Matthew 21

Matthew’s Good News

Matthew’s *Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 21

Jesus enters Jerusalem 21:1-11

v1 As they came nearer to Jerusalem, they reached the town called Bethphage. It was on the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two *disciples ahead. v2 ‘Go to the village there ahead of you’, he told them. ‘As soon as you get there, you will find a *donkey. They have tied her to a post and her young *donkey will be with her. Free them and bring them to me. v3 If anyone says anything to you about them, say that the *Lord needs them. The owner will send them to me at once.’

v4 This happened so that what God had said long ago through his special servant would come true.

v5 ‘Say to Zion city,

“Look, your king is coming to you.

He is gentle and humble. He is riding on a *donkey.

He is riding on a *donkey’s *colt” ’, God said.

v6 The *disciples did what Jesus had told them to do. v7 They brought the *donkey and the *colt to him. Then the *disciples placed their coats on the animals and Jesus mounted them. v8 A very large crowd of people spread their coats on the road in front of him. And some other people cut branches from trees to put on the road. v9 Some of the people went ahead of Jesus. Some people followed him. And they were all shouting:

‘Praise David’s Son!

We pray that God will *bless the man who comes in the *Lord’s name!

Praise him in the highest heaven!’

v10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem city, everyone there became very excited. ‘Who is this?’ they asked.

v11 Then the crowds with Jesus answered. ‘This is Jesus’, they said. ‘He is God’s special servant who comes from Nazareth town in Galilee district.’

Verses 1-3 Bethphage was a village near Bethany. Both villages were on the Mount of Olives. It was only about two miles from Jerusalem. A ‘*donkey’ is like a small horse that people ride. Jesus had probably arranged this with the animals’ owner some time before. The words, ‘the *Lord needs them’ would show that the *disciples were not stealing the animals.

Verses 4-5 Jesus was making what God’s special servant said in Zechariah 9:9 come true. Jesus chose a *donkey. It was a sign that he came with peace. A military leader always rode a horse. But Jesus was not a king who rode a horse. He was everyone’s servant.

Verses 7-8 The *disciples used their coats to make a saddle for Jesus. Then the crowd spread their coats over the road. In the *Old Testament, the officers had put their coats under Jehu when they made him king (2 Kings 9:13). It was a way to show his authority as king. John tells us that what they cut down were branches from trees called palm trees (John 12:13).

Verse 9 When *Jews went to Jerusalem for their great *religious meetings, they sang Psalms 118. The people use verses 25-26 of that psalm here to praise Jesus. ‘Praise’ or ‘Hosanna’ means ‘You save us’. The *Jews usually gave this welcome to travellers coming into Jerusalem. Now they gave the welcome to Jesus. ‘In the highest heaven’ is the *Jewish way to say ‘God’, who lives in heaven. ‘He who comes’ and ‘David’s Son’ were both ways to describe the *Messiah. The people sang ‘Hosanna’ or ‘Praise’ to Jesus. They were thinking that Jesus the *Messiah would ‘save’ them from the *Roman rulers. Probably some of the same crowd shouted ‘Fix him to a *cross!’ later (Matthew 27:22), because Jesus disappointed them. They hoped that he would bring political freedom to their nation.

Verses 10-11 People in Jerusalem did not know why there was so much excitement. The crowds with Jesus happily told them who he was.

Jesus’ actions in the *Temple 21:12-17

v12 Jesus entered the yard of the *Temple. He forced out all the people who were buying and selling there. People were there who were exchanging money. Other people were selling birds called ‘doves’. So he turned over their tables and seats. v13 And he spoke to them. ‘God says in his book: “My house shall be called a house where people can pray”, he said. ‘But you are making this house into a “place where thieves hide”.’

v14 Blind people and people who could not walk well came to Jesus in the *Temple. And he healed them there. v15 The chief *priests and *scribes saw the wonderful things that Jesus did. They also saw the children who were shouting in the yard of the *Temple. ‘Praise David’s Son’, they shouted.

So those important men were angry. v16 ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him.

‘Yes’, replied Jesus. ‘Perhaps you have never read these words:

“You have made sure that children and babies offer perfect praise to you.” ’

v17 Jesus left them then, and went out of the city to Bethany. He stayed there that night.

Verses 12-13 The yard of the *Temple contained several sections. The foreigners’ part was the only place where non-*Jews and women could *worship. But it had become like a noisy market. People were trying to pay their *Temple tax. But they could pay it only with a special coin. So they were exchanging their other money for these special coins. Often men charged too much for the special coins, so people may have argued about this. Everyone had to give perfect animals and birds for the *priests to offer to God. So it was better to buy these animals in the yard of the *Temple where a *priest examined them. But the *priests made a profit from selling these animals and birds. Often the *priests were not honest. They said that other animals and birds were not good enough. So people had to buy different birds from them. Jesus used words from Isaiah 56:7. Isaiah said that the *Temple was a place where all people could pray. Jesus also used words from Jeremiah 7:11. Jeremiah had accused the *Jews. He said that they used the *Temple like a place where thieves hide. So Jesus was angry for two reasons:

1. The place where people *worshipped God had become a noisy market. Therefore, nobody could pray there.

2. The *priests encouraged people to cheat as they traded. People had to pay too much money for animals to offer to God and for the special coins.

Verse 14 The *Jews believed that ‘blind people and people who cannot walk’ must not go into the *Temple. King David said this (2 Samuel 5:8). A man who could not walk sat outside the Beautiful Gate to the *Temple (Acts 3:2). But Jesus was a greater king than David. He let such people come to him there and he healed them.

Verses 15-16 The leaders did not like it when Jesus healed people in the *Temple. The children were copying what the crowd had said. ‘Praise David’s Son’, they shouted. The authorities had allowed all the noisy traders and animals to be there. But they thought that children should not be shouting in a holy place. Nor did they want people to call Jesus ‘David’s Son’. So they wanted Jesus to stop the children. But Jesus refused. He referred to Psalms 8:1 to show that God wanted children to praise him.

Verse 17 Jesus had friends in Bethany, including Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He may have stayed with them that night.

Jesus and the *fig tree 21:18-22

v18 Early the next morning Jesus was returning to Jerusalem. He was hungry. v19 He saw a *fig tree near the road. He went up to it, but he found no fruit on it, only leaves. ‘You will never produce fruit again!’ he said to the tree. At once, the tree dried up.

v20 The *disciples saw this happen and it astonished them. ‘How did this fruit tree dry up so quickly?’ they asked.

v21 ‘I am telling you the truth’, Jesus replied to them. ‘You must believe and you must not doubt. Then you can do what I have done to this fruit tree. Also, you can say to this mountain, “Go and throw yourself into the sea.” And it will happen. v22 You should believe when you pray. Then you will receive whatever you ask for.’

Matthew wrote a shorter account of this incident than Mark (Mark 11:12-25). Mark tells the story about the *fig tree in two parts. He records the incident in the *Temple between the parts.

Verse 19 *Fig trees are very common fruit trees in Israel. This *fig tree had not produced fruit because it was not the right season. It seems strange that Jesus destroyed it because it had no fruit. But Jesus was probably acting in the same dramatic way that God’s special servants acted long ago. For example, Jeremiah threw a pot down so that it broke into pieces. Jeremiah had destroyed the pot. He was showing that God would destroy Jerusalem (Jeremiah 19:10-11). Luke tells Jesus’ story about a *fig tree that had no fruit (Luke 13:6-9). The owner kept it for a while. He waited to see whether it would produce fruit. Matthew’s story showed that the tree had failed. So it was the right time to destroy it. The *fig tree represented the nation called Israel. A *fig tree produces small green fruits before the leaves appear. This tree had produced only leaves. This showed that it would have no fruit. The incident represented God’s judgement on the *Jews who were Israel’s people. They had refused to listen to Jesus. The *worship in the *Temple was impressive, but it was not sincere. In this story, to ‘produce fruit’ means ‘to obey God’. Israel’s *Jews were a nation which had not produced this ‘fruit’.

Verses 21-22 Jesus said that when people really believe him, the results can astonish other people. ‘To remove mountains’ was the *Jewish way to say ‘to remove great difficulties’. Jesus was encouraging his *disciples to believe him when they prayed. Jesus said ‘this’ mountain. He probably meant the Mount of Olives. Zechariah had spoken about the Mount of Olives in Zechariah 14:4. He said that it would split in two halves. This would happen when God’s new age arrives. So perhaps Jesus meant that they really needed to believe him more. Then God’s new age would come sooner.

The question about Jesus’ authority 21:23-27

v23 Jesus entered the *Temple area. While he was teaching, the chief *priests and other leaders came to him. ‘What right do you have to do these things?’ they asked. ‘Who gave you this authority?’

v24 ‘I will also ask you one question’, Jesus replied. ‘If you answer me, I will answer your question. And I will tell you who gave me this authority to do these things. v25 Where did John’s authority to *baptise people come from? Did it come from heaven or did it come from men?’

They talked to each other about it. ‘We could say that it came from heaven. But then he will ask us why we did not believe John. v26 We could say that it came from men. But then we are afraid of the people. They all believe that John was one of God’s special servants.’ v27 So they answered Jesus. ‘We do not know’, they said.

So Jesus replied to them. ‘Then I will not tell you who gave me the authority to do these things, either.’

Verse 23 The *religious leaders were responsible for what happened in the *Temple. But Jesus had forced out the traders. He had also taught there. So he was claiming that he had more authority than them.

Verses 24-25 Jesus taught in the usual *Jewish way. The people asked teachers to answer a question. The teachers often asked another question when they replied. Jesus wanted to know what they thought. Had John *baptised with God’s authority? Or did they think that John’s work was only a man’s action?

Verses 25-26 The *Jewish authorities had the duty to tell the difference between true and false teachers. They must say if someone was really God’s special servant or not. But the *religious leaders could not agree that John was doing God’s work. Jesus was the man that John identified. But they would not believe that Jesus was the *Messiah. However, they could not say that John’s work was just a man’s work. They were afraid of the crowds. The people believed that John was God’s special servant. So the *religious leaders were ashamed. They had to say, ‘We do not know.’

Verse 27 The leaders could not decide about John. But John had announced who Jesus was. So Jesus was not prepared to say any more about his own authority.

The story about the two sons 21:28-32

v28 ‘What do you think about this?’ Jesus continued. ‘There was a man who had two sons. He went and spoke to the oldest. “Son, go and work among our *grape bushes today”, he said. v29 “I do not want to”, the son answered. But later he changed his decision. And he went to work. v30 Then the father went to the other son and he said the same thing to him. The son answered, “I will go, sir.” But he did not go. v31 Which of the two sons did what the father wanted them to do?’

‘The first son’, the leaders answered.

Then Jesus spoke again. ‘What I am about to tell you is true’, he said to them. ‘*Tax-collectors and *prostitutes will enter where God rules ahead of you. v32 For John came to show the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the *tax-collectors and *prostitutes believed John. But even when you saw their example, you did not turn away from your *sins. And you did not believe him.

Verse 28 The *religious leaders had not been able to answer Jesus. Now he was going to tell them a story and ask for their opinion.

Verses 28-31 The first son refused to obey his father. But he changed his decision. Then he went to work as his father had asked him to do. The second son was polite. He emphasised that he would go. But he was not sincere and he did not go.

Verses 31-32 Neither son was perfect, but the older son obeyed later. He was better than his brother. The younger one only said that he would obey. The *tax-collectors and women who received money for sex (prostitutes) were like the first son. When they listened to John the *Baptist, they changed their ways. The *religious leaders did not follow that example. Their religion was only about words and rules. They claimed to be God’s servants, but they did not really obey God. They did not do what John said.

The story about the wicked farmers who rented property 21:33-46

v33 ‘Listen to another story’, Jesus continued. ‘A man who owned land planted *grape bushes in a *vineyard. He put a wall round the bushes and dug a big hole. They pressed the ripe *grapes in the hole to make wine. He also built a tall place to watch over his land. Then he rented this *vineyard to some farmers, and he went away on a journey. v34 When harvest time came, the owner sent his servants to the *vineyard. He told the servants to collect his share of the crop. v35 But the farmers seized his servants. They beat one servant and they killed another servant. Then they threw stones at a third servant and they killed him. v36 So the owner sent other servants to the farmers the next time. And this time, he sent more servants than he sent the first time. But the farmers acted in the same way towards them. v37 Finally, the owner sent his son to them. “They will respect my son”, he said.

v38 But the farmers saw the son coming towards them. “This is the person who will receive his father’s property one day”, they said to each other. “Let us kill him. Then the property will be ours.” v39 So they seized the son. They threw him out of the *vineyard and they killed him.

v40 ‘When the land-owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?’ Jesus asked.

v41 ‘He will certainly kill those evil people’, they replied. ‘Then he will rent the *vineyard to other farmers who will give him his share at harvest time.’

v42 Jesus spoke to the leaders again. ‘Have you never read what God caused people to write long ago?

“There is a stone that the builders refused to use.

That stone has become the most important stone of all.

The *Lord has done this,

and what a wonderful sight it is.”

v43 So this is what I tell you. God will not allow you to be where he rules. He will give places there to people who will produce fruit for him. v44 Everyone who trips over this stone will break into pieces. But the stone will destroy completely anyone that it falls onto.’

v45 The chief *priests and the *Pharisees heard Jesus’ stories. They knew that he was talking about them. v46 So they looked for a way to arrest him. But the people all believed that Jesus was God’s special servant. So the *Pharisees were afraid of the crowd.

Verse 33 Long ago, God’s servant Isaiah referred to Israel as God’s *vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7). A *vineyard is a field where people grow bushes with fruit called *grapes. Isaiah spoke about the way that God protected his *vineyard with a wall. The ‘tall place to watch over the land’ was a small shelter that had a flat roof. Someone could go up onto its roof. He could look over the *vineyard and see any animals or thieves. He could guard the *grapes. He could also store *grapes in the building. The big hole was in two sections. In the top part of the hole, the workers pressed the *grapes with their feet. The juice then flowed into the lower section to make wine. Isaiah’s picture meant that God was expecting a good harvest in Israel. He was not expecting the fruit called *grapes. But he was expecting Israel’s people to obey him. He wanted them to live good lives. But God was disappointed because Israel’s people did not produce that kind of ‘fruit’. In Jesus’ story also, God is like the owner and Israel is like his *vineyard.

Verse 33 An owner often rented his *vineyard to other farmers. Then he would receive a share of the *grapes at harvest time. The *Jewish leaders were like the farmers. God had given responsibility to them. God expected them to look after the people. They should be a good example.

Verses 34-36 The servants who went to collect the *grapes were like God’s special servants long ago. God is very patient. He sent his servants to Israel’s people many times. They reminded the people that God wanted ‘fruit’ from his ‘*vineyard’. God wanted them to obey him. Then they would live good lives. God gives us every opportunity so that we can obey him. But Israel’s leaders took no notice. Instead, they made God’s servants suffer. For example:

They insulted Amos (Amos 7:12).

They beat Jeremiah and they put him in prison (Jeremiah 37:14-15). The king destroyed the book in which Jeremiah had recorded his message (Jeremiah 36:20-26).

They killed Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20-21).

Stephen spoke to Israel’s leaders later about all God’s special servants. He said that their relatives who lived long ago had caused God’s servants to suffer (Acts 7:52).

Verses 37-39 Finally, God sent his own Son. Jesus knew that he was different from God’s special servants. They were servants, but he was the Son. Jesus knew that the *Jewish leaders would plan to kill him. The farmers threw the son out of the *vineyard. The soldiers killed Jesus outside Jerusalem.

Verses 40-41 The farmers thought that the owner was far away. They thought that he did not know what they had done. Many people today behave like that. They think that God does not know what they are doing. Some of the *Jewish leaders were listening to Jesus’ story. They agreed that the owner would return. And he would punish the wicked farmers. He would certainly kill them. This came true for the *Jews in *AD 70, when the *Romans destroyed Jerusalem city.

The owner would rent his *vineyard to other people, they agreed. But they did not like the idea that God would *bless other people. They could not accept the idea of a new *kingdom, where people believe Jesus.

Verses 42-44 Jesus used verses 22-23 from Psalms 118. He spoke about himself as a stone that builders use. But the builders thought that the stone was of no use. Then that stone became the most important stone in the building. It became the stone that unites the two parts at the top of a curve. Or it became the stone that unites two walls at the base of the building. This stone makes a strong base, and Jesus is the strong base of the Christian *church. Peter used the same verse to describe Jesus (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7).

Jesus also spoke about himself as a stone that men would trip over. These words from Isaiah 8:14-15 speak about what happens to people who oppose Jesus. The second word-picture speaks about a stone that falls on to someone. This picture comes from Daniel 2:34-35. A stone destroyed an image in the king’s dream, and the image broke into pieces. In both pictures, Jesus is like the stone.

Verses 45-46 Jesus had told these stories about the two sons and about the wicked farmers. The chief *priests and the *Pharisees realised that these stories were about themselves. They were so angry that they wanted to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid of the crowds of people. The people believed that Jesus was one of God’s special servants. Because it was *Passover time, these *Jewish leaders did not want any crowd to cause problems. The *Roman rulers were watching and would punish the *Jews.

gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
disciples ~ those who follow another person to learn from him.
donkey ~ animal with large ears related to a horse. People use it to carry people and goods.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
colt ~ young animal.
bless ~ to say or do much good to a person; to call something holy; to ask for good things to happen; to keep from bad things.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.

'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
priest ~ a man whom God chose to do a special work for him. The priests worked in the Temple.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
scribes ~ writers, especially the Jews who taught the Law.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
fig ~ small soft fruit full of tiny seeds, people eat it fresh or dried.
fig ~ small soft fruit full of tiny seeds, people eat it fresh or dried.
baptise ~ to put a person under water or put water on a person to show that they want to follow Christ.
grape ~ a small, sweet fruit that people make wine from.'tax-collector ~ a man who collected taxes for the Romans.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
prostitute ~ a person who has sex with another person for money.'tax-collector ~ a man who collected taxes for the Romans.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
Baptist ~ someone who baptises people.
baptise ~ to put a person under water or put water on a person to show that they want to follow Christ.
vineyard ~ a place where people grow grapes.
grape ~ a small, sweet fruit that people make wine from.
Pharisee ~ one of a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So, they thought that they were very important and clever.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
AD ~ after the date when Jesus was born.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
church ~ a group of Christians who meet together. A church is not just the building that they meet in. It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Passover ~ the time when the Jews remember that God freed them from Egypt.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.