MATTHEW 21 Beginning in Matthew twenty-one, Jesus is publicly identified as the Messiah of Israel. Right from the start, the Gospel of Matthew identified the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah. To the Jewish readers in local assemblies where this book was read, it would have been a very significant point in strengthening their faith. They would have been able to confidently identify themselves as people of faith, along with those written about in the earlier chapters who knew
Jesus to be “The Christ.” The written words would have given authenticity to the testimony they would give to others as to why they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
To the Roman authorities, any person who claimed to have a higher authority than Rome had to be eliminated. Up until this time in the narrative, Jesus had told those who believed Him to be the Messiah, “the Son of David,” to keep His identity to themselves. Then the time came for Him to intentionally set the stage for the coming events by riding into Jerusalem riding on a small donkey beside the animal’s mother. This was a visible response to the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and the fulfillment as He entered Jerusalem as a merciful and peaceable King. This all happened less than a week before He was crucified by the Gentiles as He had just recently told His disciples.
As the Messiah, He had authority over the temples and what went on there. By purifying it from the religious hucksters and their crooked money-changing, He clearly emphasized what God’s intention for the temple was. It was intended to be a place of prayer and worship, not a business. Temple focus would soon be done away along with the form of religion that was superseded by personal faith in Christ. True believers would be a part of the temple which is His body, the New Testament church in which we are built. Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and believers as living stones become part of that temple. The disciples were called by the Lord to have unwavering faith in Him.
The first parable in this chapter specifies that people of faith who are faithful to the Lord, are what is important in the kingdom of God. Social status and rank in religion do not count in the kingdom of God. Repentance and faith in Christ are necessary to be in the kingdom. The second parable has to do with what they thought of Jesus. Did they put their faith in Him and were they loyal to Him? The Jewish leaders did not and were not. They would not be in the kingdom of God.
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, v. 1-11 The Lord Jesus Christ came to Jerusalem from the east, by way of Bethany and Bethpage, to the Mount of Olives. The small donkey and its mother were covered with garments, and in fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy came in a peacetime action to approach the city. That was the first time that kind of entrance on a donkey happened since the time of Solomon who was a peacetime king. If it had been on a horse, it would have been symbolic of going to war. Meekness and lowliness are earmarks of the Messiah in the prophecy of Zechariah.
Homage to the Lord was shown by garments and branches on the road. “Hosanna” (save us now), indicated that the people who were there had pinned their hopes on Jesus as the Messiah, “The Son of David.” They were hoping for Him to deliver the nation then. Christ had previously avoided public displays of being the Messiah but now presented Himself to the nation in an unmistakable way. The people knew who He was, and even those who said, “Who is this?” knew Him to be Jesus. That question was like a challenge similar to saying, “Who does He think He is coming into the city like this? He is acting like He is the coming Messiah!”
It is so wrong to say one thing and mean another deliberately as those religious people did. Some people join crowds when it is the popular thing to do. They can sing hymns or songs. Some praise and others just fake their praise to be accepted by the people they are with. Many people are moved by emotions and enthusiasm to do what is right one time, and then when that moment has passed, they revert to what is normal to them when they just want to get along with people in spite of whether a matter is right or wrong.
Cleansing the temple, v. 12-17 Early in the Lord’s ministry according to the Gospel of John, this had happened before. At that first time, there had been cattle and sheep in the temple as well as doves and money changers. This second time, we are reminded that evil people quickly revert to evil ways when it is to their advantage financially, socially, or for other kinds of personal gain. In the case of selling doves and changing money, there was a lot of money to be made off of people coming from different countries to buy sacrificial animals at the temple.
Temple money was shekels, and those exchanging money of a different kind were at the mercy of the moneychangers. Money exchange is an open field for extortion, and the temple shekel was controlled by the family of Annas, who was the high priest at that particular time. It was well- known in Jerusalem, that Annas, and “the Bazar of Annas,” were noted for extortion and evil practices that were protected by being located in the temple precincts and controlled by priests.
In spite of the evil being done there, and the Lord Jesus overthrowing the money changers’ table, and driving out the sellers of doves; He healed right there in the temple, all who came to Him who were diseased and sick. The “Hosannas” to the Son of David from the young boys in the temple, brought praise to God from those who would have been considered insignificant to the priests. Those priests became very indignant because of the clear voices and words of real praise that came from those children who recognized Jesus for who he really was. By leaving the city of Jerusalem and going to Bethany for the night, Jesus disassociated Himself from the shallowness, the wickedness, and the deception of those people who were satisfied with that which was superficial.
There are times when we who know the Lord and are committed to following Him and His word, have to walk away from, and have nothing to do with, that which is called “Christian,” but has no characteristic of that which is biblical. It is impossible for light and darkness to share the same space. Neither truth nor deception can function in the same time and place. We cannot serve God and money at the same time. Rather than confrontation and conflict, we need to follow the practice of our Lord and remove ourselves from that which denies and defies God. That will never be popular with a generation of people who praise what they call “tolerance,” and oppose that which they call “fundamental bigotry of Bible-believing Christians.”
The fruitless fig tree, v.18-22 It was well-known to the Jews that the nation of Israel was symbolized as a fig tree. In the incident of the fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, the Lord Jesus Christ was clearly making the point that the nation was spiritually fruitless as far as God was concerned. Usually leaves and fruit are on a tree at the same time, although the fig tree sometimes does have a bit of fruit on it after the leaves are gone. This tree had only leaves left on it. There was no evidence of fruit that was a testimony of the spiritual emptiness and barrenness of the nation as a whole. When people get used to sinning and are incensed when they are corrected and challenged to put right that which is wrong, they are barren and unfruitful. This condition is prevalent in this country today when even religionists accept morally perverse people as spiritual advisors and leaders.
A barren, fruitless tree is useless and is doomed to both fruitlessness and is in danger of being cut down and removed because it “encumbers the ground.” Israel had long had the advantage of being the recipients of blessings which the Lord had provided for them as His chosen earthly people. But they had despised and ignored their privileges in the same way many children of believers today ignore and despise their favored upbringing in a Christian home. It is sad to see those who were spiritually privileged going the way of the world and abandoning that which they had been taught as if it was of no value. They spend their lives looking for what they think they have missed because Christian parents preserved them from social sins when they were young. Many become wealthy and unhappy people because they know within themselves what is right, but have deliberately chosen that which was not God’s will.
The disciples must have been amazed when in such a short time the tree withered. The Lord Jesus pointed out that power like that was available to them through faith when such actions are according to the will of God. To move a mountain on a whim or just to see if it can be done is not an act of faith. It is rather an act of doubt. Acts of faith have a spiritual purpose behind them and are that which can glorify God.
Jesus’ authority challenged, v. 23-27 Members of the Sanhedrin or some important rabbis like Gamaliel, were the ones who authorized the teaching and religious practices of the Jewish people. Social and religious activities were closely linked in Israel because of the temple, the feast days, the sacrifices, and the close ties between the priesthood, the Sanhedrin, and the political system. Those leaders were considered to be the ones who knew the right traditional practices because they studied the law and the Talmud and added to biblical teaching what they considered to be appropriate for the present needs. Without a commitment to the written word only, the opinions of those men were considered to be what must be practiced. The Roman Catholic church today considered the writings of “the early church fathers,” to be as binding and authoritative as the Bible.
The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ in the temple, and the purging of the temple were a threat to the authority of those in leadership. When the Lord healed people and to cap it off, His acceptance of the homage given when the “Hosannas to the Son of David” indicated He was the Messiah of Israel; the leaders had enough. They had not sanctioned Him in any way, and He was actually taking authority they believed they alone should have. They thought they should have the last word. This is a result of people taking control of things that have not been given that place by God. Chaos and discontent; fraud and failure follow when the standard of law is changed to suit the times and the will of the people rather than the unchanging standards of God.
The question the Lord asked in answer to their question, was not an evasion of their question, but had the purpose of both implying the answer and exposing the dishonesty of those who asked the question in the first place. John was recognized as a prophet who had authority from God. He publicly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, “the Lamb of God” who bears away the sin of the world. He taught that people should put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those questioners saw clearly what Jesus’ question posed, and it was a dilemma to them. If they acknowledged John’s authorization to be from heaven, they would have to acknowledge what he taught about Jesus being the Messiah had authorization from God. To deny John was a prophet would bring the public down on them because John was considered by all the people to be a prophet sent from God. Dishonest and cowardly people like that deserve no answer when such “loaded” challenges are made against the truth of God. When confronted with obviously insincere people with insincere questions, we can be sure they are not looking for a sincere answer but are looking for an excuse to condemn and reject what they do not agree with.
Parable of two sons, v.28-32 Another teaching moment came that was used by the Lord Jesus to show the response of those who were considered outcasts and were despised by the religious leaders. The publicans and harlots who were known to be sinners, and knew themselves to be sinners against God, paid attention to the preaching of John. His teaching was to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” His teaching opened the way for people to be willing to accept the teaching of Jesus. Many who had followed John, became followers of Jesus.
In the parable, the first son represented the outcasts, publicans, and open sinners who had gone their own way, but they repented and followed the Lord. The second son who said the right thing but didn’t do it, represented the religious leaders. They gave a distant approval of what John taught, but never acted upon what he taught and never did what they said. The outwardly sinful people who repent of their sins and respond in faith to what God says, go into the kingdom of God. Those who imply they will do what God wants but don’t will be shut out of the kingdom of God.
John practiced what he preached and he both practiced and preached the way of righteousness, but the religious leaders did not receive it. Those who say they believe the truth but do not act upon it, are lost. The religious outcasts of John’s day heard what he preached, understood the message, and believed it.
Parable of the landowner, v.33-46 In this parable, the Lord Jesus Christ goes beyond what the religious leaders were thinking in their mind and exposes their thoughts. He let them know that He knew what they were thinking and planning to do. The whole parable was so plain to them, there was no way they could misinterpret it. The characters in the parable were as obvious to them as they are to us.
The landowner is God. The vineyard is Israel. The tenants are the Jewish leaders who thought they were in full control of what happened in the nation. The landowner’s servants were the prophets of God who were faithful to Him, and the priests who did what was right. These faithful people down through the generations of the nation’s history, preached the word of the Lord faithfully and left them without excuse. The son in the parable is the Lord Jesus Christ. “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” The “other” tenants are Gentile believers who do the will of God. In the telling of this parable, Jesus was letting them know that He knew what they were plotting against Him.
Israel belonged to God by His sovereign choice. Every Jew would be familiar with the nation of Israel being depicted as a vineyard, and the vineyard as the kingdom of God. Every provision was made for the kingdom to be a place of blessing. The landowner planted the vineyard to be a fruitful place. He built the wall around it. Israel has survived because of divine protection. He dug the winepress. There was a place to make the fruit of the vineyard into that which brings joy to all who are involved. The watchtower was for those whom God arranged to make sure all was safe and secure from false teachers, those who would pollute or poison the fruit, or who would uproot the tender plants.
The religious rulers as the tenants and caretakers, were responsible for what the vineyard produced for the benefit of the landowner. But instead of working for God’s interests, the servants who were sent as representatives of Him were beaten, stoned, and killed. Faithful prophets and priests who did what God wanted were rejected by those who claimed authority for themselves but were not faithful to the trust placed on them by God. This is a serious lesson for all of us. In grace, God has allowed us to participate in His work and has designated roles to fill and work to do. He has every right to expect us to follow His word and be able to bring the fruit of our labor to Him and present it to Him for His glory, honor, and use.
The son of the landowner depicts the Lord Jesus Christ. In the telling of this parable, He was making sure the listeners knew that he knew what they were planning. When that point was made, the parable changes from the past and present to the future. Perhaps the religious leaders didn’t grasp the point of the parable, or if they did, they brazenly answered without realizing they were predicting their own coming judgment.
“The stone which the builders reject,” is a statement regarding the stupidity of the experts. They were builders who should have looked carefully at the perfect stone. After scrutiny, they rejected that which was perfect. In the divine purposes of God, that rejection led to the triumph of the cross. Now the way is opened to “whosoever will may come.” The kingdom of God was taken from the leaders and “another nation,” the church composed of Jews and Gentiles, the “whosoever” people of the world, will bring in the fruit God intends to receive from those who believe in Him.
Those leaders were removed from the potential blessings of the kingdom. The nation will again be blessed in the future, but all those individuals who rejected the Lord are lost souls. We experience God’s blessings today when we are built into the church by putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The church will actually share with Jesus in the coming kingdom. What a blessed hope we have who believe in Him and know Him personally. We will live and reign with Him.
Pharisees and priests who heard this parable from Jesus knew what He meant. They also knew He was popular with the people at that moment so were afraid to cast any adverse reflection on the memory of John the Baptist. However, with the week they would fulfill their terrible plot, and the Savior would be taken and crucified. Theirs would be “the greater sin,” than even that of the Gentile Romans who carried out the actual crucifixion.