Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1 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.3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
1. Why didn’t Jesus ride in on a horse?
Ye shall find an ass tied, etc. In Judea there were few horses, and those were chiefly used in war. Men seldom employed them in common life, and in ordinary journeys. The ass, the mule, and the camel, are still most used in eastern countries. To ride on a horse was sometimes an emblem of war; on a mule and an ass the emblem of peace. Kings and princes commonly rode on them in times of peace; and it is mentioned as a mark of rank and dignity to ride in that manner, Judges 10:4,12:14,1 Samuel 25:20.So Solomon, when he was inaugurated as king, rode on a mule, 1 Kings 1:33. Riding in this manner, then, denoted neither poverty nor degradation, but was the appropriate way in which a king should ride, and in which, therefore, the King of Zion should enter into his capital-the city of Jerusalem. BN
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 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.’ “
2. Did Jesus ride on the donkey because he knew about this prophetic scripture from Zechariah or did God give Zechariah a glimpse of the future, and he knew what the Messiah would do?
Fulfillment of Zech 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. was the motivation for this act, although the disciples were unaware of it before the Resurrection His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. Jews generally regarded the passage as Messianic —WBC
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”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.”
3. What is this Hosanna thing and the significance of this
event?
G5614 ὡσαννάhosanna (ho-san-nah’) heb.1. “oh save!”, an exclamation of adoration
The word “hosanna” means “save now,” or “save, I beseech thee.” It is a Syriac word, and was a form of acclamation used among the Jews. It was probably used in the celebration of their great festivals. During those festivals they sang Ps. 115; Ps. 116; Psa 117:1-2; Ps. 118. In the chanting or singing of those psalms, the Jewish writers inform us that the people responded frequently“hallelujah, or hosanna.” Their use of it on this occasion was a joyful acclamation Psa 118:25-26., and an invocation of a divine blessing by the “Messiah.”
Blessed be he … – That is, blessed be the“Messiah This passage is taken from To come “in the name of the Lord” here means to come “by the authority” of the Lord, or to come “commissioned” by him to reveal his will. The Jews had commonly applied this to the Messiah.BN
Cloaks on the road symbolized the crowd’s submission to Jesus as king(cf. 2 Kings 9:13). Branches(palms)symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory( John 12:13). They were connected with prominent Jewish victories (e.g.,1 Macc. 13:51) and with the Festival of Tabernacles; palm motifs were common on both Jewish coinage and synagogue decoration. ESV
Jesus probably entered Jerusalem through the sheep gate. This gate pierced the eastern city wall to the north of the temple enclosure. Worshippers brought sheep into the city through this gate for sacrificing because it was the closest gate to the temple. It was fitting that the Lamb of God should enter Jerusalem through this gate. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem became the popular topic of conversation. The residents wondered who He really was. Most people who knew about Him described Him as a prophet from Nazareth whose arena of ministry had been mainly in the area of Galilee.
Matthew stated that Jesus’ entry stirred up the whole city. At this time a Herodian king no longer ruled Judea. Rome ruled it directly through a prefect. The arrival of a Jewish king, from Galilee of all places, would, therefore, have caused great concern among Jerusalem’s residents. How would the Romans react?
“The significance of the triumphal entry is tremendous in this Gospel. To Matthew it is the final and official presentation of Jesus to Israel as its Messiah. This is evident for several reasons.
1. The manner in which Christ acts throughout this whole course of events. He deliberately makes very careful preparations to fulfill every detail of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.In addition He planned His movements with understanding of their significance. . . .
2. “A second indication of the fact that Jesus presented Himself to Israel is seen in that the people recognized it as such. . . .
3. “A third proof that the Lord presented Himself as the King of Israel is seen in the parables which the Messiah gives following this event. . . .
4. “A fourth indication . . . is the time in which it occurred. Sir Robert Anderson has shown that the entry of Christ into Jerusalem occurred on the very day that the sixty-ninth week of Daniel’s prophecy had run out. This is the exact time in which the Messiah was to come (Daniel 9:25). CN
Exactly 173,880 days after the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 B.C. (The emphasis in the verse on “the street” and “the wall” was to avoid confusion with other earlier mandates confined to rebuilding the Temple.) http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/552/
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,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
4. Did Jesus go directly into the temple and after His Triumphal Entry and cleanse the temple?
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them,“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they2 went out of the city. Mark 11:11-15
And Jesus went into the temple of God, etc. From Mark 11:11-15, it is probable that this cleansing of the temple did not take place on the day that he entered Jerusalem in triumph, but on the day following. He came and looked round upon all things, Mark says, and went out to Bethany with the twelve. On the day following, returning from Bethany, he saw the fig-tree. Entering into the temple, he purified it on that day; or, perhaps, he finished the work of purifying it on that day, which he commenced the day before. Matthew has mentioned the purifying of the temple, which was performed probably on two successive days; or has stated the fact, without being particular as to the order of events. Mark has stated them more particularly, and has dividedwhat Matthew mentions together. —BN
This was the day following the Triumphal Entry (Mk 11:11, 12). Matthew records events here without the time.WBN
And Jesus entered the temple might seem to suggest that this cleansing of the temple took place immediately after Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Sunday (vv. 1–11), but Mark clearly places the incident on Monday morning (Mark 11:12–19). At times Matthew condenses some of the narrative of Jesus’ activities during Holy Week and arranges it topically, which is the case here. Once Matthew tells readers that Jesus entered Jerusalem(Matt. 21:1–11), he recounts what else Jesus did in Jerusalem (vv. 12–17) without specifying that it was the next day
5. Is this the same temple cleansing that John spoke about in John 2?
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. John 2:13-22
This clearing of the temple must not be confounded with that mentioned in John 2:13-18, for the details are quite different, and the latter occurred during the first visit of Jesus to Jerusalem, while the one in our text occurred during his last visit. It is useless to conjecture what would have been the consequences on either of these occasions, had the traders refused to move at his bidding, for he knew before he began his demonstration against them that they would move. He is now in his Father’s house, where his authority is most appropriately exercised, and where even Cæsar could not assume to be his rival. CMM
A similar cleansing of the Temple is recorded at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry(Jn 2:13-22), but there is no reason to doubt that there were two such instances. Jesus often repeated his words and deeds. These evil men soon reverted to their wicked ways, for the financial inducements were most attractive. —WBC
While the initial action is similar, Jesus’statement (Matt. 21:13) and the challenge from the Jewish leaders (vv. 15–16) are entirely different from what John records. In addition, John places the event so early in his Gospel that it would be difficult to think he wanted readers to take it as anything but an event that happened early in Jesus’ ministry. Thus Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning as a warning, and at the end of his ministry as a statement of judgment on the leadership of Israel. ESV
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?” 17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
6. Why were the chief priest and teachers of the law indignant, shouldn’t they have been happy to see the blind and lame healed.
The popular response to Jesus’ actions aggravated the chief priests and teachers of the law further. The wonderful things that Jesus was doing had messianic implications, and the people realized this.
From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.
Surely these experts in the Old Testament should have seen the messianic implications of what Jesus was doing and the words people were using as they responded to Him. This psalm describes the praise that people, even little children, will give to God for the conditions that will prevail during the messianic kingdom. Ancient Near Eastern mothers often nursed their babes long after the children learned to talk, sometimes for as long as three years following their births.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed.“How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain,‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
7. Is there more here than just an incident of environmental terrorism?
Again Mark (11:12-14,19-25) must be consulted for the chronology. Matthew telescopes both phases of the incident into one. 18. Now in the morning.According to Mark, this was the morning of the day in which he cleansed the Temple. 19, 20. Fig tree. This common tree of Palestine often symbolized the nation of Israel (Hos 9:10;Joel 1:7). A peculiarity of the tree is that the fruit and leaves usually appear at the same time, with the fruit sometimes coming first. The next crop would be expected in June. This particular tree had put forth foliage in April to such an extent that one would expect it to have produced fruit as well. Here seems to be an instance in which, because of Christ’s self-emptying (Phil 2:7), he refrained from using his omniscience in order that his human response might be entirely genuine. Let no fruit grow on thee. Spoken with the solemnity of doom. Although there is no statement that the situation should be regarded as parabolic, that seems to be the only reasonable explanation of the incident (for trees have no moral responsibility). It provided a graphic sequel to the earlier parable of Lk 13:6-9 regarding the Jewish nation, unfruitful despite every advantage.
Immediately the fig tree withered away. Immediately can surely be broad enough to allow for several hours. It was first noticed by the disciples on the next morning, at which time it had withered to the roots (Mk 11:20). 21, 22. To the amazed disciples Jesus explained that such power (for even greater deeds) was available to them through believing prayer. This kind of faith, however, will only ask those things that it knows to be God’s will. WBC
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Matt 24:29-33 (ESV)
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
8. What do these two questions have to do with one another?
21:23 these things. I.e., both His public teaching and miracles. They may have also had in mind His act of cleansing the temple on the day before (see note on v. 12). who gave You this authority? They were forced to acknowledge that He had some source of indisputable authority. His miracles were too obvious and too numerous to be fraudulent. Even His teaching was with such force and clarity that it was obvious to all that there was authority in His words.
21:25The baptism of John was from what source … ? Jesus caught the Jewish leaders in their own trap. They had no doubt hoped that He would answer by asserting that His authority came directly from God (as He had many times before—cf. Jn 5:19–23; 10:18). They then accused Him of blasphemy and used the charge as an excuse to kill Him—as they had also attempted to do before (Jn 5:18; 10:31–33). Here, however, He asked a question that placed them in an impossible dilemma, because John was widely revered by the people. They could not affirm John’s ministry without condemning themselves. And if they denied John’s legitimacy, they feared the response of the people (v. 26). In effect, Jesus exposed their own lack of any authority to examine Him.. MSBN
The Parable of the Two Sons
28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’29” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
9. Which of the sons did the religious leaders represent?
This parable was a terrible insult to the religious rulers. Jesus likens them to the second son who said he would work for his father but did not. The Lord places publicans and harlots on a higher plane than these religious leaders.
This parable applies today. Many people have joined the church and are religious and think they are Christians, but they are not. They can perform their church rituals and give mental assent to the doctrines, but they are not genuine believers unless there has been a transformation in their lives. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). The publicans and harlots recognized their sinfulness and came to Christ for salvation. They came late—at first they had said no to God, but they repented and came to Him, and He received them. JVM
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed
him.40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”i45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
10. Who is represented by the landowner, the vineyard, the tenants, the servants, the son, the other tenants?
God is the landowner, the vineyard is the nation of Israel to whom the Oracles of God were first given and who were supposed to be the light of the world and be a blessing that would draw all mankind to God. The tenants were the religious leaders who were supposed to represent God to the nation and to the world. The servants were the prophets sent to say “thus says the Lord”.Most were rejected and killed. The Son was the Son of God, Jesus Christ who the tenants would kill. The leaders have failed to carry out their obligations to God both in their personal lives and in leading the nation of Israel. Their privileged role in caring for God’s vineyard/kingdom is now being taken away and given to a people producing its fruits. The other tenants, the church will be a new “people” (Gk. ethnos,“nation, people”) consisting of disciples, both Jews and Gentiles, gathered out of many “nations” (28:19;plural of Gk. ethnos) and brought together as one new “nation” (1 Pet. 2:9; singular of Gk. ethnos) in the unfolding of God’s kingdom in the present age. ESV
11. Do we want to be broken in pieces?
The cornerstone is the stone which sets that
standard by which all other stones must be aligned. It is the focal point of the foundation. There is really only one sin, that being the sin of pride. The whole purpose of the law was to break our pride and show us we could not be righteous on our own.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 (ESV)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalms 51:17 (ASV)
It is the brokenness of spirit that God is looking for. These are the people who God can use. The spiritually prideful person cannot be used in the kingdom.
Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov 16:18 (ASV)
BDB…………..Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
· ESV………….ESV Study Bible Notes
· MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
· NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
· JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
· ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
· BN …..Barnes Notes
· WBC…… Wycliffe Bible Commentary
· CN …… Constables Notes
· IC……….Ironside Commentary
· CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
·
· “Fair Use “ Notice – Title 17 U.S.C. section 107
The above post may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social justice, for the purpose of historical debate, and to advance the understanding of Christian conservative issues. It is believed that this constitutes a ”fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the Copyright Law. In accordance with the title 17 U.S. C. section 107, the material in this post is shown without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to make civil comment. Divergent views encouraged,