Matthew 21:1–17
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
The Son of David claims what belongs to him.
Jesus entered Jerusalem. He was like a king who had won a battle. What happened there and in the temple showed who Jesus is. He is a phrophet, a priest and a king.
There was a large crowd of people. They were all going to Jerusalem. Every year, there was a great religious event there. The Jews remembered the time when God had saved them. They had been slaves in Egypt. But God had brought them out of Egypt. (The book of Exodus describes this time. Read Exodus chapter 12 especially.)
Many people who were in the crowd would have known Jesus well. But they began to recognize that there was a mystery about him. So they asked: ‘Who is this?’ It was not the first time that they had asked that question. (Compare 8:27.)
The answer (verse 11) was not complete. But it was correct. They may have been thinking about a passage that was in Deuteronomy 18:14–19. It had the promise that a very special prophet would come. People must ‘listen to him’. His words would be the words of God. He was called the prophet.
But Jesus was more than a prophet. This passage suggests that Jesus was (and is) a king too. ‘Son of David’ was a Jewish title. Jews were sure that it referred to the Messiah. And the Messiah would also be their king. (Read 20:29–34.) They expected him to be a peaceful ruler, like Solomon (verse 5).
There was a Jewish tradition. It was when a royal person was coming. The people would spread branches of trees on the road. It happened at another time too. People spread their clothes for Jehu to stand on. (Read 2 Kings 9:13.) This was when they were making him king. Verse 5 repeats Zechariah 9:9. Verse 10 of that passage speaks about a king who would rule the world.
Matthew emphasized all these things. They show what he believed. It was this. Jesus was the Messiah. He was also king of the Jews. There is something interesting about the Mountain of Olives too (verse 1). Jews believed that it had a connection with the Messiah. (Read Zechariah 14:4, 9, 12–19.) They expected the Messiah to come from there. He would ‘be king over all the earth’. Then he would punish the nations who were against the Jews.
He who will come will be the Lord (God) himself. The book of Zechariah makes this clear. Messiah is different from the Lord (God). At other times, he is the same person as the Lord (God). Matthew showed the great mystery about Jesus. He is God and he is man!
Proper and false religion
The priests and the teachers of the Law had many advantages. They were the religious leaders in ancient Israel. They were responsible for the Temple. God had said that he would live there. (Read 1 Kings 6:1, 2, 9–14; 8:10–29.) These leaders could go to the Temple at any time. They had studied God’s word. Their job was to teach that word.
The job of these religious leaders was special. But they had no respect for God’s house. They refused to obey his word. (Compare Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Verse 13 repeats words from both of these verses.) They studied God’s word eagerly. But they did not know its real meaning. One such verse was Malachi 3:1. Jesus had come. They should have known that the verse referred to him. But they did not know. There was a great contrast between these religious leaders and another group of people.
This other group of people could not go into the Temple. They were the blind people. It was the same for people who could not walk. Religious leaders made this rule. They repeated some words from the Old Testement. (Read Leviticus 21:18–21.) But they left out the next verse (22). These people could not serve in God’s house. But they could share in its benefits. The leaders used a tradition too. (Read 2 Samuel 5:6–8.)
There were also children. They had little importance in the religion of that time. (Read 19:13–15.) These three groups came to Jesus in the Temple. They began to experience good things. (Read verses 14 and 15.) They were things that God had promised. They would happen when Messiah came. (Read Isaiah 35:5, 6.) So, these people came to Jesus. But the chief priests and teachers were not like them at all. These leaders were very angry with Jesus.
Jesus ‘left them’ (verse 17). In those times, the glory of God left God’s people. (First, God’s glory came in 1 Kings 8:10–11. Then the glory left in 1 Samuel 4:12–22.) Jeremiah 7:13–14 and 26:4, 6 refer to this time in the city called Shiloh. God said that he would have to do the same thing again. The people refused to listen. So God had to let the enemy destroy the Temple. This happened in 587 B.C. (Note: B.C. means Before Christ.) The book of Ezra tells how the Jews rebuilt the Temple. Now Jesus went away from the Temple. He left the leaders. So God’s glory was no longer present. They must have God’s punishment instead.
Questions
1. You can know the truth. But you may not recognize its real meaning. Can you think about ways in which this might happen? Think about the religious activities in your life. Does Jesus seem to be absent from any of them?
2. We agree that Jesus is King. Think about your church’s ideas. Think about what its members do. Whose opinion is most important? Is it the opinion of the leaders? Is it the opinion of the members? Or does Jesus’ opinion come first? Think of some examples.
3. What exactly did Jesus not like in the Temple? Should we ever
follow his example? What things would Jesus not like in churches today? What
can we do to change them?