to have shown the effect of this culture in abundant produce of holiness and righteousness. But what was the result? Boasting to be children of Abraham, the special heritage of Jehovah, gifted with highest privileges, the sole possessors of the knowledge of God, the Israelites professed to have what no other people had, and were in reality empty and bare. There was plenty of outward show, rites, ceremonies, scrupulous observances, much speaking; but no real devotion, no righteousness, no heart worship, no good works.

 

Other nations, indeed, were equally fruitless, but they did not profess to be holy; they were sinners, and offered no cloak for their sinfulness. The Jews were no less unrighteous; but they were hypocrites, and boasted of the good which they had not. Other nations were unproductive, for their time had not come; but for Israel the season had arrived; she ought to have been the first to accept the Messiah, to unite the new with the old fruit, to pass from the Law to the gospel, and to learn and practice the lesson of faith. Perfect fruit was not yet to be expected; but Israel's sin was that she vaunted her perfection, counted herself sound and whole, while rotten at the very core, and barren of all good results.

 

Her falsehood, hypocrisy, and arrogant complacency were fearfully punished. The terms of the curse pronounced by the Judge are very emphatic. It denounces perpetual barrenness on the Jewish Church and people. From Judaea was to have gone forth the healing of the nations; from it all peoples of the earth were to be blessed. The complete fulfillment of this promise is no longer in the literal Israel; she is nothing in the world; no one resorts to her for food and refreshment; she has none to offer the wayfarer. For eighteen centuries has that fruitlessness continued; the withered tree still stands, a monument of unbelief and its punishment. The Lord's sentence, "forever," must be understood with some limitation. In His parable of the fig tree, which adumbrates the last days, He intimates that it shall someday bud and blossom, and be clothed once more with leaf and fruit; and St. Paul looks forward to the conversion of Israel, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Romans 11:23-26).

 

Matthew 21:20: They marveled, saying. The apostles' remark on the incident was made on the Tuesday, as we learn from St. Mark's more accurate account. After Christ had spoken His malediction, the little band went on their way to Jerusalem, where was performed the cleansing of the temple. On their return to Bethany, if they passed the tree, it was doubtless too dark to observe its present condition, and it was not till the next morning that they noticed what had happened. St. Matthew does not name the apostle who was the mouthpiece of the others in expressing astonishment at the miracle; he is satisfied with speaking generally of "the disciples" (comp. Matthew 26:8 with John 12:4). We learn from St. Mark that it was Peter who made the observation recorded, deeply affected by the sight of this instance of Christ's power, and awestruck by the speedy and complete accomplishment of the curse.

 

How soon is the fig tree withered away! better, How did the fig tree immediately wither away? Vulgate, Quomodo continue aruit? They saw, but could not comprehend, the effect of Christ's word, and wonderingly inquired how it came to pass. They did not at present realize the teaching of this parabolic act, how it gave solemn warning of the certainty of judgment on the unfruitful Jewish Church, which, hopelessly barren, must no longer cumber the earth. Christ did not help them to understand the typical nature of the transaction. He is not wont to explain in words the spiritual significance of His miracles; the connection between miracle and teaching is left to be inferred, to be brought out by meditation, prayer, faith, and subsequent circumstances. The total rejection of the Jews was a doctrine for which the apostles were not yet prepared; so the Lord, in wisdom and mercy, withheld its express enunciation at this moment. In mercy too He exemplified the sternness and severity of God's judgment by inflicting punishment on an inanimate object, and not on a sentient being; He withered a tree, not a sinful man, by the breath of His mouth.

 

Matthew 21:21: Jesus answered. To the apostles' question the Lord makes reply, drawing a lesson, not such as we should have expected, but one of quite a different nature, yet one which was naturally deduced from the transaction which had excited such astonishment. They marveled at this incident; let them have and exercise faith. and they should do greater things than this. Christ had already made a similar answer after the cure of the demoniac boy (Matthew 17:20). If ye have faith, and doubt not ( μη Ì διακριθῆτε). The whole phrase expresses the perfection of the grace. The latter verb means "to discriminate," to see a difference in things, hence to debate in one's mind. The Vulgate gives, Si habueritis fidem, et non haesitaveritis. What is here enjoined is that temper of mind which does not stop hesitatingly to consider whether a thing can be done or not, but believes that all is possible, that one can do all things through Christ who strengthens Him.

 

So the apostles are assured by Christ that they should not only be able to wither a tree with a word, but should accomplish far more difficult undertakings. This which is done to the fig tree ( το Ì τῆς συκῆς); as, "what was befallen to them that were possessed with devils ( τα Ìτῶν δαιμονιζομε ìνων)" (Matthew 8:33). The promise may intimate that it was to be through the preaching of the apostles, and the Jews' rejection of the salvation offered by them, that the judgment should fall on the chosen people. Thus they would do what was done to the fig tree. And in the following words we may see a prophecy of the destruction of the mountain of paganism. Or it may mean that theocratic Judaism must be cast into the sea of nations before the Church of Christ should reach its full development. This mountain. As He speaks, He points to the Mount of Olivet, on which they were standing, or to Moriah crowned by the glorious temple. Be thou removed; be thou taken up; ἀ ìρθητι, not the same word as in Matthew 17:20. The sea. The Mediterranean (see a similar promise, Luke 17:6). It shall be done. It was not likely that any such material miracle would literally be needed, and no one would ever pray for such a sign; but the expression is hyperbolically used to denote the performance of things most difficult and apparently impossible (see Zechariah 4:7; 1 Corinthians 13:2).

 

Matthew 21:22: All things. The promise is extended beyond the sphere of extraordinary miracles. In prayer; ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ: in the prayer; or, in your prayer. The use of the article may point to the prayer given by our Lord to His disciples, or to some definite form used from the earliest times in public worship (comp. Acts 1:14; Romans 12:12; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Colossians 4:2). Believing, ye shall receive. The condition for the success of prayer is stringent. A man must have no latent doubt in his heart; he must not debate whether the thing desired can be done or not; he must have absolute trust in the power and good will of God; and he must believe that "what he saith cometh to pass" (Mark 11:23). The faith required is the assurance of things hoped for, such as gives substance and being to them while yet out of sight. The words had their special application to the apostles, instructing them that they were not to expect to be able, like their Master, to work the wonders needed for the confirmation of the gospel by their own power. Such effects could be achieved only by prayer and faith. (On the general promise to faithful prayer, see Matthew 7:7-11.)

 

Verse 21:23-22:14. Our Lord's authority questioned: He replies by uttering three parables. (Mk 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-18.)

 

Matthew 21:23-27: First attack, referring to His late actions: and Christ's answer.

 

Matthew 21:23: When He was come into the temple. The conversation recorded here belongs to the Tuesday of the Holy Week, and took place in the courts of the temple, at this time filled with pilgrims from all parts of the world, who hung upon Christ's words, and beheld His doings with wonder and awe. This sight roused to fury the envy and anger of the authorities, and they sent forth sections of their cleverest men to undermine His authority in the eyes of the people, or to force from Him statements on which they might found criminal accusation against Him. The chief priests and the elders of the people.

 

According to the other evangelists, there were also scribes, teachers of the Law, united with them in this deputation, which thus comprised all the elements of the Sanhedrin. This seems to have been the first time that the council took formal notice of Jesus' claims and actions, and demanded from Him personally an account of Himself. They had been quick enough in inquiring into the Baptist's credentials, when he suddenly appeared on the banks of Jordan (see John 1:19, etc.); but they had studiously, till quite lately, avoided any regular investigation of the pretensions of Jesus.

In the thee of late proceedings, this could no longer be delayed. A crisis had arrived; their own peculiar province was publicly invaded, and their authority attacked; the opponent must be withstood by the action of the constituted court. As He was teaching. Jesus did not confine Himself to beneficent acts; He used the opportunity of the gathering of crowds around Him to preach unto them the gospel (Luke 20:1), to teach truths which came with double force from One who bad done such marvelous things. By what authority doest thou these things? They refer to the triumphal entry, the reception of the homage offered, the healing of the blind and lame, the teaching as with the authority of a rabbi, and especially to the cleansing of the temple. No one could presume to teach without a proper commission: where was His authorization? They were the guardians and rulers of the temple: what right had He to interfere with their management, and to use the sacred precincts for His own purposes?

 

These and such like questions were in their mind when they addressed Him thus. Willfully ignoring the many proofs they had of Christ's Divine mission (which one of them, Nicodemus, had long before been constrained to own, John 3:2), they raised the question now as a novel and unanswered one. Who gave thee this authority? They resolve the general inquiry into the personal one, Who was it that conferred upon You this authority which You presume to exercise? Was it some earthly ruler, or was it God Himself?

 

Perhaps they mean to insinuate that Satan was the master whose power He wielded, an accusation already often made. They thought thus to place Christ in an embarrassing position, from which He could not emerge without affording the opportunity which they desired. The trap was cleverly set, and, as they deemed, unavoidable. If He was forced to confess that He spoke and acted without any proper authorization, He would be humiliated in the eyes of the people, and might be officially silenced by the strong hand. If He asserted Himself to be the Messiah and the bearer of a Divine commission, they would at once bring against Him a charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65).

 

Matthew 21:24: I also will ask you one thing; λο ìγον ἑ ìνα: one word, question. Jesus does not reply directly to their insidious demand. He might have asserted His Divine mission, and appealed to His miracles in confirmation of such claim, which would have been in strict conformity with the old, established rule for discriminating false and true prophets (see Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 28:9); but He knew too well their skepticism and malice and inveterate prejudice to lay stress on this allegation at the present moment. Before He satisfied their inquiry, He must have their opinion concerning one whom they had received as a prophet a few years ago, and whose memory was still held in the highest respect, John the Baptist. The manner in which they regarded Him and His testimony would enable them to answer their own interrogation.

 

Matthew 21:25: The baptism of John ( το Ì βα ìπτισμα το Ì Ἰωα ìννου). By "the baptism which was of John" Christ means His whole ministry, doctrine, preaching, etc.; as by circumcision is implied the whole Mosaic Law, and the doctrine of the cross comprises all the teaching of the gospel, the chief characteristic connoting all particulars. From heaven, or of men? Did they regard John as one inspired and commissioned by God, or as a fanatic and impostor, who was self-sent and had received no external authorization? Now, two facts were plain and could not be denied. The rulers and the people with them had allowed John to be a prophet, and had never questioned his claims hitherto. This was one fact; the other was that John had borne unmistakable evidence to Christ. "Behold the Lamb of God!" etc. (John 1:32-36), he had said. He came and asserted that he came as Christ's forerunner; his mission was to prepare Christ's way, and had no meaning or intention but this. Here was a dilemma. They had asked for Jesus' credentials; the prophet, whose mission they had virtually endorsed testified that Jesus was the Messiah; if they believed that John spoke by inspiration, they must accept Christ; if now they discredited John, they would stultify themselves and endanger their influence with the people. They reasoned with themselves ( παρ ἑαυτοῖς). The somewhat unusual introduction of this preposition instead of the more common ἐν implies that the reflection was not confined to their own breast, but passed in consultation from one to another. They saw the difficulty, and deliberated how they could meet it without compromising themselves, seeking, not truth, but evasion. Why did ye not then ( διατι ì οὖν: why then did ye not) believe Him? i.e. when he bore such plain testimony to me. This appeal could be silenced only by denying John's mission, or asserting that he was mistaken in what he said,

 

Matthew 21:26: We fear the people. They dared not, as they would gladly have done, affirm that John was a false prophet and impostor; for then, as according to St. Luke they said, "All the people will stone us." Public opinion was too strong for them. Whatever view they really took of John's position, they were forced, for the sake of retaining popularity, to uphold its Divine character. All hold John as a prophet. Even Herod, for the same reason, long hesitated to put the Baptist to death (Matthew 14:5); and many of the Jews believed that Herod's defeat by Aretas was a judgment upon him for this murder (Josephus,' Ant.,' 18.5. 2); comp. Luke 7:29, which shows how extensive was the influence of this holy teacher, who indeed did no miracle, but persuaded men by pure doctrine, holy life, genuine love of souls, courageous reproof of sin wherever found. Others had drawn the very inference which Christ now demanded (see John 10:41, John 10:42).

 

Matthew 21:27: We cannot tell; οὐκ οἰ ìδαμεν: we know not; Vulgate, nescimus. The Authorized Version seems, at first sight, to be intended to give a false emphasis to "tell" in Christ's answer; but our translators often render the verb οἰ ìδα in this way (see John 3:8; John 8:14; John 16:18; 2 Corinthians 12:2). The questioners could find no way out of the dilemma in which Christ's unerring wisdom had placed them. Their evasive answer was a confession of defeat, and that in the presence of the gaping crowd who stood around listening to the conversation. They had every opportunity of judging the character of John's mission and that of Christ; it was their duty to form an opinion and to pronounce a verdict on such claims; and yet they, the leaders and teachers of Israel, for fear of compromising themselves, evade the obligation, refuse to solve or even to entertain the question, and, like a modern agnostic, content themselves with a profession of ignorance.

 

Many people, to avoid looking a disagreeable truth in the face, respond to all appeals with the stereotyped phrase, "We cannot tell." F.M. appositely quotes the comment of Donatus on Terent., 'Eunuch.,' 5.4, 31, "Perturbatur Parmeno; nec negare potuit, nec consentire volebat; sed quasi defensionis loco dixit, Nescio." And He said unto them; ἐ ìφη αὐτοῖς καις: He also said unto them. The Lord answers the thought which had dictated their words to Him. Neither tell I you, etc. With such double-minded men, who could give no clear decision concerning the mission of such a one as John the Baptist, it would be mere waste of words to argue further. They would not accept His testimony, and recognizing their malice and perversity, He declined to instruct them further. "Christ shows," says Jerome, "that they knew and were unwilling to answer; and that He knew, but held His peace, because they refused to utter what they well knew."

 

Matthew 21:28-32: The parable of the two sons.

 

Matthew 21:28: But what think ye? A formula connecting what follows with what has preceded, and making the hearers themselves the judges. By this and the succeeding parables, Jesus shows His interlocutors their true guilty position and the punishment that awaited them. He Himself explains the present parable in reference to His hearers, though, of course, it has, and is meant to have, a much wider application. A certain man (ἀìνθρωπος, a man) had two sons. The man represents God; the two sons symbolize two classes of Jews, the Pharisees, with their followers and imitators; and the lawless and sinful, who made no pretence of religion. The former are those who profess to keep the Law strictly, to the very letter, though they care nothing for its spirit, and virtually divorce religion from morality The latter are careless and profane persons, whom the Lord calls "publicans and harlots" (Matthew 21:31). Christ's reply countenances the received text, setting the repentant before the professing son. "The first son "here typifies the evil and immoral among the Jewish people. Go, work today. Two emphatic imperatives. Immediate obedience is required. "Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Psalms 95:7, Psalms 95:8). God called His sons to serve in His vineyard, the Church. He called them by the prophets, and more especially by John the Baptist, to turn from evil ways, and to do work meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8). Christ gives two examples, showing how this call was received.

 

Matthew 21:29: I will not. The answer is rude, curt, and disrespectful, such a one as would naturally issue from the lips of a person who was selfishly wrapped in his own pleasures, and cared nothing for the Law of God, the claims of relationship, the decencies of society. Repented, and went; i.e. into the vineyard to work. The worst sinners, when converted, often make great saints. There is more hope of their repentance than of the self-righteous or hypocrites, who profess the form of religion without the reality, and in their own view need no repentance.

 

Matthew 21:30: The second. He typifies the Pharisees, the scrupulous observers of outward form, while neglectful of the weightier matters, judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). I go, sir, ἐγω Ì κυ ìριε: Eo, domine. This son is outwardly respectful and dutiful; his answer is in marked contrast to the rough "I will not" of his brother. He professes zeal for the Law, and ready obedience. And went not. Such men did no real work for God, honoring Him with their lips and outward observances, while their heart was far from Him, and their morality was unprincipled and impure.

 

Matthew 21:31: Whether of them (the) twain! Christ forces from the unwilling hearers an answer which, at the moment, they do not see will condemn themselves. Unaccustomed to be criticized and put to the question, wrapped in a self-complacent righteousness, which was generally undisturbed, they missed the bearing of the parable on their own case, and answered without hesitation, as any unprejudiced person would have decided. The first; i.e. the son who first refused, but afterwards repented and went.

 

Verily I say unto you. Jesus drives the moral home to the hearts of these hypocrites. The publicans and the harlots. He specifies these excommunicated sinners as examples of those represented by the first son. Go into the kingdom of God before you; προα ìγουσιν ὑμας: are preceding you. This was the fact which Jesus saw and declared, He does not cut off all hope that the Pharisees might follow, if they willed to do so; He only shows that they have lost the position which they ought to have occupied, and that those whom they despised and spurned have accepted the offered salvation, and shall have their reward. We must remark that the Lord has no censure for those who sometime were disobedient, but afterwards repented; His rebuke falls on the professors and self-righteous, who ought to have been leaders and guides, and were in truth impious and irreligious.

 

Matthew 21:32: For John came unto you. This gives the reason for Christ's assertion at the end of the last verse. John came with a special call to the rulers of the people, and they made some show of interest, by sending a deputation to demand his credentials, and by coming to his baptism; but that was all. They did not alter their lives or change their faulty opinions at his preaching, though they "were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (John 5:35). In the way of righteousness. In that path of strict obedience to law, and of ascetic holiness, which you profess to regard so highly. If they had followed the path which John indicated, they would have attained to righteousness and salvation. John preached Christ who is "the Way" (John 14:6). (For "way," meaning doctrine, religious tenet and practice, see Matthew 22:16; Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23; 2 Peter 2:21.) Ye believed Him not, to any practical purpose, even as it is said elsewhere (Luke 7:30), "The Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, not having been baptized of Him."

 

Those who did receive his baptism were the exception; the great majority stood aloof. Believed him. Though these sinners may have first rejected him, yet his preaching softened their hearts; they repented, confessed their sins, and were baptized (see for examples, Luke 3:10, etc.; Luke 7:29). This was another call to the Pharisees to go and do likewise. When ye had seen it; i.e. the fruits of true repentance in these sinners, which conversion was indeed a loud appeal to the rulers to consider their own ways, and to bow to God's hand. Repented not (see verse 29). They profited not by this miracle of grace. That ye might believe him. The end and result of repentance would be to believe in John's mission, and to attend to his teaching.

 

Christ offers the above explanation of the parable (verses 31, 32) in view of the purpose for which he uttered it. It has been, and may be, taken in different senses, and in wider application. "What is set forth in individual cases is but a sample of what takes place in whole classes of persons, and even nations". Many expositors consider the two sons to represent Gentiles and Jews; the former making no profession of serving God, and yet in time being converted and turning to Him; the latter making much outward show of obedience, yet in reality denying Him and rejecting salvation. It is obvious that such explanation is allowable, and coincides with the letter of the parable; but it does not satisfy the context, and fails in not answering to Christ's intention in uttering this similitude.

 

Others see herein a picture of what happens in Christian lands, and is the experience of every Christian minister; how the irreligious and apparently irreclaimable are by God's grace brought, to repentance unto life; how the seemingly pious often make much show, but fall away, or bring no fruit unto perfection. And as the parable involves a general principle, so it may be applied universally to those who make great professions of religion, and are for a time full of good resolutions, but in practice fall very short; and to those who have been the slaves of lust, covetousness, or some other wickedness, but have been recovered from the snares of the devil, and have learned to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life.

 

Matthew 21:33-46: Parable of the vineyard let out to husbandmen. (Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19.)

 

Matthew 21:33: Hear another parable. The domineering and lately imperious party are reduced to the position of pupils; they have to listen to teaching, not to give it; to answer, not to put questions. This parable sets forth, under the guise of history, the Pharisaical party in its official character, and as the representative of the nation. It also denounces the punishment that surely awaited these rejecters of the offered salvation; thus exemplifying the teaching of the withered fig tree (Matthew 21:17-20). As applicable to the Jewish nation generally, it represents the long suffering of God and the various means which, in the course of their history, He had used to urge them to do their duty as His servants; and it ends with a prophecy of the coming events, and the terrible issue of impenitence. We must take the parable as partly retrospective, and partly predictive. There was a certain householder; a man ( ἀ ìνθρωπος) that was an householder. Christ in his parables often, as here, introduces God in His dealings with mankind as a man. His house is the house of Israel in particular, and in general the whole human family. A vineyard. God's kingdom upon earth, and particularly the Jewish Church. The figure is common throughout Scripture (see on Matthew 20:1). It was planted when God gave Israel a law, and put them in possession of the promised land. The parable itself is founded on Isaiah 5:1-7, where, however, the vineyard is tended by the Lord Himself, not by husbandmen, and it bears wild grapes, not good grapes. By these differences different developments of declension are indicated. In the earlier times it was the nation that apostatized, fell into idolatry and rebellion against God, the theocratic Head of their race and polity.

 

In later days it is the teachers, rabbis, priests, false prophets, who neglect the paths of righteousness, and lead people astray. In the parable these last come into painful prominence as criminally guilty of opposing God's messengers. Hedged it round; put a hedge around it. The fence would be a stone wall, a necessary defence against the incursions of wild animals. This fence has been regarded in two senses; first, as referring to the physical peculiarities of the position of the Holy Land, separated from alien nations by deserts, seas, rivers, and so isolated from evil contagion; second, as intimating the peculiar laws and minute restrictions of the Jewish polity, which differentiated Judaism from all other systems of religion, and tended to preserve purity and incorruption.

 

Probably the "hedge" is meant to adumbrate both senses. Many, however, see in it the protection of angels, or the righteousness of saints, which seem hardly to be sufficiently precise for the context. Digged a winepress. The phrase refers, not to the ordinary wooden troughs or vats which were used for the purpose of expressing and receiving the juice of the grapes, but to such as were cut in the rock, and were common in all parts of the country. Remains of these receptacles meet the traveler everywhere on the hill slopes of Judaea, and notably in the valleys of Carmel. The winepress is taken to signify the prophetic spirit, the temple services, or all things that typified the sacrifice and death of Christ. A tower; for the purpose of watching and guarding the vineyard. This may represent the temple itself, or the civil power.

 

Whatever interpretation may be put upon the various details, which, indeed, should not be unduly pressed, the general notion is that every care was taken of the Lord's inheritance, nothing was wanting for its convenience and security. Let it out to husbandmen. This is a new feature introduced into Isaiah's parable. Instead of paying an annual sum of money to the proprietor, these vine dressers paid in kind, furnishing a stipulated amount of fruit or wine as the hire of the vineyard. We have a lease on the former terms in So Isaiah 8:11, where the keepers have "to bring a thousand pieces of silver for the fruit."

 

The husbandmen are the children of Israel, who had to do their part in the Church, and show fruits of piety and devotion. Went into a far country; ἀπεδη ìμησεν: went abroad. In the parabolic sense, God withdrew for a time the sensible tokens of His presence, no longer manifested Himself as at Sinai, and in the cloud and pillar of fire. "Innuitur tempus divinae taciturnitatis, ubi homines agunt pro arbitrio". God's long suffering gives time of probation.

 

Matthew 21:34: When the time of the fruit drew near. The vintage season, when the rent, whether in money or kind, became due. In the Jewish history no particular time seems to be signified, but rather such periods or crises which forced God's claims upon men's notice, and made them consider what fruits they had to show for all the Lord's care, how they had lived after receiving the Law. Such times were the ages of Samuel, Elijah, the great prophets, the Maccabeus, and John the Baptist. His servants. The prophets, good kings, priests, and governors. "I have sent unto you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings" (Jeremiah 35:15). To receive the fruits of it ( του Ìς καρπου Ìς αὐτοῦ); or, his fruits, as rent.

 

Matthew 21:35: Took His servants. The exaction of rent in kind has always been a fruitful source of dispute, fraud, and discontent. In the Jewish Church God's messengers had been ill treated and put to death (see Matthew 23:34-37). "Which of the prophets have not your father’s persecuted?" cried St. Stephen; "and they have slain them which showed before the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been the betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). Beat … killed … stoned. A climax of iniquity and guilt. The statement is probably meant to be general; some, however, endeavor to individualize it, referring the "beating" to the treatment of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:1, Jeremiah 20:2), "killing" to Isaiah (Hebrews 11:37, "sawn asunder"), "stoning" to Zechariah son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20, 2 Chronicles 24:21). Doubtless, the incidents in such persecutions were often repeated.

 

Matthew 21:36: Other servants. God's loving kindness was not wearied out with the husbandmen's cruelty and violence. Each step of their wickedness and obstinacy was met with renewed mercy, with fresh calls to repentance. More ( πλει ìονας). More in number. In the latter days the number of God's messengers was much greater than in earlier times; so it is unnecessary to take πλει ìονας in the sense of "more honorable," "of higher dignity," though such interpretation is supported by its use in Matthew 6:25; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 11:4. Likewise. They resisted these new envoys as they had resisted these first sent, treating them with equal cruelty and violence.

 

Matthew 21:37: Last of all; ὑ ìστερον: afterwards, later on. The parable now allegorizes the near present, and future, in such a way as for the moment to conceal its bearing, and to lead the hearers to pronounce their own condemnation: His son. Even Jesus Christ, who was now among them, incarnate, teaching, and demanding of them fruits of righteousness. Here was the authorization which they had required (Matthew 21:23). God sent His Son. They will reverence My Son. God condescends to speak in human language, as hoping for a good result from this last effort for man's salvation. He, as it were, puts aside His foreknowledge, and gives scope to man's free will. Though the sad issue is known to Him, He often acts towards men as if He had hope that they would still use the occasion profitably. In the present case, whereas the immediate result of the last measure was disastrous, the expectation was ultimately realized in the conversion of many Jews to Christianity, which led to the bringing of all nations to the obedience of the faith.

 

Matthew 21:38: When the husbandmen saw the Son. As soon as they recognized this new and important messenger. This is the great element in the guilt of His rejection. They might have had the same consciousness of Christ's Divine mission as Nicodemus (John 3:2), having possessed the same opportunities of judging. Ancient prophecy, the signs of the times, the miracles and teaching of Christ, the testimony of the Baptist, pointed to one evident conclusion; evidence had been accumulating on all sides. A latent feeling had grown up that He was the Messiah (see John 11:49-52), and it was obstinate prejudice and perversity alone that prevented his open acknowledgment. "If I had not come and spoken unto them," said Christ, "they had not had sin; but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22; comp. John 9:41). They said among themselves. They plotted His destruction (see John 11:53). We are reminded of the conspiracy against Joseph, His father's well bellowed son (Genesis 37:20). Let us seize on ( κατα ìσχωμεν, take possession of, keep as our own) His inheritance. It would have been a wild and ignorant scheme of the husbandmen to consider that by murdering the heir they could obtain and hold possession of the vineyard. Here the parable bursts from the allegorical form, and becomes history and prophecy. In fact, the possession which the rulers coveted was supremacy over the minds and consciences of men; they wished to lord it over God's heritage; to retain their rights and prerogatives in the present system. This ambition Christ's teaching and action entirely overthrew. They felt no security in their possession of authority while He was present and working in their midst. Were He removed, their position would be safe, their claims undisputed. Hence their conspiracy and its result, a result very far from what they expected. They had their own way, but their gain was ruin. Says St. Augustine, "Ut possiderent, occiderunt; et quia occiderunt, perdiderunt."

 

Matthew 21:39: Cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him. This is prophecy, and alludes to a particular circumstance attending the death of Christ, viz. that He suffered without the city Jerusalem, Calvary being outside the walls (see John 19:17, and the parallel passages in the other evangelists, and especially Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:12, where it is significantly noted that Jesus "suffered without the gate"). The words may also contain a reference to the fact that He was excommunicated and given over to the heathen to be judged and condemned, thus suffering not actually at the hands of "the husbandmen" (comp. Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27). Christ, in His Divine prescience, speaks of His Passion and death as already accomplished.

 

Matthew 21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh; when therefore the lord, etc. Christ asks His hearers, who are both rulers and people, what in their opinion will be the course taken by the lord when He visits His vineyard, knowing all that has transpired. So Isaiah (Isaiah 5:3) makes the people give the verdict: "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard."

 

Matthew 21:41: They say unto Him. The Pharisees probably made the reply, not at the moment apprehending the sense of the parable. Or the words were spoken by some of the bystanders, and taken up and emphatically repeated by our Lord with an unmistakable application (Matthew 21:43). The conclusion was a necessary consequence, and this will account for Mark and Luke apparently making them a part of Christ's speech. By their answer they blindly condemn themselves, as David did at hearing Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:5). He will miserably ( κακῶς) destroy those wicked men ( κακου Ìς, miserable men); or, he will evilly destroy those evil men; Vulgate, Malos male perdet. He will make their punishment equal their crime. The slaughter and mortality at the siege of Jerusalem accomplished this prediction to the letter.

 

Unto other husbandmen; i.e. the Christian ministry, which took the place of the Jewish priests and teachers. As the husbandmen in the parable were rather the rulers and rabbis than the whole nation which, indeed, only followed their guides, so these others are not the whole Gentile world, but those who sustained the ministerial offices in the Christian Church. Which ( οἱ ìτινες); of such kind as, denoting a class of servants. The clause is peculiar to Matthew. The speakers did not clearly apprehend the bearing of this detail of the parable. In their seasons. The times when the various fruits are ripe and ready for harvesting. These would vary in different climates and under differing circumstances; but the good husbandmen would be always ready to render to their Lord the fruits of faith and obedience, at every holy season and in due proportion.

 

This parable, spoken originally of Israel, applies, like all such similitudes, to the Christian Church and to the human soul. How God dealt with individual Churches we see in His words to the seven Churches of Asia (Revelation 1-3.). Ecclesiastical history furnishes similar examples throughout all ages. God gives privileges, and looks for results worthy of these graces. He sends warnings; He raises up apostles, preachers, evangelists; and if a Church is still unfaithful, He takes away His Spirit, and lets it lapse, and gives its inheritance to others, In the other case, the vineyard is the soul of man, which He has to cultivate for His Master's use. God has hedged it round with the law, external and internal, given it the ministry and sacraments and the Scripture, and looks to it to bring forth the fruits of obedience, service, worship. He sends times of visitation, teaching, warning; He speaks to it by secret inspiration; He calls it in loving tones to closer union. If it hearkens to the call, it walks in the way of salvation; if it refuses to hear, it casts away the hope of its calling, and must share the lot of Christ's enemies.

 

Matthew 21:42: Did ye never read? It is as though Christ said, "Ye have answered rightly. You profess to know the Scriptures well; do you not, then, apprehend that Holy Writ foretells that concerning Messiah and His enemies which you have just announced?" The imagery is changed, but the subject is the same as in the preceding parable. The vineyard is now a building; the husbandmen are the builders; the Son is the stone. In the Scriptures. The quotation is from Psalms 118:22, Psalms 118:23, the same psalm which was used on the day of triumph when Christ was saluted with cries of "Hosanna!" and which, as some say, was first sung by Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles on the return from Captivity.

 

The stone. This figure was generally understood to represent Messiah, on whom depended the existence and support of the Kingdom of God. Many prophecies containing this metaphor were applied to Him; e.g. Isaiah 28:16; Daniel 2:34; Zechariah 3:9; so that the Pharisees could be at no loss to understand the allusion, seeing that Jesus claimed to be that Stone. Rejected; as being not suitable to the building, or useless in its construction. So the husbandmen rejected the Son. The ignorance and contempt of men are overruled by the great Architect. The head of the corner. The cornerstone, which stands at the base and binds together two principal walls (see St. Paul's grand words, Ephesians 2:19-22). We learn that Christ unites Jew and Gentile in one holy house. This ( αὑ ìτη), being feminine, is thought by some to refer to "head of the corner" ( κεφαλη Ìν, γωνι ìας); but it is better to take it as used by a Hebrew idiom for the neuter, and to refer generally to what has preceded, viz. the settlement of the cornerstone in its destined position, which is effected by the Lord Himself. The ultimate victory of the rejected Son is thus distinctly predicted (comp. Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33).

 

Matthew 21:43: Therefore I say unto you. Having denounced the sin, Christ now enunciates the punishment thereof, in continuation of His parable. Because ye slay the Son, reject the Cornerstone, the vineyard, i.e. the Kingdom of God, shall be taken from you. Ye shall no longer be God's peculiar people; your special privileges shall be taken away. A nation. The Christian Church, the spiritual Israel, formed chiefly from the Gentile peoples (Acts 15:14; 1 Peter 2:9). The fruits thereof ( αὐτῆς); i.e. of the Kingdom of God, such faith, life, good works, as become those thus favored by Divine grace.

 

Matthew 21:44: Christ proceeds to show the positive and terrible results of such unbelief. Whosoever shall fall ( πεσω Ìν, hath fallen) on this stone shall be broken ( συνθλασθη ìσεται, shall be shattered to pieces). This may refer to the practice of executing the punishment of stoning by first hurling the culprit from a raised platform on to a rock or stone, and then stoning him to death. The falling on the stone has been explained in more ways than one. Some think that it implies coming to Christ in repentance and humility, with a contrite heart, which He will not despise. But the subject here is the punishment of the obdurate. Others take it to represent an attack made by the enemies of Christ, who shall demolish themselves by such onslaught. The original will hardly allow this interpretation. Doubtless the allusion is to those who found in Christ's low estate a stone of stumbling and rock of offence. These suffered grievous loss and danger even in this present time.

The rejection of the doctrine of Christ crucified involves the loss of spiritual privileges, moral debility, and what is elsewhere called "the scattering abroad" (Matthew 12:30; comp. Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah 8:15). On whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder ( λικμη ìσει αὐτο Ìν, it will scatter him as chaff). The persons hero spoken of are not those who are offended at Christ's low estate; they are such as put themselves in active opposition to Him and His kingdom; on them He will fall in terrible vengeance, and will utterly destroy them without hope of recovery. The idea is re-repeated from Daniel 2:34, Daniel 2:35, and Daniel 2:44, Daniel 2:45. Christ in His humiliation is the Stone against which men fall; Christ in His glory and exaltation is the Stone which falls on them.

 

Matthew 21:45: Pharisees. They have not been specially mentioned hitherto, but they formed the majority in the Sanhedrin, and are properly here named by the evangelist. He spake of them. They could not fail, especially after Matthew 21:43, to see the drift of the parables; their own consciences must have made them feel that they themselves were herein signified, their motives and conduct fully discovered. But, as bad men always act, instead of repenting of the evil, they are only exasperated against Him who detected them, and only desire the more to wreak their vengeance upon Him.

 

Matthew 21:46: They feared the multitude. They did not dare to lay violent hands on Jesus in the presence of the excited crowd, which would have withstood any such attack at this moment. A Prophet (see Matthew 21:11). If they did not recognize Him as Messiah, they regarded Him as one inspired by God, and having a Divine mission. This accounts for the joyful acquiescence of the Pharisaical party in the offer of Judas, when he proposed to betray his Master in the absence of the multitude

 

Matthew 21:1-11: The entry into Jerusalem.

 

I. The Fulfillment of Prophecy.

 

1. Bethphage. The Lord had spent the Sabbath in that holy home at Bethany, where He was always a welcome Guest, with that family which was now more than ever devoted to His service, and bound to Him by the ties of the very deepest gratitude. On the Sunday morning (Palm Sunday) He made His solemn entry into the holy city. He set out from Bethany on foot; but He intended to enter Jerusalem as the King Messiah. He had hitherto avoided anything like a public announcement of His office and His claims. When the multitude wished to "take Him by force to make Him a King, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone." Not long ago He had forbidden His disciples to tell any man that He was the Christ. He had charged them to tell no man of the heavenly glory of the Transfiguration.

 

The earthly view of the Messiah's kingdom was universal. The apostles themselves, warned as they had been again and again of its untruth, again and again reverted to it. So strong was the hold which it had upon their minds, that even after the awful scenes of the Passion, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" The Lord would do nothing to sanction this vain expectation. His kingdom was not of this world. But now His hour was come, the hour that He should depart out of this world. It was time for Him now to make a public assertion of His claims. That assertion, He knew, would lead to His death, and, through His death, resurrection, and ascension, to the establishment of His spiritual kingdom over the hearts of men. He was drawing near to Jerusalem.

 

He was come to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives. He sent two disciples, bidding them fetch an ass and a colt whereon yet never man sat. He described the place minutely. If any man interfered, they were to say, "The Lord hath need of them." The Lord, the Lord of all; all things are His; He claims them when they are needed for His service. The words were simple, but they seem to convey a great meaning, to imply far-reaching claims. "The Lord hath need of them." The Savior describes Himself simply as the Lord, just as the Septuagint writers express the covenant name of God. The words would be understood as meaning that the ass was wanted in some way for God's service. The owners knew not how; but they saw the solemn procession passing by; they saw the lowly majesty of Christ. They must have known Him. He had been a frequent visitor at Bethany. But a short time ago He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Possibly they may have been among the number of His disciples. Even if not so, they must have felt something of the enthusiasm and excited expectation which were so widely diffused. They sent the ass. We must give readily and cheerfully when the Lord calls upon us; we must keep nothing back which He requires. "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."

 

2. The prophecy.

 

II. The Procession.

 

1.The approach to Jerusalem. The modest procession climbed the road that slopes up the Mount of Olives till, as they passed the shoulder of the hill, Jerusalem lay clear before them, the temple glittering in all its glory of gold and marble. The Lord wept as He gazed upon it. He, the Prince of Peace, was coming to the holy city; but that city, Jerusalem, the inheritance of peace, had not known the things that belonged to her peace; now they were hid from her eyes. There were outward demonstrations of joy; in some that joy was deep and true; in others it was. though not insincere, founded on mistaken hopes which would soon be dissipated; in very many it was mere excitement, worthless and unreal, one of those transitory bursts of apparent enthusiasm which are so contagious for a time, which run through unthinking crowds. The Lord was not dazzled by the popular applause; He estimated it at its true value. He wept as He looked upon Jerusalem; His eye gazed through the future, resting, not on His own approaching sufferings, but on the fearful doom which awaited the impenitent city.

 

2.The multitudes. The tidings of the Lord's approach reached Jerusalem; crowds of pilgrims, who had come thither for the Passover, went out to meet Him. There were pilgrims from Galilee, who could tell of many mighty deeds; there were others who were present when He called Lazarus out of his grave (John 12:17). That last wondrous miracle had for a time rekindled the old enthusiasm. The crowd issuing from Jerusalem joined the procession which came from Bethany; they swelled its numbers and increased the excitement. They hailed the Lord as King, spreading their garments in the way, as men had done to welcome kings (2 Kings 9:13); they strewed His path with branches from the trees; they cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they hailed the Lord as the Messiah.

 

The Pharisees had agreed that if any man did confess that He was Christ, He should be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). But they were powerless that day; they felt that they could prevail nothing; the world, they said, had gone after Him. The multitude owned Him to be the Messiah, the Son of David, the King of Israel. They raised the shout of "Hosanna!" originally a prayer, "Save us now!" (comp. Psalms 118:25); but now, it seems, a cry of triumphant welcome; a cry, however, which recognized Him as the Savior, and ascribed salvation to Him. That prayer, they hoped, would reach the heavens; that cry would be heard there; they prayed for blessings upon Him, using again the words of Psalms 118:1-29.; they prayed that God's blessing might rest upon Him, and bring to pass that salvation which was the real meaning of the hosanna cry. "Hosanna in the highest!" In the highest the hosts of angels need not lift the prayer, "Save us now!" for themselves; but they rejoice, we know, over each repentant sinner, over each lost sheep brought home to the fold on the shoulders of the good Shepherd; they may well re-echo the suppliant hosannas as they add the heavenly incense to the prayers of the saints which go up before God (Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:4).

 

We may well believe that, on that great Palm Sunday, the heavenly host bent in reverent adoration from their thrones of light, watched that lowly procession as it escorted the King of heaven into the holy city, listened to the earthly hosannas that welcomed His approach, and repeated with more solemn tones, more awful expectations, the high chant of praise which celebrated the Nativity, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Let us make that welcome our own. He who then came to Jerusalem comes now to us. Each day He cometh to expectant hearts, to souls craving peace and mercy. He cometh in the name of the Lord; Himself the Lord, He cometh from the Lord, to do His Father's will, "to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant." "Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" Let us welcome Him into our hearts with the hosanna cry of adoration and earnest supplication, "Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity!"

 

3. The inhabitants. "All the city was moved" stirred, shaken (so the Greek word means), at the approach of the jubilant procession. It was filled with crowds waiting for the celebration of the Passover, eager, excited crowds, ready to be stirred into commotion by any sudden impulse. "Who is this?" they said.

 

The form of the Lord must have been well known to most of the dwellers in Jerusalem. Perhaps the question was asked by strangers (see Acts 2:5, Acts 2:9-11); perhaps it was asked with something of scorn, "Who is this who comes with such a retinue, with all this festal applause?" The multitude, mostly perhaps Galileans, understood the suppressed contempt of the proud Pharisees, and answered with something of provincial pride, "This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." He belonged to them in a sense; the Pharisees had maintained, with ignorant scornfulness, that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." Even Nathanael, the Israelite in whom there was no guile, had asked, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" The Galileans had a Prophet now, a Prophet mighty in word and deed; nay, more than a Prophet, the Messiah that was to come. They were proud of His eminence, they shouted their hosannas.

 

Before the week was ended, some of them, it may be, would change that cry to "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" All would forsake Him and leave Him to His death. Popular excitement is a poor thing; the Christian must trust neither in crowds nor in princes, but only in God. "Who is this?" the world still asks, some in the spirit of anxious inquiry, some in scorn and unbelief; and still the Christian answers in faith and adoring love, "This is Jesus, the Prophet, the great High Priest, the King of kings and Lord of lords." He cometh to claim His kingdom in each human heart. Receive Him; He bringeth peace.

 

Lessons.

 

1. The King cometh; He is lowly. Only the lowly heart can receive the lowly King.

 

2. Greet Him with holy joy; pray that that joy may be deep and true, founded on a living faith.

 

3. Seek to know Him, to say, "This is Jesus," out of a true personal knowledge.

 

Matthew 21:12-16: The temple.

 

I. The Lord's Actions there.

1. His entrance. Jesus went into the temple of God. It was a fulfillment of the great prophecy of Malachi, "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." He came, but, they delighted not in Him. He came to "purify the sons of Levi, that they might offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." But, they would not be purified. The Lord might cleanse the temple; the priests who ministered there would not yield up their hearts to Him, that He might cleanse them. He looked round about upon all things. So the Lord comes to His temple now, so He looks round about upon all things; He notes the formal services, He notes the careless hearts. It is right that the house of God be kept in decent order and beauty, but far more deeply necessary that all who minister and all who worship there should offer up their hearts to Him cleansed, purified through faith in Him; a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice.

 

2. His ejection of the buyers and sellers. He had cleansed the temple once before, at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-17). The irreverent practices which He then checked had been resumed. The court of the Gentiles had again become a market for the oxen, sheep, and doves, which the worshippers needed for the various sacrifices. Again the money changers had established themselves there to exchange the foreign money brought by the worshippers from many lands for the sacred shekel of the sanctuary, which alone could be accepted in the temple. Probably now, in the Passover week, the traffic was busier than ever, the noise more unseemly, the bargaining more eager than at other times. It was a sad scene, an unholy intrusion of earth and earthly doings into the house of God. The Savior’s holy soul was moved within Him. Filled with that zeal for the house of God which had so much struck the apostles on the former occasion, He cast out all that sold and bought in the temple. There was a majesty in His look and bearing which could not be resisted; they fled before Him, conscience stricken. They felt that He was right; He was vindicating a great truth; God's house must be held in honor; they who reverence God must reverence His temple. "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy honor dwelleth."

 

3. His rebuke. He told them what the temple should be, a house of prayer; it should be pervaded with an atmosphere of prayer; those who came there should come in the spirit of prayer; they should go up into the temple to pray. But how was prayer possible amid this noise and hubbub? This unseemly trafficking unsettled the minds of the worshippers as they passed into the inner courts. The court of the Gentiles was like a den of robbers now; they were robbing God of the honor due to Him; they were driving this unholy traffic in His courts, their thoughts bent on dishonest gains. It must not be so, He said; God's house is a sacred place. We dishonor God's house if we allow worldly, covetous thoughts to occupy our minds when our bodies are present there. When the heart is like a den of robbers, the prayer of the lips will not reach the mercy seat. We must do each of us our part to make God's house indeed the house of prayer by praying ourselves, and that in spirit and in truth.

 

4. His miracles. The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. He would do works of mercy in the temple courts, as He would do them on the Sabbath; for, indeed, such deeds done in faith and love are acts of worship, pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father (James 1:27). It does our churches no dishonor to use them, as sometimes they have been used in times of special need, for the service of the sick and suffering. Still in the temple the Lord performs His miracles of grace; there He opens the eyes of those who came praying, '"Lord, increase our faith;" there He gives strength and energy to the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

 

II. The Displeasure of the Chief Priests.

1.Their remonstrance. They saw the wonderful things that He did. The miracles were wonderful; wonderful, too, was that strange majesty which so impressed the crowd of dealers and money changers that they obeyed Him, as it seems, without a word. It was a wonderful thing indeed that one Man, and one without any recognized position in the temple, without any official character, could overawe that concourse of traders. They heard the children crying in the temple, repeating the hosannas of the festal procession. They were sore displeased. They called the Lord's attention. They did not regard Him as the Messiah. He ought not, they thought, to allow those untaught children to hail Him with such a title.

 

2. The Lord's reply. He would not check the little ones. He ever loved children, and children ever loved to flock around Him and to listen to His voice. Besides, the children were right; their childlike hearts recognized the dignity of Christ. Their hearts taught them, with an intuitive knowledge, lessons which the learned rabbis, the dignitaries of the temple, could not reach. So now holy children often utter profound truths in their simple, innocent talk. Still God perfecteth praise out the mouths of babes and suckling. He accepts the children's prayer; He listens to the children's hymn. Nay, the prayers and praises of children are our example; for they are offered up in simplicity and truth.

 

Lessons.

 

1. "The Lord is in His holy temple:" enter it with reverence.

 

2. His house is a house of prayer; drive out worldly thoughts; hush your hearts into solemn attention.

 

3. Bring the little ones early to church; teach them the words of prayer and praise; their praises are acceptable unto God.

 

Matthew 21:17-22: The return to the temple.

 

I. The Walk to and from Bethany.

 

1. The Sunday evening. The Lord left the temple "when He had looked round upon all things." He had no home in the royal city. He went out unto Bethany, and there He lodged, perhaps in the house of Lazarus, perhaps, as many pilgrims did, in a booth on the hillside, or under the shelter of the trees. "The Son of man hath not where to lay His head."

 

2. Monday. Very early the Lord returned to the city. It seems He had eaten nothing; He hungered on the way. He was poor in this world. Let us learn of Him to be content in poverty and hardships.

 

II. The barren fig tree.

 

1. The curse. It stood alone, a conspicuous object. It was full of leaves. The time for figs was not yet, but this tree was singularly forward, precocious; the leaves promised early fruit, "hasty fruit before the summer" (Isaiah 28:4). It had none; it was barren. The Lord said, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever;" "and presently the fig tree withered away."

 

The miracle was symbolical, an acted parable. The priests and scribes whom the Lord was about to confront were like that fig tree, fair to look upon. They were held in honor, some for their official rank, some for their supposed righteousness, but they brought not forth the fruits of holiness. Such must wither when the Lord's searching eye is fixed upon them, when He comes seeking fruit. Leaves will not take the place of fruit, outward profession will not atone for the absence of holiness of heart and life. That fig tree was a meet emblem of the hypocrite. There were other trees without fruit; but they made no show of special forwardness, they were leafless still. This one tree was conspicuous for its foliage, but it had no fruit hidden beneath its leaves. The other trees might yet bring forth fruit in due time; this one had exhausted itself in leaves.

 

Such a show of life is worthless in the sight of God; it is not life, it is only a false appearance; it may deceive men, it cannot deceive God. "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." Many professing Christians seem to us like that fig tree. Take we heed to ourselves. The Lord passed on, His hunger unappeased. The whole world was His, the cattle on a thousand hills; yet He hungered, for He had taken our flesh. He suffered as we suffer; He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He went on to Jerusalem, to the temple. Now apparently took place that expulsion of unhallowed traffic, the miracles, the hosannas of the children, and the interference of the priests, which have been already related by anticipation in St. Matthew's Gospel. "When even was come, He went out of the city."

 

2. The astonishment of the disciples. The words of the Lord produced an immediate effect. The life of the tree, such as it was, was at once arrested; the sap ceased to circulate, the leaves began to wither. But it seems from the more minute account in St. Mark, that the disciples did not observe the result till they passed the tree again in going to Jerusalem on the Tuesday morning. Then they marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!" We wonder at their wonder. They had seen many wondrous manifestations of the Lord's mighty power: why should they wonder now? They were still weak in faith, as the nine had been when they sought in vain to cast out the evil spirit beneath the Mount of the Transfiguration.

 

The Lord repeats the lesson which He gave them then, "Have faith in God;" doubt not. Doubt destroys the strength of prayer. He that doubteth will not receive anything of the Lord; but if we ask in steadfast, undoubting faith, then there is the blessed promise, "All things are possible to Him that believeth," for the prayer of undoubting faith availeth much with God. What was done to the fig tree, the Lord said, was a small thing for faith to do; faith could do things greater far. The psalmist had sung of the Mount Zion, "It cannot be removed: it abideth forever." But the Lord said, pointing, it may be, to the mountains round Jerusalem, "If ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done."

 

Faith can remove mountains; difficulties vanish before the prayer of faith. Set the Lord's promises before you when you pray; claim them as your own; realize them, trust in them; pray with persevering importunity, and, doubt not, you shall receive what you ask in faithful prayer. This or that sin may seem like a mountain, rooted deep in the heart, immovable; but pray against it, pray that it may be cast out; pray in faith, believing in God's power, believing in His love, and it shall be done. It is our want of faith which makes our prayers so weak. If we fully believed that God is able and willing to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to make us whiter than snow, we should, in our own actual lives, overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Let it be our most earnest effort to be true and faithful, not to seem to be so. Hypocrisy is hateful in the sight of God.

 

2. Pray for a strong, undoubting faith; it is God's most precious gift.

 

3. Pray always; believe in the power of prayer.

 

Matthew 21:23-40 - The controversy in the temple.

 

I. The Lord's Authority called in question.

 

1. The intervention of the chief priests. St. Luke tells us that they had resolved to destroy our Lord. He had now allowed Himself to be saluted openly as the Christ, the Son of David. He had accepted the hosannas of the multitude in the city, in the temple itself. He had assumed a paramount authority in the temple. The chief priests regarded themselves as rulers there; the market in the court of the Gentiles was held by their license; it was a source of profit to them. They now determined to interpose publicly. They sent an official deputation, composed of members of the three classes of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, scribes, and elders; to demand the Lord's authority for His conduct. What right had He thus to intrude, as they deemed, into their province, to interfere with the administration of the temple? What right had He to teach publicly in the temple courts without license from the rabbis? What right had He to the titles of "King of Israel," "Son of David," which He had accepted from the people as His due?

 

2.The Lord's reply. His enemies had hoped to ensnare Him. They expected, doubtless, that He would openly assert His Divine mission, and they might then make His claims the basis of a formal accusation. But in that wonderful calmness and self-possession which we note so often in the history of our Lord, He answered at once with another question, "The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?" They could not deny His right to ask this; it was closely connected with their question. John had repeatedly asserted in the strongest terms the authority, the Divine mission of Him whose way he had come to prepare. They dared not deny openly the prophetic character of the Baptist; they feared the people, for the belief in John's sanctity was universal and enthusiastic. "All the people will stone us," they said. They were completely foiled. They could only say, in confusion and disappointed malice, "We cannot tell." It was a bitter humiliation. They were masters of Israel, and yet could not guide the people in a matter which had so profoundly stirred the religious thought of the time. They could only answer, "We cannot tell" to a question of such great spiritual importance. They were as ignorant as "the people of the earth," whom they so much despised. Alas for a country whose spiritual rulers are like those priests and scribes! Let us pray that our teachers may be taught of God.

 

II. The Parable of the Two Sons.

 

1. The story. It is very simple. One of the sons, when bidden to work in the vineyard, rudely refused to obey his father; the other respectfully promised obedience. The first afterwards repented and went. The second broke his promise and went not to the vineyard.

 

2. The spiritual meaning. There are open and notorious evil livers, who make no profession of religion, and exhibit in their lives an open and willful disobedience. Some of these are brought to repentance by the grace of God. They learn to see the guilt, the awful danger, of disobedience; a great change is wrought in their souls; they do their best to redeem the time; they go at last and work for God; and God, in His sovereign grace and generous bounty, accepts their service, though, it may be, they have wrought but one hour in their Father's vineyard.

 

There are others, brought up, perhaps, in Christian families, among good examples and surroundings, who maintain a respectful attitude towards religion, and regularly observe all the outward ordinances of the Church. But, alas! there are many such who have not given their hearts to God; they say from time to time (at Confirmation, for instance), "I go, sir," and perhaps at the moment they really have a sort of intention to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of their life. But they have no strength of purpose, they have not attained to the spirit of self-sacrifice; and when they are called to do work for God (whether inward or outward) which requires effort and self-denial, they shrink back from the Master's service. The yoke which the Lord calls "easy" seems to them hard and rough; the burden which the Lord calls "light" seems to them heavy and crushing; the cross terrifies them. They go not into the vineyard; they do not keep their promises; they do not work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, and so they do no real work for God.

 

3. The application. The Lord gives His testimony to John the Baptist, as he had done before; John came from God, a preacher of righteousness. He came "in the way of righteousness;" he had the righteousness of strict Levitical purity and the loftiest asceticism; he told men their duty plainly and sternly. Many notorious sinners, publicans and harlots, who had lived in open disobedience to God, heard him and repented. These priests and scribes and elders saw and heard him; they felt the holiness of his life, the power of his preaching; they had asked him if he was the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet that was to come. But they repented not; they believed not. The publicans and harlots went into the kingdom of God before the priests and scribes. They ought to have led the way; they ministered in the temple of God; they were the recognized teachers of the people. Yet the Lord does not shut out all hope. "The publicans go before you;" they might follow, if they would humble their proud hearts into self-abasement and lowly obedience. Pride hardens the heart in disobedience and willfulness; humility opens it to repentance, to the gracious voice of the Savior. Oh that we may listen, and repent, and work for God before it be too late!

 

III. The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.

 

1. The story. It was the well known parable of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7), related again with more authority and in greater detail. The lord of the vineyard asks again, "What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Hedge, winepress, tower; everything needful had been carefully provided. But the husbandmen were rebellious; they beat and murdered the servants who were sent to receive the fruits of the vineyard, and at last they cast out and slew their Lord's Only Son. The end of those men must be utter destruction. Judaea was a land of vineyards. The Lord often drew His parables from surrounding circumstances; in Galilee, from the corn land or the lake; in Judaea, from the vine or the fig tree. So Christian teachers should try to give life and interest to their teaching by connecting it with matters of daily life.

 

2. The meaning. Isaiah tells us, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." The hedge must be the Law, with its ordinances, circumcision, and other rites which served to separate Israel, as God's peculiar people, from other nations. The tower and winepress have been interpreted of the temple and the altar. But it is enough, without pressing these details, to understand the parable as meaning that God had given His people all things necessary for their spiritual welfare. The latter part of the parable differs from that in Isaiah. There the men of Israel are reproved: they brought forth wild grapes, not the fruits of righteousness. Here the Lord rebukes the husbandmen, the spiritual rulers of His people. The Lord of the vineyard went into a far country. God did not always manifest Himself as He had done on Mount Sinai. He sent His servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of the vineyard.

 

Those servants were the prophets, sent again and again, to supply the deficiencies of the ordinary ministry, to warn both priests and people of their sins, to call both priests and people to repentance. "I sent unto you," God said, by the mouth of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 44:4), "all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate!" Some of these were persecuted, some were slain. "They cast thy Law behind their backs" (we read, in the confession of the Levites in Nehemiah 9:26), "and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them unto thee."

 

But now the Lord's eye, which had ranged over the past history of the nation, turns towards the future. The lord of the vineyard had yet One Son, His well beloved; He sent Him last, saying, "They will reverence My Son." The parable veils the awful mysteries which hang around the relations between the infinite foreknowledge of God and the free will of man. Human thought cannot grapple with these mysteries; human words cannot express them. God gave His only begotten Son; the Son of God came to give His life a ransom for many. The purpose, the fore knowledge of God, did not destroy the free agency or remove the guilt of those who crucified the Lord of glory. These priests had already taken counsel to put the Lord to death. Caiaphas had already "prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:47-53). They had already said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance." They wished to keep possession of their old authority, their old exclusive privileges. Those privileges had been given them for a time; their priesthood was transitory. Christ was the Heir of all things; He was the Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

 

The Lord knew what was coming; they would cast Him out (Hebrews 13:12), they would kill Him. How calmly He prophesies His own death! how simply He asserts His own Divine character! yet in words which His enemies could not take hold of. He was the Son, the one only Son, the well beloved, of the Lord of the vineyard. They felt His meaning, but the parable afforded no ground for accusation.

 

3. The warning. "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?" Christ puts the question to the guilty men themselves, and forces them to pronounce their own condemnation. Perhaps they pretended not to see the drift of the parable, and to regard it as a story, and nothing more. Perhaps (and this surely is more probable) they were overawed by the Lord's dignity, by the solemn power of His words, and so, like Caiaphas, became prophets against their will. "He will miserably destroy those miserable men." They prophesied their own doom. Alas, that the approaching danger did not lead them to repentance! They prophesied also the loss of those exclusive privileges which they guarded so jealously. "He will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen." The Gentiles were to succeed to the privileges which the Jews possessed; they had been strangers and foreigners, but soon they would become fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. "I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 66:21). They would tend the Church of God; they would render the fruit in due season to the Lord of the vineyard.

 

IV. The Chief Cornerstone.

 

1. Its exaltation. The parable, like every other parable, was inadequate to express the whole spiritual truth. The heir was slain; He could not appear again in the story as the judge. The Lord adds another illustration, quoting the psalm (the hundred and eighteenth) from which the "Hosanna!" of Palm Sunday had been derived: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." The priests and scribes were the builders; it was their duty to rear up the spiritual temple. One stone they had rejected; it was mean and poor in their eyes. God Himself would raise that stone to the highest place of honor. It should become the head stone, with shouting’s, "Grace, grace unto it!" (Zechariah 4:7). This is the Lord's doing. God highly exalted Him whom the Jews rejected.

 

2. The application. The Lord now applies both parables directly and distinctly to the priests and scribes. They were the husbandmen, He told them, the rebellious husbandmen. The vineyard was the Kingdom of God; it should be taken from them; they should no longer possess its privileges. The spiritual Israel, the Israel of God, is the nation to whom the kingdom should be given; not one earthly nation, but the nations of the saved; of all nations, and kindred, and peoples, and tongues. And that nation, the great Catholic Church of Christ, would bring forth the fruits which the vineyard ought to yield, not wild grapes, but good grapes, the precious fruit of the Spirit.

 

The priests and scribes were also the foolish builders. They had rejected the chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, which the Lord would lay in Zion; it was becoming to them a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. The low estate of Christ was a stumbling block now; the cross of Christ would be a stumbling block afterwards. "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken," the Lord said, referring again to Isaiah (Isaiah 8:15), where we observe that the stone of stumbling (verses 13, 14) is the Lord of hosts Himself. The Jews were now incurring this guilt and this danger. But a greater danger remained; when the stone is become the head of the corner, when it is raised to its place of honor, it shall grind to powder those on whom it will fall. When the ascended Lord is exalted to the judgment throne, utter destruction will overtake those hardened, impenitent sinners who reject His offers of mercy unto the end, and will not know Him as a Savior, but must at last see Him, when every eye shall see Him, upon the great white throne.

 

3. The anger of the priests. They perceived that He spake of them; they felt the stern rebuke of His words; they felt, too, their truth. Their own consciences smote them. They blazed into fierce anger; they sought to seize Him; but for the moment they were powerless; they could do nothing while the multitude regarded Him as a prophet. May God give us grace to take reproof in a becoming spirit! It should produce, not anger, but repentance.

 

Lessons.

 

1. Profession without obedience is worthless. God bids us work in His vineyard; let us obey Him.

 

2. God has a right to the fruits of vineyard. His ministers must tend the vineyard. They must see, as far as lieth in them, that the fruit is rendered to the Lord.

 

3. Christ is the chief Cornerstone; the living stones of the spiritual temple must be built upon that one Cornerstone, elect, precious.

 

Matthew 21:1-5 - The ass of Bethphage.

 

We cannot tell whether our Lord's exact description of the locality where the ass and colt were to be found was derived from His superhuman knowledge, or whether, as seems more likely in so simple a case, He had agreed with one of His Judean disciples to have the animals in readiness at an appointed time. However this may be, we can see from the whole incident that Jesus paid especial attention to the arrangements for His entry into Jerusalem. This was very unlike His usual habit. Let us consider its significance from two points of view.

 

I. The lord's need.

 

1. Jesus needed one of God's humblest creatures.

 

2. Disciples obtained what their Master needed. He told His need; at once the two chosen messengers set off to have it supplied. It is not enough that we serve Christ in our own way. We have to discover what He really wants. Sometimes it may not be at all what we have chosen. But if it is serviceable to our Lord, that should be enough to determine our course of action.

 

3. The unknown owner of the animals was obedient to the message of Christ's need. "The Lord hath need of them" was the talisman to silence all remonstrances. Jesus may claim what is far more precious to us than any dumb animal. Yet if He calls, He needs; and if He needs, His claim is paramount. He may want a child in the other world; or He may require the child in the mission field. Then it is not for us to withhold our dearest from Him.

 

"Why should I keep one precious thing from thee, When thou hast given thine own dear self for Me?"

 

II. The use of the ass. Why did the Lord need the ass and its colt?

 

1. To fulfill prophecy. We do not often come across the conscious and intentioned fulfillment of prophecy. Usually the prediction comes true in spite of the ignorance of the actors in the fulfillment, or while they are aiming at something else than simply carrying out what a seer of old foretold. But now Christ sets Himself deliberately to put into practice an idea of Zechariah (see again John 19:28). What is best in the Old Testament is followed by Christ in the New.

 

2. To aid in a solemn triumph. Jesus had long forbidden a public confession of His Messiah ship. But now He will make it for Himself; for now it can do no harm. He is to ride in triumph, but in triumph to the cross. That glad entry to Jerusalem was to be just marching into the jaws of death.

 

3. To express the peaceful and gentle character of Christ's Kingship. Jesus did not choose the spirited war horse. Following the idea of the prophet, He selected the lowly ass, an animal which, although it was very superior in the East to the ill-treated ass of the West, was still associated with quietness and simplicity. It was to be a rustic triumph, an old world triumph, quaint and antique, and therefore a protest against the vulgar fashion of earthly glory.

 

Matthew 21:6-11 - The triumphant ride.

 

This was arranged by Christ, and enthusiastically promoted by His disciples. Here was a last glint of sunshine before the storm. The gladness of the scene is in strange contrast with the awful sequel. Palm Sunday ushers in Passion Week. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." While the evil day has not yet come, gladness and the assurance of victory may be the best preparation for it.

 

I. The King's Triumph. Few spectators would see anything kingly in this rustic fete. To the ruling classes of Jerusalem it would seem hut child's play. But to the childlike followers of Jesus it had a deep meaning. These Galileans pilgrims recognized in it the acceptance by Jesus of His royal rights. The question arises: Were they mistaken? He was riding in triumph to Jerusalem. But it was a simple, homely, unconventional triumph. Moreover, it did not lead to the throne, but its promise ended at Calvary, or seemed to end there. We know that the issue was disappointing to the early disciples (Luke 24:21). Nevertheless, we also know that, with Jesus, the way to death was the way to victory. He was most kingly when He suffered most. His Passion was His coronation. He reigns now in the hearts of His people, just because He died for them.

 

II. The people's enthusiasm. Long suppressed emotions now break forth into unrestrained utterance. It seems to be impossible to do too much, in the hastily improvised procession, to show devotion to the Christ. This is expressed in two ways.

 

1. By actions. Garments laid on the animal He rides, garments flung on the road for the honor of being trampled on, sprigs from the wayside trees scattered on the ground, palm branches waved overhead, these things show the utmost enthusiasm. Strong feeling must manifest itself in action.

 

2. By words. The people quoted a well known Messianic psalm, praying for a blessing on the Christ. Their words had nearly the same meaning as our "God save the king!" and they were prompted by an overmastering passion of enthusiasm. This is not at all wonderful. The only wonder is that there was but one Palm Sunday, and that our Lord's last Sunday on earth before His death. To know Him is to see grounds for unbounded devotion, for love beyond measure, for glad praises which no words can contain. This is the great distinction of our Christian faith, its keynote is enthusiasm for Christ.

 

III. The City's Wonder. The happy, noisy procession was heard in Jerusalem, and the citizens looked up from their trades and forgot their bargaining for a moment, in surprise at the unexpected commotion. We may preach the gospel by singing the praises of Christ. One reason why the world is apathetic about Christianity is that the Church is apathetic about Christ. A fearless enthusiasm for Christ will arouse the slumbering world. But we want to go further. In Jerusalem the effect was but slight and transitory. A deeper and more permanent impression was made at Pentecost; for it is the coming of the Holy Spirit, and no merely external excitement, that really touches and changes the hearts of people. Yet even this did not move the greater part of Jerusalem. Rejecting the peaceful coming of Christ, hardened sinners await His next coming, which is in wrath and judgment.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 - Christ cleansing the temple.

 

According to St. Mark's more detailed account, Jesus "looked round" on the day of Jibs triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, and effected His drastic reformation of temple abuses on the following morning. Thus we see that His action did not spring from a hasty outburst of passion. It was the result of deliberation. He had had a night in which to brood over the shameful desecration of His Father's house.

 

I. The desecration.

 

1. The nature of it. It would be a mistake to suppose that the temple was being used as a common market. The animals sold were not to be treated as meat at the shambles. They were for sacrifices. The money changing was not for the convenience of foreigners wanting to be able to do business in the city with the current coin. This was carried on in order to provide for visitors the Hebrew shekel with which to pay the temple dues. Therefore, it was thought, the business was of a religious character, and could be carried on in the temple as part of the sacred work. Animals were sacrificed there: why should they not be sold there? Money was collected there: why should it not be exchanged there?

 

2. The evil of it.

 

II. The Cleansing.

 

1. An act of holy indignation. Jesus was angry; He could be angry; sometimes He was "moved with indignation. It is no sign of sanctity to be unmoved at the sight of what dishonors God and wrongs our fellow men. There is a guilty complacency, a culpable silence, a sinful calm.

 

2. An act of Divine authority. It was His Father's house that Christ was cleansing. He spoke and acted as the messenger of God even to those who did not know that He was the Son of God. Christ has power and authority.

 

3. An act of righteousness. He used force, but of course, if He had met with resistance, the merely physical power He put forth would soon have been overborne. Why, then, did He succeed? Because He had an ally in the breast of every man whom He opposed; the consciences of the traders fought with Jesus against their guilty traffic. He who fights for the right has mighty unseen allies.

 

Do not we need a temple cleansing? The trade spirit desecrates religious work. Finance takes too prominent a place in the Church. It is possible to crush the spirit of private worship in low, unworthy ways of providing the means of public worship. We want the scourge of small cords to drive out the worldly methods of Christian work.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The Fruitless Fig Tree.

 

We may wonder how Jesus could have hungered during the short walk over the Mount of Olives from Bethany, if He had just left the hospitable roof of Martha. Had she taken His mild rebuke too literally when she was busying herself in providing a bountiful table on a former occasion? Or may we not think with more probability that Jesus, who was an early riser, had left the house before breakfast? If so, this would have been a trial to Martha; but it would have shown her and all the disciples how eager He was to be about His Father's business. Yet He is a man, and the fresh morning air on the hills awakens the natural appetite of hunger. A few verses back it is said that Jesus had need of an ass and its colt (Matthew 21:3). Here we see that He had need of a few wild figs, commonest of wayside fruit, so real was His human nature, so perfect the lowliness of His earthly state.

 

I. The condition of the Tree.

 

1. It had promise. This was a forward tree as far as leaves were concerned. Earlier than others of the same species in putting forth its foliage, it gave promise of an early supply of fruit, because the figs appear before the leaves. It is dangerous to make great pretensions. To stand out from our brother men with some claim to exceptional honor is to raise expectations of exceptional worth. We should do well to avoid taking such a position unless we are sure we can sustain it without disappointing the hopes we raise.

 

2. It was not true to its promise. This was the unhappy thing about the tree. If it had been like the backward trees, nothing would have been expected of it. But by giving a sign which in the course of nature should follow the putting forth of fruit, it made a false pretension. Possibly the vigor of the foliage absorbed the sap which should have helped the fruit buds. Great attention to display directly injures the cultivation of really worthy qualities. Religious ostentation is generally barren.

 

II. The doom of the Tree. It is to wither. The fig tree is only valued for the sake of its figs. If these are wanting, the tree is worthless. Its luxuriance of leaves is worse than useless, because it prevents other plants from growing where the fruitless branches overshadow the ground.

 

1. What is fruitless is worthless.

 

2. What is worthless must be destroyed. The fruitless Jerusalem was destroyed. Barren Churches have been swept away from Asia Minor and North Africa; barren Churches will be swept kern other parts of Christendom in the future. Fruitless souls will be cast out of the garden of the Lord.

 

Matthew 21:22 - The boundless possibilities of prayer.

 

Read literally, this is a very difficult verse. We cannot see how it is verified in experience. We should be horrified at its exact and verbal fulfillment, because this would be handing over the control of the universe to the praying mortal. The coachman would not put the reins in the hands of his infant son, however much the child begged for them; yet the disaster which would follow such an action would be nothing in comparison with the unspeakable calamities which would visit the universe if we, in our blindness, our ignorance, our folly, could have done for us whatever we chose to wish for, and that merely for the asking. We may indeed be thankful that no such fearful power has been entrusted to us. But then how are we to interpret the very clear and emphatic words of our Lord?

 

I. It is Faith that gives Efficiency to Prayer. Many prayers are absolutely void and useless because they are not borne upon the wings of faith. They grovel in the earth-mists of unbelief, and never see the light of God's presence. The connection of the verses seems to imply that it was His faith that gave Christ power to bring its doom to the barren fig tree (Matthew 21:21). It is reasonable to suppose that God will give many things to those who trust Him, which He will deny to people who will not rely upon Him. At all events, the setting forth of faith as a condition of the prayer that is to be answered shows that it is absolutely useless to practice an experiment with prayer by testing its efficacy in order to dispel doubt. The purpose of the experiment, and the grounds on which it is made, presuppose the absence of an essential condition of successful prayer. Therefore, if prayer is heard, as Christ tells us it is, such an experiment is foredoomed to failure. We want grounds for faith, but we cannot find them here; or rather we cannot have our first grounds here. The response to prayer will doubtless confirm and strengthen the faith which prompted the prayer. But there must be this prior faith.

 

II. The Prayer of Faith has Boundless Efficacy. We get slight answers to prayer because we have little faith. Yet we cannot expect to have just what we choose to ask for, even though we ask in faith. No; but observe:

 

1. Faith is not confidence in our own prayer, but trust in Christ. Now, when we trust Him we are led near to Him, we begin to understand Him, we learn to think as He thinks and to desire what He desires. Thus faith brings us into sympathy with Christ. But our foolish desires are quite un-Christ like. We shall no longer cherish them when He is by our side. Thus faith chastens prayer, purges it, elevates it, and brings it into harmony with the will of God. The prayer of faith will be such a prayer that God can hear, just in proportion as the faith is a spiritual power that unites us with God.

 

2. The prayer of faith will certainly be answered, though not necessarily in the way in which we expect. Jesus promised to those who lost lands and friends for the gospel's sake, more lands and friends (Matthew 19:29), and His disciples did not receive a literal fulfillment of this promise. But they had a good equivalent. The prayer of faith is answered in God's large, wise way, answered to the full, but by the gift of what He sees best, and not always of what we happen to name.

 

Matthew 21:23-27 - Question met by question.

 

Perhaps we shall best gather up the lessons of this incident if we look first at the form it assumed, then at the underlying substance.

 

I. The Form.

 

1. The question of the Rulers.

 

2. The counter question of Christ. He postpones His reply to a question He desires to have answered by the rulers.

 

II. The Substance. That was indeed an important question which the rulers put to Christ. If it were asked humbly and sincerely, it might be regarded as most just and reasonable. When it is so asked, Christ does answer it. Indeed, if the rulers had not been blind, they would have found a twofold reply close at hand. Christ justifies and confirms His claims:

 

1. By the authority of Conscience. When He startled the people in the temple by an unwonted exercise of authority, they submitted without an attempt at resistance, because their consciences confirmed His action. Christ speaks to the conscience, and the conscience echoes what He says.

 

2. By the authority of Knowledge. Who are the authoritative teachers? Surely the only teachers who can speak to us with authority are those who know the subjects they undertake to teach. Jesus "spoke with authority" (Matthew 7:29), because He spoke out of knowledge. There was a self-evidencing truthfulness and clearness of vision in Him.

 

3. By the Authority of God. The rulers could not see this. If their blindness had not been morally culpable, they would have been excused for rejecting the claims of Christ, because those claims were so great that no mere man could have a right to put them forth. When we perceive the Divine nature of Christ, all His words and deeds are justified, and His authority comes upon us with more than kingly power.

 

Matthew 21:28-32 - The two sons.

 

In this parable our Lord illustrates the great principle which He more than once enunciated, that "many shall be last that are first; and first that are last." It has a special reference to the Pharisees and publicans of Christ's time. But there are publicans and Pharisees in our own day. Let us consider the parable in its bearing on ourselves and the present conduct of people.

 

I. The Son who Refused and Repented.

 

1. His hasty refusal. Doubtless he spoke in impatience. His temper was hot, and the call to work amazed him. Thus he began the day badly, as many people begin life badly. This is altogether deplorable, because no subsequent amendment can obliterate the fact that the beginning was spoilt.

 

2. His later repentance. We need not be the slaves of our own past. If we started wrong, we are not forced to continue in the path of evil. "It is never too late to mend." There is a pride of consistency which only comes of folly; and there is a noble inconsistency, a sublime inconsequence. The change in the son showed

 

3. His obedient action. He "went." That was everything. He may not have said another word; but he obeyed His father, though in silence. The one thing God looks for is obedience. The way to make amends for past negligence is not to promise better things for the future, but just to do them.

 

4. His improving conduct. We see this son in two stages, and the second is better than the first. He was evidently moving in the right direction. The most important question is not: To what have we attained hitherto? But: Which way are we moving? Towards the light or from it?

 

5. His accepted obedience. This was the obedient son. His insolent words were forgiven when his subsequent conduct was penitent and obedient. God forgives the bad past in His penitent children. If they are now in the right path, He accepts them, although they were once far from it.

 

II. The Son who Consented and Disobeyed.

 

1. His ready assent. This was good in its way. But, being only verbal, or at best an intention not yet executed, it was of slight worth. God does not value religious professions as men prize them.

 

2. His courtesy. The second son was courteous to His father, addressing Him as "sir," while his brother was rude and insolent. Now, it is our duty to be courteous to all men, and to be especially respectful to parents. Yet there is an hypocritical tone about good manners when they are not accompanied by good actions. God prefers rude obedience to polite disobedience.

 

3. His subsequent disobedience. We need not suppose that this second son had lied to His father, promising in smooth words what he never intended to perform. It is more probable that our Lord would have us think of him as honest in his profession. He really intended to obey. But he did not count the cost, or the good mood of acquiescence passed away, or some other more fascinating attraction led him to forget, or at least to neglect, his promise. There is an enormous step to be taken from good resolutions to good actions. Many a hindrance, many a temptation, comes between.

 

4. His just condemnation. Jesus appealed to the bystanders for their verdict. He wished to convince their conscience; He desires now to make us see and feel the truth of what He says. Could there be a question as to the verdict? Good promises count for nothing, or rather they count against the man who disobeys in conduct. God judges by conduct alone.

 

Matthew 21:33-41 - The parable of the vineyard.

 

The vineyard is a favorite image in the Bible, and the mention of it by Christ would call to mind in His hearers the Old Testament illustrations of Israel. But more than Israel the nation must be intended by our Lord, because the vineyard is to go on after the destruction of the Jewish state. Our thoughts are therefore directed to the Kingdom of Heaven, partially realized in Israel, more fully realized in the Christian Church, but always a spiritual vineyard.

 

I. God Himself founds Kingdom of Heaven. The owner of the vineyard has it properly planted and all its arrangements completed before He sends husbandmen into it. They have not to begin in the wilderness. God does not behave like the Pharaoh who ordered the Israelites to make bricks without straw. He plants. Therefore He has a right to look for fruit.

 

II. God Entrusts the Work of His Vineyard to Men. There is work for God to be done in His kingdom. This is a high privilege, and it carries with it a grave responsibility. God will not have the just return for all His gifts if Husbandmen are not faithful in his service. The Jewish leaders were God's husbandmen. So are Christian workers today.

 

III. God expects Fruits from His Vineyard. God gives freely; but He looks for a return. It is not that He needs anything. But He does not desire His work to be wasted. He asks for grapes where He has planted a vine. This, then, is the one question for the Church, Is it bearing fruit? By so doing it can glorify God (John 15:8).

 

IV. The Messengers of God have been Shamefully treated. Evidently the servants represent the prophets of ancient Israel, ending with John the Baptist, who was beheaded, though not by the Jews. The reason for this ill treatment is here explained. It is selfishness. The leaders of Israel governed for their own advantage, and not for the glory of God. The leaders of the Church have too often shown a self-seeking spirit, and therefore they have rejected God's true servants.

 

V. The Advent of Christ is a Mark of God's Long Suffering Patience. The owner of the vineyard would try a last means. He would see if the husbandmen would reject His son. It was a great risk to run; but the fruit was precious, and the vineyard was worth rescuing from those who usurped the rights of ownership. God would not east out Israel till Christ had come. But now Christ has come to us as God's last Messenger.

 

VI. The Rejection of Christ is a Fatal Sin. After the husbandmen had killed the heir to the estate, no more patience could be shown to them. They had filled up their cup of guilt to the brim. They had rejected the last and greatest message from their Master. To be cast forth and destroyed is their rightful doom. This doom came upon the leaders of Israel in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Titus. It awaits those false and traitorous leaders of the Church who repeat the sin of the Hebrew hierarchy. It awaits all who work in the midst of the privileges of Christendom without rendering any fruit to the glory of God.

 

VII. The Doom of the Faithless is followed by the Appointment of New Workers. Gentiles took the place of Jews. God's work cannot stand still. He will have fruit, if not through our agency, then by other means. When the official leaders of the Church are unfaithful, God sets them aside, so that, though their doom is postponed, they are really no longer entrusted with any powers by God. Then He raises up men from outside the ranks of office. Thus the vineyard is saved, and God has the fruit of true service.

 

Matthew 21:1-22 - Entry into Jerusalem.

 

Our Lord had now entered on the last week of His life upon earth, but, save in His own heart, there is no premonition of His death. Having spent the Sabbath in Bethany, He proceeds on Sunday morning to the city. That was the day, four days before the Passover, on which the Jews were commanded to choose the Paschal lamb. Our Lord, conscious of His calling to die for His people, puts Himself into their hands. He now feels that His hour has come, and proclaims Himself as the promised Messiah, the King of Peace, by entering into Jerusalem, the metropolis of peace, in a manner which no one could fail to interpret, as One who would certainly furnish men with that which would not give one strong race power over others, but which would weld all men together and give them common feelings and interests, and restore in truth the unity of men. The points in the entry which Matthew considered significant are:

 

I. Our Lord's Proclamation of Himself as King of Peace by riding into Jerusalem on an Ass. He did not choose a horse, because that animal would have suggested royalty of quite another kind from His royalty which was maintained by war and outward force.

 

1. What is it, then, that Christ claims? No one could have the slightest doubt that He claimed to fulfill Old Testament prophecy, and to be that very Person who was to come and bring with Him to earth everything which the love of God could bestow. He professes His willingness to take command of earth, not in the easier sense of being able to lay down a political constitution for all races, but in the sense of being able to satisfy every individual, to give peace to every soul, however distracted by trouble and overwhelmed by sin. And some have through Him actually entered into such peace that they are impregnable to this world's assaults, and have gained the mastery over its temptations. They have found Him to be all He claims to be.

 

2. They proclaimed Him as the Savior and King of men, and He accepted these offices in a very different spirit from that in which they were ascribed to Him. He knew that to be the King of a people so down trodden with sin, so entangled in ancient evils, was full of danger and suffering; that in order to deliver such a people He must die for them. And it is His expectation that we on our side should open our eyes to what He has done, and acknowledge Him as our King. We must not grudge if it comes in the way of our duty to Him to make real sacrifices.

 

3. It must, indeed, have been a humbling experience for our Lord to have Himself ushered into Jerusalem by a crowd through whose hosannas He already heard the mutter of their curses. Such is the homage a perfect life has won.

 

II. Although our Lord makes no moan over His own fate as the rejected Messiah, He quite breaks down at the thought of the doom of His rejecters. Terrible, indeed, must the responsibility often have seemed to Him of being set as the test of men, of being the occasion of so many being found wanting. Are we in a condition so full of hazard and foreboding that it might justly bring tears to the eyes of Christ?

 

III. The Withering of the Fruitless Fig Tree was a symbolic act. Our Lord saw in it the very image of Jerusalem. There was there an exuberant display of all kinds of religious activity, with absolutely nothing that could feed the soul or satisfy God. And the withering of the fig tree reveals the other side of our Lord's character in connection with this rejection by the Jews. He wept, but He also pronounced doom. To calculate our own future we must keep in view not only the tears of Christ, but also His judgment. Throughout His life the one is as prominent as the other. Words which were rarely or never heard from the sternest Old Testament prophet are common on His lips. There is a day of visitation for each man, a day in which to us in our turn there appears a possibility and an invitation to enter into the presence of God, and be forever satisfied in Him and with His likeness. Picture to yourself the shame of being a failure, such a failure that the truest love and most inventive wisdom must give yon up and pronounce you useless.

 

Matthew 21:33-44 - Parable of the wicked husbandmen.

 

The priests and elders already stood convicted of having incapacitated themselves for recognizing the Divine in Jesus. But theirs was not the guilt of common unbelievers. It was not merely their personal, hut their official duty to keep themselves awake to the Divine, by righteousness of life. It was the duty for which their office existed. They are as agents whom a man has appointed to manage his business, and who use their position only to enrich themselves.

 

The parable under which this judgment is carried home to them is one they could not fail to understand. The vineyard was Israel, the small section of humanity railed off from the degrading barbarism around, as if to try what could be done by bestowing every advantage that could help men to produce the proper fruit of men. Nothing wanted which could win them to holiness, nothing which could enlarge, purify, fertilize human nature.

 

The result was that they were content, as many professing religion are content now, with receiving and doing nothing. They measured themselves by the care God spent on them, not by the fruit they yielded; by the amount of instruction, the grace they received, not by the use that they made of it. Again and again God sent to remind them He was expecting fruit of His care, but His messengers speedily found that they were willing enough to live upon God, but not to live to Him. But it is the keepers of the vineyard who are here censured for unfaithfulness, and that on two grounds.

 

1. They used their position solely for their own advantage. They had failed to remember they were servants. The religious leader is as liable as the political or military leader to be led by a desire for distinction, applause, power. Success may be the idol of the one as truly as of the other. It is not the sphere in which one's work is done that proves its spirituality or worthiness, nor even the nature of it, but the motive.

 

2. They are censured for their zeal in proselytizing, a more insidious form of the temptation to use their position for their own ends. The indignation of our Lord was roused by the same element in their zeal, which so often still taints zeal for the propagation of religious truth. It was the desire rather to bring men to their way of thinking than to bring them to the truth. How wide spreading and deep reaching this evil is those well know who have observed how dangerously near propagandas is to persecution. The zeal that proceeds from loving consideration of others does not, when opposed, darken into violence and ferocity. If we become bitter and fierce when contradicted, we may recognize our zeal as springing from desire to have our own influence acknowledged, rather than from deep love of others, or regard for the truth as truth.

 

The condemnation of the parable our Lord enforces by reference to the Scriptures of which they professed to be guardians. Rejection by the builders was one of the marks of the Foundation stone chosen by God. They caviled at His allowing the hosanna psalm to be applied to Himself, but this was itself proof that He was what the crowd affirmed Him to be. Note: Our Lord completes the warning, abandoning the figure of the parable, and making use of the figure of the stone.

 

Verse 45 - Ch. 22:14 - The marriage of the King's Son.

 

This parable, taken along with the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, forms a climax to them. In the first, God is represented as a Father issuing a command; in the second, as a Householder who expects the performance of a contract; in the third parable, God appears as a King, not commanding, but looking for acceptance of an enviable invitation.

 

Already the Kingdom of God had been likened to a feast, but here prominence is given to the circumstance of the host being a King, and the occasion the marriage of His son, and it is impossible to avoid the impression that our Lord meant to indicate that He was the King's Son. He and John had both familiarized the people with the title Bridegroom as applied to the Messiah. But it is rather from God's side than from man's the Bridegroom is here viewed. In Christ God and man are made one. No union can be so close. And in this, the greatest event in God's reign, and the indestructible glory of humanity, God might well expect that men should rejoice with Him. Proclamation had been made, invitation given, and people remained wholly indifferent. The earnest sincerity of God in seeking our good in this matter is marked by one or two unmistakable traits.

 

1. By the King's willing observance of every form of courtesy. One of these is the sending of a second messenger to announce the actual readiness of the feast. And so God had not only sent the prophets, bidding the Jews expect this festival, but sent John to remind and bring them. And so He still offers His blessings in ways which leave the reluctant without apology, He considers your needs and your feelings, and what He offers is that in which He has His own chief joy, fellowship with His Son.

 

2. By His wrath against the murderers. You may be so little in earnest about God's invitation that you scarcely seriously consider whether it is to be accepted or not, but nothing can so occupy Him as to turn His observation from you. To save sinners from destruction is His grand purpose, and no success in other parts of His government can repay Him for failure here.

 

The last scene in the parable forms an appendix directed to a special section in the audience. Seeing the gates of the kingdom thrown open, and absolute, unconditioned freedom of entrance given, the ill living and godless might be led to overlook the great moral change requisite in all who enter God's presence and propose to hold intercourse with Him. The refusal of the wedding dress provided was not only studied contempt and insult, but showed alienation of spirit, disaffection, want of sympathy with the feelings of the king.

 

The guest must have lacked the festive spirit, and was therefore "a spot in the feast." He sits there out of harmony with the spirit of the occasion, and disloyal to His king. Therefore is His punishment swift and sudden. The eye of the king marks the intruder, and neither the outer darkness of an Eastern street, nor the pitchy blackness in which he lies unseen and helpless, can hide him from that gaze of His Lord which he feels to be imprinted on his conscience forever. In applying this parable, we may mark:

 

Matthew 21:1-11 - The triumph of Christ.

 

In His journey to Jerusalem Jesus rested at Bethany, where, stopping at the house of Simon the leper, Mary anointed His feet (cf. Matthew 26:6; John 12:2). His progress on the day following is here recorded. Observe:

 

I. That Jesus entered the Capital in the Royalty of Meekness.

 

1. He came in sacred character.

 

2. He came as the "Prince of Peace."

 

3. He came in humble state.

 

II. That Jesus entered the Capital for the Triumph of Destiny.

 

1. He came for the fulfillment of prophecy.

 

2. His coming was itself a prophecy.

 

Matthew 21:12-17 - The Lord of the temple.

 

"The temple of God" (Matthew 21:12) Jesus calls "My house" (Matthew 21:13), asserting Himself to be the Divine Lord of the temple. And quoting as He does from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, He identifies Himself as "Jehovah." Acting in this quality, He surveyed the characters He found in the temple and dealt with them accordingly. But the temple stands forth as a type of Christ's Church (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21, Ephesians 2:22; Hebrews 3:6), so the subject has its lessons for us. We may ask, then:

 

I. What sort of persons does Jesus find in His Church?

 

1. He finds the secularist there.

 

(a) By that scandalous traffic in holy things, which is so largely carried on within the borders of the professing Church, in simoniacal presentation, fraudulent exchanges, preferment obtained through flattery.

 

(b) By that worldly, covetous, money getting spirit which dwells in so many of its members. This spirit is demoralizing. It is also distracting to worship.

 

2. He finds the afflicted there.

 

3. He finds the true disciple there.

 

4. He finds the rituality and the traditionalist there.

 

II. What sort of treatment have they to expect from Him?

 

1. What has the secularist to expect?

 

2. What have the afflicted to expect?

 

3. What have the true disciples to expect?

 

4. What have the haughty to expect?

 

Matthew 21:18-22 - The omnipotence of faith.

 

The miracles of Jesus were generally miracles of mercy. There are a few exceptions. Conspicuous amongst these is the withering of the fig tree with a word. When the disciples marveled Jesus expounded to them His astonishing doctrine of the power of faith. We learn:

 

I. That Believing is Essential to Prevailing Prayer.

 

1. There can be no prayer without faith in a personal God.

 

2. There can be no prayer without faith in a Person susceptible to human appeals.

 

3. Faith is active in successful prayer.

 

II. That Believing Prayer is Infallibly Effective.

 

1. Because God has pledged Himself to it.

 

2. But how is the infallible effectiveness of believing prayer reconciled with the wisdom of God?

 

3. But how can efficacy in prayer comport with the uniformity of nature's processes?

 

III. That Prayer Fails through the influence of conditions inimical to Active Faith.

 

1. As when the matter of the suit is unwise.

 

2. As when the motive is unworthy of the suit.

 

3. As when the disposition of the suppliant is inconsistent with sincerity.

 

Matthew 21:23-32 - The authority of Jesus.

 

The "things" in reference to the doing of which this question of the authority of Jesus was raised by the chief priests and elders, were His purging the temple from the traffickers, His publicly teaching and working miracles of healing there. Mark, by more clearly placing the miracle of the withering of the fig tree in order before these things, brings them into closer connection with the passage before us. We may profitably consider the authority of Jesus:

 

I. As it is Evident in His Conduct.

 

1. His questioners were not ignorant of His claims.

 

2. His conduct vindicated His claims.

 

"Seest thou yon harlot, wooing all she meets;

 

The worn out nuisance of the public streets;

 

Herself from morn to night, from night to morn,

 

Her own abhorrence, and as much your scorn?

 

The gracious shower, unlimited and free,

 

Shall fall on her when Heaven denies it thee."

 

(Cowper.)

 

3. Note here the gospel call.

 

II. As it is Evident in the Testimony of John.

 

1. John's baptism was proved to be "from heaven."

 

(a) "The baptism of John" is here put for His doctrine.

 

(b) Jesus, by submitting to John's baptism, accepted and sanctioned His doctrine.

 

(c) Matthew 21:1-46

 

The vast multitudes who came to His baptism thereby professed faith in His teaching. Hence the general expression, "All hold John as a prophet." The defeat of Herod's army in the war with Aretas, King of Arabia, was esteemed by the Jews a judgment for the death of John (Josephus, 'Ant.,' John 18:7).

 

2. John's testimony therefore should be conclusive.

 

III. As it is Evident in the Discomfiture of His enemies.

 

1. They set up their authority against His.

 

Their question, "Who gave thee this authority?" suggests that they were offended because He not only taught without their permission, but contravened their concession to the traffickers when He drove them out.

 

2. He treated their presumption with contempt.

 

Matthew 21:33-46 - Goodness and severity: In this parable Jesus sets forth the privileges, the sins, and the impending ruin of the Jewish people. It brings before us for our admonition

 

I. What the Lord did for His people.

 

1. He became a Father to them.

 

2. He gave them a rich inheritance.

 

3. He made every provision for their benefit.

 

(a) By the "law of commandments contained in ordinances" He separated His people from the idolatrous nations surrounding.

 

(b) His providence was as a wall of fire for their defense (see Zechariah 2:5).

 

II. The Return He received for His Goodness.

 

1. The husbandmen kept from Him the fruits.

 

2. They maltreated His messengers.

 

3. They murdered the heir.

 

III. The Severity of His Retribution.

 

1. God dooms the sinner to the judgment of his sin.

 

2. He brings confusion upon his schemes.

 

3. He brings judgment upon them to destruction.

 

Matthew 21:3 - Ready response to Divine claims.

 

"Straightway He will send them." It does not at once appear whether our Lord made a claim on this animal, in a general way, for the service of God, or in a particular way, as a personal favor to Himself. He must have been well known in the neighborhood of Bethany, and it is quite conceivable that the man distinctly lent the animal to Jesus. It was not a working animal, and there was no loss of its labor, or its mother's, in this use of it by Jesus.

 

What stands out to view, as suggestive of helpful thoughts and useful lessons, is the ready response of this good man. Think of it as a Divine claim, and he presents an example of prompt, trustful, unquestioning obedience. Think of it as a request from the great Teacher, and then you have revealed a secret disciple, or at least one who felt the fascination of our Lord's presence.

 

I. Ready Response to Divine Claims as An Example.

 

There was no questioning or dispute; no hesitation or doubt; no anxiety, even, as to how the animals would be brought back again. There was no anxiety as to what was to be done with them; no fear as to any injury coming to them; the man did not even suggest that the colt would be of no use, for he had not been "broken in." It is beautiful and suggestive that the simple sentence, "The Lord hath need of them," sufficed to quiet and satisfy him. He could shift all the responsibility on the Lord. "He knows everything; He controls everything. What I have to do is to obey. Depend upon it, the rest will all come right." So away at once, and away cheerfully, went the animals.

 

That is a noble example indeed. We spoil so much of our obedience by criticizing the things we are called to do, or give, or bear. Then we hesitate, question, doubt, and do languidly at last what we do. If we know what God's will is, that should always be enough. We have nothing to do with the how or the why. Send the animals at once if you know that "the Lord hath need of them."

 

II. Ready Response to Divine Claims as A Revelation of Character.

 

We like the response of this man. We seem to know this man. His act reveals him. A simple-hearted sort of man, whose natural trustfulness has not been spoilt. An open-hearted, generous sort of man, with very little "calculation" in him. He reminds one of Nathanael, "in whom was no guile." And simple souls somehow get the best of life.

 

Matthew 21:5, Matthew 21:8 --Signs of meekness and sifters of joy.

 

"Thy King cometh unto thee, meek;" "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way." The word "meek" is used in Scripture for "not self-assertive," "not seeking one's own." It is not to be confounded with "humility." The apostle puts "humbleness of mind" and "meekness" alongside each other in such a way that we observe the distinction between them. Moses was the "meekest of men," but certainly not the most humble. It is usual to associate our Lord's "meekness" with His riding on so lowly an animal; but this is to transfer our Western ideas of asses to Eastern lands; and it also fails to observe that in Matthew 21:5 there are two assertions, each distinct from the other. Our Lord was "meek;" and our Lord was "sitting upon an ass." If we take the word "meek" here in its usual meaning, "not self-assertive," we may find fresh suggestion in the passage. The signs of joy given in Matthew 21:8, Matthew 21:9 are characteristically Eastern.

 

I. The Meekness of Jesus.

 

This is not the thing which first arrests attention. Indeed, on this one occasion Jesus seems to be asserting Himself. Look deeper, and it will be found that He is not. He is not in any of the senses men put into that term. There, riding into Jerusalem as a King, He has no intention of setting up any such kingdom as men expect; He does not mean to use any force; you could never mistake Him for a conqueror. There is submission, there is no self-assertion.

 

II. The Joy of the People.

 

In calling Jesus the "Son of David," the people recognized Him as the long promised Messiah; and, without clear apprehensions of what His work was to be, they could rejoice in the realization of the national hope. Their joy made it clear to the Jerusalem officials that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. There could be no mistake. They must accept or reject the claim.

 

Matthew 21:12,13 -The fitting and the unfitting in God's house.

 

"My house shall be called a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and changing foreign money into temple shekels, was right enough in its place; but the point is, that all this was being done in the wrong place. The sense of the appropriate, of the becoming, was lost; it was covered over and bidden by the greed of the trader, and the avarice of the money changer. Trade is not wrong, if it be honest trade, and buyer and seller pass fair equivalents. Banking is not wrong in itself, though it gives great opportunities to the covetous.

 

Our Lord never interfered with trades’ folk or with money changers; He only taught principles that would ensure their bargaining fairly. His righteous anger was roused by the offence these traffickers gave to His sense of the fitting, of the becoming. The true consecration of a building is no mere ceremony, it is the feeling of consecration that is in all reverent souls in relation to it. The consecration should have been in these traders, it was fitting to the place where they were; if it had been in them, they would never have thought of bringing the beasts, the cages, and the tables inside the gates of the temple of Jehovah.

 

I. The Sense of the Fitting an Impulse to Jesus.

We might properly expect that this "sense" would be at its keenest in the case of Jesus. The honor of the Father-God was the one all-mastering purpose of His life. He could not bear any slight to be put on God, on anything belonging to God, on anything associated with His Name. He was specially jealous, with a sanctified Jewish jealousy, of the temple where God was worshipped. He felt what was fitting to it: stillness, quiet, prayer, reverent attitudes. He felt what was unfitting: noise, dirt, quarrellings over bargains, shouts of drovers, and the greed and over-reaching of covetous men. So the consecration of our worship places is really the response to our quickened, spiritual, Christly, sense of what is fitting. The one thing we ask for is the sustained sense of harmony

 

II. Lack of the Sense of the Fitting gave License to the Traders.

 

In them the spiritual was hidden. Custom had covered it. Greed had covered it. They were thinking about themselves and their getting’s, and so lost all sense of the becoming. They must learn, by a hard, humbling, and awakening lesson, that God's temple is for God.

 

Matthew 21:16 - The ministry of the children.

 

Children are always delighted with a little public excitement, and readily catch up the common enthusiasm; but we do not look to children for calm and intelligent judgments on great issues. To our Lord children always represented simple, guileless, unprejudiced souls, who put up no barriers against His teachings, or against the gracious influences which He strove to exert. These children would be lads from twelve years old upward. They caught up the words of the excited disciples, and kept up the excitement by shouting, even in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

 

I. The Children comforted Jesus by what they did.

 

It was a bit of simple, honest, unrestrained enthusiasm. The young souls were carried away by the joyous excitement of the day. It comforted Jesus to hear some people speaking of Him who were unquestionably sincere; who just uttered their hearts; who were glad, and said so. For it must have been a heavy burden to our Lord that, even to the last, His disciples were so guileful; they seemed as if they could never rise above the idea that they were about to "get something good" by clinging to the Lord Jesus. "Hosanna!" from the lads who wanted nothing from Him must have been very comforting to our Lord, That is always one of the chief elements of pleasure in children's worship; it is guileless, genuine, the free unrestrained utterance of the passing mood. It is not the highest thing. That is the worship of the finally redeemed, who have won innocence through experience of sin; but it is the earth-suggestion of it. Children's praise is still the joy of Christian hearts.

 

II. The Children comforted Jesus by what they represented.

 

For to Him the children were types. "Babes and suckling" are types of simple, loving, trustful souls, and to such God's revelations come. Now, there are two kinds of trustful, humble, gentle souls.

 

1. Those who are trustful without ever having struggled. Some are naturally trustful, believing, receptive, and in all spheres of life they are loved and loving souls.

 

2. Those who are trustful as the victory out of struggle. These are the noblest ones, the true child souls, the true virgin souls; these walk the earth in white, and it is white that will never take a soil. In their praise Christ finds His supreme joy.

 

Matthew 21:19 - The tree type of the Hypocrite.

 

"Found nothing thereon, but leaves only." The attempted explanations of the condition of this fig tree bewilder us. Some say our Lord expected to find some stray figs on the tree left from the last harvest. Others say that, as He saw leaves, He naturally expected fruit, because the figs appear on the trees before the fruit. We must suppose that it was the custom to eat green figs, for it is certain that at this season of the year the fresh figs could not be ripened. What is clear is:

 

I. Our lord taught by symbolic actions.

 

There are spoken parables and acted parables; both were used in all teachings, especially in Eastern teachings; both were used by our Lord. All suggestion that our Lord was personally vexed at the failure of the tree must be carefully eliminated. With the genius of the teacher, our Lord at once saw, and seized, the opportunity for giving an impressive object lesson, which He completed by consummating at once the destruction of the tree. Explain that the tree must have been diseased, or it would have borne fruit. Its destruction was certain. The tree did not sin in being diseased or having no fruit; but the teacher may take it to represent one who sins in making outward show that has no answering goodness within it. Our Lord only took beasts or trees to illustrate Divine judgments.

 

II. What our Lord taught her was the certain doom of the hypocrite.

 

Christ never spoke so severely of any one as of the hypocrites. Insincerity was the fault most personally offensive to Him. The tree seemed to represent a hypocrite. It had leaves. There was fair outward show. It seemed to say, "Come to me if you are hungry; I can refresh you." And when Christ came He found the leaves were all it had to give. His thoughts were much occupied at this time with the Pharisees, who were making outside show of superior piety, but had no soul piety opening their hearts to give Him welcome. Perhaps our Lord meant to picture Judas Iscariot. Fair showing as any disciple, but rotten hearted. Let Pharisees learn, let Judas learn, let disciples learn, from that fig tree. It is dying; Christ hastens the corrupting process, and it dies in a day. The hypocrite is corrupting. He is under the curse of God. There is no hope in this life or the next for the man who is consciously insincere.

 

Matthew 21:22 - Believing, the condition of acceptable prayer.

 

The immediate lesson which Christ drew from the incident was not taken from the tree, that lesson He left the disciples to think out for themselves, but from their surprise at the result which followed His words. Our Lord seems always to have spoken of prayer in a large, general, and comprehensive way; and yet we may always discern some intimation of the qualifications and limitations which must always condition answer to human prayer.

 

It is true that "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer ye shall receive;" but it is also true that we must meet the appointed condition, and be "believers", those who cherish the spirit of openness and trust. "It was rather the power and wonder of their Lord's act, than the deeper significance of it, that moved the disciples. Yet Jesus follows the turn their thoughts take, and teaches that prayer and faith will remove mountains of difficulty."

 

I. Believing as God's Condition.

 

God's conditions are never to be thought of as arbitrary; they are always necessities, always sweetly reasonable. The term "believing" represents that state of mind and feeling in a man which alone fits him to receive, and make the best of, God's answer to his prayer. God might give, but his gift could be no real moral blessing if there was no fitness to receive. It is the "right state of mind for receiving" that is expressed in "believing." This includes humility, dependence, reliance, and hopefulness. It is opposed to the critical spirit that questions, and the doubting spirit that fears. Even we in common life make believing a condition. We gladly do things for others when they trust us fully.

 

II. Believing as man's difficulty.

 

Self-reliance is the essence of man's sin, seeing that he really is a dependent creature. Man does not care to trust anybody; he trusts himself. Other people may lean on him; he leans on nobody. And so long as a man has this spirit, all prayer must, for him, be a formality and a sham; because prayer is the expression of dependence which he does not feel. Keeping the spirit of full trust is the supreme difficulty of the Christian man all through his Christian course. He has to be always on the watch lest he should lose the right to answer because he is failing to believe, to trust.

 

III. Believing as the Christly Triumph.

 

The man who has altogether abandoned self-trust, and given himself wholly into the hands of Christ for salvation, has won the power of trusting, and has only to keep it up.

 

Matthew 21:24 - Christ become a Questioner.

 

Those who came to Christ on this occasion were distinctly officials, representatives of the Sanhedrin, the council which claimed and exercised authority in all matters related to religion. "Before its tribunal false prophets were arraigned. It dealt with questions of doctrine, and, when occasion arose, could exercise the functions of a council." "In the New Testament we see Christ before the Sanhedrin as a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65); the Apostles Peter and John, as false prophets and seducers of the people; as having blasphemed against God; and the Apostle Paul, as subverting the Law."

 

This was, no doubt, a very imposing deputation. Schemes to entangle Christ in His talk had miserably failed; now the officials resolved to act straightforwardly and imposingly. They would demand to know the authority on which Jesus acted. The three elements of the Sanhedrin: chief priests, elders, and scribes; were all represented, and we seem to see the confident haughtiness of their approach.

 

I. Christ asserting a superior authority.

 

"He knew what was in man." He was not in the least alarmed. He know their guilefulness so well that He was not in the least deferential. The prophet was never submissive to the temple officials. His authority was His commission direct from God. They had been pleased to decide that no one could be permitted to teach who had not passed through a rabbinical school. Jesus knew that every man has a right to teach who is himself taught of God. He, moreover, was more than a prophet; He is, in the highest and holiest sense, the Son and Sent of God. They had no right to question Him. He would recognize no such right, and give to their questionings no answer, He would exert His authority and question them; and never was official deputation more humiliated than when these men found themselves questioned, and hopelessly entangled by the question put to them. All putting Christ to the test implies a wrong state of mind. He speaks in the name of God, and as God, and our duty is unquestioning obedience.

 

II. Christ discomfiting His foes by His Superior Authority.

 

They felt His authority, and did not for a moment attempt to dispute it. They did not think of saying, "We came to question You, and cannot allow You to question us." They were mastered by His calmness, by His manifest superiority, by the skill of His question, which put them into the most awkward and humiliating position. They retired defeated and angry.

 

Matthew 21:29 - Speech tested by deed.

 

To see the point of this parable, it is necessary to observe the connection in which it stands. Our Lord was dealing with men who proposed to entangle Him in His talk, and, out of what He said, find accusation against Him. He had turned the tables on them, by putting to them a question which they dared not answer; and now, in this parable of the two sons, He presents to them a picture of themselves, which they could not fail to recognize.

 

They were like the son who made great professions of obedience, but did not obey. "The parable is too plain spoken to be evaded. They cannot deny that the satisfactory son is not the one who professes great respect for His father's authority, while he does only what pleases himself, but the one who does His father's bidding, even though he has at first disowned His authority. These men were so unceremoniously dealt with by our Lord because they were false. They may not have clearly seen that they were false, but they were so".

 

I. Speech shown to be Worthless by Deeds. Professions are good and right; they ought to be made. But professions must not stand alone. They ought to express purpose. They ought to be followed by appropriate action. The peril of religion in every age lies in the fact that credit is to be gained and confidence won by making profession; and so the insincere man, and the man who can deceive himself, are tempted to make religious profession hide their self-seeking. And it must also be said that religious profession, and observance of mere religious rites, becomes a prevailing custom, by which men are carried away, and relieved of anxiety about making deeds match words. The Pharisee class are evidently pictured in this son. They were extremely anxious about speaking right and showing right, but they were sadly indifferent about doing right. What needs to be continually re-impressed is, that supreme importance attaches to being right and doing right; these will find natural and proper expression. If we are right, our profession will match ourselves.

 

II. Speech put to shame by deeds.

 

The son is in no way to be commended who refused obedience. It was a bad profession, and found expression for a bad mind. But when he came to a good mind, and went and obeyed, the obedience put to shame the hasty and unworthy words. No doubt our Lord referred to the publican class, who had taken their own willful and self-pleasing way, but now they had come to a better mind, and were even pressing into the kingdom.

 

Matthew 21:33 - The wicked husbandmen.

 

This parable belongs to the series in which our Lord shows up His enemies, and reveals to them at once their own shameless scheming, and His complete knowledge of their devices. But while the relation of the parable to those Pharisees should be recognized, it is necessary also to see that the man of God can never let the evils of his age alone. Those Pharisees were holding men in creed and ceremonial bondage; Christ did not attack them because of their personal enmity to Him. It was this, a liberator of human thought can never let the thought enslavers alone. In this parable we have the dealings of God with men illustrated in the dealings of God with the Jews, and pictured in the parable of the vineyard renters. Explain the first references of the parable. Vineyard, God's chosen people. Husbandmen, the ordinary leaders and teachers of the nation. Servants, the prophets or special messengers. Destruction, the final siege of Jerusalem. Others, the transfer of gospel privileges to the Gentiles.

 

I. The Reasonableness of God's dealings with men. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. (Compare the more elaborate description in Isaiah 5:1-30.) Chosen ground. Planted. Nourished. Guarded. Pruned. And a wine-vat prepared in expectation of fruit. What could have been done more?

 

2. From the historical facts of God's dealings with Israel. God's call, redemption, provision, guidance, and prosperity. The final seeking fruit was Christ's coming.

 

3. From our own personal experience, as members of the spiritual Israel of God. Recall the graciousness of the Divine dealings with us.

 

II. The Unreasonableness of Men's dealings with God. Illustrate this:

 

1. From the vineyard figures. The shame, dishonesty, ingratitude, and rebellion of these husbandmen. See to what length it goes.

 

2. From the historical facts. The resistance, again and again, of Jewish prophets, as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos. The willful casting out of the Son.

 

3. From our own personal experience. Take the case of one unsaved. Up to this resisted motherhood, friendship, Bible, inward call of Christ, etc. How must man's unreasonableness be divinely met?

 

Matthew 21:42 - The history of the Cornerstone.

 

Foundations are not now laid as in olden times. Foundation stones are now mere ornaments. There is no sense in which buildings now rest on them. Memorial stones are taking the place of foundation stones. Probably the figure of the "cornerstone" is taken from the corner of Mount Moriah, which had to be built up from the valley, in order to make a square area for the temple courts. Dean Plumptre says, "In the primary meaning of the psalm, the illustration seems to have been drawn from one of the stones, quarried, hewn, and marked, away from the site of the temple, which the builders, ignorant of the head architect's plans, had put on one side, as having no place in the building, but which was found afterwards to be that on which the completeness of the structure depended, that on which, as the chief cornerstone, the two walls met, and were bonded together." Take this suggestion, and consider:

 

I. Christ as the prepared cornerstone.

 

Describe the work done on the limestone block in order to fit it for its place as a foundation stone. The apostle permits us to think of the experiences of our Lord's human life as fitting Him to be the Savior He became. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, for His work as the "bringer on of souls." "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things that He suffered." The Cornerstone was being chiseled and, beveled for its place. Work out this figure.

 

II. Christ as the rejected cornerstone.

 

When our Lord spoke, the Cornerstone was almost ready; and there were the men who prided themselves on being the builders of God's temple of religion. And they were, then and there, rejecting that "tried Stone, that precious Cornerstone." They would put nothing on it. It was not to their mind. It may lie forever in the quarry for all they care. But happily they were only like overseers, or clerks of works. The Architect Himself may order this Stone to be brought, and made the "Head of the corner."

 

III. Christ as the honored cornerstone.

 

The Architect Himself did interfere, brushed those petty officials aside, had the tried Stone brought out, and on it He has had built the new temple of the ages. That temple is rising into ever richer and nobler proportions, and it was never more manifest than it is today, that the "Cornerstone is Christ."

 

New International Version: As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.

English Standard Version: Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

New American Standard Bible: When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James Bible: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

Holman Christian Standard Bible: When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 

 

International Standard Version: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and 

 

NET Bible: Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And then as He approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, by the side of the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of His disciples,

 

GOD'S WORD® Translation: When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of Him.

 

Jubilee Bible 2000: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

King James 2000 Bible: And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American King James Version: And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

 

American Standard Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples, 

 

Darby Bible Translation: And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

English Revised Version: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Webster's Bible Translation: And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and had come to Bethphage, to the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Weymouth New Testament: When they were come near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on in front,

 

World English Bible: When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Young's Literal Translation: And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

Parallel Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

 

21:1-11 This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor.

 

Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

Pulpit Commentary:

 

Verses 1-11. - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11Luke 19:29-44John 12:12-19.) 

 

Verse 1. We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when He made His appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, His crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. This is regarded as the first day of the Holy Week, and is called by Christians from very early times Palm Sunday (see on ver. 10). He had probably gone straight from Jericho to Bethany. and spent the Sabbath there with His friends (Matthew 26:6John 12:1). 

 

Bethphage. The name means House of figs, and was appropriate to a locality where such trees grew luxuriantly. The village has not been identified with certainty, though it is considered with great probability to be represented by Kefr-et-Tur, on a summit of Olivet, within the bounds of Jerusalem, i.e. two thousand cubits' distance from the city walls. Bethany is below the summit, in a nook on the western slope and somewhat further from the city. The Mount of Olives is separated from Jerusalem by the valley of the Kedron, and has three summits, the centre one being the highest; but though it is of no great elevation in itself, it stands nearly four thousand feet above the Dead Sea, from which it is distant some thirteen miles. 

 

Then sent Jesus two disciples. Their names are not given, and it is useless to conjecture who they were, though probably Peter was one of them. Some suggest that the triumphal entry in Mark 11. is related a day too soon, and that our Lord made two entries into Jerusalem; the first a private one (Mark 11:11), and the second, public, on the morrow but there is no sufficient reason to discredit the common tradition, and St. Mark's language can be otherwise explained.

 

The deliberate preparation for the procession, and the intentional publicity, so contrary to Christ's usual habits, are very remarkable, and can be explained only by the fact that He was now assuming the character and claims of Messiah, and putting Himself forward in His true dignity and office as "King of the Jews." By this display He made manifest that in Him prophecy was fulfilled, and that the seeing eye and the believing heart might now find all that righteous men had long and wearily desired. This was the great opportunity which His mercy offered to Jerusalem, if only she would accept it and turn it to account. In fact, she acknowledged Him as King one day, and then rejected and crucified Him. 

 

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:

 

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when He drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, His disciples were with Him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account. They might well be said to be near to Jerusalem, since it is added, and were come to Bethphage; which the Jews say (n) was within the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and was in all respects as the city itself, and was the outermost part of it (o); and that all within the outward circumference of the city of Jerusalem was called Bethphage (p): it seems to be part of it within the city, and part of it without, in the suburbs of it, which reached to Bethany, and that to the Mount of Olives. Various are the derivations and etymologies of this place: some say it signifies "the house", or "place of a fountain", from a fountain that was in it; as if it was a compound of "Beth", an house, and "pege", a fountain: others, "the house of the mouth of a valley"; as if it was made up of those three words, , because the outward boundary of it was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, at the entrance of the valley of Jehoshaphat: others say, that the ancient reading was "Bethphage, the house of slaughter"; and Jerom says (q), it was a village of the priests, and he renders it, "the house of jaw bones": here indeed they might bake the showbread, and eat the holy things, as in Jerusalem (r); but the true reading and signification of it is, "the house of figs"; so called from the fig trees which grew in the outward limits of it, near Bethany, and the Mount of Olives; hence we read of (s) , "the figs of Bethany"; which place is mentioned along with, Bethphage, both by Mark and Luke, where Christ, and those with Him, were now come: the latter says, they were come nigh to these places, for they were come to the Mount of Olives; near to which were the furthermost limits of Bethany, and Bethphage, from Jerusalem. This mount was so called from the abundance of olive trees which grew upon it, and was on the east side of Jerusalem (t); and it was distant from it a Sabbath day's journey, Acts 1:12 which was two, thousand cubits, or eight furlongs, and which made one mile: then sent Jesus two disciples; who they were is not certain, perhaps Peter and John, who were afterwards sent by Him to prepare the Passover, Luke 22:8

 

Commentaries:

 

As written in Scripture;1st:"Jesus Knew the exact location and where the foal would be proving His Omniscience"; Also in (Zechariah9:9)"Behold, Your/Our King is Coming to you/Us; He is Just and Having salvation. Lowly(Humble) and riding on the foal of a Donkey." This proves Christ obedience unto His Fathers Perfect Will and it teaches us that His prophesying is and was True! Every scripture written was "By Gods Divine Inspiration." No man could ever have come up with any of this! Jesus is The Truth! Jesus is The Light! Jesus is The Way that leads to Eternal Life in Purity and Holiness with Him and His Father in Perfect Holiness! God cannot tolerate sin! It will be ecstatic! Beautiful beyond belief as well. I have seen tastes through deep Prayer. God is Holy and We will be after we shed these Earthly dwellings God has placed us into. We will then be Given Glorified Bodies in which to serve with Christ for eternity!

 

This was spoken through the prophet so it had to be fulfilled.  HE did this so the people would know he was not about glamour and fame but wanted them to know His Father.

 

Jesus choose a donkey to show the world He come to earth for the peole who sin and the poor. He did come with a horse - show of rich

 

To fulfill God's prophecy. He demonstrated humility to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.

 

In order for us here on earth to receive his grace we have to humble ourselves, for by grace we are saved through faith and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8)

 

I think the purpose in Jesus' humble existence to be sure that people, all people, understand that salvation, Heaven, God, His mercy, His Grace, all of His blessings, forgiveness, all of the gifts from God belong to anyone regardless of their social standing.

 

He wanted to enter into the city as one of their own but riding on a donkey with colt, he could be identified for those that worshiped the Lord as their Heavenly Father.  They would know that all that has been preached is true and that he is indeed the Son of God.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in the same manner He lived humbly...fulfilling the scriptures, that a King would enter Jerusalem in a humble manner.

 

Jesus wants to lay a good example for His disciples.  He did that when He went forward to wash the fit of His disciples.

 

Jesus choose to ride a donkey because He is humble and also to fulfilled the scriptures

 

Jesus led a very humble and poor life while on earth. If you think about the type of entrance a king would make into a city, you would probably imagine one that encompasses a great deal of pomp & circumstance. In this depiction, the greatest king to ever walk the earth choose to ride the back of a donkey, again reinforcing the fact that he practiced what he preached.

 

As I think about this event, his mother rode a donkey into Bethlehem 30 plus years prior. I have never thought about tying these two event together prior to this point, but I'm wondering if these two events are tied together symbolizing the life of JESUS' has come full circle.

 

It was to fulfill what the prophets had spoken long about Him as their King. Yes, that prophesy had to come true. It was also to show the type of His Kingship was, as opposed to what the Jews  had expected; a warrior  to free them from the Romans.

 

"He knew that His death had been decided by the rulers. He made ready for it. In a grand public demonstration that gave final notice to the Holy City, He entered amid the hallelujahs and hosannas of the expectant crowds. The people were jubilant. They thought the hour of deliverance was at hand. Jesus rode on a colt because it was foretold that Messiah would come that way (Zechariah 9:9)."

 

To show that He comes to earth to save the poor in spirits and one doesn't need to be rich to get to heaven just be humble.

 

To show his character, humbled, patient, and slow to anger.

 

Because it was written in the scriptures. Secondly He wanted to show to the world that He did not come as a king to rule. He came to rule in the hearts of people by forgiving their sins, by doing service to the humanity and to carry out the order of the God.

 

That show us that Jesus is special. He did need rich and high roles to make Him important He show He is for the poor and for every one that believe in Him..

 

Because He is the firstborn of everything, He  chose a humble  entry to Jerusalem to be the firstborn to humbleness of which we need to be.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem riding on the donkey so as to mark the official entry of Israel's King. He showed to the people of Israel that this king is not like the king of the earth. In fact, He was very humble at heart and came to serve the people rather than be served like other Kings. Second and foremost, what the prophet said had to come true.

Jesus was doing two things: fulfilling scripture and showing that he was not the worldly military king that most of the people following him thought he was. Jesus came to serve and we should be willing to do the same!

 

Jesus did this entry as to fulfill the words of the prophet.  Jesus himself was also very humble human being and people loved him so much that they spread their clothes on the road while other cut branches and spread it on the road.

 

To display the qualities of humility and modesty. To also fulfill the gospel of his entry to Jerusalem.

 

Jesus chose to make His entry to Jerusalem in a humble manner, riding a donkey to show that even though He is King of kings, LORD of lords yet He has no pride but just like anyone else.



By: Gregorio Magdaleno
Category: The Triumphal Entry
Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

Matthew 20:29-34 

 

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

 

As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" 

 

Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

They told Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 

 

Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed Him. 

 

Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

 

Relentless Faith and Great Compassion - Matthew 20:29-34

 

Text Comment

 

v.29: This next episode plays a strategic role in the Gospel history.  For the traveler to Jerusalem, coming from the Trans-Jordan, Jericho is the last city before Jerusalem.  The capital was only some 15 miles from Jericho on a main road.  You will notice that the next paragraph in Matthew’s Gospel concerns the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Imagine the scene.  Jesus is not alone with His disciples on this road through Jericho.  It is crowded with pilgrims heading to Jerusalem for Passover.  We know from the other Gospels that popular excitement over the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah, fueled by His miracles and by His teaching, was now reaching a fever pitch. Passover was, in any case, the most patriotic time of year for the Jews.  So there is nothing surprising in the fact that a crowd of people would have attached themselves to Jesus to walk with Him toward Jerusalem. This dramatic miracle, witnessed by so many people, would only have inflamed people’s expectations the more.  News of it would have reached Jerusalem only a few hours later.  In Matthew’s account the pre-Jerusalem ministry concludes with this miracle.  We know from the other Gospels that, in fact, some days were to elapse before Palm Sunday.  But take note, it was to be the crowds’ disappointment … Jesus, His failure to meet their expectations that would secure His execution some days later. They were looking for a political deliver not a Redeemer.

 

v.30: Mark names one of these blind men:  Bartimaeus.  The fact that his name was known probably is an indication that he was known among the believers as a disciple of Jesus.  The fact that he is named only in Mark, which is, as you remember, Peter’s Gospel, may indicate that he was a personal acquaintance or friend of the Apostle Peter.

 

When the blind men call Jesus “Son of David,” they are calling Him Messiah, for that is what the title meant.  Even beggars on the street knew of the remarkable ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and were caught up in the excitement generated by the growing belief that the Messiah had appeared.  They knew of the miracles of healing that Jesus had performed and they hoped for something for themselves.

v.31: It is entirely typical that the demonstration of Jesus’ Messiah ship should have been provided in a work of compassion and kindness that the crowd thought was beneath His dignity. How little they understood of what was to come.

 

How often in the NT is true and living faith in Christ described as a conviction of Christ’s willingness and ability to help, as no one else can, that it refuses to take “no” for an answer. These are men who believed in Christ’s power to save them.

 

v.32: By stopping and attending to these blind beggars Jesus is once more overturning and repudiating the popular understanding of what the Messiah would be and would do.

 

v.33: If you were blind is this not what you would ask for? There is no account of the giving of sight to the blind in the OT, no such miracle performed by Moses or Elijah or Elisha.  Nor is there any such miracle reported in the NT as having been performed by the apostles after Pentecost.  But there are more miracles of this type, giving sight to the blind, reported among the healing miracles of the Lord than of any other type of healing miracle.  Perhaps that is because in the Old Testament, giving sight to the blind was not only something that God alone could do, but further, something that the Messiah would do!

 

“Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”  [Isa. 35:5]

 

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight…I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind and to free captives from prison…  [Isa. 42:7]

 

To open the eyes of the blind is supremely a revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Messiah. 

 

But, as we have also often noticed, the Lord’s miracles were important not only for the proof they provided of the Lord’s credentials as the Messiah, they were also pictures of the salvation that Jesus had come into the world to provide.  The dead being raised, the demon possessed being restored to sound mind, the leper cleansed, and the blind given his sight are not only astonishing works of divine power, works that no one could perform but someone who had been given power from on high, but all are ways in which the Bible describes the nature of salvation.  We are dead in sins and in Christ we are made alive.  We are slaves of the Devil but Christ sets us free.  We are impure, as the leper, but Christ makes us clean.  And we are blind, we cannot see the truth about God, about the world, about ourselves, about the way of salvation, and Christ opens our eyes to see the truth that sets men free.

 

In the case of the man born blind, whose healing John records in the 9th chapter of his Gospel, this point is made explicitly:  the granting sight to the blind in the physical sense, miracle that it was, was a picture of the giving of spiritual sight to the spiritually blind.  There Jesus said,

 

“For this I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  [v. 39]

 

The Lord was speaking to the intransigent Pharisees and telling them that no matter how good their physical vision, they were blind spiritually, and the proof was that the Son of God was standing in front of them and they couldn’t see Him for what He was, no matter the miracles, no matter the truth that was on His lips, no matter the perfect goodness of His life.  He said that if they thought they were seeing, as they did, they would remain blind.

 

Think of, John Rug, the missionary to Chile, who also was born blind, was born blind in both senses, but later as a young man was given sight by the Lord Jesus Christ.  For some years yet he will not be able to see in the physical sense, but he has for many years been able to see in the more important sense.  Indeed, those who know John will say of him that he has very acute vision when it comes to seeing the truth and the light that is in Jesus Christ.  And, in the same way, we know many people who have very good eyesight, but who are blind as bats when it comes to seeing what is truly and eternally important.

 

This point is made here also in Matthew.  We have noticed the last two words of our text:  these two men whom Jesus had healed of their blindness followed Him.  Those are potent words in Matthew.  These men became Christ’s followers right then and there.  We might have expected them to go to the city and seek out their relatives and see their homes for the first time, but they followed Jesus.  They became followers of Jesus and, in so doing, they proved that they saw more clearly who Jesus was and what He had come into the world to do than did the multitudes on the road that day who had never been blind but who couldn’t see the truth when it was standing before them and being demonstrated in the most spectacular ways.  They followed Jesus.  They knew that their lives must from this point on be bound up with Him.  They knew that physical sight was, by no means, the only thing; it was not even the most important thing they would receive from Him.

 

In this marvelous event, we have the entire message of the gospel summed up.  Christ Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah sent into the world to bring salvation to human beings who all are in desperate need of salvation and who cannot save themselves.  What all men are summoned to do is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ and He alone has eternal life in His hands, He and He alone brings the truth which sets men and women free, and then to seek that life and that truth from hand and set out to living according to it.  There are many human beings who would rather starve than come to any feast that is set by the Son of God, who would rather remain in darkness if the price of seeing the light is to confess that one is as needy and has been as bad as Christ says.  But, there are those who, by God’s grace, see themselves blind and hungry and sick and see Christ offering sight, a feast, and eternal health, and they take it from their hands and the rest of their lives they are found telling others, “I was blind, but now I see.”

 

Imagine what it must have been for those men as they stood up able to see for the first time, no doubt able to see with perfectly sharp vision. Imagine what it must have been for them to see everything for the first time, see what everything looked like that they had only had described to them before; saw colors, saw faces, saw the city of Jericho, saw their parents, their siblings, and their homes.  All that day long and for some days after, they would have closed their eyes to imagine themselves back in their blindness and then open them to exult in their being able at last to see?  Perhaps they fellows wore people out over the next weeks talking endlessly about how everything appeared to them that they had never been able to see before.  How different the appearance of things must have to what they had imagined during the years, never having been able to see, never known what anything looked like!  There were two happy men!

 

It is not hard to see how similar it must be for a man who has been spiritually blind, but, through faith in Christ, now sees things as they truly are with the clearest vision, whose eyes the Lord Christ has opened by His Holy Spirit.  How many Christians, through the ages, have thought of their salvation in just these terms:  “I was blind, but now I see.”

 

Thomas Halliburton, one of the great figures of Scottish Christianity in the 18th century, in his magnificent autobiography, describes his coming to faith in Christ as a young man in just this way.  Indeed, here is the way he begins his account:

 

“I cannot be very positive about the day or hour of this deliverance, nor can I satisfy many other questions about the way and manner of it.  But this is of no consequence, if the work is in substance sound, for ‘the wind bloweth where it listeth; and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” (John iii. 8)  Many things about the way and manner we may be ignorant of, while we are sufficiently sure of the effects.  As to these things, I must say with the blind man, ‘I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

 

Through the reading of the Word of God and praying for light, the Lord came to him and opened his eyes near the end of January in 1698.  And that is how he puts it and how he thought about his conversion.  It was an opening of his blind eyes.  Indeed words like “see” and “sight” are found all through the account.  And true Puritan that he was, he proceeded to describe in nine particulars.  He says it was 1) a heavenly light, it shone above me, it opened heaven to me, and led me up, as it were, to heaven; 2) a true light, exposing the falsehoods about himself and the world and God that he had so long entertained; 3) a pleasant light; 4) a distinct and clear light; 5) a satisfying light; 6) a refreshing and healing light, it warmed him and his life; 7) a great light; 8) a powerful light, dissipating the thick darkness that had overspread his mind; and 9) a composing light; not like lightning that appears in a moment and disappears leaving terror behind, but composed and quieted his soul that had been troubled about so many things.  Then he concludes, “…I know that no words can express the notion that the weakest Christian, who has his eyes opened, really has of [the glory of this light.]  …  No words can convey a true notion of light to the blind; and he that has eyes…will need no words to describe it.”  [Memoirs, 99-104]

 

Perhaps the blind men to whom the Lord gave sight would have described their experience in very similar terms?  And, finally, they exulted far more in the spiritual sight that they had been given, the knowledge of Christ and salvation, than the sight of his eyes. More than once in the remaining years of those men’s lives they assuredly told people that they would rather have remained blind all their days if in their physical blindness they had been given to see Christ and the way to heaven than to be given their eyesight but never the sight of Christ or heaven.

 

Is it not extraordinary that we in our modern world, so different in many ways from the world of Jericho in the first century, should understand immediately what happened to those two men, should find their experience immediately relevant to our own.  How little the world has really changed, because the human heart has not changed.  How perfectly the Bible describes the universal experience of man in sin and man in salvation!

 

Let’s hope we are all touched by the wonder of this miracle and the glorious effect it had upon these two men.  That we see afresh and anew the wonder of God’s graces that has given us sight when otherwise we would have remained blind.  The world is full of blind people with 20/20 eyesight.  They walk through this world utterly oblivious to the spiritual world all around them, to God their Creator, to the looming Day of Judgment, to heaven or hell that awaits every person at the end.  How wonderful when a man or a woman is given to see!  To see God and Christ and the way that leads to the world of everlasting joy!  We’ve seen people get their sight and there is nothing more wonderful in the entire world!

 

But there is something more here that deserves our careful attention.  Matthew makes a point of saying that Jesus healed these blind men because He had compassion on them.  This great deliverance, the physical one and the far greater eternal and spiritual one that it symbolized, came to these two benighted men living in darkness because Jesus had compassion on them.

 

This is not the only place in the Gospel where a great healing was performed because Jesus had compassion on the sufferer.  In 9:36 we are told that Christ’s preaching of the good news to the crowds was motivated by His compassion for them in their lostness.  In 14:14 we read that Christ healed the sick that were brought to Him in large numbers because He had compassion on them.  In 15:32 we read that He provided food for the 4000 because He had compassion on that Gentile company.

 

The word that is translated “had compassion on” in the NIV is connected with the noun for the entrails, the viscera, the inner organs which, in that culture were regarded as the seat of the emotions.  One scholar of the language of the New Testament writes that, in distinction from the word “heart,” this is “a more blunt, forceful and unequivocal term.”  It is interesting, by the way, that Greeks thought of strong emotion ordinarily in terms of anger; Christians, on the other hand, thought of compassion.  This word, “has compassion” is always connected with Jesus in the New Testament.  What we have here is not mere human pity, but divine compassion for troubled people filling a human heart.  We have the heart of the Son of God going out to those in great need. We have here not only the record of one of the breathtaking miracles that Jesus performed but a picture of salvation coming to lost men, then this compassion is part of that beautiful picture.

 

How does the life-giving power of God in Christ come to men and women in our day?

 

“We are fooling ourselves if we [think] that we can ever make the authentic gospel popular … It’s too simple in an age of rationalism; too narrow in an age of pluralism; too humiliating in an age of self-confidence; too demanding in an age of permissiveness….  What are we going to share with our friends? [Dudley Smith, John Stott, ii, 267]

 

We can share the light, the sight that Christ gave to these blind men with the blind men around us.  We cannot give physical sight to the blind, but we can shed the light on the spiritual blindness of those around us.  But what will make them pay attention to us and receive our words?  If we speak for the same reason that Jesus did so.  Love breaks into blindness like nothing else.  Love can make a self-confident man realize his terrible need, a man who thinks he sees suddenly realize that he has lived his whole life in darkness. 

 

The world around us is full of the blind. They are not crying out on purpose, in many cases, as these blind men did near Jericho, but their circumstances are evidence of their darkness.  Their condition is obvious enough to us.  We can see that they cannot see.  We can often see the misery that must be endured by the blind.  Surely, we who have received Christ’s love should have compassion for those who are as we were and who must remain so unless someone should bring the light to them.  Does the love of Christ constrain us?

 

How shall we become compassionate as He was?  How shall we have the power to cut through the darkness in which so many live? 

 

Nothing is more likely to make it a power in our lives, this compassion for others, than simply to stare long and hard at those two happy men who got up from the side of the road where they had spent so many long, miserable days, got up to follow Jesus, every now and then kicking up their heels unable to believe that they could really see!  And not only see, but live and live forever.  Surely any Christian must want to see many others as happy as that!

Matthew 20:29-34Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

Matthew 20:29-34

Mark 10:46-52

Luke 18:35-43

29. And while they were departing from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30. And, lo, two blind men sitting near the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried aloud, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31. And the multitude rebuked them, that they might be silent; but they cried out the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32. And Jesus stood, and called them, and said, What do you wish that I should do to you? 33. They say to Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

46. And they come to Jericho: and while they was departing from the city Jericho, and His disciples, and a great multitude, Bartimeus, son of Timeus, a blind man, was sitting hear the road begging. 47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry aloud, and to say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 48. And many rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. 49. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him, Be of good courage, rise; he calleth thee.50. And he, throwing away his mantle, arose, and came to Jesus. 51. And Jesus answering, saith to him, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to Him, Master, 668668     “Rabboni;” — “Maistre.” that I may receive sight. 52 And Jesus said to him, Go away; thy faith hath cured thee. And immediately he received sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

 

35. And it happened that, while He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting near the road begging: 36. And when he heard a multitude passing by, he asked what it was. 37. And they said to him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38. And he cried out, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 39. And they that were going before rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.40. And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to him: and while He was approaching, He asked him, 41. Saying, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive sight. 42. Then Jesus said to him, Receive sight: thy faith hath cred thee. 43. And immediately he received sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God.

 

Matthew 20:29And while they were departing from Jericho. Osiander has resolved to display his ingenuity by making four blind men out of one. But nothing can be more frivolous than this supposition. Having observed that the Evangelists differ in a few expressions, he imagined that one blind man received sight when they were entering into the city, and that the second, and other two, received sight when Christ was departing from it. But all the circumstances agree so completely, that no person of sound judgment will believe them to be different narratives. Not to mention other matters, when Christ’s followers had endeavored to put the first to silence, and saw him cured contrary to their expectation, would they immediately have made the same attempt with the other three? But it is unnecessary to go into particulars, from which any man may easily infer that it is one and the same event which is related.

But there is a puzzling contradiction in this respect, that Matthew and Mark say that the miracle was performed on one or on two blind men, when Christ had already departed from the city; while Luke relates that it was done before He came to the city. Besides, Mark and Luke speak of not more than one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. But as we know that it frequently occurs in the Evangelists, that in the same narrative one passes by what is mentioned by the others, and, on the other hand, states more clearly what they have omitted, it ought not to be looked upon as strange or unusual in the present passage.

The conjecture is, that, while Christ was approaching to the city, the blind man cried out, but that, as he was not heard on account of the noise, he placed himself in the way, as they were departing from the city, “Mais pource qu’il ne peut estre ouy a cause du bruit du peuple, qu’il s’en alla, l’autre porte de la ville par laquelle Christ devoit sortir, pour l’attendre la au chemin;” “but, because he could not be heard on account of the noise of the people, that he went away to the other gate by which Christ was to go out, to wait for Him there on the road.” and then was at length called by Christ. And so Luke, commencing with what was true, does not follow out the whole narrative, but passes over Christ’s stay in the city; while the other Evangelists attend only to the time which was nearer to the miracle. There is probability in the conjecture that, as Christ frequently, when He wished to try the faith of men, delayed for a short time to relieve them, so He subjected this blind man to the same scrutiny.

The second difficulty may be speedily removed; for we have seen, on a former occasion, that Mark and Luke speak of one demoniac as having been cured, while Matthew, as in the present instance, mentions two, (Matthew 8:28Mark 5:2Luke 8:27) And yet this involves no contradiction between them; but it may rather be conjectured with probability, that at first one blind man implored the favor of Christ, and that another was excited by his example, and that in this way two persons received sight Mark and Luke speak of one only, either because he was better known, or because in him the demonstration of been on account of his having been extensively known that he was selected by Mark, who gives both his own name and that of his father: Bartimeus, son of Timeus By doing so, he does not claim for him either illustrious descent or wealth; for he was a beggar of the lowest class. Hence it appears that the miracle was more remarkable in his person, because his calamity had been generally known. This appears to be the reason why Mark and Luke mention him only, and say nothing about the other, who was a sort of inferior appendage. But Matthew, who was an eye-witness, “Qui avoit este present au miracle;” “who had been present at the miracle.” did not choose to pass by even this person, though less known.

30. Have mercy on me, O Lord. There was at first but one who cried out, but the other was induced by a similar necessity to join him. They confer on Christ no ordinary honor, when they request Him to have mercy, and relieve them; for they must have been convinced that He had in his power the assistance or remedy which they needed. But their faith is still more clearly exhibited by their acknowledgment of Him as Messiah, to whom we know that the Jews gave this designation, Son of David They therefore apply to Christ, not only as some Prophet, but as that person whom God had promised to be the only Author of salvation. The cry proved the ardor of the desire; for, though they knew that what they said exposed them to the hatred of many, who were highly displeased with the honor done to Christ, their fear was overcome by the ardor of desire, so that they did not refrain, on this account, from raising their voice aloud.

31. And the multitude reproved them. It is surprising that the disciples of Christ, who follow Him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the exercise of His power. But it frequently happens that the greater part of those who profess the name of Christ, instead of inviting us to Him, rather hinder or delay our approach. If Satan endeavored to throw obstacles in the way of two blind men, by means of pious and simple persons, who were induced by some sentiments of religion to follow Christ, how much more will he succeed in accomplishing it by means of hypocrites and traitors, if we be not strictly on our guard. Perseverance is therefore necessary to overcome every difficulty, and the more numerous the obstacles are which Satan throws in the way, the more powerfully ought we to be excited to earnestness in prayer, as we see that the blind men redoubled their cry

32. What do you wish that I should do to you? He gently and kindly asks what they desire; for He had determined to grant their requests. There is no reason to doubt that they prayed by a special movement of the Holy Spirit; for, as the Lord does not intend to grant to all persons deliverance from bodily diseases, so neither does He permit them simply to pray for it. A rule has been prescribed for us what we ought to ask, and in what manner, and to what extent; and we are not at liberty to depart from that rule, unless the Lord, by a secret movement of the Spirit, suggest to us some special prayer, which rarely happens. Christ puts the question to them, not for their sake as individuals, but for the sake of all the people; for we know how the world swallows God’s benefits without perceiving them, unless they are stimulated and aroused. Christ, therefore, by His voice, awakens the assembled crowd to observe the miracle, as He awakens them shortly afterwards by a visible sign, when He opens their eyes by touching them.

34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, etcΣπλαγχνισθείς, moved with compassion, is not the participle of the same verb which Matthew had just now employed in reference to the blind man, ἐλέησον,have mercy Quand ils disoyent, Fils de David, aye misericorde de nous;” “when they said, Son of David, have mercy on us.” They implored the mercy of Christ, that He might relieve their wretchedness; but now the Evangelist expresses that Christ was induced to cure them, not only by undeserved goodness, but because He pitied their distress. For the metaphor is taken from thebowels, (σπλάγχνα,) in which dwells that kindness and mutual compassion which prompts us to assist our neighbors.

Mark 10:52Thy faith hath saved thee By the word faith is meant not only a confident hope of recovering sight, but a loftier conviction, which was, that this blind man had acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah whom God had promised. Nor must we imagine that it was only some confused knowledge; for we have already seen that this confession was taken from the Law and the Prophets. For the blind man did not at random bestow on Christ the name of Son of David, but embraced Him as that person whose coming he had been taught by the divine predictions to expect. Now Christ attributes it to faith that the blind man received sight; for, though the power and grace of God sometimes extend even to unbelievers, yet no man enjoys His benefits in a right and profitable manner, unless he receive them by faith; nay, the use of the gifts of God is so far from being advantageous to unbelievers, that it is even hurtful. And therefore, when Christ says, thy faith hath saved thee, the word saved is not limited to an outward cure, but includes also the health and safety of the soul; as if Christ had said, that by faith the blind man obtained that God was gracious to him, and granted his wish. And if it was in regard to faith that God bestowed his favor on the blind man, it follows that he was justified by faith

Matthew 20:34And followed Him. This was an expression of gratitude, “Ceci a este un signe de reconnaissance du bien receu de Christ;” “this was an expression of gratitude for the favor received from Christ.” when the blind men became followers of Christ; for, though it is uncertain how long they discharged this duty, yet it showed a grateful mind, that they presented themselves to many, in that journey, as mirrors of the grace of Christ. Luke adds, that the people gave praise to God, which tends to prove the certainty of the miracle.

New International Version: As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind.

English Standard Version: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

New American Standard Bible : As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

King James Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

International Standard Version: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

NET Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And when Yeshua went out from Jericho, a great crowd was coming after Him.

 

GOD'S WORD® Translation: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

Jubilee Bible 2000: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

King James 2000 Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

American King James Version: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

 

American Standard Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

 

Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 

Darby Bible Translation: And as they went out from Jericho a great crowd followed Him.

English Revised Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

Webster's Bible Translation: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

 

Weymouth New Testament: As they were leaving Jericho, an immense crowd following Him,

World English Bible: As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

 

Young's Literal Translation: And they going forth from Jericho, there followed Him a great multitude,

 

Parallel Commentaries Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

 

20:29-34 It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Pulpit Commentary:

 

Verses 29-34. - Healing of two blind men at Jericho. (Mark 10:46-52Luke 18:35-43.) The miracle narrated in this passage is common to the three synopsis’s, but with some remarkable differences, not one of them agreeing altogether in details. St. Matthew speaks of two blind men, St. Luke and St. Mark of one only, and the latter mentions this one by name as Bartimaeus. St. Matthew and St. Mark make the miracle performed as Jesus quitted Jericho; St. Luke assigns it to the approach to the city. Thus the number of the cured and the locality of the miracle are alike variously stated. It is an easy solution to say, with St. Augustine, Lightfoot, and Greswell, that two, or perhaps three, distinct facts are here related; and it is not absolutely impossible. though altogether improbable, that in the same locality, under identical circumstances, like sufferers made the same request, and received the same relief in the same manner. But we are not driven to this extravagant hypothesis; and the unity of the narrative can be preserved without doing violence to the language of the writers. As to the number of the blind men, we have seen the same discrepancy in the case of the demoniacs at Gadara solved by supposing that one of the two was the more remarkable and better known than the other. Hence, in this incident, the tradition followed by some of the synopsis’s preserved the memory of this one alone, who may have become known in the Christian community as a devoted follower of Jesus, the other passing into obscurity and being heard of no more. Another hypothesis is that a single blind man first addressed Christ as He entered Jericho, but was not cured at that time. Jesus passed that night in the city at the house of Zacchreus (Luke 19:1-10); and on the morrow, when leaving Jericho, was again entreated by the blind man, who meantime had been joined by a companion, and healed them both. There are other solutions offered, e.g., that there were two Jericho’s, an old and a new town, and that one blind man was healed as they entered one city, and the other as they left the other; or that the term rendered "was come nigh" (Luke 18:35) might mean "was nigh," and might therefore apply to one who was leaving as well as to one entering the city.

 

But we weary ourselves in vain in seeking to harmonize every little detail in the Gospel narratives. No two, much less three, independent witnesses would give an identical account of an incident, especially one which reached some of them only by hearsay. Inspiration extends not to petty circumstances, and the credibility of the gospel depends not on the rectification of such minutiae.

 

Verse 29. - Jericho. The Lord was on His way to Jerusalem to meet the death which He was willing to undergo, and to win the victory which He was by this path to accomplish. His route lay through Jericho, as the march of His forerunner Joshua had led. Joshua had set forth to conquer the Promised Land; Jesus sets forth to win His promised inheritance by the sword of the Spirit. "The upland pastures of Peraea were now behind them, "and the road led down to the sunken channel of the Jordan, and the 'divine district' of Jericho. This small but rich plain was the most luxuriant spot in Palestine. Sloping gently upwards from the level of the Dead Sea, 1350 feet under the Mediterranean, to the stern background of the hills of Quarantana, it had the climate of Lower Egypt, and displayed the vegetation of the tropics. Its fig trees were pre-eminently famous; it was unique in its growth of palms of various kinds: its crops of dates were a proverb; the balsam plant, which grew principally here, furnished a costly perfume, and was in great repute for healing wounds; maize yielded a double harvest; wheat ripened a whole month earlier than in Galilee, and innumerable bees found a paradise in the many aromatic flowers and plants, not a few unknown elsewhere, which filled the air with odours and the landscape with beauty. Rising like an amphitheatre from amidst this luxuriant scene, lay Jericho, the chief place east of Jerusalem, at seven or eight miles distant from the Jordan, on swelling slopes, seven hundred feet above the bed of the river, from which its gardens and groves, thickly interspersed with mansions, and covering seventy furlongs from north to south, and twenty from east to west, were divided by a strip of wilderness.

 

The town had had an eventful history. Once the stronghold of the Canaanites, it was still, in the days of Christ, surrounded by towers and castles. A great stone aqueduct of eleven arches brought a copious supply of water to the city, and the Roman military road ran through it. The houses themselves, however, though showy, were not substantial, but were built mostly of sun-dried bricks, like those of Egypt; so that now, as in the similar case of Babylon, Nineveh, or Egypt, after long desolation, hardly a trace of them remains." A great multitude. A vast crowd of pilgrims, bound for Jerusalem to keep the Passover, accompanied Jesus and His disciples. The number of people that this great festival attracted to the central place of worship seems to us incredibly large. Josephus ('Bell. Jud.,' 6:09. 3) reckons them at three millions. Doubtless our Lord was followed by many of those whom He had benefited, and others whom He had won by His teaching; and these, at any rate, would witness the ensuing miracle. 

 

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

 

And as they departed from Jericho ... Which, was distant about ten parsas, or miles, from Jerusalem (i), through which Christ just passed, and had met with Zacchaeus, and called him, and delivered the parable concerning a nobleman's going into a far country. The Syriac and Persic versions render the words, "when Jesus departed from Jericho"; and the Arabic, "when He went out of Jericho"; not alone, but "with His disciples", as Mark says; and not with them only, for a great multitude followed Him out of the city; either to hear Him, or be healed by Him, or to see Him, or behold His miracles, or to accompany Him to Jerusalem; whither He was going to keep the feast of the Passover, and where they might be in some expectation He would set up His kingdom. The Ethiopic version reads it, "As they went out from Jerusalem", contrary to all copies and versions. 

 

Matthew 20:29-20:34 What Would You Have Me Do For You?  

 

It would appear that Jesus never asked this question of anyone else in the Gospels. Didn’t He know what these blind men needed?

 

He was seeking help, but in the process of seeking that help he got distracted. The light was on and it drew him away from the place where he might actually get help.

In Matthew 20, Jesus is entering the final week of His ministry. He’s on His way to Jerusalem and will soon be betrayed, arrested, and crucified… the crowds will clamor for His blood and cry "Crucify Him!" "Crucify Him!"

 

But as of now, the crowds still love Him. They line the streets and clamor for His attention. They’ve come to believe that this Jesus is: The hope of Israel. The Messiah. The Son of David. The promised King of Israel

 

Everyone is speculating that He will soon claim His crown, throw off the yoke of the hated Romans and restore Israel to its former glory. But amongst the crowd are 2 blind men. 
Everybody knows them. They’re always sitting by the roadside begging for alms. They cry out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 20:30) And the crowd is irritated. This isn’t what they think Jesus is “all about”. Jesus is too important to be bothered by rabble like this.

 

But Jesus stops and asks these blind men “What do want me to do for you?”

Now this is an unusual question for two reasons: 1st This is the only time in the Gospels we find Jesus asking anyone what they need done. 2nd You would think it would be obvious what these men needed. They’re blind. Even if Jesus couldn’t have looked into their eyes and seen the cloudiness that is often there in the eyes of the blind, or watched them as they grope about in the ways blind men do…

 

This is Jesus. He doesn’t need anyone to tell Him what these men were blind. He’s God…  He knows these things. So why ask the question?

 

Well, it seems obvious to me that He didn’t ask the question for His own benefit (as if He didn’t know what they needed in their lives). Jesus asked the question for the benefit of the others who were there that day.

 

1st. Jesus asked this question for the benefit of the crowds. This crowd is obviously not into helping blind people. Blind people were a nuisance. They were a hindrance. They were a distraction to what Jesus’ real purpose ought to be.

 

And would that “real purpose” be? Meeting their needs, building their kingdom.

 

When it becomes obvious, a few days later, that this wasn’t what Jesus had in mind the crowds turned their backs on Him and cry out for His blood. And so it was intriguing that Jesus didn’t ask the crowds what He could do for them. He asked the blind men.

There are times when the Church forgets why it exists. There are times when Christians forget what Jesus saved them for. They begin to think church is all about them. They think their relationship with Jesus is totally focused on their needs and their agenda. They

 

"Matthew 20:29-34 says Jesus healed two blind men as He left Jericho. Mark 10:46-52 and Luke 18:35-43 say He healed one man as He entered Jericho. Is this a contradiction?"

 

In spite of apparent discrepancies, these three passages do refer to the same incident. The Matthew account cites two men healed as Jesus left Jericho. Mark and Luke refer to only one blind man healed, but Luke says it happened as Jesus was entering Jericho while Mark records it happening as He left Jericho. There are legitimate explanations for the apparent discrepancies. Let’s look at them rather than deciding this is a contradiction and the Bible is in error.

 

That this is the same incident is seen in the similarity of the accounts, beginning with the two beggars sitting on the roadside. They call out to Jesus, referring to Him as “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:38), and in all three accounts, they are rebuked by those nearby and told to be quiet but continue to shout out to Jesus (Matthew 20:31; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:39). The three accounts describe nearly identical conversations between Jesus and the beggars and the conclusions of the stories are also identical. The beggars receive their sight immediately and follow Jesus.

 

Only Mark and Luke chose to identify one of the beggars as Bartimeus, perhaps because he was the main character in the story and was therefore the sole focus of Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. Perhaps it was because Bartimeus was known to them as the son of Timeus, but the other man was a stranger to them. In any case, the fact that only one man of the two is recorded as speaking does not mean there was only one man. It simply means Mark and Luke identified only one man speaking, Bartimeus. Matthew refers to both of them calling out to Jesus, clearly indicating there were two men.

 

The other issue in question is whether Jesus was entering Jericho or leaving it. Bible commentators cite the fact that at that time there were two Jericho’s, one the mound of the ancient city (still existing today) and the other the inhabited city of Jericho. Therefore, Jesus could have healed the two men as He was leaving the ancient city of Jericho and entering the new city of Jericho.

 

In any case, to focus on these minor details to the exclusion of all else is to miss the point of the story, Jesus healed the blind men, proving that He was indeed the Son of God with powers beyond anything a mortal man could have. Unlike the Pharisees who refused to see what was before their eyes, our response to Jesus should be the same as that of the blind men, call on Him to give us eyes to see spiritual truth, recognize Him for who He is, and follow Him.

 

Transcripts

 

The exposition of the word of God is the exposition of Matthew chapter 20 verses 29 through verse 34, but is also built upon the parallel account in Mark chapter 10.  So let’s turn first to Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34, and then we’ll turn to the Markan passage in chapter 10 of that Gospel.  Remember the context.  The Lord Jesus is now on His way to the city of Jerusalem where He will offer Himself as a sacrifice for sinners.  Matthew writes in verse 29 of chapter 20 and Mark chapter 10 and verse 46.  Luke in his account comments that he followed the Lord Jesus glorifying God, and that the people gave praise to God as a result of what had happened.  May the Lord bless this reading of His word.

 

We may have overlooked the fact in our study of the New Testament that the name of our Lord Jesus, Jesus is the same as the name for Joshua in the Old Testament.  The word Iesous in the Greek of the New Testament is the equivalent of Y’hoshua or Joshua, in the Old Testament.  So what we have in this account that we are looking at is an appearance of the second Joshua before Jericho, and so the title this morning for the message is “The Second Joshua Working Miracles at Jericho Again.”

 

The biblical critics have had a happy time studying this passage of Scripture which has to do with the healing of the blind men, as our Lord was at Jericho on His last visit to the city of Jerusalem while in the flesh.  And it contains problems that lend some credence to their view that the Bible is after all only an ordinary book.  Confidently, they intone in details and many important points, the gospels do not agree.

           

Then they go on to say, somewhat condescendingly, that the differences in these accounts do not really make a whole lot of difference, except insofar as they give instruction to those who believe that the Bible is true in all of its statements.  So they tell us that these differences in the accounts don’t mean anything, but they at least should instruct those simple-minded people, they mean us, who think that the words of holy Scripture are inerrant.  What are the difficulties which give the detractors of the Bible such relish in these accounts of the healing of the blind men?

           

There are two particularly.  In the first place, Matthew speaks of two men who are healed, while Mark and Luke speak only of one.  Now of course we should notice immediately if we have any facility for thinking logically, that when Matthew says that there are two, and Mark and Luke speak only of one, Mark and Luke do not say that there was only one blind man.  Now that is very important.  All that Luke and Mark say is that the Lord healed a blind man.  Mark gives his name as Bartimaeus.  They do not say He healed only one man.  So there is really no contradiction between the accounts in that respect.

 

But there is something else that is of probably of greater difficulty.  Mark and Matthew place the healing after the Lord Jesus leaves Jericho, while Luke appears to place the healing before the Lord Jesus enters Jericho.

 

Now that might be a serious problem for those who believe that the Bible is inerrant in the statements that it makes.  We must of course remember that so far as the Scriptures are concerned, we do not have all of the details surrounding the incidents of the Bible, and so we have to think in our own minds of situations in which the words of Scripture may find their significance and relevance.  But there have been a number of suggestions by individuals in attempts to harmonize this fact that Mark and Matthew place the healing after Jericho whereas Luke suggests that the healing occurred before the Lord entered Jericho.

           

One Bible teacher, who has been a very prominent Bible teacher, has taught that really we have two different healings.  Now of course we have already had the healing of two blind men in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 9 and since it was the Messianic office of the Lord Jesus to heal blind men, it’s certainly true that He did heal many blind men through the three years or so of His ministry.  And so it has been suggested that what we have in Luke is one account whereas what we have in Mark and Matthew is another account, and if that is so that would of course solve all of our difficulties.

 

Still others have said, for example Professor A. T. Robertson, the well known New Testament professor, that there were really two Jericho’s.  That is, an old or ancient city and a new modern Jericho, which was new and modern in our Lord’s day.  We know that this is generally true, and it is Professor Robertson’s contention that in one of the accounts, the author looks at it from the standpoint of the old city of Jericho and thus the healing was as He came out of the city of Jericho, and as He was to enter the new Jericho, and the other account is written from that standpoint.  So if there were two Jericho’s it would be very easy to harmonize these accounts.  The healing took place between the leaving of one and the entering of another.

           

Another ancient commentator, the Pietist commentator Albrecht Bengel, whose writings have been read by countless thousands of students of the Scripture, not only in the original Latin in the which he wrote them, but in other translations of them.  Bengel has made the suggestion that what happened really was that the blind men met the Lord Jesus as he was entering Jericho, and since Jericho was a relatively small city, they followed the great crowd seeking to get to Him as He made His way through Jericho, and then finally came into touch with Him as they were leaving the city and thus both of the accounts could be true:  one written from the standpoint of the entrance and the other written from the standpoint of the exit where the healing really took place.

           

There are some modern interpretations, too.  One of the modern interpreters has suggested that really what happened was something like this:  the two blind men were seated right near the outskirts of the city, but when they heard the crowd which preceded the Lord Jesus, and they heard word that Jesus was coming, they began to shout, and so they began to shout as the Lord Jesus entered the city, and Luke writes his account from that standpoint.  But finally as He came to leave the city, they came into contact with Him and were healed as He left the city.

           

Still another has suggested this explanation.  He has said that it’s shortly after this that the Lord Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the in the tree, and He calls down Zacchaeus, and remember, says that He was going to lodge with him that night.  Now since Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, and since he wanted to see the Lord Jesus, he had raced outside the city so he could catch a good view of Him and when the Lord Jesus saw him with the multitude looking at the little man up in the tree, He called out to Zacchaeus as He came out of the city and said Zacchaeus come down I must lodge with you tonight.  And the incident involving Zacchaeus took place, and then He went back into the city and spent the night with Zacchaeus.  And so one of the accounts is written from the standpoint of the leaving of the city whereas the other is written from the standpoint of our Lord entering back into the city, and as He entered, He met the blind men and healed them.

           

So there are a number of suggestions that have been offered.  The Gospels do not really give us anything necessarily contradictory.  We just don’t know the details.  One of the interesting things that we shall be engaged in at least for a little while when we get to heaven is the harmonization of many things with which we do not have enough information to harmonize ourselves.  So, there is not any serious problem in this at all.  It’s interesting.  We don’t know how it happened, and we’ll be looking forward to finding out how when we get there.  But when we get there these will be rather insignificant things.  And we’ll probably say, why did we waist eight or nine minutes talking about that? [Laughter]

           

There is a two-fold significance in this event that is more important, and the first thing is what we can call, for the sake of a better word, a dispensational significance.  Remember the Lord Jesus is coming to Jerusalem as the King of Israel.  When He enters, shortly in the next message we shall consider his untriumphal entry, He will come and the people shall shout out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  And, since it was one of the duties of the Messianic king to heal the eyes of the blind, specifically, that it’s very appropriate that as He makes His plans for entering the city of Jerusalem, He should heal again some blind men making or bringing to the forefront again the fact that He is the Messianic king who performs the miracles that He is supposed to perform according to Old Testament prophesy.  That’s one of the important things.

           

But there is another thing that is even more important, and that is the reference that this particular incident has to the spiritual life of men and women.  It is again a beautiful illustration of the Lord’s power to illuminate the spiritually blind.  The word of God tells us the Apostle Paul, particularly, that the natural man, that is the man who does not have any relationship to the Lord Jesus that is vital and life-giving, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.

           

In other words, the Apostle Paul says that the natural man cannot understand spiritual truth.  There must be a previous working of the Holy Spirit by which their minds are illuminated to understand divine truth.  Paul puts it in other ways.  He says that we are dead in trespasses and sin.  Some who do not have a vital saving relationship with Jesus Christ, and we rather wonder why it is that we are here.  Perhaps some friend has brought you.  Or perhaps out of what you thought was mere curiosity, and we wonder why it is that people come to hear an exposition of an ancient book written hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  We read it and we do not get anything out of it.  We find it, in the words of the Apostle Paul, foolishness.  We are actually fulfilling the words of Scripture in the fact that we do not understand it and rather think that it is stupid, that’s the meaning of Paul’s term really. Stupid.

 

Now the Bible tells us that those who do not have eternal life are spiritually blind. Over and over again, the apostle mentions that.  He says that we are blind in our hearts.  We are alienated from God and do not have the life of God within us.  And this incident is designed to illustrate the fact that it is the Lord Jesus who works in the hearts of blind men.  Men who are spiritually blind.

           

There are people who sit in an audience who do not understand anything more about spiritual things.  We are here and that’s all, and we wonder why. That’s true, because we attend church and many of us do not understand what in the world was going on.  We are blind as a bat spiritually.  Now God the Holy Spirit must work in the hearts of men for spiritual illumination to come, and this incident this miracle in the life of our Lord is another illustration of His power.  Let’s turn to it now, and first of all, let´s say a word about the historical situation against the background of which the Lord Jesus ministers.

           

We are in the part of Matthew in which we are going to have a great deal of stress upon the ministry of the Lord in the last days studying these last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew again, because the most fruitful parts of biblical study are the passages in the gospels that have to do with the passion of the Lord Jesus.  And we are fast approaching that part of the Gospel of Matthew in which the Lord Jesus in the last days of His life ministers there, preparatory to giving His life a ransom for many.

           

Now as He made His way down to Jerusalem on the last of His journeys to that city in the flesh, He was making His way with the apostles, and also with a company of friends.  Mark tells us in the 32nd verse of the 10th chapter, “And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them.”  And you can picture the little crowd the apostles gathered close to the Lord Jesus and then their friends and relatives who were a little back, and the Lord Jesus suddenly began to lengthen His steps, as He made His way toward Jerusalem.  Luke describes His countenance as an appearance as if He were going to Jerusalem.  And so as He lengthened His step and marched out with increasing speed before them the apostles noticed that that was not His customary action in their travels, and so the Scriptures say that they were amazed, they were astonished.

           

And then looking at the people who were following Mark continues and says, “As they followed they were afraid.”  So there was something about the occasion in which our Lord had this different look upon His face moved out in front of the company, there was something about it that caused the rest of the group that were with them to come under the influence of this sense of the luminous, and awe stricken they observed the Lord Jesus as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

           

Bengel, that same German commentator, asks the question, what was He doing?, and then answers it by saying that He was dwelling in His passion.  He was thinking about what now was immediately before Him when He would finally go to that cross and cry out, “It is finished” after having said “My God my God why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  That is really a kind of theme verse of these final chapters of the gospel records.

           

So the Lord Jesus, having crossed the Jordan now comes to the little city of Jericho, and remembers His name was Joshua.  So a greater Joshua stands at Jericho with His word drawn to storm the stronghold of the Prince of Darkness, and He will win the battle by dying upon a Roman gibbet.  And this incident of the blind man is a kind of earnest of the victory the Lord Jesus will obtain when He shed his blood.

           

Well as He draws near to Jericho, a great multitude is following Him.  They are friends of His.  No doubt many relatives of His too.  They draw near to the city of Jericho and behold Matthew says in the 30th verse, two blind men sitting by the way side.  It’s not surprising that our Lord’s miracles include the healing of blind men because that was the Messianic work:  to open the eyes of the blind.  Isaiah says that when the Messiah comes He will do that.  He says that in chapter 29, about verse 17 or 18 of that chapter.  He also says that in chapter 35 and verse 5.  So this was a specific Messianic miracle.

           

So it’s not surprising then that in His miracles there should be the healing of many blind men.  And furthermore, it’s not surprising that there should be two of them.  It’s pathetic when you think about it, of course, but it was natural, because two blind men would naturally be anxious for sympathy and encouragement and help, and it is true that equal sorrows cause men to creep close for warmth and companionship.  We know that when we have other afflictions.  Those that have similar afflictions do tend to come together because they can mutually help one another.

           

Blindness was very, very common, unfortunately, in the eastern cities in the time of our Lord.  One of the reasons for this was that there were conditions of uncleanness that caused such diseases to abound.  And in addition the bright glare of the sun in those parts of our world was such, and since they didn’t have protection from the sun, that they became afflicted in their eyes.  A visitor in our modern day to Cairo, Egypt has said that it was his observation that out of one hundred people in Egypt; about fifty were affected with eye disease.  Twenty were blind, ten had lost one eye, and twenty had other eye diseases.  So we should not be surprised then that the Lord Jesus in His ministry should encompass the healing of many blind men.

           

The text says that when the Lord Jesus passed by, they heard that Jesus had passed by.  And incidentally in the words that are the outpouring of their heart, it’s evident that they had already heard of the Lord Jesus.  They knew something about Him.  It’s even possible that they had heard accounts of the healing ministry of this Jesus of Nazareth, and incidentally since they had no doubt studied the Scriptures themselves and paid because of their affliction particular attention to those prophesies of the Old Testament that spoke of the healing of blind men, and longing for that themselves, that they were naturally attracted to the stories concerning the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  So the word concerning the Lord Jesus had been disseminated, and they had heard it and on the basis of what they had heard the Holy Spirit had wrought in their hearts. This incident, incidentally is the origin of Sankey’s hymn,

 

“What means this eager anxious throng which moves with busy haste along these wondrous gatherings day by day;  what means this strange commotion pray in accents hushed the throng reply Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” 

 

When the word came to the blind men that the Lord Jesus might be near, they began to cry out.  Now Mark tells us they began to.  We would gather that from Matthew, because in the account here in Matthew, they cry out,  “Have mercy upon us,” and then when some seek to stop them they still cry out the more,  “O Lord, thou son of David, have mercy upon us.”

           

So they began to cry out, and notice what they say when they cry out to Him.  They do not say, O man of Nazareth, have mercy upon us.  They do not say, O Yankee or Northerner have mercy upon us.  They have some very definite information concerning Him.  They cry out, have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David. It is evident they have faith in His person as the Lord.  That is, they have some conception that He is a divine person and also they have a conception of Him as the Messiah, because son of David is a Messianic term.  So they know that He is the Son of God, and they know that He is the Messiah.

           

Now whether they understood all of the significance of it, or whether they would understand what that meant in the light of the Council of Calcedon later on, that’s another matter.  But at least they had come to the conviction He was the Lord and come to the conviction that He was the Messianic king.  And not only did they have faith in His person, but they had a great confidence in His power, because they said, have mercy upon us.  They knew that it was within the power of the Lord Jesus to heal them, and so they cried out have mercy upon us.

           

These men are a picture in the kind of attitude that men ought to have when they come into conviction for sin and desire to have deliverance.  They were earnest.  They cried.  They kept crying.  Even the tenses of the verbs in the other accounts stress the fact that this cry of theirs was a continual thing.  They were earnest.  We are earnest about everything but spiritual things.

           

First thing to note is, we are very earnest about our sports.  We are very earnest about our business.  We are very earnest about our studies.  We are very earnest about our calling in life about our friends our hobbies, about everything, but when it comes to spiritual things, our hearts are as the old commentators used to say, as cold as the arctic snows.        

 

These men were earnest.  Not only that they were persistent.  When actually people said, shut up, they said we’re going to not only keep it up but we’re going to shout loud enough in order to get over the heads of our hinderers, and so they cried out the text of Scripture says the more.  So the more they were told to shut up the louder they cried.  They were persistent.  They knew what they wanted.  And this is a very poignant fact when you think of blind men who could not see in the midst of a multitude.  They must have been crying out all along where is He?  Which way did He go?  What street did He turn down?  And all at the same time shouting out, O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us!  Which way did He go?  Lord have mercy upon us.  Did He turn that way?  Show me.  Take me to Him.  You can see this was something that was very important for them.  They knew what they wanted and incidentally they were humble.

           

These cries that they were making were confessions of their unworthiness.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon me.  They did not talk of their merits.  They didn’t say, for example, O Lord have mercy upon us, we attend the synagogue regularly.  We listen to the Pharisees.  We study the Scriptures.  We do good works.  We don’t put a sign our face “blind” when we really can see.  They had no talk of merit whatsoever, because whenever we talk of merit before the Lord, the doors of heaven are shut.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us.  They really were beggar, literally, Mark tells us, and they were beggars spiritually seeking for help.  And they plead as criminals, have mercy upon us.

           

Now this illustrates of course the fact that according to the teaching of the word of God, our wills are obstinate in rebellion against the Lord.  The Scriptures so plainly teach about one of the most difficult things for men to grasp, the relationship of the will in our salvation. The Bible teaches that we have a will, that we do make decisions.  But the Bible teaches that the will is a secondary agent.  The will acts in accordance with our nature and our nature affected by the fall is wicked and rebellious against God.  Therefore, the decisions of the will which are a response to the inmost disposition of a man are always decisions contrary to the will of God.   This repeats over and over again, and we should say it again, because there are always some strangers in the midst.  We never make a decision of the will that is favorable to God unless God has previously “jiggled our willed.”

 

That is biblical teaching.  It’s hard for men to understand that.  But nevertheless it is true.  It is basic to the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  The responses that men make do not arise ultimately from the heart of men; ultimately they arise from God’s working.  That’s why salvation is of the Lord.  So when we read these men cry out, have mercy upon us, it’s obvious that God has already wrought in their will, and they are crying out now in response to what He has done.

 

Their wills naturally were obstinate.  They were rebellious.  Their understanding was darkened.  Their affections were depraved.  They were blind to the things that really counted.  That’s the way we are born.  We are born in our sin.  We know we can speak to someone about the wonders of this creation about us. We can talk to men about the beauties of and the wonders of His divine creation and men are able to understand with us.  We can speak of the wonders of creation ourselves, but when we turn to speak about the wonders of the New Covenant and of the blood that was shed by which we have everlasting life, by which we are brought into the family of God, by which we are justified, by which we become the children of God, then the beauties of the person of the Redeemer and the work of the Redeemer seem as nothing as foolishness to us.  We do not understand them at all.

           

So these men cry out humbly with confessions of their own unworthiness, and the message that they proclaim is that the Lord Jesus is the Lord and the Messiah.  It’s striking that these blind men, these poor bind men, give the glory to the Lord Jesus that the leaders the religious leaders in Jerusalem did not. They did not own Him as Lord.  They rebelled against the very idea and they did not accept Him as the son of David.  They rebelled against that idea.  So these two poor blind men who did not have the religious training, and no doubt the religious experiences that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did, had by the grace of God been enabled to understand things that religious leaders do not.  There is a great lesson in that.

           

The Lord’s reaction to this is remarkable.  A cry of need brings Him to a complete stop.  We read in verse 32, “And Jesus stood still.”  Isn’t that striking?  When Joshua was here in his historical ministry in the Old Testament recorded in the Book of Joshua, Joshua spoke to the sun and the sun and the moon stood still.  Remarkable miracle.  But here are two blind men who address the Son of Righteousness, for that is one our Lord’s titles, and the Son of Righteousness stops at their request.  It seems as if it is even a greater miracle than that performed by Joshua in the Old Testament.

           

Reminds us that the apostle says that he is rich unto all that call on him.  If you have never believed in the Lord Jesus, let’s assure you that if you call upon Him, He is rich unto those that call unto Him.  So he stopped.  And interestingly those people that were trying to keep these two men quiet, shut up, shut up, are told by the Lord Jesus to go get the blind men.  That’s kind of ironical.  These people who were attempting to shut the blind men are forced to do errands for the blind men.  And so they go off and get the blind men and they are brought into the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus said, what do you want me to do?

           

Isn’t it striking too the way Mark describes the way that Bartimaeus came to the Lord Jesus?  We can see the blind man with his coat.  It probably was the only coat that he had or ever hoped to have.  He knew that there were times when he needed that desperately, but Mark says he threw away his garment and came to the Lord Jesus.

           

If we were an artist, the most prolific source of artistry would be the Bible itself.  One of the most striking things in all of the New Testament is when the Lord Jesus stood up in the boat in the midst of the storm, preparatory to saying, stop, or be muzzled ,and there came a great calm.  And here, as Bartimaeus threw away his cloak, figurative of the fact that everything must go when we come to the Lord Jesus, as Paul said, “He suffered the loss of all things as he came to Christ.”  What a beautiful picture that is.  And he came to Jesus, Mark says.  There’s nothing more fundamental, nothing more significant, nothing more necessary in life than to come to the Lord Jesus.

           

One of the saddest things in the world is for a man to go through life shine in his school work, shine in his college work, graduate near the top of his class, become a successful businessman, be successful in business, come to the end of his days retired, and then to be placed in a grave like the rest of the people who have lived up to this time without the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  What a pitiful what a pitiful thing.   To come to the Lord Jesus is the fundamental thing.  To think of it.  To become the President of General Motors, but not know Christ.  To be the Chairman of the Board of Texas Instruments but not know Jesus Christ, what a failure.

           

So the Lord said, what do you want?  These men have just no doubt been acquainted with the words the Lord Jesus had said not long before this:  the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.  And so they in effect challenged Him.  You said you come to minister, well, minister that we may see again that we may have our eyesight.  One of the manuscripts reading the Matthian account, they requested, Lord that our eyes may be opened, that we may see Thee.  That’s a very fitting addition.  That’s the way they thought, having called out, O Lord Thou son of David.  That’s what they were thinking.  But first of all that our eyes may be opened.

           

Then the healing is described in the last verse, and notice that there are outward means, inward means, and ultimate means.  The text of Scripture says, “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes.”  Now that was the touch of sympathy.  Blind men no doubt needed the encouragement of the personal touch, and it’s a beautiful expression of the true humanity of Lord Jesus who understands all of our human needs.  He touched them.  But it also is an identification, for to touch, to lay hands upon was a sign of identification. And all He was saying, symbolically, was, as He touched them, yes I am sympathetic with your condition.  I identify with your sin, not that I’m a sinner, but it is for sin that I have come.  And the apostle puts it very succinctly; He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  And so He identified Himself with suffering sinning humanity for He shall die for sinners.

           

Mark says that He said to him your faith has made you whole.  Incidentally, it was faith not adulterated by sight.  They couldn’t be saved by sight; they had no sight.  Our churches give us the impression that our faith is really grounded in a great deal of sight, for as we draw up to church buildings we are impressed.  They are magnificent structures.  And usually there’s a cross sticking above them.  And then we enter, and we enter into the auditorium.

           

The auditorium should be very simple.  That’s the way we like it.  As a matter of fact that’s the way the earliest churches were constructed, and that’s the reason why the auditorium is simple.  But many of our churches and the churches in which we’ve grown up are very impressive, and the services are very impressive.  The men come in and they are dressed in different kinds of clothes.  They are either dressed in a robe, or they are dressed in clerical garb with the round clerical collar. 

           

And when they stand in the pulpit, they not only stand in the pulpit but they go through motions that are designed to impress our senses.  They twist.  They turn.  They genuflect.  They kneel.  They bow.  They frequently take things and do things with them.  They stand before the altar.  The whole impression seems to be, faith does come by sight, to some extent at least.  They impress us.

           

But the Lord Jesus said, your faith, not your humility, not your persistence, not your purposefulness, your faith has made you wholeGod has so worked that He has given you faith and that faith is the basis of your salvation.  The ultimate means is His compassion.  Jesus had compassion on them.  Paul says He speaks about God who was rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He had loved us.  And so out of compassion, the Lord Jesus responded to what He had produced in their hearts and gave them the pronouncement that they were now whole forgiven men.

           

And not only that, but their eyes were opened.  Men speak of merits.  Proud men get down upon their knees and offer prayers to God, thinking that their prayers are the means of God’s blessing.  But the wind sweeps the prayers away, for God does not hear that kind of prayer.  When the messenger of mercy the Lord Jesus came to this earth, He did not enter into the Hiltons and the Sheratons and the Holiday Inns and the Howard Johnson Inns, but He came to the inn of the broken heart and the contrite spirit, because God responds to those who acknowledge that they have nothing with which to commend themselves to the Lord.

           

Well the result of the healing is that they followed Him, and Luke tells us that they glorified God, which led to the praise of the Lord by the people.  What a beautiful thing that is, too.  There are several things that persist through our days of spiritual darkness, and one of them is the purpose for men being here.  Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  And when the Lord Jesus worked in the hearts of these two blind men, they were so happy over what God had done to them and they so praised God that they glorified God.  They had reached that ultimate goal for which we are here in this earth to glorify Him.

           

Now the Lord Jesus has changed His position.  He’s no longer here in our midst.  He’s at the right hand of the majesty on high, but it’s still true, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by.  He does not do it physically.  He does it through His word and through His spirit.  And we have listened as we have read the word of God to the exposition of the power Jesus Christ to heal.  And if someone under the influence of the Holy Spirit, has been brought to the conviction of his sin, He stands ready and waiting to deliver from the blindness of our heart, to bring you into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which means everlasting life.

           

Remembering that later the Lord Jesus will die upon the cross at Calvary for sinners, making it possible for all of our sin and guilt and condemnation to be washed totally clean.  And if God has brought in our heart the desire He brought into the hearts of these blind men for healing, may God help us deep down within the recesses of our being to cry out, O Lord Thou son of David, have mercy upon us.  And this great miracle of healing will be accomplished spiritually again.  May God speak to our heart to that end.  Let’s pray for the benediction.

           

Prayer:

 

Father, we know that we have inadequately expressed the greatness of the healing ministry of the Lord Jesus, but we do know deep down within us, Lord, what Thou hast done for us and what Thou art able to do for men who come through the Spirit’s enablement to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of sinners.

           

And Lord, if there should be someone present in this auditorium, one little child, perhaps one young man, one young woman, one elderly man or woman in whom the Holy Spirit has worked, O God, by the Holy Spirit, bring to their inmost being that urgent request, O Lord Thou son of David have mercy upon me.

           

Accomplish, Lord the supernatural work of the new birth. May grace mercy and peace go with us. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

 

Chapter Contents

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard. (1-16) Jesus again foretells His sufferings. (17-19) The ambition of James and John. (20-28) Jesus gives sight to two blind men near Jericho. (29-34)

 

Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16

 

The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. The parable may also be applied more generally, and shows,

 

1. That God is debtor to no man.

 

2. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at a great deal of knowledge, grace, and usefulness.

 

3. That the recompense of reward will be given to the saints, but not according to the time of their conversion. It describes the state of the visible church, and explains the declaration that the last shall be first, and the first last, in its various references.

               

Until we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. The market-place is the world, and from that we are called by the gospel. Come; come from this market-place. Work for God will not admit of trifling. A man may go idle to hell, but he that will go to heaven, must be diligent. The Roman penny was seven pence halfpenny in our money, wages then enough for the day's support. This does not prove that the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt; when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it signifies that there is a reward set before us, yet let none, upon this presumption, put off repentance till they are old. Some were sent into the vineyard at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them before. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour; the gospel had not been before preached to them. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third or sixth hour, and have refused them, will not have to say at the eleventh hour, as these had, No man has hired us.

 

Therefore, not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time. The riches of Divine grace are loudly murmured at, among proud Pharisees and nominal Christians. There is great proneness in us to think that we have too little, and others too much of the tokens of God's favor; and that we do too much, and others too little in the work of God. But if God gives grace to others, it is kindness to them, and no injustice to us.

 

Carnal worldliness agrees with God for their penny in this world; and chooses their portion in this life. Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in the other world, and must remember they have so agreed. Didst not thou agree to take up with heaven as thy portion, thy all; wilt thou seek for happiness in the creature? God punishes none more than they deserve, and recompenses every service done for Him; He therefore does no wrong to any, by showing extraordinary grace to some.

 

See here the nature of envy. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. It is a grief to us, displeasing to God, and hurtful to our neighbors: it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honor. Let us forego every proud claim, and seek for salvation as a free gift. Let us never envy or grudge, but rejoice and praise God for His mercy to others as well as to ourselves.

 

Commentary on Matthew 20:17-19

 

Christ is more particular here in foretelling His sufferings than before. And here, as before, He adds the mention of His resurrection and His glory, to that of His death and sufferings, to encourage His disciples, and comfort them. A believing view of our once crucified and now glorified Redeemer, is good to humble a proud, self-justifying disposition. When we consider the need of the humiliation and sufferings of the Son of God, in order to the salvation of perishing sinners, surely we must be aware of the freeness and richness of Divine grace in our salvation.

 

Commentary on Matthew 20:20-28

 

The sons of Zebedee abused what Christ said to comfort the disciples. Some cannot have comforts but they turn them to a wrong purpose. Pride is a sin that most easily besets us; it is sinful ambition to outdo others in pomp and grandeur. To put down the vanity and ambition of their request, Christ leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings. It is a bitter cup that is to be drunk of; a cup of trembling, but not the cup of the wicked. It is but a cup, it is but a draught, bitter perhaps, but soon emptied; it is a cup in the hand of a Father, John 18:11. Baptism is an ordinance by which we are joined to the Lord in covenant and communion; and so is suffering for Christ, Ezekiel 20:37; Isaiah 48:10. Baptism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace; and so is suffering for Christ, for unto us it is given, Philippians 1:29. But they knew not what Christ's cup was, nor what His baptism. Those are commonly most confident, who are least acquainted with the cross. Nothing makes more mischief among brethren, than desire of greatness. And we never find Christ's disciples quarrelling, but something of this was at the bottom of it. That man who labors most diligently, and suffers most patiently, seeking to do good to his brethren, and to promote the salvation of souls, most resembles Christ, and will be most honored by Him to all eternity. Our Lord speaks of His death in the terms applied to the sacrifices of old. It is a sacrifice for the sins of men, and is that true and substantial sacrifice, which those of the law faintly and imperfectly represented. It was a ransom for many, enough for all, working upon many; and, if for many, then the poor trembling soul may say, Why not for me?

 

Commentary on Matthew 20:29-34

 

It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Alleged Contradictions and Inaccuracies

 

In Matthew's account two blind men are healed, whereas in the accounts of Mark and Luke only one blind man is mentioned: If two blind men were healed, then certainly one was healed. The Gospel writers did not include all that Jesus did and said. (cf. John 21:25).

 

Matthew and Mark place the healing when Jesus was departing from Jericho, whereas Luke places the healing when Jesus was coming to Jericho: It is perfectly possible that Jesus healed "a certain blind man" as He was come nigh to Jericho (Luke's account), and then healed two more blind men (one of whom was blind Bartimaeus, Mark's account) as He was leaving Jericho.

 

Matthew 20:29-34 “What Do You Want Jesus to Do For You?”

 

Translation

 

20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

 

20:30 and, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

 

20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all wanting Me to do for you?”

 

20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

 

20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

 

Introduction

 

Exploring about how to pray. In Matthew 20:21, we just saw James and John’s mom ask Jesus for something, and now again in v.29ff, we have someone else making a request of Jesus.

 

  • In both cases Jesus asks, “What do you want?”
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  • However, in the first case, Jesus is appalled at the presumptuousness and pride of the request.
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  • But in the second scenario before us, we see that Jesus is “moved with compassion,” and fulfills the request of the blind men.
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  • What made the difference? We need to explore the status we have as children of God which privileges us to ask God for things, and to look at what characterizes the sort of requests that Jesus honors so that we can become better at praying to God.
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  • As Jesus makes His way closer to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, He reaches the town of Jericho, the very city that Joshua captured when the walls fell down some thousand four hundred years before then, and here, the road which had been running South along the Jordan river turns up West into the hills toward Jerusalem. In about 15 miles it will ascend 3,300 feet to the gates of the holy city where He will be crucified.
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  • But for now, Jesus is just approaching Jericho, a lovely resort town where He will spend the night. He was apparently pretty famous by this time and had many out-of-town people follow­ing Him in, as well as people like Zaccheus who were from Jericho and wanted to see Him.
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  • It appears Jesus was getting a real Middle-Eastern welcome as He approached Jericho!
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  • This, by the way, was the same crowd that Zaccheus was trying to see through to get a glimpse of Jesus, and it was because of this throng that he climbed the tree. Matthew doesn’t tell us the story of Zaccheus, only Luke does, but the story of Zaccheus reminds us that Jesus was not merely concerned for the needs of the poor, blind beggars but also for the miserable, rich oppressors in the town of Jericho!
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    Exegesis

     

    20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

    Και εκπορευομενων αυτων απο Ιεριχω ηκολουθησεν αυτῷ οχλος[3] πολυς.

     

    20:30 and, get this, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    και ιδου δυο τυφλοι καθημενοι παρα την ‘οδον ακουσαντες ‘οτι[4] Ιησους παραγει εκραξαν λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε[5] ‘Υιος Δαυιδ.[6]

     

  • This is remarkably like the account of the two blind men Jesus healed in Capernaum in Matt. 9:27ff.
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  •  
  • The blind men in Capernaum said the same thing, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
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  • Is it possible that these two blind men on the other side of the country in Jericho had heard about this and were modeling their request after their northern counterparts?
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  • Perhaps these blind men in Jericho hadn’t heard of the blind men healed in Caper­naum. Perhaps all they had to go on was the prophecy of Isaiah 35:4ff, “Be strong; do not be afraid. See your God come… He will save you! Then the eyes of blind men will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
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  • Later on in Matt. 22:41-42, when Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ/Anointed One/Messiah, whose son is He?’ They say to Him, ‘He is the son of David.’” So, the title “Son of David,” was the title of the Messiah, speaking of His being descended from the great king David and fulfilling the promise God made to David that a descendent of his would reign as a king forever.
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  •  
  • So these blind men cry out for the Messiah’s attention.
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  • Now, the gospel of Luke traces the story of only one of these two blind men, and in Mark’s gospel we find his name: Bar-timmaeus (Mk. 10:46) which can be interpreted, “Son of Filth.”
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  •  
  • There is no problem with the fact that Matthew mentions a second blind man with Bartimaeus. It doesn’t contradict Luke and Mark’s account that there was at least one blind man there. If there were two, then there was one… plus another.
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  • There does appear to be a discrepancy, however, between the gospel accounts in the timing of this incident.
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    ·        According to Matthew (20:29), the encounter with the blind beggars happened as Jesus was leaving Jericho,

     

    ·        But according to Luke (18:35), it happened as they were approaching Jericho,

     

    ·        And according to Mark (10:46), it happened as they were both coming to Jericho and as they were going out from Jericho! How can that be?

     

    ·        A.T. Robertson’s explanation seems the best, that there were two Jericho’s: the ancient city site and the township newly rebuilt by Herod, with only a short distance between.

     

    ·        A distinction between the old city and the new city is pretty common in ancient cities around the world. [You can see in the photo that the mound of the old city is still on the NW side of the modern town of Jericho.

     

    ·        So Jesus encountered these beggars on the road in-between the two sites. Thus Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, says that they had just passed the historic site of old Jericho, where “Joshua fit the battle,” and Luke, writing to a Greek audience says that they were approaching the new Roman resort town], and Mark, writing to a Roman audience, locates them geographically between leaving the old city and entering the new city of Jericho. God’s word is amazingly accurate when you chase down its details!

     

    20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, 
    but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    ‘Ο δε οχλος επετιμησεν αυτοις ‘ινα σιωπησωσιν ‘οι δε μειζον εκραζον[8] λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε Υιος Δαυιδ.

     

  • Have you ever wanted God to do something special, then shared it with somebody and got laughed at or even rebuked for it?
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  • The things we pray for should not be evaluated on the basis of whether other people think we should pray for it, but rather whether God wants you to pray for it. We know God wants us to pray for something if He has laid it on our heart and if it is consistent with what He has already revealed in the Bible.
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  • The majority of the people on the street that day in Jericho, however, thought that the best thing for these blind men was to be quiet, to hold their peace.
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  • So when the blind men kept their racket up, the crowd said to them, “We wish you were dumb as well as blind! If you don’t shut up, we’ll make you shut up!
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  • But the blind men had faith in Jesus:
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  •  
  • They openly confessed not only that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised Son of David,
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  • But that He is also the Lord.
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  • Furthermore they confess that Jesus is capable of extending the mercy of God to them by healing them.
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  • These are staggering statements to make about any man, Messianic King, God Almighty, and Mediator of God’s blessings. These two men seem to understand better than anyone else in that vast crowd who Jesus really is and what Jesus is capable of doing. Such faith arrests Jesus’ attention:
  •  

  • Jesus interrupted His very important mission to Jerusalem and responded to these faith-filled men. Likewise, we Christians, who are supposed to be imitators of Christ, are we also willing to be interrupted in our work? Bible commentator Matthew Henry remarked on this point, “Why are we ever so much in haste about any business? … We should be willing to stand still to do good.”
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    20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all want Me to do for you?”

    Και στας ‘ο Ιησους εφωνησεν αυτους και ειπεν Τί θελετε ποιησω ‘υμιν;

     

  • Seeing as all the other English translations render it “called the Greek word ephwnesen translates as “whistled,”.” However, the word literally means to “make a sound” which seems to be distinct from actually speaking words, and the only other time Matthew uses this word is to describe a rooster crowing (26:34, 74, and 75).
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  • It is curious that Jesus does not go over to them. Instead He stands where He is and calls them over to Him.
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  • According to Luke’s account (18:40), Jesus commands the very people who have been insulting the blind men to now escort the blind men for a personal audience with Him!
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  • Mark (10:49) has the same people that had been shushing the blind men now saying, “Cheer up; get up; He’s calling for you!” If it weren’t so hypocritical, it would be funny.
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  • It is as though, when Jesus heard Himself referred to as the “Lord” and Messianic King, “Son of David,” He obliged these men by playing the part of a great king.
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  • Great kings don’t come to you; you come to them.
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  • Great kings have courtiers that bring you to the king.
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  •  
  • And great kings ask for formal proposals,
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  • So Jesus transforms the dusty street into a king’s palace for these two beggars who have recognized, more than anyone else, how great a king stands before them, perhaps due, in part, to the fact that they had no eyes to see how humble a form the Lord of the universe had taken upon Himself!
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  • When you close your eyes to pray, do you realize how great the God is that you are addressing?
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  • Now, at that moment, before Jesus on the street, the blind men could have asked for anything.
  •  
    What would you have asked for, if it were you, and Jesus offered to make one wish come true?

     

  •  
  • All their life they had asked for “mercy” as beggars, soliciting passers-by for coins. Would they ask for money? They could ask for enough to live on for the rest of their lives, and never have to beg again!
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  • Mark’s gospel gives us one clue before either beggar says a word: in Mark 10:50, it says that the blind man “threw off his cloak” when he went to Jesus. He decided to leave his beggar’s garb behind because he anticipated a miraculous answer to the audacious request he was about to make.
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  • If this was truly the Messiah, and if Isaiah prophesied truly, then blind men would see. The blind men’s reasoning appears to be as simple as that.
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  • No doctor in the world could have healed them, and apparently not even God had healed a blind person in the history of the world until the time of Christ.
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  • This would be the ultimate proof that Jesus was the Messiah. If He couldn’t give them sight, then Jesus was a sham and God was a liar.
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  • Maybe they also longed, like Simeon that their own eyes might see God’s salvation, he prophesied Son of David, and the Messiah finally comes?
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  • These two blind men were going to go for broke and ask to see!
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    20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

    Λεγουσιν αυτῷ Κυριε ‘ινα ανοιχθωσιν[10] ‘ημων ‘οι οφθαλμοι.

     

  • Now think about what the blind men chose to ask for.
  •  

  • All their lives they have made their living by sitting in public places begging for money. It was considered a community service for them to do so. It gave the community an opportunity to give to the poor and win favor with God (and man) with their generosity, and such beggars provided a very desirable service by praying for God to bless those who gave to them. (“God bless” is still a common parting word from panhandlers in our country today.)
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  • All this, of course, hinged on the beggar’s inability to work at gainful employment. Blindness was such an obvious handicap that their status as beggars worked well. But if they were to receive their sight, all that would change. They would no longer be able to continue the life they had once led as beggars. Suddenly they would have to learn to read, learn a trade, and take up new and different responsibilities, start up a business, maybe get married and have children.
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  • Considered from that perspective, it is remarkable that they were willing to embrace a whole new world of responsibilities and ask to see.
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  • Likewise, there are responsibilities that naturally come along with being a recipient of God’s free grace. Are you willing to accept the responsibilities that come along with whatever it is you are asking God for?
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    20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

    Σπλαγχνισθεις δε ‘ο Ιησους ‘ηψατο των οφθαλμων[11] αυτων και ευθεως ανεβλεψαν [αυτων ‘οι οφθαλμοι[12]] και ηκολουθησαν αυτῷ.

     

  • Jesus’ response was first of all to be moved with compassion/pity. Literally, He was “gut-wrenched.” Do you realize what an awesome thing it is to have as God One who can be moved with compassion? Who sympathizes with us! When we are torn up inside, when we cry, the Ruler of the Universe enters into those feelings with us. Brothers and sisters, let us pray from our heart when we pray to Him!
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  • The crux of the story, of course, is that, with a mere touch, Jesus physically healed two blind men.
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  • In Mat 8:3, after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus touched a man with a skin disease, and the leprosy was immediately cured,
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  • In Mat 8:15 Jesus touched Peter’s mother-in-law, and she was relieved of a fever,
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  • Others touched Jesus and were cured (9:20; 14:36)
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  • In Mar. 7:33, Jesus touched a deaf man who was immediately healed, and later with a touch, Jesus restored a servant who had gotten his ear chopped off (Luke 22:51)!
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  • In Luke 7:14, we read of Jesus touching a coffin, and, sure enough, the young man inside came alive!
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  • In Mat 9:29, Jesus touched the eyes of two blind men and they were healed,
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  • And now, at a touch, four more eyes that were not able to physically function suddenly regain/ recover/ receive the marvel of sight.
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  • The touch of Jesus has no limit to its power to bring physical healing.
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  • Luke’s account mentions an additional statement from Jesus, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” This reveals another staggering miracle. Jesus not only just fixed their eyes, He saved their souls from hell!
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  • But wait, we may say, “The Bible reads, ‘your faith saved you.’”
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  • Yes, but what was the content of their faith? It was that God had sent Jesus to be the Messiah, the savior of the world. Their faith did not make Jesus the savior-Messiah, it merely acknowledged and acted upon the truth that Jesus is the savior of the world. It is God’s grace that sent Jesus to die for our sins and save us from eternal damnation, and it is God’s grace that plants faith in human hearts to believe that. As we exercise that faith, we are saved, but our faith is a response, not the cause of our salvation.
  •  

  • But the story doesn’t end there; Jesus goes on to provide employment for these men who just lost their jobs as beggars due to His healing them. Unlike many of the people He healed whom He would not allow to follow Him, Jesus let these men become His followers, providing a context for them to learn a new life as men with seeing eyes.
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  • Luke’s account says that the formerly-blind men then followed Jesus, “glorifying God,” and that when all the people saw this, they praised God as well!
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  • They were some of the ones shouting “Hosanna” the loudest, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, and that they
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  • Followed Him to hear Him teach in Bethany, and maybe even saw Him crucified.
  • They were among the 500 people who saw Jesus after His resurrection
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  • And among the 120 people in the upper room upon whom the Holy Spirit fell.
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  • The genuineness of their faith in Jesus was demonstrated to the world by the fact that they continued to follow Jesus after they were healed.
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    Conclusion: Six Principles of Effective Prayer Drawn From Two Blind Beggars

     

    1. Punctuality

     

  • The Holy Spirit works in our minds in real time throughout the day. If we feel like we need something or if we are impressed to pray for a certain person, don’t wait until our bedtime prayers to speak to God about it. Go for it right away. We can pray for it later, too.
  •  

  • Matthew Henry commented, “When they heard that Jesus passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was in haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity, to make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never return; these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came to Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.”
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    2. Humility

     

  • These men did not say, “Jesus, we really ought to be healed. You know, we’re really poor, but we have given a large percentage of our income to the Lord, and we have been such good people, and our parents were such good people, and we have suffered so much from our blindness that you owe it to us.” No, they came humbly, simply asking for mercy. That is a good example for us. “Sovereign Lord, please have mercy.”
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  • “It is the will of God that we should in everything make our requests known to Him by prayer and supplication; not to inform or move Him, but to qualify ourselves for the mercy. The waterman in the boat, who with his hook takes hold of the shore, does not thereby pull the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore. So in prayer we do not draw the mercy to ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy.” Lord, have mercy on us.
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    3. Faith

     

  • The two blind beggars were convinced that Jesus is the Lord, that He is the Messiah, and that He could give them God’s mercy, and they said that out loud.
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  • That got Jesus’ attention, and we can learn a lesson from that. We must know the truth about who Jesus is and place our faith in Him, even confess it out loud, if we want to grow in our prayer life.
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  • And we must believe that Jesus will do whatever we’re asking Him to do before we can pray for Him to do it. If you have some doubt, go back to the Bible to find out if it’s the kind of thing He would do and if He has the power to do it! Then pray with faith in Him!
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  • “It is of excellent use in prayer to eye Christ in the grace and glory of His Messiah ship; to remember that He is the Son of David, whose office it is to help and save, and to plead it with Him.”
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    4. Community

     

  • Peer pressure can be a good thing. Sometimes when we pray with somebody else, we experience a holy uprising of faith that emboldens us to pray for what we might never have had the faith to believe God could do if we had been praying alone.
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  • Often we step into prayer meetings without much of a passion to pray for anything. Then someone starts praying maybe for God to transform the lives of families in his church, and that seems to spark the faith of someone else, and he’ll pray maybe for transformation in the lives of the children in all the schools, and that gets somebody else praying for all the lost in our town, and pretty soon we’re ready to pray for revival for the whole nation!
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  • Matthew Henry noted something about corporate prayer in his commentary, “These joint-sufferers were joint-suitors; being companions in the same tribulation, they were partners in the same supplication. Note, it is good for those that are laboring under the same calamity, or infirmity of body or mind, to join together in the same prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken one another's fervency, and encourage one another's faith. There is mercy enough in Christ for all the petitioners.”
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    5. Persistence

     

  • Remember the Syro-Phonecian woman who would not take “No” for an answer until Jesus healed her daughter? And the widow in Jesus’ parable who wore out the unjust judge? Even in Jesus’ question, “What is your will?” He acknowledges that in these two blind men there has been, for a sustained period of time, an exercise of their will, trained by the Holy Spirit to press for the fulfillment of a particular goal. There is something to persisting in prayer with a determined will over time.
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  • “There is need of constancy to transcend all hindrances, and the more barriers that Satan erects, the more must we be kindled to prayer, just as we see the blind men redoubling their cries.” John Calvin
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  • “Hence learn, O beloved, that though we be very vile and outcast, but yet approach God with earnestness, even by ourselves we shall be able to effect whatsoever we ask. See, for instance, these men, how, having none of the apostles to plead with them, but rather many to stop their mouths, they were able to pass over the hindrances, and to come unto Jesus Himself… These then let us also emulate. Though God defer the gift, though there be many withdrawing us, let us not desist from asking. For in this way most of all shall we win God to us… although it be mercy and grace, it seeks for the worthy.” John Chrysostom
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  • “In following Christ with our prayers, we must expect to meet with hindrances and manifold discouragements from within and from without… Men ought always to pray and not to faint; to pray with all perseverance (Luke 18:1); to continue in prayer with resolution and not yield to opposition… This wrestling with God in prayer… makes us the fitter to receive mercy; for the more it is striven for, the more it will be prized and thankfully acknowledged.”
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    6. Follow-through

     

  • When your prayer is answered, don’t forget to thank God afterward!
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  • After your prayer is answered, continue to walk with Christ, and pray about other things. Even remind yourself from time to time so that you never forget God’s mercy in your life!
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  • And when prayers are answered, tell other people about it! Show your gratitude by being, as John Calvin put it, “a spectacle of Christ’s grace to many on this journey.”
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    So, what is it that God would have you pray for?

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    I. Matthew 20:29: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

     

    We know that in Matthew 19:1 Jesus was in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. In verse seventeen of chapter twenty we saw that Jesus was still continuing His journey to Jerusalem, but there was no way of knowing exactly where He was, somewhere between Jerusalem on the west side of the Jordan River and the region of Judea (Perea) on the east side of the Jordan River.

     

    But now, here in verse twenty-nine, we learn that Jesus has crossed the Jordan, and is already leaving Jericho. Jericho was about eight miles west of the Jordan River and only fifteen miles away from Jerusalem. For the crowds of pilgrims from Galilee, Jericho was the last city before the final three thousand foot climb to Jerusalem. Everyone coming to Jerusalem from the east would pass through Jericho. So it was here that the pilgrims would converge, and their numbers swell, and the excitement and electricity in the air would grow even greater.

     

    And now adding to the excitement of these crowds from Galilee was the fact that Jesus (their own “hero” from back home) was walking with them on the same road. So “as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.”

     

    II. Matthew 20:30: And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    Here, again, is that favorite word of Matthew’s, “behold.” Forty-four times Matthew uses this word compared to Luke’s thirty-six times and Mark’s 14 times. And here is one of those places where Matthew says “behold,” and Mark and Luke do not. We should be careful about reading too much into a favorite word, but Matthew is alerting us once again to the special importance and significance of what’s about to happen, in light of what just happened.

     

    We had James and John (via their mother) making a request of Jesus. James and John are among the inner circle of the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples. For anyone who believed Jesus, it would be natural to think that James and John would be treated with a little extra respect and deference. But now compare these two “important” disciples with the two blind men sitting by the roadside.

     

    Two blind men sitting by the side of the road are almost certainly begging for money, and Mark and Luke tell us that this is exactly what they were doing (Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35). Mark speaks of only one blind man (cf. Luke) and calls him a “blind beggar named Bartimaeus.” There couldn’t be much more of a contrast! Compared to important men like James and John, these two blind beggars would certainly be the “little ones,” or the “small ones” (Matthew 18), those who were insignificant and unimportant.

     

    And this becomes very obvious in verse thirty-one when we find the crowd rebuking them and telling them to be quiet. So there’s a pretty stark contrast between the “rank,” or station in life of the two specially privileged disciples and the two blind beggars. But this isn’t the only contrast, as we’re about to see. “When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’” 

     

    For the significance of this miracle as a pointer to Jesus’ identity as Israel’s Messiah, see the message on Matthew 9:27-31. While in and of itself this miracle functions in exactly the same way as the earlier one, it seems that Matthew includes the miracle here as a fitting contrast with the preceding story of James and John (cf. Mark [10:35-52]; contra Luke [18:35-43]) and therefore as a fitting conclusion to all of Jesus’ teaching on humility and true “greatness” (beginning in chapter eighteen). The blind beggars (in contrast with James and John) remind us of the “small ones” who are the “greatest,” and the “last” who will be “first.” 

     

    III. Matthew 20:31: The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all

     the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    It shouldn’t take much for us to imagine the desperation in the voices of these two blind beggars. They “cry out” not just so they can be heard over the crowd, but especially because of the intense longing in their hearts. Here is their chance for healing. It’s a chance they may never have again. And so they cry out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.”

     

    It was common in Jesus’ day to assume that a physical defect like blindness was God’s judgment for some sin (cf. John 9:1-2). Now whether or not these two men believed that their blindness was a punishment for sin, they obviously didn’t believe that they had any rights to be healed.

     

    “Lord, have mercy on us.” This isn’t just desperation, it’s a humble desperation; a recognition that the very thing we need and long for so badly is also something to which we are not entitled. The blind beggars know that they have no claim on Jesus for His healing. All they can plead for is

    His mercy.

    When the crowd rebukes them, telling them to be silent, they only cry out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.” They’re blind, they’re beggars, they’re shunned by society, they’re insignificant and unimportant, and yet they have faith. They believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and Son of David. They believe that He is able to restore their sight (cf. Mark 10:52). And so they cry out in humble desperation, and with only five simple words, “Lord, have mercy on us.”

     

    But actually, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? The two blind men have not specifically asked Jesus for healing. They’ve asked only for mercy. Now we’ve assumed that this means they want to be healed, but even though Jesus certainly knew exactly what they wanted, He makes no assumptions. Instead, we read in verse thirty-two:

     

    IV. Matthew 20:32: And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

     

    Does this sound familiar? There are only two places in all of the Gospels where Jesus asks someone what they want Him to do. Here is one of those places. But do we know where the other place is? It’s in the story right before this one, the story of James and John and their request of Jesus (via their mother).

     

    James and John somewhat vaguely asked Jesus to grant them a request. Mark is less subtle. He says that “James and John… came up to [Jesus] and said to Him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you” (Mark 10:35). And Jesus replied: “What do you want?” Or as Mark has it, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36) That’s what just happened in the last story.

     

    But now we have two blind beggars (what a contrast with James and John!) crying out: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” (What a contrast with “please give me something,” or, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You”!) And just like He did with James and John, so now Jesus does with the two blind beggars. He asks them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

     

    Once again, this is the second of only two times in all the Gospels that Jesus asks anyone

    what they want Him to do for them, and both of these times are right here, back to back, one right after the other. So in the question asked of these two blind beggars, we can’t help but be reminded of the same question that Jesus just asked James and John. “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’”

     

    V. Matthew 20:33: They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

     

    The blind beggars just want to see. That’s all. They have no grand aspirations for “greatness” in the Messiah’s kingdom. Anyway, how could they? They’re just blind beggars. They plead only the mercy of Jesus, and no entitlement or rights of their own. The blind beggars just want to see. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing more.

     

    But James and John have moved on to “bigger” things. James and John have “graduated” to more lofty goals. James and John want to be granted the positions of highest honor at the right and left hand of Jesus when He comes in His kingdom.

     

    Blind beggars just want to see. “They said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’”

     

    VI. Matthew 20:34a: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight.

     

    James’ and John’s request did not flow from any understanding of their need for mercy or compassion. Obviously not! We don’t ask for the highest positions in the kingdom and then explain our request as a cry for mercy! On the other hand, we don’t cry out for mercy, and then immediately turn around and ask for the highest positions in the kingdom! As it turns out, these special positions, at least as the disciples understood them, did not even exist. And so in light of all these things, it was impossible that Jesus could respond to the disciples’ request with a compassionate “yes.”

     

    But the request of the two blind beggars is a very, very different story. Their desire to have their eyes opened was nothing more than a desperate and humble plea for mercy. So while the two specially privileged disciples were denied their request, it was the two blind beggars who got what they asked for. And they got what they asked for because of the “pity” of Jesus. One commentator translates like this: “Jesus’ heart went out to them” not to James and John, but to the two blind beggars who cried out for mercy.

     

    VII. Matthew 20:34: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight and followed Him.

     

    The two blind beggars received their sight. They were blind, but now they can see. And Matthew describes their response very simply: “They… followed Him.” We heard in verse twenty-nine that already “a great crowd followed Him.” But when the formerly blind beggars followed Jesus, this was obviously something very different. This is the kind of “following” that naturally flows, from the experience of God’s mercy. They followed Jesus because He gave them their sight. They followed Jesus because He showed them pity. It’s not complicated! It’s just that simple.

     

    Conclusion

     

    So who are we most like? Are we more like the two specially privileged disciples, or are we

    more like the two blind beggars? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? James and John have implied that part of the reason they’re following Jesus is because of certain extra benefits they hope to receive. But the two formerly blind beggars follow Jesus because of the undeserved mercy and pity that they have already received. James and John have become more “complicated.” The two formerly blind beggars are very “simple” and uncomplicated. They follow Jesus because He gave them their sight. They follow Jesus because showed them pity. At this point, how could they even think about extra benefits to be lobbied for in the future?

     

    Certainly, they wouldn’t be thinking of the seats at Jesus’ right and left hand! They’ve already received more than they had any right to expect, and so for them this is already more than enough. They are content now, and more than satisfied, just to set off on the road following Jesus. If only our own Christian lives could be so “simple.” If only our own Christian lives could be so “uncomplicated.” But they can be, right? In fact, they must be!

    We must come back to a devotion to Christ that is simple and pure (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). Why are we followers of Christ? Is it because we asked for mercy and He gave it to us? Is it just that simple? Or have things become more complicated? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? How much of our following of Jesus is really just the complicated pursuit of extra “favors” from God?

     

    Or how much of our following of Jesus is simply and purely because He heard our pleas for mercy? We cried out in desperation for mercy. In His pity, Jesus has shown us mercy. And now, every day, we follow Him. Is that “it”? Is that enough? Do our lives really say that it’s just “that simple”? Can we say with the Psalmist:

     

    Psalm 131:1–3  O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a haughty look. I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me. Indeed I am composed and quiet, like a young child carried by its mother; I am content like the young child I carry. O Israel, hope in the Lord now and forevermore!

     

    Let's look at Matthew chapter 20, the last wonderful, wonderful section in this twentieth chapter...Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34.

    A very simple story, very simple. Easy to understand and not even unusual in the life of Christ for stories like this could be repeated a thousand times a thousand. So much so perhaps that as John said, all the books of all the world couldn't even contain them. Why this story? Why is it here? As Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die, why stop in the progress of such a great event as the Passover where He is to be the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, why stop to include a story of two blind men?

    Among many reasons, one sort of overpowering reason is indicated by the word "compassion" in verse 34. And if all other lessons were set aside, one great and profound truth would grab our minds and that is this, that Jesus had great compassion. People who were nothing but an irritation and a distraction to the crowd were a cause for deep pain to Him, the pain of sympathy, empathy and compassion.

    While the world wanted to silence these kinds of people, Jesus wanted to hear what they had to say. While the world wanted to make sure they didn't get in the way, Jesus wanted to be sure He stood with them. While the world wanted to be sure they didn't interrupt anything by articulating their need, Jesus wanted not only to know their need but to meet it. And so, at best this wonderful little story is a demonstration of the heart of God which is a heart of compassion.

    And that is to say, beloved, that God not only knows what pain we endure, He feels it. That's right. He not only knows it, it is not just cognition, it is not God in heaven saying, "O, I understand his suffering," it isn't just that. It's the feeling of that suffering. It is the pain of that which touches His own great heart. And therefore, when God allows you to suffer, He allows Himself to suffer as well and be sure then that if indeed your suffering is not alleviated, He continues to suffer with you and must therefore have some great purpose in mind for He Himself could eliminate His own suffering as well.

    And so does Jesus demonstrate compassion.

    We would imagine that He would have been preoccupied with the disciples, perhaps, which were to carry on the legacy after His death which will occur in a few days. We would imagine that He could have been distracted by the thought of dying itself and becoming the sacrificial lamb as He looked up the plateau to Jerusalem from the vantage point of Jericho far below. It would have been easy for us to understand that He really didn't have time in this particular moment in history to stop and take care of a couple of blind men of which there were many such and maybe many many such in Jericho for it was said of Jericho that there grew balsam bushes and balsam bushes could be made into a special kind of medicine which was good for the curing of the eyes. And yet He has time. And that is to say that God is compassionate. And Jesus Christ is not too busy redeeming the entire world to give sight to two insignificant blind men who have nothing to offer Him but their problem. And that may be a more profound lesson than we have thought.

    Blindness, in fact, is a matter of record in the Bible. It's quite common, physical blindness and spiritual blindness.

    Physical blindness occurred quite frequently in the ancient world. Poverty, lack of medical care, unsanitary conditions, brilliant sunlight, blowing sand, certain kinds of accidents, war, fighting, all of these things could cause blindness. But most commonly, blindness was caused basically because of gonorrheal diplococcus that would find their way from a woman's body into the conjunctiva of the eye of a child at birth and there they would form their disease and permanent blindness could occur. Sometimes blindness came by the infecting virus trichoma(?). And today, much of these things are curable because of the drugs that we have available, but then they were not. So it was not uncommon to be blind, especially maybe not uncommon, in Jericho where they believed there was a certain bush that healed blindness.

    But even more common than physical blindness was spiritual blindness. And metaphorically the gospels and the epistles speak often of the blindness of the heart. In fact, it's summed up in the words of John 1 which simply says, "That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not.

    He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Or in the third chapter where it says that men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Or Romans 11:25 which says blindness in part has happened to Israel. Or 2 Corinthians 3:14, "Their minds were blinded." Or Jesus' words in Matthew 23, "Woe unto you blind guides, you blind Pharisee," He said. Blind to God. May be able to see physically, but blind to God.

    Now the case of these men is most interesting because while they are physically blind, they appear to have unusually clear spiritual sight. Physically they see nothing, spiritually they see very well. And they will see even better when the Lord Jesus is finished with them. And they will also see physically.

    Why are people spiritually blind? Sin, we're blinded by sin. In Matthew 6 it talks about the fact that when we're evil, our whole eye is darkened. Satan sort of adds a double blindness by blinding the minds of them that believe not, 2 Corinthians 4:4. And then God may add a triple blindness when His sovereignty makes the eye blind, as Isaiah 6 indicates, in a judicial punishment of unbelievers. And so we see then that men are blind by sin and doubly blinded by Satan and doubly or triply blinded by God. And it is into the darkness of man's spiritual blindness that Jesus comes. And we remember when He announced His arrival in Luke 4:18, He said He had come to give sight to the blind. And, He was not primarily speaking of physical blindness; He was primarily speaking of spiritual. He said in John 8, "I am the light that lights the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness." He came to give spiritual light to blind eyes.

    And sometimes He gave physical sight to blind eyes. And He did that for three reasons. First of all, it was part of Messianic proof. He was demonstrating that He was the Messiah. Secondly, it was part of millennial preview. He was showing them what it was going to be like in His Kingdom when all of that kind of thing was turned over and there was glorious wholeness and healing in the Kingdom. And thirdly, it was a matter of symbol or picture. It was a marvelous picture.

    Every time He healed someone of physical blindness, He was in effect saying that's only a symbol of what I want to do to the soul. Every time He unstopped the ears so that someone could hear sound, He was in effect saying and that is exactly what I want to do to the heart so you can hear the Word of God. And every time He raised someone from the dead physically, He was saying I want to give life to the soul as I am able to give life to the body. And that is why Jesus found it no more difficult to forgive sins than to heal someone. And when posed with that question, that's what He said, "What's the difference? I am showing you by My absolute control over the physical world and the natural laws that I have control over the spiritual world and the supernatural laws."

    And so, in the case of these two blind men, we have Messianic proof. We have millennial preview. And we have a marvelous picture of what He's able to do to the heart. And then we have the reality. Before the story's over, these two blind men are saved, redeemed souls. And so they see physically, they see spiritually. And they demonstrate to us that no matter how involved our Lord is, His heart of compassion reaches out to those who cry for His help.

    Now let's look at the scene in verse 29. It's a very simple story and a simple scene. "As they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him." Jesus had finished His ministry in Galilee. He finished His ministry in Peraea. Peraea is the area east of the Jordan. Jesus had crossed the Jordan at some northern point near the Sea of Galilee and descended down the eastern side of the Jordan River in that area known as Peraea.

    He's finished His ministry of a few weeks there and now He's on His way to Jerusalem. So He has to cross again the Jordan River to the west.

    He probably crossed at a fairy spot, about five miles north of Jericho. Jericho's the first city we see when we cross the Jordan from the east. And as we fairy across the river, we walk across nowadays what is known as the Allenby (?) Bridge, the first sight we see is Jericho. It isn't the Jericho of old; it's really the third Jericho. They keep moving south. But in Jesus' time, there was the Old Testament Jericho which was ruins. And then a little south of that, right against it really, was the New Testament Jericho that flourished at this time. And it was a beautiful place, still is. It has its own unique beauty.

    In those days, it was so exquisite a place that Herod built himself a wonderful fort and palace there. And that was his winter home. And they...Josephus used to say that when there was snow in Jerusalem, they were wearing linen because it was so warm in Jericho and it's only about 15 miles as the crow flies. But it's so far down into that desert that it stays warm. It's the Palm Springs of Palestine. It was known as the city of palms.

    And if we want to understand the geography of the land of Palestine, we'll be interested to note that it is almost an absolute identical copy of southern California, both in terms of geography and climate. For it has a seacoast, a beautiful gorgeous beach on the Mediterranean. And then there is a lovely valley known as the Sharon Valley. And then the mountains rise up, we know them as the Carmel Mountain Range. And at the southern end is this massive plateau of Jerusalem. And from there descends straight down to the desert. It's almost a parallel. The only difference would be that where as Los Angeles is in a basin, Jerusalem is on a plateau. But it's much like our area. From the seacoast it rises to the mountains and then descends to the desert.

    And Jericho was a lovely place in the winter, even in the spring. Because the crops all came in early in Jericho. Mark tells us it was not yet fig picking time in Jerusalem, but it would have been in Jericho because of the warmth. There were citrus trees everywhere because Jericho is endlessly fed by some beautiful springs, of lovely water, pure and clear and that water was channeled by irrigation all through that area around Jericho so that it flourished. And there were palm trees everywhere and citrus trees and then this balsam bush which had some multiple uses that was growing there. And so it would have been a very lovely place.

    It was also a place that must have literally exploded on the minds of Jesus...on the mind of Jesus with memory because He would no doubt remember a very special woman from that city by the name of Rahab who was a prostitute but who hid the spies, who came to spy out the land. And as a result in the grace of God she was given a place in Messianic genealogy and you find her listed as an ancestor of the Messiah Himself in Matthew chapter 1.

    And as He stood on the edge of the Jordan River, ready to go south about five miles maybe to the New Testament city of Jericho, He would have looked straight ahead to a cliff of mountains that rises straight up into the sky, chalky white, limestone-like parapet that cast its shadow in the late afternoon over the city of Jericho. And He would have remembered that that was very likely the place where He was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights by the devil. It's called by historians the devastation of bleak and desolate place.

    And so, His mind is literally filled with things. Around Him is pressing a huge crowd, moving now from crossing the river down to Jericho, passing through the ruins of Old Testament Jericho which ruins, by the way, are still there for a visitor to see...including the ancient wall which so accommodated the plan of God by falling over on cue. And as they came to the city, He could see the sights and smell the smells and hear the sounds and it would be such a fulfilling experience. And in the midst of all of this, the tremendous anticipation of His own death only days away. He's only; by the way, six hours walk maybe from Jerusalem, six miles north of the Dead Sea. And it's a fulfilling thing.

    Now as He comes into the city, naturally the mob presses Him on all sides. He can heal. Anybody today who even claims to heal can pack in a crowd. You can get 15,000 people into Madison Square Garden if you just tell them you're going to heal them. Even if you can't, they'll come just to find out if you can. And if you really can heal, they're there, believe it!

    In Jesus' time, they mobbed Him. That's why the Lord had to tell the disciples not to take any money because they could have made literally a fortune in a day selling healings. And so the people pile all around Jesus, His teaching, His preaching, the magnetism of His personality, His ability to raise the dead and heal people from any disease.

    And as He came into the city with the press of the crowd, there was one little guy that really wanted to see Him. You remember his name? Zacchaeus. And he was number-one public enemy, hated. He was a Jew who sold out to Rome for money. He became chief tax collector. He exacerbated tax out of Israel to the point of a fault. He defrauded them. He stole them blind. And he pocketed it all for himself and they hated him. Not only was he a traitor, but he was a crook. But he was fascinated by Jesus.

    Now how did he know about Him? Well, it hadn't been long before this that Jesus made a short trip to Bethany. And when He was there, He raised Lazarus from the dead. And the word went like wildfire. Bethany was the town between Jericho and Jerusalem, just up the hill. It's very likely that everybody would have known who the Mary, Martha, Joseph little family was...or Mary, Martha and Lazarus, rather. They would have known who they were. And, of course, the whole city was in an uproar when He raised him from the dead. And His enemies pursued Him that He had to go back on the other side of the Jordan for a while for safety's sake. At least He had to retreat away. And so they knew. He had practically banished disease from Palestine and so everybody knew who He was. They were all there. And Zacchaeus wanted a view of Him.

    Since he couldn't see like a little kid at a parade, he crawled up in a tree. And Jesus came along and He stopped and said, "Come down out of that tree, I'm coming to your house, I'm going to spend the night." Which wouldn't have done anything for the popularity of Jesus superficially because since this was the most hated man in town. But He had a wonderful evening with Zacchaeus and He transformed him. He redeemed him. The man was totally transformed. The reason we know that was he said to Jesus just before the dawning came and the thing was all completed, he said, "I'm going to give everything I give back to the poor, everything I've ever taken from anybody four-fold."

    And Jesus said, "Surely salvation has come to this house."

    That's the real thing! That's the real thing. He is the perfect opposite of the rich young ruler. True salvation, he wants to give it all away. You don't even have to tell him to do it, he wants to do it. Everything he's defrauded and more.

    And so, as the morning breaks and Zacchaeus is running around town settling his account and he's like some incredible Santa Claus giving everybody back four times what he took and saying it's all because of Jesus, the crowd perhaps even swelled greater. And the whole place is lined with people. Now you have to reach the other accounts to get that. We're not looking at that in verse 29.

    And so by now Jesus is ready to leave. He spent the night. He's going to Jerusalem. He must move to the Passover. And so we pick it up in verse 30. "And behold two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed by cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David."

    Now, it says in verse 29 "As they departed from Jericho" this happened. Mark says, in the comparative passage, "As they were leaving Jericho." But Luke says, "As He came near Jericho." Now people say, "How do you harmonize this? Isn't this a biblical error? Two have Him leaving, one has Him coming." And some say, "Well, if you remember that there was Old Testament Jericho and New Testament Jericho, it's possible that He was leaving Old Testament Jericho and entering into New Testament Jericho."

    But why would He stay overnight in the ruins? We don't know, maybe Zacchaeus lived over there. It's possible. We don't know the explanation, but we’re wonderfully content with the fact that there is an explanation... Beggars, from experience in studying the Bible, usually hung around the thoroughfares where the people were. And if we've ever been to Jerusalem, we know where they hang around. In fact, just outside the city gate. And that seems to be the rather traditional place for them.

    And so, perhaps one explanation of what might have happened is that, as Jesus is moving with this mob and they come to the gate and the crowd and the noise and all that's going on and they pass out the gate, then all of a sudden the cries of these blind men are brought to His attention at which point He turns to return into the city to confront them and meet them and find their need. Certainly a possible explanation. But it's really wonderful to note that each gospel writer is not intimidated by what the other says, therefore they're not copying some extraneous source. They are rather writing from their own heart under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And when you pull it all together, it makes wonderful and beautiful sense.

    And so, as Jesus moves along, perhaps going out the gate, moving directly west up that incredible incline to the plateau of Jerusalem, it is brought to His attention that these blind men are crying after Him.

    Now, verse 30 says, "Behold," and that is a term of exclamation. And the exclamation here is not because of the blind men, it isn't "Behold, two blind men," like that was some big deal. Probably the same two blind men that had been there a while. It wasn't that they were sitting, they always sat. And it wasn't they were along the road, they were always along the road. The reason they put a "behold" in there is because of what they said. They said, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David." And they call Him by His Messianic title. Two beggars, Mark says, who were begging, Luke says, sitting by the wayside, Matthew says, screaming out the Messianic title. Where did these guys come off as such consummate theologians? Where did they get their information and faith?

    That's the "behold." That's the exclamation. Not that they were blind or that they were there or that they were begging or that they were yelling, but it was what they were saying.

    At this point we find another wonderful thought. Luke only discusses one of the two, the more prominent one. But never says there was only one. And Mark goes a step further, he only discusses one of the two and he gives us his name. His name is Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Now we could wonder why he bothers to name him. Matthew just wants us to see the majesty of Christ. Luke emphasizes the same, but Mark touches the real human cord by naming this man. And perhaps is because he was well-known. Oh, not then but later. So that when Mark pens the gospel and the letters are written to the church to read about the account of the life of our Lord, when they can sit down and read this, they'll have there the story of the conversion of one who by now they greatly love. It's as if Mark is saying, "And you know who one of those guys was? It was none other than your friend, Bartimaeus." And so he picks up a little of history...of the history of one of the beloved brothers in the church by the time the gospel would be read by some.

    It's not unusual, by the way, for one gospel writer to mention two and the others to focus on one. You'll find the same thing in the maniac across the Sea of Galilee at Gerasa where some writers note two and some concentrate on the healing of one. That's the background.

    Now a brief outline and we'll run right through the simple story. Their sad plight, their sad plight, verse 30, it says, "When they heard Jesus pass by, they cried out saying, Have mercy on us." And then in verse 31 at the end, "They cried again saying the more, Have mercy on us." The word "cry" here is krazo, it means to scream. It's used in the New Testament of the screeching and screaming’s of demon possessed people, Mark 5. It's used of the screaming of insane people and epileptics. It's used of the cry, the loud anguish cry of a mother giving birth to a child.

    And the idea of the form of the text here is there was a constant screaming. They were yelling at the top of their voice, "Have mercy on us," a cry of anguish and a cry of desperation, cry of pain. They know that if Jesus gets out of the hearing of their voices, that they're doomed to blindness the rest of their life. They know this is the only one who can do this. And the desperation is powerful, the drama. You can imagine the shrieking and screaming of two men who know they've got one moment in time or the rest of their life they are to be blind stones. And they scream in almost a frenzy. And they say, "Have mercy on us."

    They didn't say, "Hey, God gave us a dirty deal, why don't You make it right." They recognized that they needed mercy. "Take pity on us. Look at our sad situation."

    There's a sense of humility in that that speaks of the mark of someone with true humility. They wail with an intense desire to be healed, but they make not demands and they make no claim to worthiness. And they are so persistent that they refused to be bludgeoned into silence by the indifferent crowd. Verse 31, "The multitude rebuked them that they should hold their peace and they screamed louder." The world always tries to keep people from getting to Jesus, don't they?

    It isn't anything really different. People get disgusted with beggars and if you've ever been in a part of the world where there are a lot of them, you really do kind of slough them off and they do get in the way and they're a little bit obtrusive.

    But, their heart was right. "Have mercy on us, take pity." They felt their deep need. They knew they deserved nothing. They cried for mercy. There's no merit in mercy. There’s no merit to be given to one who seeks mercy. They were quite different than the Pharisees who sought no mercy because they believed on the basis of merit; they possessed a right to everything. So we see their sad plight.

    And then their strong persistence. In verse 31, it says, "When the crowd tried to shut them up, they just kept screaming louder." And these people really wanted to get to Jesus, with spirit and their strong persistence.

    There's a third thing here to note...their sound perception. As blind as they were physically, they were equally able to see spiritually because of something they said. "O Lord, Son of David," verse 30, "O Lord, Son of David," verse 31, that's the Messianic title. They had come to the place where they believed that He was the Messiah. Now to what extent that faith extends? We don’t have an insight into the dimensions of their faith. But it was there to some extent or they wouldn't have been screaming as frantically as they were. There wasn't any doubt in their mind that this was their only chance. Maybe, we can say how sure they were, it was a chance or it was a real opportunity but they knew there wasn't any other and they put all they had into this one.

    And when they said, "O Lord," there must have been something in that. We don't know whether they assumed Him to be God, deity or whether they were giving Him a title of honor and respect which indicated that He was a sovereign of some kind, a lord of some kind. But when they said "Son of David," they were identifying Him as the Messiah. For it says in Matthew 1:1 in the beginning of the genealogies of Jesus that He is the Son of David, Son of Abraham. That is the most common Jewish term for the coming king because in 2 Samuel 7:12 and 13, when God gave the covenant and promised that there would come a greater king than David; it would be David's greater Son.

    And so, Son of David became the title by which Messiah was designated and Jesus was the Son of David, for Joseph, His father, had come in the Davidic line and Mary, His mother, had also come in the Davidic line. And He indeed was the Son of David. And when the birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Luke 1 verse 32, we read, "He shall be great and be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father, David, and He shall reign and the end of His Kingdom shall never come." And so they give Him a Messianic name.

    It's the same thing they called Him in chapter 21 when He came into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday in verse 9, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest." And verse 11 they said, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." So they are saying, "Jesus of Nazareth from Galilee, a prophet, is none other than Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the highest." And so it is a double act of faith. They have faith in His power to heal; they have faith in His person as Messiah. Maybe it was due to the resurrection of Lazarus. Maybe it was due to the ministry of John the Baptist a few years before, for they would have been in the proximity of the Jordan River out there and they may well have known John the Baptist, they may well have known that he had called for repentance in preparation for the Messiah. We don't know. They may well even have known Isaiah 29:18 which said that when Messiah comes He will give sight to the blind.

    But whatever it was, they had enough faith to know that they were in need of mercy and to believe that this was the one who could do for them what they needed done and that He was Lord to some extent and that He was Messiah to the full extent. And we believe that when we have come to the point of all the faith that is possible, the Lord will meet us at that point of faith and take us all the way to redemption.

    And that's what He does with these two men. "The faith of the blind rose to the full height of divine possibility." And so, we see their simple plea...sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea...verse 32, "And Jesus stood still and called them and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?" He stood still. Stop the whole procession.

    Here was a great moment in which three things could occur generally, Messianic proof again, millennial preview, and a marvelous picture of what He would do for the heart. It was a time to demonstrate His credentials all over again, but it was more than that, it was a moment of tender compassion on behalf of two needy people. And He called them.

    How did He call them? Well, if we read Mark's account it seems as though He called them with a messenger. Someone ran back and that's another reason why they were out of the city and somebody ran back to these guys who were over there by the gate. And he ran back and in Mark 10:49 says, "Be of good comfort, rise, He calls you." He wants you. And in Mark 10:50 it says, "The blind rose up and threw off his garment and went to Jesus." Once he heard that Jesus had gotten the message, he just threw away his garment and took off. Maybe he figured he'd come back and be able to see enough to find it again.

    And Jesus says, "What will you that I should do to you?"

    This is to evoke out of their hearts a greater expectation, this is to confirm in the crowd exactly what He was doing. And the response is a simple plea of verse 33, "They said unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be open." You see, they're confessing they're blind. And that needs to be made very clear. They were blind.

    And that leads to their supernatural privilege...supernatural privilege, verse 34, "And Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, immediately their eyes received sight." Now it says that Jesus had compassion. And that's the real message of this wonderful story. He felt their need. He felt their pain. He hurt for them. There is such tenderness in Him. He reached out and He touched their eyes.

    And Luke adds, "He said when He touched them, Receive your sight." And instantly all physical laws were set aside and just as God creates something out of nothing, Christ created seeing eyes.

    Interesting that the Greek verb here is anablepo, blepo, to see, ana, to see again which is to say that perhaps their blindness had occurred in life, not in birth. And so they were made to see again. Those who have lost their sight have a greater pain to bear than those who were born blind and do not know what they've missed. And so He restores to them their sight again out of compassion, touching and speaking.

    Oh, He used many methods. Sometimes He touched, sometimes He didn't. Sometimes they touched Him. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He merely thought a thought and they were healed. Sometimes He put fingers in ears, sometimes He used clay, sometimes He used spittle. He healed many, many different ways. But always His healings were total, complete, instantaneous and defied any natural explanation.

    As a footnote. There are a lot of people around today who want us to believe that they can heal. And we'll turn on our television from time to time and we'll see those kinds of things, but have we ever noticed the absence of blind people? Have we ever noticed that? Oh, they pretend to be able to help people hear and lengthen legs and help people with aches and pains, but where are the people who have glass eyes and all of a sudden they have seeing eyes? This is a monumental miracle. A person who may be crippled and full of pain can be made in the euphoria of a moment and the hype of their own mind and the energy of a situation and in a strong act of confident faith in some healer to stand up and take a few steps, but none of that stuff is going to make a person without eyeballs see. So let the healers’ line up who claim they have the gift and heal the blind or raise the dead.

    Now this takes us to a final point. This takes us to a final point in verse 34, "their submissive pursuit." Sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea, supernatural privilege, submissive pursuit, they pursue. The end of verse 34, "They followed Him." That's just a simple little statement but it's a beautiful statement.

    And what makes it especially beautiful is when they were healed, one of the other gospel writers, Mark, says, "Jesus said to them, Go your way...go your way." Well, what their way was? When He said go your way, what way did they go? Their way was His way from now on. This is just the kind of stuff that indicates real regeneration. And Mark 10:52 says, "Jesus said, Go your way, your faith has made you whole." Now listen carefully. The word there, "your faith has made you whole" is not iaomai, healed you, it's sozo, your faith has saved you. That is the classic New Testament word for "to be saved." Your faith has saved you. And inherent in what our Lord said there in Mark 10:52 to these blind men was this, "You're redeemed."

    Now listen carefully. We do not have to have faith in the New Testament record to be healed. There were plenty of people healed in the New Testament who didn't have faith. Dead people don't have faith. There were a lot of people healed in the New Testament that didn't have faith. We can look through all kinds of illustrations of that. But you can find all kinds of healings where there was no faith, but you'll never find salvation without faith. And so, whereas faith is not necessary for healing, faith is necessary for salvation. And when Jesus said, "Your faith hath saved you," that's exactly what He meant. Sure there was physical wholeness there and they did have faith in that, but it was more than that.

    In Luke 17, ten lepers came and Jesus said, "Go show yourself to the priest," and on the way all ten were cleansed, katharizo, a form of healing, they were all katharizoed, cleansed of leprosy. How many came back? One, to whom Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." I believe there were ten healed, there was one...saved.

    And there's another reason to think they really had a transformed life. It says they followed Him. Somebody's going to say, "Oh, but they were just following Him to Jerusalem." Well, that's right. But it says in Luke, "They followed, glorifying God." Glorifying God. And it even tells us, interestingly enough, in Luke 18:43, that all the whole multitude started chanting praise to God. And this thing starts mounting. And by the time they get to Jerusalem, we know what broke loose on Palm Sunday, right? He touched that city from top to bottom. He hit the richest guy, Zacchaeus, and a couple of poor beggars, the most despised up and inner, and the most despised down and outers, He got them all. What a demonstration. And it was sort of a final Messianic display that swept the crowd into the hosannas of Palm Sunday.

    Let’s hope it's testimony that we've been touched by the compassion of Jesus because we've cried for Him and He's made us see. Let's pray.

    We can all say with the blind man in John 9 that once we were blind and now we see when we've been touched with the saving grace of Christ. We thank You for that, our Lord, for whereas we were blind, we do see. And we thank You that Jesus is compassionate, that He is never too busy in the matter of redeeming the universe to stop to hear the cry of those in need.

    And that His heart is touched deeply with compassion for that heart. We thank You that when we who are spiritually blind come and cry out, O that our eyes may be opened, that the same Lord of compassion is there to open our eyes as well and our faith can make us to be saved, to be whole in spirit.

    We thank You, also, Father, that Jesus Christ has the power to heal all disease and someday will do that in glory at the redemption of our bodies when all sickness and sorrow and pain and death is banished forever. We thank You and we wait for that display of power. In the meantime, because we know that sickness must endure as long as sin endures, we thank You that our Savior is compassionate and He understands our frailties, He feels the pain of our fallenness, He sympathizes with our sorrow and has even in the midst of them His holy purposes that we through those things might be made more like Jesus Christ who is indeed a sympathetic high priest.

    We thank You for this glimpse of our dear Savior. We pray that we might see Him with as clear eyes as those two blind men saw Him. The Lord, the Son of David, the rightful King, the one alone who can save those who come in faith and cry for mercy out of their sad distress.

    With your head bowed in a moment as we close. If you have never come to the light of Christ, we would invite you to do that this morning. Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and accept His work on the cross for you and you will come to see with the eyes of the soul. Amen

    Commentary on Matthew 20:17-34

     

    The Third Prediction of the Passion and Triumph. 20:17-19.

     

    I. The Prediction itself.

     

    A. Affinities with 16:21 and 17:22-23.

     

    Here, as in both earlier passages, Jesus predicts both His death and His resurrection. As in 16:21, He identifies His enemies as "the chief priests and the teachers of the law" (Sadducee and Pharisaic interests are combined against the common foe). As in 17:22-23 Jesus had spoken of being "handed over" (paradid©mi) to the Jews, here (using the verb twice) He speaks of being handed over to both Jews and (by their instrumentality) to the Gentiles.

     

    B. Distinctive Features of this Prediction.

     

    In 16:21 Jesus predicted that "He must...suffer many things at the hands of [the Jewish authorities]" before His death. Here He says, "They [the Jewish authorities] will turn Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified" (v. 19). Gentiles do the actual mocking and flogging, but it is the Jews' purpose they fulfill. In other words, according to 20:19 no less than 16:21, Jesus "suffers many things" at Jewish hands.

     

    Noting that Matthew uses three infinitives of purpose ("in order to be mocked, flogged, and crucified") in place of Mk's finite verbs (10:34), Gundry comments: "Thus the center of attention shifts from the action of the Gentiles to the malevolent purpose of the Jewish leaders in handing Jesus over to them" (401). Cf. 26:2; 27:31.

     

    II. The position of the Prediction.

     

    Placed at this juncture, this third prediction (1) provides a foil to the petty ambitions of the disciples, 20:20-24, (2) anticipates the great declaration of v. 28, and (3) reminds readers at what great personal cost God bestows His unmerited favor upon His people (cf. 20:14-15).

     

    The Test of Greatness. 20:20-28.

     

    I. Jesus and the Family of Zebedee. 20:20-23.

     

    A. The Family's Request. 20:20-21.

     

    1. The source of the request. According to Mt, it is the mother of James and John who asks a favor on their behalf; according to Mk (10:35), it is James and John themselves. These two accounts may easily be synthesized.

     

    2. The reason for the request. That such a request comes from this particular family, may be attributed in part to Jesus' choice of James and John to be numbered among the "inner three" (cf. 17:1). There may well be another reason: "The mother of Zebedee's sons probably bore the name Salome (cf. 27:56 with Mark 15:40) and perhaps had Mary the mother of Jesus for a sister (see John 19:25). Family relationship, then, may lie behind the request". This in turn would explain the involvement of both mother and sons (as noted under 1.).

     

    3. The nature of the request. The mother's request that her sons be permitted to sit "on Jesus' right and left" in His kingdom, pertains not to the Messianic banquet (as foreshadowed in the Last Supper) but to the thrones closest to that of Jesus (cf. 19:28; the above interpretation of 20:1-16; and Gundry, 402).

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:22-23.

     

    James and John (and their mother) are ignorant of two things.

     

    1. Suffering comes before glory.

     

    a. The cup of Jesus. Jesus asks James and John, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" As applied to Jesus, the figure of "drinking the cup [potsrion]" signals His approaching experience of suffering and death (as just predicted, vv. 18-19). As He is the sin-bearer (1:21; 3:15), it also signals His personal experience of the wrath of God. It is chiefly the prospect of experiencing God's wrath, and the consequent separation from the Father, that causes Jesus to cry out in Gethsemane, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup [pots ion] be taken from Me" (26:39). Cf. ibid. 152-53.

     

    b. The disciples' expectation. That disciples could envisage glory without suffering, is clear from 16:21-17:13. Yet perhaps by this stage the sons of Zebedee are beginning to grasp that Jesus must enter into glory by way of suffering (for He has now thrice predicted His death and resurrection). And perhaps the words of v. 22b ("We can" drink your cup) are quite sincere. But if so, the words are as naive as they are sincere. For in the first place, even if the disciples are beginning to accept the inevitability of Jesus' death, they have as yet only the faintest understanding of the meaning of that death (cf. 20:28; 26:26-28). Had they perceived that Jesus would die as the sin-bearer and the object of the divine wrath, would they so quickly have affirmed their ability to drink His cup? And in the second place, the context suggests that the thrones closest to Jesus' own are reserved for those disciples whose suffering comes closest to approximating His own - i.e., whose suffering is marked by the greatest sacrifice and the greatest anguish (cf. v. 28). For James and John to make their present request intelligently, would require that they ask also for the grace needed to bear the suffering which leads to the glory (cf. 24:9; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 3:21).

     

    c. The disciples' experience. In response to the disciples' boast (v. 22b), Jesus says, "You will drink My cup" (v. 23a, RSV). The words "My cup" show that it remains Jesus' cup even as the others drink it. NEB well renders, "You shall indeed share My cup." In fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, James suffers martyrdom at the hands of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2); and John, while probably dying a natural death in old age, nonetheless suffers for Jesus' sake (Rev 1:9).

     

    2. The Father's will is decisive. "But to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father" (v. 23b).

     

    a. The Father's prerogative. According to Jesus, the apostles will sit on twelve thrones alongside His own (19:28). Jesus Himself will be enthroned, because the Father has granted Him, the Son of Man, authority to execute final Judgment (see especially Jn 5:19-27). From this we might infer that the apostles' authority to judge (19:28) also comes from the Father. Mt 20:23 leaves us in no doubt that this is the case; that the Father chooses the occupants of these two thrones, indicates that He has chosen the occupants of all twelve. Jesus declares (19:28) what the Father has authorized (20:23).

     

    b. The Father's choice. The Father has prepared these two thrones for a given two apostles of His choice. The preparation presupposes the choice. Which two apostles are to occupy those thrones has not yet been disclosed. That would undermine the very reason for the choice.

     

    c. The Father's reason. Those two seats are reserved (it appears) for apostles who identify most closely with Jesus in His willingness to serve and to suffer (v. 28, and 1.b. above), and who therefore are the least self-conscious, the least calculating, and the least ambitious (cf. 25:37-39). Such persons will be astounded to learn that they have been assigned the thrones next to Jesus: they would willingly take those furthest removed from Him. Those most like Jesus shall be seated closest to Him. Cf. 1 Cor 4:9, "us apostles...at the end of the procession."

     

    II. Jesus and the Twelve. 20:24-28.

     

    A. The Reaction of the Ten. 20:24.

     

    The reason for their indignation toward James and John, has already been considered.

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:25-28.

     

    Having brought all twelve disciples together (v. 25a), Jesus addresses the competitive pride that infects all the disciples and threatens to tear their company asunder.

     

    1. The destructive use of power. "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them" (v. 25b). The way of the world, as typified here by Gentile rulers, is to exercise power by demanding submission and service. The rulers' power readily serves the purpose of pride, in that by asserting their power they can keep their subjects beneath them. Power is the means of continually reminding subjects just who is in charge. And since this is (by the standards of the Kingdom) a spurious power, ever more strenuous effort is needed to maintain it.

     

    2. The creative use of power. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant [diakonos], and whoever wants to be first must be your slave [doulos]" (20:26-27). The apostles are endowed with stupendous power and authority, that of Jesus Himself (10:1; cf. 28:18-20). Yet as those who are slaves (douloi) of Jesus and fully accountable to Him as Lord, they have no right to lord it over others or to wield power as a means of advancing themselves. On the contrary, their slavery to Jesus manifests itself as slavery to other people (vv. 26-27). As those who experience the security and freedom of the Kingdom, they have no need to lord it over others. As those who emulate Jesus, they discover that self-giving service is the very means by which God releases the true power. Accordingly, the disciples' greatness does not lie beyond the service but precisely in the service. Jesus thus drives home the lesson about true greatness in ch. 18 and the lesson about equality in 20:1-16.

     

    3. Jesus the Servant. Jesus provides the supreme example of selfless service: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (v. 28).

     

    a. The power of service. If ever one possessed power and authority, it is Jesus the Son of Man. In coming to serve, he does not abandon power, He exercises power. Cf. Phil 2:6-8.

     

    b. The sacrificial death. He comes "to serve and to give",  or better, "to serve, i.e. to give" (the "and," kai, is epexegetical; following Gundry, 404). The singular focus of this verse is Jesus' service in death. The language is rooted in Isa 53:10-12.

     

    c. The ransom for many (lutron anti poll©n].

     

    (1) Jesus' death is redemptive. He liberates the "many" from the bondage and guilt of sin, at great cost to Himself.

     

    (2) In bearing the sins of His people (1:21), He simultaneously renders both the lowliest and the noblest service ever. Moreover, as the sin-bearer He dies in the place of the many, as their substitute (note the preposition anti).

    (3) The use of the word "many" is explained both by the presence of rabim, "many," in Isa 53:11, 12, and by Jesus' purpose to save a host of people from among both Jews and Gentiles. The term "many" embraces all of those, from whatever nation, for whom Jesus dies. The contrast is drawn between the many and the few (for some interpreters, "many" is equivalent to "all"). With respect to the Gentiles, observe how this saying relates to other passages: Before Jesus' death the proclamation of the Kingdom is confined almost entirely to Jews, both in Jesus' preaching (15:24) and in that of His disciples (10:6). Two things account for the shift from those sayings to the Great Commission of 28:18-20, namely Israel's rejection of their Messiah (21:18-22:14) and Messiah's death as "a ransom for many." Before the Gospel of liberation from sin may be taken to the Gentiles, the Savior must actually accomplish their liberation from sin. The work of salvation must precede the news of salvation.

     

    The Healing of Two Blind Men. 20:29-34.

     

    I. The Place. 20:29.

     

    The last stage of the ascent to Jerusalem (cf. 20:17) was "the road from Jericho, leading up the Wadi Qelt. On either side of the lower reaches of the wadi lay NT Jericho, a new foundation built by Herod the Great as his winter residence...about a mile south of OT Jericho". OT Jericho lay about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem, NT Jericho about 16. In Mt and Mk (10:46) the episode occurs as Jesus is leaving Jericho, whereas in Lk (18:35) Jesus is entering the town. One of the suggestions for harmonizing the accounts that Mt and Mk speak of old Jericho, and Lk of new).

     

    II. Affinities with 9:27-31.

     

    In both passages, (1) Mt speaks of two men, not just one (cf. Mk 8:22-26; 10:46-52); (2) the men confess Jesus to be "Son of David" (once there, twice here), and cry for mercy; and (3) Jesus touches their eyes, whereupon their sight is restored.

     

    III. Distinctive features of 20:29-34.

     

    Here (1) the men acclaim Jesus "Lord" (kyrios) as well as "Son of David"; and (2) Jesus includes no command to silence (here Jesus heals in public, there in private, 9:28; also, as Jesus is now much closer to the cross, there is less need to protect against the spread of false Messianism). Most significantly, while the first story places much greater stress than this one upon the blind men's faith (see 9:28-29; in 20:30-33 faith is not expressly mentioned, though it clearly underlies the men's words), the present story, in keeping with the immediately preceding verses, is concerned to present Jesus as a compassionate Servant to the needy. The verb splagchnizomai ("to show compassion") is used here (v. 34) but not there. Jesus uses His great power to heal others, not to save Himself.

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    Lives are changed when they come to Jesus a He commanded: 2Th 2:10 And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Th 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 2Th 2:12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe (obey) the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

     

    When the truth is presented to the church people today, we will either stop, think, or reason in their minds where they stand with God. We will think deeply about where we will spend eternity and go and seek the truth at all cost. But we refuse sound doctrine, and refuse to love anything besides our own misplaced conceived notions about Jesus Christ, why He came to earth as God, and died to set us free from the bondages of sin and the corrupt ways of the world.

     

    We love the lie, because it asks us to do nothing, to do nothing to prove our heart is real before God, not perfect, but in perfect submission to His will and word.
    But sad to say the strong delusion is everywhere today, and many of us who think are saved by some provision that was never made are still under this delusion, and refuse to examine ourselves to be sure we are in the faith, thus leading us down the wide road to destruction, loving the lie that declares us a poor, helpless sinner after we say the sinners prayer, and think we are right with God.

     

    We fall for every wind of doctrine, being led into a ditch by many well-meaning, and not so well meaning so called bible scholars who think we are safe, secure, and in the truth, when in reality we too are under the strong delusion, God promised to send to those who persist in the lie, making it virtually impossible for them to escape the snare of the father of lies!

     

    May we wake up, Come to love the truth, by counting the great cost of coming clean before God, loving His truth, and standing fast in it!

      Healing on the Way

    They said to Him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him” (vv. 33–34).  

     

    Matthew 20:29–34

     

    Christ began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession (Matt. 16:13–23). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi. This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He is the Messiah (17:14–18; 19:1–2). These men and women are among those who will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City (21:1–11).

     

    Today’s passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to complete His messianic work, for He has been in Jericho, located fifteen miles or so from the Holy City, about a day’s journey in first-century Judea. Leaving Jericho, Christ and His followers begin the ascent 3,000 feet up to Jerusalem, but they do not get very far before meeting two desperate men in need. These blind men, one of whom is named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), beg Jesus to heal them, confessing Him as the “Son of David” (Matt. 20:30), a title loaded with messianic assumptions. Knowing that the Messiah is present gives them hope that He will fulfill His call to work miracles and give them sight (see Isa. 35).

     

    Yet the crowd is displeased with these blind men, rebuking them as they cry out to Jesus (Matt. 20:31). They probably feel the beggars are unworthy of the Messiah’s attention since many first-century Jews thought blindness was God’s punishment for sin (John 9:1–3). It is also likely that they do not want Jesus to “waste His time” on these blind men. Those who believe Jesus might be the Christ would be looking for Him to enter Jerusalem immediately so that He might overthrow the Romans and set Israel over the world.

     

    For Jesus, however, it is not a waste of time to pause and heal the blind men, so moved is He by compassion (Matt. 20:32–34). This healing is against the people’s idea of what the Messiah should do, and it portends stronger opposition to come. The crowd that now does not want Him to help a fellow Israelite will later call for Jesus’ head when He does not live up to their expectations (27:15–23).  

      Coram Deo   When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals among us. As followers of Jesus, we must imitate His compassion and take the time to minister to hurting individuals even if it may sometimes get in the way of our own plans and purposes. What are we doing in our churches to make sure people are shown compassion and not forgotten?

    Lessons On Seeing From A Blind Man (Matthew 20 29-34)

     

    Jesus was now on His way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples.  Infinitely more important than that, however, He was going there to suffer and die (20:18-19).  He would be celebrating the Passover for the last time and then giving Himself as the one, final, perfect Passover Lamb, sacrificed for the sins of the whole world (Heb. 7:27).

     

    His arrest, trial, and crucifixion were but a few weeks away.  Why, we may wonder, did He take time to minister to two blind beggars?  In light of the disciples’ slowness to learn and believe, why did He not spend the last few days alone with them, drilling into them what He so much wanted them to understand?

     

    The reason was His compassion (v. 34).  When better could Jesus have demonstrated the depth and breadth of divine compassion than while He was on the way to His crucifixion?  The Twelve would one day look back on the healing in Jericho and on all His other acts of mercy and realize that their Lord was never too preoccupied to be compassionate, never in too much of a hurry to heal the afflicted, never in too much agony Himself to be insensitive to the agony of others.  That realization itself would be one of the most important lessons they would learn from their Master.  In these few verses is found one of the most beautiful portrayals of the loving, compassionate heart of God.

    We also see demonstrated in the actions of these two blind men how each of us are to approach the Lord.

    1A.      The Men (20:29-30)

    1B.      The blind men and their condition (20:29-30a)

    The crowd that followed (20:29)

    ·        Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem His disciples and are great crowd of pilgrims followed Him.

    The condition they were in (20:30a)

    ·        They were blind

    ·        They were beggars (Mark 10:46)

    This is our condition without Christ

    Revelation 3:17-18  "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing', and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked , 18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

    2 Corinthians 4:3-4  3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

    John 3:19-20 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

    We must see our true condition before we will call on Jesus!

    2B.      The blind men and their conviction (20:30-31)

    Their plea (20:30)

    ·        They were desperate.

    Cried out, (krazo); literally to cry out in anguish; it is the same word to describe the cries of a woman during childbirth

    ·        They were broken.

    ·        They cried for mercy!

    21 times the Psalmist pleads with God for mercy.

    Luke 18:13-14  13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

    ·        They believed

    O Lord, Son of David, this was the popular Jewish designation for the Messiah.

    Their persistence (20:31)

    ·        They would not be denied.

    ·        They would not be discouraged.

    No one had to beg these men to come to Christ!

    Why?  Because they were convinced that Jesus was who He said He was and that He alone was their hope.

    2A.      The Master (20:32-34)

    1B.      His call (20:32)

    Jesus stops for them.

    Psalm 4:1  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!  You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer

    Jesus stoops to them.

    Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

    Psalm 4:3   3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

    2B.      His compassion (20:33-34a)

    The Lord’s motive

    ·        Not the crowd

    ·        Not the worthiness or usefulness of the men.

    ·        Not the faith of the men.

    ·        His sovereign choice, His compassion!

    2 Timothy 1:9   (God) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

    The Lord’s method

    ·        He touched them and they were healed.

    3B.      His converts (20:34b)

    They followed Him

    ·        Though many followed Jesus without true faith these men seem a bit different.

    They had faith in Him

    Mark 10:52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

    They glorified Him

    Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

    Application

    We recognize our lost condition.

    We are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”

    We must humble ourselves before the Lord.

    James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

    We must cry out to God for mercy.

    Psalm 119:145-146 145 I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.  146 I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

    We must trust God to save us.

    Isaiah 12:2    Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid…"

    Commentaries:

     

    I want Jesus to "open my eyes" too so that I may be closer to Him with peace.  Blessings.

     

    I want Jesus to give me wisdom & I want him to make me a better man of God!

     

    I want Jesus to draw me closer to Him. As this blessing takes its course, I want my family to experience Him and come to know him as their personnel, Lord and Savior. And I would be truly happy.

    God Bless.

     

    I hope He'll provide what's best for me! Thy will be done in my life for I know it's going to be the best!

     

    I want Jesus to make me a strong Christian. I want to be the person He wants me to be. I want to know and do His will. I want my relationship with Jesus to grow. I want to know and love Him!!!

     

    I want Jesus to make me more firm and strong in my believe and take me to the highest faith always and guide me throughout my life. I want him to provide me a man of believe (Follower of Jesus) as my life partner

     

    I want the LORD Jesus to open my eyes so that I could see Him and to open my ears so I could hear Him and to have wisdom to spread the good news.

     

    I believe Jesus knows what I need or wants Him to do for me because my thoughts and my groaning are always before Him. But as the blind men did ,I will continue to place before Him my fate as a retired public worker in need of where and how to shelter my family let alone to give them three square meals a day..

     

    I want Jesus to save me from all troubles. I pray Jesus to solve all my problems and give me strength and peace.

     

    I want JESUS to give my mother perfect healing of breast cancer, electric brain, success in my posture exam that is coming up in few days from now, and finally financial brake true.

     

    Respectfully, I'd like for JESUS to continue to help me in many ways. Most importantly, growing closer to him and always tailoring my life and the way I conduct myself as JESUS did. Secondly, to continue to bless me with the HOLY SPIRIT so that I may always be led by the SPIRIT and not by human nature. Finally, I continue to thirst in many ways and would like to drink from the water that JESUS provides. The water that when consumed, you never thirst again. For this I pray is JESUS' name. AMEN.

     

    On this weekend of Pentecost I'd like to ask God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to let the power of The Holy Spirit be at work in the Pope who is the head of the Catholic Church.

    That we can all ask Jesus to "OPEN OUR EYES" so we can all listen and give more attention to the Pope's teachings since he is guided by God's word. That before making choices we may all consider what Jesus would do. Especially in politics what would Jesus say about our choices (Keeping in mind God's 10 Commandments).That we all may find joy from reading and understanding the bible. Also for us to all ask the Holy Spirit to touch us and enter into our hearts. For us to all become instruments of Peace, Love and Joy. See God in even person we interact with and most of all keep Jesus Christ in everything we do and say. Amen.

     

    When we do not know which decision to make that we may Open the Bible and re-read the 10 Commandments and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us because he will :)

     

    I want Jesus to protect my three sons and to guide me in following Him so I will never fail in my belief in Him. Blessings.

     

    To love like he does.

     

    From today Jesus to inspire every move I make. I want to feel His presence

     

    I want Gods presence at all time to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom that I would make the right choose

     

    I want my Lord Jesus to open my eye spiritually and provide light to the path that I walk, so that I never stumble and fall into the pit of darkness. I want Him to be my shepherd so that I as His humble sheep, walk in His guidance and do not get lost in sin.

     

    Jesus know the blind man what he is going to ask Jesus but Jesus is testing his faith Jesus never leave me always I want to follow him I need His strength to do good things for others the Holy Spirit always guiding to me.

     

    I want Jesus that he should fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit and be with me now and forever.  Jesus should protect me and guide and guard me always.

     

    I think firstly I want to ask him for forgiveness and for him to completely purify me and make me clean once again. I also want him to open the eyes of my heart so that I may see more things through his eyes. I would also want him to give me wisdom and understanding to better serve him. I also want him to show me what he wants me to do for him and also to give me a bigger heart that loving and forgiving. I would also like to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit.

     

    To get rid of my evil things, open my eyes so I can see the truth and open my ears so I can hear the word of God and keep the word forever.

     

    I want Jesus to keep me in His sight, help me overcome my sins and follow Him always. I love you Jesus. Blessings.

     

    l want Jesus to increase my faith and help me to be a person who is helpful to the society and to have the fruits of the holy spirit which are love, joy, peace, humility, kindness, tolerance, a forgiving heart and to be the best mother for my kids and husband.

     

    I want Jesus to increase my faith in Him, and to trust in His love, and know that if I lean on Him, He will take care of my needs. To help me to be patient and tolerant of others. To give me a forgiving heart, that I may learn to forgive and forget; and to forgive me my sins, and help me to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

     

    I would like to first Thank Jesus for all of the blessings he has given to me.  I would like to ask and invite God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to purify me and come live in my heart, to speak with me and guide me.  

     

    I would like to ask Jesus to give me the wisdom to understand his teachings.  Just like the blind men, I would like to ask Jesus for a kind heart (to open my Heart and give me eyes to see his truth) so that I could see Jesus in everyone I encounter and that I may treat others as he commanded we should with love, respect and less judgment.

     

    I would like to ask Jesus for inner peace, courage and a strong, clear voice so that I may do his will and help others.   Amen

     

    Ps. I would like to ask God to teach the world how to choose Love every minute of today in everything we do. Choose to love instead of war, unkindness or greed. Choose Love with our families and always turn the other cheek. Choose to love even when driving in our cars, have patients in traffic. Let us all who claim to love Jesus be that example of Love :) every moment every day.

     



    By: Gregorio Magdaleno
    Category: Two Blind Men Receive Sight
    Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
    Why did Jesus clear the temple in such a dramatic manner? Why did not he try to accomplish the same thing more diplomatically?

    Matthew 21:12-17 

     

    Jesus at the Temple

     

    Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.

     

    He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers!" 

     

    The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant, and said to Him, "Do you hear what these are saying?"

     

    Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?'" 

     

    He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. 

     

    Why did Jesus clear the temple in such a dramatic manner? Why did not he try to accomplish the same thing more diplomatically?

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17 - The Cleansing of the Temple.

     

    I. The Circumstances.

     

    A. The Time.

     

    Passover is yet nearer. The Cleansing occurs on Monday, the 11th of Nisan, just three days before the preparations for the Passover Meal. The Cleansing of Jn 2:13-22 also occurs at Passover; but this is a different event, early in Jesus' ministry

     

    B. The Crowds.

     

    Given the laws of Deut 16, Passover crowds were predictably huge. Jews streamed into

    Jerusalem from all over Palestine and from foreign lands as well (Acts 2:5-11 speaks of

    "Jews from every nation under heaven" gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost, another of

    the festivals required in Deut 16). Jeremiahs writes that "the influx of pilgrims at Passover

    time from all over the world was immense, and amounted to several times the population

    of Jerusalem"). He estimates that during a Passover in Jesus' day, there might be as many as 150,000 persons in Jerusalem, 25-30,000 of these being inhabitants of the city. Josephus speaks (in doubtless exaggerated terms) of a crowd numbering 2,700,000. This situation helps to explain the size of the crowds that accompanied Jesus from Galilee and into Jerusalem, Mt 19:1-2; 21:8.

     

    C. The Merchandising.

     

    Upon His entry into the temple, Jesus finds persons "buying and selling" (21:12). The

    scene is the Court of the Gentiles. The merchants in question first buy the requisites for sacrifice (animals, wine, oil, salt, etc.) and then sell them to the worshippers (most of whom, having travelled from afar, could not bring their offerings with them). Of the animals, Mt and Mk mention only doves, Jn "cattle, sheep and doves," and Lk none. Given the laws of Deut 16, the number of sacrificial victims for a Passover in Jesus' day "ran into many thousands" (Jeremias, Jerusalem, 57; see ibid., 48-49, 56-57).

     

    We can easily imagine how lucrative the business would be for those engaged in buying and selling the required merchandise. And there was doubtless the temptation, especially with many worshippers at the merchants' mercy, to charge exorbitant prices for the needed sacrifices.

     

    D. The Money-changing.

     

    Mt 21:12 speaks also of "the money-changers [kollybistai]." In the Palestine of Jesus'

    day the circulating currency consisted primarily of Roman money; but all money for the

    Jewish temple (notably the annual temple tax, 17:24) had to be paid in Tyrian coinage,

    "since the Tyrian shekel was the closest available equivalent to the old Hebrew shekel"

    (Lane, Mark, 405). The reason for this stipulation was therefore not that Roman coins

    bore "heathen embellishments," such as the emperor's image; for Tyrian coins bore

    heathen symbols too.

     

    The task of the kollybistai was to exchange Roman currency for Tyrian. The stipulated surcharge was minimal (1/24th of a shekel); but, or therefore, one might charge an exorbitant rate of exchange for foreign currency, or perhaps "short change" an unsuspecting foreigner. During Passover, money-changing might prove to be as lucrative as merchandising

     

    II. The Lord of the Temple.

     

    A. Jesus' Action.

     

    "Jesus entered the temple area 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" (21:12).

     

    The significance of this story lies first in the very fact that Jesus so acts. He has no priestly credentials; He comes from the tribe of Judah, not Levi (1:1-17). Yet He comes boldly into the temple and takes this action without having first consulted or asked permission of the high priest!

     

    B. Jesus' Right.

     

    He is not required to ask permission of anyone. For He Himself is Lord of the Temple, "God with us" (1:23). In 11:10 Jesus quotes Mal 3:1a. Both in applying the verse to John the Baptist and in changing the pronouns (so that the prophecy now reads, "I [Yahweh the Father] will send My messenger ahead of You [Yahweh the Son], who will prepare Your way before You"), Jesus implicitly identifies Himself as "the Lord [who] will suddenly come to His temple" (Mal 3:1b).

     

    The thought becomes explicit in the debate of Mt 12:3-8, where Jesus demonstrates that He is Lord of the Sabbath by declaring that He is greater than the temple. Now, having entered the temple, He speaks of it as "My house" (21:13). (These words, included in the quotation from Isa 56:7, were originally spoken by Yahweh. Here it is most natural to read the statement as Jesus' own, especially given the way Matthew has portrayed Jesus throughout the Gospel. But cf. Jn 2:16, "My Father's house.") As the Lord who ordained the temple in the first place, and who has now "come to His temple," Jesus is perfectly free to do whatever He chooses. We must now seek to understand why He chooses to exercise His authority in this particular way.

     

    III. Jesus' Protest against Commercialism.

     

    A. His Protest against Corruption.

     

    1. The OT background.

     

    a. Malachi. The Lord was coming, said Malachi, to purify the Levitical priesthood, so that the priests might "bring offerings in righteousness...acceptable to the

    Lord" (Mal 3:3-4). Cf. the powerful denunciation of priestly corruption in Mal 1-2.

     

    b. Jeremiah. In Mt 21:13, explaining the action of v. 12, Jesus declares: "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" The last phrase is drawn from Jer 7:11, which reads "Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the

    Lord."

     

    LXX translates "den of robbers" spslaion lsst©n, the very phrase used in Mt 21:13. Jer 7:11 comes amid the famous "Temple Sermon." Jeremiah likens the people of Judah to "robbers" because of their manifold sins against God and neighbor (vv. 5-6, 9).

     

    The temple, in turn, has become a "robber's cave", a hideout where bandits may find protection from the authorities. In other words, the people of Judah consider that, however numerous and grave their sins, the temple and its rituals provide them security from Yahweh's judgments and the safety needed for continuing their life of sin.

     

    2. Jesus' twofold attack. Jesus attacks the merchants themselves for their corrupt practices. That there were in fact such practices, has already been indicated. That Jesus directs His attack against them, is strongly indicated by His citing Jer 7. The use of the term "robbers" is most significant in this context, where both sets of people in question handle money. Note that among the sins cataloged in Jer 7 are "oppressing the alien" and "stealing" (vv. 6, 9). "The use of Jer 7:11 shows [Jesus] protesting exorbitant rates of exchange for foreign currency and high prices for sacrifices"

     

    Moreover, considering the significance of Malachi for interpreting this event, we can say

    that Jesus by implication attacks the priesthood that tolerates such corruption in God's

    House.

     

    B. His Protest against Commerce Itself.

     

    1. The OT background.

     

    a. Isaiah. "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer'" (Mt 21:13a, quoting Isa 56:7. In the opening verses of Isa 56, Yahweh addresses words of comfort and hope to two sorts of people in particular, eunuchs and foreigners.

     

    Concerning the latter, Yahweh says: "Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, 'The Lord will surely exclude me from His people'" (v. 3a). "And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him..., these I will bring to My holy mountain [i.e. the temple] and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (vv. 6-7). The worship of the temple is hereby opened to members of other races. "The acceptance of foreigners' sacrifices means that, properly speaking, they cease to be foreigners" (Isaiah 40-66).

     

    b. Zechariah. While Zech is not quoted here, it contributes to the background needed for understanding Jesus' action. The close of Zech reads: "And on that day [the Day of Yahweh] there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty" (14:21b, NIV). But in NIV mg. we find "merchant" in place of "Canaanite." The Hebrew is indeed kena'ani. But NIV mg. correctly represents the intended meaning. The term "Canaanite" in some contexts means not a race of people but a class of merchants ("because Canaanites, especially Phoenicians, were traders,"); cf. Baldwin, TOTC, 180, 208. The present instance of kena'ani is rendered "trader, merchant" in BDB.

     

    Another such instance is Prov 31:24, which NIV renders, "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes." There is also a theological reason for questioning the translation "Canaanite" in Zech 14:21. For the coming Rule of Yahweh, as prophesied by Zechariah, embraces rather than excludes Gentiles (9:10)! (Alternatively, "Canaanite" may be regarded as an epithet for "pagan," like ethnikos in Mt 18:17.)

     

    2. Jesus' purpose. It is not merely the merchants' corruption that Jesus opposes; it is their very presence. This is evident from the juxtaposition of "house of prayer" and "den of robbers" in Mt 21:13. What was meant to be a place of worship has become a house of trade. Cf. Jn 2:16,

     

    "Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father's house into a market!": "the objection is not to their dishonesty, but to their presence"

     

    The merchandising and money-changing take place in the Court of the Gentiles. The Gentiles had few privileges in the temple; this court was as far as they dared to venture. And even that little to which they were entitled was being usurped; merchants were crowding them out of their appointed place of worship.

     

    IV. Jesus' Protest against Exclusivist.

     

    A. Jesus' Saving Purpose.

     

    Entering Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zech 9, Jesus declares His intention to save Gentiles

    as well as Jews. This purpose is again visibly demonstrated when He cleanses the

    temple. The Jewish merchants are driven out in order to provide for the Gentiles what is

    rightfully theirs, a place to worship Israel's God.

     

    B. Jesus' Fulfillment of Prophecy.

     

    1. Jesus and Isa 56. Now that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated, it is time for the full realization of this prophecy. By the saving work Jesus has come to accomplish, Gentiles are newly to be welcomed into the House of God and into the Household of Faith (Isa 56:3-7). There is one curious feature in Mt's quotation of Isa 56:7. Whereas the quotation in Mk 11:17 runs "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations," Mt's version (which otherwise employs Mk for this episode) omits the last three words. Perhaps he does so to allow a starker contrast between "house of prayer" and "den of robbers".

     

    It might also be suggested that, given the strong emphasis on Gentile salvation elsewhere in the Gospel, Matthew considers it sufficient to leave it to be inferred in the present instance. The principal reason for this omission is perhaps, given the forthcoming judgment upon the Jewish nation, which entails the destruction of the temple itself (Mt 24:2), there will in fact be no place for Gentile worship (this reason is strengthened if we join in believing that Mt was written after 70 A.D.) Or at least this house of worship will no longer exist.

     

    Jesus' purpose for the Gentile nations will still be realized, not in the temple of Jerusalem

    but in the Church which He has come to establish. This great transformation concerning

    the very nature of the temple is already being revealed in Jn 2:19-21, and it is fully manifested in the NT epistles (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-9).

     

    2. Jesus and Zech 14. As in the Entry Jesus fulfilled Zech 9, here He fulfills Zech 14. The dawn of the Day of the Lord calls for the expulsion of merchants from the temple, Zech 14:21. While this verse is not included in any Evangelist's account of this event (but see Jn 2:16), it does help to explain Jesus' action in the temple: (1) the legitimacy of the rendering "merchant" at Zech 14:21, together with that whole chapter's focus on the coming of the Day of Yahweh; (2) the emphasis in Zech 14 (together with Zech 9) on Gentile salvation, a theme presented with special poignancy in this chapter in that the Gentiles whom Yahweh saves are survivors of the nations against whom He has fought! (for judgment against the Gentiles, see 14:2-15; for their salvation, v. 16); (3) the influence of Zech 9-14 as a whole upon Jesus' words and actions during Passion Week (beginning with the Entry); and therefore (4) the influence of these chapters on the Passion Narratives of the Gospels.

     

    V. Jesus' Protest against Favoritism. 21:14-16.

     

    The material of vv. 14-16 is almost all peculiar to Mt. Attention now shifts from merchants to the blind, the lame, and the children; and to some new OT passages.

     

    A. Jesus Heals the Blind and the Lame. 21:14.

     

    1. The OT background. To understand Jesus' encounter with "the blind and the lame" in the temple, we turn to 2 Sam 5. This chapter records David's conquest of Jerusalem, the Jebusite stronghold. Upon the arrival of David and his army, the Jebusites contemptuously boast, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off" (v. 6). Then we read in v. 8: "On that day, David said, 'Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies.' That is why they say, 'The "blind and lame" will not enter the palace.'"

     

    This (NIV's) rendering of bayit by "palace" should be corrected to "house" (RSV). The "house" in question is in all probability not the king's palace but the sanctuary, i.e. (in time) the temple.

     

    2. Jesus' purpose. Jesus' healing the blind and the lame demonstrates, yet again, that He is indeed "the One who was to come" (cf. 11:2-6, especially 5). His healing them on this occasion is especially appropriate. For He has just entered the capital as the Messiah, the Servant-King. And He is now in the temple. The present miracles demonstrate Jesus' reversal of 2 Sam 5:8, or, to be more precise, his eradication of the false application of that saying. "David was using 'the lame and the blind' as a figurative epithet for the Jebusites. By healing the blind and the lame right within the Temple, Jesus denies the Jews' false deduction from David's statement namely, that the blind and lame should be barred from the temple. Jesus again shows that He is the champion of the helpless and the oppressed, of "the least" and "the poor in spirit."

     

    B. Jesus Receives the Acclaim of Children.

     

    "But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did

    and the children shouting in the temple area, 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' they were

    indignant. 'Do you hear what the children are saying?' they asked Him. 'Yes,' replied

    Jesus, 'have you never read, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained

    praise"'" (vv. 15-16)

     

    1. The children's exclamation. Their words, "Hosanna to the Son of David," echo, and are apparently to be understood in the same way as, the crowd's words in v. 9. On this showing, they are a genuine expression of acclaim but an inadequate confession of faith (cf. comments on v. 9). But a final decision about meaning, must await an examination of v. 16.

     

    2. The OT quotation. In responding to the protestors, Jesus quotes from Ps 8:2 (the Greek of 21:16b is identical to the LXX). Ps 8:1b-2 reads (in NIV), "You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." For "praise," NIV mg. has "strength" in accord with the original Hebrew 'oz, "strength, might." Mt 21:16, following LXX, has ainon, "praise."

     

    The portion that Jesus quotes is meaningful for two reasons: (1) Children are among those most likely to appreciate the wonders of God's creation. "The child utterly and completely surrenders to the impression produced by things which are great and glorious, and does so in an unaffected and direct manner" (Psalms, 141). (2) God has ordained that very utterance of praise, as His chosen means of conquering His adversaries (note the cluster of terms in v. 2b, "enemies ...foe and avenger").

     

    Reverting to the original Hebrew ('oz), translates, "By the mouth of babes and infants thou hast founded a bulwark to defy thy adversaries". It is a case of God's choosing the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor 1:27), of perfecting His strength through weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10).

     

    3. Jesus' intention.

     

    a. Jesus and His enemies. Here in the temple, as in the Psalm, children's shouts of praise are offered in the presence of God's enemies, they being in this case the chief priests and teachers of the law. Moreover, as in the Psalm, the utterance of praise, "Hosanna to the Son of David", is the very means God has appointed for opposing the enemies. To be sure, the children's words fall short of being an adequate confession of faith in Jesus. But their words are nonetheless true, Matthew himself acclaims Jesus as Son of David!

     

    Furthermore, the children affirm something about Jesus which surpasses, which indeed diametrically opposes, what the chief priests and the teachers of the law believe about Him. The shouts of the children serve as a bulwark against, and an indictment of, the religious leaders' unbelief.

     

    b. Jesus and the children. As in 19:13-15, Jesus shows His tender regard for the young. The children in the temple are identified as paides, i.e. as children older than paidia (the term used in 19:13-14), and older also than the nspioi ("infants") and thslazontes ("sucklings") of Ps 8:2. That paides is used here is not surprising, for these children are old enough to visit the temple and shout their praises. Still the older children (paides) qualify, together with the blind and the lame, as those who might readily be overlooked or despised in the counsels of the mighty. Jesus respects those whom others neglect or ostracize.

     

    c. Jesus and God. The praise of Ps 8 was directed toward Yahweh: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" (vv. 1, 9, an inclusio). The praise offered by the children in the temple is likewise ordained by Yahweh. But now their praise is directed to Jesus. By implication, Jesus is identified with Yahweh. (That the children are unaware of what they are doing, does not lessen the reality of what is happening.)

     

    VI. The Conclusion. 21:17.

     

    A. Jesus' Departure.

     

    "And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night." The Greek verb behind "left" is kataleip©, "leave behind." The Markan parallel (11:19) uses ekporeuomai, "to go out"; cf. Lk 21:37, exerchomai, "go out." Moreover, Matthew's choice of verb allows him to use a direct object: "He left them behind." The immediate context makes it plain that the pronoun denotes "the chief priests and the teachers of the law" (v.15), the ones to whom Jesus addresses the question of v. 16. We conclude that the verb of v. 17 signals Jesus' abandonment of His antagonists.

     

    Significantly, kataleip© is the very verb used in 16:4; in both instances Jesus' departure is an act of judgment upon His adversaries, the Jewish religious leadership in Jerusalem.

     

    B. Jesus' Lodgings.

     

    Because of the crowded conditions in Jerusalem during the major festivals, especially

    Passover, many pilgrims had to find lodgings outside the city. Jesus' needs were met in

    Bethany, in the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha (Jn 12:1-2)

      21:12-17: A House Of Prayer

    Authored By Rev. Takao Kiyohiro, Tokyo, Japan

    1. This passage of scripture records the facts concerning Jesus' entrance into the capital city of Jerusalem. A great crowd accompanied the journey of Jesus as He ascended into Jerusalem. Then at last when Jerusalem was visible, the expectations of the people flared spontaneously and their fervor reached a peak point. ("The time has finally come! The time has come for Jerusalem to be set free from Gentile rule! The time has come for the land of Israel to be delivered from the hands of the Romans, for the Davidic dynasty to be restored, and for it to be rebuilt!). Some spread their clothes on the road, others cut down tree branches and spread them on the road, the people walking ahead and the people following from behind shouted, "Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest," (verse nine).

     

    2. That's how it was when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Right after that, Christ displayed some astonishing behaviors in the temple. Actually if we go by Mark's Gospel, it would be the following day. Matthew deliberately depicts it right after the entry into Jerusalem. In brief, the very first thing those seeking deliverance while in Jerusalem had seen was the figure of Christ on the temple grounds turning over the money changers' tables and driving out the dealers.

     

    3. Den Of Robbers: Please look at verse twelve. The scripture contains the following words: "After that, Jesus entered the temple grounds, then He drove out all those who were buying and selling there, He knocked down the stands of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Then He said, 'It is written. My house should be called a house of prayer. But instead, you have made it into a den of robbers.'," (verses twelve and thirteen).

     

    4. It's quite a very shocking scene. It's obviously an unusual behavior for anybody watching. Why did Jesus do such a rude thing as that? We must seek for an answer to that from Jesus' own words. At that moment, Jesus quoted from the words of Isaiah that "My house should be called a house of prayer." Looking at it from the Lord's perspective, it would mean the temple was no longer "a house of prayer." Worse still, it wasn't just that it wasn't a house of prayer, but the Lord went even further and said that "You have made it a den of robbers."

     

    5. Isn't the term "a den of robbers" a bit extreme? Even though Jesus used such language, He had a reason. There once was [someone else] in the temple at Jerusalem who had spoken those words in the same manner. It was the prophet Jeremiah. His words at that time were left behind in the Old Testament scripture. Please look at Jeremiah chapter seven beginning with verse three.

     

    6. "The God of Israel, the Lord of the armies says this. Straighten your ways and deeds. Then, I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in the vain words of the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. ... But, look, you will trust in these vain words, but they do not have saving power. While you rob, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow the heretical gods whom you do not know, will you come to this temple called by My name and stand before Me and say, 'We're saved?' Aren't you doing all manner of abominable things? Does this temple, which is called by My name, look to you like a hangout for robbers? It does. It looks that way to Me too, says the Lord," (Jeremiah 7:3-11).

     

    7. It was about the end of the seventh century B.C.E. when the prophet had spoken. It was the period when king Jehoiakim was ruling the land of Judah. Jehoiakim had been set up as king by the pharaoh of Egypt. As we see from that, it was a period when the Judean people were threatened by the power of the great land of Egypt. The worries of that society drove the people to the temple. At that time period, the worship in the temple was held with great fanfare. The phrase of "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord" which was repeated like some spell might be, shows how they made the temple of the Lord as the basis for their minds and hearts. The people sought for peace of mind, they sought for protection from Egypt and rushed to the temple.

     

    8. The temple was crowded with many many people. Wasn't that just wonderful? But, through Jeremiah, God threw them a truly severe message. He said even though they were trusting in that vain phrase [of theirs], it had no saving power. Why [not]? Because during the crisis in Judah, the only thing God required of them was sincere repentance and nothing but that. The Lord said, "Straighten out your ways and deeds." But, while they held elaborate worship services in the temple, they didn't have any sincere repentance or obedience unto the word of God. With their backs turned against God still, they were just a herd of people there seeking only for God's protection [but] in a superstitious way. To them the temple was only a refuge for them to turn to obtain peace [of mind]. It was hardly any different from a hideout in which thieves might hide themselves and feel free from worry after performing their evil deeds. Thus, God called it "a den of robbers."

     

    9. About six hundred and forty years later, Christ would stand like Jeremiah once did at the temple and speak using the same words. "Thus, it is written. 'My house should be called a house of prayer.' But, you have made it a den of robbers." When Jesus saw the temple, it wasn't "a house of prayer" there. It wasn't sincere and true worship there. They didn't have a living relationship with God there. Just as in the time of Jeremiah of old, the temple had been turned into a den of thieves for just protection and to get peace of mind. For that reason, As Christ entered Jerusalem, He headed for the temple first, and while there He showed rude and drastic behavior.

     

    10. We must remember that the first actions of the Christ who had come to Jerusalem to bring salvation for humanity to fulfillment was a strong protest against the way the temple was but ought to be. Back in the time of Jeremiah, the people of Jerusalem brought up the question of the threat from Egypt. They sought for deliverance from Egypt. But, Jeremiah brought up the question of what was happening in the relationship between God and each person. In the time of Jesus, the people brought up the question of the government of Rome over them. And they sought for deliverance from Rome. But, the Lord brought up the question of what was happening in the relationship between God and each person.

     

    What's going on between us [and the Lord]? When deliverance is spoken about, we always bring up the question of outside forces causing us suffering from the outside. We wish for first that our burdens would be taken away and we would be freed from suffering and pain. But, first things first, the savior brings up the question of our relationship with God. Christ proceeded to the temple first. Christ saw that prayer, worship, and one's fellowship with God was the most important matters in humanity's salvation.

                                       

    Bringing Back The House Of Prayer

     

    11. While the text thus records Christ's use of force loaded with His indignation and may be quite unusual, yet the figure of the people approaching Christ doing that is described in the text. "On the temple grounds, as the blind and the lame came up to Jesus, He healed them," (verse fourteen).

     

    12. The blind and the lame. They were only permitted to enter as far as the temple grounds. That was because the terminology of "The blind and the lame must not enter the temple" was a tradition going back to David, (Second Samuel 5:8). They were excluded from worship at the temple. But, their eyes and legs were healed by Christ. That meant more than just having their physical suffering removed. The main thing here is that they were restored back as worshippers. In that sense, the event taking place here is one along the same lines as when the Lord had called the tax collectors and the sinners. In one sense, worship in the temple was judged by Christ's words and purified, but then the people who had been excluded from worship services till then were restored back as worshippers and called into fellowship with God. Also, it is described as miracles of healing by Christ. In other words, it is recorded as a work by God's mercy that just only He could offer.

     

    13. Also along with the miracle of the healings, something about children is recorded. It says that on the same [temple] grounds taking place as one continuous event with the whole account, the children were shouting "Hosanna to the son of David" and were praising the Christ. The chief priests and the scribes of the law took issue with that. If going by the authorities of the temple, Jesus' actions were problematic in obviously contradicting their religious authority, and [his actions] were only blasphemous unto God. They could not tolerate one bit even these children speaking of this one who was acting [blasphemous] like that and giving forth praises of "Hosanna to the son of David" [to Him]. They said to Jesus, "Can you hear what the children are saying?" In effect, they were telling Him to put an end to this blasphemy immediately.

     

    14. However, quoting words from the Psalms, Jesus replied to them with this: "[They] will be heard. Haven't you yourselves ever read the words 'In the mouths of toddlers and babes, He would make them sing praises'?," (verse sixteen). In other words, what was happening here is but the fulfillment of what was actually sung in the Psalms. This is not saying that children seem more sincere or have sharper sensitivity and more power to understand than adults. The main thing here is that "God" would make them sing praises. God would instruct into the children's mouths His praises. In other words, just as what happened to the blind and the lame, as just a work of God, a new thing would happen even upon these children too by Christ's being there. While the people, who were under the impression that they themselves were worshippers, had ended up making the temple a den of thieves, the children, who were not even admitted into the numbers of worshippers, would be made into worshippers. In this manner then, what we see in this passage of scripture is not just the figure of Christ alone judging the reality of how the house of prayer became just a den of thieves. The figure of Christ is also described as bringing back the house of prayer there.

     

    15. Several days after this happened, Christ was crucified. Salvation did not materialize in the form the people had wished for. Rome still ruled over Israel. But, Christ had certainly entered into the capital city of Jerusalem for salvation, and that salvation did come into fulfillment because through means of Christ's cross and resurrection, the true house of prayer was rebuilt, whereby forgiveness of sin is given on this earth and a relationship of life with God is realized. The visible temple would end up destroyed in about forty years after this. But, the house of prayer known as the church, the body of Christ, will go on to exist unchanged to this day. We, too, are called to this house of prayer as true worshippers, that we might live in fellowship with God. Our salvation that we have lies right there in this eternal fellowship with God in Christ.

     

    Matthew chapter 21 is another wonderful and thrilling adventure with the Lord Jesus Christ in the week in which He was crucified. We have entered into the twenty-first chapter of Matthew and thus have come to the final week of our Lord's earthly life and ministry. On Friday He will die.

    But our text today is on Tuesday, the day after His inauguration, His coronation, His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Monday. He had entered into the city of Jerusalem to the cries of "Hosanna, to the Son of David, Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest," as tens of thousands of people hailed Him as the King, the Messiah, the deliverer, the Savior. It was a wonderful day in one sense because He was receiving praise that is due His name.

    The procession on Monday had really begun outside the eastern gate as Jesus coming from Bethany had already gathered a large group of people with Him and another large mass of people inside the city were coming to meet Him. So the two groups surged together outside the eastern gate. And then the procession began and it went through that gate into the city. And the "hosannas" rang out for how long a period, we don't know, but the procession finally ended at the temple. In Mark 11:11, Mark tells us that Jesus came in that procession to the temple. And the procession ended there. And He returned to Bethany, there to spend the night with Mary, Martha, Lazarus and the twelve disciples.

    It's now Tuesday morning. Another day has dawned. One day closer to Calvary. And on Tuesday, He goes right back to the same place He had left Monday night, back to the temple. And in verses 12 to 17, we find out what happened when He arrit ved there.

    Now before we look at the text, note that at this particular time of Passover, Jerusalem is literally teeming with people. It has swelled maybe three or four or five or more times its normal size. Pilgrims from all over that part of the world have pushed their way into the city to participate in the Passover. And the Passover tradition said that in order to celebrate the Passover, you had to be inside the city of Jerusalem. Now the only way that everybody could get into the city of Jerusalem was if they moved the boundaries because inside the wall the people could not be contained. So it was customary at Passover time to put out a little edict that extended the boundaries of Jerusalem to encompass at least the villages of Bethany and Bethphage and other surrounding areas.

    The city couldn't contain the pilgrims. The inns were all full. The open areas within the walled city were filled up with little tents and campfires where the people were settling in for the Passover season. They stayed with friends in Bethphage, Bethany and other surrounding villages. And so, Jesus, along with a lot of other folks, and His twelve disciples were staying in a home in Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

    One of the places in the city that was most crowded with pilgrims was the temple. And although the Jewish law forbid that anyone should sleep in the temple, they were not allowed to do that, they would camp as close to it as they could. And so all around the temple precinct, the outer wall of the outer courtyard would be pilgrims and their tents and their little blankets sleeping out in the night. And some of them were sleeping in the buildings adjacent to the building that were owned by the temple proprietors. So the city is literally exploding with people. And the temple is the focal point of everything.

    All week long it is alive with pilgrims, coming to see it, coming there to pray, coming into the court of the women to put their offerings in the trumpet-shaped receptacles that hung on the walls, coming with sacrifices and offerings of all kinds to give to God to seek cleansing from their sin, to deal with other kinds of issues as well. Ceremonial cleansings, purification rites, oh, the temple was the center of everything. And it is to the temple that Jesus comes and introduces us to one of the most amazing and marvelous scenes of this last week of His life.

    Now as we approach verses 12 to 17, which is the temple encounter, look at it from a very special perspective. it is the presentation of Jesus' Messianic credentials. He give the populous of Jerusalem and most specifically the chief priests and scribes a very clear testimony as to the nature of His Kingliness and the nature of His Kingdom. He makes a statement here that could never be misunderstood.

    Remember that from the first demonstration that really ever happened around Jesus in Galilee, when He revealed His great power, His miracle ability. The people had tried to take Him and make Him a king by force so that He would overthrow Rome and provide all that they needed socially and economically and militarily and so forth. And all through His ministry, He had resisted those attempts. Whenever they tried to make Him a king, He resisted that. And on Monday, as we saw last time, in a great statement about the nature of His kingship, He had ridden into the city for His coronation on the foal of a donkey, sitting on a used robe thrown over that donkey by one of the disciples while people threw tree branches and old clothes in His path.

    He was weaponless and His retinue was a group of common nobodies. And He was saying, in effect, the nature of My Kingdom is not as the kingdoms of this world. We see no pomp and glory, we see no earthly majesty, we see no military might. But still in their hearts, they hoped that He would do that, that He would overthrow the Roman yoke, that He would break the bands of the Roman oppressor, that He would free them to the nobility they themselves believed as Jews that they should have, the nobility that comes only to free people.

    And just to be sure that they haven't missed His message, He enters into the temple and demonstrates to them again the nature of His kingliness and the nature of His Kingdom. And it is a far broader, a far greater demonstration even then was His lowly inauguration.

    Now, look at these verses and mark the kingly credentials of Christ. First of all, He showed He was on a divine mission. And that is simply pointed out in the first statement of verse 12, "And Jesus went into the temple of God."

    The temple of God is never used in the New Testament as a phrase anywhere but here, so it seems unlikely that some scribe would put it in, but if you understand what Jesus is about to do, it makes all the sense in the world that  Matthew would have affirmed that this was the temple of God when Jesus is about to describe the utter ungodliness of its activities."

    Jesus went into the temple of God on a divine mission. He went to the temple of God. That was where He wanted to be. The temple is the issue, not Rome. What is going on militarily, politically, socially, economically is not the major issue. And the Messiah did not come initially in His first coming to solve those problems, although He will in His Second Coming solve those problems, all of them. But before He comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to establish His own glorious and eternal Kingdom and to solve all problems that exist in the earth today, He first of all must come and be received by men in their own hearts. And so His first coming was as Savior before He could come as full and final glorious King in His Kingdom.

    His business is with worship, not with society, not with politics. The temple is not the issue, or the temple is the issue, not Rome. Our Lord is not concerned with the people's relation to Rome, He's concerned with the people's relation to God. That's His focus.

    And this ought to be abundantly clear to any student of the New Testament because when Jesus came the first time to Jerusalem, this is exactly where He went also. And if we go back to John chapter 2 and notice verses 13 to 17, we will find there how He began His ministry at a Passover. And the Jews' Passover was at hand. Jesus went to Jerusalem, found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers of money sitting. And when He made a whip of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers money and overthrew the tables and said to them that sold doves, "Take these things from here, make not My Father's house a house of merchandise."

    So, when He started His ministry, He started it at the temple and when He ends it, He ends it at the temple. He's seen a lot of things in the years intervening. He has seen social injustice. He has seen economic inequities. He has seen oppression by the Romans. He has seen deprivation. He has seen the poor suffering abuse. He has seen lot of things. But His mission never changes. His whole ministry here is given very clear perspective. He was concerned with how people worshiped, with how people worshiped. He was concerned with their relationship to God, not their relationship to earthly kingdoms. It wasn't so important to Him how it was with men and men as it was with men and God.

    He is identifying for us clearly the turf, or the territory of His mission. Three years had not changed that purpose. He goes right back to the temple, even though He had passed and seen many things inconsistent with God's design and God's will, as it was between men and men, the priority thing was between men and God, for only when men are right with God can men be right with men. Many things needed a soldier, many things needed an army, many things needed a social reformer, but more than that, men needed God and they needed true worship and they needed to know God's standard and God's will, God's purpose for their relationship to Him.

    Peter picked it up from the Lord and said it this way in 1 Peter 4:17, "Judgment must begin at the house of God." It begins at the house of God. As long as things were wrong in the house of God, they would be wrong in the nation. You see, the measure of any society is the relation it has to God. Worship is the issue. Read Romans 1, worship is always the issue. The problem with society is not that it has bad laws, the problem with society is not that it has human inequities. The problem with society is that it has abandoned God. And some would accuse us of being indifferent to the national political issues, indifferent to the social issues and the social scene, that is not true. We are not indifferent to those things but we know what Jesus knew and what Peter reiterated, that judgment must begin at the house of God.

    Christ claim to cleanse the temple. "O Christ, cleanse the church...cleanse the church," because that and that alone is the hope of the country, the hope of the nation, the hope of the world.

    And what did He find when He came to the temple? He had cleansed it once and it had gone back and reverted to exactly what it was the first time He came. You say, "Then why bother?" Because He came to the temple to vindicate the holiness of God. The issue wasn't whether they reacted rightly, the issue was that they should see the holiness of God. It was the revelation of God's holy will and purpose. It demonstrated His vengeance against sin and desecration and blasphemy and false religion. When Jesus cleansed the temple, we realize there was no revival really, there was no real reform, there was no real renewal. They're right back three years later doing the very same thing when He came the first time, but that doesn't mean He shouldn't come, He should come because God must reveal how He feels about false religion. He must reveal how He feels about blasphemy. He must say very clearly and unforgettably how He feels about them who treat Him in a unholy way.

    And, this was something God must have been used to because He sent the prophets so many times to call the people of Israel back from idolatry and often they had a rather immediate reform which degenerated ultimately into an even worse idolatry. But God never stopped doing that because God always must speak the truth and reveal Himself as holy...and reveal His hatred against sin. And so, He comes to the temple again and His purpose is to show again how God feels about the evils of men.

    Now imagine the city of Jerusalem packed with people...chaos milling everywhere. And the temple is the focal point of all of it...masses of people there. And as Jesus comes to that place, this is what He faces...a great outer wall of colonnades and columns that surrounds the whole temple precinct, the temple area. That is known as the 'heron (?), the temple in the large sense.

    Through that main opening, He enters into the Court of the Gentiles. And it was called the Court of the Gentiles because anybody could come in there, even Gentiles. And once into the Court of the Gentiles, you would notice a gate. And that gate was called "The Gate Beautiful." You may remember a man begging at that gate in Acts 3. And inside that gate was the Court of the Women. And that was a place where the Jewish women could go and the Jewish men, but no Gentiles. In fact, there was a sign by the Gate Beautiful that said if a Gentile went in there, he lost his life.

    And so, into the Gate Beautiful, you'd go and you'd come into the Court of the Women with the trumpet-shaped receptacles for the receiving of the money that was to be given for certain reasons of cleansing and offering and so forth. And in the Court of the Women, the Jews would be gathered.

    There was a gate in the Court of the Women called "The Nicanor (?) Gate. It was a gate made out of Corinthian bronze. It took 20 men to open and close...massive thing. And if you went through that gate, you came into what was known as the Court of the Israelites, the men could go in there. And the Court of the Israelites was where they would get ready to give their offerings. The men would take the sheep or the turtledove or the pigeon, whatever, or whether it was a grain offering or whatever kind and they would get it all prepared in the Court of the Israelites and they would take it to another gate which went into the Court of the Priests. And in the Court of the Priests was the offering...the burnt offering altar, the altar of incense and they could look through that opening as they handed the priests their sacrifice as he took it in and slaughtered it...or took it in and offered it.

    And so, they would stand in that Court of the Israelites and watch as their offering was being made. From the Court of the Priests there was another little door. It entered into a 600 square foot courtyard, at the back of which was what was called the nahos (?), the holy place. It was a small little building which included in it the holy place and the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant was, separated by a veil into which the high priest could enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

    The interesting thing about the temple was that it starts at a low point and all of this ascends until the nahos crowns Mount Moriah...so that there's a sequence of steps apparently going from court to court.

    Now Jesus walks in the outer wall and stands in the Court of the Gentiles. And since it was the Court of the Gentiles, the Jews felt if Gentiles could be there, so could anything else. And so they had filled it with just about everything else. It was known in those days as the bizarre of Annas...Annas being the high priest, a corrupt and vile man who saw the temple as a way to get power and wealth. He had a great idea. He and his priests sold concessions. In other words, you could buy space in the Court of the Gentiles. And there you could come and sell sheep, lambs, doves, pigeons, make money exchanges, sell oil, wine, salt and other requisites that go along with sacrifices.

    And you paid dearly for those concessions because here's how the system worked. Every offering had to be approved by the priests. When you finally got into the Court of the Israelites and you brought what you were going to give, it had to be approved. And maybe they had approving stations even before you got that far in. But the priests had to say your sacrifice was acceptable, and the odds were that if you bought it outside the temple, it was not going to be approved. If you had raised a lamb way out where you lived and brought that little lamb in to be offered, they'd say that lamb is not acceptable, you must have a lamb purchased in the Court of the Gentiles. And so you'd go to buy a lamb but only, according to Edersheim the great Jewish historian, you would pay ten times the value of that lamb. So you were extorted, you were fleeced to reverse the picture a little. You were taken by robbers.

    Poor people, according to Levitical law, didn't have to bring a lamb because they couldn't afford lamb, so they were allowed to have a dove or a pigeon in the place of a lamb. And most historians feel that in today's currency, a couple of birds might be worth a nickel or a dime. But you would have paid four or five dollars for them there. And if you wanted to exchange your money because you had to have exactly a half shekel so you had to have the right change, and if you came from a foreign country with foreign currency and it had to be changed, you would pay twenty-five percent fee just to make small change.

    And so, you can see that they would pay dearly for concessions inside the temple. Because they would work along with the priests to extort the people, to cheat the people. All this in the name of religion.

    Jesus walks in, His eyes, His ears and His nostrils are filled with the sights and sounds and smells, a stench of a stockyard, the wrangling and haggling and haranguing of people bargaining over the price of animals...the noise the animals make, all the chaos of the crying animals being slaughtered, blood, it is a scene that's unbelievable. But this is Jesus' turf because this is the house of God. And it has been turned into a cave for robbers. And so He comes and sees this horrifying but familiar scene. And it says to us something so important, it says that Christ came first of all to deal with men on a spiritual level. That's the point. He came to throw out corrupt worship and to bring in true worship. He is on a divine mission.

    Second point, He has divine authority. Now, the most powerful thing going on in that country was the temple. The high priest was a powerful man. And the man who was next to the high priest was equally powerful. And the one who was the head of the temple police was powerful. And then you had all the orders of priests and there were myriads of them. There was an organizational structure there that was very strong. And, if you walked passed the Gate Beautiful, for example, and a Gentile was there, the Romans had given them the right to kill him. They had plenty of power. They had great authority within the walls of that temple precinct area.

    But they were about to meet somebody over whom they had absolutely no power. It says in verse 12, "Jesus went into the temple of God...and follow...cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves." Now if we think Jesus is just always some meek and lowly gentle person, we ought to study this a little more deeply.

    Many thousands of people were in there, and those kinds of people, those kinds of extortionists, those kinds of money grubbing, money hungry people want to hang on to their money, to their prosperity, to hang on to their business there. We can imagine how much the priests didn't want to be shamed and showed up in the face of the whole population. How much they didn't want their power challenged. How they would have thought themselves...the last thing that could have happened to themselves would have been to be made shameful in the eyes of the population of the city by some Galilean would-be Messiah, but that's exactly what happened. Against all of what we would think would happen, it happened. It simply says, "He cast out all them that sold and bought," just threw them all out. Not only the sellers but the buyers, too. He just threw everybody out of there that was involved in that enterprise. And the leaders, they couldn't stop Him. There was no way.

    "How did He do it?" We don't know, it doesn't say. It does say He threw them out. That's rather vivid. You say, "Well, maybe it was just His word, out." That could do it. That got Lazarus out of the grave. That also spoke the worlds into existence when creation occurred. So He could have done it with His word, but there was more than that because it also says He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers. He went through the place and started flipping tables and kicking them over. He demonstrates not only His vocal authority, but His physical presence as well. You remember back in John 2, He made a whip and He threw them out by use of a whip. Maybe He made a whip again, or maybe He had the same whip.

    What authority. He overthrew the table of the moneychangers. The word "moneychangers" in Greek is interesting, "makers of small change." They were sitting at their little stools with their little stacks of coins and He just started flipping them. Can you imagine those people hustling to collect every coin? And then He threw over the seats of those who sold doves. Guys sitting on a seat with a crate full of birds and He just started kicking over crates and knocking over stools and flipping tables and throwing people out of there. He cleared the place.

    And then Mark adds a wonderful note. He says in Mark 11:16 that He wouldn't allow anybody to carry any vessel through the temple. And what was going on was probably pretty simply understood, the eastern gate of the city was where they would come in and just to the left of the eastern gate is the temple area. And if you were coming in the eastern gate, and wanted to go to Zion and you had something to deliver or something to bring through there, the easiest way was not to go all the way around the temple but just to go through one of the side entrances to the general courtyard and go right straight through and just use it like a street. And they apparently were using the temple area just like a thoroughfare, a street like any other public street and He just stopped that immediately. And nobody carried anything through there.

    It may also imply that nobody carried anything out of there. That they had to get thrown out and left all their debris there. Now if you can get all those people to split and run and leave their stuff behind, they're scared. Now this is the same Jesus riding on the colt, the foal of an ass, meek and lowly and humble.

    What is the difference? Well, He came meek and lowly. He came as one who was to die in humility. But at the same time, He also gave a glorious demonstration of the reason for which He came and that is to change men from false worshipers to true worshipers. And so He went to the temple. He never used the same power He had to overthrow Rome, the only thing He wanted to do was clean up their corrupt worship. What power. We just wish we could have been there to see it. He kicked over everything, created chaos and they fled.

    We may ask, "Why didn't they stop Him?" They couldn't. They were pressed, the chief priests. They were really pressed because the crowd was hailing Him as the Messiah, for one thing. Secondly, the people hated the bizarres of Annas. They themselves started an insurrection that put them out of business, even before 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed. So the people were with Him. Plus, they couldn't handle Him. And for one moment, for one brief moment, the place was clean. No, It wouldn't be very tidy, animals all over the place, birds all over the place, crates, stools, tables, money. It wasn't tidy, it was clean.

    And later on in verse 23, the chief priest said, "By what authority doest Thou these things? And who gave Thee this authority?" Such a dumb question. As if He needed any other authority. They should have known by what authority, shouldn't they? So blind were they. And it makes us cry,

    "O God, send Christ again to cleanse the church. Send Christ again to cleanse the church because we have moneychangers in our temple." Luther had them. And the Reformation was born out of his terrible anxiety over the indulgences of the Roman Catholic Church.

    We have moneychangers today even in the Protestant church, hucksters, corrupters of the Word of God who are in it for the filthy lucre. And we cry out for Christ to cleanse today as He did then.

    There's a third credential that we see in verse 13. He not only showed He was on a divine mission and demonstrated divine authority, but He revealed a commitment to divine Scripture. He vindicates what He does by this in verse 13. "He said unto them, It is written." And then He quotes Isaiah 56:7, "My house shall be called the house of prayer." And Isaiah adds and Mark also includes, "Of all nations." Matthew leaves it out because his audience is primarily Jewish.

    But the Lord says I vindicate what I do because I am doing something consistent with the Word of God. Oh, that's so great. As Messiah He was always hooked to the Word of God. In John He says, "I never do anything that the Father doesn't show Me to do. I never do anything that the Father doesn't tell Me to do." Everything He ever did was consistent with the Word of God. He vindicates His anger by basing it on Scripture. He says, Isaiah said it, God said through Him, "My house shall be called the house of prayer." See, the temple was to be a place of prayer. It was to be a quiet place, a place of worship, a place of devotion, a place of meditation, a place of contemplation, a place of confession, a place of prayer, a place of praise, a place where people went to commune with God, to seek God, to open their hearts to God, not to be a business, not a stockyard, not a crooked bank, not a thoroughfare for people carrying on their worldly business.

    We’re reminded of 1 Samuel 1, Hannah, she went to the temple and Eli the priest sat on a seat by the post of the temple of the Lord. She went there to seek God. She was in bitterness of soul. She prayed to the Lord, she wept bitterly. She vowed a vow. Now that's what the temple was for. It was for a person to go and find some quiet, the court was where a Jew or a Gentile could go and seek God, a place of silence, a place of meditation, a place to vow a vow to God. And she was there and Eli saw her lips moving and she found there the face of God that she sought. God wonderfully heard her prayer and gave her a child.

    And you remember when the temple was dedicated in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 29 and 30 and Solomon offered his prayer to God. And he said, "I pray to God that this place may be a place where Your people can come and confess and find forgiveness, a place of quiet, a place of confession." And we remind of the psalmist in Psalm 27 who identifies the usefulness of the temple with these words, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." It's a place where we can see the beauty of the Lord and worship and where we can beseech Him, inquiring of Him there in His holy place. And they had turned it into a crooked bank, a stockyard, a thoroughfare...blasphemous.

    And He says to them in verse 13, "But you have made it a den of thieves," or a cave of robbers. And that's another Old Testament quote from Jeremiah 7:11. You have made it...and He borrows the phrase from Jeremiah...a cave of robbers, where robbers hole up. Instead of being a place for true worshipers, it's a place where people can rob and be protected in doing it. You have made it a cave of robbers. They can come here and they're safe. Robbers used to hide in the caves. Jeremiah alludes to that in chapter 7 verses 4 to 11 where the robbers were hiding in the caves. And they were safe there, out of the way, unfound, secure. And he says you've provided a cave for robbers to hide in the temple of God. And they can do their robbery right in the place they're hiding. Such protection of extortionist is blasphemous. Yahweh's house, God's house to be a temple to worship and pray and commune with Him, what a prostitution you've made of this.

    There's a fourth thing. He not only shows His divine mission, His divine authority, and His commitment to the divine Word, but we see Him as the Messiah because of His divine compassion. For a moment, the place was clean. And in that moment verse 14 comes to beautifully to us, "And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them." He's still there. He's standing there in the midst of all the debris and it's clean for a moment. And here come the blind and the lame who always hung around the temple anyway because that's where God was and that's where the people were and they needed to beg from the people and they needed to beg from God so that was the best place to be. And they, no doubt, filled the Court of the Gentiles, begging God and men for help. And when Jesus did that, we would have thought that they would have also gotten out of there one way or another. If the fury of Jesus was enough to dispense all the able bodied people, If they ran for their lives under His authority, we would think that these people would be cowering in some dark corner...scared to death. But not so, because ever and always in Jesus Christ is the perfect exhibited balance of holy vengeance and compassion.

    And so, those who were guilty see His anger and those who are true seekers see His compassion. It's marvelous. And He stands in the temple and they come to Him. If we want to see the compassion of God in Christ, we see it in His healing ministry. That's where we see it. One of the reasons there are ill people and disabled people is so that God in His mercy can dispense to them His compassion and thus reveal that element of His person. If there were no ill people, if there were no crippled people, if there were no suffering people, we would not see a dimension of God's character which is revealed to us. And keep in mind, for those that love Christ, all those disabilities are very, very temporary. But they give God occasion to reveal to the world His compassion.

    Did the Pharisees care about those people? Whether they cared that they were blind and lame? If the poor people came and were overcharged hundreds of times for a couple of pigeons, can we think they cared about the poor? They were making money off the poor. They were making money if they could off of anybody that possibly could come within the grasp, they didn't care. They were like Israel of old in many ways. They abused the poor and despised those who were infirmed. But not Christ...Oh, what credentials. God is compassionate.

    In Matthew 11 when the disciple of John the Baptist comes and says to Jesus, "Are You the Messiah? John wants to know." Jesus says, "You go tell John that the blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk, he'll know...he'll know." And the Lord didn't heal just to display His power. It did do that, but that wasn't the main reason. He could have displayed His power a lot of ways. The reason He healed was to display His compassion, that God is a God of great compassion.

    And what beautiful balance. We're not afraid of Christ. Jesus Christ some day is going to come to this world in great and devastating eternal judgment. Jesus Christ holds in His hand the keys to hell and death. Jesus Christ is the judge, given judgment by the Father. He is the one who controls the eternal destiny of every soul. He has the right to send men and women to hell forever. He can breathe out any judgment He wants any time on anybody, and yet we come to Him in absolute trust and confidence and love because we know that He loves us. Because in balance to that is His divine and merciful compassion.

    And so we see them come and in compassion He heals them. And that's the truest kind of worship. True worship is in the name of the Lord meeting the need of someone, that is a far greater worship than a sacrifice, is it not? Sacrifices, sacrifices by the millions, but where was the worship of love to one in need?

    And then another mark of divine credential. We see His divine mission, His divine authority, His commitment to the divine Word, divine compassion and also His divine power...and we can't ignore that. Verse 14 says that He healed them. That is a display of divine power. He just healed them all, the blind, the lame and they're probably only representative of the deaf and the dumb and whoever else was ill and begging. And He healed them in front of everybody that was left. And everybody else would have known very soon when they started running around town saying, "Hey, it's us, only now we see and hear and speak and walk." And even the chief priests in verse 15 saw the wonderful things that He did.

    Wonderful...what's that? Wonderful things, thaumasios, the marvels, the miracles, the astonishing, amazing wonders that only God could do. Only God can create eyes. Only God can create legs. Only God can create eardrums where none exist. Only God can do that. Powerful testimony. We see the compassion of God, the power of God in His healing. He healed them.

    There's another thing. And this maybe is the most important of all. Notice the end of verse 15, the chief priests it says at the beginning, and the scribes saw the wonderful things He did. And then at the end it says, "They were very displeased."

    How could they be displeased? First of all, they could care less about the crippled people and the blind. They didn't care about those people. They had no thought for them at all. Of course we know they had not thought for them, there was no compassion in them. And a compassionate person intimidates an uncompassionate person. And a powerful person intimidates an impotent person, we understand that. So they are so intimidated. They are so angry. They are so resentful. They are so jealous.

    The word used here "very displeased" is translated in chapter 20 verse 24 "indignation." It means fury. They were full of wrath. They were angry. They could have cared less about the healing of those people. The only thing they were mad about was Jesus Christ was putting Himself on display and they couldn't handle Him. They were such hard-hearted rejecters. If they would have just remembered Malachi, they would have remembered that He would suddenly come to His temple. But they wouldn't have Him as their Messiah.

    He didn't check in with them. He didn't ask their advice on anything. He came from Galilee to add to that. And He kept confronting their sin as if they were sinners. He wouldn't recognize their righteousness. He wouldn't recognize their self-styled holiness. He blasted them with the fact that they were sinners and in need of something they did not possess and couldn't earn on their own and they rejected that. They were so locked into their self- righteousness. And all they could come up with was being jealous. He didn't fit their picture. Later on they cried, "We'll not have this man to reign over us. We don't care what He can do." They were just angry.

    He gives Himself, demonstrates His kingliness, demonstrates the nature of His Kingdom and all they do is get mad. But there's one other thing that's so marvelous and this is the coup de grace, this is the high point. One other credential that we see in a positive sense, He accepted divine worship. Look at verse 15, right in the middle, "And the children"...and the word there is boys in the Greek, boys old enough to come to the Passover, the boys that were there. Maybe they were boys getting instructed in their first Passover, "Were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David." They got the message, right?

    The astute erudite leaders of Israel may not have known who He was but it was pretty clear to the kids. Have you ever met an atheist kid? Never. Very simple for them to believe. The evidence was overwhelming. They had just seen somebody who healed people. They had just seen somebody throw out all of the corrupt and evil people in the temple. It was pretty clear to them who this was. And Tousou (?) the French painter has a magnificent painting of this in which he portrays all these boys with their arms locked like this, marching back and forth through the temple shouting in unison at the top of their voice, "Hosanna to the Son of David." Which just makes the chief priests livid. But that's true worship, see. All the garbage stops and some children worship the King.

    Well, they said to Him in verse 16, "Hearest Thou what these say?" Are You listening to those children? Are You hearing what they say? They wanted those children to stop, that's blasphemy. You can't worship this man in the temple of God. Can you believe that? You could settle cattle at an exorbitant price, cheat people out of their money, do all the rest of the stuff but you couldn't worship the Messiah there? That will show us where they were. Any true worship had to be stopped. The worship of the true God in the true form just could not occur in that place, and so they said, "Do You hear what they say?" And what they mean is, "Are You going to allow this?"

    "And Jesus said unto them, Yes." I like that. "Yes, I hear it. Yes, I'm going to allow it. Yes." We imagine He smiled a little to think of the incongruity of this whole amazing event. You see, if the Lord can't get the praise out of the mature people, He gets it out of the immature.

    We say, "Well, how could these kids be so perceptive?" Oh, we don't know really how perceptive they were. But they were perceptive enough to see that He had healed people and that's pretty overwhelming. We say, "Well, where did they get the idea that He was the Son of David?" What had been going on all day the day before? And kids learn from their parents, they were just echoing what they heard the day before only it was no problem for them, it seemed really clear now. Mom and dad yesterday had been shouting hosanna to the Son of David, the one coming in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest. They had been praising Him as the King. And as far as these kids could see, it was pretty clear that that's who He was.

    And in Luke's account of the coronation day, the triumphal entry, the chief priests came and said, "You better tell these people to stop." And Jesus said to them, "If they don't sing My praises, or praise Me, the stone will cry out." Here He says the same thing. He quotes Psalm 8:2, they say to Him, "Do you hear this?" And Jesus says, "Have you heard this, Out of the mouth of babes and suckling’s," two Hebrew words used in Psalm 8:2 to refer to infants under the age of three because Hebrew mothers suckled their babies until they were about three, "Out of the mouths of babes and suckling, Thou has perfected praise."

    In other words, even little babies can simply and in an uncluttered way praise God. Now we don’t need to get into all the implications of that statement in its context in the Psalms. But for this text, what He's simply saying is this, He's using that Psalm as an illustration of what is going on. If God will not be praised out of the mouths of the mature, He will be praised out of the mouths of the immature. God is going to get His praise to His Son, even if the stones have to cry out, as Luke 19:40 said. Like the stones, Christ is to be praised. Like the children, Christ is to be praised. Like people, they are to praise Him as well. He will get the praise either from mature people or infants or rocks if need be. He just alludes to that Psalm as an illustration of what is happening. And that isn't to say that these were zero to three-year-old babies all chanting together, "Hosanna to the Son of David." But rather an allusion to that principle there.

    What a glorious event. And the fury of those leaders, simply because of their unbelief. All the evidence was in, even little children could see it.

    There's one other thing, He gives His credentials, divine mission, divine authority, divine Word, divine compassion, divine power and divine worship, and one other thing. One other thing that proves He was the Messiah, it's this, He was rejected. Verse 17, haunting words, "And He left them." In that simple physical act, there was a volume of truth. He left them, went out of the city to Bethany and He lodged there. He really left them. Because the next day in verse 23, they come and say, "By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority?" And in verse 27 He gets around finally to saying, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things." He left them. He had nothing more to say.

    It's reminiscent of Genesis 6 where the Bible says God's Spirit will not always strive with man. There comes a time when He leaves. Let's bow in prayer.

    It may be that in our life Christ has revealed Himself, shown Himself to be a divine Savior on a divine and spiritual mission to clean our life and bring about true worship. It may have been that He comes with divine authority based on the Word of God, demonstrating compassion and power, all of these things we've seen. It may have been that He has revealed Himself to be worthy of worship. What's our verdict? Are we like the little children who in the wonderful simplicity of their youth, taking into their little hearts what they saw, could cry out "Hosanna, save now, O Son of David?" It was proof enough for them.

    Or are we like the hard-hearted religious leaders who are only angry because He's making such claims on our life, because He's calling us to accountability, because He's confronting our sin? It's either one or the other. No middle ground. "He that is not with Me, is against Me. He that gathers is not together scattered abroad." We either embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior or we refuse Him. You either stand with, as it were, in the symbolic sense the children singing His praises, or the religious leaders whom He leaves and to whom He has nothing more to say.

    And so, our prayer is that we might hear the voice of the Spirit of God calling us to see and know and understand and embrace the Savior and that we might respond. Open our heart to Him even now, who came to die for us, to rise again for our salvation.

    Matthew 21:12-17 - Jesus has come to clean house

     

    First, a word of prayer, ‘Thanks Lord for this time again to be able to seek you in your Word, and to study your Word.  Thank you for these verses, and just a reminder of your heart towards the house of God and towards worship, and our interaction with you.  And so Lord as we come to this time, we pray, we know we come from different places, different places even now, speak to each and every one of us through your Holy Spirit, and to all those who are listening in [or reading this], and we pray that your Holy Spirit would be upon all of us now as we go through your Word, in Jesus name we pray, amen.’

     

    A different side of Jesus revealed here

     

    This is one of those passages where we see Jesus in a certain state, mindset, disposition that maybe in some instances we’re not even comfortable with, or have a little bit of a challenge just digesting. And we all like to see Jesus as the loving shepherd who heals the sick, and prays for the children, we like that, we like the passionate teacher that we’ve seen in the hills of Galilee, instructing the multitudes.  Like the gentle Jesus that we saw, riding on the donkey into the city with the multitudes praising Him and worshipping Him.  And maybe, we like to see the little baby Jesus in the manger there, with Joseph and Mary in the nativity scene.  

     

    But then we come to passages like this, and we maybe have a tough time reconciling the way we see Jesus here and the way He’s acting and behaving.  Of course, it’s the same Jesus, same Messiah, same Son of God.  And though we may have to work through a little bit of His anger here and His activity here, yet, as we go through these verses, we’ll see that this is as much a statement of His love towards us and towards His Father as any other passage that we study, and that’s for sure.  Now, as we’re studying in Matthew, it seems we were watching Jesus as He came in on the donkey there, and the triumphal entry, and it would seem here, now as we pick up verse 12, that He goes right from the multitudes, right from the whole procession, right up to the temple, and goes right into the temple, and then begins to drive out people and overturn tables. And it seems that you go from one to the other.  

     

    But when we put the Gospels together again, in Mark chapter 11 we actually learn that between verse 11 and verse 12 of Matthew there is a break, there is a day’s break [quite similar to Ezra chapter 6 and 7, there is a large time-break, where the Book of Esther fits right in-between].  And that is, as He does come from the procession, He does go into the temple in Mark it tells us, and then He looks around, examines the state of the temple, and then it says that He goes to Bethany with His 12 disciples for the evening.  And now what we are reading in Matthew 21:12-17, it’s the next day.  And based on what He saw the previous day, He comes back to the temple with the purpose, clearly this purpose of cleansing out the temple, as we note here.  

     

    Now we should note, too, that it’s not the temple building, this does not go on within the temple building itself.  You know, the temple had its different areas, the holy place and the Most Holy Place, but this is in the area of the temple which is outside the temple building, it’s the area of the Court of the Gentiles, that area that surrounded the temple outside the temple.  It was this huge enclosure around the temple proper where this market had been established under the colonnades around the Court.  So it’s the Court of the Gentiles where this takes place in. 

     

    Why is Jesus reacting this way?

     

    Is it His behavior, or maybe some would question, is His behavior a bit extreme?  And some may even say it’s a bit fanatical, maybe some would say it goes a bit overboard, ‘He’s just angry, and He’s tossing over tables.’  Some may wonder that.  Of course His answer is ‘No, He isn’t going overboard, He’s not extreme in what He does, but what He does is really the right thing to do.  There’s a certain heart to what is going down here.  And that is because what is going down in the temple there is actually restricting the true worship of the Lord.  And that is a big deal to God, when true worship and access to Him is hindered in one way or another, that’s always consistently a big deal to God. We see that throughout the Bible.  He wants men and women to know Him, to walk with Him, and to be able to worship Him.  And He wants that, that’s what He desires.  And when things get in the way, when people get in the way, especially, He gets pretty upset about it.  In just a couple weeks, [when we’ll be] in Matthew chapter 23, we can just imagine the voice of the Lord as He says this to the religious leaders because of the way they’ve been leading people astray and away from Him.  He says this, “But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.  For you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”  He just rebukes them, He says, ‘You don’t even, you think you do, but you’re not even in the Kingdom of God, and then on top of that, Woe to you, because you actually hinder people, people who are seeking Me out, and you get in the way and lead them another way, and seek to prevent them from finding Me, ultimately from coming into the Kingdom of God.  And that’s a big part of what’s going down here, they are getting in the way, to a degree or not making it easier, allowing people to enter in, to enter into the presence of God. 

     

    Jesus came to restore true worship, to set His Temple in order, the way they’re supposed to be

     

    And so Jesus is now here as the Lord of the Temple, and as the Lord of the Temple, He’s coming to restore true worship, He’s seeking to set things in order the way that they’re supposed to be and intended to be, removing all the manmade obstacles, getting rid of all the stuff that’s making it difficult for seekers to enter in.  And as you see there, He’s just upset, upset because of what is going down in the house of God, the way it’s being administrated, the way it’s being run, is just getting in the way of people’s seeking the face of God.  That’s true even today, the way Jesus is here you can be sure, that to Jesus it’s the same way today, yesterday, and tomorrow, He’s the same. 

     

    When man gets in the way

     

    In the Church [Body of Christ], in the house of God, when it is such that things are difficult for people actually to see Jesus and to come near to Him and really worship Him, when things are set up in that way, so it’s difficult, we can be sure that God is upset with that, when man places religious practices in the way, so the focus is more the church than God, there’s no doubt God is upset with that.  When man develops programs where the attention is more on certain individuals and upon man than Him, that’s certainly something that is going to be upsetting to Him.  When man develops doctrines, doctrines which end up confusing the people or clouding their understanding of Christ and of God, getting them to focus on other things other than eternal things.  That’s something that God will judge.  Even Peter said that in his last Epistle, speaking of the heart of God, you sense the heart of God when it comes to people who get in the way, specifically with false teaching.  

     

    2nd Peter chapter 2, verses 1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with their deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”  Peter says these people with this false teaching, just getting in the way of people’s seeking God and understanding God, their destruction is coming, and it’s not going to delay.  

     

    Well, the night before, Jesus inspected the Temple, what He saw He didn’t like.  So now He comes, next day, cleanses the Temple. It is interesting, maybe we’ve noted this as we’ve studied the Gospels, in John chapter 2, this is the 2nd time Jesus does this.  He did this three years earlier, it’s right around Passover time now, it was right around Passover time then, obviously going up for the Feast earlier in His ministry, beginning of His ministry, He goes in, and based on what’s going down, He cleans house then.  We may remember, that time He actually makes a whip out of cords, He makes a whip out of cords and He uses it to drive the people from the Temple.  Now that’s quite an image, Jesus with a whip of cords, just swinging it and slapping and driving people out of the Temple.  That’s a lot different than a little manger scene, with a whip.  And, who knows, maybe some of the same people that were there three years ago are there now, doing what they’re doing today, they were the same that were there, as they’re sitting at their tables doing what they’re doing, and look up and see Him again [Oh no!  Not again!]. Get a picture of their faces when they see Him again, and then doesn’t He go at it again, flipping tables, pouring out their money.  

     

    Then when He poured out their money and overturned their tables, He said this, “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise.”  And then the disciples, as John notes, there in chapter 2 of John, they noted that this was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy “The zeal for your house has eaten Me up.”  And that’s the heart here, He’s got zeal for the house of God, He’s got passion for God and people, and to see what people are doing here, it just eats Him up, and He begins to just clean it up. 

     

    The Temple, our churches, are meant to be “a house of prayer”

     

    The Temple is to be the place for worship, true worship.  The Temple is to be a place where men and women can sincerely seek the face of God.  And so as it says here, the second time where Jesus is cleaning the house, Jesus says it is written My house shall be called a house of prayer”“My house shall be called a house of prayer.”  And when we picture a house filled with prayer, we picture a Temple where it’s filled with prayer, it says there’s a God in heaven that wants to know man intimately.  When He says “My house shall be called a house of prayer” and there’s a house filled with prayer, that says there’s a God that wants to know us intimately, that’s what it says.

     

    If God weren’t interested in our prayers, He wouldn’t be interested in us.  He wants to know us, He wants to commune with us, He wants to hear from us. And He wants to speak to us.  So, Jesus the Lord of the Temple comes to set worship in order here, but He also clearly, the point is He desires intimacy, intimacy between God and man, and He’s zealous about it.  That between us, between God’s people and God the Father there would be indeed intimacy.  And this racket that’s going down in the Temple is completely getting in the way.  In an interesting way, when it says “My house shall be called a house of prayer”, He’s quoting from Isaiah chapter 56, verses 6 and 7,  where the prophet speaks of the Temple in the future.  

     

    He describes it in this way, as sons of foreigners, Gentiles, non-Jews, “who would join themselves to the Lord, wanting to serve Him, wanting to love Him”, God says there through the prophet, “He’ll bring these people to His holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  For all nations, doesn’t matter where you’re from, doesn’t matter your ethnic group, doesn’t matter your background, God’s house is to be a house of prayer for all nations.  And, He says “I’ll bring them to My mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.”  

     

    When His house is a house of prayer, when it’s in the state it’s supposed to be in, there is this sense of the blessing of God.  He says “I’ll make them joyful in My house of prayer”, they’ll be joyful in My house of prayer.  And that’s a statement of God’s people coming together, and being such in the house of the Lord that there’s this sense of blessing, there’s the sense of joy, the Spirit of God is working.  And what Jesus sees at this time, it’s certainly not that way.  It’s very carnal, man’s doing his deal, getting in the way.

    So God goes in, Jesus goes in and cleanses house.  Now we pray that it’s the way God intends it to be where we are: A place where God’s people gather and do pray, it is a house of prayer as well, in a very real sense; and if we are gathering in the right heart and attitude, there is a sense of the blessing of God.  We note that as we study through His Word.  And the blessing, He says, “I’ll bring them to My house, and they will have joy in My house of prayer, they’ll experience the joy of the Lord.  

     

    Now let’s put Isaiah 56 in proper context, although it still applies to the church nowadays.  Isaiah 56 is written about the time of the future, in the Millennial Kingdom of God, when there will be a Temple yet again, with Jesus in His glorified state inhabiting it.  If you read all of Isaiah 56, it is about the proper keeping of God’s 7th Day Sabbath.  Let’s read it. Thus says the Lord:  ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.  Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hands from doing any evil.  Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, ‘The Lord has utterly separated me from His people’; Nor let the eunuch say, ‘Here I am, a dry tree.’  For thus says the Lord: ‘To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than of the sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.  Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants---everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant---even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [which will yet again be offered in the Millennial Kingdom cf. Zechariah 14:16-19] will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.  The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered to Him” (Isaiah 56:2-8).   

     

    That’s putting Isaiah 56:7 in proper context with the chapter that verse is contained in.  The principle applies now, but the key role of Sabbath keeping, along with the entire Law of God, is clearly expressed in verses 1-8.  These will be reinstituted at Jesus Christ’s return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Verses 9-12 of Isaiah chapter 56 aptly describe the people whom Jesus is driving from the Temple in this account in Matthew 21, as well as describing false shepherds, tares, within the Lord’s holy flock.  Be sure to read those verses.  That’s just a statement of the blessing of God, the Spirit of God working in our midst.  We pray, as we’re here, that we come with such a heart, that it’s like this house of prayer, it’s a house of prayer where God is blessing and where God is working.  

     

    Now maybe we go to church, and it’s not our experience, we have to be dragge there.  We either drag ourselves, because we just think we should go, or somebody else drags us, and we’ve gone just to appease them.  We’d be miserable if we didn’t go, miserable to be there, but we’d be more miserable if we didn’t go so there we are.  Or maybe we go, and when we’re there we struggle with just feelings of heaviness and emotional battles, and it’s just, it’ not a place of joy for us, for whatever reason we’re there.  If that be our case, consider “My house shall be called a house of prayer”, Try it, try praying a little bit before we get there, praying maybe Saturday night [or Friday night for Sabbath-keepers] that God would just work in our heart, try praying on our way there, maybe as a family praying.  And while we’re there, open our heart to the Lord, don’t just get through the service, don’t just put in our dues to make our spouse or our children or whoever happy.  Just open our heart to God.  If we’re going to be there, be there and experience the blessing of God.  Because there is blessing as God’s people come together, and it’s a thing of joy, the work of God in our hearts.  Take advantage of the opportunity

     

    When the church becomes “a den of thieves”

     

    Verse 13, “And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”  Jesus is concerned.  Three years earlier He had come, three years earlier He had cleaned house, set it in order.  And as with the cycle of man, men quickly return to their old patterns, and they’ve gotten right back to it there.  Nehemiah had to deal with that, city of Jerusalem, he sets things up, gets the walls of the city rebuilt, and instructs the people to honor the Law of God, to honor the Sabbath, and he has to fight for it, it’s amazing, he has to even look over the walls and warn the people [that were bringing in things to sell on the Sabbath day], ‘they just want to come to do business, they want to just do their deal, and not honor the Lord. He has to fight for it.  Then later in the book of Nehemiah he comes back a number of years later and it’s right back to the way it was before.  He had worked so hard to set it straight.  Nehemiah, Ezra, Zerubbabel, they all had the indwelling Holy Spirit, while the general Jewish population didn’t.  That was the core problem, which we should not have in our churches, but yet we do at times.  

     

    Jesus three years earlier, cycle of men, right back to the old patterns.  The reform of the time didn’t last very long [probably lasted until Jesus got out of sight of the Temple on His way home again], and here we are again just a few years later, He saw things that were just of great concern.  He had a zeal and passion for His Father and for His Father’s house, so He just cleans up again.  And what He saw, rather than seeing the joy of the Spirit of God working there, the blessing of God, what He saw was a lot of frustrated people, just frustration and irritation and carnality.  He didn’t see the blessing and the joy of the Lord. 

     

    It’s more dangerous to be in the Temple than on the Road to Jericho

     

    And that’s why He said “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves [Jeremiah 7:11]”  A den of thieves.  It is interesting, the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.  If you go to Israel, as we do on the Israel you note, it’s a lot of dirt and hills and a lot of caves.  And that’s true of Jericho to Jerusalem, along that road where they would travel, there would be a lot of dens and caves.  And historically we are told that it wasn’t uncommon for robbers to be hiding out along those areas.  So if you were traveling that road, you could potentially get robbed.  That’s possibly why Jesus in sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan, in that parable He mentions the Jericho Road, and mentions this person whose attacked by robbers and beaten, and so the Good Samaritan comes and tends to this person.  So it wasn’t uncommon.  It was common to travel in groups, not to travel alone on this road, because it was dangerous to go from Jericho to Jerusalem.  And that’s where Jesus has come from, with lots of those people.  They’ve come from Jericho up to Jerusalem.  But it’s interesting, He’s quoting from Jeremiah, and He’s actually saying, that it’s more dangerous to be in the Temple than probably to be on the Road of Jericho.  He says ‘You’ve made the Temple a den of thieves.’  ‘This is the house of God, a place where we go in and we get ministered to, where we have God work in our life, where we can go and experience love from other people and encouragement, and we have made it a den of thieves---a den of thieves, where thieves are hiding out in the very house of God.’  It’s safer to travel the road to Jericho alone than to come into the house of the Lord.  

    We see His heart towards that.  We often see this “den of thieves” mentality when we find churches of the hierarchal church government style, filled with ministers just in it for the paycheck and retirement benefits, just in it to secure their members’ tithes and offerings.  You also see it in the churches preaching the Health & Wealth gospel, where they want our tithes and offerings for themselves, but do little or nothing to put it toward the actual preaching of the Gospel of Salvation.  He’s pretty angry, pretty angry as we can see. 

     

    Interesting history of why this marketing system was set up in the Temple in the first place

     

    To a degree, the market that was going on, the market system that was set up, to a degree was there, initially for a good purpose, providing animals which were needed for sacrifice, the sacrifices of course, Passover and other times.  And there would be people who would travel from great distances, even from other nations.  And so to be able to come and to purchase a sacrifice at the Temple was a good thing.  It was set up for good, initially.  And then to have the money exchangers, the Roman government was just something that was seen as unclean, and so you wouldn’t want to use your Roman money in the Temple.  So they had their own Temple currency [Temple Shekel] and so the money exchangers, you could come and they would exchange your Roman currency into the Temple currency, the Temple Shekel.  And surely that was initially all for good, just to make it easier.  

     

    What’s happened over time is just the heart of man.  People began to take advantage of people, and while it was initially probably useful, but now it’s become abusive to the point that there’s people making a lot of money, especially the priesthood [and the high priest Caiaphas and his father-in-law Annas were the ones who really owned the “rights to buy and sell” at the temple, and were raking in a huge profit.  The Temple of God for them was merely a huge money-making business.  Jesus of Nazareth was threatening that business for them and the entire priesthood under them.  When Jesus drove out these moneychangers and those who sold cattle, sheep, and doves, He was forcing the high priest on this 10th day of Nisan, “to select the Lamb of God” for sacrifice.  That is what is especially most significant about Jesus’ timing of His purging of the Temple.  It all fit into the Passover. They’re making a big business off of it, so God’s concerned.  

     

    Back a couple centuries earlier, in Malachi God rebuked all the people of Israel [Judah] in general, because they had gotten to this state where they professed that God was Lord, Creator of the heavens and the earth, but for various reasons in their hearts, what they did is they would give God the left-over’s.  In Malachi chapter 3 God exhorts them.  ‘You call Me God, and yet you give Me left-over’s.’  You’re supposed to come and bring your first-fruits, you’re supposed to come and bring the sacrifices.  But what you do when you bring the lamb, you bring one that’s less valuable to you, one that’s got a defect, one that’s blind or your gifts to Me are the left-over’s.  And you call Me Lord, but you give Me left-over’s.’  And that’s why initially what’s going on in the Temple now was probably set up.  Because you couldn’t bring, at this point in time, a left-over into the Temple of the Lord, you could not sacrifice a lamb or a dove that was defective.  They guaranteed in this system that what was being sacrificed was of fine quality.  

     

    But now they’ve gone to the other extreme. They’ve gone from one to the other.  And doesn’t that happen, even today?  You know, in churches, we come and we sing the song “Lord of all the heaven, Lord of all the heaven, Creator of the heavens and the earth”, oh we just ‘Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!  Hosanna!’, on and on and on, and then for so many, we tell the Lord then to sit in the back of the bus.  We call him Lord of the heavens, Creator of the heavens and the earth, and then we tell Him, ‘You’re in the back of the bus, I’ll get to You when I can get to You.  I’ll give You whatever I have left.  If I have any time, I’ll give it to You, if there’s any resource left after we’ve squared away everything, it’ll be Yours.  And as far as my heart and my passions, You’re the God of all the Universe’, but when He looks at [the priorities of] our life, it’s really, He’s got the back seat on the bus, everything else, everything else lines up before Him, and He gets that last bit.  And so God rebuked the nation of Israel [Judah] for that [in Malachi 3], because that’s the way they were, and that’s often the way the heart of man is, we give Him the left-over’s.  It’s strange that we would honestly do that, give God the left-over’s, what we’ve got left, rather than the first fruit, rather than the greatest of our passions, the greatest of our time, the greatest of our resources, so that He would be number one. 

     

    From “left-over’s for God” mentality to legalism, one extreme to the other

     

    But then we go to the other extreme.  That happens often in church, then it’s the other extreme, churches that set up systems where they know whether or not we give our ten percent.  Right?  You’ve maybe attended churches like that.  And very sadly, they’re usually the legalistic Torah-observant Sabbatarian Churches of God, which have such a rich historic background, but for some reason or other have adopted a hierarchal form of church government, unlike that of their historic predecessors who came through the centuries.  And with their hierarchal form of church government, the ministers (not the poor sheep, it is never them) are hungry for the paycheck, want to guarantee the steady flow of tithes and offerings, and to devour widows houses, telling widows to sign over their houses or retirement savings, telling them “We’ll take care of you.  If they don’t change, God will change them, forcefully, as He may be doing with some of those groups right now.]  

     

    At the end of the year if you didn’t give your ten percent, you got a letter.  And if you promised, if they kind of knew, you used to get the letter, ‘You owe, you’re behind.  Based on your income, things are not lining up.’  We just couldn’t imagine getting a letter like that from a church.  So it goes from one extreme to the other, we go from ‘Back of the bus, Lord of the heaven, sit in the back’, to then, ‘Well, that’s not right, so we’ve got church leaders that have created this system, and then in a legalistic way, pull out of their members what is supposed to be just freely given, given with the heart of love to the Lord.  And that’s what’s happened here.  [And leaders like that are living high off the hog on those tithes, with good paychecks, and Caiaphas and Annas were at the top of the heap here in that respect.]  

     

    We can look down our noses and say “Oh those people at…, but never blame the sheep caught up in a hierarchal church system like that, it’s not their fault, it’s the fault of their leadership, but aren’t we like them so frequently today?  The deal is, as they set up this system, it was to prevent the broken-legged lamb from being offered, it was to prevent the Malachi deal, so they set up this system.  But then what happened is the heart of man took them to the other extreme.  When you went to the Temple in Jesus day, what they would do, maybe you’d have your own lamb, or you’d have your own dove, and it was a sincere sacrifice, it was a sincere offering, you were a true worshipper of God, you just wanted to bless God. You’ve come into the Temple, and you don’t have a whole lot of money, you’re a poorer person, but you’re giving your absolute best, you come into the Temple, and the priest would examine your offering, and the general rule was they would always find something, they were motivated to always find something wrong with what you were offering.  And they wouldn’t allow you to offer it.  The general rule is they would look at it, ‘Oh, this doesn’t cut it.  What you have to do then is you have to buy one of ours, these are certified.  We’ve reviewed these, they meet the level, they meet the test.  Sorry you can’t offer that lamb you brought.’  And the problem was, was what they offered to you then for you to offer was so expensive.  That’s what they did, they sort of jacked up the prices.  And to make it even worse, now you’ve got to buy this dove that’s way too expensive, you’re looking at it and saying, ‘That’s a lot of money for that, what’s wrong with mine?’.  You then go over to money-exchangers with your little bit of Roman currency and they would kill you on the exchange-rate, in order to get the Temple Shekel they would kill you on the exchange-rate.  So they were just taking advantage.  

     

    And Josephus, the first century historian, says ‘that the business that was going down was owned by the high priest and his family, it was run by him and his family, Annus being one of them, and they became very wealthy through this.’  So here you are, a sincere worshipper coming to seek out the Lord, you’ve maybe come from the Galilee, you’ve traveled a distance, you see the high priest and his family, they’re making a lot, living pretty well, and they’re making it hard for you, just to simply come and seek the face of God, and honor the Lord in worship and in sacrifice.  As a result, in many instances, people were being turned off.  You think back to the time, in 1st Samuel, the time of Eli and his sons.  His sons were really brutal, they were doing exactly that.  You’d bring the sacrifices in, and they would always take the best for themselves.  And it said there, because of what the two sons of Eli were doing, that the sacrifice of the Lord was a turn-off to the people.  The Tabernacle worship, the whole thing was becoming a turn-off to the people of Israel because of the priesthood and the way they were treating people.  People were getting turned off to the house of God and to religion, and even to the spiritual things in general.  

     

    So God was really angry, and you might remember 1st Samuel.  He really judged Eli’s sons [and the whole priestly household of Eli], they end up losing their lives and even Eli is judged for it, and the generations of his family that follow.  And maybe that’s been your experience too, here you are today, listening in or reading this online, maybe you haven’t been in the church for awhile, maybe you’ve been coming here just a little bit, and that’s been your deal, you’ve been turned off to church, you’ve been turned off to God, spiritual things.  And the reason why, is, years in the past you were curious, you were seeking, you were thirsty, hungry, you wanted to know.  And then you got into some ‘church’ experience where people were just messing with you, and making it hard, and turning you off by what they did, mistreating you, taking advantage of you, not being sincere, being hypocritical.  And you watched it for a season, and as a result, you got just ‘I’m turned off to the Church thing, turned off to all that’, and it’s been a long time maybe for some of you, to be even in church or considering the things of the Lord. 

     

    Jesus was upset about it.  That’s really upsetting to God when that happens, when people are getting in the way.  When you’re trying to seek the Lord, and people are getting in the way, that just ticks God off.  That’s just upsetting to Him. 

     

    When your church is “a house of prayer”

     

    And let’s pray by the grace of God that maybe this morning, maybe in a few weeks attending church, that our experience would be such that we’d see that there’s blessing in being with God’s people.  There’s blessing in just being part of corporate worship and seeking the face of God, there’s blessing in it, because God has given us the Body [of Christ] and the Body-life, and we need one another by design.  [cf. Matthew 18:19-20, “Again I say to you that if two or three of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”  

     

    The goal is not to bring people out of other churches, but to reach the lost. Maybe we are using the website as a resource in our “home-church” just to spiritually survive.  But if we are doing that, we are missing out on something essential by not coming together with other believers in the corporate worship setting of a church.  Another thing is that tiny Bible studies, if properly fed with the Word of God, don’t remain small for very long.  Maybe our house-church has the potential to grow into a real church that’s doing something really special for the entire Body of Christ.  

     

    This isn’t for all.  Like the Marine Corps says, “We’re looking for a few good men (and women).”]  But maybe we’re here, and that’s what’s happened to us, and that’s what’s going on in the Temple.  Jesus is upset, this is not the way it’s supposed to be, God is being misrepresented, He knows His Father, He knows the love of His Father, He knows the compassion of His Father, He knows the power of His Father, and this is supposed to be where people come and meet with God, and that’s not what’s going down here, because of men. 

     

    “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple”

     

    Well He cleans house, and He says “My house shall be called a house of prayer, you’ve made it a den of thieves”, and He just starts flipping things over, and He cleans house, and gets it right.  But look what happens when He cleans house.  Verse 14, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”  It’s like right after.  That is a powerful picture especially considering what David said back in 2nd Samuel chapter 5, verse 8. It seems that historically the lame and the blind were not allowed into the Temple.  And so they haven’t been there.  And He cleans up the place, and now because of who He is, they know who He is, they sense something about Him, they actually do something that wasn’t allowed to be done, they go into the Temple, and He heals them.  

     

    And imagine, the blind man suddenly seeing, as you probably have before, the lame man suddenly walking. That’s now going on in the Temple. There is this powerful setting, there’s just an energy, it is radical what’s going on in the Temple right now, it’s beautiful.  Before it was frustrated people, people bickering, people arguing, there was no life.  And He just goes to town and cleans house, and now it’s like life, it’s beautiful, healing, lives being touched.  

     

    But that is when the priesthood and high priest decide that Jesus must die, that is when they select the Lamb of God, on this 10th day of Nisan, as the sacrifice for sin for mankind, unknowingly, of course.  And that is indeed what the Body life, the Church, the house of God, that’s what’s supposed to be there.  When God’s house is a house of prayer, when there are people who are sincerely coming to worship the Lord, and they can freely, and they can seek His face, in prayer and in the Word, when that’s going on, you can be sure lives are going to be touched, lives are going to be healed, and families are going to be restored, and on and on and on.  

     

    We’ve seen it happen many times, we’ve heard lots of stories, and many of us are testimonies of lives being healed and lives being restored.  Christianity isn’t just a religious deal, Christianity is real, it is radical.  What begins to happen then, is that lives begin to change.  We know Christ, and our life’s change.  Over the next few months we seek out people of our family to just reconcile with them, going to them, asking for forgiveness, and one by one God begins to restore the relationships with the family members. But, radical.  We go into the house of God, house of prayer, and we’re like one of the lame, like one of the blind, God gives us sight back, God heals our lives.  That’s what should be happening in the church.  

    And we pray all, ‘Oh God in Your grace, we pray we come in a sincere heart, we pray that this is a house of prayer, so we can take note that there’s something going on there.  My kid is going there, he’s changed, my spouse is going there, there’s something very different about them.’  Lives being touched, lives being healed, it’s a house of prayer, it’s a house of intimacy. Jesus, the Lord of the Temple comes to set the worship in order, but He also comes because He desires intimacy.  God desires intimacy with man. 

     

    A New Time, A New Era Is About to Dawn

     

    Verses 15-17, “But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and said to Him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’  And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise.’?  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.”  

     

    Jesus, standing in the Temple, having purified the Temple, and now healing lives, there’s also a statement, a radical statement that things are changing, it’s a new era.  Of course, it’s the beginning of the Church Age, which is about to burst forth.  It is a new time. There’s a sense the old is leaving and the new is coming, the old rituals and all the barriers that were part of the old Law, we couldn’t just come into the house of the Lord, we couldn’t go into the Temple unless we were a priest.  We didn’t have that access into the Holy of Holies, not even the ordinary priests had that access, only the high priest, and that was only on the Day of Atonement.  But things are changing.  And we know that in just a few days from this point in Jesus’ life, it’s less than a week, Jesus will die on the cross, and at that point when He dies on the cross the Temple veil is torn in two, and there’s that whole sense there’s a new time, no more the priesthood, no more the sacrifices, the Lamb of God has come, He’s died as the final sacrifice, He’s the ultimate sacrifice.  

     

    And now there’s this access to God, there’s this special relationship and intimacy and walk with God that we can have. It’s a new era, and that’s what’s happened here, the Messiah standing in the Temple, the blind and the lame are being healed, it’s a new time, depicted, new era, Jesus has come to bring a new era, to bring that Age of the Church, to bring what we have now, where lives are powerfully touched, the blind, the lame are being healed.  

     

    We see in verses 15 and 16, that there’s this another picture.  There’re these young kids, and it seems the Greek is in the masculine, so they are little boys.  And they’re watching things go down, and they’re crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David!” just like they were the day before in the whole processional with the donkey, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ this Messianic cry, they’re crying out ‘Messiah, Messiah!’  [Hebrew: ‘Meshiach’].  They’re watching blind people get healed, ‘Messiah, Messiah!’.  Of course the chief priests don’t really like at all.  [Neither do legalistic ministers of toxic churches who have their people under bondage in a hierarchal form of church government that is merely hungry for the tithes of the people, just like today.]  That’s just the whole statement of their ugly hearts.  

     

    It says they see the wonderful things going on.  And there’s something wrong in your heart when you see something wonderful, and you’re bent out of shape about it.  But they see wonderful things, and they see the kids crying ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’, and they were indignant, they were really ticked off. They said to Him, ‘Do you see what these are saying!?  Do you hear it!?  And He says, ‘Haven’t you ever read’…and every time He said that, because He says it over and over, they probably got upset about that, because they were the experts, they knew the Law, they read through the Law all the time, they were the teachers of the Law, and He repeatedly says, ‘Haven’t you ever read?’.  He just quotes from the Old Testament, ‘Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, you have perfected praise.’  And that’s pretty wild when He says that, He quotes from Psalm chapter 8.  And they may not connect with it, or may not completely realize it here, but it’s a new deal, and He’s saying something special about Himself.  Because in Psalm chapter 8, what He quotes about the worship, ‘out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’, means they are going to worship, they are going to praise.  If you look at Psalm 8, the whole audience of that praise, the whole focal point of that praise is none other than God, it is not a man that’s being praised in that Psalm.  Clearly the whole context, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, what that you are mindful of Him, He goes on, ‘And out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants,’ David says, ‘you have perfected praise.’  

     

    The point is, the praise is directed toward God and God alone.  And Jesus quotes that in this context.  And they’re obviously speaking of Him.  And so He’s actually saying it’s a fulfillment of what was in Psalm 8, and of course meaning that, ‘I’m not just a man,’ this is the Son of God standing before you.  [cf. Jesus, John 8:58-59; Exodus 3:13-14, is none other than Yahweh, I Am, the God of the Old Testament, who has become the Son of God.  God the Father was never revealed to the Jews in the Old Testament, except briefly, in the Creation account of Genesis 1 and 2, as Elohim.]  He’s the Lord of the Temple, wants to get worship in order, desiring an intimacy with men and women, and it’s marking the beginning of a new era, a new time, the Messiah has come.  Well, unmistakably, we studied verses 1 to 11, and said this is the day of visitation, this is the day of promise, where the Messiah would come to Israel [Judah, as the representative tribe of all Israel]. We went through the Zechariah prophecy, we went through Daniel chapter 9, to the day of visitation, we saw the people of Judah missed their day, this incredible day where Jesus came and allowed Himself to be worshipped, and He would come and be presenting Himself as King Messiah.  

     

    The interesting thing is, verses 1 to 11, that’s the whole setting.  But, verses 12 to 17 here, are the same thing.  Unmistakably, as we understand the Old Testament, He is saying “I am the Messiah, I am the Lord of the Temple.  This is your hour.”  Unfortunately they missed their hour, but you take Malachi 3, verse 1, speaking about this messenger that would go before the Messiah, of course John the Baptist. Jesus referred to that and in Matthew chapter 11, he would go and prepare the way of the Lord, but it says He would go then to the Temple.  And in Zechariah 14, verse 21, Zechariah 6, verses 12 through 13, Ezekiel 40, verse 48, clearly speak of the Messiah coming and cleaning up the Temple, as setting the worship in order, the way it’s supposed to be.  And so here He is.  

     

    The Temple had really been desecrated historically.  Back in 167BC Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled it horribly [but Judas Maccabee and his brothers had driven Antiochus’ armies out, and cleaned up, rebuilt the altar out of new stones, and rededicated the Temple. Then in 63BC Pompei had also done the same.  And then you have all the false worship that’s even been going on by God’s people.  But here comes the Messiah, just as the prophecies of old had said He would, He comes to the Temple, and He’s going to come again to the Temple. And there’s going to be another Temple soon.  He comes and He sets things in order, and just with this sense of a new life, where the blind, lame, the power of God’s being there, the love of God.  He is demonstrating that He has authority of God.  If we went into the Temple and tried to do this, and turned over a table, we’d be beaten, we’d be dragged out, we’d be in jail, nobody could get away with this.  But there’s something about Jesus. Matthew’s showing us there’s never been anybody like Him, in power and love and authority. He is the Son of God, He walked into this place, He flips over tables, it gets crazy there for a moment.  And then lives start to get healed.  And it’s because He’s the Son of God.  Of course, there’s a lot of people that have been praising Him too, so the religious leaders are nervous about that. 

     

    Our homes can be houses of prayer

     

    Verse 17, “Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and he lodged there.”  In verse 17, He leaves and goes the city of Bethany.  Bethany means, literally, house of depression or misery, and He lodges there. Obviously it’s just the name, but for Him it wasn’t that sort of place.  He is in a heavy week.  We noticed on His way to Jerusalem just the heaviness that He had, so much so that it even freaked out the other disciples.  He knows where He’s heading. But we also know in Bethany is the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  And that was just like a little temple, a little house of worship there, these peopled loved God.  And so He’d go there, and it’d be a place of blessing for Him, a place of solace, a place of comfort with the days that He knew were ahead, and they just took care of Him greatly there.  And you’ve got the Temple out of order, He put it in order.  But this little house in Bethany was in order.  And we come to church on Sunday mornings, this is to be a house of prayer.  But it’s true, our homes can be houses of prayer too. It’s radical as Christians, we’re told that we are where the temple of the living God, we have the Holy Spirit in us [cf. John 14, read it].  And everywhere I go is like a little temple.  And when you get a couple believers together, you’ve got some special happening, where two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus says, I’m there in their midst [cf. Matthew 18:19-20], and so we come corporately as the Body of Christ, and there is blessing as we come together.  

     

    But our homes can be radical too.  Let’s pray for our homes to be like that, that there is the joy of the Lord, and it is a house of prayer.  We pray that our kids see the power of God in our house.  We pray that our homes aren’t places where for our kids there’s all sorts of obstacles and hindrances for the kids.  But that our homes are places where they can honestly see and worship God.  May our homes be places where it’s like that house in Bethany, may it be just a beautiful place.  May the Spirit of God reside in our homes in a special way.  And then may we come on Sundays [or Saturdays], Wednesdays, whatever, just hungry, hungry to seek the Lord. Let’s close in prayer…

      Cleansing the Courtyard - Matthew 21:12-17   The evangelical landscapes are big business today.  Walk into most churches today and we’ll be greeted with a whole host of merchandise, much of it completely unrelated to the Gospel.  Mega-churches have entire storefronts, even mini-malls in the narthex, all designed to accommodate and comfort the sinner who is supposedly about to enter a holy place.  There is a an old cliche about the more things change that applies very much to us today.  There is a need for a whip-like burst of zealousness from those who are resolved to thoroughly, though lovingly, gently and patiently, cleanse the temple courtyards of our church sanctuaries.  

    When Jesus cleared the temple courtyard and drove the merchants away, He was illustrating a profound statement about Himself.  Our places of worship, whether it be Herod’s magnificent, massive temple or the secret closet Jesus commanded us to go pray in, needs to be approached with reverence and humility.  Even more specifically, Jesus needs to be approached with reverence and humility in our hearts.  The Temple was a holy place filled with meticulously crafted things in order to illustrate the otherness of God.

    When the merchants were selling their merchandise and animals for sacrifice in the courtyard, they were bringing inside what was common outside.  It was a scene no different than that of any common street in Jerusalem.  But when the Messiah drove out the merchants, cleansed the courtyard and began to administer justice and mercy to sick and lame, and when He heard the songs of the little children offering Him praise it was then that the sense of the holy had been restored.  It was then that sinful, hardened hearts could enter the courts and see those things that would melt them as they continued on to the holy place to seek atonement for their sins.

    Faith in Jesus requires no less.  We cannot bring Him the common things of our heart and expect to please Him.  The common things of the human heart are excessively evil.  We can only ask that the common things we come with are cleared and cleansed from us, that our sin is purged and that the hope of Jesus reigns there driving us to love our neighbor for the sake of His Name and to show mercy to the weak and poor.

    Matthew 21:12-17 – Don’t Rob God!

    Introduction

    ·        On the first day of the holy week (Sunday), we had the triumphal entry. The Gospel of Mark says that after the people hailed Jesus and said, “‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!’ Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. On the next day, when they had left Bethany… He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple…” (Mark 11:10-15, NASB)

    ·        So we will be looking now at the second day, Monday, and we see two things that made Jesus mad. We want to learn from these episodes the things that we should avoid doing, so that He does not become upset with us too!

    ·        In both episodes: The disruption of the market in the temple, and the reproving of the chief priests and scribes who didn’t want kids praising Jesus, (and also in the cursing of the fruitless fig tree afterwards), we see instances where God is not given what He deserves.

    ·        It reminds of the prophecy of Malachi 3 “…the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire… and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness… Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows… ” (NASB)

    ·        In Malachi’s day it was tithes and offerings, which are a part of worship, but in Jesus day it was praise and prayer from the sick, the foreigners, and the children. Let us look in Matthew 21 at these ways God was robbed, starting with verse…

    Exegesis

    21:12 Then Jesus entered into the temple of God and threw out all who were selling and buying in the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of the ones who sell doves.

    Και εισηλθεν ο[2] Ιησους εις το ιερον [του θεου] και εξεβαλεν παντας τους πωλουντας και αγοραζοντας εν τω ‘ιερω και τας τραπεζας των κολλυβιστων κατεστρεψεν και τας καθεδρας των πωλουντων τας περιστερας

    Mark’s gospel (11:16) adds that “He would not allow anyone to even carry an item through the temple!” (NAW) Whoah! What’s gone wrong?

    This event in the Gospels is the only place in the Greek Bible that this word for “money­changers” appears. There were people from all over the world who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday, and they were carrying money from lots of different countries. Moneychangers made their services available, for a fee, to exchange the foreign coins for Israelite coins so that people could buy stuff locally and pay their temple tax

    In Deut. 14:22-26, the Mosaic law reads, “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year… your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring [it]… then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord Your God chooses. You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord Your God and rejoice, you and your household.” (NASB)

    So, in they come from all over the world to Passover with money in hand, as God instructed, and they buy a lamb, or if they are too poor, they can buy pigeons or doves as an alternative to sacrifice to the Lord.  God was not against buying and selling sheep and birds per se. He was upset about How and Where it was being done.

    There was a problem with How the Jews were selling the sheep and doves: the salesmen were charging unfair prices because there was nowhere else that these foreigners could buy sacrificial animals.

    A. Edersheim, in his book, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, explained that the merchants in the temple paid the priests for their concessions, and then the priests would automatically approve the animals purchased from the temple market.

    But if a worshipper brought an animal from home, the priest might disapprove of the animal, forcing the worshipper to buy an animal from the temple market after all. People likely had to pay twice what the lamb was worth or risk not having a Passover lamb for the feast.

    Jesus uses the term “robbers” to refer to the merchants, and that was obviously part of what made Him mad.

    But there is another reason Jesus was mad, and that was Where the marketplace was located: in the temple courtyard.

    A couple of Passovers ago when Jesus took a whip and cleared the vendors out of the temple in a similar way, He gave an important command: “make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” (John 2:17, ATR) The place of worship was not to be filled up with business transactions, even if they were buying and selling items for use in worship!

    However, they did not reform their ways after that first prophetic rebuke, so Jesus is now giving them a second chance. Note that Jesus did not throw out everyone, just the ones who were buying and selling in the temple. Buying and selling was not wrong, but doing it on the temple grounds was what incensed Jesus.

    How did He get away with clearing away the market like that? He was a popular figure, and also the people hated being scalped in the temple market themselves, so the crowds were supporting Jesus, and the priests were afraid to start a riot by doing anything to Him.

    The first time Jesus cleared out the temple, He had stated negatively that the temple was not for buying and selling; this second time, Jesus states positively what the place of worship Is for, and that is to be a house of prayer!

     

    21:13 and He says to them, “It was written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but y’all – y’all have made it a den of robbers.

    και λεγει αυτοις Γεγραπται ‘Ο ‘οικος μου ‘οικος προσευχης κληθησεται ‘υμεις δε αυτον εποιησατε[8] σπηλαιον[9] ληστων

    Back in 2 Chronicles 6, King Solomon had dedicated his newly-built temple with a prayer which stated specifically that the temple was to be a focal point for prayer to God.

    When Jesus drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple, He quoted from Isaiah 56:7; here’s the larger context: “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, To be His servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the Sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.” (Isa. 56:6-8, NASB)

    The phrase “for all the nations” is not included in Matthew’s account, but Mark indicates that Jesus did include it in His quote (11:17). Possibly Matthew is trying to go easy on his Jewish audience and not unnecessarily confront their ethnocentricity with a truth that was not his main point here.

    To be ‘called a house of prayer’ means that prayer is the main thing. Prayer should be the first thing that jumps to mind when you think of the temple. And “prayer” here stands for the whole worship of God.

    Where is the temple now? Ezra and Nehemiah’s temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., and a Muslim mosque stands in its place.

    However, God’s word says that your body is now His temple: 1 Cor. 6:19 “… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…”

    Is the way you talk with God the first thing that jumps to mind when other people think of you? Are you a “house of prayer,” or does something else characterize you?

    When people thought of the temple on Passover lamb selection day (Ex. 12:3), a mall is what came to mind, with all the excitement of a wheeling’ dealing’ flea market! It was hardly a house of prayer anymore.

    Furthermore, the temple had become a place where people who lived like the devil all week came on Sabbath to find cheap forgiveness, where the grace of God’s forgiveness was being dishonored by people who didn’t care about God’s righteousness, but just wanted easy absolution for disobeying God when they weren’t at church.

    The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered!'--that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the Lord. “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.” (Jer 7:9-12, NASB)

    Jesus pulls His “den of robbers” phrase from Jeremiah’s prophecy, both reprimanding the Jews of His day for their rebellion that dishonored God’s grace, and warning the Jews of His day that just as God had exiled and wiped out Israel in the past for their unfaithfulness to Him, He would do it again if they did not repent.

    Most of the Jews of Jesus’ day did not repent. In fact, Mark (11:18) and Luke (19:47) tell us that “the chief priests and scribes began seeking how they might destroy Him.” So God made good on His threat, and Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army in 70 A.D.

    A den is a hiding place. (We get the word “spelunking”, caving from this Greek word.) Caves were where people hid out and kept secrets, and where the dead were buried. the total opposite of what God wanted for His temple.

    God’s house should be a place where the truth is revealed, where evil is exposed, and where life is on display.

    You want to make God mad? Then turn church into a place where sin is covered up, where the truth is not proclaimed, and where spiritual deadness prevails. That will turn a church into a den of robbers, and who wants to attend church with a bunch of cheats and hypocrites?

    The word for “thieves/robbers” suggests not just a petty thief who had stolen an apple from the market, but a gang of bandits, crooks, and thugs who made their living off of plundering hapless victims. Matthew uses this same word to describe what the two other men crucified with Jesus had done to deserve such a terrible execution (Mt. 27:38 & 44).

    How was this robbing? It was robbing God of glory by turning away people who might otherwise worship Him. Notice that once the marketplace is dismantled, a new set of people begins to come to Jesus.

    Matthew mentions lame and blind men, but John also mentions that gentile Greeks came to hear Jesus too! The outer enclosure of the temple that He had cleared out was called the “Court of the Gentiles” because it was the only part of the temple that non-Jews could enter. Jesus’ actions cleared the way for the Gentiles to come and hear Him teach, and, according to the gospel of John, when the Gentiles came to hear Jesus, that’s when Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified!” 

    21:14 Then lame men and blind men approached Him in the temple, and He healed them!

    Και προσηλθον αυτω χωλοι και τυφλοι εν τω ιερω και εθεραπευσεν αυτους

    The Levitical law prohibited blind and lame priests from officiating over the sacrificial ceremonies (Lev 21:16-18), but it’s possible that the custom of the day extended this principle to also prevent laymen who were blind or lame from offering sacrifices. In that case, the marketplace which had been erected in the temple’s outer court would have prevented not only Gentiles but also these handicapped people from being able to worship God at the temple!

    Jesus was heavy handed with those who would profane His temple and He expelled them, but, at the same time, He was very gracious with those who humbly seek Him, and He answered the prayers of the handicapped people by healing them.

    Such public miracles also furnished undeniable proof that Jesus is the Messiah. Nobody was left with the excuse that they didn’t know He had the power of God to heal.

    As usual, Jesus combined His deeds of healing with the ministry of His word. Luke (19:47-48) mentions that “He was teaching in the temple each day” that week, and “the people all hung upon Him, listening.” The Gospel of John explains further that the results were mixed, most of “the people did not believe on Him… however, many, even of the ruling class did believe on Him” (12:37 & 42). John even records some of the things Jesus taught that week in the temple, such as, “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Myself” (12:32), and “While you have the light, believe on the light, that you may become sons of light” (12:36).

    Now we know what made Jesus mad. Next we see what made the Jewish leaders “sore displeased” (to use King James language), and that was miracles in the temple and children proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah and asking Jesus to save them! (Horror!)

    21:15 But after seeing the marvels which He did and the children crying out in the temple saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” the chief priests and the scribes became indignant,

    Ιδοντες δε ‘οι αρχιερεις και ‘οι γραμματεις τα θαυμασια ἃ εποιησεν και τους παιδας τους[12] κραζοντας εν τω ‘ιερω και λεγοντας ‘Ωσαννα τω ‘υιω Δαυιδ ηγανακτησαν

    Now, it’s O.K. to be indignant, greatly grieved over sin, but these religions leaders were confused as to what was right and what was wrong, and they were getting upset about the wrong thing. We all need to be careful about not getting hot under the collar until we are sure our sense of outrage is calibrated properly to God’s word.

    It is interesting that the only time in the Bible when it says that Jesus was “indignant” is when Jesus saw the disciples sending away the people who wanted Jesus to bless their children. Mark 10:14 says that He became indignant and said, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Seeing children worship Jesus made the false religionists indignant, but seeing children prevented from worshipping Him is what made Jesus indignant – same Greek word.

    21:16 and they said to Him, “Are you listening? What are these guys saying?” 
    And Jesus says to them, “Yes. So haven’t you ever read that, ‘out of the mouth of babies and breast-feeding [children] you have fixed up praise for yourself?
    ’”

    και ειπον[13] αυτω Ακουεις τί οὗτοι λεγουσιν ο δε Ιησους λεγει αυτοις Ναιουδεποτε ανεγνωτε οτι[14] Εκ στοματος νηπιων και θηλαζοντων κατηρτισω αινον;

    The very spiritual leaders who had turned the temple into a den of robbers and who were looking for a way to kill Jesus are now accusing the children of dishonoring God! Funny how often people accuse others of the very thing that they themselves are guilty of.

    Jesus shows a bit of good humor here. Instead of answering the implied question, “How can you allow these children to say such blasphemy?” He answers the literal question, “Why, yes, I hear the children; my hearing is fine.”

    And after this tongue-in-cheek answer, He follows up with a question just as insulting to them as the one they were asking of him, “By the way, you haven’t happened to have exegeted Psalm 8, have you?” And the grammar He uses in this retort (ou + indicative verb) assumes that they have read Psalm 8 and that they should know better than to get their knickers in a knot over this.

    Psalm 8 starts out, “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth! for thy magnificence is exalted above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected praise, because of thine enemies; that thou mightest put down the enemy and avenger.”

    “Some think [this verse originally] refers to the children’s joining in the acclamations of the people, and the women’s songs with which David was honored when he returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, and therefore is very fitly applied here to the Hosannas with which the Son of David was saluted.”

    Verse 15 of Matthew 21 uses the word paidas to describe the children. Then Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2 in Greek, which uses the words nepiwn (babies/infants, that’s newborns) and thelazontwn (suckling’s/nursing children, babies less than two years old who are still breast-feeding). Jesus used nepiwn once before in Matthew 11, when He said to His heavenly Father concerning the significance of His miracles and the faith-filled response to the call of the Gospel, “11:25b “You hid these things from wise and smart men and revealed these things to babies.” We might be tempted to say that the word “babies” was merely figurative there in chapter 11, but here in chapter 21, we can’t say that. The people who got it right and were praising Jesus were little kids, and there were adults present who were missing it!

    The Greek word for “praise” here was used as a title in the Septuagint for the Psalms of “Praise” (Psalms 91, 93, and 95), and it brings to mind another occasion in the book of Chronicles when people were in the temple “praising” King Joash, who was going to restore the line of David, and then the usurper queen Athaliah objected because she wanted to stay in power! We wonder if the chief priests caught that comparison between themselves and wicked Athaliah?

    We also wonder if the priests caught the parallel between themselves and the next phrase of Psalm 8 that Jesus didn’t quote, “praise to silence the foe and the vengeful man.”

    The Greek verb explaining what the children’s praise was purposed to do is intriguing. It is kateresw, “fixed up” also translated perfected, prepared, ordained. When we look at how this word is used in scripture,

    About a third of its occurrences are in the book of Ezra, referring to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the temple after the Persians had destroyed it. (Ezra 4:12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding the rebellious and evil city and are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. + 7 other citations in Ezra)

    The next thirty percent are found in the Psalms, either speaking of God’s creation of things in nature which He upholds, like:

    Psalm 29:9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"

    Psalm 74:16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun.

    Psalm 89:37 It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.

    Cf. Heb. 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

    And Heb. 10:5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for Me”

    Or speaking of spiritual revival:

    Ps. 11:3 If the foundations [or those things which were repaired] are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"

    Ps. 17:5 My steps have held fast [or repaired] to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.

    Ps. 18:33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places.

    Ps. 40:6 Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.

    Ps. 68:9 You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.

    Ps. 80:15 Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted, And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself.

    And the last third is found in the New Testament, referring to:

    Fishermen mending their nets in Matt. 4:21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. (cf. Mark 1:19)

    And of Spiritual leaders (even God Himself) correcting ignorance, restoring sinners, and conducting training:

    Luke 6:40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

    1Cor. 1:10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. (cf. 2Cor. 13:11)

    Gal. 6:1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

    Or 1Thess. 3:10, where Paul expresses his desire to get back to Thessalonica and teach the church there: “as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith”

    Heb. 13:21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

    1Pet. 5:10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

    And even of God setting up the wicked for destruction:

    Rom. 9:22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

    So here’s a question: In what way can little children fix up, repair, or complete God’s praise?

    In one sense, children help complete the picture of all the categories of people who should praise God.

    Psalm 148 says, “rulers and judges, both young men and maidens, old men and children, let them praise the Lord.” The command of Psalm 148 to praise the Lord is not fulfilled until the youth and children join in the praise.

    “[I]t has a peculiar tendency to the honor and glory of God for little children to join in His praises; the praise would be accounted defective and imperfect, if they had not their share in it…”  And typically, the faith of a child follows after some adult has told them the gospel, so the praise of children could, in a sense, be the capstone of praise, indicating that both old and young have responded in faith. So here we have children in the temple shouting the words they heard their parents say the day before: “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

    In another sense, children have an ability to believe which can inspire those of us who are older to a renewal of our faith and increase our resolve to praise God.

    We may be having a frustrating day, and then we walk by our little daughter who is playing in a corner in her own little world singing “Jesus Loves Me,” and it restores perspective for me. “Yes! Jesus loves me!” Sometimes kids pray for things, not knowing, like who are older and wiser in the ways of the world than they, how utterly impossible it would be for such a thing to happen, and then when we hear them pray for such things, we are stricken at our lack of faith in God and we say, “Yes. O.K. we believe God can do that after all!” When the adults aren’t up to it, God often raises up children!

    And there were certainly adults in the leadership of the temple that day who needed to be taught a lesson of faith in Jesus by these children! 

    21:17 And after taking His leave of them, He exited out of the city into Bethany and camped out there.

    Και καταλιπων αυτους εξηλθεν εξω της πολεως εις Βηθανιαν και ηυλισθη εκει

    What made Jesus leave? The pride of the religious leaders, the fickleness of the followers, and their complicity in excluding from the worship of God those who were weak and small. Why would Jesus want to stick around a church like that?

    Application:

    In what ways do we fall into the same error that the Jews in the temple market did?

    How can we be the kind of church where Jesus would want to stick around?

    1.    Before we launch a crusade against church bookstores, consider this: If our body is now the temple of God’s Spirit, any busy-ness we have which crowds out prayer and God’s word from our lives is the same thing as what those merchants in the temple were doing. They were robbing and crowding out true worship. Let us not rob God of the glory of the nations by cluttering up our lives with busyness and sin.

    When Jesus encountered this problem in Mary’s life during one of those evenings in Bethany outside Jerusalem, He attacked it as well, “Martha, you are busy with so many things, but one thing is lacking, which Mary has found” (Paraphrase), and that was sitting at Jesus’ feet. Let us be faithful to do only what we really must do, and keep our lives uncluttered so that we are available to God!

    This will take vigilance and periodic re-evaluation. Just as Jesus cleared out the temple vendors on two different occasions, and even that didn’t put a permanent end to the temple marketplace, so we need to regularly take inventory of our lives and get rid of the junk that is distracting us from honoring God. As Matthew Henry put it, “Lawful things, ill timed and ill placed, may become sinful things… [They] will return and nestle there again, if there be not a continual care and oversight to prevent it, and if the blow be not followed and often repeated.”

    2.    In place of the clutter, let us occupy ourselves with prayer.

    Prayer, of course doesn’t have to be done with your eyes closed and your hands folded; prayer can flow all day long from a mind that is

    §  aware of God’s continual presence,

    §  aware of our continual need for Him,

    §  and alert to speak with God and make requests concerning all that is going on around us.

    Let each one of us grow to be characterized as a “house of prayer” a people who pray!

    3.    Let us not rob God of praise coming from children

    Adults, bring children in on worship times, both in our home and at church: “It is good to bring children betimes to the house of prayer, for of such is the kingdom of heaven…”

    Also, you adult people, set an example of prayer and praise that the younger ones would do well to follow.

    “Little children say and do as they hear others say and… do… and therefore great care must be taken to set them good examples and not bad ones…. Children will learn of those that are with them, either to curse and swear, or to pray and praise.”

    Mom, Dad, big sister, big brother, what are they learning from you?

    And all you little children, do you see from this Bible story that Jesus likes to hear we praise Him? When we recite our creeds and sing our songs and read the Bible and pray in church and in family devotions, join in with the big people and let God hear your voice too! Your voices fix up the worship to make it complete!

    Matthew 21:12-17 - What is so offensive and tragic about what was happening in the temple?

     

    The temple was to be a place of worship and prayer where God is acknowledged and honored.  It should have been a place where people come to meet God, a place where they confess their sins in prayer and receive cleansing for their sins.  Yet, the temple was turned into a market, a place for personal gain.  What is so offensive and tragic is that the temple became just like any place in the world where transactions are made for personal profit even at the expense of robbing someone?.  

     

    In this passage, God is robbed of His rightful position to be worshiped, and the people are robbed of the priceless opportunity to come and worship God and get right before God. The temple lost its purpose for existence.  And if the temple loses its purpose, its calling, there is nothing else in this world that can replace it.  Thus, the very provision that God made for sinners to get right with God is violated.

     

    How does Jesus’ healing of the blind and lame contrast with what was happening in the temple? 

     

    We need to pause here a little bit and savor what is going on.  “The blind and the lame” came to Jesus at the temple, and Jesus healed them!  Clearly God is at work.  Yet, Jesus is performing this miracle in the midst of chaos and most awful corruption.

     

    Consider the fact that what Jesus found fundamentally offensive, the temple authorities found perfectly okay.  Who has the authority to establish the definition of what is appropriate in our life? 

     

    It is quite mind-boggling how the temple authorities found the turning of the temple into a marketplace, a place of robbery, perfectly okay or acceptable while being indignant at Jesus for healing the blind and the lame.  Such discrepancy took place because these temple authorities adhered to their standards and practices as the final authority to establish the definition of what is appropriate or not.  They had failed to realize how much they had digressed from God’s purpose for a temple.  It degenerated to the point that there was no difference between God’s temple and a world’s marketplace.

     

    Are there ways in which we have failed to take into consideration God’s standards in allowing worldly values and practices be the norm in our life?  

     

    Today’s temple is our heart, the dwelling place of God.  It ought to be a place where the “indwelling Christ controls all” as our Lord and Savior.  God’s standards, values, and practices are always holy, radically different from this world.  There is zero tolerance for sin.  And it always demands self-denial, because it is always based on love–love for God and love for others.   Worldly values and practices always place the self at the center and demands God and others to fit around what is convenient for us and what our self-centered desires want.  

     

    Everywhere around us flaunts such ideal, especially the media.  It brainwashes us to think that this is the “norm” when in truth it is a grotesque distortion of God’s standards and design for His creations. Although we might not embody values of the mass media, that doesn’t mean that we are always embodying God’s standards and values.  

     

    We need to realize that these wrong standards and values have seeped into our heart and our value system, and that each day as a Christian we must be on guard and purposely live our life according to what God says in the Scripture rather than what others are doing and what others are calling the “norm” and “appropriate.” especially through fashion magazines and the entertainment industry.  This gets most difficult when professing Christians calls a secular standard or value a “norm” even though it goes against God’s principles.

     

    In what ways can the church today turn into a marketplace? 

     

    The church today can turn into a marketplace when seeking a relationship with God is usurped by seeking of personal profit.  The seeking of personal profit  comes in all shapes and forms, sometimes  subtly and sometimes blatantly:

     

    o   A place to find my future spouse

    o   A place to get friends to alleviate loneliness.

    o   A place to network for business/career opportunities

    o   A place for my social needs to be met

    o   A place for my family to be serviced, a place where my kids are properly taken care of and my marriage will be taken care of

    o   A place to be a “somebody”; we can give up the arena from the world but replace the worldly arena in the church arena, in the spiritual arena.

    o   A place to climb up the ranks to get people’s respect and approval; our worldly ambition can be disguised under spiritual ambition.

    How God’s heart must ache to see confessing Christians turn His house of prayers into a den of robbers by turning away from the original design and intent of the temple and demanding our wants to be serviced.  If the church becomes a place where people’s wants and demands are serviced, we lose our calling to reach the lost.

    And if believers treat other believers with the worldly standard of “I’ll give you that only if you give this in return,” then we become no different than a marketplace where transactions are done for the purpose of personal profit.  God’s calling for each believer as a temple of God is demonstrated in the life of Jesus in 1 Peter 2:21, 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.”  Each believer is called to live a life of suffering for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of others getting right with God without demanding.

    “What’s in it for me?”  As soon as I seek “What’s in it for me,” I’m on the pathway of turning God’s church into a marketplace.

    Matthew 21:1-11

     

    “The crowds shout out ‘Hosanna,’ which is the transliteration of the Hebrew expression that means ‘O save’ (cf. 2 Sam. 14:4; 2 Kings 6:26)… They further cry out to Jesus as ‘Son of David’ (21:9).  Linked with Hosanna, the title ‘Son of David’ is unmistakably messianic.  The crowd acknowledges what Jesus has already stated in His fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9: He is the Davidic Messiah…on whom they call to save them out of their oppression.”

     

    ·        Reflect on the ways in which “Hosanna” captures the deepest cry of the human heart.  To whom can this cry be directed?

     

    ·        What do I wish God to save me from?  How does what I wish God to save me from compare to the message of the Gospel?

     

    Matthew 21:23-27

     

    “ ‘John’s baptism’ (v. 25) is a way of referring to the Baptist’s entire ministry …Jesus asks whether that ministry was from heaven or from men. … ”

    “They cannot alienate the people by saying that John’s highly popular prophetic ministry was not from God. They fear that the people may turn against them and cause an uprising (21:26), which would jeopardize the Roman support of their leadership. But neither can they endorse the very prophet who had condemned them for not repenting (cf.3: 7-10)…These religious leaders recognize the dilemma Jesus has put them in, so they refuse to answer. That refusal shows their dishonesty, and they must accept their culpability.”

     

    ·        Notice that the priests and elders confidently came to challenge Jesus, only to be confronted with a question that invites them to take a stance on the truth, which would have far-reaching consequences in their lives. 

     

    Think of a time when we felt similarly confronted with a truth or a question that presented a “fork in the road.”  How did we respond?

     

    ·        What pragmatic considerations do the priests and elders consider before giving their answer to Jesus?  What does this show about their view and attitude toward truth?

     

    ·        What fears, and other pragmatic considerations, are we allowing to intrude upon our consideration and response to who Jesus is, and what authority He will have in our life?

     

    ·        In what ways are we similar to the priests and elders who replied, “I don’t know,” in order to avoid the concrete demands made by the truth?

     

    Matthew 21:33-42

     

    “Many absentee landowners were notorious for their harsh treatment of their tenants. Here, the scene is reversed, and the landowner’s servants are abused when they come to collect a portion of the harvest. The landowner continues to send servants to collect what is rightfully His, but each is treated the same way (22:36). The treatment of these ‘servants’ calls to mind the same fate that befell God’s prophets throughout Old Testament history (e.g., 1 Kings 18:4; Jer. 20:1 – 2). Jesus will soon hold the teachers of the law and Pharisees culpable for the ill fate of the prophets and wise men sent to Israel (cf. Matt. 23:34).” 

     

    ·        Reflect on the description of what the landowner did in preparing the vineyard before renting it out to the tenant farmers.  In what way is this true of our life?

     

    ·        What is absurd about the tenants’ response to the landowner’s request? What basic truths did the tenants disregard in pursuing their course?

     

    ·        In what ways have we been like the tenants in challenging God’s rightful authority over our life?

     

    Additional Questions: Matthew 21:1-6

     

    “The term ‘Lord’ (kyrios) can designee one’s master or one’s deity.  It is used to refer to the master of the slave in 10:24, but also to God as Lord of the harvest (9:38), Lord of the vineyard (20:8), Lord of heaven and earth (11:20, 25), and often of Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 10:36).  It is difficult to say what either the disciples or anyone else would have understood kyrios to meet in this context, but Jesus plainly intends it to refer to Himself has the one who sovereignty superintends these events.  At this climatic time of His earthly ministry, Jesus reveals Himself with increasing clarity.”

     

    ·        What is the significance of the fact that Jesus gave such specific instructions to the disciples in fulfillment of the prophecy?

     

    ·        How might the disciples have felt as they obeyed Jesus’ seemingly strange instructions and then found everything as Jesus had said?

     

    ·        What perspective do these verses give us on the seemingly “illogical” or counter-intuitive commands of God that we are called to obey?

     

    ·        Have there been times when God’s commands to us seemed to not make sense?  What has been our response to them?

     

    Matthew 21:12-17

     

    ·        What is so offensive and tragic about what was happening in the temple?

     

    ·        How does Jesus’ healing of the blind and lame contrast with what was happening in the temple?

    ·        Consider the fact that what Jesus found fundamentally offensive, the temple authorities found perfectly okay.  Who has the authority to establish the definition of what is appropriate in our life?

     

    ·        Are there ways in which we have failed to take into consideration God’s standards in allowing worldly values and practices be the norm in our life?

     

    ·        In what ways can the church today turn into a marketplace?

     

    Matthew 21:18-19

     

    “This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general; and so it teaches us that the fruit of fig-trees may justly be expected from those that have the leaves. Christ looks for the power of religion from those that make profession of it; …

    A false and hypocritical profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ’s curse; the fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. Hypocrites may look plausible for a time, but, having no principle, no root in themselves, their profession will soon come to nothing.”

     

    ·        Meditate on the description, “nothing on it except leaves.”  What kind of church and what kind of Christian would be aptly described as having “nothing on it except leaves”?

     

    ·        What does fruit represent?

     

    ·        How fruitful am I?

     

    Matthew 21:28-32

     

    “The shock value of Jesus’ statement can only be appreciated when the low esteem in which tax collectors (see on 5:46) were held, not to mention prostitutes, is taken into account… But Jesus is saying that the scum of society, though it says no to God, repents, performs the Father’s will, and enters the kingdom, whereas the religious authorities loudly say yes to God but never do what He says, and therefore they fail to enter.”

    “The key to the correct understanding of this parable is that it is not really praising anyone. It is setting before us a picture of two very imperfect sets of people, of whom one set were none the less better than the other. Neither son in the story was the kind of son to bring full joy to His father. Both were unsatisfactory; but the one who in the end obeyed was incalculably better than the other…this parable teaches us that promises can never take the place of performance, and fine words are never a substitute for fine deeds.”

     

    ·        Reflect on what this parable says about obedience; actual, physical carrying out of God’s commands.

     

    ·        In what areas of our life, have we been like the first son; making empty promises, but not following through in obedience?

     

    ·        What dire warning is here for us regarding the consequences of developing such a separation between our words and obedience, given whom this parable is directed at?

     

    Matthew 21:43-46

     

    ·        Reflect on the words in v. 43: “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

    ·        What is so tragic and fearful about the response of the chief priests and the Pharisees?

     

    Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

     

    Chapter Contents

     

    Christ enters Jerusalem. (1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple. (12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple. (23-27) The parable of the two sons. (28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen. (33-46)

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:1-11

     

    This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. When Christ would appear in His glory, it is in His meekness, not in His majesty, in mercy to work salvation.

     

    As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked His triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens!

     

    They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused Him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet.

     

    Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify Him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:12-17

     

    Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as He had done at His entering upon His ministry, John 2:13-17. His works testified of Him more than the hosannas; and His healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of His visible church, how many secret evils He would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion, would He show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:18-22

     

    This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savor of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; He comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27

     

    As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because He exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:28-32

     

    Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against Him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 21:33-46

     

    This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ Himself, if He were with them. How can we, if faithful to His cause, expect a favorable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity!

     

    And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Savior, in His question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when He comes He will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit His doctrine or laws; they threw Him aside as a despised stone.

     

    But He who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as He has of making that which breaks out redound to His praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of His church. May we be willing to follow Him, though despised and hated for His sake.

     

    Commentaries:

     

    He was upset to see how they were using the temple.  He wanted them to know that he did not approve of the way they were using the temple for themselves instead of for prayer

     

    How many times must He show them? How much longer should He bear Our Burdens? (God´s Temple that is and was to be "Used to Worship God" was being converted into a place where prostitution could have very well been lurking in the background?) Jesus is God! He was also Human. He had human qualities as well as Godly ones. He chose to get this message through their 'Blinded' eyes to make the point He did! God’s Temple/House is NOT meant for anything but Worshipping God, Singing Praises to Him as we will in Heaven, and Sharing His Love with one another. These people like the scribes charging up to 40% more for something the people didn't need to buy in the 1st Place. Were selling their goods and misrepresenting God’s Mercy and Using the Temples made to 'Glorify Him'; for their own selfish greed/gain.

     

    The show of strength made them aware that He indeed had the courage and ability to influence the people's thinking.  He was there for them and his display of strength gave His followers the courage to stay with Him.  He is the road to eternal salvation.  

     

    Jesus cleared the temple in the manner He did because he was very upset that God's temple...a place of worship...would be used as a market place.

     

    I suspect it was done in this manner for two reasons although there could be more. The first, was symbolic of a new order that would be led by JESUS and his ministry. The second, in order for the scriptures to be fulfilled, this action was necessary in order for the chain of events to occur which would ultimately lead to JESUS' death on the cross.

     

    He did that to change that bad practice that had gained roots right in the house of God.The manner with which He accomplished that feat also helped to establish himself as coming from God the Father.

     

    The high priest and his people did not believe in Jesus; they allowed the wrong thinks in the Temple. Jesus did that that they can see that they are wrong. 

     

    Jesus was upset because people were using God's house for their own greed, not to worship the Lord as it was meant to be. Blessings.

     

    Given that those who were using the Temple knew exactly what the Temple was,they kept on desecrating it.That is why Jesus became so angry .For Jesus,He saw it as a mockery to His Father in Heaven whom He Loved so much.That is why He was so stain and did not want to treat the issue diplomatically.

     

    Jesus was angry and disgusted the way they treated the Lord's house.They knew the scriptures and still they disobey it. They enriched themselves by robbing the poor by charging them temple taxes and high exchange fees

     

    Because He was very angry to see the misuse of the holy place where all were needed to pray...He didn’t do same thing more diplomatically because He wants to make all of them very clear in a straight forward manner that what they were doing at holy temple was against the Lord.

     

    A Temple is a place which we must respect because is a place that God  and the angels are all time and is where we meet God if we are inside we should change the behavior and be quiet. Is a good place for calling God. It is not  a market

     

    A church is strictly meant as a place of worship. It is a place where we meet God in prayer. The place where we meet God should be sacred and preserved with full respect. It shows that we give respect to God above everything. Any other thing that we give more importance becomes our idol. This violates God's commandment, "Love God above all things".

     

    Jesus was very angry on seeing what was going on in the temple and cleared it in such a dramatic manner.  Jesus told them that this was a HOUSE OF PRAYER which they had made it den of robbers and drove them all out.

     

    Jesus was angry because the house of His Father was being misused by the people for business purposes and for other anti people activities. Jesus wanted to crush such activities by strict measures.

     

    They angered Jesus in what they were doing, that He used the only method that would get their attention. They defiled the temple of the Lord in the way they were conducting business in the house of prayer and worship. Jesus Himself said to them: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers!"

     

    The money changers' and those who sold the doves, were offending God using the temple very inappropriately. The temple is a place of worship and prayer; a place to praise God and confess and repent from sins, a place of peace and holiness. Very justifiably, Jesus was indignant and displeased; and wanted to lay down a firm preceding that people would digest and not forget.

     

    He was very upset that they were using the Temple of the Lord for sin.. He did it in that manner so that they could fully understand that He did not accept what they were doing and that those actions should not be allowed.

     

    The temple is known as a place of worship and prayer. As a holy place, buying and selling may bring in corruption which might defile the sanity of the temple. It was for that reason, I believe Jesus decided to clear them in such a way in other to maintain the holiness in the temple

     

    Jesus was angry with people who pretend to be genuine yet they are hypocrites. He wanted them to know the House of God is a holy place.

     

    Satan is not to be respected or argued with, Jesus commands and shows His power over all who fail to respect and love His father’s house!

     

    Because the situation needed a forceful way. It is also needed to christians to be hard when it comes to making some decisions which are like disrespecting the temple of God..

     

    Jesus was very upset that the temple was being used for purposes other than a house of prayer and felt that God was being disrespected. Jesus probably felt that this was the best way to show everyone how He felt and even if He wasn't being nice about it, He was still showing His kindness and compassion for others. Peace be with you.



    By: Gregorio Magdaleno
    Category: Jesus at the Temple
    Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
    Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

    Matthew 20:29-34 

     

    Two Blind Men Receive Sight

     

    As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" 

     

    Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

    They told Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 

     

    Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed Him. 

     

    Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

     

    Relentless Faith and Great Compassion - Matthew 20:29-34

     

    Text Comment

     

    v.29: This next episode plays a strategic role in the Gospel history.  For the traveler to Jerusalem, coming from the Trans-Jordan, Jericho is the last city before Jerusalem.  The capital was only some 15 miles from Jericho on a main road.  You will notice that the next paragraph in Matthew’s Gospel concerns the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Imagine the scene.  Jesus is not alone with His disciples on this road through Jericho.  It is crowded with pilgrims heading to Jerusalem for Passover.  We know from the other Gospels that popular excitement over the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah, fueled by His miracles and by His teaching, was now reaching a fever pitch. Passover was, in any case, the most patriotic time of year for the Jews.  So there is nothing surprising in the fact that a crowd of people would have attached themselves to Jesus to walk with Him toward Jerusalem. This dramatic miracle, witnessed by so many people, would only have inflamed people’s expectations the more.  News of it would have reached Jerusalem only a few hours later.  In Matthew’s account the pre-Jerusalem ministry concludes with this miracle.  We know from the other Gospels that, in fact, some days were to elapse before Palm Sunday.  But take note, it was to be the crowds’ disappointment … Jesus, His failure to meet their expectations that would secure His execution some days later. They were looking for a political deliver not a Redeemer.

     

    v.30: Mark names one of these blind men:  Bartimaeus.  The fact that his name was known probably is an indication that he was known among the believers as a disciple of Jesus.  The fact that he is named only in Mark, which is, as you remember, Peter’s Gospel, may indicate that he was a personal acquaintance or friend of the Apostle Peter.

     

    When the blind men call Jesus “Son of David,” they are calling Him Messiah, for that is what the title meant.  Even beggars on the street knew of the remarkable ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and were caught up in the excitement generated by the growing belief that the Messiah had appeared.  They knew of the miracles of healing that Jesus had performed and they hoped for something for themselves.

    v.31: It is entirely typical that the demonstration of Jesus’ Messiah ship should have been provided in a work of compassion and kindness that the crowd thought was beneath His dignity. How little they understood of what was to come.

     

    How often in the NT is true and living faith in Christ described as a conviction of Christ’s willingness and ability to help, as no one else can, that it refuses to take “no” for an answer. These are men who believed in Christ’s power to save them.

     

    v.32: By stopping and attending to these blind beggars Jesus is once more overturning and repudiating the popular understanding of what the Messiah would be and would do.

     

    v.33: If you were blind is this not what you would ask for? There is no account of the giving of sight to the blind in the OT, no such miracle performed by Moses or Elijah or Elisha.  Nor is there any such miracle reported in the NT as having been performed by the apostles after Pentecost.  But there are more miracles of this type, giving sight to the blind, reported among the healing miracles of the Lord than of any other type of healing miracle.  Perhaps that is because in the Old Testament, giving sight to the blind was not only something that God alone could do, but further, something that the Messiah would do!

     

    “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”  [Isa. 35:5]

     

    “Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight…I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind and to free captives from prison…  [Isa. 42:7]

     

    To open the eyes of the blind is supremely a revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Messiah. 

     

    But, as we have also often noticed, the Lord’s miracles were important not only for the proof they provided of the Lord’s credentials as the Messiah, they were also pictures of the salvation that Jesus had come into the world to provide.  The dead being raised, the demon possessed being restored to sound mind, the leper cleansed, and the blind given his sight are not only astonishing works of divine power, works that no one could perform but someone who had been given power from on high, but all are ways in which the Bible describes the nature of salvation.  We are dead in sins and in Christ we are made alive.  We are slaves of the Devil but Christ sets us free.  We are impure, as the leper, but Christ makes us clean.  And we are blind, we cannot see the truth about God, about the world, about ourselves, about the way of salvation, and Christ opens our eyes to see the truth that sets men free.

     

    In the case of the man born blind, whose healing John records in the 9th chapter of his Gospel, this point is made explicitly:  the granting sight to the blind in the physical sense, miracle that it was, was a picture of the giving of spiritual sight to the spiritually blind.  There Jesus said,

     

    “For this I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  [v. 39]

     

    The Lord was speaking to the intransigent Pharisees and telling them that no matter how good their physical vision, they were blind spiritually, and the proof was that the Son of God was standing in front of them and they couldn’t see Him for what He was, no matter the miracles, no matter the truth that was on His lips, no matter the perfect goodness of His life.  He said that if they thought they were seeing, as they did, they would remain blind.

     

    Think of, John Rug, the missionary to Chile, who also was born blind, was born blind in both senses, but later as a young man was given sight by the Lord Jesus Christ.  For some years yet he will not be able to see in the physical sense, but he has for many years been able to see in the more important sense.  Indeed, those who know John will say of him that he has very acute vision when it comes to seeing the truth and the light that is in Jesus Christ.  And, in the same way, we know many people who have very good eyesight, but who are blind as bats when it comes to seeing what is truly and eternally important.

     

    This point is made here also in Matthew.  We have noticed the last two words of our text:  these two men whom Jesus had healed of their blindness followed Him.  Those are potent words in Matthew.  These men became Christ’s followers right then and there.  We might have expected them to go to the city and seek out their relatives and see their homes for the first time, but they followed Jesus.  They became followers of Jesus and, in so doing, they proved that they saw more clearly who Jesus was and what He had come into the world to do than did the multitudes on the road that day who had never been blind but who couldn’t see the truth when it was standing before them and being demonstrated in the most spectacular ways.  They followed Jesus.  They knew that their lives must from this point on be bound up with Him.  They knew that physical sight was, by no means, the only thing; it was not even the most important thing they would receive from Him.

     

    In this marvelous event, we have the entire message of the gospel summed up.  Christ Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah sent into the world to bring salvation to human beings who all are in desperate need of salvation and who cannot save themselves.  What all men are summoned to do is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ and He alone has eternal life in His hands, He and He alone brings the truth which sets men and women free, and then to seek that life and that truth from hand and set out to living according to it.  There are many human beings who would rather starve than come to any feast that is set by the Son of God, who would rather remain in darkness if the price of seeing the light is to confess that one is as needy and has been as bad as Christ says.  But, there are those who, by God’s grace, see themselves blind and hungry and sick and see Christ offering sight, a feast, and eternal health, and they take it from their hands and the rest of their lives they are found telling others, “I was blind, but now I see.”

     

    Imagine what it must have been for those men as they stood up able to see for the first time, no doubt able to see with perfectly sharp vision. Imagine what it must have been for them to see everything for the first time, see what everything looked like that they had only had described to them before; saw colors, saw faces, saw the city of Jericho, saw their parents, their siblings, and their homes.  All that day long and for some days after, they would have closed their eyes to imagine themselves back in their blindness and then open them to exult in their being able at last to see?  Perhaps they fellows wore people out over the next weeks talking endlessly about how everything appeared to them that they had never been able to see before.  How different the appearance of things must have to what they had imagined during the years, never having been able to see, never known what anything looked like!  There were two happy men!

     

    It is not hard to see how similar it must be for a man who has been spiritually blind, but, through faith in Christ, now sees things as they truly are with the clearest vision, whose eyes the Lord Christ has opened by His Holy Spirit.  How many Christians, through the ages, have thought of their salvation in just these terms:  “I was blind, but now I see.”

     

    Thomas Halliburton, one of the great figures of Scottish Christianity in the 18th century, in his magnificent autobiography, describes his coming to faith in Christ as a young man in just this way.  Indeed, here is the way he begins his account:

     

    “I cannot be very positive about the day or hour of this deliverance, nor can I satisfy many other questions about the way and manner of it.  But this is of no consequence, if the work is in substance sound, for ‘the wind bloweth where it listeth; and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” (John iii. 8)  Many things about the way and manner we may be ignorant of, while we are sufficiently sure of the effects.  As to these things, I must say with the blind man, ‘I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

     

    Through the reading of the Word of God and praying for light, the Lord came to him and opened his eyes near the end of January in 1698.  And that is how he puts it and how he thought about his conversion.  It was an opening of his blind eyes.  Indeed words like “see” and “sight” are found all through the account.  And true Puritan that he was, he proceeded to describe in nine particulars.  He says it was 1) a heavenly light, it shone above me, it opened heaven to me, and led me up, as it were, to heaven; 2) a true light, exposing the falsehoods about himself and the world and God that he had so long entertained; 3) a pleasant light; 4) a distinct and clear light; 5) a satisfying light; 6) a refreshing and healing light, it warmed him and his life; 7) a great light; 8) a powerful light, dissipating the thick darkness that had overspread his mind; and 9) a composing light; not like lightning that appears in a moment and disappears leaving terror behind, but composed and quieted his soul that had been troubled about so many things.  Then he concludes, “…I know that no words can express the notion that the weakest Christian, who has his eyes opened, really has of [the glory of this light.]  …  No words can convey a true notion of light to the blind; and he that has eyes…will need no words to describe it.”  [Memoirs, 99-104]

     

    Perhaps the blind men to whom the Lord gave sight would have described their experience in very similar terms?  And, finally, they exulted far more in the spiritual sight that they had been given, the knowledge of Christ and salvation, than the sight of his eyes. More than once in the remaining years of those men’s lives they assuredly told people that they would rather have remained blind all their days if in their physical blindness they had been given to see Christ and the way to heaven than to be given their eyesight but never the sight of Christ or heaven.

     

    Is it not extraordinary that we in our modern world, so different in many ways from the world of Jericho in the first century, should understand immediately what happened to those two men, should find their experience immediately relevant to our own.  How little the world has really changed, because the human heart has not changed.  How perfectly the Bible describes the universal experience of man in sin and man in salvation!

     

    Let’s hope we are all touched by the wonder of this miracle and the glorious effect it had upon these two men.  That we see afresh and anew the wonder of God’s graces that has given us sight when otherwise we would have remained blind.  The world is full of blind people with 20/20 eyesight.  They walk through this world utterly oblivious to the spiritual world all around them, to God their Creator, to the looming Day of Judgment, to heaven or hell that awaits every person at the end.  How wonderful when a man or a woman is given to see!  To see God and Christ and the way that leads to the world of everlasting joy!  We’ve seen people get their sight and there is nothing more wonderful in the entire world!

     

    But there is something more here that deserves our careful attention.  Matthew makes a point of saying that Jesus healed these blind men because He had compassion on them.  This great deliverance, the physical one and the far greater eternal and spiritual one that it symbolized, came to these two benighted men living in darkness because Jesus had compassion on them.

     

    This is not the only place in the Gospel where a great healing was performed because Jesus had compassion on the sufferer.  In 9:36 we are told that Christ’s preaching of the good news to the crowds was motivated by His compassion for them in their lostness.  In 14:14 we read that Christ healed the sick that were brought to Him in large numbers because He had compassion on them.  In 15:32 we read that He provided food for the 4000 because He had compassion on that Gentile company.

     

    The word that is translated “had compassion on” in the NIV is connected with the noun for the entrails, the viscera, the inner organs which, in that culture were regarded as the seat of the emotions.  One scholar of the language of the New Testament writes that, in distinction from the word “heart,” this is “a more blunt, forceful and unequivocal term.”  It is interesting, by the way, that Greeks thought of strong emotion ordinarily in terms of anger; Christians, on the other hand, thought of compassion.  This word, “has compassion” is always connected with Jesus in the New Testament.  What we have here is not mere human pity, but divine compassion for troubled people filling a human heart.  We have the heart of the Son of God going out to those in great need. We have here not only the record of one of the breathtaking miracles that Jesus performed but a picture of salvation coming to lost men, then this compassion is part of that beautiful picture.

     

    How does the life-giving power of God in Christ come to men and women in our day?

     

    “We are fooling ourselves if we [think] that we can ever make the authentic gospel popular … It’s too simple in an age of rationalism; too narrow in an age of pluralism; too humiliating in an age of self-confidence; too demanding in an age of permissiveness….  What are we going to share with our friends? [Dudley Smith, John Stott, ii, 267]

     

    We can share the light, the sight that Christ gave to these blind men with the blind men around us.  We cannot give physical sight to the blind, but we can shed the light on the spiritual blindness of those around us.  But what will make them pay attention to us and receive our words?  If we speak for the same reason that Jesus did so.  Love breaks into blindness like nothing else.  Love can make a self-confident man realize his terrible need, a man who thinks he sees suddenly realize that he has lived his whole life in darkness. 

     

    The world around us is full of the blind. They are not crying out on purpose, in many cases, as these blind men did near Jericho, but their circumstances are evidence of their darkness.  Their condition is obvious enough to us.  We can see that they cannot see.  We can often see the misery that must be endured by the blind.  Surely, we who have received Christ’s love should have compassion for those who are as we were and who must remain so unless someone should bring the light to them.  Does the love of Christ constrain us?

     

    How shall we become compassionate as He was?  How shall we have the power to cut through the darkness in which so many live? 

     

    Nothing is more likely to make it a power in our lives, this compassion for others, than simply to stare long and hard at those two happy men who got up from the side of the road where they had spent so many long, miserable days, got up to follow Jesus, every now and then kicking up their heels unable to believe that they could really see!  And not only see, but live and live forever.  Surely any Christian must want to see many others as happy as that!

    Matthew 20:29-34Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

    Matthew 20:29-34

    Mark 10:46-52

    Luke 18:35-43

    29. And while they were departing from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30. And, lo, two blind men sitting near the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried aloud, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31. And the multitude rebuked them, that they might be silent; but they cried out the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32. And Jesus stood, and called them, and said, What do you wish that I should do to you? 33. They say to Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

     

    46. And they come to Jericho: and while they was departing from the city Jericho, and His disciples, and a great multitude, Bartimeus, son of Timeus, a blind man, was sitting hear the road begging. 47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry aloud, and to say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 48. And many rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. 49. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him, Be of good courage, rise; he calleth thee.50. And he, throwing away his mantle, arose, and came to Jesus. 51. And Jesus answering, saith to him, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to Him, Master, 668668     “Rabboni;” — “Maistre.” that I may receive sight. 52 And Jesus said to him, Go away; thy faith hath cured thee. And immediately he received sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

     

    35. And it happened that, while He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting near the road begging: 36. And when he heard a multitude passing by, he asked what it was. 37. And they said to him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38. And he cried out, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 39. And they that were going before rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.40. And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to him: and while He was approaching, He asked him, 41. Saying, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive sight. 42. Then Jesus said to him, Receive sight: thy faith hath cred thee. 43. And immediately he received sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God.

     

    Matthew 20:29And while they were departing from Jericho. Osiander has resolved to display his ingenuity by making four blind men out of one. But nothing can be more frivolous than this supposition. Having observed that the Evangelists differ in a few expressions, he imagined that one blind man received sight when they were entering into the city, and that the second, and other two, received sight when Christ was departing from it. But all the circumstances agree so completely, that no person of sound judgment will believe them to be different narratives. Not to mention other matters, when Christ’s followers had endeavored to put the first to silence, and saw him cured contrary to their expectation, would they immediately have made the same attempt with the other three? But it is unnecessary to go into particulars, from which any man may easily infer that it is one and the same event which is related.

    But there is a puzzling contradiction in this respect, that Matthew and Mark say that the miracle was performed on one or on two blind men, when Christ had already departed from the city; while Luke relates that it was done before He came to the city. Besides, Mark and Luke speak of not more than one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. But as we know that it frequently occurs in the Evangelists, that in the same narrative one passes by what is mentioned by the others, and, on the other hand, states more clearly what they have omitted, it ought not to be looked upon as strange or unusual in the present passage.

    The conjecture is, that, while Christ was approaching to the city, the blind man cried out, but that, as he was not heard on account of the noise, he placed himself in the way, as they were departing from the city, “Mais pource qu’il ne peut estre ouy a cause du bruit du peuple, qu’il s’en alla, l’autre porte de la ville par laquelle Christ devoit sortir, pour l’attendre la au chemin;” “but, because he could not be heard on account of the noise of the people, that he went away to the other gate by which Christ was to go out, to wait for Him there on the road.” and then was at length called by Christ. And so Luke, commencing with what was true, does not follow out the whole narrative, but passes over Christ’s stay in the city; while the other Evangelists attend only to the time which was nearer to the miracle. There is probability in the conjecture that, as Christ frequently, when He wished to try the faith of men, delayed for a short time to relieve them, so He subjected this blind man to the same scrutiny.

    The second difficulty may be speedily removed; for we have seen, on a former occasion, that Mark and Luke speak of one demoniac as having been cured, while Matthew, as in the present instance, mentions two, (Matthew 8:28Mark 5:2Luke 8:27) And yet this involves no contradiction between them; but it may rather be conjectured with probability, that at first one blind man implored the favor of Christ, and that another was excited by his example, and that in this way two persons received sight Mark and Luke speak of one only, either because he was better known, or because in him the demonstration of been on account of his having been extensively known that he was selected by Mark, who gives both his own name and that of his father: Bartimeus, son of Timeus By doing so, he does not claim for him either illustrious descent or wealth; for he was a beggar of the lowest class. Hence it appears that the miracle was more remarkable in his person, because his calamity had been generally known. This appears to be the reason why Mark and Luke mention him only, and say nothing about the other, who was a sort of inferior appendage. But Matthew, who was an eye-witness, “Qui avoit este present au miracle;” “who had been present at the miracle.” did not choose to pass by even this person, though less known.

    30. Have mercy on me, O Lord. There was at first but one who cried out, but the other was induced by a similar necessity to join him. They confer on Christ no ordinary honor, when they request Him to have mercy, and relieve them; for they must have been convinced that He had in his power the assistance or remedy which they needed. But their faith is still more clearly exhibited by their acknowledgment of Him as Messiah, to whom we know that the Jews gave this designation, Son of David They therefore apply to Christ, not only as some Prophet, but as that person whom God had promised to be the only Author of salvation. The cry proved the ardor of the desire; for, though they knew that what they said exposed them to the hatred of many, who were highly displeased with the honor done to Christ, their fear was overcome by the ardor of desire, so that they did not refrain, on this account, from raising their voice aloud.

    31. And the multitude reproved them. It is surprising that the disciples of Christ, who follow Him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the exercise of His power. But it frequently happens that the greater part of those who profess the name of Christ, instead of inviting us to Him, rather hinder or delay our approach. If Satan endeavored to throw obstacles in the way of two blind men, by means of pious and simple persons, who were induced by some sentiments of religion to follow Christ, how much more will he succeed in accomplishing it by means of hypocrites and traitors, if we be not strictly on our guard. Perseverance is therefore necessary to overcome every difficulty, and the more numerous the obstacles are which Satan throws in the way, the more powerfully ought we to be excited to earnestness in prayer, as we see that the blind men redoubled their cry

    32. What do you wish that I should do to you? He gently and kindly asks what they desire; for He had determined to grant their requests. There is no reason to doubt that they prayed by a special movement of the Holy Spirit; for, as the Lord does not intend to grant to all persons deliverance from bodily diseases, so neither does He permit them simply to pray for it. A rule has been prescribed for us what we ought to ask, and in what manner, and to what extent; and we are not at liberty to depart from that rule, unless the Lord, by a secret movement of the Spirit, suggest to us some special prayer, which rarely happens. Christ puts the question to them, not for their sake as individuals, but for the sake of all the people; for we know how the world swallows God’s benefits without perceiving them, unless they are stimulated and aroused. Christ, therefore, by His voice, awakens the assembled crowd to observe the miracle, as He awakens them shortly afterwards by a visible sign, when He opens their eyes by touching them.

    34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, etcΣπλαγχνισθείς, moved with compassion, is not the participle of the same verb which Matthew had just now employed in reference to the blind man, ἐλέησον,have mercy Quand ils disoyent, Fils de David, aye misericorde de nous;” “when they said, Son of David, have mercy on us.” They implored the mercy of Christ, that He might relieve their wretchedness; but now the Evangelist expresses that Christ was induced to cure them, not only by undeserved goodness, but because He pitied their distress. For the metaphor is taken from thebowels, (σπλάγχνα,) in which dwells that kindness and mutual compassion which prompts us to assist our neighbors.

    Mark 10:52Thy faith hath saved thee By the word faith is meant not only a confident hope of recovering sight, but a loftier conviction, which was, that this blind man had acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah whom God had promised. Nor must we imagine that it was only some confused knowledge; for we have already seen that this confession was taken from the Law and the Prophets. For the blind man did not at random bestow on Christ the name of Son of David, but embraced Him as that person whose coming he had been taught by the divine predictions to expect. Now Christ attributes it to faith that the blind man received sight; for, though the power and grace of God sometimes extend even to unbelievers, yet no man enjoys His benefits in a right and profitable manner, unless he receive them by faith; nay, the use of the gifts of God is so far from being advantageous to unbelievers, that it is even hurtful. And therefore, when Christ says, thy faith hath saved thee, the word saved is not limited to an outward cure, but includes also the health and safety of the soul; as if Christ had said, that by faith the blind man obtained that God was gracious to him, and granted his wish. And if it was in regard to faith that God bestowed his favor on the blind man, it follows that he was justified by faith

    Matthew 20:34And followed Him. This was an expression of gratitude, “Ceci a este un signe de reconnaissance du bien receu de Christ;” “this was an expression of gratitude for the favor received from Christ.” when the blind men became followers of Christ; for, though it is uncertain how long they discharged this duty, yet it showed a grateful mind, that they presented themselves to many, in that journey, as mirrors of the grace of Christ. Luke adds, that the people gave praise to God, which tends to prove the certainty of the miracle.

    New International Version: As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind.

    English Standard Version: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

    New American Standard Bible : As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    King James Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    Holman Christian Standard Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    International Standard Version: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

    NET Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them.

    Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And when Yeshua went out from Jericho, a great crowd was coming after Him.

     

    GOD'S WORD® Translation: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

    Jubilee Bible 2000: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    King James 2000 Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    American King James Version: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    American Standard Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 

    Darby Bible Translation: And as they went out from Jericho a great crowd followed Him.

    English Revised Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    Webster's Bible Translation: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Weymouth New Testament: As they were leaving Jericho, an immense crowd following Him,

    World English Bible: As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Young's Literal Translation: And they going forth from Jericho, there followed Him a great multitude,

     

    Parallel Commentaries Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

     

    20:29-34 It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     

    Pulpit Commentary:

     

    Verses 29-34. - Healing of two blind men at Jericho. (Mark 10:46-52Luke 18:35-43.) The miracle narrated in this passage is common to the three synopsis’s, but with some remarkable differences, not one of them agreeing altogether in details. St. Matthew speaks of two blind men, St. Luke and St. Mark of one only, and the latter mentions this one by name as Bartimaeus. St. Matthew and St. Mark make the miracle performed as Jesus quitted Jericho; St. Luke assigns it to the approach to the city. Thus the number of the cured and the locality of the miracle are alike variously stated. It is an easy solution to say, with St. Augustine, Lightfoot, and Greswell, that two, or perhaps three, distinct facts are here related; and it is not absolutely impossible. though altogether improbable, that in the same locality, under identical circumstances, like sufferers made the same request, and received the same relief in the same manner. But we are not driven to this extravagant hypothesis; and the unity of the narrative can be preserved without doing violence to the language of the writers. As to the number of the blind men, we have seen the same discrepancy in the case of the demoniacs at Gadara solved by supposing that one of the two was the more remarkable and better known than the other. Hence, in this incident, the tradition followed by some of the synopsis’s preserved the memory of this one alone, who may have become known in the Christian community as a devoted follower of Jesus, the other passing into obscurity and being heard of no more. Another hypothesis is that a single blind man first addressed Christ as He entered Jericho, but was not cured at that time. Jesus passed that night in the city at the house of Zacchreus (Luke 19:1-10); and on the morrow, when leaving Jericho, was again entreated by the blind man, who meantime had been joined by a companion, and healed them both. There are other solutions offered, e.g., that there were two Jericho’s, an old and a new town, and that one blind man was healed as they entered one city, and the other as they left the other; or that the term rendered "was come nigh" (Luke 18:35) might mean "was nigh," and might therefore apply to one who was leaving as well as to one entering the city.

     

    But we weary ourselves in vain in seeking to harmonize every little detail in the Gospel narratives. No two, much less three, independent witnesses would give an identical account of an incident, especially one which reached some of them only by hearsay. Inspiration extends not to petty circumstances, and the credibility of the gospel depends not on the rectification of such minutiae.

     

    Verse 29. - Jericho. The Lord was on His way to Jerusalem to meet the death which He was willing to undergo, and to win the victory which He was by this path to accomplish. His route lay through Jericho, as the march of His forerunner Joshua had led. Joshua had set forth to conquer the Promised Land; Jesus sets forth to win His promised inheritance by the sword of the Spirit. "The upland pastures of Peraea were now behind them, "and the road led down to the sunken channel of the Jordan, and the 'divine district' of Jericho. This small but rich plain was the most luxuriant spot in Palestine. Sloping gently upwards from the level of the Dead Sea, 1350 feet under the Mediterranean, to the stern background of the hills of Quarantana, it had the climate of Lower Egypt, and displayed the vegetation of the tropics. Its fig trees were pre-eminently famous; it was unique in its growth of palms of various kinds: its crops of dates were a proverb; the balsam plant, which grew principally here, furnished a costly perfume, and was in great repute for healing wounds; maize yielded a double harvest; wheat ripened a whole month earlier than in Galilee, and innumerable bees found a paradise in the many aromatic flowers and plants, not a few unknown elsewhere, which filled the air with odours and the landscape with beauty. Rising like an amphitheatre from amidst this luxuriant scene, lay Jericho, the chief place east of Jerusalem, at seven or eight miles distant from the Jordan, on swelling slopes, seven hundred feet above the bed of the river, from which its gardens and groves, thickly interspersed with mansions, and covering seventy furlongs from north to south, and twenty from east to west, were divided by a strip of wilderness.

     

    The town had had an eventful history. Once the stronghold of the Canaanites, it was still, in the days of Christ, surrounded by towers and castles. A great stone aqueduct of eleven arches brought a copious supply of water to the city, and the Roman military road ran through it. The houses themselves, however, though showy, were not substantial, but were built mostly of sun-dried bricks, like those of Egypt; so that now, as in the similar case of Babylon, Nineveh, or Egypt, after long desolation, hardly a trace of them remains." A great multitude. A vast crowd of pilgrims, bound for Jerusalem to keep the Passover, accompanied Jesus and His disciples. The number of people that this great festival attracted to the central place of worship seems to us incredibly large. Josephus ('Bell. Jud.,' 6:09. 3) reckons them at three millions. Doubtless our Lord was followed by many of those whom He had benefited, and others whom He had won by His teaching; and these, at any rate, would witness the ensuing miracle. 

     

    Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

     

    And as they departed from Jericho ... Which, was distant about ten parsas, or miles, from Jerusalem (i), through which Christ just passed, and had met with Zacchaeus, and called him, and delivered the parable concerning a nobleman's going into a far country. The Syriac and Persic versions render the words, "when Jesus departed from Jericho"; and the Arabic, "when He went out of Jericho"; not alone, but "with His disciples", as Mark says; and not with them only, for a great multitude followed Him out of the city; either to hear Him, or be healed by Him, or to see Him, or behold His miracles, or to accompany Him to Jerusalem; whither He was going to keep the feast of the Passover, and where they might be in some expectation He would set up His kingdom. The Ethiopic version reads it, "As they went out from Jerusalem", contrary to all copies and versions. 

     

    Matthew 20:29-20:34 What Would You Have Me Do For You?  

     

    It would appear that Jesus never asked this question of anyone else in the Gospels. Didn’t He know what these blind men needed?

     

    He was seeking help, but in the process of seeking that help he got distracted. The light was on and it drew him away from the place where he might actually get help.

    In Matthew 20, Jesus is entering the final week of His ministry. He’s on His way to Jerusalem and will soon be betrayed, arrested, and crucified… the crowds will clamor for His blood and cry "Crucify Him!" "Crucify Him!"

     

    But as of now, the crowds still love Him. They line the streets and clamor for His attention. They’ve come to believe that this Jesus is: The hope of Israel. The Messiah. The Son of David. The promised King of Israel

     

    Everyone is speculating that He will soon claim His crown, throw off the yoke of the hated Romans and restore Israel to its former glory. But amongst the crowd are 2 blind men. 
    Everybody knows them. They’re always sitting by the roadside begging for alms. They cry out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 20:30) And the crowd is irritated. This isn’t what they think Jesus is “all about”. Jesus is too important to be bothered by rabble like this.

     

    But Jesus stops and asks these blind men “What do want me to do for you?”

    Now this is an unusual question for two reasons: 1st This is the only time in the Gospels we find Jesus asking anyone what they need done. 2nd You would think it would be obvious what these men needed. They’re blind. Even if Jesus couldn’t have looked into their eyes and seen the cloudiness that is often there in the eyes of the blind, or watched them as they grope about in the ways blind men do…

     

    This is Jesus. He doesn’t need anyone to tell Him what these men were blind. He’s God…  He knows these things. So why ask the question?

     

    Well, it seems obvious to me that He didn’t ask the question for His own benefit (as if He didn’t know what they needed in their lives). Jesus asked the question for the benefit of the others who were there that day.

     

    1st. Jesus asked this question for the benefit of the crowds. This crowd is obviously not into helping blind people. Blind people were a nuisance. They were a hindrance. They were a distraction to what Jesus’ real purpose ought to be.

     

    And would that “real purpose” be? Meeting their needs, building their kingdom.

     

    When it becomes obvious, a few days later, that this wasn’t what Jesus had in mind the crowds turned their backs on Him and cry out for His blood. And so it was intriguing that Jesus didn’t ask the crowds what He could do for them. He asked the blind men.

    There are times when the Church forgets why it exists. There are times when Christians forget what Jesus saved them for. They begin to think church is all about them. They think their relationship with Jesus is totally focused on their needs and their agenda. They

     

    "Matthew 20:29-34 says Jesus healed two blind men as He left Jericho. Mark 10:46-52 and Luke 18:35-43 say He healed one man as He entered Jericho. Is this a contradiction?"

     

    In spite of apparent discrepancies, these three passages do refer to the same incident. The Matthew account cites two men healed as Jesus left Jericho. Mark and Luke refer to only one blind man healed, but Luke says it happened as Jesus was entering Jericho while Mark records it happening as He left Jericho. There are legitimate explanations for the apparent discrepancies. Let’s look at them rather than deciding this is a contradiction and the Bible is in error.

     

    That this is the same incident is seen in the similarity of the accounts, beginning with the two beggars sitting on the roadside. They call out to Jesus, referring to Him as “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:38), and in all three accounts, they are rebuked by those nearby and told to be quiet but continue to shout out to Jesus (Matthew 20:31; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:39). The three accounts describe nearly identical conversations between Jesus and the beggars and the conclusions of the stories are also identical. The beggars receive their sight immediately and follow Jesus.

     

    Only Mark and Luke chose to identify one of the beggars as Bartimeus, perhaps because he was the main character in the story and was therefore the sole focus of Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. Perhaps it was because Bartimeus was known to them as the son of Timeus, but the other man was a stranger to them. In any case, the fact that only one man of the two is recorded as speaking does not mean there was only one man. It simply means Mark and Luke identified only one man speaking, Bartimeus. Matthew refers to both of them calling out to Jesus, clearly indicating there were two men.

     

    The other issue in question is whether Jesus was entering Jericho or leaving it. Bible commentators cite the fact that at that time there were two Jericho’s, one the mound of the ancient city (still existing today) and the other the inhabited city of Jericho. Therefore, Jesus could have healed the two men as He was leaving the ancient city of Jericho and entering the new city of Jericho.

     

    In any case, to focus on these minor details to the exclusion of all else is to miss the point of the story, Jesus healed the blind men, proving that He was indeed the Son of God with powers beyond anything a mortal man could have. Unlike the Pharisees who refused to see what was before their eyes, our response to Jesus should be the same as that of the blind men, call on Him to give us eyes to see spiritual truth, recognize Him for who He is, and follow Him.

     

    Transcripts

     

    The exposition of the word of God is the exposition of Matthew chapter 20 verses 29 through verse 34, but is also built upon the parallel account in Mark chapter 10.  So let’s turn first to Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34, and then we’ll turn to the Markan passage in chapter 10 of that Gospel.  Remember the context.  The Lord Jesus is now on His way to the city of Jerusalem where He will offer Himself as a sacrifice for sinners.  Matthew writes in verse 29 of chapter 20 and Mark chapter 10 and verse 46.  Luke in his account comments that he followed the Lord Jesus glorifying God, and that the people gave praise to God as a result of what had happened.  May the Lord bless this reading of His word.

     

    We may have overlooked the fact in our study of the New Testament that the name of our Lord Jesus, Jesus is the same as the name for Joshua in the Old Testament.  The word Iesous in the Greek of the New Testament is the equivalent of Y’hoshua or Joshua, in the Old Testament.  So what we have in this account that we are looking at is an appearance of the second Joshua before Jericho, and so the title this morning for the message is “The Second Joshua Working Miracles at Jericho Again.”

     

    The biblical critics have had a happy time studying this passage of Scripture which has to do with the healing of the blind men, as our Lord was at Jericho on His last visit to the city of Jerusalem while in the flesh.  And it contains problems that lend some credence to their view that the Bible is after all only an ordinary book.  Confidently, they intone in details and many important points, the gospels do not agree.

               

    Then they go on to say, somewhat condescendingly, that the differences in these accounts do not really make a whole lot of difference, except insofar as they give instruction to those who believe that the Bible is true in all of its statements.  So they tell us that these differences in the accounts don’t mean anything, but they at least should instruct those simple-minded people, they mean us, who think that the words of holy Scripture are inerrant.  What are the difficulties which give the detractors of the Bible such relish in these accounts of the healing of the blind men?

               

    There are two particularly.  In the first place, Matthew speaks of two men who are healed, while Mark and Luke speak only of one.  Now of course we should notice immediately if we have any facility for thinking logically, that when Matthew says that there are two, and Mark and Luke speak only of one, Mark and Luke do not say that there was only one blind man.  Now that is very important.  All that Luke and Mark say is that the Lord healed a blind man.  Mark gives his name as Bartimaeus.  They do not say He healed only one man.  So there is really no contradiction between the accounts in that respect.

     

    But there is something else that is of probably of greater difficulty.  Mark and Matthew place the healing after the Lord Jesus leaves Jericho, while Luke appears to place the healing before the Lord Jesus enters Jericho.

     

    Now that might be a serious problem for those who believe that the Bible is inerrant in the statements that it makes.  We must of course remember that so far as the Scriptures are concerned, we do not have all of the details surrounding the incidents of the Bible, and so we have to think in our own minds of situations in which the words of Scripture may find their significance and relevance.  But there have been a number of suggestions by individuals in attempts to harmonize this fact that Mark and Matthew place the healing after Jericho whereas Luke suggests that the healing occurred before the Lord entered Jericho.

               

    One Bible teacher, who has been a very prominent Bible teacher, has taught that really we have two different healings.  Now of course we have already had the healing of two blind men in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 9 and since it was the Messianic office of the Lord Jesus to heal blind men, it’s certainly true that He did heal many blind men through the three years or so of His ministry.  And so it has been suggested that what we have in Luke is one account whereas what we have in Mark and Matthew is another account, and if that is so that would of course solve all of our difficulties.

     

    Still others have said, for example Professor A. T. Robertson, the well known New Testament professor, that there were really two Jericho’s.  That is, an old or ancient city and a new modern Jericho, which was new and modern in our Lord’s day.  We know that this is generally true, and it is Professor Robertson’s contention that in one of the accounts, the author looks at it from the standpoint of the old city of Jericho and thus the healing was as He came out of the city of Jericho, and as He was to enter the new Jericho, and the other account is written from that standpoint.  So if there were two Jericho’s it would be very easy to harmonize these accounts.  The healing took place between the leaving of one and the entering of another.

               

    Another ancient commentator, the Pietist commentator Albrecht Bengel, whose writings have been read by countless thousands of students of the Scripture, not only in the original Latin in the which he wrote them, but in other translations of them.  Bengel has made the suggestion that what happened really was that the blind men met the Lord Jesus as he was entering Jericho, and since Jericho was a relatively small city, they followed the great crowd seeking to get to Him as He made His way through Jericho, and then finally came into touch with Him as they were leaving the city and thus both of the accounts could be true:  one written from the standpoint of the entrance and the other written from the standpoint of the exit where the healing really took place.

               

    There are some modern interpretations, too.  One of the modern interpreters has suggested that really what happened was something like this:  the two blind men were seated right near the outskirts of the city, but when they heard the crowd which preceded the Lord Jesus, and they heard word that Jesus was coming, they began to shout, and so they began to shout as the Lord Jesus entered the city, and Luke writes his account from that standpoint.  But finally as He came to leave the city, they came into contact with Him and were healed as He left the city.

               

    Still another has suggested this explanation.  He has said that it’s shortly after this that the Lord Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the in the tree, and He calls down Zacchaeus, and remember, says that He was going to lodge with him that night.  Now since Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, and since he wanted to see the Lord Jesus, he had raced outside the city so he could catch a good view of Him and when the Lord Jesus saw him with the multitude looking at the little man up in the tree, He called out to Zacchaeus as He came out of the city and said Zacchaeus come down I must lodge with you tonight.  And the incident involving Zacchaeus took place, and then He went back into the city and spent the night with Zacchaeus.  And so one of the accounts is written from the standpoint of the leaving of the city whereas the other is written from the standpoint of our Lord entering back into the city, and as He entered, He met the blind men and healed them.

               

    So there are a number of suggestions that have been offered.  The Gospels do not really give us anything necessarily contradictory.  We just don’t know the details.  One of the interesting things that we shall be engaged in at least for a little while when we get to heaven is the harmonization of many things with which we do not have enough information to harmonize ourselves.  So, there is not any serious problem in this at all.  It’s interesting.  We don’t know how it happened, and we’ll be looking forward to finding out how when we get there.  But when we get there these will be rather insignificant things.  And we’ll probably say, why did we waist eight or nine minutes talking about that? [Laughter]

               

    There is a two-fold significance in this event that is more important, and the first thing is what we can call, for the sake of a better word, a dispensational significance.  Remember the Lord Jesus is coming to Jerusalem as the King of Israel.  When He enters, shortly in the next message we shall consider his untriumphal entry, He will come and the people shall shout out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  And, since it was one of the duties of the Messianic king to heal the eyes of the blind, specifically, that it’s very appropriate that as He makes His plans for entering the city of Jerusalem, He should heal again some blind men making or bringing to the forefront again the fact that He is the Messianic king who performs the miracles that He is supposed to perform according to Old Testament prophesy.  That’s one of the important things.

               

    But there is another thing that is even more important, and that is the reference that this particular incident has to the spiritual life of men and women.  It is again a beautiful illustration of the Lord’s power to illuminate the spiritually blind.  The word of God tells us the Apostle Paul, particularly, that the natural man, that is the man who does not have any relationship to the Lord Jesus that is vital and life-giving, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.

               

    In other words, the Apostle Paul says that the natural man cannot understand spiritual truth.  There must be a previous working of the Holy Spirit by which their minds are illuminated to understand divine truth.  Paul puts it in other ways.  He says that we are dead in trespasses and sin.  Some who do not have a vital saving relationship with Jesus Christ, and we rather wonder why it is that we are here.  Perhaps some friend has brought you.  Or perhaps out of what you thought was mere curiosity, and we wonder why it is that people come to hear an exposition of an ancient book written hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  We read it and we do not get anything out of it.  We find it, in the words of the Apostle Paul, foolishness.  We are actually fulfilling the words of Scripture in the fact that we do not understand it and rather think that it is stupid, that’s the meaning of Paul’s term really. Stupid.

     

    Now the Bible tells us that those who do not have eternal life are spiritually blind. Over and over again, the apostle mentions that.  He says that we are blind in our hearts.  We are alienated from God and do not have the life of God within us.  And this incident is designed to illustrate the fact that it is the Lord Jesus who works in the hearts of blind men.  Men who are spiritually blind.

               

    There are people who sit in an audience who do not understand anything more about spiritual things.  We are here and that’s all, and we wonder why. That’s true, because we attend church and many of us do not understand what in the world was going on.  We are blind as a bat spiritually.  Now God the Holy Spirit must work in the hearts of men for spiritual illumination to come, and this incident this miracle in the life of our Lord is another illustration of His power.  Let’s turn to it now, and first of all, let´s say a word about the historical situation against the background of which the Lord Jesus ministers.

               

    We are in the part of Matthew in which we are going to have a great deal of stress upon the ministry of the Lord in the last days studying these last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew again, because the most fruitful parts of biblical study are the passages in the gospels that have to do with the passion of the Lord Jesus.  And we are fast approaching that part of the Gospel of Matthew in which the Lord Jesus in the last days of His life ministers there, preparatory to giving His life a ransom for many.

               

    Now as He made His way down to Jerusalem on the last of His journeys to that city in the flesh, He was making His way with the apostles, and also with a company of friends.  Mark tells us in the 32nd verse of the 10th chapter, “And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them.”  And you can picture the little crowd the apostles gathered close to the Lord Jesus and then their friends and relatives who were a little back, and the Lord Jesus suddenly began to lengthen His steps, as He made His way toward Jerusalem.  Luke describes His countenance as an appearance as if He were going to Jerusalem.  And so as He lengthened His step and marched out with increasing speed before them the apostles noticed that that was not His customary action in their travels, and so the Scriptures say that they were amazed, they were astonished.

               

    And then looking at the people who were following Mark continues and says, “As they followed they were afraid.”  So there was something about the occasion in which our Lord had this different look upon His face moved out in front of the company, there was something about it that caused the rest of the group that were with them to come under the influence of this sense of the luminous, and awe stricken they observed the Lord Jesus as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

               

    Bengel, that same German commentator, asks the question, what was He doing?, and then answers it by saying that He was dwelling in His passion.  He was thinking about what now was immediately before Him when He would finally go to that cross and cry out, “It is finished” after having said “My God my God why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  That is really a kind of theme verse of these final chapters of the gospel records.

               

    So the Lord Jesus, having crossed the Jordan now comes to the little city of Jericho, and remembers His name was Joshua.  So a greater Joshua stands at Jericho with His word drawn to storm the stronghold of the Prince of Darkness, and He will win the battle by dying upon a Roman gibbet.  And this incident of the blind man is a kind of earnest of the victory the Lord Jesus will obtain when He shed his blood.

               

    Well as He draws near to Jericho, a great multitude is following Him.  They are friends of His.  No doubt many relatives of His too.  They draw near to the city of Jericho and behold Matthew says in the 30th verse, two blind men sitting by the way side.  It’s not surprising that our Lord’s miracles include the healing of blind men because that was the Messianic work:  to open the eyes of the blind.  Isaiah says that when the Messiah comes He will do that.  He says that in chapter 29, about verse 17 or 18 of that chapter.  He also says that in chapter 35 and verse 5.  So this was a specific Messianic miracle.

               

    So it’s not surprising then that in His miracles there should be the healing of many blind men.  And furthermore, it’s not surprising that there should be two of them.  It’s pathetic when you think about it, of course, but it was natural, because two blind men would naturally be anxious for sympathy and encouragement and help, and it is true that equal sorrows cause men to creep close for warmth and companionship.  We know that when we have other afflictions.  Those that have similar afflictions do tend to come together because they can mutually help one another.

               

    Blindness was very, very common, unfortunately, in the eastern cities in the time of our Lord.  One of the reasons for this was that there were conditions of uncleanness that caused such diseases to abound.  And in addition the bright glare of the sun in those parts of our world was such, and since they didn’t have protection from the sun, that they became afflicted in their eyes.  A visitor in our modern day to Cairo, Egypt has said that it was his observation that out of one hundred people in Egypt; about fifty were affected with eye disease.  Twenty were blind, ten had lost one eye, and twenty had other eye diseases.  So we should not be surprised then that the Lord Jesus in His ministry should encompass the healing of many blind men.

               

    The text says that when the Lord Jesus passed by, they heard that Jesus had passed by.  And incidentally in the words that are the outpouring of their heart, it’s evident that they had already heard of the Lord Jesus.  They knew something about Him.  It’s even possible that they had heard accounts of the healing ministry of this Jesus of Nazareth, and incidentally since they had no doubt studied the Scriptures themselves and paid because of their affliction particular attention to those prophesies of the Old Testament that spoke of the healing of blind men, and longing for that themselves, that they were naturally attracted to the stories concerning the Lord Jesus.

    The Holy Scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  So the word concerning the Lord Jesus had been disseminated, and they had heard it and on the basis of what they had heard the Holy Spirit had wrought in their hearts. This incident, incidentally is the origin of Sankey’s hymn,

     

    “What means this eager anxious throng which moves with busy haste along these wondrous gatherings day by day;  what means this strange commotion pray in accents hushed the throng reply Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” 

     

    When the word came to the blind men that the Lord Jesus might be near, they began to cry out.  Now Mark tells us they began to.  We would gather that from Matthew, because in the account here in Matthew, they cry out,  “Have mercy upon us,” and then when some seek to stop them they still cry out the more,  “O Lord, thou son of David, have mercy upon us.”

               

    So they began to cry out, and notice what they say when they cry out to Him.  They do not say, O man of Nazareth, have mercy upon us.  They do not say, O Yankee or Northerner have mercy upon us.  They have some very definite information concerning Him.  They cry out, have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David. It is evident they have faith in His person as the Lord.  That is, they have some conception that He is a divine person and also they have a conception of Him as the Messiah, because son of David is a Messianic term.  So they know that He is the Son of God, and they know that He is the Messiah.

               

    Now whether they understood all of the significance of it, or whether they would understand what that meant in the light of the Council of Calcedon later on, that’s another matter.  But at least they had come to the conviction He was the Lord and come to the conviction that He was the Messianic king.  And not only did they have faith in His person, but they had a great confidence in His power, because they said, have mercy upon us.  They knew that it was within the power of the Lord Jesus to heal them, and so they cried out have mercy upon us.

               

    These men are a picture in the kind of attitude that men ought to have when they come into conviction for sin and desire to have deliverance.  They were earnest.  They cried.  They kept crying.  Even the tenses of the verbs in the other accounts stress the fact that this cry of theirs was a continual thing.  They were earnest.  We are earnest about everything but spiritual things.

               

    First thing to note is, we are very earnest about our sports.  We are very earnest about our business.  We are very earnest about our studies.  We are very earnest about our calling in life about our friends our hobbies, about everything, but when it comes to spiritual things, our hearts are as the old commentators used to say, as cold as the arctic snows.        

     

    These men were earnest.  Not only that they were persistent.  When actually people said, shut up, they said we’re going to not only keep it up but we’re going to shout loud enough in order to get over the heads of our hinderers, and so they cried out the text of Scripture says the more.  So the more they were told to shut up the louder they cried.  They were persistent.  They knew what they wanted.  And this is a very poignant fact when you think of blind men who could not see in the midst of a multitude.  They must have been crying out all along where is He?  Which way did He go?  What street did He turn down?  And all at the same time shouting out, O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us!  Which way did He go?  Lord have mercy upon us.  Did He turn that way?  Show me.  Take me to Him.  You can see this was something that was very important for them.  They knew what they wanted and incidentally they were humble.

               

    These cries that they were making were confessions of their unworthiness.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon me.  They did not talk of their merits.  They didn’t say, for example, O Lord have mercy upon us, we attend the synagogue regularly.  We listen to the Pharisees.  We study the Scriptures.  We do good works.  We don’t put a sign our face “blind” when we really can see.  They had no talk of merit whatsoever, because whenever we talk of merit before the Lord, the doors of heaven are shut.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us.  They really were beggar, literally, Mark tells us, and they were beggars spiritually seeking for help.  And they plead as criminals, have mercy upon us.

               

    Now this illustrates of course the fact that according to the teaching of the word of God, our wills are obstinate in rebellion against the Lord.  The Scriptures so plainly teach about one of the most difficult things for men to grasp, the relationship of the will in our salvation. The Bible teaches that we have a will, that we do make decisions.  But the Bible teaches that the will is a secondary agent.  The will acts in accordance with our nature and our nature affected by the fall is wicked and rebellious against God.  Therefore, the decisions of the will which are a response to the inmost disposition of a man are always decisions contrary to the will of God.   This repeats over and over again, and we should say it again, because there are always some strangers in the midst.  We never make a decision of the will that is favorable to God unless God has previously “jiggled our willed.”

     

    That is biblical teaching.  It’s hard for men to understand that.  But nevertheless it is true.  It is basic to the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  The responses that men make do not arise ultimately from the heart of men; ultimately they arise from God’s working.  That’s why salvation is of the Lord.  So when we read these men cry out, have mercy upon us, it’s obvious that God has already wrought in their will, and they are crying out now in response to what He has done.

     

    Their wills naturally were obstinate.  They were rebellious.  Their understanding was darkened.  Their affections were depraved.  They were blind to the things that really counted.  That’s the way we are born.  We are born in our sin.  We know we can speak to someone about the wonders of this creation about us. We can talk to men about the beauties of and the wonders of His divine creation and men are able to understand with us.  We can speak of the wonders of creation ourselves, but when we turn to speak about the wonders of the New Covenant and of the blood that was shed by which we have everlasting life, by which we are brought into the family of God, by which we are justified, by which we become the children of God, then the beauties of the person of the Redeemer and the work of the Redeemer seem as nothing as foolishness to us.  We do not understand them at all.

               

    So these men cry out humbly with confessions of their own unworthiness, and the message that they proclaim is that the Lord Jesus is the Lord and the Messiah.  It’s striking that these blind men, these poor bind men, give the glory to the Lord Jesus that the leaders the religious leaders in Jerusalem did not. They did not own Him as Lord.  They rebelled against the very idea and they did not accept Him as the son of David.  They rebelled against that idea.  So these two poor blind men who did not have the religious training, and no doubt the religious experiences that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did, had by the grace of God been enabled to understand things that religious leaders do not.  There is a great lesson in that.

               

    The Lord’s reaction to this is remarkable.  A cry of need brings Him to a complete stop.  We read in verse 32, “And Jesus stood still.”  Isn’t that striking?  When Joshua was here in his historical ministry in the Old Testament recorded in the Book of Joshua, Joshua spoke to the sun and the sun and the moon stood still.  Remarkable miracle.  But here are two blind men who address the Son of Righteousness, for that is one our Lord’s titles, and the Son of Righteousness stops at their request.  It seems as if it is even a greater miracle than that performed by Joshua in the Old Testament.

               

    Reminds us that the apostle says that he is rich unto all that call on him.  If you have never believed in the Lord Jesus, let’s assure you that if you call upon Him, He is rich unto those that call unto Him.  So he stopped.  And interestingly those people that were trying to keep these two men quiet, shut up, shut up, are told by the Lord Jesus to go get the blind men.  That’s kind of ironical.  These people who were attempting to shut the blind men are forced to do errands for the blind men.  And so they go off and get the blind men and they are brought into the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus said, what do you want me to do?

               

    Isn’t it striking too the way Mark describes the way that Bartimaeus came to the Lord Jesus?  We can see the blind man with his coat.  It probably was the only coat that he had or ever hoped to have.  He knew that there were times when he needed that desperately, but Mark says he threw away his garment and came to the Lord Jesus.

               

    If we were an artist, the most prolific source of artistry would be the Bible itself.  One of the most striking things in all of the New Testament is when the Lord Jesus stood up in the boat in the midst of the storm, preparatory to saying, stop, or be muzzled ,and there came a great calm.  And here, as Bartimaeus threw away his cloak, figurative of the fact that everything must go when we come to the Lord Jesus, as Paul said, “He suffered the loss of all things as he came to Christ.”  What a beautiful picture that is.  And he came to Jesus, Mark says.  There’s nothing more fundamental, nothing more significant, nothing more necessary in life than to come to the Lord Jesus.

               

    One of the saddest things in the world is for a man to go through life shine in his school work, shine in his college work, graduate near the top of his class, become a successful businessman, be successful in business, come to the end of his days retired, and then to be placed in a grave like the rest of the people who have lived up to this time without the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  What a pitiful what a pitiful thing.   To come to the Lord Jesus is the fundamental thing.  To think of it.  To become the President of General Motors, but not know Christ.  To be the Chairman of the Board of Texas Instruments but not know Jesus Christ, what a failure.

               

    So the Lord said, what do you want?  These men have just no doubt been acquainted with the words the Lord Jesus had said not long before this:  the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.  And so they in effect challenged Him.  You said you come to minister, well, minister that we may see again that we may have our eyesight.  One of the manuscripts reading the Matthian account, they requested, Lord that our eyes may be opened, that we may see Thee.  That’s a very fitting addition.  That’s the way they thought, having called out, O Lord Thou son of David.  That’s what they were thinking.  But first of all that our eyes may be opened.

               

    Then the healing is described in the last verse, and notice that there are outward means, inward means, and ultimate means.  The text of Scripture says, “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes.”  Now that was the touch of sympathy.  Blind men no doubt needed the encouragement of the personal touch, and it’s a beautiful expression of the true humanity of Lord Jesus who understands all of our human needs.  He touched them.  But it also is an identification, for to touch, to lay hands upon was a sign of identification. And all He was saying, symbolically, was, as He touched them, yes I am sympathetic with your condition.  I identify with your sin, not that I’m a sinner, but it is for sin that I have come.  And the apostle puts it very succinctly; He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  And so He identified Himself with suffering sinning humanity for He shall die for sinners.

               

    Mark says that He said to him your faith has made you whole.  Incidentally, it was faith not adulterated by sight.  They couldn’t be saved by sight; they had no sight.  Our churches give us the impression that our faith is really grounded in a great deal of sight, for as we draw up to church buildings we are impressed.  They are magnificent structures.  And usually there’s a cross sticking above them.  And then we enter, and we enter into the auditorium.

               

    The auditorium should be very simple.  That’s the way we like it.  As a matter of fact that’s the way the earliest churches were constructed, and that’s the reason why the auditorium is simple.  But many of our churches and the churches in which we’ve grown up are very impressive, and the services are very impressive.  The men come in and they are dressed in different kinds of clothes.  They are either dressed in a robe, or they are dressed in clerical garb with the round clerical collar. 

               

    And when they stand in the pulpit, they not only stand in the pulpit but they go through motions that are designed to impress our senses.  They twist.  They turn.  They genuflect.  They kneel.  They bow.  They frequently take things and do things with them.  They stand before the altar.  The whole impression seems to be, faith does come by sight, to some extent at least.  They impress us.

               

    But the Lord Jesus said, your faith, not your humility, not your persistence, not your purposefulness, your faith has made you wholeGod has so worked that He has given you faith and that faith is the basis of your salvation.  The ultimate means is His compassion.  Jesus had compassion on them.  Paul says He speaks about God who was rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He had loved us.  And so out of compassion, the Lord Jesus responded to what He had produced in their hearts and gave them the pronouncement that they were now whole forgiven men.

               

    And not only that, but their eyes were opened.  Men speak of merits.  Proud men get down upon their knees and offer prayers to God, thinking that their prayers are the means of God’s blessing.  But the wind sweeps the prayers away, for God does not hear that kind of prayer.  When the messenger of mercy the Lord Jesus came to this earth, He did not enter into the Hiltons and the Sheratons and the Holiday Inns and the Howard Johnson Inns, but He came to the inn of the broken heart and the contrite spirit, because God responds to those who acknowledge that they have nothing with which to commend themselves to the Lord.

               

    Well the result of the healing is that they followed Him, and Luke tells us that they glorified God, which led to the praise of the Lord by the people.  What a beautiful thing that is, too.  There are several things that persist through our days of spiritual darkness, and one of them is the purpose for men being here.  Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  And when the Lord Jesus worked in the hearts of these two blind men, they were so happy over what God had done to them and they so praised God that they glorified God.  They had reached that ultimate goal for which we are here in this earth to glorify Him.

               

    Now the Lord Jesus has changed His position.  He’s no longer here in our midst.  He’s at the right hand of the majesty on high, but it’s still true, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by.  He does not do it physically.  He does it through His word and through His spirit.  And we have listened as we have read the word of God to the exposition of the power Jesus Christ to heal.  And if someone under the influence of the Holy Spirit, has been brought to the conviction of his sin, He stands ready and waiting to deliver from the blindness of our heart, to bring you into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which means everlasting life.

               

    Remembering that later the Lord Jesus will die upon the cross at Calvary for sinners, making it possible for all of our sin and guilt and condemnation to be washed totally clean.  And if God has brought in our heart the desire He brought into the hearts of these blind men for healing, may God help us deep down within the recesses of our being to cry out, O Lord Thou son of David, have mercy upon us.  And this great miracle of healing will be accomplished spiritually again.  May God speak to our heart to that end.  Let’s pray for the benediction.

               

    Prayer:

     

    Father, we know that we have inadequately expressed the greatness of the healing ministry of the Lord Jesus, but we do know deep down within us, Lord, what Thou hast done for us and what Thou art able to do for men who come through the Spirit’s enablement to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of sinners.

               

    And Lord, if there should be someone present in this auditorium, one little child, perhaps one young man, one young woman, one elderly man or woman in whom the Holy Spirit has worked, O God, by the Holy Spirit, bring to their inmost being that urgent request, O Lord Thou son of David have mercy upon me.

               

    Accomplish, Lord the supernatural work of the new birth. May grace mercy and peace go with us. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

     

    Chapter Contents

    The parable of the laborers in the vineyard. (1-16) Jesus again foretells His sufferings. (17-19) The ambition of James and John. (20-28) Jesus gives sight to two blind men near Jericho. (29-34)

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16

     

    The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. The parable may also be applied more generally, and shows,

     

    1. That God is debtor to no man.

     

    2. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at a great deal of knowledge, grace, and usefulness.

     

    3. That the recompense of reward will be given to the saints, but not according to the time of their conversion. It describes the state of the visible church, and explains the declaration that the last shall be first, and the first last, in its various references.

                   

    Until we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. The market-place is the world, and from that we are called by the gospel. Come; come from this market-place. Work for God will not admit of trifling. A man may go idle to hell, but he that will go to heaven, must be diligent. The Roman penny was seven pence halfpenny in our money, wages then enough for the day's support. This does not prove that the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt; when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it signifies that there is a reward set before us, yet let none, upon this presumption, put off repentance till they are old. Some were sent into the vineyard at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them before. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour; the gospel had not been before preached to them. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third or sixth hour, and have refused them, will not have to say at the eleventh hour, as these had, No man has hired us.

     

    Therefore, not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time. The riches of Divine grace are loudly murmured at, among proud Pharisees and nominal Christians. There is great proneness in us to think that we have too little, and others too much of the tokens of God's favor; and that we do too much, and others too little in the work of God. But if God gives grace to others, it is kindness to them, and no injustice to us.

     

    Carnal worldliness agrees with God for their penny in this world; and chooses their portion in this life. Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in the other world, and must remember they have so agreed. Didst not thou agree to take up with heaven as thy portion, thy all; wilt thou seek for happiness in the creature? God punishes none more than they deserve, and recompenses every service done for Him; He therefore does no wrong to any, by showing extraordinary grace to some.

     

    See here the nature of envy. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. It is a grief to us, displeasing to God, and hurtful to our neighbors: it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honor. Let us forego every proud claim, and seek for salvation as a free gift. Let us never envy or grudge, but rejoice and praise God for His mercy to others as well as to ourselves.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:17-19

     

    Christ is more particular here in foretelling His sufferings than before. And here, as before, He adds the mention of His resurrection and His glory, to that of His death and sufferings, to encourage His disciples, and comfort them. A believing view of our once crucified and now glorified Redeemer, is good to humble a proud, self-justifying disposition. When we consider the need of the humiliation and sufferings of the Son of God, in order to the salvation of perishing sinners, surely we must be aware of the freeness and richness of Divine grace in our salvation.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:20-28

     

    The sons of Zebedee abused what Christ said to comfort the disciples. Some cannot have comforts but they turn them to a wrong purpose. Pride is a sin that most easily besets us; it is sinful ambition to outdo others in pomp and grandeur. To put down the vanity and ambition of their request, Christ leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings. It is a bitter cup that is to be drunk of; a cup of trembling, but not the cup of the wicked. It is but a cup, it is but a draught, bitter perhaps, but soon emptied; it is a cup in the hand of a Father, John 18:11. Baptism is an ordinance by which we are joined to the Lord in covenant and communion; and so is suffering for Christ, Ezekiel 20:37; Isaiah 48:10. Baptism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace; and so is suffering for Christ, for unto us it is given, Philippians 1:29. But they knew not what Christ's cup was, nor what His baptism. Those are commonly most confident, who are least acquainted with the cross. Nothing makes more mischief among brethren, than desire of greatness. And we never find Christ's disciples quarrelling, but something of this was at the bottom of it. That man who labors most diligently, and suffers most patiently, seeking to do good to his brethren, and to promote the salvation of souls, most resembles Christ, and will be most honored by Him to all eternity. Our Lord speaks of His death in the terms applied to the sacrifices of old. It is a sacrifice for the sins of men, and is that true and substantial sacrifice, which those of the law faintly and imperfectly represented. It was a ransom for many, enough for all, working upon many; and, if for many, then the poor trembling soul may say, Why not for me?

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:29-34

     

    It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     

    Alleged Contradictions and Inaccuracies

     

    In Matthew's account two blind men are healed, whereas in the accounts of Mark and Luke only one blind man is mentioned: If two blind men were healed, then certainly one was healed. The Gospel writers did not include all that Jesus did and said. (cf. John 21:25).

     

    Matthew and Mark place the healing when Jesus was departing from Jericho, whereas Luke places the healing when Jesus was coming to Jericho: It is perfectly possible that Jesus healed "a certain blind man" as He was come nigh to Jericho (Luke's account), and then healed two more blind men (one of whom was blind Bartimaeus, Mark's account) as He was leaving Jericho.

     

    Matthew 20:29-34 “What Do You Want Jesus to Do For You?”

     

    Translation

     

    20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

     

    20:30 and, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

     

    20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all wanting Me to do for you?”

     

    20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

     

    20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

     

    Introduction

     

    Exploring about how to pray. In Matthew 20:21, we just saw James and John’s mom ask Jesus for something, and now again in v.29ff, we have someone else making a request of Jesus.

     

  • In both cases Jesus asks, “What do you want?”
  •  

  • However, in the first case, Jesus is appalled at the presumptuousness and pride of the request.
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  • But in the second scenario before us, we see that Jesus is “moved with compassion,” and fulfills the request of the blind men.
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  • What made the difference? We need to explore the status we have as children of God which privileges us to ask God for things, and to look at what characterizes the sort of requests that Jesus honors so that we can become better at praying to God.
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  • As Jesus makes His way closer to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, He reaches the town of Jericho, the very city that Joshua captured when the walls fell down some thousand four hundred years before then, and here, the road which had been running South along the Jordan river turns up West into the hills toward Jerusalem. In about 15 miles it will ascend 3,300 feet to the gates of the holy city where He will be crucified.
  •  

  • But for now, Jesus is just approaching Jericho, a lovely resort town where He will spend the night. He was apparently pretty famous by this time and had many out-of-town people follow­ing Him in, as well as people like Zaccheus who were from Jericho and wanted to see Him.
  •  

  • It appears Jesus was getting a real Middle-Eastern welcome as He approached Jericho!
  •  

  • This, by the way, was the same crowd that Zaccheus was trying to see through to get a glimpse of Jesus, and it was because of this throng that he climbed the tree. Matthew doesn’t tell us the story of Zaccheus, only Luke does, but the story of Zaccheus reminds us that Jesus was not merely concerned for the needs of the poor, blind beggars but also for the miserable, rich oppressors in the town of Jericho!
  •  

    Exegesis

     

    20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

    Και εκπορευομενων αυτων απο Ιεριχω ηκολουθησεν αυτῷ οχλος[3] πολυς.

     

    20:30 and, get this, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    και ιδου δυο τυφλοι καθημενοι παρα την ‘οδον ακουσαντες ‘οτι[4] Ιησους παραγει εκραξαν λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε[5] ‘Υιος Δαυιδ.[6]

     

  • This is remarkably like the account of the two blind men Jesus healed in Capernaum in Matt. 9:27ff.
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  •  
  • The blind men in Capernaum said the same thing, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
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  •  
  • Is it possible that these two blind men on the other side of the country in Jericho had heard about this and were modeling their request after their northern counterparts?
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  •  
  • Perhaps these blind men in Jericho hadn’t heard of the blind men healed in Caper­naum. Perhaps all they had to go on was the prophecy of Isaiah 35:4ff, “Be strong; do not be afraid. See your God come… He will save you! Then the eyes of blind men will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
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  •  
  • Later on in Matt. 22:41-42, when Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ/Anointed One/Messiah, whose son is He?’ They say to Him, ‘He is the son of David.’” So, the title “Son of David,” was the title of the Messiah, speaking of His being descended from the great king David and fulfilling the promise God made to David that a descendent of his would reign as a king forever.
  •  

  •  
  • So these blind men cry out for the Messiah’s attention.
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  • Now, the gospel of Luke traces the story of only one of these two blind men, and in Mark’s gospel we find his name: Bar-timmaeus (Mk. 10:46) which can be interpreted, “Son of Filth.”
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  •  
  • There is no problem with the fact that Matthew mentions a second blind man with Bartimaeus. It doesn’t contradict Luke and Mark’s account that there was at least one blind man there. If there were two, then there was one… plus another.
  •  

  • There does appear to be a discrepancy, however, between the gospel accounts in the timing of this incident.
  •  

    ·        According to Matthew (20:29), the encounter with the blind beggars happened as Jesus was leaving Jericho,

     

    ·        But according to Luke (18:35), it happened as they were approaching Jericho,

     

    ·        And according to Mark (10:46), it happened as they were both coming to Jericho and as they were going out from Jericho! How can that be?

     

    ·        A.T. Robertson’s explanation seems the best, that there were two Jericho’s: the ancient city site and the township newly rebuilt by Herod, with only a short distance between.

     

    ·        A distinction between the old city and the new city is pretty common in ancient cities around the world. [You can see in the photo that the mound of the old city is still on the NW side of the modern town of Jericho.

     

    ·        So Jesus encountered these beggars on the road in-between the two sites. Thus Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, says that they had just passed the historic site of old Jericho, where “Joshua fit the battle,” and Luke, writing to a Greek audience says that they were approaching the new Roman resort town], and Mark, writing to a Roman audience, locates them geographically between leaving the old city and entering the new city of Jericho. God’s word is amazingly accurate when you chase down its details!

     

    20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, 
    but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    ‘Ο δε οχλος επετιμησεν αυτοις ‘ινα σιωπησωσιν ‘οι δε μειζον εκραζον[8] λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε Υιος Δαυιδ.

     

  • Have you ever wanted God to do something special, then shared it with somebody and got laughed at or even rebuked for it?
  •  

  • The things we pray for should not be evaluated on the basis of whether other people think we should pray for it, but rather whether God wants you to pray for it. We know God wants us to pray for something if He has laid it on our heart and if it is consistent with what He has already revealed in the Bible.
  •  

  • The majority of the people on the street that day in Jericho, however, thought that the best thing for these blind men was to be quiet, to hold their peace.
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  • So when the blind men kept their racket up, the crowd said to them, “We wish you were dumb as well as blind! If you don’t shut up, we’ll make you shut up!
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  • But the blind men had faith in Jesus:
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  •  
  • They openly confessed not only that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised Son of David,
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  •  
  • But that He is also the Lord.
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  •  
  • Furthermore they confess that Jesus is capable of extending the mercy of God to them by healing them.
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  •  
  • These are staggering statements to make about any man, Messianic King, God Almighty, and Mediator of God’s blessings. These two men seem to understand better than anyone else in that vast crowd who Jesus really is and what Jesus is capable of doing. Such faith arrests Jesus’ attention:
  •  

  • Jesus interrupted His very important mission to Jerusalem and responded to these faith-filled men. Likewise, we Christians, who are supposed to be imitators of Christ, are we also willing to be interrupted in our work? Bible commentator Matthew Henry remarked on this point, “Why are we ever so much in haste about any business? … We should be willing to stand still to do good.”
  •  

    20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all want Me to do for you?”

    Και στας ‘ο Ιησους εφωνησεν αυτους και ειπεν Τί θελετε ποιησω ‘υμιν;

     

  • Seeing as all the other English translations render it “called the Greek word ephwnesen translates as “whistled,”.” However, the word literally means to “make a sound” which seems to be distinct from actually speaking words, and the only other time Matthew uses this word is to describe a rooster crowing (26:34, 74, and 75).
  •  

  • It is curious that Jesus does not go over to them. Instead He stands where He is and calls them over to Him.
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  •  
  • According to Luke’s account (18:40), Jesus commands the very people who have been insulting the blind men to now escort the blind men for a personal audience with Him!
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  •  
  • Mark (10:49) has the same people that had been shushing the blind men now saying, “Cheer up; get up; He’s calling for you!” If it weren’t so hypocritical, it would be funny.
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  • It is as though, when Jesus heard Himself referred to as the “Lord” and Messianic King, “Son of David,” He obliged these men by playing the part of a great king.
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  •  
  • Great kings don’t come to you; you come to them.
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  •  
  • Great kings have courtiers that bring you to the king.
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  •  
  • And great kings ask for formal proposals,
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  •  
  • So Jesus transforms the dusty street into a king’s palace for these two beggars who have recognized, more than anyone else, how great a king stands before them, perhaps due, in part, to the fact that they had no eyes to see how humble a form the Lord of the universe had taken upon Himself!
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  •  
  • When you close your eyes to pray, do you realize how great the God is that you are addressing?
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  • Now, at that moment, before Jesus on the street, the blind men could have asked for anything.
  •  
    What would you have asked for, if it were you, and Jesus offered to make one wish come true?

     

  •  
  • All their life they had asked for “mercy” as beggars, soliciting passers-by for coins. Would they ask for money? They could ask for enough to live on for the rest of their lives, and never have to beg again!
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  •  
  • Mark’s gospel gives us one clue before either beggar says a word: in Mark 10:50, it says that the blind man “threw off his cloak” when he went to Jesus. He decided to leave his beggar’s garb behind because he anticipated a miraculous answer to the audacious request he was about to make.
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  •  
  • If this was truly the Messiah, and if Isaiah prophesied truly, then blind men would see. The blind men’s reasoning appears to be as simple as that.
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  •  
  • No doctor in the world could have healed them, and apparently not even God had healed a blind person in the history of the world until the time of Christ.
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  •  
  • This would be the ultimate proof that Jesus was the Messiah. If He couldn’t give them sight, then Jesus was a sham and God was a liar.
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  • Maybe they also longed, like Simeon that their own eyes might see God’s salvation, he prophesied Son of David, and the Messiah finally comes?
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  •  
  • These two blind men were going to go for broke and ask to see!
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    20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

    Λεγουσιν αυτῷ Κυριε ‘ινα ανοιχθωσιν[10] ‘ημων ‘οι οφθαλμοι.

     

  • Now think about what the blind men chose to ask for.
  •  

  • All their lives they have made their living by sitting in public places begging for money. It was considered a community service for them to do so. It gave the community an opportunity to give to the poor and win favor with God (and man) with their generosity, and such beggars provided a very desirable service by praying for God to bless those who gave to them. (“God bless” is still a common parting word from panhandlers in our country today.)
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  • All this, of course, hinged on the beggar’s inability to work at gainful employment. Blindness was such an obvious handicap that their status as beggars worked well. But if they were to receive their sight, all that would change. They would no longer be able to continue the life they had once led as beggars. Suddenly they would have to learn to read, learn a trade, and take up new and different responsibilities, start up a business, maybe get married and have children.
  •  

  • Considered from that perspective, it is remarkable that they were willing to embrace a whole new world of responsibilities and ask to see.
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  • Likewise, there are responsibilities that naturally come along with being a recipient of God’s free grace. Are you willing to accept the responsibilities that come along with whatever it is you are asking God for?
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    20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

    Σπλαγχνισθεις δε ‘ο Ιησους ‘ηψατο των οφθαλμων[11] αυτων και ευθεως ανεβλεψαν [αυτων ‘οι οφθαλμοι[12]] και ηκολουθησαν αυτῷ.

     

  • Jesus’ response was first of all to be moved with compassion/pity. Literally, He was “gut-wrenched.” Do you realize what an awesome thing it is to have as God One who can be moved with compassion? Who sympathizes with us! When we are torn up inside, when we cry, the Ruler of the Universe enters into those feelings with us. Brothers and sisters, let us pray from our heart when we pray to Him!
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  • The crux of the story, of course, is that, with a mere touch, Jesus physically healed two blind men.
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  •  
  • In Mat 8:3, after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus touched a man with a skin disease, and the leprosy was immediately cured,
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  • In Mat 8:15 Jesus touched Peter’s mother-in-law, and she was relieved of a fever,
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  • Others touched Jesus and were cured (9:20; 14:36)
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  • In Mar. 7:33, Jesus touched a deaf man who was immediately healed, and later with a touch, Jesus restored a servant who had gotten his ear chopped off (Luke 22:51)!
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  • In Luke 7:14, we read of Jesus touching a coffin, and, sure enough, the young man inside came alive!
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  •  
  • In Mat 9:29, Jesus touched the eyes of two blind men and they were healed,
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  •  
  • And now, at a touch, four more eyes that were not able to physically function suddenly regain/ recover/ receive the marvel of sight.
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  •  
  • The touch of Jesus has no limit to its power to bring physical healing.
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  • Luke’s account mentions an additional statement from Jesus, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” This reveals another staggering miracle. Jesus not only just fixed their eyes, He saved their souls from hell!
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  •  
  • But wait, we may say, “The Bible reads, ‘your faith saved you.’”
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  •  
  • Yes, but what was the content of their faith? It was that God had sent Jesus to be the Messiah, the savior of the world. Their faith did not make Jesus the savior-Messiah, it merely acknowledged and acted upon the truth that Jesus is the savior of the world. It is God’s grace that sent Jesus to die for our sins and save us from eternal damnation, and it is God’s grace that plants faith in human hearts to believe that. As we exercise that faith, we are saved, but our faith is a response, not the cause of our salvation.
  •  

  • But the story doesn’t end there; Jesus goes on to provide employment for these men who just lost their jobs as beggars due to His healing them. Unlike many of the people He healed whom He would not allow to follow Him, Jesus let these men become His followers, providing a context for them to learn a new life as men with seeing eyes.
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  • Luke’s account says that the formerly-blind men then followed Jesus, “glorifying God,” and that when all the people saw this, they praised God as well!
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  •  
  • They were some of the ones shouting “Hosanna” the loudest, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, and that they
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  •  
  • Followed Him to hear Him teach in Bethany, and maybe even saw Him crucified.
  • They were among the 500 people who saw Jesus after His resurrection
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  •  
  • And among the 120 people in the upper room upon whom the Holy Spirit fell.
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  • The genuineness of their faith in Jesus was demonstrated to the world by the fact that they continued to follow Jesus after they were healed.
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    Conclusion: Six Principles of Effective Prayer Drawn From Two Blind Beggars

     

    1. Punctuality

     

  • The Holy Spirit works in our minds in real time throughout the day. If we feel like we need something or if we are impressed to pray for a certain person, don’t wait until our bedtime prayers to speak to God about it. Go for it right away. We can pray for it later, too.
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  • Matthew Henry commented, “When they heard that Jesus passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was in haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity, to make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never return; these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came to Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.”
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    2. Humility

     

  • These men did not say, “Jesus, we really ought to be healed. You know, we’re really poor, but we have given a large percentage of our income to the Lord, and we have been such good people, and our parents were such good people, and we have suffered so much from our blindness that you owe it to us.” No, they came humbly, simply asking for mercy. That is a good example for us. “Sovereign Lord, please have mercy.”
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  • “It is the will of God that we should in everything make our requests known to Him by prayer and supplication; not to inform or move Him, but to qualify ourselves for the mercy. The waterman in the boat, who with his hook takes hold of the shore, does not thereby pull the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore. So in prayer we do not draw the mercy to ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy.” Lord, have mercy on us.
  •  

    3. Faith

     

  • The two blind beggars were convinced that Jesus is the Lord, that He is the Messiah, and that He could give them God’s mercy, and they said that out loud.
  •  

  • That got Jesus’ attention, and we can learn a lesson from that. We must know the truth about who Jesus is and place our faith in Him, even confess it out loud, if we want to grow in our prayer life.
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  • And we must believe that Jesus will do whatever we’re asking Him to do before we can pray for Him to do it. If you have some doubt, go back to the Bible to find out if it’s the kind of thing He would do and if He has the power to do it! Then pray with faith in Him!
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  • “It is of excellent use in prayer to eye Christ in the grace and glory of His Messiah ship; to remember that He is the Son of David, whose office it is to help and save, and to plead it with Him.”
  •  

    4. Community

     

  • Peer pressure can be a good thing. Sometimes when we pray with somebody else, we experience a holy uprising of faith that emboldens us to pray for what we might never have had the faith to believe God could do if we had been praying alone.
  •  

  • Often we step into prayer meetings without much of a passion to pray for anything. Then someone starts praying maybe for God to transform the lives of families in his church, and that seems to spark the faith of someone else, and he’ll pray maybe for transformation in the lives of the children in all the schools, and that gets somebody else praying for all the lost in our town, and pretty soon we’re ready to pray for revival for the whole nation!
  •  

  • Matthew Henry noted something about corporate prayer in his commentary, “These joint-sufferers were joint-suitors; being companions in the same tribulation, they were partners in the same supplication. Note, it is good for those that are laboring under the same calamity, or infirmity of body or mind, to join together in the same prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken one another's fervency, and encourage one another's faith. There is mercy enough in Christ for all the petitioners.”
  •  

    5. Persistence

     

  • Remember the Syro-Phonecian woman who would not take “No” for an answer until Jesus healed her daughter? And the widow in Jesus’ parable who wore out the unjust judge? Even in Jesus’ question, “What is your will?” He acknowledges that in these two blind men there has been, for a sustained period of time, an exercise of their will, trained by the Holy Spirit to press for the fulfillment of a particular goal. There is something to persisting in prayer with a determined will over time.
  •  

  • “There is need of constancy to transcend all hindrances, and the more barriers that Satan erects, the more must we be kindled to prayer, just as we see the blind men redoubling their cries.” John Calvin
  •  

  • “Hence learn, O beloved, that though we be very vile and outcast, but yet approach God with earnestness, even by ourselves we shall be able to effect whatsoever we ask. See, for instance, these men, how, having none of the apostles to plead with them, but rather many to stop their mouths, they were able to pass over the hindrances, and to come unto Jesus Himself… These then let us also emulate. Though God defer the gift, though there be many withdrawing us, let us not desist from asking. For in this way most of all shall we win God to us… although it be mercy and grace, it seeks for the worthy.” John Chrysostom
  •  

  • “In following Christ with our prayers, we must expect to meet with hindrances and manifold discouragements from within and from without… Men ought always to pray and not to faint; to pray with all perseverance (Luke 18:1); to continue in prayer with resolution and not yield to opposition… This wrestling with God in prayer… makes us the fitter to receive mercy; for the more it is striven for, the more it will be prized and thankfully acknowledged.”
  •  

    6. Follow-through

     

  • When your prayer is answered, don’t forget to thank God afterward!
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  • After your prayer is answered, continue to walk with Christ, and pray about other things. Even remind yourself from time to time so that you never forget God’s mercy in your life!
  •  

  • And when prayers are answered, tell other people about it! Show your gratitude by being, as John Calvin put it, “a spectacle of Christ’s grace to many on this journey.”
  •  

    So, what is it that God would have you pray for?

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    I. Matthew 20:29: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

     

    We know that in Matthew 19:1 Jesus was in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. In verse seventeen of chapter twenty we saw that Jesus was still continuing His journey to Jerusalem, but there was no way of knowing exactly where He was, somewhere between Jerusalem on the west side of the Jordan River and the region of Judea (Perea) on the east side of the Jordan River.

     

    But now, here in verse twenty-nine, we learn that Jesus has crossed the Jordan, and is already leaving Jericho. Jericho was about eight miles west of the Jordan River and only fifteen miles away from Jerusalem. For the crowds of pilgrims from Galilee, Jericho was the last city before the final three thousand foot climb to Jerusalem. Everyone coming to Jerusalem from the east would pass through Jericho. So it was here that the pilgrims would converge, and their numbers swell, and the excitement and electricity in the air would grow even greater.

     

    And now adding to the excitement of these crowds from Galilee was the fact that Jesus (their own “hero” from back home) was walking with them on the same road. So “as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.”

     

    II. Matthew 20:30: And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    Here, again, is that favorite word of Matthew’s, “behold.” Forty-four times Matthew uses this word compared to Luke’s thirty-six times and Mark’s 14 times. And here is one of those places where Matthew says “behold,” and Mark and Luke do not. We should be careful about reading too much into a favorite word, but Matthew is alerting us once again to the special importance and significance of what’s about to happen, in light of what just happened.

     

    We had James and John (via their mother) making a request of Jesus. James and John are among the inner circle of the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples. For anyone who believed Jesus, it would be natural to think that James and John would be treated with a little extra respect and deference. But now compare these two “important” disciples with the two blind men sitting by the roadside.

     

    Two blind men sitting by the side of the road are almost certainly begging for money, and Mark and Luke tell us that this is exactly what they were doing (Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35). Mark speaks of only one blind man (cf. Luke) and calls him a “blind beggar named Bartimaeus.” There couldn’t be much more of a contrast! Compared to important men like James and John, these two blind beggars would certainly be the “little ones,” or the “small ones” (Matthew 18), those who were insignificant and unimportant.

     

    And this becomes very obvious in verse thirty-one when we find the crowd rebuking them and telling them to be quiet. So there’s a pretty stark contrast between the “rank,” or station in life of the two specially privileged disciples and the two blind beggars. But this isn’t the only contrast, as we’re about to see. “When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’”  

     

    For the significance of this miracle as a pointer to Jesus’ identity as Israel’s Messiah, see the message on Matthew 9:27-31. While in and of itself this miracle functions in exactly the same way as the earlier one, it seems that Matthew includes the miracle here as a fitting contrast with the preceding story of James and John (cf. Mark [10:35-52]; contra Luke [18:35-43]) and therefore as a fitting conclusion to all of Jesus’ teaching on humility and true “greatness” (beginning in chapter eighteen). The blind beggars (in contrast with James and John) remind us of the “small ones” who are the “greatest,” and the “last” who will be “first.” 

     

    III. Matthew 20:31: The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all

     the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    It shouldn’t take much for us to imagine the desperation in the voices of these two blind beggars. They “cry out” not just so they can be heard over the crowd, but especially because of the intense longing in their hearts. Here is their chance for healing. It’s a chance they may never have again. And so they cry out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.”

     

    It was common in Jesus’ day to assume that a physical defect like blindness was God’s judgment for some sin (cf. John 9:1-2). Now whether or not these two men believed that their blindness was a punishment for sin, they obviously didn’t believe that they had any rights to be healed.

     

    “Lord, have mercy on us.” This isn’t just desperation, it’s a humble desperation; a recognition that the very thing we need and long for so badly is also something to which we are not entitled. The blind beggars know that they have no claim on Jesus for His healing. All they can plead for is

    His mercy.

    When the crowd rebukes them, telling them to be silent, they only cry out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.” They’re blind, they’re beggars, they’re shunned by society, they’re insignificant and unimportant, and yet they have faith. They believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and Son of David. They believe that He is able to restore their sight (cf. Mark 10:52). And so they cry out in humble desperation, and with only five simple words, “Lord, have mercy on us.”

     

    But actually, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? The two blind men have not specifically asked Jesus for healing. They’ve asked only for mercy. Now we’ve assumed that this means they want to be healed, but even though Jesus certainly knew exactly what they wanted, He makes no assumptions. Instead, we read in verse thirty-two:

     

    IV. Matthew 20:32: And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

     

    Does this sound familiar? There are only two places in all of the Gospels where Jesus asks someone what they want Him to do. Here is one of those places. But do we know where the other place is? It’s in the story right before this one, the story of James and John and their request of Jesus (via their mother).

     

    James and John somewhat vaguely asked Jesus to grant them a request. Mark is less subtle. He says that “James and John… came up to [Jesus] and said to Him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you” (Mark 10:35). And Jesus replied: “What do you want?” Or as Mark has it, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36) That’s what just happened in the last story.

     

    But now we have two blind beggars (what a contrast with James and John!) crying out: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” (What a contrast with “please give me something,” or, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You”!) And just like He did with James and John, so now Jesus does with the two blind beggars. He asks them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

     

    Once again, this is the second of only two times in all the Gospels that Jesus asks anyone

    what they want Him to do for them, and both of these times are right here, back to back, one right after the other. So in the question asked of these two blind beggars, we can’t help but be reminded of the same question that Jesus just asked James and John. “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’”

     

    V. Matthew 20:33: They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

     

    The blind beggars just want to see. That’s all. They have no grand aspirations for “greatness” in the Messiah’s kingdom. Anyway, how could they? They’re just blind beggars. They plead only the mercy of Jesus, and no entitlement or rights of their own. The blind beggars just want to see. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing more.

     

    But James and John have moved on to “bigger” things. James and John have “graduated” to more lofty goals. James and John want to be granted the positions of highest honor at the right and left hand of Jesus when He comes in His kingdom.

     

    Blind beggars just want to see. “They said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’”

     

    VI. Matthew 20:34a: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight.

     

    James’ and John’s request did not flow from any understanding of their need for mercy or compassion. Obviously not! We don’t ask for the highest positions in the kingdom and then explain our request as a cry for mercy! On the other hand, we don’t cry out for mercy, and then immediately turn around and ask for the highest positions in the kingdom! As it turns out, these special positions, at least as the disciples understood them, did not even exist. And so in light of all these things, it was impossible that Jesus could respond to the disciples’ request with a compassionate “yes.”

     

    But the request of the two blind beggars is a very, very different story. Their desire to have their eyes opened was nothing more than a desperate and humble plea for mercy. So while the two specially privileged disciples were denied their request, it was the two blind beggars who got what they asked for. And they got what they asked for because of the “pity” of Jesus. One commentator translates like this: “Jesus’ heart went out to them” not to James and John, but to the two blind beggars who cried out for mercy.

     

    VII. Matthew 20:34: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight and followed Him.

     

    The two blind beggars received their sight. They were blind, but now they can see. And Matthew describes their response very simply: “They… followed Him.” We heard in verse twenty-nine that already “a great crowd followed Him.” But when the formerly blind beggars followed Jesus, this was obviously something very different. This is the kind of “following” that naturally flows, from the experience of God’s mercy. They followed Jesus because He gave them their sight. They followed Jesus because He showed them pity. It’s not complicated! It’s just that simple.

     

    Conclusion

     

    So who are we most like? Are we more like the two specially privileged disciples, or are we

    more like the two blind beggars? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? James and John have implied that part of the reason they’re following Jesus is because of certain extra benefits they hope to receive. But the two formerly blind beggars follow Jesus because of the undeserved mercy and pity that they have already received. James and John have become more “complicated.” The two formerly blind beggars are very “simple” and uncomplicated. They follow Jesus because He gave them their sight. They follow Jesus because showed them pity. At this point, how could they even think about extra benefits to be lobbied for in the future?

     

    Certainly, they wouldn’t be thinking of the seats at Jesus’ right and left hand! They’ve already received more than they had any right to expect, and so for them this is already more than enough. They are content now, and more than satisfied, just to set off on the road following Jesus. If only our own Christian lives could be so “simple.” If only our own Christian lives could be so “uncomplicated.” But they can be, right? In fact, they must be!

    We must come back to a devotion to Christ that is simple and pure (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). Why are we followers of Christ? Is it because we asked for mercy and He gave it to us? Is it just that simple? Or have things become more complicated? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? How much of our following of Jesus is really just the complicated pursuit of extra “favors” from God?

     

    Or how much of our following of Jesus is simply and purely because He heard our pleas for mercy? We cried out in desperation for mercy. In His pity, Jesus has shown us mercy. And now, every day, we follow Him. Is that “it”? Is that enough? Do our lives really say that it’s just “that simple”? Can we say with the Psalmist:

     

    Psalm 131:1–3  O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a haughty look. I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me. Indeed I am composed and quiet, like a young child carried by its mother; I am content like the young child I carry. O Israel, hope in the Lord now and forevermore!

     

    Let's look at Matthew chapter 20, the last wonderful, wonderful section in this twentieth chapter...Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34.

    A very simple story, very simple. Easy to understand and not even unusual in the life of Christ for stories like this could be repeated a thousand times a thousand. So much so perhaps that as John said, all the books of all the world couldn't even contain them. Why this story? Why is it here? As Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die, why stop in the progress of such a great event as the Passover where He is to be the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, why stop to include a story of two blind men?

    Among many reasons, one sort of overpowering reason is indicated by the word "compassion" in verse 34. And if all other lessons were set aside, one great and profound truth would grab our minds and that is this, that Jesus had great compassion. People who were nothing but an irritation and a distraction to the crowd were a cause for deep pain to Him, the pain of sympathy, empathy and compassion.

    While the world wanted to silence these kinds of people, Jesus wanted to hear what they had to say. While the world wanted to make sure they didn't get in the way, Jesus wanted to be sure He stood with them. While the world wanted to be sure they didn't interrupt anything by articulating their need, Jesus wanted not only to know their need but to meet it. And so, at best this wonderful little story is a demonstration of the heart of God which is a heart of compassion.

    And that is to say, beloved, that God not only knows what pain we endure, He feels it. That's right. He not only knows it, it is not just cognition, it is not God in heaven saying, "O, I understand his suffering," it isn't just that. It's the feeling of that suffering. It is the pain of that which touches His own great heart. And therefore, when God allows you to suffer, He allows Himself to suffer as well and be sure then that if indeed your suffering is not alleviated, He continues to suffer with you and must therefore have some great purpose in mind for He Himself could eliminate His own suffering as well.

    And so does Jesus demonstrate compassion.

    We would imagine that He would have been preoccupied with the disciples, perhaps, which were to carry on the legacy after His death which will occur in a few days. We would imagine that He could have been distracted by the thought of dying itself and becoming the sacrificial lamb as He looked up the plateau to Jerusalem from the vantage point of Jericho far below. It would have been easy for us to understand that He really didn't have time in this particular moment in history to stop and take care of a couple of blind men of which there were many such and maybe many many such in Jericho for it was said of Jericho that there grew balsam bushes and balsam bushes could be made into a special kind of medicine which was good for the curing of the eyes. And yet He has time. And that is to say that God is compassionate. And Jesus Christ is not too busy redeeming the entire world to give sight to two insignificant blind men who have nothing to offer Him but their problem. And that may be a more profound lesson than we have thought.

    Blindness, in fact, is a matter of record in the Bible. It's quite common, physical blindness and spiritual blindness.

    Physical blindness occurred quite frequently in the ancient world. Poverty, lack of medical care, unsanitary conditions, brilliant sunlight, blowing sand, certain kinds of accidents, war, fighting, all of these things could cause blindness. But most commonly, blindness was caused basically because of gonorrheal diplococcus that would find their way from a woman's body into the conjunctiva of the eye of a child at birth and there they would form their disease and permanent blindness could occur. Sometimes blindness came by the infecting virus trichoma(?). And today, much of these things are curable because of the drugs that we have available, but then they were not. So it was not uncommon to be blind, especially maybe not uncommon, in Jericho where they believed there was a certain bush that healed blindness.

    But even more common than physical blindness was spiritual blindness. And metaphorically the gospels and the epistles speak often of the blindness of the heart. In fact, it's summed up in the words of John 1 which simply says, "That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not.

    He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Or in the third chapter where it says that men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Or Romans 11:25 which says blindness in part has happened to Israel. Or 2 Corinthians 3:14, "Their minds were blinded." Or Jesus' words in Matthew 23, "Woe unto you blind guides, you blind Pharisee," He said. Blind to God. May be able to see physically, but blind to God.

    Now the case of these men is most interesting because while they are physically blind, they appear to have unusually clear spiritual sight. Physically they see nothing, spiritually they see very well. And they will see even better when the Lord Jesus is finished with them. And they will also see physically.

    Why are people spiritually blind? Sin, we're blinded by sin. In Matthew 6 it talks about the fact that when we're evil, our whole eye is darkened. Satan sort of adds a double blindness by blinding the minds of them that believe not, 2 Corinthians 4:4. And then God may add a triple blindness when His sovereignty makes the eye blind, as Isaiah 6 indicates, in a judicial punishment of unbelievers. And so we see then that men are blind by sin and doubly blinded by Satan and doubly or triply blinded by God. And it is into the darkness of man's spiritual blindness that Jesus comes. And we remember when He announced His arrival in Luke 4:18, He said He had come to give sight to the blind. And, He was not primarily speaking of physical blindness; He was primarily speaking of spiritual. He said in John 8, "I am the light that lights the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness." He came to give spiritual light to blind eyes.

    And sometimes He gave physical sight to blind eyes. And He did that for three reasons. First of all, it was part of Messianic proof. He was demonstrating that He was the Messiah. Secondly, it was part of millennial preview. He was showing them what it was going to be like in His Kingdom when all of that kind of thing was turned over and there was glorious wholeness and healing in the Kingdom. And thirdly, it was a matter of symbol or picture. It was a marvelous picture.

    Every time He healed someone of physical blindness, He was in effect saying that's only a symbol of what I want to do to the soul. Every time He unstopped the ears so that someone could hear sound, He was in effect saying and that is exactly what I want to do to the heart so you can hear the Word of God. And every time He raised someone from the dead physically, He was saying I want to give life to the soul as I am able to give life to the body. And that is why Jesus found it no more difficult to forgive sins than to heal someone. And when posed with that question, that's what He said, "What's the difference? I am showing you by My absolute control over the physical world and the natural laws that I have control over the spiritual world and the supernatural laws."

    And so, in the case of these two blind men, we have Messianic proof. We have millennial preview. And we have a marvelous picture of what He's able to do to the heart. And then we have the reality. Before the story's over, these two blind men are saved, redeemed souls. And so they see physically, they see spiritually. And they demonstrate to us that no matter how involved our Lord is, His heart of compassion reaches out to those who cry for His help.

    Now let's look at the scene in verse 29. It's a very simple story and a simple scene. "As they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him." Jesus had finished His ministry in Galilee. He finished His ministry in Peraea. Peraea is the area east of the Jordan. Jesus had crossed the Jordan at some northern point near the Sea of Galilee and descended down the eastern side of the Jordan River in that area known as Peraea.

    He's finished His ministry of a few weeks there and now He's on His way to Jerusalem. So He has to cross again the Jordan River to the west.

    He probably crossed at a fairy spot, about five miles north of Jericho. Jericho's the first city we see when we cross the Jordan from the east. And as we fairy across the river, we walk across nowadays what is known as the Allenby (?) Bridge, the first sight we see is Jericho. It isn't the Jericho of old; it's really the third Jericho. They keep moving south. But in Jesus' time, there was the Old Testament Jericho which was ruins. And then a little south of that, right against it really, was the New Testament Jericho that flourished at this time. And it was a beautiful place, still is. It has its own unique beauty.

    In those days, it was so exquisite a place that Herod built himself a wonderful fort and palace there. And that was his winter home. And they...Josephus used to say that when there was snow in Jerusalem, they were wearing linen because it was so warm in Jericho and it's only about 15 miles as the crow flies. But it's so far down into that desert that it stays warm. It's the Palm Springs of Palestine. It was known as the city of palms.

    And if we want to understand the geography of the land of Palestine, we'll be interested to note that it is almost an absolute identical copy of southern California, both in terms of geography and climate. For it has a seacoast, a beautiful gorgeous beach on the Mediterranean. And then there is a lovely valley known as the Sharon Valley. And then the mountains rise up, we know them as the Carmel Mountain Range. And at the southern end is this massive plateau of Jerusalem. And from there descends straight down to the desert. It's almost a parallel. The only difference would be that where as Los Angeles is in a basin, Jerusalem is on a plateau. But it's much like our area. From the seacoast it rises to the mountains and then descends to the desert.

    And Jericho was a lovely place in the winter, even in the spring. Because the crops all came in early in Jericho. Mark tells us it was not yet fig picking time in Jerusalem, but it would have been in Jericho because of the warmth. There were citrus trees everywhere because Jericho is endlessly fed by some beautiful springs, of lovely water, pure and clear and that water was channeled by irrigation all through that area around Jericho so that it flourished. And there were palm trees everywhere and citrus trees and then this balsam bush which had some multiple uses that was growing there. And so it would have been a very lovely place.

    It was also a place that must have literally exploded on the minds of Jesus...on the mind of Jesus with memory because He would no doubt remember a very special woman from that city by the name of Rahab who was a prostitute but who hid the spies, who came to spy out the land. And as a result in the grace of God she was given a place in Messianic genealogy and you find her listed as an ancestor of the Messiah Himself in Matthew chapter 1.

    And as He stood on the edge of the Jordan River, ready to go south about five miles maybe to the New Testament city of Jericho, He would have looked straight ahead to a cliff of mountains that rises straight up into the sky, chalky white, limestone-like parapet that cast its shadow in the late afternoon over the city of Jericho. And He would have remembered that that was very likely the place where He was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights by the devil. It's called by historians the devastation of bleak and desolate place.

    And so, His mind is literally filled with things. Around Him is pressing a huge crowd, moving now from crossing the river down to Jericho, passing through the ruins of Old Testament Jericho which ruins, by the way, are still there for a visitor to see...including the ancient wall which so accommodated the plan of God by falling over on cue. And as they came to the city, He could see the sights and smell the smells and hear the sounds and it would be such a fulfilling experience. And in the midst of all of this, the tremendous anticipation of His own death only days away. He's only; by the way, six hours walk maybe from Jerusalem, six miles north of the Dead Sea. And it's a fulfilling thing.

    Now as He comes into the city, naturally the mob presses Him on all sides. He can heal. Anybody today who even claims to heal can pack in a crowd. You can get 15,000 people into Madison Square Garden if you just tell them you're going to heal them. Even if you can't, they'll come just to find out if you can. And if you really can heal, they're there, believe it!

    In Jesus' time, they mobbed Him. That's why the Lord had to tell the disciples not to take any money because they could have made literally a fortune in a day selling healings. And so the people pile all around Jesus, His teaching, His preaching, the magnetism of His personality, His ability to raise the dead and heal people from any disease.

    And as He came into the city with the press of the crowd, there was one little guy that really wanted to see Him. You remember his name? Zacchaeus. And he was number-one public enemy, hated. He was a Jew who sold out to Rome for money. He became chief tax collector. He exacerbated tax out of Israel to the point of a fault. He defrauded them. He stole them blind. And he pocketed it all for himself and they hated him. Not only was he a traitor, but he was a crook. But he was fascinated by Jesus.

    Now how did he know about Him? Well, it hadn't been long before this that Jesus made a short trip to Bethany. And when He was there, He raised Lazarus from the dead. And the word went like wildfire. Bethany was the town between Jericho and Jerusalem, just up the hill. It's very likely that everybody would have known who the Mary, Martha, Joseph little family was...or Mary, Martha and Lazarus, rather. They would have known who they were. And, of course, the whole city was in an uproar when He raised him from the dead. And His enemies pursued Him that He had to go back on the other side of the Jordan for a while for safety's sake. At least He had to retreat away. And so they knew. He had practically banished disease from Palestine and so everybody knew who He was. They were all there. And Zacchaeus wanted a view of Him.

    Since he couldn't see like a little kid at a parade, he crawled up in a tree. And Jesus came along and He stopped and said, "Come down out of that tree, I'm coming to your house, I'm going to spend the night." Which wouldn't have done anything for the popularity of Jesus superficially because since this was the most hated man in town. But He had a wonderful evening with Zacchaeus and He transformed him. He redeemed him. The man was totally transformed. The reason we know that was he said to Jesus just before the dawning came and the thing was all completed, he said, "I'm going to give everything I give back to the poor, everything I've ever taken from anybody four-fold."

    And Jesus said, "Surely salvation has come to this house."

    That's the real thing! That's the real thing. He is the perfect opposite of the rich young ruler. True salvation, he wants to give it all away. You don't even have to tell him to do it, he wants to do it. Everything he's defrauded and more.

    And so, as the morning breaks and Zacchaeus is running around town settling his account and he's like some incredible Santa Claus giving everybody back four times what he took and saying it's all because of Jesus, the crowd perhaps even swelled greater. And the whole place is lined with people. Now you have to reach the other accounts to get that. We're not looking at that in verse 29.

    And so by now Jesus is ready to leave. He spent the night. He's going to Jerusalem. He must move to the Passover. And so we pick it up in verse 30. "And behold two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed by cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David."

    Now, it says in verse 29 "As they departed from Jericho" this happened. Mark says, in the comparative passage, "As they were leaving Jericho." But Luke says, "As He came near Jericho." Now people say, "How do you harmonize this? Isn't this a biblical error? Two have Him leaving, one has Him coming." And some say, "Well, if you remember that there was Old Testament Jericho and New Testament Jericho, it's possible that He was leaving Old Testament Jericho and entering into New Testament Jericho."

    But why would He stay overnight in the ruins? We don't know, maybe Zacchaeus lived over there. It's possible. We don't know the explanation, but we’re wonderfully content with the fact that there is an explanation... Beggars, from experience in studying the Bible, usually hung around the thoroughfares where the people were. And if we've ever been to Jerusalem, we know where they hang around. In fact, just outside the city gate. And that seems to be the rather traditional place for them.

    And so, perhaps one explanation of what might have happened is that, as Jesus is moving with this mob and they come to the gate and the crowd and the noise and all that's going on and they pass out the gate, then all of a sudden the cries of these blind men are brought to His attention at which point He turns to return into the city to confront them and meet them and find their need. Certainly a possible explanation. But it's really wonderful to note that each gospel writer is not intimidated by what the other says, therefore they're not copying some extraneous source. They are rather writing from their own heart under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And when you pull it all together, it makes wonderful and beautiful sense.

    And so, as Jesus moves along, perhaps going out the gate, moving directly west up that incredible incline to the plateau of Jerusalem, it is brought to His attention that these blind men are crying after Him.

    Now, verse 30 says, "Behold," and that is a term of exclamation. And the exclamation here is not because of the blind men, it isn't "Behold, two blind men," like that was some big deal. Probably the same two blind men that had been there a while. It wasn't that they were sitting, they always sat. And it wasn't they were along the road, they were always along the road. The reason they put a "behold" in there is because of what they said. They said, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David." And they call Him by His Messianic title. Two beggars, Mark says, who were begging, Luke says, sitting by the wayside, Matthew says, screaming out the Messianic title. Where did these guys come off as such consummate theologians? Where did they get their information and faith?

    That's the "behold." That's the exclamation. Not that they were blind or that they were there or that they were begging or that they were yelling, but it was what they were saying.

    At this point we find another wonderful thought. Luke only discusses one of the two, the more prominent one. But never says there was only one. And Mark goes a step further, he only discusses one of the two and he gives us his name. His name is Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Now we could wonder why he bothers to name him. Matthew just wants us to see the majesty of Christ. Luke emphasizes the same, but Mark touches the real human cord by naming this man. And perhaps is because he was well-known. Oh, not then but later. So that when Mark pens the gospel and the letters are written to the church to read about the account of the life of our Lord, when they can sit down and read this, they'll have there the story of the conversion of one who by now they greatly love. It's as if Mark is saying, "And you know who one of those guys was? It was none other than your friend, Bartimaeus." And so he picks up a little of history...of the history of one of the beloved brothers in the church by the time the gospel would be read by some.

    It's not unusual, by the way, for one gospel writer to mention two and the others to focus on one. You'll find the same thing in the maniac across the Sea of Galilee at Gerasa where some writers note two and some concentrate on the healing of one. That's the background.

    Now a brief outline and we'll run right through the simple story. Their sad plight, their sad plight, verse 30, it says, "When they heard Jesus pass by, they cried out saying, Have mercy on us." And then in verse 31 at the end, "They cried again saying the more, Have mercy on us." The word "cry" here is krazo, it means to scream. It's used in the New Testament of the screeching and screaming’s of demon possessed people, Mark 5. It's used of the screaming of insane people and epileptics. It's used of the cry, the loud anguish cry of a mother giving birth to a child.

    And the idea of the form of the text here is there was a constant screaming. They were yelling at the top of their voice, "Have mercy on us," a cry of anguish and a cry of desperation, cry of pain. They know that if Jesus gets out of the hearing of their voices, that they're doomed to blindness the rest of their life. They know this is the only one who can do this. And the desperation is powerful, the drama. You can imagine the shrieking and screaming of two men who know they've got one moment in time or the rest of their life they are to be blind stones. And they scream in almost a frenzy. And they say, "Have mercy on us."

    They didn't say, "Hey, God gave us a dirty deal, why don't You make it right." They recognized that they needed mercy. "Take pity on us. Look at our sad situation."

    There's a sense of humility in that that speaks of the mark of someone with true humility. They wail with an intense desire to be healed, but they make not demands and they make no claim to worthiness. And they are so persistent that they refused to be bludgeoned into silence by the indifferent crowd. Verse 31, "The multitude rebuked them that they should hold their peace and they screamed louder." The world always tries to keep people from getting to Jesus, don't they?

    It isn't anything really different. People get disgusted with beggars and if you've ever been in a part of the world where there are a lot of them, you really do kind of slough them off and they do get in the way and they're a little bit obtrusive.

    But, their heart was right. "Have mercy on us, take pity." They felt their deep need. They knew they deserved nothing. They cried for mercy. There's no merit in mercy. There’s no merit to be given to one who seeks mercy. They were quite different than the Pharisees who sought no mercy because they believed on the basis of merit; they possessed a right to everything. So we see their sad plight.

    And then their strong persistence. In verse 31, it says, "When the crowd tried to shut them up, they just kept screaming louder." And these people really wanted to get to Jesus, with spirit and their strong persistence.

    There's a third thing here to note...their sound perception. As blind as they were physically, they were equally able to see spiritually because of something they said. "O Lord, Son of David," verse 30, "O Lord, Son of David," verse 31, that's the Messianic title. They had come to the place where they believed that He was the Messiah. Now to what extent that faith extends? We don’t have an insight into the dimensions of their faith. But it was there to some extent or they wouldn't have been screaming as frantically as they were. There wasn't any doubt in their mind that this was their only chance. Maybe, we can say how sure they were, it was a chance or it was a real opportunity but they knew there wasn't any other and they put all they had into this one.

    And when they said, "O Lord," there must have been something in that. We don't know whether they assumed Him to be God, deity or whether they were giving Him a title of honor and respect which indicated that He was a sovereign of some kind, a lord of some kind. But when they said "Son of David," they were identifying Him as the Messiah. For it says in Matthew 1:1 in the beginning of the genealogies of Jesus that He is the Son of David, Son of Abraham. That is the most common Jewish term for the coming king because in 2 Samuel 7:12 and 13, when God gave the covenant and promised that there would come a greater king than David; it would be David's greater Son.

    And so, Son of David became the title by which Messiah was designated and Jesus was the Son of David, for Joseph, His father, had come in the Davidic line and Mary, His mother, had also come in the Davidic line. And He indeed was the Son of David. And when the birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Luke 1 verse 32, we read, "He shall be great and be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father, David, and He shall reign and the end of His Kingdom shall never come." And so they give Him a Messianic name.

    It's the same thing they called Him in chapter 21 when He came into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday in verse 9, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest." And verse 11 they said, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." So they are saying, "Jesus of Nazareth from Galilee, a prophet, is none other than Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the highest." And so it is a double act of faith. They have faith in His power to heal; they have faith in His person as Messiah. Maybe it was due to the resurrection of Lazarus. Maybe it was due to the ministry of John the Baptist a few years before, for they would have been in the proximity of the Jordan River out there and they may well have known John the Baptist, they may well have known that he had called for repentance in preparation for the Messiah. We don't know. They may well even have known Isaiah 29:18 which said that when Messiah comes He will give sight to the blind.

    But whatever it was, they had enough faith to know that they were in need of mercy and to believe that this was the one who could do for them what they needed done and that He was Lord to some extent and that He was Messiah to the full extent. And we believe that when we have come to the point of all the faith that is possible, the Lord will meet us at that point of faith and take us all the way to redemption.

    And that's what He does with these two men. "The faith of the blind rose to the full height of divine possibility." And so, we see their simple plea...sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea...verse 32, "And Jesus stood still and called them and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?" He stood still. Stop the whole procession.

    Here was a great moment in which three things could occur generally, Messianic proof again, millennial preview, and a marvelous picture of what He would do for the heart. It was a time to demonstrate His credentials all over again, but it was more than that, it was a moment of tender compassion on behalf of two needy people. And He called them.

    How did He call them? Well, if we read Mark's account it seems as though He called them with a messenger. Someone ran back and that's another reason why they were out of the city and somebody ran back to these guys who were over there by the gate. And he ran back and in Mark 10:49 says, "Be of good comfort, rise, He calls you." He wants you. And in Mark 10:50 it says, "The blind rose up and threw off his garment and went to Jesus." Once he heard that Jesus had gotten the message, he just threw away his garment and took off. Maybe he figured he'd come back and be able to see enough to find it again.

    And Jesus says, "What will you that I should do to you?"

    This is to evoke out of their hearts a greater expectation, this is to confirm in the crowd exactly what He was doing. And the response is a simple plea of verse 33, "They said unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be open." You see, they're confessing they're blind. And that needs to be made very clear. They were blind.

    And that leads to their supernatural privilege...supernatural privilege, verse 34, "And Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, immediately their eyes received sight." Now it says that Jesus had compassion. And that's the real message of this wonderful story. He felt their need. He felt their pain. He hurt for them. There is such tenderness in Him. He reached out and He touched their eyes.

    And Luke adds, "He said when He touched them, Receive your sight." And instantly all physical laws were set aside and just as God creates something out of nothing, Christ created seeing eyes.

    Interesting that the Greek verb here is anablepo, blepo, to see, ana, to see again which is to say that perhaps their blindness had occurred in life, not in birth. And so they were made to see again. Those who have lost their sight have a greater pain to bear than those who were born blind and do not know what they've missed. And so He restores to them their sight again out of compassion, touching and speaking.

    Oh, He used many methods. Sometimes He touched, sometimes He didn't. Sometimes they touched Him. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He merely thought a thought and they were healed. Sometimes He put fingers in ears, sometimes He used clay, sometimes He used spittle. He healed many, many different ways. But always His healings were total, complete, instantaneous and defied any natural explanation.

    As a footnote. There are a lot of people around today who want us to believe that they can heal. And we'll turn on our television from time to time and we'll see those kinds of things, but have we ever noticed the absence of blind people? Have we ever noticed that? Oh, they pretend to be able to help people hear and lengthen legs and help people with aches and pains, but where are the people who have glass eyes and all of a sudden they have seeing eyes? This is a monumental miracle. A person who may be crippled and full of pain can be made in the euphoria of a moment and the hype of their own mind and the energy of a situation and in a strong act of confident faith in some healer to stand up and take a few steps, but none of that stuff is going to make a person without eyeballs see. So let the healers’ line up who claim they have the gift and heal the blind or raise the dead.

    Now this takes us to a final point. This takes us to a final point in verse 34, "their submissive pursuit." Sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea, supernatural privilege, submissive pursuit, they pursue. The end of verse 34, "They followed Him." That's just a simple little statement but it's a beautiful statement.

    And what makes it especially beautiful is when they were healed, one of the other gospel writers, Mark, says, "Jesus said to them, Go your way...go your way." Well, what their way was? When He said go your way, what way did they go? Their way was His way from now on. This is just the kind of stuff that indicates real regeneration. And Mark 10:52 says, "Jesus said, Go your way, your faith has made you whole." Now listen carefully. The word there, "your faith has made you whole" is not iaomai, healed you, it's sozo, your faith has saved you. That is the classic New Testament word for "to be saved." Your faith has saved you. And inherent in what our Lord said there in Mark 10:52 to these blind men was this, "You're redeemed."

    Now listen carefully. We do not have to have faith in the New Testament record to be healed. There were plenty of people healed in the New Testament who didn't have faith. Dead people don't have faith. There were a lot of people healed in the New Testament that didn't have faith. We can look through all kinds of illustrations of that. But you can find all kinds of healings where there was no faith, but you'll never find salvation without faith. And so, whereas faith is not necessary for healing, faith is necessary for salvation. And when Jesus said, "Your faith hath saved you," that's exactly what He meant. Sure there was physical wholeness there and they did have faith in that, but it was more than that.

    In Luke 17, ten lepers came and Jesus said, "Go show yourself to the priest," and on the way all ten were cleansed, katharizo, a form of healing, they were all katharizoed, cleansed of leprosy. How many came back? One, to whom Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." I believe there were ten healed, there was one...saved.

    And there's another reason to think they really had a transformed life. It says they followed Him. Somebody's going to say, "Oh, but they were just following Him to Jerusalem." Well, that's right. But it says in Luke, "They followed, glorifying God." Glorifying God. And it even tells us, interestingly enough, in Luke 18:43, that all the whole multitude started chanting praise to God. And this thing starts mounting. And by the time they get to Jerusalem, we know what broke loose on Palm Sunday, right? He touched that city from top to bottom. He hit the richest guy, Zacchaeus, and a couple of poor beggars, the most despised up and inner, and the most despised down and outers, He got them all. What a demonstration. And it was sort of a final Messianic display that swept the crowd into the hosannas of Palm Sunday.

    Let’s hope it's testimony that we've been touched by the compassion of Jesus because we've cried for Him and He's made us see. Let's pray.

    We can all say with the blind man in John 9 that once we were blind and now we see when we've been touched with the saving grace of Christ. We thank You for that, our Lord, for whereas we were blind, we do see. And we thank You that Jesus is compassionate, that He is never too busy in the matter of redeeming the universe to stop to hear the cry of those in need.

    And that His heart is touched deeply with compassion for that heart. We thank You that when we who are spiritually blind come and cry out, O that our eyes may be opened, that the same Lord of compassion is there to open our eyes as well and our faith can make us to be saved, to be whole in spirit.

    We thank You, also, Father, that Jesus Christ has the power to heal all disease and someday will do that in glory at the redemption of our bodies when all sickness and sorrow and pain and death is banished forever. We thank You and we wait for that display of power. In the meantime, because we know that sickness must endure as long as sin endures, we thank You that our Savior is compassionate and He understands our frailties, He feels the pain of our fallenness, He sympathizes with our sorrow and has even in the midst of them His holy purposes that we through those things might be made more like Jesus Christ who is indeed a sympathetic high priest.

    We thank You for this glimpse of our dear Savior. We pray that we might see Him with as clear eyes as those two blind men saw Him. The Lord, the Son of David, the rightful King, the one alone who can save those who come in faith and cry for mercy out of their sad distress.

    With your head bowed in a moment as we close. If you have never come to the light of Christ, we would invite you to do that this morning. Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and accept His work on the cross for you and you will come to see with the eyes of the soul. Amen

    Commentary on Matthew 20:17-34

     

    The Third Prediction of the Passion and Triumph. 20:17-19.

     

    I. The Prediction itself.

     

    A. Affinities with 16:21 and 17:22-23.

     

    Here, as in both earlier passages, Jesus predicts both His death and His resurrection. As in 16:21, He identifies His enemies as "the chief priests and the teachers of the law" (Sadducee and Pharisaic interests are combined against the common foe). As in 17:22-23 Jesus had spoken of being "handed over" (paradid©mi) to the Jews, here (using the verb twice) He speaks of being handed over to both Jews and (by their instrumentality) to the Gentiles.

     

    B. Distinctive Features of this Prediction.

     

    In 16:21 Jesus predicted that "He must...suffer many things at the hands of [the Jewish authorities]" before His death. Here He says, "They [the Jewish authorities] will turn Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified" (v. 19). Gentiles do the actual mocking and flogging, but it is the Jews' purpose they fulfill. In other words, according to 20:19 no less than 16:21, Jesus "suffers many things" at Jewish hands.

     

    Noting that Matthew uses three infinitives of purpose ("in order to be mocked, flogged, and crucified") in place of Mk's finite verbs (10:34), Gundry comments: "Thus the center of attention shifts from the action of the Gentiles to the malevolent purpose of the Jewish leaders in handing Jesus over to them" (401). Cf. 26:2; 27:31.

     

    II. The position of the Prediction.

     

    Placed at this juncture, this third prediction (1) provides a foil to the petty ambitions of the disciples, 20:20-24, (2) anticipates the great declaration of v. 28, and (3) reminds readers at what great personal cost God bestows His unmerited favor upon His people (cf. 20:14-15).

     

    The Test of Greatness. 20:20-28.

     

    I. Jesus and the Family of Zebedee. 20:20-23.

     

    A. The Family's Request. 20:20-21.

     

    1. The source of the request. According to Mt, it is the mother of James and John who asks a favor on their behalf; according to Mk (10:35), it is James and John themselves. These two accounts may easily be synthesized.

     

    2. The reason for the request. That such a request comes from this particular family, may be attributed in part to Jesus' choice of James and John to be numbered among the "inner three" (cf. 17:1). There may well be another reason: "The mother of Zebedee's sons probably bore the name Salome (cf. 27:56 with Mark 15:40) and perhaps had Mary the mother of Jesus for a sister (see John 19:25). Family relationship, then, may lie behind the request". This in turn would explain the involvement of both mother and sons (as noted under 1.).

     

    3. The nature of the request. The mother's request that her sons be permitted to sit "on Jesus' right and left" in His kingdom, pertains not to the Messianic banquet (as foreshadowed in the Last Supper) but to the thrones closest to that of Jesus (cf. 19:28; the above interpretation of 20:1-16; and Gundry, 402).

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:22-23.

     

    James and John (and their mother) are ignorant of two things.

     

    1. Suffering comes before glory.

     

    a. The cup of Jesus. Jesus asks James and John, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" As applied to Jesus, the figure of "drinking the cup [potsrion]" signals His approaching experience of suffering and death (as just predicted, vv. 18-19). As He is the sin-bearer (1:21; 3:15), it also signals His personal experience of the wrath of God. It is chiefly the prospect of experiencing God's wrath, and the consequent separation from the Father, that causes Jesus to cry out in Gethsemane, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup [pots ion] be taken from Me" (26:39). Cf. ibid. 152-53.

     

    b. The disciples' expectation. That disciples could envisage glory without suffering, is clear from 16:21-17:13. Yet perhaps by this stage the sons of Zebedee are beginning to grasp that Jesus must enter into glory by way of suffering (for He has now thrice predicted His death and resurrection). And perhaps the words of v. 22b ("We can" drink your cup) are quite sincere. But if so, the words are as naive as they are sincere. For in the first place, even if the disciples are beginning to accept the inevitability of Jesus' death, they have as yet only the faintest understanding of the meaning of that death (cf. 20:28; 26:26-28). Had they perceived that Jesus would die as the sin-bearer and the object of the divine wrath, would they so quickly have affirmed their ability to drink His cup? And in the second place, the context suggests that the thrones closest to Jesus' own are reserved for those disciples whose suffering comes closest to approximating His own - i.e., whose suffering is marked by the greatest sacrifice and the greatest anguish (cf. v. 28). For James and John to make their present request intelligently, would require that they ask also for the grace needed to bear the suffering which leads to the glory (cf. 24:9; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 3:21).

     

    c. The disciples' experience. In response to the disciples' boast (v. 22b), Jesus says, "You will drink My cup" (v. 23a, RSV). The words "My cup" show that it remains Jesus' cup even as the others drink it. NEB well renders, "You shall indeed share My cup." In fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, James suffers martyrdom at the hands of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2); and John, while probably dying a natural death in old age, nonetheless suffers for Jesus' sake (Rev 1:9).

     

    2. The Father's will is decisive. "But to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father" (v. 23b).

     

    a. The Father's prerogative. According to Jesus, the apostles will sit on twelve thrones alongside His own (19:28). Jesus Himself will be enthroned, because the Father has granted Him, the Son of Man, authority to execute final Judgment (see especially Jn 5:19-27). From this we might infer that the apostles' authority to judge (19:28) also comes from the Father. Mt 20:23 leaves us in no doubt that this is the case; that the Father chooses the occupants of these two thrones, indicates that He has chosen the occupants of all twelve. Jesus declares (19:28) what the Father has authorized (20:23).

     

    b. The Father's choice. The Father has prepared these two thrones for a given two apostles of His choice. The preparation presupposes the choice. Which two apostles are to occupy those thrones has not yet been disclosed. That would undermine the very reason for the choice.

     

    c. The Father's reason. Those two seats are reserved (it appears) for apostles who identify most closely with Jesus in His willingness to serve and to suffer (v. 28, and 1.b. above), and who therefore are the least self-conscious, the least calculating, and the least ambitious (cf. 25:37-39). Such persons will be astounded to learn that they have been assigned the thrones next to Jesus: they would willingly take those furthest removed from Him. Those most like Jesus shall be seated closest to Him. Cf. 1 Cor 4:9, "us apostles...at the end of the procession."

     

    II. Jesus and the Twelve. 20:24-28.

     

    A. The Reaction of the Ten. 20:24.

     

    The reason for their indignation toward James and John, has already been considered.

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:25-28.

     

    Having brought all twelve disciples together (v. 25a), Jesus addresses the competitive pride that infects all the disciples and threatens to tear their company asunder.

     

    1. The destructive use of power. "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them" (v. 25b). The way of the world, as typified here by Gentile rulers, is to exercise power by demanding submission and service. The rulers' power readily serves the purpose of pride, in that by asserting their power they can keep their subjects beneath them. Power is the means of continually reminding subjects just who is in charge. And since this is (by the standards of the Kingdom) a spurious power, ever more strenuous effort is needed to maintain it.

     

    2. The creative use of power. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant [diakonos], and whoever wants to be first must be your slave [doulos]" (20:26-27). The apostles are endowed with stupendous power and authority, that of Jesus Himself (10:1; cf. 28:18-20). Yet as those who are slaves (douloi) of Jesus and fully accountable to Him as Lord, they have no right to lord it over others or to wield power as a means of advancing themselves. On the contrary, their slavery to Jesus manifests itself as slavery to other people (vv. 26-27). As those who experience the security and freedom of the Kingdom, they have no need to lord it over others. As those who emulate Jesus, they discover that self-giving service is the very means by which God releases the true power. Accordingly, the disciples' greatness does not lie beyond the service but precisely in the service. Jesus thus drives home the lesson about true greatness in ch. 18 and the lesson about equality in 20:1-16.

     

    3. Jesus the Servant. Jesus provides the supreme example of selfless service: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (v. 28).

     

    a. The power of service. If ever one possessed power and authority, it is Jesus the Son of Man. In coming to serve, he does not abandon power, He exercises power. Cf. Phil 2:6-8.

     

    b. The sacrificial death. He comes "to serve and to give",  or better, "to serve, i.e. to give" (the "and," kai, is epexegetical; following Gundry, 404). The singular focus of this verse is Jesus' service in death. The language is rooted in Isa 53:10-12.

     

    c. The ransom for many (lutron anti poll©n].

     

    (1) Jesus' death is redemptive. He liberates the "many" from the bondage and guilt of sin, at great cost to Himself.

     

    (2) In bearing the sins of His people (1:21), He simultaneously renders both the lowliest and the noblest service ever. Moreover, as the sin-bearer He dies in the place of the many, as their substitute (note the preposition anti).

    (3) The use of the word "many" is explained both by the presence of rabim, "many," in Isa 53:11, 12, and by Jesus' purpose to save a host of people from among both Jews and Gentiles. The term "many" embraces all of those, from whatever nation, for whom Jesus dies. The contrast is drawn between the many and the few (for some interpreters, "many" is equivalent to "all"). With respect to the Gentiles, observe how this saying relates to other passages: Before Jesus' death the proclamation of the Kingdom is confined almost entirely to Jews, both in Jesus' preaching (15:24) and in that of His disciples (10:6). Two things account for the shift from those sayings to the Great Commission of 28:18-20, namely Israel's rejection of their Messiah (21:18-22:14) and Messiah's death as "a ransom for many." Before the Gospel of liberation from sin may be taken to the Gentiles, the Savior must actually accomplish their liberation from sin. The work of salvation must precede the news of salvation.

     

    The Healing of Two Blind Men. 20:29-34.

     

    I. The Place. 20:29.

     

    The last stage of the ascent to Jerusalem (cf. 20:17) was "the road from Jericho, leading up the Wadi Qelt. On either side of the lower reaches of the wadi lay NT Jericho, a new foundation built by Herod the Great as his winter residence...about a mile south of OT Jericho". OT Jericho lay about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem, NT Jericho about 16. In Mt and Mk (10:46) the episode occurs as Jesus is leaving Jericho, whereas in Lk (18:35) Jesus is entering the town. One of the suggestions for harmonizing the accounts that Mt and Mk speak of old Jericho, and Lk of new).

     

    II. Affinities with 9:27-31.

     

    In both passages, (1) Mt speaks of two men, not just one (cf. Mk 8:22-26; 10:46-52); (2) the men confess Jesus to be "Son of David" (once there, twice here), and cry for mercy; and (3) Jesus touches their eyes, whereupon their sight is restored.

     

    III. Distinctive features of 20:29-34.

     

    Here (1) the men acclaim Jesus "Lord" (kyrios) as well as "Son of David"; and (2) Jesus includes no command to silence (here Jesus heals in public, there in private, 9:28; also, as Jesus is now much closer to the cross, there is less need to protect against the spread of false Messianism). Most significantly, while the first story places much greater stress than this one upon the blind men's faith (see 9:28-29; in 20:30-33 faith is not expressly mentioned, though it clearly underlies the men's words), the present story, in keeping with the immediately preceding verses, is concerned to present Jesus as a compassionate Servant to the needy. The verb splagchnizomai ("to show compassion") is used here (v. 34) but not there. Jesus uses His great power to heal others, not to save Himself.

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    Lives are changed when they come to Jesus a He commanded: 2Th 2:10 And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Th 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 2Th 2:12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe (obey) the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

     

    When the truth is presented to the church people today, we will either stop, think, or reason in their minds where they stand with God. We will think deeply about where we will spend eternity and go and seek the truth at all cost. But we refuse sound doctrine, and refuse to love anything besides our own misplaced conceived notions about Jesus Christ, why He came to earth as God, and died to set us free from the bondages of sin and the corrupt ways of the world.

     

    We love the lie, because it asks us to do nothing, to do nothing to prove our heart is real before God, not perfect, but in perfect submission to His will and word.
    But sad to say the strong delusion is everywhere today, and many of us who think are saved by some provision that was never made are still under this delusion, and refuse to examine ourselves to be sure we are in the faith, thus leading us down the wide road to destruction, loving the lie that declares us a poor, helpless sinner after we say the sinners prayer, and think we are right with God.

     

    We fall for every wind of doctrine, being led into a ditch by many well-meaning, and not so well meaning so called bible scholars who think we are safe, secure, and in the truth, when in reality we too are under the strong delusion, God promised to send to those who persist in the lie, making it virtually impossible for them to escape the snare of the father of lies!

     

    May we wake up, Come to love the truth, by counting the great cost of coming clean before God, loving His truth, and standing fast in it!

      Healing on the Way

    They said to Him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him” (vv. 33–34).  

     

    Matthew 20:29–34

     

    Christ began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession (Matt. 16:13–23). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi. This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He is the Messiah (17:14–18; 19:1–2). These men and women are among those who will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City (21:1–11).

     

    Today’s passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to complete His messianic work, for He has been in Jericho, located fifteen miles or so from the Holy City, about a day’s journey in first-century Judea. Leaving Jericho, Christ and His followers begin the ascent 3,000 feet up to Jerusalem, but they do not get very far before meeting two desperate men in need. These blind men, one of whom is named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), beg Jesus to heal them, confessing Him as the “Son of David” (Matt. 20:30), a title loaded with messianic assumptions. Knowing that the Messiah is present gives them hope that He will fulfill His call to work miracles and give them sight (see Isa. 35).

     

    Yet the crowd is displeased with these blind men, rebuking them as they cry out to Jesus (Matt. 20:31). They probably feel the beggars are unworthy of the Messiah’s attention since many first-century Jews thought blindness was God’s punishment for sin (John 9:1–3). It is also likely that they do not want Jesus to “waste His time” on these blind men. Those who believe Jesus might be the Christ would be looking for Him to enter Jerusalem immediately so that He might overthrow the Romans and set Israel over the world.

     

    For Jesus, however, it is not a waste of time to pause and heal the blind men, so moved is He by compassion (Matt. 20:32–34). This healing is against the people’s idea of what the Messiah should do, and it portends stronger opposition to come. The crowd that now does not want Him to help a fellow Israelite will later call for Jesus’ head when He does not live up to their expectations (27:15–23).  

      Coram Deo   When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals among us. As followers of Jesus, we must imitate His compassion and take the time to minister to hurting individuals even if it may sometimes get in the way of our own plans and purposes. What are we doing in our churches to make sure people are shown compassion and not forgotten?

    Lessons On Seeing From A Blind Man (Matthew 20 29-34)

     

    Jesus was now on His way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples.  Infinitely more important than that, however, He was going there to suffer and die (20:18-19).  He would be celebrating the Passover for the last time and then giving Himself as the one, final, perfect Passover Lamb, sacrificed for the sins of the whole world (Heb. 7:27).

     

    His arrest, trial, and crucifixion were but a few weeks away.  Why, we may wonder, did He take time to minister to two blind beggars?  In light of the disciples’ slowness to learn and believe, why did He not spend the last few days alone with them, drilling into them what He so much wanted them to understand?

     

    The reason was His compassion (v. 34).  When better could Jesus have demonstrated the depth and breadth of divine compassion than while He was on the way to His crucifixion?  The Twelve would one day look back on the healing in Jericho and on all His other acts of mercy and realize that their Lord was never too preoccupied to be compassionate, never in too much of a hurry to heal the afflicted, never in too much agony Himself to be insensitive to the agony of others.  That realization itself would be one of the most important lessons they would learn from their Master.  In these few verses is found one of the most beautiful portrayals of the loving, compassionate heart of God.

    We also see demonstrated in the actions of these two blind men how each of us are to approach the Lord.

    1A.      The Men (20:29-30)

    1B.      The blind men and their condition (20:29-30a)

    The crowd that followed (20:29)

    ·        Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem His disciples and are great crowd of pilgrims followed Him.

    The condition they were in (20:30a)

    ·        They were blind

    ·        They were beggars (Mark 10:46)

    This is our condition without Christ

    Revelation 3:17-18  "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing', and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked , 18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

    2 Corinthians 4:3-4  3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

    John 3:19-20 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

    We must see our true condition before we will call on Jesus!

    2B.      The blind men and their conviction (20:30-31)

    Their plea (20:30)

    ·        They were desperate.

    Cried out, (krazo); literally to cry out in anguish; it is the same word to describe the cries of a woman during childbirth

    ·        They were broken.

    ·        They cried for mercy!

    21 times the Psalmist pleads with God for mercy.

    Luke 18:13-14  13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

    ·        They believed

    O Lord, Son of David, this was the popular Jewish designation for the Messiah.

    Their persistence (20:31)

    ·        They would not be denied.

    ·        They would not be discouraged.

    No one had to beg these men to come to Christ!

    Why?  Because they were convinced that Jesus was who He said He was and that He alone was their hope.

    2A.      The Master (20:32-34)

    1B.      His call (20:32)

    Jesus stops for them.

    Psalm 4:1  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!  You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer

    Jesus stoops to them.

    Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

    Psalm 4:3   3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

    2B.      His compassion (20:33-34a)

    The Lord’s motive

    ·        Not the crowd

    ·        Not the worthiness or usefulness of the men.

    ·        Not the faith of the men.

    ·        His sovereign choice, His compassion!

    2 Timothy 1:9   (God) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

    The Lord’s method

    ·        He touched them and they were healed.

    3B.      His converts (20:34b)

    They followed Him

    ·        Though many followed Jesus without true faith these men seem a bit different.

    They had faith in Him

    Mark 10:52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

    They glorified Him

    Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

    Application

    We recognize our lost condition.

    We are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”

    We must humble ourselves before the Lord.

    James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

    We must cry out to God for mercy.

    Psalm 119:145-146 145 I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.  146 I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

    We must trust God to save us.

    Isaiah 12:2    Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid…"

    Commentaries:

     

    I want Jesus to "open my eyes" too so that I may be closer to Him with peace.  Blessings.

     

    I want Jesus to give me wisdom & I want him to make me a better man of God!

     

    I want Jesus to draw me closer to Him. As this blessing takes its course, I want my family to experience Him and come to know him as their personnel, Lord and Savior. And I would be truly happy.

    God Bless.

     

    I hope He'll provide what's best for me! Thy will be done in my life for I know it's going to be the best!

     

    I want Jesus to make me a strong Christian. I want to be the person He wants me to be. I want to know and do His will. I want my relationship with Jesus to grow. I want to know and love Him!!!

     

    I want Jesus to make me more firm and strong in my believe and take me to the highest faith always and guide me throughout my life. I want him to provide me a man of believe (Follower of Jesus) as my life partner

     

    I want the LORD Jesus to open my eyes so that I could see Him and to open my ears so I could hear Him and to have wisdom to spread the good news.

     

    I believe Jesus knows what I need or wants Him to do for me because my thoughts and my groaning are always before Him. But as the blind men did ,I will continue to place before Him my fate as a retired public worker in need of where and how to shelter my family let alone to give them three square meals a day..

     

    I want Jesus to save me from all troubles. I pray Jesus to solve all my problems and give me strength and peace.

     

    I want JESUS to give my mother perfect healing of breast cancer, electric brain, success in my posture exam that is coming up in few days from now, and finally financial brake true.

     

    Respectfully, I'd like for JESUS to continue to help me in many ways. Most importantly, growing closer to him and always tailoring my life and the way I conduct myself as JESUS did. Secondly, to continue to bless me with the HOLY SPIRIT so that I may always be led by the SPIRIT and not by human nature. Finally, I continue to thirst in many ways and would like to drink from the water that JESUS provides. The water that when consumed, you never thirst again. For this I pray is JESUS' name. AMEN.

     

    On this weekend of Pentecost I'd like to ask God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to let the power of The Holy Spirit be at work in the Pope who is the head of the Catholic Church.

    That we can all ask Jesus to "OPEN OUR EYES" so we can all listen and give more attention to the Pope's teachings since he is guided by God's word. That before making choices we may all consider what Jesus would do. Especially in politics what would Jesus say about our choices (Keeping in mind God's 10 Commandments).That we all may find joy from reading and understanding the bible. Also for us to all ask the Holy Spirit to touch us and enter into our hearts. For us to all become instruments of Peace, Love and Joy. See God in even person we interact with and most of all keep Jesus Christ in everything we do and say. Amen.

     

    When we do not know which decision to make that we may Open the Bible and re-read the 10 Commandments and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us because he will :)

     

    I want Jesus to protect my three sons and to guide me in following Him so I will never fail in my belief in Him. Blessings.

     

    To love like he does.

     

    From today Jesus to inspire every move I make. I want to feel His presence

     

    I want Gods presence at all time to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom that I would make the right choose

     

    I want my Lord Jesus to open my eye spiritually and provide light to the path that I walk, so that I never stumble and fall into the pit of darkness. I want Him to be my shepherd so that I as His humble sheep, walk in His guidance and do not get lost in sin.

     

    Jesus know the blind man what he is going to ask Jesus but Jesus is testing his faith Jesus never leave me always I want to follow him I need His strength to do good things for others the Holy Spirit always guiding to me.

     

    I want Jesus that he should fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit and be with me now and forever.  Jesus should protect me and guide and guard me always.

     

    I think firstly I want to ask him for forgiveness and for him to completely purify me and make me clean once again. I also want him to open the eyes of my heart so that I may see more things through his eyes. I would also want him to give me wisdom and understanding to better serve him. I also want him to show me what he wants me to do for him and also to give me a bigger heart that loving and forgiving. I would also like to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit.

     

    To get rid of my evil things, open my eyes so I can see the truth and open my ears so I can hear the word of God and keep the word forever.

     

    I want Jesus to keep me in His sight, help me overcome my sins and follow Him always. I love you Jesus. Blessings.

     

    l want Jesus to increase my faith and help me to be a person who is helpful to the society and to have the fruits of the holy spirit which are love, joy, peace, humility, kindness, tolerance, a forgiving heart and to be the best mother for my kids and husband.

     

    I want Jesus to increase my faith in Him, and to trust in His love, and know that if I lean on Him, He will take care of my needs. To help me to be patient and tolerant of others. To give me a forgiving heart, that I may learn to forgive and forget; and to forgive me my sins, and help me to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

     

    I would like to first Thank Jesus for all of the blessings he has given to me.  I would like to ask and invite God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to purify me and come live in my heart, to speak with me and guide me.  

     

    I would like to ask Jesus to give me the wisdom to understand his teachings.  Just like the blind men, I would like to ask Jesus for a kind heart (to open my Heart and give me eyes to see his truth) so that I could see Jesus in everyone I encounter and that I may treat others as he commanded we should with love, respect and less judgment.

     

    I would like to ask Jesus for inner peace, courage and a strong, clear voice so that I may do his will and help others.   Amen

     

    Ps. I would like to ask God to teach the world how to choose Love every minute of today in everything we do. Choose to love instead of war, unkindness or greed. Choose Love with our families and always turn the other cheek. Choose to love even when driving in our cars, have patients in traffic. Let us all who claim to love Jesus be that example of Love :) every moment every day.



    By: Gregorio Magdaleno
    Category: Two Blind Men Receive Sight
    Comment Helpful? Favorite Violation
    Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

    Matthew 20:29-34 

     

    Two Blind Men Receive Sight

     

    As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, "Lord, have mercy on us, You son of David!" 

     

    Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

    They told Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 

     

    Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed Him. 

     

    Jesus asked the blind man what they wanted Him to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

     

    Relentless Faith and Great Compassion - Matthew 20:29-34

     

    Text Comment

     

    v.29: This next episode plays a strategic role in the Gospel history.  For the traveler to Jerusalem, coming from the Trans-Jordan, Jericho is the last city before Jerusalem.  The capital was only some 15 miles from Jericho on a main road.  You will notice that the next paragraph in Matthew’s Gospel concerns the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Imagine the scene.  Jesus is not alone with His disciples on this road through Jericho.  It is crowded with pilgrims heading to Jerusalem for Passover.  We know from the other Gospels that popular excitement over the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah, fueled by His miracles and by His teaching, was now reaching a fever pitch. Passover was, in any case, the most patriotic time of year for the Jews.  So there is nothing surprising in the fact that a crowd of people would have attached themselves to Jesus to walk with Him toward Jerusalem. This dramatic miracle, witnessed by so many people, would only have inflamed people’s expectations the more.  News of it would have reached Jerusalem only a few hours later.  In Matthew’s account the pre-Jerusalem ministry concludes with this miracle.  We know from the other Gospels that, in fact, some days were to elapse before Palm Sunday.  But take note, it was to be the crowds’ disappointment … Jesus, His failure to meet their expectations that would secure His execution some days later. They were looking for a political deliver not a Redeemer.

     

    v.30: Mark names one of these blind men:  Bartimaeus.  The fact that his name was known probably is an indication that he was known among the believers as a disciple of Jesus.  The fact that he is named only in Mark, which is, as you remember, Peter’s Gospel, may indicate that he was a personal acquaintance or friend of the Apostle Peter.

     

    When the blind men call Jesus “Son of David,” they are calling Him Messiah, for that is what the title meant.  Even beggars on the street knew of the remarkable ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and were caught up in the excitement generated by the growing belief that the Messiah had appeared.  They knew of the miracles of healing that Jesus had performed and they hoped for something for themselves.

    v.31: It is entirely typical that the demonstration of Jesus’ Messiah ship should have been provided in a work of compassion and kindness that the crowd thought was beneath His dignity. How little they understood of what was to come.

     

    How often in the NT is true and living faith in Christ described as a conviction of Christ’s willingness and ability to help, as no one else can, that it refuses to take “no” for an answer. These are men who believed in Christ’s power to save them.

     

    v.32: By stopping and attending to these blind beggars Jesus is once more overturning and repudiating the popular understanding of what the Messiah would be and would do.

     

    v.33: If you were blind is this not what you would ask for? There is no account of the giving of sight to the blind in the OT, no such miracle performed by Moses or Elijah or Elisha.  Nor is there any such miracle reported in the NT as having been performed by the apostles after Pentecost.  But there are more miracles of this type, giving sight to the blind, reported among the healing miracles of the Lord than of any other type of healing miracle.  Perhaps that is because in the Old Testament, giving sight to the blind was not only something that God alone could do, but further, something that the Messiah would do!

     

    “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”  [Isa. 35:5]

     

    “Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight…I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind and to free captives from prison…  [Isa. 42:7]

     

    To open the eyes of the blind is supremely a revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Messiah. 

     

    But, as we have also often noticed, the Lord’s miracles were important not only for the proof they provided of the Lord’s credentials as the Messiah, they were also pictures of the salvation that Jesus had come into the world to provide.  The dead being raised, the demon possessed being restored to sound mind, the leper cleansed, and the blind given his sight are not only astonishing works of divine power, works that no one could perform but someone who had been given power from on high, but all are ways in which the Bible describes the nature of salvation.  We are dead in sins and in Christ we are made alive.  We are slaves of the Devil but Christ sets us free.  We are impure, as the leper, but Christ makes us clean.  And we are blind, we cannot see the truth about God, about the world, about ourselves, about the way of salvation, and Christ opens our eyes to see the truth that sets men free.

     

    In the case of the man born blind, whose healing John records in the 9th chapter of his Gospel, this point is made explicitly:  the granting sight to the blind in the physical sense, miracle that it was, was a picture of the giving of spiritual sight to the spiritually blind.  There Jesus said,

     

    “For this I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  [v. 39]

     

    The Lord was speaking to the intransigent Pharisees and telling them that no matter how good their physical vision, they were blind spiritually, and the proof was that the Son of God was standing in front of them and they couldn’t see Him for what He was, no matter the miracles, no matter the truth that was on His lips, no matter the perfect goodness of His life.  He said that if they thought they were seeing, as they did, they would remain blind.

     

    Think of, John Rug, the missionary to Chile, who also was born blind, was born blind in both senses, but later as a young man was given sight by the Lord Jesus Christ.  For some years yet he will not be able to see in the physical sense, but he has for many years been able to see in the more important sense.  Indeed, those who know John will say of him that he has very acute vision when it comes to seeing the truth and the light that is in Jesus Christ.  And, in the same way, we know many people who have very good eyesight, but who are blind as bats when it comes to seeing what is truly and eternally important.

     

    This point is made here also in Matthew.  We have noticed the last two words of our text:  these two men whom Jesus had healed of their blindness followed Him.  Those are potent words in Matthew.  These men became Christ’s followers right then and there.  We might have expected them to go to the city and seek out their relatives and see their homes for the first time, but they followed Jesus.  They became followers of Jesus and, in so doing, they proved that they saw more clearly who Jesus was and what He had come into the world to do than did the multitudes on the road that day who had never been blind but who couldn’t see the truth when it was standing before them and being demonstrated in the most spectacular ways.  They followed Jesus.  They knew that their lives must from this point on be bound up with Him.  They knew that physical sight was, by no means, the only thing; it was not even the most important thing they would receive from Him.

     

    In this marvelous event, we have the entire message of the gospel summed up.  Christ Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah sent into the world to bring salvation to human beings who all are in desperate need of salvation and who cannot save themselves.  What all men are summoned to do is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ and He alone has eternal life in His hands, He and He alone brings the truth which sets men and women free, and then to seek that life and that truth from hand and set out to living according to it.  There are many human beings who would rather starve than come to any feast that is set by the Son of God, who would rather remain in darkness if the price of seeing the light is to confess that one is as needy and has been as bad as Christ says.  But, there are those who, by God’s grace, see themselves blind and hungry and sick and see Christ offering sight, a feast, and eternal health, and they take it from their hands and the rest of their lives they are found telling others, “I was blind, but now I see.”

     

    Imagine what it must have been for those men as they stood up able to see for the first time, no doubt able to see with perfectly sharp vision. Imagine what it must have been for them to see everything for the first time, see what everything looked like that they had only had described to them before; saw colors, saw faces, saw the city of Jericho, saw their parents, their siblings, and their homes.  All that day long and for some days after, they would have closed their eyes to imagine themselves back in their blindness and then open them to exult in their being able at last to see?  Perhaps they fellows wore people out over the next weeks talking endlessly about how everything appeared to them that they had never been able to see before.  How different the appearance of things must have to what they had imagined during the years, never having been able to see, never known what anything looked like!  There were two happy men!

     

    It is not hard to see how similar it must be for a man who has been spiritually blind, but, through faith in Christ, now sees things as they truly are with the clearest vision, whose eyes the Lord Christ has opened by His Holy Spirit.  How many Christians, through the ages, have thought of their salvation in just these terms:  “I was blind, but now I see.”

     

    Thomas Halliburton, one of the great figures of Scottish Christianity in the 18th century, in his magnificent autobiography, describes his coming to faith in Christ as a young man in just this way.  Indeed, here is the way he begins his account:

     

    “I cannot be very positive about the day or hour of this deliverance, nor can I satisfy many other questions about the way and manner of it.  But this is of no consequence, if the work is in substance sound, for ‘the wind bloweth where it listeth; and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” (John iii. 8)  Many things about the way and manner we may be ignorant of, while we are sufficiently sure of the effects.  As to these things, I must say with the blind man, ‘I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

     

    Through the reading of the Word of God and praying for light, the Lord came to him and opened his eyes near the end of January in 1698.  And that is how he puts it and how he thought about his conversion.  It was an opening of his blind eyes.  Indeed words like “see” and “sight” are found all through the account.  And true Puritan that he was, he proceeded to describe in nine particulars.  He says it was 1) a heavenly light, it shone above me, it opened heaven to me, and led me up, as it were, to heaven; 2) a true light, exposing the falsehoods about himself and the world and God that he had so long entertained; 3) a pleasant light; 4) a distinct and clear light; 5) a satisfying light; 6) a refreshing and healing light, it warmed him and his life; 7) a great light; 8) a powerful light, dissipating the thick darkness that had overspread his mind; and 9) a composing light; not like lightning that appears in a moment and disappears leaving terror behind, but composed and quieted his soul that had been troubled about so many things.  Then he concludes, “…I know that no words can express the notion that the weakest Christian, who has his eyes opened, really has of [the glory of this light.]  …  No words can convey a true notion of light to the blind; and he that has eyes…will need no words to describe it.”  [Memoirs, 99-104]

     

    Perhaps the blind men to whom the Lord gave sight would have described their experience in very similar terms?  And, finally, they exulted far more in the spiritual sight that they had been given, the knowledge of Christ and salvation, than the sight of his eyes. More than once in the remaining years of those men’s lives they assuredly told people that they would rather have remained blind all their days if in their physical blindness they had been given to see Christ and the way to heaven than to be given their eyesight but never the sight of Christ or heaven.

     

    Is it not extraordinary that we in our modern world, so different in many ways from the world of Jericho in the first century, should understand immediately what happened to those two men, should find their experience immediately relevant to our own.  How little the world has really changed, because the human heart has not changed.  How perfectly the Bible describes the universal experience of man in sin and man in salvation!

     

    Let’s hope we are all touched by the wonder of this miracle and the glorious effect it had upon these two men.  That we see afresh and anew the wonder of God’s graces that has given us sight when otherwise we would have remained blind.  The world is full of blind people with 20/20 eyesight.  They walk through this world utterly oblivious to the spiritual world all around them, to God their Creator, to the looming Day of Judgment, to heaven or hell that awaits every person at the end.  How wonderful when a man or a woman is given to see!  To see God and Christ and the way that leads to the world of everlasting joy!  We’ve seen people get their sight and there is nothing more wonderful in the entire world!

     

    But there is something more here that deserves our careful attention.  Matthew makes a point of saying that Jesus healed these blind men because He had compassion on them.  This great deliverance, the physical one and the far greater eternal and spiritual one that it symbolized, came to these two benighted men living in darkness because Jesus had compassion on them.

     

    This is not the only place in the Gospel where a great healing was performed because Jesus had compassion on the sufferer.  In 9:36 we are told that Christ’s preaching of the good news to the crowds was motivated by His compassion for them in their lostness.  In 14:14 we read that Christ healed the sick that were brought to Him in large numbers because He had compassion on them.  In 15:32 we read that He provided food for the 4000 because He had compassion on that Gentile company.

     

    The word that is translated “had compassion on” in the NIV is connected with the noun for the entrails, the viscera, the inner organs which, in that culture were regarded as the seat of the emotions.  One scholar of the language of the New Testament writes that, in distinction from the word “heart,” this is “a more blunt, forceful and unequivocal term.”  It is interesting, by the way, that Greeks thought of strong emotion ordinarily in terms of anger; Christians, on the other hand, thought of compassion.  This word, “has compassion” is always connected with Jesus in the New Testament.  What we have here is not mere human pity, but divine compassion for troubled people filling a human heart.  We have the heart of the Son of God going out to those in great need. We have here not only the record of one of the breathtaking miracles that Jesus performed but a picture of salvation coming to lost men, then this compassion is part of that beautiful picture.

     

    How does the life-giving power of God in Christ come to men and women in our day?

     

    “We are fooling ourselves if we [think] that we can ever make the authentic gospel popular … It’s too simple in an age of rationalism; too narrow in an age of pluralism; too humiliating in an age of self-confidence; too demanding in an age of permissiveness….  What are we going to share with our friends? [Dudley Smith, John Stott, ii, 267]

     

    We can share the light, the sight that Christ gave to these blind men with the blind men around us.  We cannot give physical sight to the blind, but we can shed the light on the spiritual blindness of those around us.  But what will make them pay attention to us and receive our words?  If we speak for the same reason that Jesus did so.  Love breaks into blindness like nothing else.  Love can make a self-confident man realize his terrible need, a man who thinks he sees suddenly realize that he has lived his whole life in darkness. 

     

    The world around us is full of the blind. They are not crying out on purpose, in many cases, as these blind men did near Jericho, but their circumstances are evidence of their darkness.  Their condition is obvious enough to us.  We can see that they cannot see.  We can often see the misery that must be endured by the blind.  Surely, we who have received Christ’s love should have compassion for those who are as we were and who must remain so unless someone should bring the light to them.  Does the love of Christ constrain us?

     

    How shall we become compassionate as He was?  How shall we have the power to cut through the darkness in which so many live? 

     

    Nothing is more likely to make it a power in our lives, this compassion for others, than simply to stare long and hard at those two happy men who got up from the side of the road where they had spent so many long, miserable days, got up to follow Jesus, every now and then kicking up their heels unable to believe that they could really see!  And not only see, but live and live forever.  Surely any Christian must want to see many others as happy as that!

    Matthew 20:29-34Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

    Matthew 20:29-34

    Mark 10:46-52

    Luke 18:35-43

    29. And while they were departing from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30. And, lo, two blind men sitting near the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried aloud, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31. And the multitude rebuked them, that they might be silent; but they cried out the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32. And Jesus stood, and called them, and said, What do you wish that I should do to you? 33. They say to Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

     

    46. And they come to Jericho: and while they was departing from the city Jericho, and His disciples, and a great multitude, Bartimeus, son of Timeus, a blind man, was sitting hear the road begging. 47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry aloud, and to say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 48. And many rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. 49. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him, Be of good courage, rise; he calleth thee.50. And he, throwing away his mantle, arose, and came to Jesus. 51. And Jesus answering, saith to him, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to Him, Master, 668668     “Rabboni;” — “Maistre.” that I may receive sight. 52 And Jesus said to him, Go away; thy faith hath cured thee. And immediately he received sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

     

    35. And it happened that, while He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting near the road begging: 36. And when he heard a multitude passing by, he asked what it was. 37. And they said to him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38. And he cried out, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 39. And they that were going before rebuked him, that he might be silent: but he cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.40. And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to him: and while He was approaching, He asked him, 41. Saying, What dost thou wish that I should do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive sight. 42. Then Jesus said to him, Receive sight: thy faith hath cred thee. 43. And immediately he received sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God.

     

    Matthew 20:29And while they were departing from Jericho. Osiander has resolved to display his ingenuity by making four blind men out of one. But nothing can be more frivolous than this supposition. Having observed that the Evangelists differ in a few expressions, he imagined that one blind man received sight when they were entering into the city, and that the second, and other two, received sight when Christ was departing from it. But all the circumstances agree so completely, that no person of sound judgment will believe them to be different narratives. Not to mention other matters, when Christ’s followers had endeavored to put the first to silence, and saw him cured contrary to their expectation, would they immediately have made the same attempt with the other three? But it is unnecessary to go into particulars, from which any man may easily infer that it is one and the same event which is related.

    But there is a puzzling contradiction in this respect, that Matthew and Mark say that the miracle was performed on one or on two blind men, when Christ had already departed from the city; while Luke relates that it was done before He came to the city. Besides, Mark and Luke speak of not more than one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. But as we know that it frequently occurs in the Evangelists, that in the same narrative one passes by what is mentioned by the others, and, on the other hand, states more clearly what they have omitted, it ought not to be looked upon as strange or unusual in the present passage.

    The conjecture is, that, while Christ was approaching to the city, the blind man cried out, but that, as he was not heard on account of the noise, he placed himself in the way, as they were departing from the city, “Mais pource qu’il ne peut estre ouy a cause du bruit du peuple, qu’il s’en alla, l’autre porte de la ville par laquelle Christ devoit sortir, pour l’attendre la au chemin;” “but, because he could not be heard on account of the noise of the people, that he went away to the other gate by which Christ was to go out, to wait for Him there on the road.” and then was at length called by Christ. And so Luke, commencing with what was true, does not follow out the whole narrative, but passes over Christ’s stay in the city; while the other Evangelists attend only to the time which was nearer to the miracle. There is probability in the conjecture that, as Christ frequently, when He wished to try the faith of men, delayed for a short time to relieve them, so He subjected this blind man to the same scrutiny.

    The second difficulty may be speedily removed; for we have seen, on a former occasion, that Mark and Luke speak of one demoniac as having been cured, while Matthew, as in the present instance, mentions two, (Matthew 8:28Mark 5:2Luke 8:27) And yet this involves no contradiction between them; but it may rather be conjectured with probability, that at first one blind man implored the favor of Christ, and that another was excited by his example, and that in this way two persons received sight Mark and Luke speak of one only, either because he was better known, or because in him the demonstration of been on account of his having been extensively known that he was selected by Mark, who gives both his own name and that of his father: Bartimeus, son of Timeus By doing so, he does not claim for him either illustrious descent or wealth; for he was a beggar of the lowest class. Hence it appears that the miracle was more remarkable in his person, because his calamity had been generally known. This appears to be the reason why Mark and Luke mention him only, and say nothing about the other, who was a sort of inferior appendage. But Matthew, who was an eye-witness, “Qui avoit este present au miracle;” “who had been present at the miracle.” did not choose to pass by even this person, though less known.

    30. Have mercy on me, O Lord. There was at first but one who cried out, but the other was induced by a similar necessity to join him. They confer on Christ no ordinary honor, when they request Him to have mercy, and relieve them; for they must have been convinced that He had in his power the assistance or remedy which they needed. But their faith is still more clearly exhibited by their acknowledgment of Him as Messiah, to whom we know that the Jews gave this designation, Son of David They therefore apply to Christ, not only as some Prophet, but as that person whom God had promised to be the only Author of salvation. The cry proved the ardor of the desire; for, though they knew that what they said exposed them to the hatred of many, who were highly displeased with the honor done to Christ, their fear was overcome by the ardor of desire, so that they did not refrain, on this account, from raising their voice aloud.

    31. And the multitude reproved them. It is surprising that the disciples of Christ, who follow Him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the exercise of His power. But it frequently happens that the greater part of those who profess the name of Christ, instead of inviting us to Him, rather hinder or delay our approach. If Satan endeavored to throw obstacles in the way of two blind men, by means of pious and simple persons, who were induced by some sentiments of religion to follow Christ, how much more will he succeed in accomplishing it by means of hypocrites and traitors, if we be not strictly on our guard. Perseverance is therefore necessary to overcome every difficulty, and the more numerous the obstacles are which Satan throws in the way, the more powerfully ought we to be excited to earnestness in prayer, as we see that the blind men redoubled their cry

    32. What do you wish that I should do to you? He gently and kindly asks what they desire; for He had determined to grant their requests. There is no reason to doubt that they prayed by a special movement of the Holy Spirit; for, as the Lord does not intend to grant to all persons deliverance from bodily diseases, so neither does He permit them simply to pray for it. A rule has been prescribed for us what we ought to ask, and in what manner, and to what extent; and we are not at liberty to depart from that rule, unless the Lord, by a secret movement of the Spirit, suggest to us some special prayer, which rarely happens. Christ puts the question to them, not for their sake as individuals, but for the sake of all the people; for we know how the world swallows God’s benefits without perceiving them, unless they are stimulated and aroused. Christ, therefore, by His voice, awakens the assembled crowd to observe the miracle, as He awakens them shortly afterwards by a visible sign, when He opens their eyes by touching them.

    34. And Jesus, moved with compassion, etcΣπλαγχνισθείς, moved with compassion, is not the participle of the same verb which Matthew had just now employed in reference to the blind man, ἐλέησον,have mercy Quand ils disoyent, Fils de David, aye misericorde de nous;” “when they said, Son of David, have mercy on us.” They implored the mercy of Christ, that He might relieve their wretchedness; but now the Evangelist expresses that Christ was induced to cure them, not only by undeserved goodness, but because He pitied their distress. For the metaphor is taken from thebowels, (σπλάγχνα,) in which dwells that kindness and mutual compassion which prompts us to assist our neighbors.

    Mark 10:52Thy faith hath saved thee By the word faith is meant not only a confident hope of recovering sight, but a loftier conviction, which was, that this blind man had acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah whom God had promised. Nor must we imagine that it was only some confused knowledge; for we have already seen that this confession was taken from the Law and the Prophets. For the blind man did not at random bestow on Christ the name of Son of David, but embraced Him as that person whose coming he had been taught by the divine predictions to expect. Now Christ attributes it to faith that the blind man received sight; for, though the power and grace of God sometimes extend even to unbelievers, yet no man enjoys His benefits in a right and profitable manner, unless he receive them by faith; nay, the use of the gifts of God is so far from being advantageous to unbelievers, that it is even hurtful. And therefore, when Christ says, thy faith hath saved thee, the word saved is not limited to an outward cure, but includes also the health and safety of the soul; as if Christ had said, that by faith the blind man obtained that God was gracious to him, and granted his wish. And if it was in regard to faith that God bestowed his favor on the blind man, it follows that he was justified by faith

    Matthew 20:34And followed Him. This was an expression of gratitude, “Ceci a este un signe de reconnaissance du bien receu de Christ;” “this was an expression of gratitude for the favor received from Christ.” when the blind men became followers of Christ; for, though it is uncertain how long they discharged this duty, yet it showed a grateful mind, that they presented themselves to many, in that journey, as mirrors of the grace of Christ. Luke adds, that the people gave praise to God, which tends to prove the certainty of the miracle.

    New International Version: As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    New Living Translation: As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind.

    English Standard Version: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

    New American Standard Bible : As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    King James Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    Holman Christian Standard Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

    International Standard Version: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

    NET Bible: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them.

    Aramaic Bible in Plain English: And when Yeshua went out from Jericho, a great crowd was coming after Him.

     

    GOD'S WORD® Translation: As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

    Jubilee Bible 2000: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    King James 2000 Bible: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    American King James Version: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    American Standard Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Douay-Rheims Bible: And when they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 

    Darby Bible Translation: And as they went out from Jericho a great crowd followed Him.

    English Revised Version: And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

    Webster's Bible Translation: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Weymouth New Testament: As they were leaving Jericho, an immense crowd following Him,

    World English Bible: As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

     

    Young's Literal Translation: And they going forth from Jericho, there followed Him a great multitude,

     

    Parallel Commentaries Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

     

    20:29-34 It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     

    Pulpit Commentary:

     

    Verses 29-34. - Healing of two blind men at Jericho. (Mark 10:46-52Luke 18:35-43.) The miracle narrated in this passage is common to the three synopsis’s, but with some remarkable differences, not one of them agreeing altogether in details. St. Matthew speaks of two blind men, St. Luke and St. Mark of one only, and the latter mentions this one by name as Bartimaeus. St. Matthew and St. Mark make the miracle performed as Jesus quitted Jericho; St. Luke assigns it to the approach to the city. Thus the number of the cured and the locality of the miracle are alike variously stated. It is an easy solution to say, with St. Augustine, Lightfoot, and Greswell, that two, or perhaps three, distinct facts are here related; and it is not absolutely impossible. though altogether improbable, that in the same locality, under identical circumstances, like sufferers made the same request, and received the same relief in the same manner. But we are not driven to this extravagant hypothesis; and the unity of the narrative can be preserved without doing violence to the language of the writers. As to the number of the blind men, we have seen the same discrepancy in the case of the demoniacs at Gadara solved by supposing that one of the two was the more remarkable and better known than the other. Hence, in this incident, the tradition followed by some of the synopsis’s preserved the memory of this one alone, who may have become known in the Christian community as a devoted follower of Jesus, the other passing into obscurity and being heard of no more. Another hypothesis is that a single blind man first addressed Christ as He entered Jericho, but was not cured at that time. Jesus passed that night in the city at the house of Zacchreus (Luke 19:1-10); and on the morrow, when leaving Jericho, was again entreated by the blind man, who meantime had been joined by a companion, and healed them both. There are other solutions offered, e.g., that there were two Jericho’s, an old and a new town, and that one blind man was healed as they entered one city, and the other as they left the other; or that the term rendered "was come nigh" (Luke 18:35) might mean "was nigh," and might therefore apply to one who was leaving as well as to one entering the city.

     

    But we weary ourselves in vain in seeking to harmonize every little detail in the Gospel narratives. No two, much less three, independent witnesses would give an identical account of an incident, especially one which reached some of them only by hearsay. Inspiration extends not to petty circumstances, and the credibility of the gospel depends not on the rectification of such minutiae.

     

    Verse 29. - Jericho. The Lord was on His way to Jerusalem to meet the death which He was willing to undergo, and to win the victory which He was by this path to accomplish. His route lay through Jericho, as the march of His forerunner Joshua had led. Joshua had set forth to conquer the Promised Land; Jesus sets forth to win His promised inheritance by the sword of the Spirit. "The upland pastures of Peraea were now behind them, "and the road led down to the sunken channel of the Jordan, and the 'divine district' of Jericho. This small but rich plain was the most luxuriant spot in Palestine. Sloping gently upwards from the level of the Dead Sea, 1350 feet under the Mediterranean, to the stern background of the hills of Quarantana, it had the climate of Lower Egypt, and displayed the vegetation of the tropics. Its fig trees were pre-eminently famous; it was unique in its growth of palms of various kinds: its crops of dates were a proverb; the balsam plant, which grew principally here, furnished a costly perfume, and was in great repute for healing wounds; maize yielded a double harvest; wheat ripened a whole month earlier than in Galilee, and innumerable bees found a paradise in the many aromatic flowers and plants, not a few unknown elsewhere, which filled the air with odours and the landscape with beauty. Rising like an amphitheatre from amidst this luxuriant scene, lay Jericho, the chief place east of Jerusalem, at seven or eight miles distant from the Jordan, on swelling slopes, seven hundred feet above the bed of the river, from which its gardens and groves, thickly interspersed with mansions, and covering seventy furlongs from north to south, and twenty from east to west, were divided by a strip of wilderness.

     

    The town had had an eventful history. Once the stronghold of the Canaanites, it was still, in the days of Christ, surrounded by towers and castles. A great stone aqueduct of eleven arches brought a copious supply of water to the city, and the Roman military road ran through it. The houses themselves, however, though showy, were not substantial, but were built mostly of sun-dried bricks, like those of Egypt; so that now, as in the similar case of Babylon, Nineveh, or Egypt, after long desolation, hardly a trace of them remains." A great multitude. A vast crowd of pilgrims, bound for Jerusalem to keep the Passover, accompanied Jesus and His disciples. The number of people that this great festival attracted to the central place of worship seems to us incredibly large. Josephus ('Bell. Jud.,' 6:09. 3) reckons them at three millions. Doubtless our Lord was followed by many of those whom He had benefited, and others whom He had won by His teaching; and these, at any rate, would witness the ensuing miracle. 

     

    Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

     

    And as they departed from Jericho ... Which, was distant about ten parsas, or miles, from Jerusalem (i), through which Christ just passed, and had met with Zacchaeus, and called him, and delivered the parable concerning a nobleman's going into a far country. The Syriac and Persic versions render the words, "when Jesus departed from Jericho"; and the Arabic, "when He went out of Jericho"; not alone, but "with His disciples", as Mark says; and not with them only, for a great multitude followed Him out of the city; either to hear Him, or be healed by Him, or to see Him, or behold His miracles, or to accompany Him to Jerusalem; whither He was going to keep the feast of the Passover, and where they might be in some expectation He would set up His kingdom. The Ethiopic version reads it, "As they went out from Jerusalem", contrary to all copies and versions. 

     

    Matthew 20:29-20:34 What Would You Have Me Do For You?  

     

    It would appear that Jesus never asked this question of anyone else in the Gospels. Didn’t He know what these blind men needed?

     

    He was seeking help, but in the process of seeking that help he got distracted. The light was on and it drew him away from the place where he might actually get help.

    In Matthew 20, Jesus is entering the final week of His ministry. He’s on His way to Jerusalem and will soon be betrayed, arrested, and crucified… the crowds will clamor for His blood and cry "Crucify Him!" "Crucify Him!"

     

    But as of now, the crowds still love Him. They line the streets and clamor for His attention. They’ve come to believe that this Jesus is: The hope of Israel. The Messiah. The Son of David. The promised King of Israel

     

    Everyone is speculating that He will soon claim His crown, throw off the yoke of the hated Romans and restore Israel to its former glory. But amongst the crowd are 2 blind men. 
    Everybody knows them. They’re always sitting by the roadside begging for alms. They cry out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 20:30) And the crowd is irritated. This isn’t what they think Jesus is “all about”. Jesus is too important to be bothered by rabble like this.

     

    But Jesus stops and asks these blind men “What do want me to do for you?”

    Now this is an unusual question for two reasons: 1st This is the only time in the Gospels we find Jesus asking anyone what they need done. 2nd You would think it would be obvious what these men needed. They’re blind. Even if Jesus couldn’t have looked into their eyes and seen the cloudiness that is often there in the eyes of the blind, or watched them as they grope about in the ways blind men do…

     

    This is Jesus. He doesn’t need anyone to tell Him what these men were blind. He’s God…  He knows these things. So why ask the question?

     

    Well, it seems obvious to me that He didn’t ask the question for His own benefit (as if He didn’t know what they needed in their lives). Jesus asked the question for the benefit of the others who were there that day.

     

    1st. Jesus asked this question for the benefit of the crowds. This crowd is obviously not into helping blind people. Blind people were a nuisance. They were a hindrance. They were a distraction to what Jesus’ real purpose ought to be.

     

    And would that “real purpose” be? Meeting their needs, building their kingdom.

     

    When it becomes obvious, a few days later, that this wasn’t what Jesus had in mind the crowds turned their backs on Him and cry out for His blood. And so it was intriguing that Jesus didn’t ask the crowds what He could do for them. He asked the blind men.

    There are times when the Church forgets why it exists. There are times when Christians forget what Jesus saved them for. They begin to think church is all about them. They think their relationship with Jesus is totally focused on their needs and their agenda. They

     

    "Matthew 20:29-34 says Jesus healed two blind men as He left Jericho. Mark 10:46-52 and Luke 18:35-43 say He healed one man as He entered Jericho. Is this a contradiction?"

     

    In spite of apparent discrepancies, these three passages do refer to the same incident. The Matthew account cites two men healed as Jesus left Jericho. Mark and Luke refer to only one blind man healed, but Luke says it happened as Jesus was entering Jericho while Mark records it happening as He left Jericho. There are legitimate explanations for the apparent discrepancies. Let’s look at them rather than deciding this is a contradiction and the Bible is in error.

     

    That this is the same incident is seen in the similarity of the accounts, beginning with the two beggars sitting on the roadside. They call out to Jesus, referring to Him as “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:38), and in all three accounts, they are rebuked by those nearby and told to be quiet but continue to shout out to Jesus (Matthew 20:31; Mark 10:48; Luke 18:39). The three accounts describe nearly identical conversations between Jesus and the beggars and the conclusions of the stories are also identical. The beggars receive their sight immediately and follow Jesus.

     

    Only Mark and Luke chose to identify one of the beggars as Bartimeus, perhaps because he was the main character in the story and was therefore the sole focus of Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. Perhaps it was because Bartimeus was known to them as the son of Timeus, but the other man was a stranger to them. In any case, the fact that only one man of the two is recorded as speaking does not mean there was only one man. It simply means Mark and Luke identified only one man speaking, Bartimeus. Matthew refers to both of them calling out to Jesus, clearly indicating there were two men.

     

    The other issue in question is whether Jesus was entering Jericho or leaving it. Bible commentators cite the fact that at that time there were two Jericho’s, one the mound of the ancient city (still existing today) and the other the inhabited city of Jericho. Therefore, Jesus could have healed the two men as He was leaving the ancient city of Jericho and entering the new city of Jericho.

     

    In any case, to focus on these minor details to the exclusion of all else is to miss the point of the story, Jesus healed the blind men, proving that He was indeed the Son of God with powers beyond anything a mortal man could have. Unlike the Pharisees who refused to see what was before their eyes, our response to Jesus should be the same as that of the blind men, call on Him to give us eyes to see spiritual truth, recognize Him for who He is, and follow Him.

     

    Transcripts

     

    The exposition of the word of God is the exposition of Matthew chapter 20 verses 29 through verse 34, but is also built upon the parallel account in Mark chapter 10.  So let’s turn first to Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34, and then we’ll turn to the Markan passage in chapter 10 of that Gospel.  Remember the context.  The Lord Jesus is now on His way to the city of Jerusalem where He will offer Himself as a sacrifice for sinners.  Matthew writes in verse 29 of chapter 20 and Mark chapter 10 and verse 46.  Luke in his account comments that he followed the Lord Jesus glorifying God, and that the people gave praise to God as a result of what had happened.  May the Lord bless this reading of His word.

     

    We may have overlooked the fact in our study of the New Testament that the name of our Lord Jesus, Jesus is the same as the name for Joshua in the Old Testament.  The word Iesous in the Greek of the New Testament is the equivalent of Y’hoshua or Joshua, in the Old Testament.  So what we have in this account that we are looking at is an appearance of the second Joshua before Jericho, and so the title this morning for the message is “The Second Joshua Working Miracles at Jericho Again.”

     

    The biblical critics have had a happy time studying this passage of Scripture which has to do with the healing of the blind men, as our Lord was at Jericho on His last visit to the city of Jerusalem while in the flesh.  And it contains problems that lend some credence to their view that the Bible is after all only an ordinary book.  Confidently, they intone in details and many important points, the gospels do not agree.

               

    Then they go on to say, somewhat condescendingly, that the differences in these accounts do not really make a whole lot of difference, except insofar as they give instruction to those who believe that the Bible is true in all of its statements.  So they tell us that these differences in the accounts don’t mean anything, but they at least should instruct those simple-minded people, they mean us, who think that the words of holy Scripture are inerrant.  What are the difficulties which give the detractors of the Bible such relish in these accounts of the healing of the blind men?

               

    There are two particularly.  In the first place, Matthew speaks of two men who are healed, while Mark and Luke speak only of one.  Now of course we should notice immediately if we have any facility for thinking logically, that when Matthew says that there are two, and Mark and Luke speak only of one, Mark and Luke do not say that there was only one blind man.  Now that is very important.  All that Luke and Mark say is that the Lord healed a blind man.  Mark gives his name as Bartimaeus.  They do not say He healed only one man.  So there is really no contradiction between the accounts in that respect.

     

    But there is something else that is of probably of greater difficulty.  Mark and Matthew place the healing after the Lord Jesus leaves Jericho, while Luke appears to place the healing before the Lord Jesus enters Jericho.

     

    Now that might be a serious problem for those who believe that the Bible is inerrant in the statements that it makes.  We must of course remember that so far as the Scriptures are concerned, we do not have all of the details surrounding the incidents of the Bible, and so we have to think in our own minds of situations in which the words of Scripture may find their significance and relevance.  But there have been a number of suggestions by individuals in attempts to harmonize this fact that Mark and Matthew place the healing after Jericho whereas Luke suggests that the healing occurred before the Lord entered Jericho.

               

    One Bible teacher, who has been a very prominent Bible teacher, has taught that really we have two different healings.  Now of course we have already had the healing of two blind men in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 9 and since it was the Messianic office of the Lord Jesus to heal blind men, it’s certainly true that He did heal many blind men through the three years or so of His ministry.  And so it has been suggested that what we have in Luke is one account whereas what we have in Mark and Matthew is another account, and if that is so that would of course solve all of our difficulties.

     

    Still others have said, for example Professor A. T. Robertson, the well known New Testament professor, that there were really two Jericho’s.  That is, an old or ancient city and a new modern Jericho, which was new and modern in our Lord’s day.  We know that this is generally true, and it is Professor Robertson’s contention that in one of the accounts, the author looks at it from the standpoint of the old city of Jericho and thus the healing was as He came out of the city of Jericho, and as He was to enter the new Jericho, and the other account is written from that standpoint.  So if there were two Jericho’s it would be very easy to harmonize these accounts.  The healing took place between the leaving of one and the entering of another.

               

    Another ancient commentator, the Pietist commentator Albrecht Bengel, whose writings have been read by countless thousands of students of the Scripture, not only in the original Latin in the which he wrote them, but in other translations of them.  Bengel has made the suggestion that what happened really was that the blind men met the Lord Jesus as he was entering Jericho, and since Jericho was a relatively small city, they followed the great crowd seeking to get to Him as He made His way through Jericho, and then finally came into touch with Him as they were leaving the city and thus both of the accounts could be true:  one written from the standpoint of the entrance and the other written from the standpoint of the exit where the healing really took place.

               

    There are some modern interpretations, too.  One of the modern interpreters has suggested that really what happened was something like this:  the two blind men were seated right near the outskirts of the city, but when they heard the crowd which preceded the Lord Jesus, and they heard word that Jesus was coming, they began to shout, and so they began to shout as the Lord Jesus entered the city, and Luke writes his account from that standpoint.  But finally as He came to leave the city, they came into contact with Him and were healed as He left the city.

               

    Still another has suggested this explanation.  He has said that it’s shortly after this that the Lord Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the in the tree, and He calls down Zacchaeus, and remember, says that He was going to lodge with him that night.  Now since Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, and since he wanted to see the Lord Jesus, he had raced outside the city so he could catch a good view of Him and when the Lord Jesus saw him with the multitude looking at the little man up in the tree, He called out to Zacchaeus as He came out of the city and said Zacchaeus come down I must lodge with you tonight.  And the incident involving Zacchaeus took place, and then He went back into the city and spent the night with Zacchaeus.  And so one of the accounts is written from the standpoint of the leaving of the city whereas the other is written from the standpoint of our Lord entering back into the city, and as He entered, He met the blind men and healed them.

               

    So there are a number of suggestions that have been offered.  The Gospels do not really give us anything necessarily contradictory.  We just don’t know the details.  One of the interesting things that we shall be engaged in at least for a little while when we get to heaven is the harmonization of many things with which we do not have enough information to harmonize ourselves.  So, there is not any serious problem in this at all.  It’s interesting.  We don’t know how it happened, and we’ll be looking forward to finding out how when we get there.  But when we get there these will be rather insignificant things.  And we’ll probably say, why did we waist eight or nine minutes talking about that? [Laughter]

               

    There is a two-fold significance in this event that is more important, and the first thing is what we can call, for the sake of a better word, a dispensational significance.  Remember the Lord Jesus is coming to Jerusalem as the King of Israel.  When He enters, shortly in the next message we shall consider his untriumphal entry, He will come and the people shall shout out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  And, since it was one of the duties of the Messianic king to heal the eyes of the blind, specifically, that it’s very appropriate that as He makes His plans for entering the city of Jerusalem, He should heal again some blind men making or bringing to the forefront again the fact that He is the Messianic king who performs the miracles that He is supposed to perform according to Old Testament prophesy.  That’s one of the important things.

               

    But there is another thing that is even more important, and that is the reference that this particular incident has to the spiritual life of men and women.  It is again a beautiful illustration of the Lord’s power to illuminate the spiritually blind.  The word of God tells us the Apostle Paul, particularly, that the natural man, that is the man who does not have any relationship to the Lord Jesus that is vital and life-giving, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.

               

    In other words, the Apostle Paul says that the natural man cannot understand spiritual truth.  There must be a previous working of the Holy Spirit by which their minds are illuminated to understand divine truth.  Paul puts it in other ways.  He says that we are dead in trespasses and sin.  Some who do not have a vital saving relationship with Jesus Christ, and we rather wonder why it is that we are here.  Perhaps some friend has brought you.  Or perhaps out of what you thought was mere curiosity, and we wonder why it is that people come to hear an exposition of an ancient book written hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  We read it and we do not get anything out of it.  We find it, in the words of the Apostle Paul, foolishness.  We are actually fulfilling the words of Scripture in the fact that we do not understand it and rather think that it is stupid, that’s the meaning of Paul’s term really. Stupid.

     

    Now the Bible tells us that those who do not have eternal life are spiritually blind. Over and over again, the apostle mentions that.  He says that we are blind in our hearts.  We are alienated from God and do not have the life of God within us.  And this incident is designed to illustrate the fact that it is the Lord Jesus who works in the hearts of blind men.  Men who are spiritually blind.

               

    There are people who sit in an audience who do not understand anything more about spiritual things.  We are here and that’s all, and we wonder why. That’s true, because we attend church and many of us do not understand what in the world was going on.  We are blind as a bat spiritually.  Now God the Holy Spirit must work in the hearts of men for spiritual illumination to come, and this incident this miracle in the life of our Lord is another illustration of His power.  Let’s turn to it now, and first of all, let´s say a word about the historical situation against the background of which the Lord Jesus ministers.

               

    We are in the part of Matthew in which we are going to have a great deal of stress upon the ministry of the Lord in the last days studying these last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew again, because the most fruitful parts of biblical study are the passages in the gospels that have to do with the passion of the Lord Jesus.  And we are fast approaching that part of the Gospel of Matthew in which the Lord Jesus in the last days of His life ministers there, preparatory to giving His life a ransom for many.

               

    Now as He made His way down to Jerusalem on the last of His journeys to that city in the flesh, He was making His way with the apostles, and also with a company of friends.  Mark tells us in the 32nd verse of the 10th chapter, “And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them.”  And you can picture the little crowd the apostles gathered close to the Lord Jesus and then their friends and relatives who were a little back, and the Lord Jesus suddenly began to lengthen His steps, as He made His way toward Jerusalem.  Luke describes His countenance as an appearance as if He were going to Jerusalem.  And so as He lengthened His step and marched out with increasing speed before them the apostles noticed that that was not His customary action in their travels, and so the Scriptures say that they were amazed, they were astonished.

               

    And then looking at the people who were following Mark continues and says, “As they followed they were afraid.”  So there was something about the occasion in which our Lord had this different look upon His face moved out in front of the company, there was something about it that caused the rest of the group that were with them to come under the influence of this sense of the luminous, and awe stricken they observed the Lord Jesus as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

               

    Bengel, that same German commentator, asks the question, what was He doing?, and then answers it by saying that He was dwelling in His passion.  He was thinking about what now was immediately before Him when He would finally go to that cross and cry out, “It is finished” after having said “My God my God why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  That is really a kind of theme verse of these final chapters of the gospel records.

               

    So the Lord Jesus, having crossed the Jordan now comes to the little city of Jericho, and remembers His name was Joshua.  So a greater Joshua stands at Jericho with His word drawn to storm the stronghold of the Prince of Darkness, and He will win the battle by dying upon a Roman gibbet.  And this incident of the blind man is a kind of earnest of the victory the Lord Jesus will obtain when He shed his blood.

               

    Well as He draws near to Jericho, a great multitude is following Him.  They are friends of His.  No doubt many relatives of His too.  They draw near to the city of Jericho and behold Matthew says in the 30th verse, two blind men sitting by the way side.  It’s not surprising that our Lord’s miracles include the healing of blind men because that was the Messianic work:  to open the eyes of the blind.  Isaiah says that when the Messiah comes He will do that.  He says that in chapter 29, about verse 17 or 18 of that chapter.  He also says that in chapter 35 and verse 5.  So this was a specific Messianic miracle.

               

    So it’s not surprising then that in His miracles there should be the healing of many blind men.  And furthermore, it’s not surprising that there should be two of them.  It’s pathetic when you think about it, of course, but it was natural, because two blind men would naturally be anxious for sympathy and encouragement and help, and it is true that equal sorrows cause men to creep close for warmth and companionship.  We know that when we have other afflictions.  Those that have similar afflictions do tend to come together because they can mutually help one another.

               

    Blindness was very, very common, unfortunately, in the eastern cities in the time of our Lord.  One of the reasons for this was that there were conditions of uncleanness that caused such diseases to abound.  And in addition the bright glare of the sun in those parts of our world was such, and since they didn’t have protection from the sun, that they became afflicted in their eyes.  A visitor in our modern day to Cairo, Egypt has said that it was his observation that out of one hundred people in Egypt; about fifty were affected with eye disease.  Twenty were blind, ten had lost one eye, and twenty had other eye diseases.  So we should not be surprised then that the Lord Jesus in His ministry should encompass the healing of many blind men.

               

    The text says that when the Lord Jesus passed by, they heard that Jesus had passed by.  And incidentally in the words that are the outpouring of their heart, it’s evident that they had already heard of the Lord Jesus.  They knew something about Him.  It’s even possible that they had heard accounts of the healing ministry of this Jesus of Nazareth, and incidentally since they had no doubt studied the Scriptures themselves and paid because of their affliction particular attention to those prophesies of the Old Testament that spoke of the healing of blind men, and longing for that themselves, that they were naturally attracted to the stories concerning the Lord Jesus.

    The Holy Scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  So the word concerning the Lord Jesus had been disseminated, and they had heard it and on the basis of what they had heard the Holy Spirit had wrought in their hearts. This incident, incidentally is the origin of Sankey’s hymn,

     

    “What means this eager anxious throng which moves with busy haste along these wondrous gatherings day by day;  what means this strange commotion pray in accents hushed the throng reply Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” 

     

    When the word came to the blind men that the Lord Jesus might be near, they began to cry out.  Now Mark tells us they began to.  We would gather that from Matthew, because in the account here in Matthew, they cry out,  “Have mercy upon us,” and then when some seek to stop them they still cry out the more,  “O Lord, thou son of David, have mercy upon us.”

               

    So they began to cry out, and notice what they say when they cry out to Him.  They do not say, O man of Nazareth, have mercy upon us.  They do not say, O Yankee or Northerner have mercy upon us.  They have some very definite information concerning Him.  They cry out, have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David. It is evident they have faith in His person as the Lord.  That is, they have some conception that He is a divine person and also they have a conception of Him as the Messiah, because son of David is a Messianic term.  So they know that He is the Son of God, and they know that He is the Messiah.

               

    Now whether they understood all of the significance of it, or whether they would understand what that meant in the light of the Council of Calcedon later on, that’s another matter.  But at least they had come to the conviction He was the Lord and come to the conviction that He was the Messianic king.  And not only did they have faith in His person, but they had a great confidence in His power, because they said, have mercy upon us.  They knew that it was within the power of the Lord Jesus to heal them, and so they cried out have mercy upon us.

               

    These men are a picture in the kind of attitude that men ought to have when they come into conviction for sin and desire to have deliverance.  They were earnest.  They cried.  They kept crying.  Even the tenses of the verbs in the other accounts stress the fact that this cry of theirs was a continual thing.  They were earnest.  We are earnest about everything but spiritual things.

               

    First thing to note is, we are very earnest about our sports.  We are very earnest about our business.  We are very earnest about our studies.  We are very earnest about our calling in life about our friends our hobbies, about everything, but when it comes to spiritual things, our hearts are as the old commentators used to say, as cold as the arctic snows.        

     

    These men were earnest.  Not only that they were persistent.  When actually people said, shut up, they said we’re going to not only keep it up but we’re going to shout loud enough in order to get over the heads of our hinderers, and so they cried out the text of Scripture says the more.  So the more they were told to shut up the louder they cried.  They were persistent.  They knew what they wanted.  And this is a very poignant fact when you think of blind men who could not see in the midst of a multitude.  They must have been crying out all along where is He?  Which way did He go?  What street did He turn down?  And all at the same time shouting out, O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us!  Which way did He go?  Lord have mercy upon us.  Did He turn that way?  Show me.  Take me to Him.  You can see this was something that was very important for them.  They knew what they wanted and incidentally they were humble.

               

    These cries that they were making were confessions of their unworthiness.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon me.  They did not talk of their merits.  They didn’t say, for example, O Lord have mercy upon us, we attend the synagogue regularly.  We listen to the Pharisees.  We study the Scriptures.  We do good works.  We don’t put a sign our face “blind” when we really can see.  They had no talk of merit whatsoever, because whenever we talk of merit before the Lord, the doors of heaven are shut.  O Lord, thou son of David have mercy upon us.  They really were beggar, literally, Mark tells us, and they were beggars spiritually seeking for help.  And they plead as criminals, have mercy upon us.

               

    Now this illustrates of course the fact that according to the teaching of the word of God, our wills are obstinate in rebellion against the Lord.  The Scriptures so plainly teach about one of the most difficult things for men to grasp, the relationship of the will in our salvation. The Bible teaches that we have a will, that we do make decisions.  But the Bible teaches that the will is a secondary agent.  The will acts in accordance with our nature and our nature affected by the fall is wicked and rebellious against God.  Therefore, the decisions of the will which are a response to the inmost disposition of a man are always decisions contrary to the will of God.   This repeats over and over again, and we should say it again, because there are always some strangers in the midst.  We never make a decision of the will that is favorable to God unless God has previously “jiggled our willed.”

     

    That is biblical teaching.  It’s hard for men to understand that.  But nevertheless it is true.  It is basic to the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  The responses that men make do not arise ultimately from the heart of men; ultimately they arise from God’s working.  That’s why salvation is of the Lord.  So when we read these men cry out, have mercy upon us, it’s obvious that God has already wrought in their will, and they are crying out now in response to what He has done.

     

    Their wills naturally were obstinate.  They were rebellious.  Their understanding was darkened.  Their affections were depraved.  They were blind to the things that really counted.  That’s the way we are born.  We are born in our sin.  We know we can speak to someone about the wonders of this creation about us. We can talk to men about the beauties of and the wonders of His divine creation and men are able to understand with us.  We can speak of the wonders of creation ourselves, but when we turn to speak about the wonders of the New Covenant and of the blood that was shed by which we have everlasting life, by which we are brought into the family of God, by which we are justified, by which we become the children of God, then the beauties of the person of the Redeemer and the work of the Redeemer seem as nothing as foolishness to us.  We do not understand them at all.

               

    So these men cry out humbly with confessions of their own unworthiness, and the message that they proclaim is that the Lord Jesus is the Lord and the Messiah.  It’s striking that these blind men, these poor bind men, give the glory to the Lord Jesus that the leaders the religious leaders in Jerusalem did not. They did not own Him as Lord.  They rebelled against the very idea and they did not accept Him as the son of David.  They rebelled against that idea.  So these two poor blind men who did not have the religious training, and no doubt the religious experiences that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did, had by the grace of God been enabled to understand things that religious leaders do not.  There is a great lesson in that.

               

    The Lord’s reaction to this is remarkable.  A cry of need brings Him to a complete stop.  We read in verse 32, “And Jesus stood still.”  Isn’t that striking?  When Joshua was here in his historical ministry in the Old Testament recorded in the Book of Joshua, Joshua spoke to the sun and the sun and the moon stood still.  Remarkable miracle.  But here are two blind men who address the Son of Righteousness, for that is one our Lord’s titles, and the Son of Righteousness stops at their request.  It seems as if it is even a greater miracle than that performed by Joshua in the Old Testament.

               

    Reminds us that the apostle says that he is rich unto all that call on him.  If you have never believed in the Lord Jesus, let’s assure you that if you call upon Him, He is rich unto those that call unto Him.  So he stopped.  And interestingly those people that were trying to keep these two men quiet, shut up, shut up, are told by the Lord Jesus to go get the blind men.  That’s kind of ironical.  These people who were attempting to shut the blind men are forced to do errands for the blind men.  And so they go off and get the blind men and they are brought into the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus said, what do you want me to do?

               

    Isn’t it striking too the way Mark describes the way that Bartimaeus came to the Lord Jesus?  We can see the blind man with his coat.  It probably was the only coat that he had or ever hoped to have.  He knew that there were times when he needed that desperately, but Mark says he threw away his garment and came to the Lord Jesus.

               

    If we were an artist, the most prolific source of artistry would be the Bible itself.  One of the most striking things in all of the New Testament is when the Lord Jesus stood up in the boat in the midst of the storm, preparatory to saying, stop, or be muzzled ,and there came a great calm.  And here, as Bartimaeus threw away his cloak, figurative of the fact that everything must go when we come to the Lord Jesus, as Paul said, “He suffered the loss of all things as he came to Christ.”  What a beautiful picture that is.  And he came to Jesus, Mark says.  There’s nothing more fundamental, nothing more significant, nothing more necessary in life than to come to the Lord Jesus.

               

    One of the saddest things in the world is for a man to go through life shine in his school work, shine in his college work, graduate near the top of his class, become a successful businessman, be successful in business, come to the end of his days retired, and then to be placed in a grave like the rest of the people who have lived up to this time without the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  What a pitiful what a pitiful thing.   To come to the Lord Jesus is the fundamental thing.  To think of it.  To become the President of General Motors, but not know Christ.  To be the Chairman of the Board of Texas Instruments but not know Jesus Christ, what a failure.

               

    So the Lord said, what do you want?  These men have just no doubt been acquainted with the words the Lord Jesus had said not long before this:  the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.  And so they in effect challenged Him.  You said you come to minister, well, minister that we may see again that we may have our eyesight.  One of the manuscripts reading the Matthian account, they requested, Lord that our eyes may be opened, that we may see Thee.  That’s a very fitting addition.  That’s the way they thought, having called out, O Lord Thou son of David.  That’s what they were thinking.  But first of all that our eyes may be opened.

               

    Then the healing is described in the last verse, and notice that there are outward means, inward means, and ultimate means.  The text of Scripture says, “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes.”  Now that was the touch of sympathy.  Blind men no doubt needed the encouragement of the personal touch, and it’s a beautiful expression of the true humanity of Lord Jesus who understands all of our human needs.  He touched them.  But it also is an identification, for to touch, to lay hands upon was a sign of identification. And all He was saying, symbolically, was, as He touched them, yes I am sympathetic with your condition.  I identify with your sin, not that I’m a sinner, but it is for sin that I have come.  And the apostle puts it very succinctly; He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  And so He identified Himself with suffering sinning humanity for He shall die for sinners.

               

    Mark says that He said to him your faith has made you whole.  Incidentally, it was faith not adulterated by sight.  They couldn’t be saved by sight; they had no sight.  Our churches give us the impression that our faith is really grounded in a great deal of sight, for as we draw up to church buildings we are impressed.  They are magnificent structures.  And usually there’s a cross sticking above them.  And then we enter, and we enter into the auditorium.

               

    The auditorium should be very simple.  That’s the way we like it.  As a matter of fact that’s the way the earliest churches were constructed, and that’s the reason why the auditorium is simple.  But many of our churches and the churches in which we’ve grown up are very impressive, and the services are very impressive.  The men come in and they are dressed in different kinds of clothes.  They are either dressed in a robe, or they are dressed in clerical garb with the round clerical collar. 

               

    And when they stand in the pulpit, they not only stand in the pulpit but they go through motions that are designed to impress our senses.  They twist.  They turn.  They genuflect.  They kneel.  They bow.  They frequently take things and do things with them.  They stand before the altar.  The whole impression seems to be, faith does come by sight, to some extent at least.  They impress us.

               

    But the Lord Jesus said, your faith, not your humility, not your persistence, not your purposefulness, your faith has made you wholeGod has so worked that He has given you faith and that faith is the basis of your salvation.  The ultimate means is His compassion.  Jesus had compassion on them.  Paul says He speaks about God who was rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He had loved us.  And so out of compassion, the Lord Jesus responded to what He had produced in their hearts and gave them the pronouncement that they were now whole forgiven men.

               

    And not only that, but their eyes were opened.  Men speak of merits.  Proud men get down upon their knees and offer prayers to God, thinking that their prayers are the means of God’s blessing.  But the wind sweeps the prayers away, for God does not hear that kind of prayer.  When the messenger of mercy the Lord Jesus came to this earth, He did not enter into the Hiltons and the Sheratons and the Holiday Inns and the Howard Johnson Inns, but He came to the inn of the broken heart and the contrite spirit, because God responds to those who acknowledge that they have nothing with which to commend themselves to the Lord.

               

    Well the result of the healing is that they followed Him, and Luke tells us that they glorified God, which led to the praise of the Lord by the people.  What a beautiful thing that is, too.  There are several things that persist through our days of spiritual darkness, and one of them is the purpose for men being here.  Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  And when the Lord Jesus worked in the hearts of these two blind men, they were so happy over what God had done to them and they so praised God that they glorified God.  They had reached that ultimate goal for which we are here in this earth to glorify Him.

               

    Now the Lord Jesus has changed His position.  He’s no longer here in our midst.  He’s at the right hand of the majesty on high, but it’s still true, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by.  He does not do it physically.  He does it through His word and through His spirit.  And we have listened as we have read the word of God to the exposition of the power Jesus Christ to heal.  And if someone under the influence of the Holy Spirit, has been brought to the conviction of his sin, He stands ready and waiting to deliver from the blindness of our heart, to bring you into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which means everlasting life.

               

    Remembering that later the Lord Jesus will die upon the cross at Calvary for sinners, making it possible for all of our sin and guilt and condemnation to be washed totally clean.  And if God has brought in our heart the desire He brought into the hearts of these blind men for healing, may God help us deep down within the recesses of our being to cry out, O Lord Thou son of David, have mercy upon us.  And this great miracle of healing will be accomplished spiritually again.  May God speak to our heart to that end.  Let’s pray for the benediction.

               

    Prayer:

     

    Father, we know that we have inadequately expressed the greatness of the healing ministry of the Lord Jesus, but we do know deep down within us, Lord, what Thou hast done for us and what Thou art able to do for men who come through the Spirit’s enablement to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of sinners.

               

    And Lord, if there should be someone present in this auditorium, one little child, perhaps one young man, one young woman, one elderly man or woman in whom the Holy Spirit has worked, O God, by the Holy Spirit, bring to their inmost being that urgent request, O Lord Thou son of David have mercy upon me.

               

    Accomplish, Lord the supernatural work of the new birth. May grace mercy and peace go with us. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

     

    Chapter Contents

    The parable of the laborers in the vineyard. (1-16) Jesus again foretells His sufferings. (17-19) The ambition of James and John. (20-28) Jesus gives sight to two blind men near Jericho. (29-34)

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16

     

    The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. The parable may also be applied more generally, and shows,

     

    1. That God is debtor to no man.

     

    2. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at a great deal of knowledge, grace, and usefulness.

     

    3. That the recompense of reward will be given to the saints, but not according to the time of their conversion. It describes the state of the visible church, and explains the declaration that the last shall be first, and the first last, in its various references.

                   

    Until we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. The market-place is the world, and from that we are called by the gospel. Come; come from this market-place. Work for God will not admit of trifling. A man may go idle to hell, but he that will go to heaven, must be diligent. The Roman penny was seven pence halfpenny in our money, wages then enough for the day's support. This does not prove that the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt; when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it signifies that there is a reward set before us, yet let none, upon this presumption, put off repentance till they are old. Some were sent into the vineyard at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them before. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour; the gospel had not been before preached to them. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third or sixth hour, and have refused them, will not have to say at the eleventh hour, as these had, No man has hired us.

     

    Therefore, not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time. The riches of Divine grace are loudly murmured at, among proud Pharisees and nominal Christians. There is great proneness in us to think that we have too little, and others too much of the tokens of God's favor; and that we do too much, and others too little in the work of God. But if God gives grace to others, it is kindness to them, and no injustice to us.

     

    Carnal worldliness agrees with God for their penny in this world; and chooses their portion in this life. Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in the other world, and must remember they have so agreed. Didst not thou agree to take up with heaven as thy portion, thy all; wilt thou seek for happiness in the creature? God punishes none more than they deserve, and recompenses every service done for Him; He therefore does no wrong to any, by showing extraordinary grace to some.

     

    See here the nature of envy. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. It is a grief to us, displeasing to God, and hurtful to our neighbors: it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honor. Let us forego every proud claim, and seek for salvation as a free gift. Let us never envy or grudge, but rejoice and praise God for His mercy to others as well as to ourselves.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:17-19

     

    Christ is more particular here in foretelling His sufferings than before. And here, as before, He adds the mention of His resurrection and His glory, to that of His death and sufferings, to encourage His disciples, and comfort them. A believing view of our once crucified and now glorified Redeemer, is good to humble a proud, self-justifying disposition. When we consider the need of the humiliation and sufferings of the Son of God, in order to the salvation of perishing sinners, surely we must be aware of the freeness and richness of Divine grace in our salvation.

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:20-28

     

    The sons of Zebedee abused what Christ said to comfort the disciples. Some cannot have comforts but they turn them to a wrong purpose. Pride is a sin that most easily besets us; it is sinful ambition to outdo others in pomp and grandeur. To put down the vanity and ambition of their request, Christ leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings. It is a bitter cup that is to be drunk of; a cup of trembling, but not the cup of the wicked. It is but a cup, it is but a draught, bitter perhaps, but soon emptied; it is a cup in the hand of a Father, John 18:11. Baptism is an ordinance by which we are joined to the Lord in covenant and communion; and so is suffering for Christ, Ezekiel 20:37; Isaiah 48:10. Baptism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace; and so is suffering for Christ, for unto us it is given, Philippians 1:29. But they knew not what Christ's cup was, nor what His baptism. Those are commonly most confident, who are least acquainted with the cross. Nothing makes more mischief among brethren, than desire of greatness. And we never find Christ's disciples quarrelling, but something of this was at the bottom of it. That man who labors most diligently, and suffers most patiently, seeking to do good to his brethren, and to promote the salvation of souls, most resembles Christ, and will be most honored by Him to all eternity. Our Lord speaks of His death in the terms applied to the sacrifices of old. It is a sacrifice for the sins of men, and is that true and substantial sacrifice, which those of the law faintly and imperfectly represented. It was a ransom for many, enough for all, working upon many; and, if for many, then the poor trembling soul may say, Why not for me?

     

    Commentary on Matthew 20:29-34

     

    It is good for those under the same trial, or infirmity of body or mind, to join in prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken and encourage one another. There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed Him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by His grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after Him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     

    Alleged Contradictions and Inaccuracies

     

    In Matthew's account two blind men are healed, whereas in the accounts of Mark and Luke only one blind man is mentioned: If two blind men were healed, then certainly one was healed. The Gospel writers did not include all that Jesus did and said. (cf. John 21:25).

     

    Matthew and Mark place the healing when Jesus was departing from Jericho, whereas Luke places the healing when Jesus was coming to Jericho: It is perfectly possible that Jesus healed "a certain blind man" as He was come nigh to Jericho (Luke's account), and then healed two more blind men (one of whom was blind Bartimaeus, Mark's account) as He was leaving Jericho.

     

    Matthew 20:29-34 “What Do You Want Jesus to Do For You?”

     

    Translation

     

    20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

     

    20:30 and, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

     

    20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all wanting Me to do for you?”

     

    20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

     

    20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

     

    Introduction

     

    Exploring about how to pray. In Matthew 20:21, we just saw James and John’s mom ask Jesus for something, and now again in v.29ff, we have someone else making a request of Jesus.

     

  • In both cases Jesus asks, “What do you want?”
  •  

  • However, in the first case, Jesus is appalled at the presumptuousness and pride of the request.
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  • But in the second scenario before us, we see that Jesus is “moved with compassion,” and fulfills the request of the blind men.
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  • What made the difference? We need to explore the status we have as children of God which privileges us to ask God for things, and to look at what characterizes the sort of requests that Jesus honors so that we can become better at praying to God.
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  • As Jesus makes His way closer to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, He reaches the town of Jericho, the very city that Joshua captured when the walls fell down some thousand four hundred years before then, and here, the road which had been running South along the Jordan river turns up West into the hills toward Jerusalem. In about 15 miles it will ascend 3,300 feet to the gates of the holy city where He will be crucified.
  •  

  • But for now, Jesus is just approaching Jericho, a lovely resort town where He will spend the night. He was apparently pretty famous by this time and had many out-of-town people follow­ing Him in, as well as people like Zaccheus who were from Jericho and wanted to see Him.
  •  

  • It appears Jesus was getting a real Middle-Eastern welcome as He approached Jericho!
  •  

  • This, by the way, was the same crowd that Zaccheus was trying to see through to get a glimpse of Jesus, and it was because of this throng that he climbed the tree. Matthew doesn’t tell us the story of Zaccheus, only Luke does, but the story of Zaccheus reminds us that Jesus was not merely concerned for the needs of the poor, blind beggars but also for the miserable, rich oppressors in the town of Jericho!
  •  

    Exegesis

     

    20:29 Now, as they were proceeding out from Jericho, a numerous crowd followed Him,

    Και εκπορευομενων αυτων απο Ιεριχω ηκολουθησεν αυτῷ οχλος[3] πολυς.

     

    20:30 and, get this, two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was coming along [and] cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    και ιδου δυο τυφλοι καθημενοι παρα την ‘οδον ακουσαντες ‘οτι[4] Ιησους παραγει εκραξαν λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε[5] ‘Υιος Δαυιδ.[6]

     

  • This is remarkably like the account of the two blind men Jesus healed in Capernaum in Matt. 9:27ff.
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  •  
  • The blind men in Capernaum said the same thing, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
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  •  
  • Is it possible that these two blind men on the other side of the country in Jericho had heard about this and were modeling their request after their northern counterparts?
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  •  
  • Perhaps these blind men in Jericho hadn’t heard of the blind men healed in Caper­naum. Perhaps all they had to go on was the prophecy of Isaiah 35:4ff, “Be strong; do not be afraid. See your God come… He will save you! Then the eyes of blind men will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
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  •  
  • Later on in Matt. 22:41-42, when Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ/Anointed One/Messiah, whose son is He?’ They say to Him, ‘He is the son of David.’” So, the title “Son of David,” was the title of the Messiah, speaking of His being descended from the great king David and fulfilling the promise God made to David that a descendent of his would reign as a king forever.
  •  

  •  
  • So these blind men cry out for the Messiah’s attention.
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  • Now, the gospel of Luke traces the story of only one of these two blind men, and in Mark’s gospel we find his name: Bar-timmaeus (Mk. 10:46) which can be interpreted, “Son of Filth.”
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  •  
  • There is no problem with the fact that Matthew mentions a second blind man with Bartimaeus. It doesn’t contradict Luke and Mark’s account that there was at least one blind man there. If there were two, then there was one… plus another.
  •  

  • There does appear to be a discrepancy, however, between the gospel accounts in the timing of this incident.
  •  

    ·        According to Matthew (20:29), the encounter with the blind beggars happened as Jesus was leaving Jericho,

     

    ·        But according to Luke (18:35), it happened as they were approaching Jericho,

     

    ·        And according to Mark (10:46), it happened as they were both coming to Jericho and as they were going out from Jericho! How can that be?

     

    ·        A.T. Robertson’s explanation seems the best, that there were two Jericho’s: the ancient city site and the township newly rebuilt by Herod, with only a short distance between.

     

    ·        A distinction between the old city and the new city is pretty common in ancient cities around the world. [You can see in the photo that the mound of the old city is still on the NW side of the modern town of Jericho.

     

    ·        So Jesus encountered these beggars on the road in-between the two sites. Thus Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, says that they had just passed the historic site of old Jericho, where “Joshua fit the battle,” and Luke, writing to a Greek audience says that they were approaching the new Roman resort town], and Mark, writing to a Roman audience, locates them geographically between leaving the old city and entering the new city of Jericho. God’s word is amazingly accurate when you chase down its details!

     

    20:31 But the crowd reprimanded them in order that they might hush, 
    but as for them, they were crying out more, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

    ‘Ο δε οχλος επετιμησεν αυτοις ‘ινα σιωπησωσιν ‘οι δε μειζον εκραζον[8] λεγοντες Ελεησον ‘ημας Κυριε Υιος Δαυιδ.

     

  • Have you ever wanted God to do something special, then shared it with somebody and got laughed at or even rebuked for it?
  •  

  • The things we pray for should not be evaluated on the basis of whether other people think we should pray for it, but rather whether God wants you to pray for it. We know God wants us to pray for something if He has laid it on our heart and if it is consistent with what He has already revealed in the Bible.
  •  

  • The majority of the people on the street that day in Jericho, however, thought that the best thing for these blind men was to be quiet, to hold their peace.
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  • So when the blind men kept their racket up, the crowd said to them, “We wish you were dumb as well as blind! If you don’t shut up, we’ll make you shut up!
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  • But the blind men had faith in Jesus:
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  •  
  • They openly confessed not only that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised Son of David,
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  •  
  • But that He is also the Lord.
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  •  
  • Furthermore they confess that Jesus is capable of extending the mercy of God to them by healing them.
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  •  
  • These are staggering statements to make about any man, Messianic King, God Almighty, and Mediator of God’s blessings. These two men seem to understand better than anyone else in that vast crowd who Jesus really is and what Jesus is capable of doing. Such faith arrests Jesus’ attention:
  •  

  • Jesus interrupted His very important mission to Jerusalem and responded to these faith-filled men. Likewise, we Christians, who are supposed to be imitators of Christ, are we also willing to be interrupted in our work? Bible commentator Matthew Henry remarked on this point, “Why are we ever so much in haste about any business? … We should be willing to stand still to do good.”
  •  

    20:32 Then Jesus stood [still] and whistled to them and said, “What are y’all want Me to do for you?”

    Και στας ‘ο Ιησους εφωνησεν αυτους και ειπεν Τί θελετε ποιησω ‘υμιν;

     

  • Seeing as all the other English translations render it “called the Greek word ephwnesen translates as “whistled,”.” However, the word literally means to “make a sound” which seems to be distinct from actually speaking words, and the only other time Matthew uses this word is to describe a rooster crowing (26:34, 74, and 75).
  •  

  • It is curious that Jesus does not go over to them. Instead He stands where He is and calls them over to Him.
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  •  
  • According to Luke’s account (18:40), Jesus commands the very people who have been insulting the blind men to now escort the blind men for a personal audience with Him!
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  •  
  • Mark (10:49) has the same people that had been shushing the blind men now saying, “Cheer up; get up; He’s calling for you!” If it weren’t so hypocritical, it would be funny.
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  • It is as though, when Jesus heard Himself referred to as the “Lord” and Messianic King, “Son of David,” He obliged these men by playing the part of a great king.
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  •  
  • Great kings don’t come to you; you come to them.
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  •  
  • Great kings have courtiers that bring you to the king.
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  •  
  • And great kings ask for formal proposals,
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  •  
  • So Jesus transforms the dusty street into a king’s palace for these two beggars who have recognized, more than anyone else, how great a king stands before them, perhaps due, in part, to the fact that they had no eyes to see how humble a form the Lord of the universe had taken upon Himself!
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  •  
  • When you close your eyes to pray, do you realize how great the God is that you are addressing?
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  • Now, at that moment, before Jesus on the street, the blind men could have asked for anything.
  •  
    What would you have asked for, if it were you, and Jesus offered to make one wish come true?

     

  •  
  • All their life they had asked for “mercy” as beggars, soliciting passers-by for coins. Would they ask for money? They could ask for enough to live on for the rest of their lives, and never have to beg again!
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  •  
  • Mark’s gospel gives us one clue before either beggar says a word: in Mark 10:50, it says that the blind man “threw off his cloak” when he went to Jesus. He decided to leave his beggar’s garb behind because he anticipated a miraculous answer to the audacious request he was about to make.
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  •  
  • If this was truly the Messiah, and if Isaiah prophesied truly, then blind men would see. The blind men’s reasoning appears to be as simple as that.
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  •  
  • No doctor in the world could have healed them, and apparently not even God had healed a blind person in the history of the world until the time of Christ.
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  •  
  • This would be the ultimate proof that Jesus was the Messiah. If He couldn’t give them sight, then Jesus was a sham and God was a liar.
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  • Maybe they also longed, like Simeon that their own eyes might see God’s salvation, he prophesied Son of David, and the Messiah finally comes?
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  •  
  • These two blind men were going to go for broke and ask to see!
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    20:33 They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes might be opened!”

    Λεγουσιν αυτῷ Κυριε ‘ινα ανοιχθωσιν[10] ‘ημων ‘οι οφθαλμοι.

     

  • Now think about what the blind men chose to ask for.
  •  

  • All their lives they have made their living by sitting in public places begging for money. It was considered a community service for them to do so. It gave the community an opportunity to give to the poor and win favor with God (and man) with their generosity, and such beggars provided a very desirable service by praying for God to bless those who gave to them. (“God bless” is still a common parting word from panhandlers in our country today.)
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  • All this, of course, hinged on the beggar’s inability to work at gainful employment. Blindness was such an obvious handicap that their status as beggars worked well. But if they were to receive their sight, all that would change. They would no longer be able to continue the life they had once led as beggars. Suddenly they would have to learn to read, learn a trade, and take up new and different responsibilities, start up a business, maybe get married and have children.
  •  

  • Considered from that perspective, it is remarkable that they were willing to embrace a whole new world of responsibilities and ask to see.
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  • Likewise, there are responsibilities that naturally come along with being a recipient of God’s free grace. Are you willing to accept the responsibilities that come along with whatever it is you are asking God for?
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    20:34 And Jesus, gut-wrenched, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes saw again! Then they followed Him.

    Σπλαγχνισθεις δε ‘ο Ιησους ‘ηψατο των οφθαλμων[11] αυτων και ευθεως ανεβλεψαν [αυτων ‘οι οφθαλμοι[12]] και ηκολουθησαν αυτῷ.

     

  • Jesus’ response was first of all to be moved with compassion/pity. Literally, He was “gut-wrenched.” Do you realize what an awesome thing it is to have as God One who can be moved with compassion? Who sympathizes with us! When we are torn up inside, when we cry, the Ruler of the Universe enters into those feelings with us. Brothers and sisters, let us pray from our heart when we pray to Him!
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  • The crux of the story, of course, is that, with a mere touch, Jesus physically healed two blind men.
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  •  
  • In Mat 8:3, after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus touched a man with a skin disease, and the leprosy was immediately cured,
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  • In Mat 8:15 Jesus touched Peter’s mother-in-law, and she was relieved of a fever,
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  • Others touched Jesus and were cured (9:20; 14:36)
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  • In Mar. 7:33, Jesus touched a deaf man who was immediately healed, and later with a touch, Jesus restored a servant who had gotten his ear chopped off (Luke 22:51)!
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  • In Luke 7:14, we read of Jesus touching a coffin, and, sure enough, the young man inside came alive!
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  •  
  • In Mat 9:29, Jesus touched the eyes of two blind men and they were healed,
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  •  
  • And now, at a touch, four more eyes that were not able to physically function suddenly regain/ recover/ receive the marvel of sight.
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  •  
  • The touch of Jesus has no limit to its power to bring physical healing.
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  • Luke’s account mentions an additional statement from Jesus, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” This reveals another staggering miracle. Jesus not only just fixed their eyes, He saved their souls from hell!
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  •  
  • But wait, we may say, “The Bible reads, ‘your faith saved you.’”
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  •  
  • Yes, but what was the content of their faith? It was that God had sent Jesus to be the Messiah, the savior of the world. Their faith did not make Jesus the savior-Messiah, it merely acknowledged and acted upon the truth that Jesus is the savior of the world. It is God’s grace that sent Jesus to die for our sins and save us from eternal damnation, and it is God’s grace that plants faith in human hearts to believe that. As we exercise that faith, we are saved, but our faith is a response, not the cause of our salvation.
  •  

  • But the story doesn’t end there; Jesus goes on to provide employment for these men who just lost their jobs as beggars due to His healing them. Unlike many of the people He healed whom He would not allow to follow Him, Jesus let these men become His followers, providing a context for them to learn a new life as men with seeing eyes.
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  • Luke’s account says that the formerly-blind men then followed Jesus, “glorifying God,” and that when all the people saw this, they praised God as well!
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  •  
  • They were some of the ones shouting “Hosanna” the loudest, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, and that they
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  •  
  • Followed Him to hear Him teach in Bethany, and maybe even saw Him crucified.
  • They were among the 500 people who saw Jesus after His resurrection
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  •  
  • And among the 120 people in the upper room upon whom the Holy Spirit fell.
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  • The genuineness of their faith in Jesus was demonstrated to the world by the fact that they continued to follow Jesus after they were healed.
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    Conclusion: Six Principles of Effective Prayer Drawn From Two Blind Beggars

     

    1. Punctuality

     

  • The Holy Spirit works in our minds in real time throughout the day. If we feel like we need something or if we are impressed to pray for a certain person, don’t wait until our bedtime prayers to speak to God about it. Go for it right away. We can pray for it later, too.
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  • Matthew Henry commented, “When they heard that Jesus passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was in haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity, to make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never return; these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came to Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.”
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    2. Humility

     

  • These men did not say, “Jesus, we really ought to be healed. You know, we’re really poor, but we have given a large percentage of our income to the Lord, and we have been such good people, and our parents were such good people, and we have suffered so much from our blindness that you owe it to us.” No, they came humbly, simply asking for mercy. That is a good example for us. “Sovereign Lord, please have mercy.”
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  • “It is the will of God that we should in everything make our requests known to Him by prayer and supplication; not to inform or move Him, but to qualify ourselves for the mercy. The waterman in the boat, who with his hook takes hold of the shore, does not thereby pull the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore. So in prayer we do not draw the mercy to ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy.” Lord, have mercy on us.
  •  

    3. Faith

     

  • The two blind beggars were convinced that Jesus is the Lord, that He is the Messiah, and that He could give them God’s mercy, and they said that out loud.
  •  

  • That got Jesus’ attention, and we can learn a lesson from that. We must know the truth about who Jesus is and place our faith in Him, even confess it out loud, if we want to grow in our prayer life.
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  • And we must believe that Jesus will do whatever we’re asking Him to do before we can pray for Him to do it. If you have some doubt, go back to the Bible to find out if it’s the kind of thing He would do and if He has the power to do it! Then pray with faith in Him!
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  • “It is of excellent use in prayer to eye Christ in the grace and glory of His Messiah ship; to remember that He is the Son of David, whose office it is to help and save, and to plead it with Him.”
  •  

    4. Community

     

  • Peer pressure can be a good thing. Sometimes when we pray with somebody else, we experience a holy uprising of faith that emboldens us to pray for what we might never have had the faith to believe God could do if we had been praying alone.
  •  

  • Often we step into prayer meetings without much of a passion to pray for anything. Then someone starts praying maybe for God to transform the lives of families in his church, and that seems to spark the faith of someone else, and he’ll pray maybe for transformation in the lives of the children in all the schools, and that gets somebody else praying for all the lost in our town, and pretty soon we’re ready to pray for revival for the whole nation!
  •  

  • Matthew Henry noted something about corporate prayer in his commentary, “These joint-sufferers were joint-suitors; being companions in the same tribulation, they were partners in the same supplication. Note, it is good for those that are laboring under the same calamity, or infirmity of body or mind, to join together in the same prayer to God for relief, that they may quicken one another's fervency, and encourage one another's faith. There is mercy enough in Christ for all the petitioners.”
  •  

    5. Persistence

     

  • Remember the Syro-Phonecian woman who would not take “No” for an answer until Jesus healed her daughter? And the widow in Jesus’ parable who wore out the unjust judge? Even in Jesus’ question, “What is your will?” He acknowledges that in these two blind men there has been, for a sustained period of time, an exercise of their will, trained by the Holy Spirit to press for the fulfillment of a particular goal. There is something to persisting in prayer with a determined will over time.
  •  

  • “There is need of constancy to transcend all hindrances, and the more barriers that Satan erects, the more must we be kindled to prayer, just as we see the blind men redoubling their cries.” John Calvin
  •  

  • “Hence learn, O beloved, that though we be very vile and outcast, but yet approach God with earnestness, even by ourselves we shall be able to effect whatsoever we ask. See, for instance, these men, how, having none of the apostles to plead with them, but rather many to stop their mouths, they were able to pass over the hindrances, and to come unto Jesus Himself… These then let us also emulate. Though God defer the gift, though there be many withdrawing us, let us not desist from asking. For in this way most of all shall we win God to us… although it be mercy and grace, it seeks for the worthy.” John Chrysostom
  •  

  • “In following Christ with our prayers, we must expect to meet with hindrances and manifold discouragements from within and from without… Men ought always to pray and not to faint; to pray with all perseverance (Luke 18:1); to continue in prayer with resolution and not yield to opposition… This wrestling with God in prayer… makes us the fitter to receive mercy; for the more it is striven for, the more it will be prized and thankfully acknowledged.”
  •  

    6. Follow-through

     

  • When your prayer is answered, don’t forget to thank God afterward!
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  • After your prayer is answered, continue to walk with Christ, and pray about other things. Even remind yourself from time to time so that you never forget God’s mercy in your life!
  •  

  • And when prayers are answered, tell other people about it! Show your gratitude by being, as John Calvin put it, “a spectacle of Christ’s grace to many on this journey.”
  •  

    So, what is it that God would have you pray for?

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    I. Matthew 20:29: And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.

     

    We know that in Matthew 19:1 Jesus was in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. In verse seventeen of chapter twenty we saw that Jesus was still continuing His journey to Jerusalem, but there was no way of knowing exactly where He was, somewhere between Jerusalem on the west side of the Jordan River and the region of Judea (Perea) on the east side of the Jordan River.

     

    But now, here in verse twenty-nine, we learn that Jesus has crossed the Jordan, and is already leaving Jericho. Jericho was about eight miles west of the Jordan River and only fifteen miles away from Jerusalem. For the crowds of pilgrims from Galilee, Jericho was the last city before the final three thousand foot climb to Jerusalem. Everyone coming to Jerusalem from the east would pass through Jericho. So it was here that the pilgrims would converge, and their numbers swell, and the excitement and electricity in the air would grow even greater.

     

    And now adding to the excitement of these crowds from Galilee was the fact that Jesus (their own “hero” from back home) was walking with them on the same road. So “as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed Him.”

     

    II. Matthew 20:30: And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    Here, again, is that favorite word of Matthew’s, “behold.” Forty-four times Matthew uses this word compared to Luke’s thirty-six times and Mark’s 14 times. And here is one of those places where Matthew says “behold,” and Mark and Luke do not. We should be careful about reading too much into a favorite word, but Matthew is alerting us once again to the special importance and significance of what’s about to happen, in light of what just happened.

     

    We had James and John (via their mother) making a request of Jesus. James and John are among the inner circle of the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples. For anyone who believed Jesus, it would be natural to think that James and John would be treated with a little extra respect and deference. But now compare these two “important” disciples with the two blind men sitting by the roadside.

     

    Two blind men sitting by the side of the road are almost certainly begging for money, and Mark and Luke tell us that this is exactly what they were doing (Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35). Mark speaks of only one blind man (cf. Luke) and calls him a “blind beggar named Bartimaeus.” There couldn’t be much more of a contrast! Compared to important men like James and John, these two blind beggars would certainly be the “little ones,” or the “small ones” (Matthew 18), those who were insignificant and unimportant.

     

    And this becomes very obvious in verse thirty-one when we find the crowd rebuking them and telling them to be quiet. So there’s a pretty stark contrast between the “rank,” or station in life of the two specially privileged disciples and the two blind beggars. But this isn’t the only contrast, as we’re about to see. “When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’”  

     

    For the significance of this miracle as a pointer to Jesus’ identity as Israel’s Messiah, see the message on Matthew 9:27-31. While in and of itself this miracle functions in exactly the same way as the earlier one, it seems that Matthew includes the miracle here as a fitting contrast with the preceding story of James and John (cf. Mark [10:35-52]; contra Luke [18:35-43]) and therefore as a fitting conclusion to all of Jesus’ teaching on humility and true “greatness” (beginning in chapter eighteen). The blind beggars (in contrast with James and John) remind us of the “small ones” who are the “greatest,” and the “last” who will be “first.” 

     

    III. Matthew 20:31: The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all

     the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

     

    It shouldn’t take much for us to imagine the desperation in the voices of these two blind beggars. They “cry out” not just so they can be heard over the crowd, but especially because of the intense longing in their hearts. Here is their chance for healing. It’s a chance they may never have again. And so they cry out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.”

     

    It was common in Jesus’ day to assume that a physical defect like blindness was God’s judgment for some sin (cf. John 9:1-2). Now whether or not these two men believed that their blindness was a punishment for sin, they obviously didn’t believe that they had any rights to be healed.

     

    “Lord, have mercy on us.” This isn’t just desperation, it’s a humble desperation; a recognition that the very thing we need and long for so badly is also something to which we are not entitled. The blind beggars know that they have no claim on Jesus for His healing. All they can plead for is

    His mercy.

    When the crowd rebukes them, telling them to be silent, they only cry out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.” They’re blind, they’re beggars, they’re shunned by society, they’re insignificant and unimportant, and yet they have faith. They believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and Son of David. They believe that He is able to restore their sight (cf. Mark 10:52). And so they cry out in humble desperation, and with only five simple words, “Lord, have mercy on us.”

     

    But actually, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? The two blind men have not specifically asked Jesus for healing. They’ve asked only for mercy. Now we’ve assumed that this means they want to be healed, but even though Jesus certainly knew exactly what they wanted, He makes no assumptions. Instead, we read in verse thirty-two:

     

    IV. Matthew 20:32: And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

     

    Does this sound familiar? There are only two places in all of the Gospels where Jesus asks someone what they want Him to do. Here is one of those places. But do we know where the other place is? It’s in the story right before this one, the story of James and John and their request of Jesus (via their mother).

     

    James and John somewhat vaguely asked Jesus to grant them a request. Mark is less subtle. He says that “James and John… came up to [Jesus] and said to Him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you” (Mark 10:35). And Jesus replied: “What do you want?” Or as Mark has it, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36) That’s what just happened in the last story.

     

    But now we have two blind beggars (what a contrast with James and John!) crying out: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” (What a contrast with “please give me something,” or, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You”!) And just like He did with James and John, so now Jesus does with the two blind beggars. He asks them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

     

    Once again, this is the second of only two times in all the Gospels that Jesus asks anyone

    what they want Him to do for them, and both of these times are right here, back to back, one right after the other. So in the question asked of these two blind beggars, we can’t help but be reminded of the same question that Jesus just asked James and John. “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’”

     

    V. Matthew 20:33: They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

     

    The blind beggars just want to see. That’s all. They have no grand aspirations for “greatness” in the Messiah’s kingdom. Anyway, how could they? They’re just blind beggars. They plead only the mercy of Jesus, and no entitlement or rights of their own. The blind beggars just want to see. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing more.

     

    But James and John have moved on to “bigger” things. James and John have “graduated” to more lofty goals. James and John want to be granted the positions of highest honor at the right and left hand of Jesus when He comes in His kingdom.

     

    Blind beggars just want to see. “They said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’”

     

    VI. Matthew 20:34a: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight.

     

    James’ and John’s request did not flow from any understanding of their need for mercy or compassion. Obviously not! We don’t ask for the highest positions in the kingdom and then explain our request as a cry for mercy! On the other hand, we don’t cry out for mercy, and then immediately turn around and ask for the highest positions in the kingdom! As it turns out, these special positions, at least as the disciples understood them, did not even exist. And so in light of all these things, it was impossible that Jesus could respond to the disciples’ request with a compassionate “yes.”

     

    But the request of the two blind beggars is a very, very different story. Their desire to have their eyes opened was nothing more than a desperate and humble plea for mercy. So while the two specially privileged disciples were denied their request, it was the two blind beggars who got what they asked for. And they got what they asked for because of the “pity” of Jesus. One commentator translates like this: “Jesus’ heart went out to them” not to James and John, but to the two blind beggars who cried out for mercy.

     

    VII. Matthew 20:34: And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered

     their sight and followed Him.

     

    The two blind beggars received their sight. They were blind, but now they can see. And Matthew describes their response very simply: “They… followed Him.” We heard in verse twenty-nine that already “a great crowd followed Him.” But when the formerly blind beggars followed Jesus, this was obviously something very different. This is the kind of “following” that naturally flows, from the experience of God’s mercy. They followed Jesus because He gave them their sight. They followed Jesus because He showed them pity. It’s not complicated! It’s just that simple.

     

    Conclusion

     

    So who are we most like? Are we more like the two specially privileged disciples, or are we

    more like the two blind beggars? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? James and John have implied that part of the reason they’re following Jesus is because of certain extra benefits they hope to receive. But the two formerly blind beggars follow Jesus because of the undeserved mercy and pity that they have already received. James and John have become more “complicated.” The two formerly blind beggars are very “simple” and uncomplicated. They follow Jesus because He gave them their sight. They follow Jesus because showed them pity. At this point, how could they even think about extra benefits to be lobbied for in the future?

     

    Certainly, they wouldn’t be thinking of the seats at Jesus’ right and left hand! They’ve already received more than they had any right to expect, and so for them this is already more than enough. They are content now, and more than satisfied, just to set off on the road following Jesus. If only our own Christian lives could be so “simple.” If only our own Christian lives could be so “uncomplicated.” But they can be, right? In fact, they must be!

    We must come back to a devotion to Christ that is simple and pure (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). Why are we followers of Christ? Is it because we asked for mercy and He gave it to us? Is it just that simple? Or have things become more complicated? Have we moved on to bigger things? Have we graduated to more lofty goals? How much of our following of Jesus is really just the complicated pursuit of extra “favors” from God?

     

    Or how much of our following of Jesus is simply and purely because He heard our pleas for mercy? We cried out in desperation for mercy. In His pity, Jesus has shown us mercy. And now, every day, we follow Him. Is that “it”? Is that enough? Do our lives really say that it’s just “that simple”? Can we say with the Psalmist:

     

    Psalm 131:1–3  O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a haughty look. I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me. Indeed I am composed and quiet, like a young child carried by its mother; I am content like the young child I carry. O Israel, hope in the Lord now and forevermore!

     

    Let's look at Matthew chapter 20, the last wonderful, wonderful section in this twentieth chapter...Matthew chapter 20, verses 29 through 34.

    A very simple story, very simple. Easy to understand and not even unusual in the life of Christ for stories like this could be repeated a thousand times a thousand. So much so perhaps that as John said, all the books of all the world couldn't even contain them. Why this story? Why is it here? As Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die, why stop in the progress of such a great event as the Passover where He is to be the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, why stop to include a story of two blind men?

    Among many reasons, one sort of overpowering reason is indicated by the word "compassion" in verse 34. And if all other lessons were set aside, one great and profound truth would grab our minds and that is this, that Jesus had great compassion. People who were nothing but an irritation and a distraction to the crowd were a cause for deep pain to Him, the pain of sympathy, empathy and compassion.

    While the world wanted to silence these kinds of people, Jesus wanted to hear what they had to say. While the world wanted to make sure they didn't get in the way, Jesus wanted to be sure He stood with them. While the world wanted to be sure they didn't interrupt anything by articulating their need, Jesus wanted not only to know their need but to meet it. And so, at best this wonderful little story is a demonstration of the heart of God which is a heart of compassion.

    And that is to say, beloved, that God not only knows what pain we endure, He feels it. That's right. He not only knows it, it is not just cognition, it is not God in heaven saying, "O, I understand his suffering," it isn't just that. It's the feeling of that suffering. It is the pain of that which touches His own great heart. And therefore, when God allows you to suffer, He allows Himself to suffer as well and be sure then that if indeed your suffering is not alleviated, He continues to suffer with you and must therefore have some great purpose in mind for He Himself could eliminate His own suffering as well.

    And so does Jesus demonstrate compassion.

    We would imagine that He would have been preoccupied with the disciples, perhaps, which were to carry on the legacy after His death which will occur in a few days. We would imagine that He could have been distracted by the thought of dying itself and becoming the sacrificial lamb as He looked up the plateau to Jerusalem from the vantage point of Jericho far below. It would have been easy for us to understand that He really didn't have time in this particular moment in history to stop and take care of a couple of blind men of which there were many such and maybe many many such in Jericho for it was said of Jericho that there grew balsam bushes and balsam bushes could be made into a special kind of medicine which was good for the curing of the eyes. And yet He has time. And that is to say that God is compassionate. And Jesus Christ is not too busy redeeming the entire world to give sight to two insignificant blind men who have nothing to offer Him but their problem. And that may be a more profound lesson than we have thought.

    Blindness, in fact, is a matter of record in the Bible. It's quite common, physical blindness and spiritual blindness.

    Physical blindness occurred quite frequently in the ancient world. Poverty, lack of medical care, unsanitary conditions, brilliant sunlight, blowing sand, certain kinds of accidents, war, fighting, all of these things could cause blindness. But most commonly, blindness was caused basically because of gonorrheal diplococcus that would find their way from a woman's body into the conjunctiva of the eye of a child at birth and there they would form their disease and permanent blindness could occur. Sometimes blindness came by the infecting virus trichoma(?). And today, much of these things are curable because of the drugs that we have available, but then they were not. So it was not uncommon to be blind, especially maybe not uncommon, in Jericho where they believed there was a certain bush that healed blindness.

    But even more common than physical blindness was spiritual blindness. And metaphorically the gospels and the epistles speak often of the blindness of the heart. In fact, it's summed up in the words of John 1 which simply says, "That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not.

    He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Or in the third chapter where it says that men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Or Romans 11:25 which says blindness in part has happened to Israel. Or 2 Corinthians 3:14, "Their minds were blinded." Or Jesus' words in Matthew 23, "Woe unto you blind guides, you blind Pharisee," He said. Blind to God. May be able to see physically, but blind to God.

    Now the case of these men is most interesting because while they are physically blind, they appear to have unusually clear spiritual sight. Physically they see nothing, spiritually they see very well. And they will see even better when the Lord Jesus is finished with them. And they will also see physically.

    Why are people spiritually blind? Sin, we're blinded by sin. In Matthew 6 it talks about the fact that when we're evil, our whole eye is darkened. Satan sort of adds a double blindness by blinding the minds of them that believe not, 2 Corinthians 4:4. And then God may add a triple blindness when His sovereignty makes the eye blind, as Isaiah 6 indicates, in a judicial punishment of unbelievers. And so we see then that men are blind by sin and doubly blinded by Satan and doubly or triply blinded by God. And it is into the darkness of man's spiritual blindness that Jesus comes. And we remember when He announced His arrival in Luke 4:18, He said He had come to give sight to the blind. And, He was not primarily speaking of physical blindness; He was primarily speaking of spiritual. He said in John 8, "I am the light that lights the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness." He came to give spiritual light to blind eyes.

    And sometimes He gave physical sight to blind eyes. And He did that for three reasons. First of all, it was part of Messianic proof. He was demonstrating that He was the Messiah. Secondly, it was part of millennial preview. He was showing them what it was going to be like in His Kingdom when all of that kind of thing was turned over and there was glorious wholeness and healing in the Kingdom. And thirdly, it was a matter of symbol or picture. It was a marvelous picture.

    Every time He healed someone of physical blindness, He was in effect saying that's only a symbol of what I want to do to the soul. Every time He unstopped the ears so that someone could hear sound, He was in effect saying and that is exactly what I want to do to the heart so you can hear the Word of God. And every time He raised someone from the dead physically, He was saying I want to give life to the soul as I am able to give life to the body. And that is why Jesus found it no more difficult to forgive sins than to heal someone. And when posed with that question, that's what He said, "What's the difference? I am showing you by My absolute control over the physical world and the natural laws that I have control over the spiritual world and the supernatural laws."

    And so, in the case of these two blind men, we have Messianic proof. We have millennial preview. And we have a marvelous picture of what He's able to do to the heart. And then we have the reality. Before the story's over, these two blind men are saved, redeemed souls. And so they see physically, they see spiritually. And they demonstrate to us that no matter how involved our Lord is, His heart of compassion reaches out to those who cry for His help.

    Now let's look at the scene in verse 29. It's a very simple story and a simple scene. "As they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him." Jesus had finished His ministry in Galilee. He finished His ministry in Peraea. Peraea is the area east of the Jordan. Jesus had crossed the Jordan at some northern point near the Sea of Galilee and descended down the eastern side of the Jordan River in that area known as Peraea.

    He's finished His ministry of a few weeks there and now He's on His way to Jerusalem. So He has to cross again the Jordan River to the west.

    He probably crossed at a fairy spot, about five miles north of Jericho. Jericho's the first city we see when we cross the Jordan from the east. And as we fairy across the river, we walk across nowadays what is known as the Allenby (?) Bridge, the first sight we see is Jericho. It isn't the Jericho of old; it's really the third Jericho. They keep moving south. But in Jesus' time, there was the Old Testament Jericho which was ruins. And then a little south of that, right against it really, was the New Testament Jericho that flourished at this time. And it was a beautiful place, still is. It has its own unique beauty.

    In those days, it was so exquisite a place that Herod built himself a wonderful fort and palace there. And that was his winter home. And they...Josephus used to say that when there was snow in Jerusalem, they were wearing linen because it was so warm in Jericho and it's only about 15 miles as the crow flies. But it's so far down into that desert that it stays warm. It's the Palm Springs of Palestine. It was known as the city of palms.

    And if we want to understand the geography of the land of Palestine, we'll be interested to note that it is almost an absolute identical copy of southern California, both in terms of geography and climate. For it has a seacoast, a beautiful gorgeous beach on the Mediterranean. And then there is a lovely valley known as the Sharon Valley. And then the mountains rise up, we know them as the Carmel Mountain Range. And at the southern end is this massive plateau of Jerusalem. And from there descends straight down to the desert. It's almost a parallel. The only difference would be that where as Los Angeles is in a basin, Jerusalem is on a plateau. But it's much like our area. From the seacoast it rises to the mountains and then descends to the desert.

    And Jericho was a lovely place in the winter, even in the spring. Because the crops all came in early in Jericho. Mark tells us it was not yet fig picking time in Jerusalem, but it would have been in Jericho because of the warmth. There were citrus trees everywhere because Jericho is endlessly fed by some beautiful springs, of lovely water, pure and clear and that water was channeled by irrigation all through that area around Jericho so that it flourished. And there were palm trees everywhere and citrus trees and then this balsam bush which had some multiple uses that was growing there. And so it would have been a very lovely place.

    It was also a place that must have literally exploded on the minds of Jesus...on the mind of Jesus with memory because He would no doubt remember a very special woman from that city by the name of Rahab who was a prostitute but who hid the spies, who came to spy out the land. And as a result in the grace of God she was given a place in Messianic genealogy and you find her listed as an ancestor of the Messiah Himself in Matthew chapter 1.

    And as He stood on the edge of the Jordan River, ready to go south about five miles maybe to the New Testament city of Jericho, He would have looked straight ahead to a cliff of mountains that rises straight up into the sky, chalky white, limestone-like parapet that cast its shadow in the late afternoon over the city of Jericho. And He would have remembered that that was very likely the place where He was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights by the devil. It's called by historians the devastation of bleak and desolate place.

    And so, His mind is literally filled with things. Around Him is pressing a huge crowd, moving now from crossing the river down to Jericho, passing through the ruins of Old Testament Jericho which ruins, by the way, are still there for a visitor to see...including the ancient wall which so accommodated the plan of God by falling over on cue. And as they came to the city, He could see the sights and smell the smells and hear the sounds and it would be such a fulfilling experience. And in the midst of all of this, the tremendous anticipation of His own death only days away. He's only; by the way, six hours walk maybe from Jerusalem, six miles north of the Dead Sea. And it's a fulfilling thing.

    Now as He comes into the city, naturally the mob presses Him on all sides. He can heal. Anybody today who even claims to heal can pack in a crowd. You can get 15,000 people into Madison Square Garden if you just tell them you're going to heal them. Even if you can't, they'll come just to find out if you can. And if you really can heal, they're there, believe it!

    In Jesus' time, they mobbed Him. That's why the Lord had to tell the disciples not to take any money because they could have made literally a fortune in a day selling healings. And so the people pile all around Jesus, His teaching, His preaching, the magnetism of His personality, His ability to raise the dead and heal people from any disease.

    And as He came into the city with the press of the crowd, there was one little guy that really wanted to see Him. You remember his name? Zacchaeus. And he was number-one public enemy, hated. He was a Jew who sold out to Rome for money. He became chief tax collector. He exacerbated tax out of Israel to the point of a fault. He defrauded them. He stole them blind. And he pocketed it all for himself and they hated him. Not only was he a traitor, but he was a crook. But he was fascinated by Jesus.

    Now how did he know about Him? Well, it hadn't been long before this that Jesus made a short trip to Bethany. And when He was there, He raised Lazarus from the dead. And the word went like wildfire. Bethany was the town between Jericho and Jerusalem, just up the hill. It's very likely that everybody would have known who the Mary, Martha, Joseph little family was...or Mary, Martha and Lazarus, rather. They would have known who they were. And, of course, the whole city was in an uproar when He raised him from the dead. And His enemies pursued Him that He had to go back on the other side of the Jordan for a while for safety's sake. At least He had to retreat away. And so they knew. He had practically banished disease from Palestine and so everybody knew who He was. They were all there. And Zacchaeus wanted a view of Him.

    Since he couldn't see like a little kid at a parade, he crawled up in a tree. And Jesus came along and He stopped and said, "Come down out of that tree, I'm coming to your house, I'm going to spend the night." Which wouldn't have done anything for the popularity of Jesus superficially because since this was the most hated man in town. But He had a wonderful evening with Zacchaeus and He transformed him. He redeemed him. The man was totally transformed. The reason we know that was he said to Jesus just before the dawning came and the thing was all completed, he said, "I'm going to give everything I give back to the poor, everything I've ever taken from anybody four-fold."

    And Jesus said, "Surely salvation has come to this house."

    That's the real thing! That's the real thing. He is the perfect opposite of the rich young ruler. True salvation, he wants to give it all away. You don't even have to tell him to do it, he wants to do it. Everything he's defrauded and more.

    And so, as the morning breaks and Zacchaeus is running around town settling his account and he's like some incredible Santa Claus giving everybody back four times what he took and saying it's all because of Jesus, the crowd perhaps even swelled greater. And the whole place is lined with people. Now you have to reach the other accounts to get that. We're not looking at that in verse 29.

    And so by now Jesus is ready to leave. He spent the night. He's going to Jerusalem. He must move to the Passover. And so we pick it up in verse 30. "And behold two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed by cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David."

    Now, it says in verse 29 "As they departed from Jericho" this happened. Mark says, in the comparative passage, "As they were leaving Jericho." But Luke says, "As He came near Jericho." Now people say, "How do you harmonize this? Isn't this a biblical error? Two have Him leaving, one has Him coming." And some say, "Well, if you remember that there was Old Testament Jericho and New Testament Jericho, it's possible that He was leaving Old Testament Jericho and entering into New Testament Jericho."

    But why would He stay overnight in the ruins? We don't know, maybe Zacchaeus lived over there. It's possible. We don't know the explanation, but we’re wonderfully content with the fact that there is an explanation... Beggars, from experience in studying the Bible, usually hung around the thoroughfares where the people were. And if we've ever been to Jerusalem, we know where they hang around. In fact, just outside the city gate. And that seems to be the rather traditional place for them.

    And so, perhaps one explanation of what might have happened is that, as Jesus is moving with this mob and they come to the gate and the crowd and the noise and all that's going on and they pass out the gate, then all of a sudden the cries of these blind men are brought to His attention at which point He turns to return into the city to confront them and meet them and find their need. Certainly a possible explanation. But it's really wonderful to note that each gospel writer is not intimidated by what the other says, therefore they're not copying some extraneous source. They are rather writing from their own heart under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And when you pull it all together, it makes wonderful and beautiful sense.

    And so, as Jesus moves along, perhaps going out the gate, moving directly west up that incredible incline to the plateau of Jerusalem, it is brought to His attention that these blind men are crying after Him.

    Now, verse 30 says, "Behold," and that is a term of exclamation. And the exclamation here is not because of the blind men, it isn't "Behold, two blind men," like that was some big deal. Probably the same two blind men that had been there a while. It wasn't that they were sitting, they always sat. And it wasn't they were along the road, they were always along the road. The reason they put a "behold" in there is because of what they said. They said, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David." And they call Him by His Messianic title. Two beggars, Mark says, who were begging, Luke says, sitting by the wayside, Matthew says, screaming out the Messianic title. Where did these guys come off as such consummate theologians? Where did they get their information and faith?

    That's the "behold." That's the exclamation. Not that they were blind or that they were there or that they were begging or that they were yelling, but it was what they were saying.

    At this point we find another wonderful thought. Luke only discusses one of the two, the more prominent one. But never says there was only one. And Mark goes a step further, he only discusses one of the two and he gives us his name. His name is Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Now we could wonder why he bothers to name him. Matthew just wants us to see the majesty of Christ. Luke emphasizes the same, but Mark touches the real human cord by naming this man. And perhaps is because he was well-known. Oh, not then but later. So that when Mark pens the gospel and the letters are written to the church to read about the account of the life of our Lord, when they can sit down and read this, they'll have there the story of the conversion of one who by now they greatly love. It's as if Mark is saying, "And you know who one of those guys was? It was none other than your friend, Bartimaeus." And so he picks up a little of history...of the history of one of the beloved brothers in the church by the time the gospel would be read by some.

    It's not unusual, by the way, for one gospel writer to mention two and the others to focus on one. You'll find the same thing in the maniac across the Sea of Galilee at Gerasa where some writers note two and some concentrate on the healing of one. That's the background.

    Now a brief outline and we'll run right through the simple story. Their sad plight, their sad plight, verse 30, it says, "When they heard Jesus pass by, they cried out saying, Have mercy on us." And then in verse 31 at the end, "They cried again saying the more, Have mercy on us." The word "cry" here is krazo, it means to scream. It's used in the New Testament of the screeching and screaming’s of demon possessed people, Mark 5. It's used of the screaming of insane people and epileptics. It's used of the cry, the loud anguish cry of a mother giving birth to a child.

    And the idea of the form of the text here is there was a constant screaming. They were yelling at the top of their voice, "Have mercy on us," a cry of anguish and a cry of desperation, cry of pain. They know that if Jesus gets out of the hearing of their voices, that they're doomed to blindness the rest of their life. They know this is the only one who can do this. And the desperation is powerful, the drama. You can imagine the shrieking and screaming of two men who know they've got one moment in time or the rest of their life they are to be blind stones. And they scream in almost a frenzy. And they say, "Have mercy on us."

    They didn't say, "Hey, God gave us a dirty deal, why don't You make it right." They recognized that they needed mercy. "Take pity on us. Look at our sad situation."

    There's a sense of humility in that that speaks of the mark of someone with true humility. They wail with an intense desire to be healed, but they make not demands and they make no claim to worthiness. And they are so persistent that they refused to be bludgeoned into silence by the indifferent crowd. Verse 31, "The multitude rebuked them that they should hold their peace and they screamed louder." The world always tries to keep people from getting to Jesus, don't they?

    It isn't anything really different. People get disgusted with beggars and if you've ever been in a part of the world where there are a lot of them, you really do kind of slough them off and they do get in the way and they're a little bit obtrusive.

    But, their heart was right. "Have mercy on us, take pity." They felt their deep need. They knew they deserved nothing. They cried for mercy. There's no merit in mercy. There’s no merit to be given to one who seeks mercy. They were quite different than the Pharisees who sought no mercy because they believed on the basis of merit; they possessed a right to everything. So we see their sad plight.

    And then their strong persistence. In verse 31, it says, "When the crowd tried to shut them up, they just kept screaming louder." And these people really wanted to get to Jesus, with spirit and their strong persistence.

    There's a third thing here to note...their sound perception. As blind as they were physically, they were equally able to see spiritually because of something they said. "O Lord, Son of David," verse 30, "O Lord, Son of David," verse 31, that's the Messianic title. They had come to the place where they believed that He was the Messiah. Now to what extent that faith extends? We don’t have an insight into the dimensions of their faith. But it was there to some extent or they wouldn't have been screaming as frantically as they were. There wasn't any doubt in their mind that this was their only chance. Maybe, we can say how sure they were, it was a chance or it was a real opportunity but they knew there wasn't any other and they put all they had into this one.

    And when they said, "O Lord," there must have been something in that. We don't know whether they assumed Him to be God, deity or whether they were giving Him a title of honor and respect which indicated that He was a sovereign of some kind, a lord of some kind. But when they said "Son of David," they were identifying Him as the Messiah. For it says in Matthew 1:1 in the beginning of the genealogies of Jesus that He is the Son of David, Son of Abraham. That is the most common Jewish term for the coming king because in 2 Samuel 7:12 and 13, when God gave the covenant and promised that there would come a greater king than David; it would be David's greater Son.

    And so, Son of David became the title by which Messiah was designated and Jesus was the Son of David, for Joseph, His father, had come in the Davidic line and Mary, His mother, had also come in the Davidic line. And He indeed was the Son of David. And when the birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Luke 1 verse 32, we read, "He shall be great and be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father, David, and He shall reign and the end of His Kingdom shall never come." And so they give Him a Messianic name.

    It's the same thing they called Him in chapter 21 when He came into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday in verse 9, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest." And verse 11 they said, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." So they are saying, "Jesus of Nazareth from Galilee, a prophet, is none other than Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the highest." And so it is a double act of faith. They have faith in His power to heal; they have faith in His person as Messiah. Maybe it was due to the resurrection of Lazarus. Maybe it was due to the ministry of John the Baptist a few years before, for they would have been in the proximity of the Jordan River out there and they may well have known John the Baptist, they may well have known that he had called for repentance in preparation for the Messiah. We don't know. They may well even have known Isaiah 29:18 which said that when Messiah comes He will give sight to the blind.

    But whatever it was, they had enough faith to know that they were in need of mercy and to believe that this was the one who could do for them what they needed done and that He was Lord to some extent and that He was Messiah to the full extent. And we believe that when we have come to the point of all the faith that is possible, the Lord will meet us at that point of faith and take us all the way to redemption.

    And that's what He does with these two men. "The faith of the blind rose to the full height of divine possibility." And so, we see their simple plea...sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea...verse 32, "And Jesus stood still and called them and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?" He stood still. Stop the whole procession.

    Here was a great moment in which three things could occur generally, Messianic proof again, millennial preview, and a marvelous picture of what He would do for the heart. It was a time to demonstrate His credentials all over again, but it was more than that, it was a moment of tender compassion on behalf of two needy people. And He called them.

    How did He call them? Well, if we read Mark's account it seems as though He called them with a messenger. Someone ran back and that's another reason why they were out of the city and somebody ran back to these guys who were over there by the gate. And he ran back and in Mark 10:49 says, "Be of good comfort, rise, He calls you." He wants you. And in Mark 10:50 it says, "The blind rose up and threw off his garment and went to Jesus." Once he heard that Jesus had gotten the message, he just threw away his garment and took off. Maybe he figured he'd come back and be able to see enough to find it again.

    And Jesus says, "What will you that I should do to you?"

    This is to evoke out of their hearts a greater expectation, this is to confirm in the crowd exactly what He was doing. And the response is a simple plea of verse 33, "They said unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be open." You see, they're confessing they're blind. And that needs to be made very clear. They were blind.

    And that leads to their supernatural privilege...supernatural privilege, verse 34, "And Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, immediately their eyes received sight." Now it says that Jesus had compassion. And that's the real message of this wonderful story. He felt their need. He felt their pain. He hurt for them. There is such tenderness in Him. He reached out and He touched their eyes.

    And Luke adds, "He said when He touched them, Receive your sight." And instantly all physical laws were set aside and just as God creates something out of nothing, Christ created seeing eyes.

    Interesting that the Greek verb here is anablepo, blepo, to see, ana, to see again which is to say that perhaps their blindness had occurred in life, not in birth. And so they were made to see again. Those who have lost their sight have a greater pain to bear than those who were born blind and do not know what they've missed. And so He restores to them their sight again out of compassion, touching and speaking.

    Oh, He used many methods. Sometimes He touched, sometimes He didn't. Sometimes they touched Him. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He merely thought a thought and they were healed. Sometimes He put fingers in ears, sometimes He used clay, sometimes He used spittle. He healed many, many different ways. But always His healings were total, complete, instantaneous and defied any natural explanation.

    As a footnote. There are a lot of people around today who want us to believe that they can heal. And we'll turn on our television from time to time and we'll see those kinds of things, but have we ever noticed the absence of blind people? Have we ever noticed that? Oh, they pretend to be able to help people hear and lengthen legs and help people with aches and pains, but where are the people who have glass eyes and all of a sudden they have seeing eyes? This is a monumental miracle. A person who may be crippled and full of pain can be made in the euphoria of a moment and the hype of their own mind and the energy of a situation and in a strong act of confident faith in some healer to stand up and take a few steps, but none of that stuff is going to make a person without eyeballs see. So let the healers’ line up who claim they have the gift and heal the blind or raise the dead.

    Now this takes us to a final point. This takes us to a final point in verse 34, "their submissive pursuit." Sad plight, strong persistence, sound perception, simple plea, supernatural privilege, submissive pursuit, they pursue. The end of verse 34, "They followed Him." That's just a simple little statement but it's a beautiful statement.

    And what makes it especially beautiful is when they were healed, one of the other gospel writers, Mark, says, "Jesus said to them, Go your way...go your way." Well, what their way was? When He said go your way, what way did they go? Their way was His way from now on. This is just the kind of stuff that indicates real regeneration. And Mark 10:52 says, "Jesus said, Go your way, your faith has made you whole." Now listen carefully. The word there, "your faith has made you whole" is not iaomai, healed you, it's sozo, your faith has saved you. That is the classic New Testament word for "to be saved." Your faith has saved you. And inherent in what our Lord said there in Mark 10:52 to these blind men was this, "You're redeemed."

    Now listen carefully. We do not have to have faith in the New Testament record to be healed. There were plenty of people healed in the New Testament who didn't have faith. Dead people don't have faith. There were a lot of people healed in the New Testament that didn't have faith. We can look through all kinds of illustrations of that. But you can find all kinds of healings where there was no faith, but you'll never find salvation without faith. And so, whereas faith is not necessary for healing, faith is necessary for salvation. And when Jesus said, "Your faith hath saved you," that's exactly what He meant. Sure there was physical wholeness there and they did have faith in that, but it was more than that.

    In Luke 17, ten lepers came and Jesus said, "Go show yourself to the priest," and on the way all ten were cleansed, katharizo, a form of healing, they were all katharizoed, cleansed of leprosy. How many came back? One, to whom Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." I believe there were ten healed, there was one...saved.

    And there's another reason to think they really had a transformed life. It says they followed Him. Somebody's going to say, "Oh, but they were just following Him to Jerusalem." Well, that's right. But it says in Luke, "They followed, glorifying God." Glorifying God. And it even tells us, interestingly enough, in Luke 18:43, that all the whole multitude started chanting praise to God. And this thing starts mounting. And by the time they get to Jerusalem, we know what broke loose on Palm Sunday, right? He touched that city from top to bottom. He hit the richest guy, Zacchaeus, and a couple of poor beggars, the most despised up and inner, and the most despised down and outers, He got them all. What a demonstration. And it was sort of a final Messianic display that swept the crowd into the hosannas of Palm Sunday.

    Let’s hope it's testimony that we've been touched by the compassion of Jesus because we've cried for Him and He's made us see. Let's pray.

    We can all say with the blind man in John 9 that once we were blind and now we see when we've been touched with the saving grace of Christ. We thank You for that, our Lord, for whereas we were blind, we do see. And we thank You that Jesus is compassionate, that He is never too busy in the matter of redeeming the universe to stop to hear the cry of those in need.

    And that His heart is touched deeply with compassion for that heart. We thank You that when we who are spiritually blind come and cry out, O that our eyes may be opened, that the same Lord of compassion is there to open our eyes as well and our faith can make us to be saved, to be whole in spirit.

    We thank You, also, Father, that Jesus Christ has the power to heal all disease and someday will do that in glory at the redemption of our bodies when all sickness and sorrow and pain and death is banished forever. We thank You and we wait for that display of power. In the meantime, because we know that sickness must endure as long as sin endures, we thank You that our Savior is compassionate and He understands our frailties, He feels the pain of our fallenness, He sympathizes with our sorrow and has even in the midst of them His holy purposes that we through those things might be made more like Jesus Christ who is indeed a sympathetic high priest.

    We thank You for this glimpse of our dear Savior. We pray that we might see Him with as clear eyes as those two blind men saw Him. The Lord, the Son of David, the rightful King, the one alone who can save those who come in faith and cry for mercy out of their sad distress.

    With your head bowed in a moment as we close. If you have never come to the light of Christ, we would invite you to do that this morning. Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and accept His work on the cross for you and you will come to see with the eyes of the soul. Amen

    Commentary on Matthew 20:17-34

     

    The Third Prediction of the Passion and Triumph. 20:17-19.

     

    I. The Prediction itself.

     

    A. Affinities with 16:21 and 17:22-23.

     

    Here, as in both earlier passages, Jesus predicts both His death and His resurrection. As in 16:21, He identifies His enemies as "the chief priests and the teachers of the law" (Sadducee and Pharisaic interests are combined against the common foe). As in 17:22-23 Jesus had spoken of being "handed over" (paradid©mi) to the Jews, here (using the verb twice) He speaks of being handed over to both Jews and (by their instrumentality) to the Gentiles.

     

    B. Distinctive Features of this Prediction.

     

    In 16:21 Jesus predicted that "He must...suffer many things at the hands of [the Jewish authorities]" before His death. Here He says, "They [the Jewish authorities] will turn Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified" (v. 19). Gentiles do the actual mocking and flogging, but it is the Jews' purpose they fulfill. In other words, according to 20:19 no less than 16:21, Jesus "suffers many things" at Jewish hands.

     

    Noting that Matthew uses three infinitives of purpose ("in order to be mocked, flogged, and crucified") in place of Mk's finite verbs (10:34), Gundry comments: "Thus the center of attention shifts from the action of the Gentiles to the malevolent purpose of the Jewish leaders in handing Jesus over to them" (401). Cf. 26:2; 27:31.

     

    II. The position of the Prediction.

     

    Placed at this juncture, this third prediction (1) provides a foil to the petty ambitions of the disciples, 20:20-24, (2) anticipates the great declaration of v. 28, and (3) reminds readers at what great personal cost God bestows His unmerited favor upon His people (cf. 20:14-15).

     

    The Test of Greatness. 20:20-28.

     

    I. Jesus and the Family of Zebedee. 20:20-23.

     

    A. The Family's Request. 20:20-21.

     

    1. The source of the request. According to Mt, it is the mother of James and John who asks a favor on their behalf; according to Mk (10:35), it is James and John themselves. These two accounts may easily be synthesized.

     

    2. The reason for the request. That such a request comes from this particular family, may be attributed in part to Jesus' choice of James and John to be numbered among the "inner three" (cf. 17:1). There may well be another reason: "The mother of Zebedee's sons probably bore the name Salome (cf. 27:56 with Mark 15:40) and perhaps had Mary the mother of Jesus for a sister (see John 19:25). Family relationship, then, may lie behind the request". This in turn would explain the involvement of both mother and sons (as noted under 1.).

     

    3. The nature of the request. The mother's request that her sons be permitted to sit "on Jesus' right and left" in His kingdom, pertains not to the Messianic banquet (as foreshadowed in the Last Supper) but to the thrones closest to that of Jesus (cf. 19:28; the above interpretation of 20:1-16; and Gundry, 402).

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:22-23.

     

    James and John (and their mother) are ignorant of two things.

     

    1. Suffering comes before glory.

     

    a. The cup of Jesus. Jesus asks James and John, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" As applied to Jesus, the figure of "drinking the cup [potsrion]" signals His approaching experience of suffering and death (as just predicted, vv. 18-19). As He is the sin-bearer (1:21; 3:15), it also signals His personal experience of the wrath of God. It is chiefly the prospect of experiencing God's wrath, and the consequent separation from the Father, that causes Jesus to cry out in Gethsemane, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup [pots ion] be taken from Me" (26:39). Cf. ibid. 152-53.

     

    b. The disciples' expectation. That disciples could envisage glory without suffering, is clear from 16:21-17:13. Yet perhaps by this stage the sons of Zebedee are beginning to grasp that Jesus must enter into glory by way of suffering (for He has now thrice predicted His death and resurrection). And perhaps the words of v. 22b ("We can" drink your cup) are quite sincere. But if so, the words are as naive as they are sincere. For in the first place, even if the disciples are beginning to accept the inevitability of Jesus' death, they have as yet only the faintest understanding of the meaning of that death (cf. 20:28; 26:26-28). Had they perceived that Jesus would die as the sin-bearer and the object of the divine wrath, would they so quickly have affirmed their ability to drink His cup? And in the second place, the context suggests that the thrones closest to Jesus' own are reserved for those disciples whose suffering comes closest to approximating His own - i.e., whose suffering is marked by the greatest sacrifice and the greatest anguish (cf. v. 28). For James and John to make their present request intelligently, would require that they ask also for the grace needed to bear the suffering which leads to the glory (cf. 24:9; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 3:21).

     

    c. The disciples' experience. In response to the disciples' boast (v. 22b), Jesus says, "You will drink My cup" (v. 23a, RSV). The words "My cup" show that it remains Jesus' cup even as the others drink it. NEB well renders, "You shall indeed share My cup." In fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, James suffers martyrdom at the hands of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2); and John, while probably dying a natural death in old age, nonetheless suffers for Jesus' sake (Rev 1:9).

     

    2. The Father's will is decisive. "But to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father" (v. 23b).

     

    a. The Father's prerogative. According to Jesus, the apostles will sit on twelve thrones alongside His own (19:28). Jesus Himself will be enthroned, because the Father has granted Him, the Son of Man, authority to execute final Judgment (see especially Jn 5:19-27). From this we might infer that the apostles' authority to judge (19:28) also comes from the Father. Mt 20:23 leaves us in no doubt that this is the case; that the Father chooses the occupants of these two thrones, indicates that He has chosen the occupants of all twelve. Jesus declares (19:28) what the Father has authorized (20:23).

     

    b. The Father's choice. The Father has prepared these two thrones for a given two apostles of His choice. The preparation presupposes the choice. Which two apostles are to occupy those thrones has not yet been disclosed. That would undermine the very reason for the choice.

     

    c. The Father's reason. Those two seats are reserved (it appears) for apostles who identify most closely with Jesus in His willingness to serve and to suffer (v. 28, and 1.b. above), and who therefore are the least self-conscious, the least calculating, and the least ambitious (cf. 25:37-39). Such persons will be astounded to learn that they have been assigned the thrones next to Jesus: they would willingly take those furthest removed from Him. Those most like Jesus shall be seated closest to Him. Cf. 1 Cor 4:9, "us apostles...at the end of the procession."

     

    II. Jesus and the Twelve. 20:24-28.

     

    A. The Reaction of the Ten. 20:24.

     

    The reason for their indignation toward James and John, has already been considered.

     

    B. Jesus' Response. 20:25-28.

     

    Having brought all twelve disciples together (v. 25a), Jesus addresses the competitive pride that infects all the disciples and threatens to tear their company asunder.

     

    1. The destructive use of power. "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them" (v. 25b). The way of the world, as typified here by Gentile rulers, is to exercise power by demanding submission and service. The rulers' power readily serves the purpose of pride, in that by asserting their power they can keep their subjects beneath them. Power is the means of continually reminding subjects just who is in charge. And since this is (by the standards of the Kingdom) a spurious power, ever more strenuous effort is needed to maintain it.

     

    2. The creative use of power. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant [diakonos], and whoever wants to be first must be your slave [doulos]" (20:26-27). The apostles are endowed with stupendous power and authority, that of Jesus Himself (10:1; cf. 28:18-20). Yet as those who are slaves (douloi) of Jesus and fully accountable to Him as Lord, they have no right to lord it over others or to wield power as a means of advancing themselves. On the contrary, their slavery to Jesus manifests itself as slavery to other people (vv. 26-27). As those who experience the security and freedom of the Kingdom, they have no need to lord it over others. As those who emulate Jesus, they discover that self-giving service is the very means by which God releases the true power. Accordingly, the disciples' greatness does not lie beyond the service but precisely in the service. Jesus thus drives home the lesson about true greatness in ch. 18 and the lesson about equality in 20:1-16.

     

    3. Jesus the Servant. Jesus provides the supreme example of selfless service: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (v. 28).

     

    a. The power of service. If ever one possessed power and authority, it is Jesus the Son of Man. In coming to serve, he does not abandon power, He exercises power. Cf. Phil 2:6-8.

     

    b. The sacrificial death. He comes "to serve and to give",  or better, "to serve, i.e. to give" (the "and," kai, is epexegetical; following Gundry, 404). The singular focus of this verse is Jesus' service in death. The language is rooted in Isa 53:10-12.

     

    c. The ransom for many (lutron anti poll©n].

     

    (1) Jesus' death is redemptive. He liberates the "many" from the bondage and guilt of sin, at great cost to Himself.

     

    (2) In bearing the sins of His people (1:21), He simultaneously renders both the lowliest and the noblest service ever. Moreover, as the sin-bearer He dies in the place of the many, as their substitute (note the preposition anti).

    (3) The use of the word "many" is explained both by the presence of rabim, "many," in Isa 53:11, 12, and by Jesus' purpose to save a host of people from among both Jews and Gentiles. The term "many" embraces all of those, from whatever nation, for whom Jesus dies. The contrast is drawn between the many and the few (for some interpreters, "many" is equivalent to "all"). With respect to the Gentiles, observe how this saying relates to other passages: Before Jesus' death the proclamation of the Kingdom is confined almost entirely to Jews, both in Jesus' preaching (15:24) and in that of His disciples (10:6). Two things account for the shift from those sayings to the Great Commission of 28:18-20, namely Israel's rejection of their Messiah (21:18-22:14) and Messiah's death as "a ransom for many." Before the Gospel of liberation from sin may be taken to the Gentiles, the Savior must actually accomplish their liberation from sin. The work of salvation must precede the news of salvation.

     

    The Healing of Two Blind Men. 20:29-34.

     

    I. The Place. 20:29.

     

    The last stage of the ascent to Jerusalem (cf. 20:17) was "the road from Jericho, leading up the Wadi Qelt. On either side of the lower reaches of the wadi lay NT Jericho, a new foundation built by Herod the Great as his winter residence...about a mile south of OT Jericho". OT Jericho lay about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem, NT Jericho about 16. In Mt and Mk (10:46) the episode occurs as Jesus is leaving Jericho, whereas in Lk (18:35) Jesus is entering the town. One of the suggestions for harmonizing the accounts that Mt and Mk speak of old Jericho, and Lk of new).

     

    II. Affinities with 9:27-31.

     

    In both passages, (1) Mt speaks of two men, not just one (cf. Mk 8:22-26; 10:46-52); (2) the men confess Jesus to be "Son of David" (once there, twice here), and cry for mercy; and (3) Jesus touches their eyes, whereupon their sight is restored.

     

    III. Distinctive features of 20:29-34.

     

    Here (1) the men acclaim Jesus "Lord" (kyrios) as well as "Son of David"; and (2) Jesus includes no command to silence (here Jesus heals in public, there in private, 9:28; also, as Jesus is now much closer to the cross, there is less need to protect against the spread of false Messianism). Most significantly, while the first story places much greater stress than this one upon the blind men's faith (see 9:28-29; in 20:30-33 faith is not expressly mentioned, though it clearly underlies the men's words), the present story, in keeping with the immediately preceding verses, is concerned to present Jesus as a compassionate Servant to the needy. The verb splagchnizomai ("to show compassion") is used here (v. 34) but not there. Jesus uses His great power to heal others, not to save Himself.

     

    Matthew 20:29-34

     

    Lives are changed when they come to Jesus a He commanded: 2Th 2:10 And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Th 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 2Th 2:12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe (obey) the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

     

    When the truth is presented to the church people today, we will either stop, think, or reason in their minds where they stand with God. We will think deeply about where we will spend eternity and go and seek the truth at all cost. But we refuse sound doctrine, and refuse to love anything besides our own misplaced conceived notions about Jesus Christ, why He came to earth as God, and died to set us free from the bondages of sin and the corrupt ways of the world.

     

    We love the lie, because it asks us to do nothing, to do nothing to prove our heart is real before God, not perfect, but in perfect submission to His will and word.
    But sad to say the strong delusion is everywhere today, and many of us who think are saved by some provision that was never made are still under this delusion, and refuse to examine ourselves to be sure we are in the faith, thus leading us down the wide road to destruction, loving the lie that declares us a poor, helpless sinner after we say the sinners prayer, and think we are right with God.

     

    We fall for every wind of doctrine, being led into a ditch by many well-meaning, and not so well meaning so called bible scholars who think we are safe, secure, and in the truth, when in reality we too are under the strong delusion, God promised to send to those who persist in the lie, making it virtually impossible for them to escape the snare of the father of lies!

     

    May we wake up, Come to love the truth, by counting the great cost of coming clean before God, loving His truth, and standing fast in it!

      Healing on the Way

    They said to Him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him” (vv. 33–34).  

     

    Matthew 20:29–34

     

    Christ began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession (Matt. 16:13–23). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi. This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He is the Messiah (17:14–18; 19:1–2). These men and women are among those who will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City (21:1–11).

     

    Today’s passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to complete His messianic work, for He has been in Jericho, located fifteen miles or so from the Holy City, about a day’s journey in first-century Judea. Leaving Jericho, Christ and His followers begin the ascent 3,000 feet up to Jerusalem, but they do not get very far before meeting two desperate men in need. These blind men, one of whom is named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), beg Jesus to heal them, confessing Him as the “Son of David” (Matt. 20:30), a title loaded with messianic assumptions. Knowing that the Messiah is present gives them hope that He will fulfill His call to work miracles and give them sight (see Isa. 35).

     

    Yet the crowd is displeased with these blind men, rebuking them as they cry out to Jesus (Matt. 20:31). They probably feel the beggars are unworthy of the Messiah’s attention since many first-century Jews thought blindness was God’s punishment for sin (John 9:1–3). It is also likely that they do not want Jesus to “waste His time” on these blind men. Those who believe Jesus might be the Christ would be looking for Him to enter Jerusalem immediately so that He might overthrow the Romans and set Israel over the world.

     

    For Jesus, however, it is not a waste of time to pause and heal the blind men, so moved is He by compassion (Matt. 20:32–34). This healing is against the people’s idea of what the Messiah should do, and it portends stronger opposition to come. The crowd that now does not want Him to help a fellow Israelite will later call for Jesus’ head when He does not live up to their expectations (27:15–23).  

      Coram Deo   When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals among us. As followers of Jesus, we must imitate His compassion and take the time to minister to hurting individuals even if it may sometimes get in the way of our own plans and purposes. What are we doing in our churches to make sure people are shown compassion and not forgotten?

    Lessons On Seeing From A Blind Man (Matthew 20 29-34)

     

    Jesus was now on His way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples.  Infinitely more important than that, however, He was going there to suffer and die (20:18-19).  He would be celebrating the Passover for the last time and then giving Himself as the one, final, perfect Passover Lamb, sacrificed for the sins of the whole world (Heb. 7:27).

     

    His arrest, trial, and crucifixion were but a few weeks away.  Why, we may wonder, did He take time to minister to two blind beggars?  In light of the disciples’ slowness to learn and believe, why did He not spend the last few days alone with them, drilling into them what He so much wanted them to understand?

     

    The reason was His compassion (v. 34).  When better could Jesus have demonstrated the depth and breadth of divine compassion than while He was on the way to His crucifixion?  The Twelve would one day look back on the healing in Jericho and on all His other acts of mercy and realize that their Lord was never too preoccupied to be compassionate, never in too much of a hurry to heal the afflicted, never in too much agony Himself to be insensitive to the agony of others.  That realization itself would be one of the most important lessons they would learn from their Master.  In these few verses is found one of the most beautiful portrayals of the loving, compassionate heart of God.

    We also see demonstrated in the actions of these two blind men how each of us are to approach the Lord.

    1A.      The Men (20:29-30)

    1B.      The blind men and their condition (20:29-30a)

    The crowd that followed (20:29)

    ·        Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem His disciples and are great crowd of pilgrims followed Him.

    The condition they were in (20:30a)

    ·        They were blind

    ·        They were beggars (Mark 10:46)

    This is our condition without Christ

    Revelation 3:17-18  "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing', and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked , 18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

    2 Corinthians 4:3-4  3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

    John 3:19-20 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

    We must see our true condition before we will call on Jesus!

    2B.      The blind men and their conviction (20:30-31)

    Their plea (20:30)

    ·        They were desperate.

    Cried out, (krazo); literally to cry out in anguish; it is the same word to describe the cries of a woman during childbirth

    ·        They were broken.

    ·        They cried for mercy!

    21 times the Psalmist pleads with God for mercy.

    Luke 18:13-14  13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

    ·        They believed

    O Lord, Son of David, this was the popular Jewish designation for the Messiah.

    Their persistence (20:31)

    ·        They would not be denied.

    ·        They would not be discouraged.

    No one had to beg these men to come to Christ!

    Why?  Because they were convinced that Jesus was who He said He was and that He alone was their hope.

    2A.      The Master (20:32-34)

    1B.      His call (20:32)

    Jesus stops for them.

    Psalm 4:1  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!  You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer

    Jesus stoops to them.

    Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

    Psalm 4:3   3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

    2B.      His compassion (20:33-34a)

    The Lord’s motive

    ·        Not the crowd

    ·        Not the worthiness or usefulness of the men.

    ·        Not the faith of the men.

    ·        His sovereign choice, His compassion!

    2 Timothy 1:9   (God) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

    The Lord’s method

    ·        He touched them and they were healed.

    3B.      His converts (20:34b)

    They followed Him

    ·        Though many followed Jesus without true faith these men seem a bit different.

    They had faith in Him

    Mark 10:52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

    They glorified Him

    Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

    Application

    We recognize our lost condition.

    We are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”

    We must humble ourselves before the Lord.

    James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

    We must cry out to God for mercy.

    Psalm 119:145-146 145 I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.  146 I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

    We must trust God to save us.

    Isaiah 12:2    Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid…"

    Commentaries:

     

    I want Jesus to "open my eyes" too so that I may be closer to Him with peace.  Blessings.

     

    I want Jesus to give me wisdom & I want him to make me a better man of God!

     

    I want Jesus to draw me closer to Him. As this blessing takes its course, I want my family to experience Him and come to know him as their personnel, Lord and Savior. And I would be truly happy.

    God Bless.

     

    I hope He'll provide what's best for me! Thy will be done in my life for I know it's going to be the best!

     

    I want Jesus to make me a strong Christian. I want to be the person He wants me to be. I want to know and do His will. I want my relationship with Jesus to grow. I want to know and love Him!!!

     

    I want Jesus to make me more firm and strong in my believe and take me to the highest faith always and guide me throughout my life. I want him to provide me a man of believe (Follower of Jesus) as my life partner

     

    I want the LORD Jesus to open my eyes so that I could see Him and to open my ears so I could hear Him and to have wisdom to spread the good news.

     

    I believe Jesus knows what I need or wants Him to do for me because my thoughts and my groaning are always before Him. But as the blind men did ,I will continue to place before Him my fate as a retired public worker in need of where and how to shelter my family let alone to give them three square meals a day..

     

    I want Jesus to save me from all troubles. I pray Jesus to solve all my problems and give me strength and peace.

     

    I want JESUS to give my mother perfect healing of breast cancer, electric brain, success in my posture exam that is coming up in few days from now, and finally financial brake true.

     

    Respectfully, I'd like for JESUS to continue to help me in many ways. Most importantly, growing closer to him and always tailoring my life and the way I conduct myself as JESUS did. Secondly, to continue to bless me with the HOLY SPIRIT so that I may always be led by the SPIRIT and not by human nature. Finally, I continue to thirst in many ways and would like to drink from the water that JESUS provides. The water that when consumed, you never thirst again. For this I pray is JESUS' name. AMEN.

     

    On this weekend of Pentecost I'd like to ask God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to let the power of The Holy Spirit be at work in the Pope who is the head of the Catholic Church.

    That we can all ask Jesus to "OPEN OUR EYES" so we can all listen and give more attention to the Pope's teachings since he is guided by God's word. That before making choices we may all consider what Jesus would do. Especially in politics what would Jesus say about our choices (Keeping in mind God's 10 Commandments).That we all may find joy from reading and understanding the bible. Also for us to all ask the Holy Spirit to touch us and enter into our hearts. For us to all become instruments of Peace, Love and Joy. See God in even person we interact with and most of all keep Jesus Christ in everything we do and say. Amen.

     

    When we do not know which decision to make that we may Open the Bible and re-read the 10 Commandments and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us because he will :)

     

    I want Jesus to protect my three sons and to guide me in following Him so I will never fail in my belief in Him. Blessings.

     

    To love like he does.

     

    From today Jesus to inspire every move I make. I want to feel His presence

     

    I want Gods presence at all time to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom that I would make the right choose

     

    I want my Lord Jesus to open my eye spiritually and provide light to the path that I walk, so that I never stumble and fall into the pit of darkness. I want Him to be my shepherd so that I as His humble sheep, walk in His guidance and do not get lost in sin.

     

    Jesus know the blind man what he is going to ask Jesus but Jesus is testing his faith Jesus never leave me always I want to follow him I need His strength to do good things for others the Holy Spirit always guiding to me.

     

    I want Jesus that he should fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit and be with me now and forever.  Jesus should protect me and guide and guard me always.

     

    I think firstly I want to ask him for forgiveness and for him to completely purify me and make me clean once again. I also want him to open the eyes of my heart so that I may see more things through his eyes. I would also want him to give me wisdom and understanding to better serve him. I also want him to show me what he wants me to do for him and also to give me a bigger heart that loving and forgiving. I would also like to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit.

     

    To get rid of my evil things, open my eyes so I can see the truth and open my ears so I can hear the word of God and keep the word forever.

     

    I want Jesus to keep me in His sight, help me overcome my sins and follow Him always. I love you Jesus. Blessings.

     

    l want Jesus to increase my faith and help me to be a person who is helpful to the society and to have the fruits of the holy spirit which are love, joy, peace, humility, kindness, tolerance, a forgiving heart and to be the best mother for my kids and husband.

     

    I want Jesus to increase my faith in Him, and to trust in His love, and know that if I lean on Him, He will take care of my needs. To help me to be patient and tolerant of others. To give me a forgiving heart, that I may learn to forgive and forget; and to forgive me my sins, and help me to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

     

    I would like to first Thank Jesus for all of the blessings he has given to me.  I would like to ask and invite God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to purify me and come live in my heart, to speak with me and guide me.  

     

    I would like to ask Jesus to give me the wisdom to understand his teachings.  Just like the blind men, I would like to ask Jesus for a kind heart (to open my Heart and give me eyes to see his truth) so that I could see Jesus in everyone I encounter and that I may treat others as he commanded we should with love, respect and less judgment.

     

    I would like to ask Jesus for inner peace, courage and a strong, clear voice so that I may do his will and help others.   Amen

     

    Ps. I would like to ask God to teach the world how to choose Love every minute of today in everything we do. Choose to love instead of war, unkindness or greed. Choose Love with our families and always turn the other cheek. Choose to love even when driving in our cars, have patients in traffic. Let us all who claim to love Jesus be that example of Love :) every moment every day.



    By: Gregorio Magdaleno
    Category: Two Blind Men Receive Sight
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