Matthew 21, Part One

The “triumphal entry” (vs. 1-11)—Jesus makes His final trip to Jerusalem. He sent His apostles after a donkey and colt, and rode into the city. A great multitude thronged Him and “spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (v. 8). They shouted praises to Him as well: “Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" (v. 9). The word “Hosanna” means “save now,” or “save, we pray.” Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in this manner was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew quotes Zechariah 9:9: “Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (v. 5). Interestingly, some people didn’t know Him (v. 10), but Jesus hadn’t spent much, if any, time in Jerusalem the previous two years.

Jesus in the temple (vs. 12-17)—The Lord was quite upset at what He saw in the temple—people making merchandise of those who came to offer sacrifices. Jesus ran them out. “It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves’” (v. 13). This is actually the second time He did this; He had done it earlier in His ministry (John 2:13ff.). While He was in the temple, He healed a number of people (v. 14), but upset the religious leaders (vs. 15-16). Little children had been crying out, praising him, and that’s what led to the indignation of the chief priests and scribes. But Jesus silences them with an quotation from the Old Testament: “Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?” (v. 16). Babes knew Him, but the religious elite did not. Jesus then left and went to the town of Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem and He stayed there (v. 17).

The naughty fig tree (vs. 18-22)—As He and His disciples headed back to Jerusalem the next day, Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree with full leaves—indicating it should have some fruit, though the season wasn’t appropriate. Still, Jesus makes an object lesson out of it: the tree looked good, but proved barren--hypocrisy.  He cursed the tree and it died. And once again, He tried to encourage the apostles’ faith: “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done” (v. 21). Mark actually tells us that they didn’t see the fig tree as dead until the next morning (Mark 13:20), but Matthew simply condenses the story. That the "hypocritical" fig tree withered and died so quickly from an act of faith is the point.

“By what authority?” (vs. 23-27)—The conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders ratchets up significantly now; the rest of this chapter and the next two are given to this theme. As He went back into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people asked Him by what authority He did His deeds (v. 23). Jesus turns it back on them: “I also will ask you one thing, 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?" (vs. 24-25). He had them trapped. They had not submitted to John, either, so if they replied, “from heaven,” then Jesus would ask them “'Why then did you not believe him?'” (v. 25). But if they said “from men,” then “we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet" (v. 26). So they answered “We do not know” (v. 27), to which Jesus responded, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things” (v. 27). A key point in this section is to indicate to us that there are only two sources of religious authority: from heaven and from men. Obviously, we must have heaven’s approval for what we do. We must be careful, in all that we do, that we are not following the “commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9), for such constitutes vain service and worship to God.