A Study of Matthew 21…………..………………………………………………………………………….Page 1 of 14 To benefit MOST from this study, READ this chapter each day until your class study of it is completed. A Study of Matthew 21 I. Outline. 1. Jesus’ Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem (Matthew 21.1-11; cf., Mark 11.1-11; Lk 19.28-38; John 12.12-19). 2. Cleansing the Temple (Mt 21.12-17; cf., Mk 11.15-19; Lk 19.45-48). 3. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree (Mt 21.18-22; cf., Mk 11.12-14, 20-24). 4. Jesus’ Authority Questions (Mt 21.23-27; cf., Mk 11.27-33; Lk 20.1-8) 5. PARABLE of Two Sons (Mt 21.28-32). 6. PARABLE of the Wicked Husbandmen (Mt 21.33-46; cf., Mk 12.1-12; Lk 20.9-19). II. Summary. In this cleansing of the Temple for the second time—He had done the same at the outset of His ministry—the Lord revealed His conception of the secret of all civic righteousness and strength. He revealed for all time the laws of civic purity. He came to His city and His Temple; which He cleansed so that the very sources of the streams of influence being pure the streams must become pure. The cursing of the fig tree was the only miracle of judgment that Jesus wrought, and the principal force of it is not direct, but parabolic. He had a perfect right to make what use He chose of the creations of His own power to teach His lessons. We now come to the beginning of the last conflict. The chief priests and challenged His authority. He met their question with another. He had been baptized by John, and at that baptism had received the anointing of authority for public ministry. Now He asks them what was the authority for John's baptism. They could not say, "Of men," for they were cowards. They would not say, "Of heaven," for they were hypocrites. So, with a calm dignity, conscious of the fact that He had already answered them, He refuses to enter further into the question of authority. Our Lord now exercised his authority by speaking in their hearing authoritative parables directly applicable to them, as they themselves discovered. --G. Campbell Morgan, Exposition on Bible , an e-Sword Module III. Chronology. BIBLE PERIOD: The Period of the Christ. If you are not familiar with the 15 Bible Periods , please click here : https://maplehillchurchofchrist.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/15bibleperiods.pdf “In these final chapters of Matthew, Jesus was on a mission. He was set. The opposition had set up roadblock after roadblock, and Jesus simply drove through them. He refused to be a victim. He insisted on being what he was— the king himself, directing the entire operation up to and including his own sacrifice. It was time to march on Jerusalem. In Matthew 21-22 Jesus stepped into ‘War Zone D’ in the capital city” [Weber, Stu; Anders, Max. Holman New Testament Commentary - Matthew: 1 (p. 335). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition]. “Matthew gives little note to the time, other records give more to the time. We now come to the events of the last week of his earthly ministry and to his last visit to Jerusalem. The events of this last week are of such importance that they are carefully noted. They begin with the first day of the week (our Sunday). Jesus had spent the Sabbath (our Saturday) at Bethany, at the house of Lazarus Created by: David Lemmons btcMatthew21 Available Online at: http://maplehillchurchofchrist.blog A Study of Matthew 21…………..………………………………………………………………………….Page 2 of 14 (John 12.9), and now approaches Jerusalem; Matthew relates the events of this first day as far as verse seventeen of this chapter. The events to verse twenty with the cursing of the fig tree occurred on the second day, or Monday; from thence to chapter twenty-six Matthew relates what occurred on the third day, or Tuesday. John 10 to 12.12 records some events which Matthew omits. It was now five days before the Passover, the tenth of the month (Ex 12.3), the day on which the Passover lambs were driven into the city to be kept there until Thursday. The true Lamb of God chooses this day for his entrance” [H. Leo Boles, A Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew , Gospel Advocate, 1952, p. 409]. IV. Aids in Exposition. Matthew 21.1… WERE COMING TO BETHPHAGE, UNTO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES —“Olives elaia (1636), denotes (a) ‘an olive tree,’ Rom. 11:17, 24; Rev. 11:4 (plural); the Mount of Olives was so called from the numerous olive trees there, and indicates the importance attached to such; the Mount is mentioned in the NT in connection only with the Lord’s life on earth, Matt. 21:1; 24:3; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 13:3; 14:26; Luke 19:37; 22:39; John 8:1; (b) ‘an olive,’ Jas. 3:12, RV (KJV, ‘olive berries’)” [ Vine’s New Testament Word Pictures (2 vols), an Olive Tree Module]. Matthew 21.2... GO INTO THE VILLAGE OVER AGAINST YOU, AND STRAIGHTWAY YE SHALL FIND AN ASS TIED, AND A COLT WITH HER: LOOSE THEM, AND BRING THEM UNTO ME —“Many of the prophecies concerning Christ were fulfilled by his enemies; some were fulfilled by his friends; and still others, like the one here, were fulfilled by the direct intervention of Christ himself to bring it to pass. But even in such cases where the Lord himself was the instrument of fulfilling the prophecies, he always accomplished the fulfillment in such a manner that no mere man could have done it. Jesus' pre-knowledge of exactly what the disciples would find in the village is an example” [Burton Coffman Online, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/matthew- 21.html Visited: 160623 ]. ||||| “Jesus and those traveling with Him were getting close to Jerusalem, and Jesus knew how He would enter the city. After all the previous avoidance of publicity, it was now time for Jesus to enter the city in accordance with His true identity. Only a royal procession would suffice, and yet most of the trappings of royalty would be conspicuously absent. Jesus had it all planned beforehand, and He instructed the disciples on what to do. Two of them went into the village of Bethphage (just outside of Jerusalem on the slope of the Mount of Olives), took an ass and her colt from the place where they were tied, and brought them to Jesus” [Tim Ayers, “Jesus Enters Jerusalem in Triumph; Cleanses the Temple,” in Studies in Matthew , Editor: Dub McClish, 1995 ADL, p. 142]. ||||| “Hobbs points out that the so-called ‘Triumphal Entry’ ‘carries none of the meaning contained in those words. To the contrary, it was the very opposite. In antiquity, a triumphal entry was the occasion when a King or General returned from a victorious war, usually riding upon a white horse as a symbol of victory, followed by prisoners and trophies of victory in his train. If we would see Jesus’ ‘Triumphal Entry’ we must read Ephesians 4.8 where Paul describes His victorious return to heaven. His entrance was not a ‘triumphal entry’ but ‘the royal entry’ of one who came as the Prince of peace’” [Kenneth L. Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew , 1999, p. 366]. Matthew 21.4... ALL THIS WAS DONE, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET, SAYING —“The use of a donkey was significant for two reasons. First, it symbolized royalty (2 Samuel 18.9; 19.27; 1 Kgs 1.33-44); second, as a beast of burden it signified humility... ... ‘Any prudent person in the circumstances of Jesus would have tried to slip into the Created by: David Lemmons btcMatthew21 Available Online at: http://maplehillchurchofchrist.blog A Study of Matthew 21…………..………………………………………………………………………….Page 3 of 14 city unseen; the last thing he would have tried to do would have been to court publicity. But Jesus entered Jerusalem in a way that was designed to focus every eye upon him’ (Barclay, By What Authority , p 87)” [Kenneth L. Chumbley, p. 368]. Matthew 21.7... AND BROUGHT THE ASS, AND THE COLT, AND PUT ON THEM THEIR CLOTHES, AND THEY SET HIM THEREON —“The reason for the use of two animals is not clear, unless it was Jesus' strict attention to the prophecy which mentioned both the ass and the foal. He gave the proud Pharisees no excuse for not recognizing the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy. Often in Matthew is added the second element in the Master's deeds. Thus, he mentions two blind men instead of only one (Matthew 20:30), and two demoniacs (Matthew 8:28ff). The use of the disciples' garments was practical as well as symbolical” [Burton Coffman]. ||||| “Matthew speaks of both the ass and her colt being brought; Mark and Luke speak only of the colt, while John says he rode on a young ass (Jn 12.14). Matthew supplies an additional detail but does not say which of the animals Jesus rode Evidently both animals were together for the short trip, but Jesus rode on the colt” [Bob Winton, Book of Matthew , p. 249]. Matthew 21.8... A VERY GREAT MULTITUDE SPREAD THEIR GARMENTS IN THE WAY; OTHERS CUT DOWN BRANCHES FROM THE TREES, AND STRAWED THEM IN THE WAY —“At the Feast of Tabernacles the people carried branches in their hands, chanting sentences from the Messianic Psalms (Psalms 118.25-26). This was their way of expressing their desire for the coming of the Messiah (Lev 23.40).