Category: Sermons

The Question of Resurrection — Matthew 22:23-33

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The Question of Resurrection

Matthew 22:23-33

We gather each week at this time to read, exposit, and apply the scriptures. We do so because we believe what the Apostle Paul says, that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We believe that the Bible is the very word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is completely authoritative and sufficient. Today, in our study of Matthew 22, we meet a group of men who claim to know God, but who do not understand or believe the scriptures.

Remember our context: Jesus was teaching the people in the temple (Matt. 21:23) just a couple days before the crucifixion. The religious leaders in Jerusalem opposed Jesus at every turn. They questioned His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). They refused to believe in Jesus (Matt. 21:32) and sought to lay hands on Him (Matt. 21:26) and destroy Him (Matt. 12:14).  

So, they plotted to entangle Jesus in His words (Matt. 22:15) by asking Him some perplexing questions designed to trip Him up, discredit Him in front of the people, or indict Him before the Roman authorities. And each time, He their questions with such wisdom and authority that His opponents were silenced. First, the Pharisees sent their disciples and some Herodians to ask a political question about paying taxes to Caesar. This morning, we see another group, the Sadducees, who ask Jesus a theoretical question about the resurrection. And like the Pharisees, these men were not seeking the truth. They were unrepentant and settled in their unbelief.

As believers, living in the midst of a fallen world, unbelieving people may confront us with perplexing questions too. Sometimes, the questions come from those who have a genuine desire to know the answers. The lawyer’s question about the greatest commandment that we’ll be studying next time may fit this category (Matt. 22:34-40). But often, they come someone who has already made up his or her mind to ‘disbelieve’ before they ask the question. In those cases, the questions are just an attempt to make faith in Jesus Christ look absurd.

That’s the nature of the Sadducees question about the resurrection of the dead. In answering, Jesus not only teaches the truth about the resurrection, He also gives us an example of how to answer their suborn unbelief. He teaches us how to faithfully affirm the word and power of God when faced with the scoffing questions of unbelief. Our text has two main parts, the Sadducees riddle and Jesus’ answer, followed by Matthew’s account of the people’s response.

First, let’s look at . . .

1. The Resurrection Riddle (Matt. 22:23-28).

Matthew 22:23 says, “The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him…” Having just dispensed with the trick question of the Pharisees, Jesus had barely caught His breath when a group of Sadducees showed up with their own trick question. 

A. The Questioners: Sadducees (Matt. 22:23).

Who were the Sadducees? In the days that Jesus walked on the earth, there were three or four basic religious “parties” among the Jewish people. Only two of them figure prominently in the New Testament. The first, the Pharisees, we have encountered already a number of times the gospel of in Matthew. They were careful students of the law of Moses, and they sought to expand upon that law through their traditions, rules, and regulations in order to protect themselves from breaking God’s law. Their name suggests the idea of “separation” from the common people they considered sinners. For the most part, they were popular among the people because of their outward show of righteousness. They opposed Jesus because He exposed their hypocrisy and unbelief.

The second group were the Sadducees. They were generally wealthy, and their influence was mostly among the upper classes of society. They High Priest and all the chief priests in Jerusalem were Sadducees. At the time of Jesus, they held the Jewish political power. Their name likely comes from a Hebrew word that means “the righteous”. They rejected the oral traditions that the Pharisees insisted on and believed that the only authoritative scripture was the first five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses.

Because of this, the Sadducees denied angels, spirits, and the afterlife (Acts 2:38). They denied that the dead would be raised unto eternal punishment or eternal rewards. They didn’t believe Moses taught those things. Therefore, the promises of “rewards” from God only concerned life on this earth. Their view of life was, for the most part, materialistic.

As you can imagine, the Pharisees and the Sadducees didn’t get along with each other. They constantly debated and jockeyed for power in the Sanhedrin. But they had this in common with the Pharisees: they also opposed Jesus and saw Him as a threat to their religious and political power. So, when these Sadducees watched and saw that the Pharisees failed to trap the Lord, they stepped in to try to trap the Lord.

Let’s look at . . .

B. The Question: Resurrection (Matt. 22:24-28)

They came to Him with a courteous greeting—calling Him “Teacher“; but they had hatred in their hearts against Him. They said, “Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother” (Matt. 22:24).

The setting for their riddle comes from a law found in Deuteronomy. It was often called “the levirite law”—taken from the Latin word for ‘brother-in-law’ (levir). The Sadducees believed in this law, because it was found in the Scriptures given through Moses. Deuteronomy 25:5-6 says,

“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel” (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

To the Jewish people, it would be a great tragedy for a man to die without any offspring to carry on his name and preserve his inheritance of land. So, God gave this law to provide for the widow who remained, and to perpetuate the dead man’s name and inheritance. The Sadducees quote the law as saying, “his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother” (Matt. 22:24). The verb they use for “raise up” is the same root word as the term “resurrection”. And it’s here where we see the subtlety of the Sadducees. This was their form of resurrection belief. People are only resurrected in the sense that their children are raised up to continue their line.

They weren’t really concerned about the levirate marriage law. They just used it to craft their “trick question” to trap Jesus in His words. In Matthew 22:25-27 we have their riddle:

25 “Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also.”

The Sadducees said that these seven brothers were “with” them, but it’s pretty safe to assume that they made up this story. Can you really imagine all seven brothers willingly marrying this woman, after all their brothers before them kept dying as her husband? It is so far-fetched and extreme that it could never happen in real life. The Sadducees built off this Old Testament law using this absurd scenario of seven brothers, each of whom keeps marrying the same wife and then dying before they have any children. Their intention is clear. They want to make the whole idea of resurrection look just as absurd as their scenario.

The technical name of this form of argument is reductio ad absurdum. It was meant to follow a speculation about the resurrection all the way through, until it was reduced to the level of absurdity. It’s a little like how one famous atheist used to ask if, when God bodily raised us from the dead on the last day, He was planning to resurrect all our old haircuts and fingernail-clippings as well. It was not a sincere question. It was simply a question asked out of a spirit of unbelief—one that was designed to make our Lord scramble around for some answer to a ridiculous question in an effort to save face.

Having laid the trap through this crazy story, they spring it on Jesus by asking, “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” (Matt. 22:28).

They think they’re so smart! Just like the Pharisees thought they “got” Jesus with the question about paying taxes to Caesar, the Sadducees think they’ve “got” Jesus with this question. She can’t be married to them all, right? So, whose wife will she be? Is it the first brother? The last one? One of the brothers in between? It’s a ridiculous scenario which they think proves the absurdity of the resurrection.

However, just as Jesus got the better of the Pharisees in last week’s passage, so he gets the better of the Sadducees in this week’s passage. Look at …

2. Jesus’ Response (Matt. 22:29-32).

First, Jeuss tells them they are in error.

A. Two Errors of Unbelief (Matt. 22:29)

Jesus tells them right away, “You are mistaken . . .” The word that He used is one that meant “to be led astray” or “to be made to wander about”. The idea is that they were not just in error, they were lost, “deceived” in their thinking. They had wandered far from the way of truth. They had derailed from the straight path of the word of God. Jesus says that they were led astray by the condition of their thinking—”not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29).

The word “knowing”, in its normal use, simply refers to having information that results in understanding. But it can also refer to having a close and intimate relationship with something or someone. And, in some cases, it refers recognizing and having respect and reverence something or someone. A good example of this is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:12; where Paul writes to his believing friends and tells them, ” And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you.” The ESV translates it “respect those who labor among you.”

Here is the nature of their error: It was all in the attitude of their minds and hearts. The Scriptures and the power of God had been set before them; but they didn’t “know” these things. They didn’t recognize or respect them. And because they didn’t begin with an attitude of respect for God’s word or God’s power—or more to the point, because they chose to “disbelieve” these things at the very start—they were led astray in their thinking and were “mistaken”.

So then, having exposed the attitude of unbelief from which the question was raised in the first place, notice how Jesus shows them their error regarding . . .

B. The Power of God in the Resurrection (Matt. 22:30).

The Sadducees had assumed that, when the Bible taught about the resurrection, it meant a resurrection into exactly the same state of being that the person was in before he or she died. And so, obviously, such an assumption would create a ridiculous picture—seven resurrected brothers having to arm-wrestle over whose wife the resurrected, seven-time widow would be. But Jesus says, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven” (Matt. 22:30).

“Marriage” is something that God made for life on earth. God provided marriage for the perpetuation of the humankind because He knew people would die. It was how God’s commandment to Adam and Eve was to be fulfilled—to be fruitful, and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it (Gen. 1:28). It was also God’s means of preserving a “godly offspring” in this dark, fallen world (Mal. 2:14). And because God decreed that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18), marriage is His gracious provision for the deep human need for a companion and fellow-heir in “the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).[1]

But in the resurrection—when God’s people are raised from the dead to enter into the full experience of eternal life—this “earthly” arrangement will no longer be needed. We will be “like angels of God in heaven“. We won’t be angels, of course, but we will be like angels. We will have none of the limitations and needs that we experience now in these unglorified bodies of ours. Because there will be no more death in heaven, there will be no need to perpetuate the human race by procreation. There will be no need for the same kind of companionship we needed in the struggles and trials of earthly life, because those things will be no more. We will all be together, forever, in perfection and in perfect joy.

Like many of you, I love my wife, and want to be with her forever in heaven. And I will. It may not be in the same kind of relationship that we enjoyed on earth, but it will be in a relationship that is deeper and more profound than what we can understand even in marriage. All our relationships in heaven will be free from sin and its effects.

The point is that the Sadducees were mistaken in not giving proper respect and reverence to the power of God. They didn’t know just how great God’s power is to transform His people from the state of sinful fallenness, which characterizes us now, into a state of heavenly glory that is like that of the angels.

C. Proof of Resurrection in the Scriptures (Matt. 22:30-32)

Second, Jesus sets the Sadducees straight about the Scriptures with respect to the resurrection of the dead. As you remember, they only regarded the five books of Moses as authoritative. But Jesus shows them that they didn’t even respect those Scriptures. Jesus shows them that these very same Scriptures support the resurrection that they denied. He says, “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God . . . ?” (Matt. 22:31).

He then quotes God speaking from Exodus 3:6, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Matt. 22:32). At the burning bush, God introduced Himself as the God of Moses’ ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And even though those three men had physically died centuries before Moses’ time, they nevertheless still existed before God, because God said that He was—right then—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From the very Scriptures they claimed to esteem, Jesus shows that these three patriarchs didn’t cease to exist when their bodies died. They still lived. They still owned God as their God. And God still owned them as His. Therefore, Jesus concludes, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” As it says in Luke 20:38, “… for all live to Him.”

If Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph still lived before God apart from their decaying bodies, then He is absolutely capable of giving life to their dead bodies once more. If God could create man’s body from the dust of the earth, He could just as easily recreate men’s bodies from dust or ashes.

The point is that the Sadducees did not give proper reverence and respect to the Scriptures. They trifled with it but didn’t allow themselves to see the truths of the resurrection that were revealed in it—or in the other portions of Scripture that they arrogantly rejected.

Finally, notice . . .

3. The Response of the People (Matt. 22:33).

33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. (Matt. 22:33).

Notice that Matthew doesn’t tell us the Sadducees’ response. Instead, we read of the multitudes that listened. I suspect that the multitudes had heard this kind of debate between the Sadducees and Pharisees before. But when they heard the Lord’s answer, we’re told that the multitudes literally were “struck out of their wits” by it.

What do we learn from our Lord’s answer to this “resurrection riddle”? Certainly, we learn that we can trust what the Bible teaches us about the hope of the resurrection. Most of all, we can trust it because our Lord proved it by rising from the dead Himself just a few days after this question was asked.

But we also can learn that when we are confronted with unbelieving questions designed to trip us up, we can follow the Lord’s example. We should always respond with courteousness and love. But when the question comes from someone who is stubbornly committed to unbelief, and whose motive is to discredit the faith, I believe our Lord’s example teaches us not to simply jump to the question first—as we’re so easily inclined to do.

First, we should prayerfully, lovingly, but resolutely—in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit—expose the unbelief in the heart of the one asking the question. We should be bold and honest, saying something like, “You are mistaken, friend. You are led astray by the fact that you have chosen to begin in the wrong place. You have chosen from the outset not to esteem God’s power nor His revealed word. You have chosen to begin in disbelief in these things and then to argue from your disbelief. And because you began on the wrong path, you will end up in the wrong place.”

And then, the Lord’s example teaches us that we should affirm what God’s word says. We’re to put His revealed word forth to them plainly, and let it speak for itself. They may hear it and repent. Or they may hear it and harden their hearts against God even more as the Sadducees likely did. But the results are not up to us. They are up to the Holy Spirit. Our job is to simply give them God’s truth from God’s word and let it do its work.

The apostle Paul summed this up for us very well. He said,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . . (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

 

[1] Greg Allen, Giving an Answer to Unbelief, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/052508.htm

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God and Caesar — Matthew 22:15-22

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God and Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

In this section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem for their unbelief through a series of three parables. And Matthew 21:45-46 tells us their attitude when Jesus taught these parables:

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:45-46).

Now they retaliate by trying to ensnare Jesus with trick questions. They plot together to confront our Lord—all with the intention of trapping Him in His words. They bring three challenges to Him in here in Matthew 22. They first ask about paying taxes to Caesar, then about the resurrection, and thirdly about the greatest commandment. Each of these question were calculated to damage the popularity of Jesus and to find a reason to condemn Him. In all three attempts, Jesus answers them in such a way as to make them marvel, and to leave them with nothing more they can say.

The first thing we see in our text today is…

1. The Ensnaring Question (Matt. 22:15-17)

Matthew tells us, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Matt. 22:15). This was a calculated attack. Matthew says they “went and plotted.” We have heard that word before, all the way back in Matthew 12:14 when “… the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” We will hear it again when they plot to put Jesus to death in Matthew 27:1 and when they plot to cover up the resurrection by paying off the guards in Matthew 28:12.

Their plot this time was to “entangle” Jesus in His words. They intended to trap Jesus, to ensnare by what He said. They had huddled together in order to set the trap by asking the perfect question that would catch Jesus saying something that would discredit Him before the people or accuse Him before the Roman authorities.

When Luke tells this same story in his Gospel, he gives us more details about their evil intent; “So they watched Him and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20). Their intention was to “catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). That was their motive.

Notice, then, who they sent to ask the question. The Pharisees didn’t go themselves. They sent their ‘students’, whom, as Luke tells us, they had put to work as “spies”. Matthew 22:16 says, “And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians“.

It’s hard to imagine two political groups more opposed to one another than the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees were devoted students of the laws and instructions of Judaism. They were proud of their Jewish heritage and deeply resented the rule of the Roman Empire over them. They expected the Messiah to come and rid them of their Roman oppressors.

The Herodians, on the other hand, were Jews who were sympathetic with Roman occupancy through the rule of the successors of Herod. The Herodians sought to fit in with Roman government because their cooperation brought them money and power. They encouraged the people to pay taxes to the Romans. I believe that the Pharisees invited the Herodians to be there in case Jesus sided with the Jews in the matter of this poll tax. These Herodians could then go back to Pilate and testify that Jesus was a traitor to Rome.

What could bring such opposite political and religious groups together? It was their opposition to a common enemy—the Lord Jesus Christ. They came to the Lord—these students of the Pharisees, and these Herodians, together—under the pretense of seeking His wisdom and advice concerning a matter of debate between them. But their purpose was to trap Jesus.

So, they bait the trap with flattery. They say things to Him that are accurate in and of themselves, but that they didn’t really believe: “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men” (Matt. 22:16).

If they had really believed that Jesus was “true“, and that He taught “the way of God in truth“, and that He didn’t “regard the person of men”, then they would have bowed down to Him and received Him as Lord—because that’s who Jesus taught that He was. But they had no intention of bowing to Him. They were seeking to destroy Him!

Let me stop here for a moment and make a point of application. Be on your guard against flattery. It’s one of the devil’s greatest tools. Proverbs says, “A man who flatters his neighbor Spreads a net for his feet” (Pro. 29:5). It says, “24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; 25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; … 28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.” (Pro. 26:24-25, 28). Don’t use empty flattery and beware of those who bait their trap with flattery.

The words of praise that they spoke to Jesus were just a set-up. These phonies hoped that they could lull the Lord into a place where He’d relax His guard, so that they could trap Him with His own words. That’s the bait.

Now, notice the trap they set for Him. It’s a question about taxes. They said, “Tell us, therefore, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Matt. 22:17).

Obviously, the Pharisees would have answered “no”. They deeply resented paying taxes to the Gentile overlords. Every time they paid the required tax to the Roman government, it was a vivid reminder that they were not a free people or their own sovereign nation. They believed that they were God’s special people. But here they were, under the thumb pagan rulers.

On the other hand, the Herodians would have answered “yes” to the question about paying taxes. By paying the tax to the Romans, they continued to enjoy the benefits of their rule.

The Pharisees crafted this clever question and enlisted the Herodians to discredit Jesus before all the people. If He said yes—that it was legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Pharisees could accuse Him before the people, and say that He was not the conquering Messiah they expected. And if He said no—that it was not legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Herodians could immediately reported Him to the Roman governor. Either way Jesus answers, He loses.

But as we’ve read about our Lord in the Gospel, one of the things we have seen about the Him is that He rarely gave “yes” and “no” answers. And so, look next at . . .

2. The Exposing Response (Matt. 22:18-22)

Matthew 22:18 says, “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?’” The Lord blew the cover right off their plot. He saw right through their flattery and trickery. They had put forth the false appearance of virtue, but their hearts were full of wickedness. In Matthew 23 Jesus will repeatedly condemn their hypocrisy.

I love how Jesus puts the question back to them. He says, “Show Me the tax money” (Matt. 22:19). So, someone “brought Him a denarius.” The denarius was a Roman coin that bore the graven image of Emperor Tiberius. At the time of Jesus, most coins would have had the following inscription: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” and “Pontifux maximus”, meaning highest priest. No wonder the Pharisees hated paying it! And Jesus held it up and asked, “Whose image and inscription is this?” (Matt. 22:20).

Jesus masterfully causes them to answer their own question by answering his. When they said the obvious—that the image and inscription on the coin were “Caesar’s”, then Jesus simply replied, “Render, therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s . . .” It’s Caesar’s coin. Give it back to him.

And that brings us to our final point. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus gives us …

3. The Enlightening Principle (Matt. 22:21)

Jesus didn’t fall into their trap of saying yes or no to the question of paying taxes. Instead, by using a brilliant but simple illustration, He helps us understand the right relationship between God and government. We often struggle to find the right relationship between religion and politics, between God and government.

Jesus’ enlightening principle regarding God and government is: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). The principle is straight forward. The word “render” literally means to “give back” or return. It is the verb for paying a bill or settling a debt. In their question, the Pharisees asked if they should “give” the tax to Caesar. Jesus says to give it back, implying a debt that is owed. By admitting that it was Caesar’s coin, they acknowledged their subjection to his government and their obligation to pay what they owed.

The Bible consistently teaches the rightful domain of government and our obligation to it. Romans 13:1-7, for example, says;

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (Romans 13:1-7).

Fulfilling our God-appointed obligations to the government, as good citizens, is a matter of obedience to our Lord Himself. I am, first, a citizen of My Father’s kingdom. And because I am a citizen of His eternal kingdom first, I am therefore obligated to be a good and faithful citizen of the temporal kingdom in which He has placed me. This is why I pay my taxes, obey the laws, and fulfill my duty to vote.

But I believe the greatest emphasis in Jesus’ principle is not on that first part of our Lord’s answer, it is on the second part. We are to render “to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).

That second obligation, it seems to me, is what really brought the conviction down on those who were seeking to trap Him with their question. Matthew tells us “When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.” Luke tells us, that “they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). If they had given to God what first belonged to God, they would not only render to Caesar what was Caesar’s, but they would have also bowed down before the Lord Jesus Christ and pledged their first allegiance to Him.

Jesus’ statement implies that just as the Roman coin had Caesar’s image stamped on it and thus rightfully fell under his jurisdiction, so every person has God’s image stamped on him or her and thus rightfully belongs to God. Genesis 1 declares that God made mankind, male and female, in His own image. We owe God our very existence. We rightfully belong to Him. Everything we have belongs to Him.

If we are not yielding ourselves completely to God’s sovereign lordship, we are disobeying the supreme authority of the universe! By challenging Jesus, these Pharisees and Herodians were guilty of not rendering to God the things that are God’s. They came to Jesus, not to obey Him, but to trap Him. They acted as if they were sincerely interested in His opinion about a moral issue, but they had no intention of obeying what He said.

Listen, the only way you can come to Christ is to come honestly, repenting of your sins, believing in Him, being willing to obey Him. If you come to contend with the Lord in order to get your own way, beware! He knows the secret motives of your heart! One day every knee will bow before Him. So the overarching principle is that we must submit all of our lives to the absolute sovereignty of God, the supreme ruler of the universe.[i]

How careful are we to render to God the things that we owe to Him? This is a greater obligation than all others. How are we doing in terms of keeping it?

Do you make the worship of God a priority? Spend time reading God’s word and praying. Worship God in your homes with your families. Be faithful in your attendance at church. It’s rendering to God the things that are God’s. You owe your worship to the Lord because He is worthy. Jesus died for you that you might live for Him. Therefore, you owe Him your life. You owe Him your love and your worship. You Him your loyalty and your obedience. You owe Him your humble confession of sin and your desire to please and glorify and honor Him first in your life. Everything you have comes from God. Therefore, you owe God everything.

Hymnwriter Frances Havergal wrote:

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Dear brothers and sisters, it’s our duty to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But let’s be even more sure that we do the greater duty—to faithfully render to God what is God’s.

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[i] Steven Cole, Lesson 92: Guile, Government, and God (Luke 20:20-26), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-92-guile-government-and-god-luke-2020-26

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The Parable of the Wedding Banquet – Matthew 22:1-14

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The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

The events in Matthew 22 take place during the last week of Jesus’ life. Earlier in the week, Jesus had come into the city of Jerusalem while His disciples and other Jews praised Him as the Messiah and King. The next day, Jesus went into the temple and cleansed it, driving out those who had made His Father’s house a marketplace and a den of thieves. The following day, He’s back in the temple teaching the people when the chief priests and elders confront Him about His authority to do these things. And He silenced them, as He always did. And then Jesus spoke three parables, one right after the other.

In the parable of the two sons, Jesus condemned their hypocrisy and unbelief, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you…” (Matt. 21:31), because they believed, but you did not repent and believe (Matt. 21:32). Then in the parable of the vineyard, He exposed their treachery and told them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Matt. 21:43).

Now, in the parable of the wedding banquet, Jesus explains that statement. There are two scenes in the parable. They both have invitations, responses, and then judgment. The first scene in the parable focuses on those who refuse to come. The second scene focuses on those who do come. And then at the end of the passage Jesus applies the parable, saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14).

First, we see …

1. The Invitation Refused (Matt. 22:1-7)

Look at Matthew 22:1-2:

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,“ (Matt. 22:1-2)

Jesus is teaching about “The kingdom of heaven,” and He compares it to “a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son” (Matt. 22:2). It’s obvious that the king in Jesus’ parable is symbolic of His heavenly Father, and Jesus Himself is the ‘bridegroom son’. The “marriage,” or wedding feast, was a way of illustrating the entry into the full blessings of the kingdom of heaven. The ‘invited guests’ are His covenant people—the Jews and particularly the Jewish leaders of that generation. The parable illustrates how Jesus came and presented Himself to them as the Messiah, the Son of God, and how they rejected Him.

A wedding and the wedding banquet is usually a blessed and joyful event in the life of any family. In the time of Jesus, it included many days spent feasting and celebrating. But this was no ordinary the wedding. It was the royal wedding of the king’s son. To receive an invitation to such a prestigious event would have been the highlight of your life. It’s not the sort of thing you miss, if you are allowed to go.

When the time came for the royal wedding feast, the king “… sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding,” (Matt. 22:3a). The king would have sent out invitations in advance, and the people would have been expected to prepare to attend. Then, once the event was ready, he sent out his servants to tell everyone it was time to come.

But then, we are shocked to hear that “… they were not willing to come” (Matt. 22:3). You can almost hear the gasp of the crowd Jesus when Jesus says this. Not only were these people missing out on the greatest event in the kingdom, but they took the risk of insulting the king himself! Their will was set against it.

Even so, the king was gracious and patient. He sent out his servants again, this time urging them, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” (Matt. 22:4). The servants explain the lavishness and the urgency of the wedding. Everything is ready. You need to come now!

But again, inexplicably, the response of the invited guests in Matthew 22:5 is “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.” The phrase that is translated “they made light of it” comes from a word that means “to have no care or concern; to be neglectful.” The careless guests neglected the king’s invitation. They were more concerned about their own lives than attending the banquet. One had his farm that needed his attention. Another had pressing business to attend to. But think about it! Compared to the royal wedding feast, these everyday, mundane things are insignificant.

 In Luke 14, Jesus gave a similar parable, where three different people gave three different excuses for not coming to the feast. One said, ” I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:18). Another said, ” I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:19). A third said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come” (Luke 14:20). What lame excuses! Who buys a filed without seeing it or oxen without first testing them? In the minds of these people, their land or animals or wife were more important than the wedding feast. How incredibly self absorbed these people were! When the king invites you to a royal wedding, you can take time off of your daily activities to honor him. The land will be there tomorrow. You can test out your new oxen later. Your wife can come with you.

Then, even more inexplicably, Jesus says in Matthew 22:6, “And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.” Jesus is illustrating the same thing here that He just showed in the parable of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard was gracious and patient with the wicked vinedressers. Yet, “the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another” (Matt. 21:35). They were ungrateful and obstinate.

I wonder if you can see in this the great patience of our heavenly Father toward those to whom the Lord Jesus was sent as King. The Jewish nation had been given promises in the Scriptures and from the prophets, who told them again and again that their King was coming. The announcement had already been sent out to them. Then, God sent a mighty herald to announce coming of the King in the person of John the Baptist. He preached in the wilderness of the Jordan to the Jewish people and made it clear to everyone who could hear him that Jesus was the Christ, calling people to repent of their sins. But again, they didn’t listen. King Herod had John beheaded, and the Jewish religious leaders refused to repent at his message.

Then Jesus came preaching the kingdom and proving that He was the Son of God through miracles, signs, and wonders. God was inviting the Jews to receive their King, but for the most part, His invitation was met with indifference. And with the religious authorities, Jesus faced violent opposition. Even now, they were plotting to destroy Him.

And for most, their obstinate unbelief continued even after God raised His Son from the dead. They continued to persecute the apostles and all who believed in Jesus. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had invited His covenant people to receive their King, and to enter into the full blessings of His kingdom reign. But His invitation had been met with indifference, and then with scorn, and then finally with violence. And yet, He patiently continued to issue the invitation. What a horrible thing—to harden one’s heart against the greatest invitation ever given! But what a patient God it is that gives the invitation again, and again, and again!

When God calls you to the kingdom, it is foolish to refuse to come. How many people today are just indifferent to the call of the gospel of Christ? They are so caught up with concerns and pleasures of this life that they refuse to even think about God’s eternal kingdom. Some today are still violently opposed to the gospel. But whether you are just indifferent or violently opposed, the judgment is the same.

Jesus says, “But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” (Matt. 22:7). To scorn the gracious offer to attend the joyous wedding feast of the king’s son was to rebel against the king himself.

And likewise, to refuse the offer to receive God’s Son as King is to reject God Himself. As Jesus said, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23b). And there comes a time when the Father’s patience is exhausted toward those who persist in disregarding His Son and scorning His rights as King. And sadly, the day came—within forty years of our Lord speaking these words—when the Roman armies came and destroyed the city of Jerusalem. “Not one stone” of the temple, as Jesus had warned, would be left upon another, “that shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24:2).

When we snub God’s invitation, we open ourselves to judgment. God in His grace makes repeated invitations, but the day will come when the invitation is withdrawn, and those who refuse to come will face judgment. That is the fate of those who refuse to come to Christ.

Next we see…

2. The Invitaton Received (Matt. 22:8-13)

8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 ‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ (Matt. 22:8-9).

Notice that the wedding feast had not been canceled. It would go on as scheduled—even though those who had been invited had shown themselves unworthy of the great privilege of attending. The king graciously sent his servants out onto the highways and into the outer reaches to find as many people as they could, and invite them to come to his son’s wedding feast and fill his son’s banquet table.

Matthew 22:10 says, “So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.” There were no qualifications. Whoever they may be, wherever they were, they were gathered in. And when it was over, the banquet hall was filled with happy guests—people who perhaps were beggars, or common laborers, or sinners, or even foreigners from far outside the king’s realm—people who never would have expected that they would be so privileged as to sit at the wedding feast of the son of a king. And yet, there they were!

In truth, when it comes to God’s kingdom, none of us are worthy to come. We are all sinners who have broken God’s laws. None of us deserve to come. But when it comes to God’s kingdom, the worthy are those realize they are not worthy! The worthy are those who respond to God’s free gift of grace. Those who are brought into the kingdom, unworthy as they are, arrive as special guests to the wedding feast.

And that brings us to a very serious note. The invitation to come to the wedding feast was open to all who would receive it. But there was a problem. Jesus tells us, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.” (Matt. 22:11). This is the most difficult part of the parable to understand, and the most disturbing. It is meant to be disturbing. You read this and say, “Wait a minute! How did this guy get in if he didn’t have any wedding clothes? And why was he thrown out? Does this mean we can get thrown out of heaven?”

When a great king would put on a feast, he would not only provide the invitation and all the food, but sometimes he would also provide the necessary garments to wear at the feast. The wearing of a wedding garment was an important expression of the dignity of the feast. This man had no such garment on. All that he wore were the filthy rags of his own provision. And when the king saw him, he said, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?”

The man in Jesus’ parable was “speechless”. This would have been a perfect opportunity for the man to say something like, “Oh; please tell me how I may get a wedding garment, so I can enjoy your gracious offer to attend the feast of your son!” But he didn’t. He has nothing he can say in his own defense. He presumed himself to enjoy the benefits of the feast, while refusing to be adorned with the proper garment. And as a result, the king ordered that he not be merely shown to the door. Rather, he was bound “hand and foot” and “cast into outer darkness”, where, as Jesus says, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13).

This is a warning. We must not think that we can enter into the blessings of the Kingdom of heaven apart from being adorned—by faith—with Christ’s own righteousness. When the Bible speaks of that great future day of the wedding feast of Christ, it says, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). But it also says that “His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Christ took our filthy garments of sin upon Himself on the cross. He suffered and died to redeem us. He is our propitiation, God’s willing sacrifice to remove His wrath against our sin. When we trust in Christ, we receive by grace the righteousness of Christ. Chris Anderson’s hymn puts it beautifully,

His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

Revelation 22:14 (NASB) says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” We come to Jesus as we are, but we don’t stay that way. He imputes to us His righteousness and washes us in His blood. He makes us righteous by His ongoing sanctification through His word. Jesus not only saves us from the penalty of sin. He also saves us from the power of sin.

So, what was wrong with the man who tried to enter the wedding banquet without a wedding garment? He thought his own clothes were good enough. He thought he didn’t have to change. He is a picture of those who think they don’t need Jesus. He pictures those who trust in their own righteousness instead of Jesus’ righteousness. The only garment that the Father will accept at His Son’s wedding feast is that of His Son’s own righteousness. Anything less than that will result in being thrown out into outer darkness.

Finally, we see..

3. The Parable Applied (Matt. 22:14)

Jesus closes by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).

The first part is that “many are called.” The gospel call goes out to all, and the Bible says whosoever will, may come. We read in Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” So, that’s the first part: many are called.

But the second part is this: “few are chosen.” In other words, the invitation goes out to all, but not everyone who is invited comes. Why do some people respond while others do not? Remember the guests in the parable? Jesus said, “they were not willing to come” (Matt. 22:3). Their wills were set against it. That is all of us. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, our wills are set against God. We don’t want to come. And so, when the gospel invitation comes, we make all sorts of excuses. We put our own plans and priorities first. Some even get hostile towards those who are sharing the good news.

Just as none of the original guests in the parable came to the wedding, so none of us can come to Christ on our own. Jesus says in John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jesus also says this in John 6:37: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” And He says in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” Put it all together, and this is what Jesus is saying. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him, and everyone whom the Father draws will come. We did not choose him, but he chose us. Many are called, but few are chosen.

So, this is the application of the parable. The gospel call goes out to everyone. No one is excluded. There is a paradox here. Whosever will may come, but no one comes unless the Father draws them. He calls us to repent and believe in Christ. We love God because He first loved us. Many are called, but few are chosen.

And you may say, “How then do I know for sure that I’m among the chosen?” The answer is simple. How have you responded to the call? Have you repented and believed in Christ? When you heard the message of His sacrifice for you on the cross, did you place your trust in His sacrifice as payment for your sins? Do you, by faith, count on His righteousness alone to make you acceptable in God’s sight? And in response, are you progressively turning from sin and following Him in loving obedience?

If so, you are among those who He not only called, but also chosen. You have a place awaiting you at the table of the joyous wedding feast of God’s Son!

And what a place at the table it is! What a great celebration it will be! Because behold, you are the Bride! Give God the glory!

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Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

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Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

At our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have started to look at Psalms 120 – 134, the “songs of ascents”. Another name for them might be “songs for going up” or “songs for the journey”. In ancient Israel, they were probably sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Jerusalem was a high point in the land of Palestine, and as they journeyed, they were literally “ascending”. And these songs we intended to help them also ascend spiritually as they joined together in song and prepared their hearts to worship the Lord.

I intended to share some thoughts about Psalm 122 on Wednesday, but didn’t make it back in time due to some car trouble As I read this psalm and you follow along, I want you to see if you can pick out a key word or idea in this psalm. The very first verse captures some of the excitement, the anticipation, of the psalmist preparing for the journey. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1).

Psalm 122

1 A song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,

4 Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.

7 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”

8 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

9 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.

This psalm is all about a special place—the holy city of Jerusalem. That makes sense. Jerusalem played an incredibly important role in the life of the ancient Israelites. The David and the other kings of Judah had their thrones in Jerusalem. The temple of the Lord was there. It was where the tribes of Israel gathered for the required feasts to worship.

But it is a bit tricky for us to listen to a psalm all about Jerusalem, because we are not ancient Jews. Most of us have never been there. Jerusalem doesn’t mean the same thing to us as it did to them. In the Old Testament, God chose a place to dwell. After the first temple was built, we read about God’s presence filling the temple. 1 Kings 8:10-11 says,

And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

For ancient Jews, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to dwell in a unique and powerful way. The temple in Jerusalem was the center of their worship. When we read of the Psalmist going up, should we also buy our plane tickets to Jerusalem and go there with gladness?

In a sense, we too are a people on our way to a city, and we should be full of joyful anticipation as we look forward to the day when we will gather in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city of God (Rev. 21-22). But what about today? Are we not to worship the Lord even now? Where do we do that? Do we have a Jerusalem, a specific place where we go to worship God?

Because places are so important to us, we might be tempted to take the reference to Jerusalem and substitute a different city or place where we gather for worship. People sometimes talk about going to the “house of the Lord” in that way, and by that, they usually mean the physical building that they go to as Christians in order to worship. But is this how we are to apply this psalm as new covenant believers in Christ?

I believe we are living in the time that Jesus spoke about in John 4 when Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well,

“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two (Matt. 27:51). And fifty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the glory of God once again descended and chose to make God’s presence uniquely real. But this time The Lord didn’t just indwell a place. Instead, He indwelt a people. Acts 2:1-4a reads,

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit …

So now, we don’t have a place where God’s presence is uniquely manifest. Now we have a people. Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). That people in whom God dwells is the church of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 2 Paul says about us in the church,

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Someone has said, “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people.” What Jerusalem was to ancient Jews, the church is to us.

But the church isn’t a place and it isn’t an event. It’s a people. You don’t “go to church.” You are the church. The church is a community of God’s people. So, as we look at Psalm 122, and we hear the psalmist talking about Jerusalem I believe we can apply this to the church. And we’ll see that this psalm is an incredibly powerful description of who the church is and how the church worships.

1. The Pilgrim’s Passion for the City of God (Ps. 122:1–2)

How should we come to worship?

We come with Joy (Psalm 122:1-2).

You know that feeling when you finally get somewhere after a long road trip? That’s where the psalmist starts. This psalm begins with the incredible feeling of standing within the gates of the city enjoying the experience.

David rejoiced to enter Jerusalem. It’s clear that he loved Jerusalem. But why? It is because there is “the house of the LORD.” He loves the city of Jerusalem because he loves the LORD who dwells there with His people. Listen, a joyful worship experience is not found by pursuing joy in worship. Joy is found in pursuing and knowing God Himself. Peter wrote to the New Testament saints about their relationship with Christ Jesus, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” (1 Pet. 1:8). Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ expressed in love for Him.

Does it bring you joy to gather with other Christians to express your love for Christ? Put simply, do you enjoy church? And remember, I don’t mean the event of a church service. I mean the people. Do you enjoy the people of God, gathered to honor the Lord?

Each Sunday when we gather for worship we are anticipating and rehearsing for our arrival in the city of God – and we should have joy as we come together.

2. The Pilgrim’s Praise for the City of God (Ps. 122:3–5)

What makes worship with God’s people so special? (Psalm 122:3-5)

If we are going to worship together and enjoy the Lord together, we need to know how to be God’s people. What made Jerusalem so special?

There are three things that the author praises about Jerusalem. The way it’s constructed, the way the tribes go up to it every year, and the fact that the thrones of the house of David are there. So, what do these things mean?

First, he talks about the way the city is built. It is …

Built for Safety: “Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together,” (Psalm 122:3). What that probably refers to is the security and safety of the city. The compact arrangement of the city gives an added advantage in defending the city. So, Jerusalem is safe. It also could mean it is “solidly united” (CSB), where the people are closely held together. It’s a place of refuge—a place where the people of God come together and find unity, comfort, and safety.

Is our church like that? Are we like a city that is compact together? The church should be a community of people where you feel safe, where we can talk without fear about our lives and our relationship with God. There are so few places in our world where it is safe to let down your guard. We must be a safe place of love, peace, and unity in the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-3).

Second, Jerusalem gives a …

Sense of Identity: The second point the psalmist makes is that this city is where the tribes come regularly. “Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:4). Jerusalem gives the people a sense of identity. All of Israel is supposed to travel there regularly—all the tribes converge there. It gives them a sense of belonging.

Is the church community where we find our identity? We belong together because we each belong to Christ. First and foremost, we are followers of Jesus Christ. The world divides people by nations, languages, ethnicities, gender, and social and economic status. In Christ, all those barriers are removed.

And finally, Jerusalem …

Promotes Justice:, the thrones of the house of David are there. “For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.” (Psalm 122:5). He says he’s talking about the thrones of judgment. So, when you come to Jerusalem, you find justice because the King is there.  The church cares about justice inside and justice outside.

The psalmist praises Jerusalem for its safety, the identity it creates, and the justice it promotes. As those who belong to Christ, with His Spirit inside of us, our gathering should be a foretaste of the refuge, worship, and justice we will experience in the heavenly New Jerusalem (Hebrews 10:23-25). The church needs to be a safe place. The church should give us our identity. The church needs to love justice and equality.

3. The Pilgrim’s Petition (Ps. 122:6–9)

How do we pray for God’s people? (Psalm 122:6-9)

We’ve seen the psalmist respond to being in Jerusalem. First, he arrives in the city and talks about the joy he has for visiting it. Then he praises the city. Finally, the psalmist concludes by offering prayers for the city. Here’s what the psalmist prays for in verses 6-9.

There is one overall theme of what the psalmist prays for: peace. That’s the Hebrew word shalom and it’s one of the richest and most meaningful words in all of Hebrew. Peace is repeated three times in these four verses.

First he prays for the peace of the city and upon those who love the city. Then he prays for peace within the walls and the security of the city. Then he prays “for the sake of my brothers” that there is peace within the city. Finally, he prays “for the sake of the house of the LORD our God.”

God is Here.

So, the psalmist prays for the city and for its people, and he builds in intensity as he moves toward the center. At the center is God’s presence. It’s the goodness of that presence that creates the peace of the city. The heart of the city is the presence of God.

And as we’ve been reflecting on the church, this is our final observation about the church as well. It may sound like an obvious thing to say. It may not even need saying. Except that it does. The heart of the church is the presence of God. We are where God dwells. God is here. Not in this building, but in this people.

At the heart of Jerusalem is “the house of the LORD our God.” At the heart of the church is the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Jerusalem wasn’t just a city. God lived dwelt with His people there. We aren’t just social group. God lives here.

Conclusion

So here we are. We are standing with each other. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Because God lives here.

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Parable of the Vineyard – Matthew 21:33-46

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Parable of the Vineyard

Matthew 21:33-46

The parable of the vineyard is the second of three parables in a row that Jesus spoke as He was being confronted by the chief priests and elders of the Jews in the temple. It was just a couple of days after He made His triumphal entry into the city, and a couple of days before His death on the cross. In the temple this last week, Jesus had cleansed the temple, healed the blind and lame in its courts, received worship in it as Messiah, and taught the people within its walls.[1] The religious leaders refused to recognize Jesus’ authority to do these things, asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matt. 21:23).  

When the chief priests and elders refused to answer Jesus’ counter-question about the authority of John’s baptism, He declined to answer their question about His authority. If they had repented and recognized John’s authority from God, they would have had the answer about Jesus’ authority. Yet, Jesus doesn’t just drop the matter. He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe.

Last time, we looked at the first parable. It told of two sons, one told his father no, but then changed his mind and obeyed. The other said yes to his father, but then didn’t obey. The first was a picture of repentant obedience, the second of hypocritical profession. Jesus applied this parable to them saying,

“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him” (Matthew 21:31-32).

Swindoll comments, “Jesus’ sharp denouncement left the religious leaders reeling, stunned that He would publicly call them out and accuse them of faithlessness and disobedience. But Jesus wasn’t finished with them yet. He followed the first jab with a second, taking a swing at them with a parable …”[2] This parable came with an even stronger judgment—the kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to others who will produce its fruit.

Let’s look at …

1. The Parable (Matt. 21:33-39)

Speaking with the authority of His Father, Jesus commands, “Hear another parable…” (Matt. 21:33). Imagine how this hit these proud men. They did not want to hear another parable, especially not another like the one Jesus just spoke against them! But Jesus didn’t need their permission to speak the word of God in His Father’s house.

First Jesus gives us the,

A. Setting (Matt. 21:33)

“There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.” (Matt. 21:33).

Jesus lays out the parable of a certain landowner who owned a vineyard. This man made every provision possible for the success of his vineyard, so that he could draw from it the fruit he desired. While he was away, the landowner leased the vineyard to tenant vinedressers.

There are 6 main components in this parable and each represents an element of God’s relationship with Israel: 1) The landowner obviously is a picture of God the Father; 2) The vineyard represents Israel as God’s kingdom people; 3) The tenants/vinedressers are the Jewish religious and civil leadership; 4) The landowner’s servants are a picture of the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to Israel; 5) The son is Jesus the Messiah who will be killed that very week; and 6) The other tenants who would produce fruit represent the church made up of the remnant of believing Jews and also believing Gentiles.

No Jew would fail to recognize in this story a picture of the relationship between the Lord and His people Israel. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard begins almost exactly like Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard in Isaiah 5:

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.” (Isaiah 5:1-3).

I’m sure the religious leaders (and even the common people) heard the echoes of Isaiah’s prophecy when Jesus spoke His parable. As Isaiah 5:7 says, “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.” (Isa. 5:7).

The LORD God had planted them. He called their father Abraham out of a pagan world and promised to make him into a great nation. He renewed that covenant with Isaac and Israel. He delivered them from bondage in Egypt and gave them the land of promise. He protected them from their enemies. He gave them good statutes and ordinances that would bless them. He dwelt in their midst in the tabernacle and temple. He entrusted Israel’s care to its priests, kings, and nobles—the “vinedressers” who were to teach the people His word and lead them in His ways.

God, like the landowner in the parable had a right to expect the fruits of His efforts. So next we see Him,

B. Sending the Servants (Matt. 21:34-36)

34 “Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.” (Matt. 21:34-36).

The landowner gave the vinedressers time to produce the fruit of the vineyard, then sent his servants to collect what was due him as the owner of the vineyard. But instead of honoring the owner, they abused his servants. But the landowner is gracious and patient. He sent other servants; but they were treated the same.

Clearly, the story represents the Lord’s repeated appeals to His people through His prophets. When Israel did not produce the fruit that God desired, He sent His prophets, but just as the tenants in the parable mistreated and even killed the servants, Israel rejected God’s prophets (2 Chr. 24:15-16). Jeremiah was beaten and cast into a pit (Jer. 26:7-11; 38:1-28); John the Baptist was killed (Matt. 14:1-12); and others were stoned (2 Chr. 24:21).

In Matthew 23, Jesus will say to the scribes and Pharisees,

34 “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:34-37).

At this point, the landowner does an amazing thing by …

C. Sending the Son (Matt. 21:37-39)

Jesus continues the parable, saying, “Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’” (Matt. 21:37). When the son arrives, there should be no doubt that he carries the authority of his father, the owner of the vineyard. Even if they did not respect the owner’s servants, surely they will honor his son.

But instead, they do the unthinkable. Jesus says, “But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.” (Matt. 21:38-39). The tenants see an opportunity here. They believe that if they kill the son, they will then receive his inheritance, possession of the vineyard. It was bad to mistreat the servants. It was worse to kill them. But to kill the owner’s son is an outrageous act of evil and greed. What a contrast between the gracious and patient landowner and the wicked and irascible vinedressers!

They did not kill the son because they didn’t recognize him. They killed him precisely because they did.[3] This implies conspiracy to commit murder by the Jewish leadership, and it is prophetic in the sense that Jesus is now telling them what they are going to do to Him (see Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16). Although the Gospels do not record their being, “This is the Messiah: come, let us kill him”; yet, in the light of the Scriptures, their rejection of him was no less culpable than if it had been that.[4] They knew His miracle power. They knew His claims. They knew He spoke the word of God. Still, they refused to believe in Him and sought to kill Him.

Once the parable was over, Jesus asked the chief priests and Pharisees a question that brought the application of it home to themselves. So we see the …

2. Self-Indictment by the Religious Leaders (Matt. 21:40-41)

Jesus asks the chief priests and elders, “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” (Matt. 21:40). And they gave an answer that—perhaps without their realizing it at first—completely condemned them. They said “He will destroy those wicked men miserably…” Or, as it is in the NASB, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.” What’s more, they admitted that he would rightfully “lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons” (Matt. 21:40). Having pronounced the judgment on the wicked vinedressers, they indicted themselves as worthy of destruction.

Jesus now applies the parable to them. So we see the …

3. Divine Indictment by the Lord (Matt. 21:42-44)

Jesus shows their condemnation by first taking them to the prophetic word.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matt. 21:42).

Jesus is quoting from Psalm 118, the same psalm that the people quoted when they praised Jesus on Palm Sunday. When Jesus asks them, “Have you never read?” He knows they have read this Scripture he is quoting. They read it every Passover, and they would be reading it again in just a few days. He is really asking them, “Have you never understood?”

The chief cornerstone was the most important stone in the building. The word here could refer either to the cornerstone which formed the foundation of the building or the capstone which was the final stone placed at the top of an arch, completing the building and securing the structure. Jesus is both. He is both cornerstone and capstone. He is the foundation and beginning of God’s kingdom, and he is the one who completes it and brings everything to fulfillment.[5]

Jesus is the stone the builders rejected that God has chosen to honor. The religious leaders are the builders who are rejecting Him even now. It was shocking, “marvelous in our eyes,” that the builders, the Jewish religious leaders would reject the cornerstone, their own Messiah. If anyone should have been able to recognize a perfect cornerstone, it should have been the builders. Yet, in their evil pride and arrogance, they cast out the cornerstone.

But this was no surprise to God the Father or to Jesus. As the psalm says, “This was the LORD’s doing.” It was God’s plan all along. It was prophesied long before it took place. Jesus knew they would have Him killed in fulfillment of the word of God.

To reject Jesus is to reject the son of the landowner and to be like those wicked vinedressers. By the chief priests’ and elders’ own admission, it would be right for the landowner to take the vineyard from them and to give it to someone else. And so, Jesus gives them His verdict, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruit of it” (Matt. 21:43).

The privilege of Israel, of her leaders, would be ripped violently away, and it would be transferred to others. No longer would Israel’s twelve tribes comprise the people of God. Rather, through His twelve apostles Jesus would build a new people of God, His church, a new race comprised of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, being fruitful, multiplying, and bearing fruit for His kingdom.

The dividing line is the cornerstone Himself, Jesus Christ. He is both the Savior and the Judge. He says, “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matt. 21:44). Jesus is quoting from two Old Testament Scriptures: Isaiah 8:14, which speaks of a rock of stumbling, and Daniel 2, which speaks of the rock of the kingdom which will crush all the other kingdoms of the earth (Daniel 2:44-45). In quoting these passages, Jesus applies these Scriptures to Himself. He is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the Savior to all who will receive Him, but He is the rock of judgment to those who reject Him.

The repentant tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners were like the ones who were broken by Jesus. They believed God’s message (Matt. 21:32). They repented of their ways (Matt. 21:28-29). Their old lives were broken. But Christ saved them, healed them, and gave them new life. They were being granted entrance into the kingdom (Matt. 21:31).

The religious leaders to whom Jesus was saying these things were like the ones this same stone falls on. When it came to true righteousness, they were all show and no substance (Matt. 21:30). They were missing the kingdom (Matt. 21:31). They did not believe God’s message when they first heard it from John, and they did not believe and repent even now (Matt. 21:32). They were the vine-growers who killed the landowner’s son to claim his inheritance (Matt. 21:39-39). They were the builders who rejected the chief cornerstone of God’s kingdom (Matt. 21:42). This stone would fall upon them and scatter them like dust (Matt. 21:44).

The apostle Peter says the same thing about Jesus in 1 Peter 2 where he writes: “7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.” (1 Peter 2:7-8). Jesus is the cornerstone. He is precious to all who believe in him. But to those who do not believe, He is a stone that causes them to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

What will you do with Jesus Christ? Either you will fall on Christ, repentant and broken over your sin, believing in His death and resurrection for salvation, or, rejecting Him, you will be crushed, ground to powder by His judgment. You will either bow the knee to Him in this day of grace, or you will bow the knee on the day of judgment.

Now, you would think that any sane person at this point would repent, But no, Jesus was right about them. Look at the …

4. Reaction by Chief Priests and Pharisees (Matt. 21:45-46)

When Jesus told the religious leaders the meaning behind the parable of the tenants, they only hardened their hearts even further. Matthew records,

45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matt. 21:45-46).

Matthew’s conclusion gives us three insights into the attitude of the religious establishment. 1) They are jealous and envious of Jesus’ popularity with the common people. This encroaches on their authority and power to govern. 2) They have come to the realization that Jesus is talking about them. This hurts their pride and embarrasses them in front of the people. 3) They understood the analogy of the son and that Jesus was referring to Himself. To them, this was blasphemy, and they would now seek to kill Jesus. From here the leaders would meet in secrecy to plot how they would get rid of Jesus. God in the Scriptures foretells this very event, and these men, prompted by hatred, rush to bring it to pass.[6]

We apply this parable to our lives by asking two questions. First, have you come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, or have you rejected Him like the Jewish leadership did? You need to repent and believe in Christ as the only One who can save you from the penalty of your sins. Fall on Him, He will save you now.

Second, if you are a believer, are you producing the fruit of righteousness? You owe Christ your very life. You have been saved because of the mercy, grace, and patience of God. You deserved none of it. Are you living in grateful obedience to Christ? Is your life bearing fruit for the kingdom? Believers may vary in the amount of fruit they produce, but there is no such thing as a fruitless believer.

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[1] Greg Allen, An Encounter with the Cornerstone, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/042708.htm

[2] Charles Swindoll, Insights on Matthew 16—28, Tyndale House Publishers, p. 161.

[3] R. Alan Cole, The Gospel According to Mark, Wm. B. Eerdmans’ Publishing, p. 259.

[4] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 453.

[5] Ray Fowler, Kingdom Taken, Kingdom Given, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/kingdom-taken-kingdom-given/.

[6] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 454.

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The Parable of the Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32

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The Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Context

Our passage today from Matthew 21 is the first of three parables that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt while the people declared Him to be the Messiah and King (Matt. 21:8-11). He had purposefully arranged the details carefully to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, thus, proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews (Matt. 21:1-7). Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of those buying and selling there, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against their hypocrisy and false worship.

Jesus then showed what true faith in God looks like when He healed the blind and lame in the temple and received the praise of children over the objections of the chief priests and scribes (Matt. 21:14-16). Then, He cursed the fig tree as a sign of God’s judgment coming on the Israelites for their lack of fruit and lack of faith.

In Matthew 21:23, the chief priests and elders in the temple pushed back, confronting Jesus in the temple and asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It was an insincere question designed to trap Jesus and accuse Him. But Jesus, knowing their unbelieving hearts, didn’t fall for it. Instead, He turned the tables on them and asked about John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? (Matt. 21:25). Jesus said if they answer His question, He would answer theirs (Matt. 21:24). In fact, if they truly answered Jesus’ question, it would answer their own question because John had testified that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. But they did not want to recognize Jesus’ authority, so they answered, “We do not know” (Matt. 21:27). Therefore, Jesus would not tell these unbelieving leaders the answer to their question either.

Yet Jesus doesn’t simply drop the matter. Instead, He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe. Blomberg says of these three parables, “in sequence they depict God’s indictment, sentence, and execution of the present Jewish leadership.”[1]  Let’s look at this first parable together today.

1. Simple Parable: Two Sons (Matt. 21:28-30)

Jesus begins by asking them, “But what do you think?” (Matt. 21:28). Jesus is compelling these unbelieving religious leaders to think about their own attitudes. In telling this story and asking them to give the judgment, Jesus will force them to indict themselves—much like the prophet Nathan did with King David (2 Sam 12).

The story is really quite simple. Jesus said, “A man had two sons” (Matt. 21:28). He tells each of them to go and work in the vineyard. One says no, but then changes his mind and goes anyways. The other says yes, but then doesn’t go. Working in the vineyard is a picture of doing the Father’s will. The question that Jesus asks the religious leaders about the parable is, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matt. 21:31).

The first son is a picture of …

A. Repentant Obedience

We recognize the attitude of this son immediately. At first, he rebelled and disobeyed his father. “He answered and said, ‘I will not,’” (Matt. 21:29a). He didn’t want to submit to his father’s authority. But then something changed in him. Jesus says, “but afterward he regretted it and went” (Matt. 21:29b).

The key word here is the word translated “regretted”. It is the Greek verb metamélomai, which can have one of two senses: 1) It can mean “to have regrets about [something], to be sorry, or to express remorse”; 2) It can mean “to change one’s mind about [something], or have second thoughts” (BAGD3 #4851, BibleWorks).

This word doesn’t always mean repentance in the New Testament unless it leads to a genuine turning of heart and action (metanoia). Judas regretted (metamelomai) betraying Jesus, but he was by no means repentant (Matt. 27:3). Paul demonstrates the difference between regret and repentance in 2 Corinthians 7, writing,

10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (2 Cor. 7:10-11).”

True repentance is not just being sorry that I got caught, or regretting the consequences of my decisions. It is a change in my mind and heart that results in a change in my attitude and behavior. In the case of this reluctant first son, his regret led to a change in his behavior. So, I believe that the first son indicates the attitude of repentance and conversion. We will see this more fully below in Jesus’ explanation.

If the first son is a picture of repentant obedience, the second son is a picture of…

B. Hypocritical Profession

Jesus said that the father then, “came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.” (Matt. 21:30). One preacher said this second son is the Eddy Haskel of the group.[2] If you remember him from Leave It to Beaver, he was always polite and respectful to adults but always scheming and devious behind their backs. This son’s words and his actions do not line up. Unlike the first son who disrespectfully said, “I will not”, this second son’ words were outwardly respectful and compliant. He addresses his father as “sir”, a word that is often translated, “Lord,” a title of honor and reverence. This son says all the right things. The only problem is that it is all words without actions. And so, the second son is an example of empty profession and hypocrisy.

Jesus then asks the religious leaders: “Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matt. 21:31). Remember, Jesus asked them at the beginning of the parable, “What do you think?” (Matt. 21:28). Now He asks for their judgment on the two sons. Remember how the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus in His words earlier? Now Jesus is about to trap them in their own words.

The answer is obvious, and the religious leaders are forced to answer, “The first,” that is, the one who changed his mind and actually did what his father told him to do.

Jesus then turns their own judgment into an indictment against themselves. Notice His …

2. Strong Rebuke (Matt. 21:31-32)

Jesus tells them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31). The words Jesus uses here are even stronger and can carry the sense of, “The tax collectors and prostitutes go instead of you into the kingdom of God.” In other words, they are entering God’s kingdom, and you are not.[3]

It’s hard for us to comprehend just how insulting and offensive this was to the chief priests and elders in the temple. “Tax-collectors”? “Harlots”? To these proud chief priests and elders, those kinds of people were the worst of sinners, the scum of the earth! As far as they were concerned, they were the least likely to enter God’s kingdom. Was Jesus actually saying that such people as that would come enter the kingdom before they would? Yes! These notorious sinners enter the kingdom because these …

A. Sinners Repent and Believe

In Matthew 21:32 Jesus says, “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” Jesus says that John the Baptist came “in the way of righteousness,” that is, he came preaching the righteousness of God and that sinners must repent. Many of the tax collectors and harlots were among those who repented and believed John’s message. They believed what John preached, that the kingdom of God was near, that the Messiah was coming, and that they must repent.

These sinners did not enter the kingdom of heaven because they were more worthy, holy, or deserving. They entered because they did what the first son in the parable did. Jesus even used the same word to describe what the tax-collectors and harlots did that He used to describe what the first son did: they “relented”; that is, they changed their thinking, turned from their sins, and believed what John said concerning Jesus Christ. Luke 7 tells us,

29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. (Luke 7:29-30).

The chief priests and elders who were trying to discredit Jesus and would eventually condemn and execute Him that week, had also rejected John’s baptism. So we see the …

B. Leaders’ Refuse to Repent and Believe

Jesus says that the reason they would be excluded from the kingdom is because they had not obeyed God’s message through John. They did not “relent and believe him” (Matt. 21:32). They had multiple opportunities to repent and believe, but they refused. They had heard the preaching of John the Baptist. They had seen the miraculous works of Jesus. They had heard His teaching. And they had seen the lives of tax collectors and harlots radically changed by repentance and faith in Christ. But they still did not repent and believe!

They were like the second son in the parable. They professed to love God and obey the law of God, but instead, they hated the Son of God and would not believe in Him. Jesus implies that they should have repented and believed. Even as He speaks this parable, He is calling them to repent and believe once again.

What can we learn from this parable? First, entrance into the kingdom of heaven, the way of salvation is only by repenting and believing in Jesus. Religion won’t save you. Empty profession won’t save you. An outward show of righteousness won’t save you. You must repent and believe in Jesus. John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent and believe!” (Mark 1:15). The message of Jesus is the same. Have you repented? Have you had that change of mind and heart that results in a change in direction? Have you believed in Jesus Christ? He is the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners by giving His life on the cross to pay the debt we owed to God for our sin. He was raised from the dead, is alive forevermore, and saves everyone who repents and believes in Him.

You may be like the first son and the tax collectors and harlots. You have lived a life of rebellion and sin. You have disrespected God, broken His law, and spurned His love. Is there hope for you? YES! Jesus said that He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Matt. 18:11). Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). You can never be too sinful that Jesus cannot save you. Ask God to grant to you repentance and faith in Christ Jesus today. He will save you and transform you into a child of God.

Or you may be like the second son and the religious leaders. You think you are right with God because of your outward goodness. But God looks at the heart. He knows your inward rebellion and sin. The remedy for you is the same: repent and believe. Turn from your self-righteousness and trust in the death and resurrection of Christ to save you.

The second lesson is this: Your actions should line up with your words. Jesus isn’t interested in hearing people say that they will follow God. He is interested in those who actually follow God. In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21). Outward profession without inward repentance and faith is worthless.

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[1] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 320.

[2] Rory Mosley, The Authority of Jesus (Matthew 21:23-32), https://fbcspur.org/authority-jesus-matthew-2123-32/.  

[3] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 450.

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The Authority of Jesus – Matthew 21:23-27

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

The Authority of Jesus

Matthew 21:23-27

The section of Matthew’s Gospel (chapters 21-23) describes the confrontations that Jesus had with the religious leaders of Israel only days before He was betrayed into the hands of evil men and nailed to the cross. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in the midst of a procession which was declaring Him to be King! He arranged the details carefully, so that He would ride into Jerusalem upon a donkey in accordance with the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9. In so doing, Jesus was proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews. Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, who were seeking to make a profit with their religion, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against the false worship in the Jewish religious system. Then, by cursing the fruitless fig tree, Jesus taught His disciples about the false and fruitless profession of religion without faith in Him.

As you can imagine, Jesus’ actions and words in Jerusalem provoked a response from the religious leaders there. They had to respond to Jesus. Would they respond favorably by repenting of their evil deeds and believing in Him? Or would they continue to resist the word of God, refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and seek to destroy Him?

Because we’ve read the rest of the story, we know how it ends—with Jesus wrongly condemned and nailed to a cross. It ended this way not only because it was the Father’s will, but also because of the Jewish leaders’ hatred for Jesus and their unrepentant, unbelieving, evil hearts.

In our text this morning we encounter the Pharisees questioning Jesus, because they didn’t believe in Him. First, we see…

1. The Confrontation: Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned (Matt. 21:23)

Matthew tells us,

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).

They demanded to know first the nature, and then the source, of His authority. And in and of themselves, those were not necessarily inappropriate questions for the chief priests and elders to ask. These religious leaders were, after all, charged with the responsibility of caring for the spiritual condition of their people, and for what happened in the temple.

So, what are “these things” that Jesus has been doing? Oh, just riding into Jerusalem on the donkey as king, receiving the people’s acclamation of Him as Messiah, driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, healing the blind and the lame in the temple, affirming the praises of the children in the temple, and now teaching in the temple courts. Jesus was doing all “these things” in the temple without their endorsement or permission!

They thought they were the ones in charge of the temple. As far as they are concerned, they are the authorities. So, they raise the question to Jesus, in effect asking, “Who’s in charge here?”

But the problem was that the questions were not sincere. The evidence is very plainly there in the text that they already knew the answer they wanted and believed before they asked the questions! Their questions were motivated not by a desire to know the truth, but by a refusal to believe.

And Jesus knew their deceitful hearts. He felt no necessary obligation to respect their demand for an answer. Rather, instead, He made His answer to them ‘conditional’. Before He would answer their hostile questions, they had to answer His questions concerning what they already knew. It wasn’t that Jesus was seeking to avoid answering their questions. Rather, it was to force them to answer the questions themselves, because if they answered His question, they would have the answers to their own.

So we see…

2. The Counter-Question: Jesus Asks about John’s Baptism (Matt. 21:24-26)

Jesus responds to their question with a question of his own. Matthew writes, “But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John–where was it from? From heaven or from men?’ ” (Matt. 21:24-25a).

What a question! What a bind He put them in! They were hoping to embroil Him in controversy before all the people—forcing Him to claim authority to Himself, and then giving them the opportunity to trap Him in an accusation of blasphemy! But now, in front of all those same people, He put them in a knot that they couldn’t even begin to untie themselves from without exposing the hardness of their own unbelieving hearts!

Think with me about John the Baptist for a moment. Jesus said about him, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist …” (Matt. 11:11).

John was the fulfillment of the promise that God made in the last book of the Old Testament; “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1; see also Matthew 10:11). He was the one that the Lord promised in the Book of Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD . . .‘” (Isaiah 40:3; see also Matthew 3:3).

The people of Jerusalem—along with all Judea and the surrounding regions—had come to John in the wilderness of the Jordan. They all heard his bold message; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2); and many came to him repenting of their sins to be baptized with water (Matt. 3:6, 11).

Everyone knew about John, and as a prophet, people trembled at what he had to say. In fact, his message and his manner were so bold and earthshaking that the talk went around that he might even be the Messiah (John 1:19-20). But he made it clear that he himself was not the Messiah—that his ministry was to identify Someone else as the Messiah. He announced,

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12).

And just consider how this man John testified of Jesus! Matthew tells us;

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17).

The Gospel of John tells us that the Baptist’s very public testimony of Jesus was this:

 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34).

John’s testimony of Jesus was outstandingly clear. It was very public; and it was immediately verifiable. How very disingenuous, then, for the chief priests and elders to confront Jesus and say, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It wasn’t a sincere question at all. They already knew the answer. But they would not believe what they knew; and instead, they hoped to trap Jesus by His giving an answer to their question.

I suspect that they were dumbstruck. They hadn’t seen this coming. The religious leaders find themselves caught in a dilemma. Matthew tells us,

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” (Matt. 21:25b-26).

Their dilemma was simply this: “How do we answer?” Because this is a lose-lose proposition for them. If they say John’s authority came from God, Jesus will ask them, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if they say John’s authority was just from men, they risk upsetting the people who all hold that John was a prophet.

Notice they aren’t remotely interested in answering the question honestly. Instead, they are carefully weighing the options, testing the winds, running advance straw polls in their minds. They are acting more like politicians here than religious leaders who are supposed to be men of God!

Here’s a lesson for us when we tell people about Jesus. When people confront us with controversial questions about Jesus or the scripture, take the time to discern the heart-attitude of the one doing the asking. Is it an attitude of sincere exploration concerning the truth about Jesus? Or are the questions simply an effort to find yet another excuse for unbelief? We ought to do our best to answer patiently the true seeker. But Jesus’ example teaches us that we ought to expose false motives of those who don’t want the truth.

This brings us to …

3. The Conclusion: Jesus Refused to Answer their Unbelief (Matt. 21:27).

The religious leaders have confronted Jesus; Jesus has countered the religious leaders; it’s time for closing arguments. How do the religious leaders answer Jesus’ question? “So they answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’” (Matt. 21:27). They know that no matter how they answer Jesus, it’s not going to look good for them. They don’t want to affirm John’s ministry, and they don’t want to offend the people, so they take the easy way out: “We don’t know!” What cowards! John the Baptist was the most important religious figure to appear in Israel for centuries. And the religious leaders don’t even have an opinion on him? Here they are ready to judge Jesus when they cannot even pass judgment on John!

What does Jesus say in response to their obfuscation? “And He said to them,’Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’” (Matt. 21:27).

Remember, Jesus had offered them a trade: “I will answer your questions, if you answer mine!” The religious leaders refuse to answer Jesus’ question, and so Jesus refuses to answer theirs. Jesus is more than ready to answer all our questions as long as we are ready to receive his answers. But they didn’t ask in good faith. They didn’t ask in faith at all. They asked out of an unbelieving heart and a challenging spirit. Both their manner and their questions displayed a stubborn refusal to believe either Jesus or John.

It wouldn’t do any good for Jesus to explain His authority because they wouldn’t recognize it anyway. They made it clear that they would not recognize God’s authority when they saw and heard it. They would not submit to God’s authority. So what good would it do for Jesus to say, “God gave me this authority”?

They had already misunderstood the revelation of Scripture, rejected the ministry of John, and accused Jesus of doing things by the power of Satan! They were not open to a clear answer from Jesus–and they were not fit for positions of authority themselves. By questioning Jesus’ authority, they demonstrated their own rebellion against God’s authority.

William Hendriksen applies this, writing,

An important practical lesson is taught here. Christ’s opponents failed to see the truth because they hardened themselves against it. The reason why many people know so little about Jesus and about the joy of living the Christian life is that they refuse to submit themselves to his will. The prayer of everyone should be: “Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God” (Ps. 143:10).

It is a dangerous thing to harden yourself against the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we repeatedly reject the authority of Christ and His word, we will eventually lose the opportunity to repent, believe, and be saved.

So today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. Repent and believe in Jesus. He died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven. He was raised from the dead and gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. Don’t wait another minute. Don’t refuse His love and reject His authority.

 

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

Matthew 21:18-22

In Matthew 21, we are following the events of the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He went to the cross. It began in Matthew 21:1-11 with Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey in fulfillment of scripture. Then we saw Jesus go into the temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who were buying and selling, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). The temple off God was full of hypocrisy, extortion, greed, and deceit. What should have been a house of prayer had become a den of robbers.

Jesus then healed the blind and the lame and received the praise of the children. thus fulfilling prophecies about His true Messiahship. He then left the temple and spent the night in Bethany near the Mount of Olives.

In Matthew 21:18, Jesus is returning to the city of Jerusalem. He will go back into the temple (Matt. 21:23) where the religious leaders will question His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). Then Jesus will teach two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46). The first is a man who says he will work and then doesn’t. The second is a group of men who say they will produce fruit from the vineyard and then don’t. The last parable is the climax of the section, illustrating that Christ has been rejected by His own fruitless people, and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear its fruit.

The issue is fruit that comes from genuine faith in God. Jesus is sick and tired of the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion. He heard their hypocrisy as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He saw it in the greedy trampling of the temple courts. He will teach parables about their hypocrisy in the temple. And right between these events, Jesus cursed the fig tree. It’s an unusual incident, and, like the cleansing of the temple, one that seems uncharacteristic of Jesus at first. We don’t normally think of Jesus driving people out of temples or cursing fig trees. But Jesus never does anything without a purpose, and His purpose here is to teach His disciples. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, illustrating the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion.

Our short passage breaks down into two parts: the withering of the fruitless tree and the word about faith in prayer.

1. The Withering of the Fruitless Tree (Matt. 21:18-19)

Matthew tells us that it was in the morning that Jesus and His disciples were making their way back from Bethany to Jerusalem. And “as He returned to the city, He was hungry” (Matt. 5:18). Since they spent the night at Bethany, it would be safe to assume that Jesus and His disciples stayed at the home of His dear friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. And from what we know of Martha, she likely would have made sure everyone was well-fed before they left. But for whatever reason, Jesus was hungry. Perhaps, as He had done so often, He rose early to pray and didn’t eat with the others. Perhaps Jesus’ hunger was intentional, so that He could teach this object lesson to His disciples.

As they journeyed along toward the city, Jesus saw a fig tree by the side of the road (Matt. 21:18). This would not be unusual. Remember, we saw in Matthew 21:1 that near Bethany and the Mount of Olives was the village of Bethpage, meaning house of figs. The original language tells us that it was a “single” fig tree—all alone, which is perhaps what made it so easy to see. And what’s more, Jesus could see from a distance that it bore leaves. And if you were hungry, that was a very good sign. Fig trees in that part of the world produced a sort of early fig in the springtime, a small one that came before the leaves began to grow. They weren’t as big and juicy as the later figs would be, but they were still very tasty.

But Matthew tells us that, when Jesus came to the tree, “He found nothing on it but leaves” (Matt. 21:19). Now leaves on a fig tree without any fruit is very unusual. Usually, the leaves and the fruit develop together. So, there is definitely something wrong with this tree. It had all the promise of fruitfulness—all the appearance of bearing something He desired. But on closer examination, it had only the outward appearance of ‘fruitfulness’. It bore none of the fruit.

But then Jesus does something even more unusual. He curses the fig tree. He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again“; and we’re told that “immediately the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19). Now from what we have seen about the authority and power of Jesus, He could just as easily have told the fig tree, “May you bear fruit right now!”, and the tree would have been filled with figs. But Jesus cursed the fig tree instead, and immediately the tree withered. Mark tells us that it was “dried up from the roots” (Mark 11:20). This was a big, thriving, healthy tree until Jesus cursed it. And when He did, it never bore fruit again.

“Why did Jesus curse the tree like this?” Was it simply because He was hangry? Was He in a bad mood that morning? Of course not! Jesus is never just impulsive or out of control. Everything He does, He does on purpose. So, what we need to ask is, “What’s His purpose in cursing the fig tree?”

First, let’s find out some things about fig trees in the Bible. In the Old Testament, fig trees were pleasurable things. The fruit of the fig tree was good and sweet. Fig trees were symbolic of prosperity (Deut. 8:8; Hab. 3:17; Hag. 2:19), pleasure (Judges 9:11), and security (1 Kings 4:25; 2 Kings 18:31; Isaiah 36:16; Joel 2:22; Nah. 3:12) in the land of Israel. When the people of Israel would see the fig-trees putting forth the early “green figs”, they looked at it warm-heartedly as a sign that springtime had come (Song 2:13).

It’s not surprising, then, that the Bible uses the fruit of the fig-tree as a symbol of Israel. In Hosea, the LORD says, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its season” (Hosea 9:8). God gave the prophet Jeremiah a vision of the remnant people of Judah as a basket of either good ripe figs, or figs so rotten they couldn’t be eaten (Jer. 24:1-10).

And so, when God warns through His prophets that He is going to strike the fruit of the fig tree, it is a sign of judgment on His people Israel. In Jeremiah 8:13, He says, “‘I will surely consume them’ says the LORD. ‘No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass away from them’” (Jer. 8:13; cf. Joel 1:11-12).

I believe that Jesus, when He cursed the fig tree, was illustrating a prophetic word of judgment.  Through the prophet Micah, The LORD indicated what He expected from His people:

With what shall I come before the LORD,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8).

But when the LORD examined His people closely, the prophet writes,

Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires (Micah 7:1).

Think about what Jesus had just done. He came to His temple, expecting to find genuine fruits of faith from His people. Instead, He was greeted with unbelief, opposition, and the abuse of His Father’s house. There were religious practices all over the place—offerings being made, Scriptures being recited, and lots of animals being purchased for sacrifice. It was very, very religious. But all their religion was nothing more than the mere outward “promise” of fruitfulness and nothing more. There was no real spiritual “fruit”. It was all “fig leaves”; but no “figs”.

In his Gospel, Luke doesn’t record this incident. But in Luke 13, after Jesus says to the Jewish people, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree:

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 “Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 “But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 ‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9).

Think about it. Jesus came to the temple and instead of finding the fruit of faith, He was greeted by the religious leaders with opposition and unbelief. Jesus had been among them for more than three years ministering to them. For three years, Jesus had been patient. For three years, Jesus had sought fruit from the Jewish people. His patience was long. Yet finally, there reached a point when His patience would run out. I believe that the cursing of this fig tree was a living parable to indicate that the time for judgment had come.

This is the theme of the rest of the chapter: Israel lacks fruit. Here, the Messiah is entering Jerusalem. The Jewish people ought to receive Him. But, rather than doing so, they reject Him. In verse 23, they question Jesus’ authority. Beginning in Matthew 21:28, Jesus will tell a story of two sons. The first promised his father that he would work in the vineyard. Yet, when it came time to do so, he didn’t go. The second said that he wouldn’t work. But later, he repented and did go to work. The son of empty promises is like the nation of Israel. There is outward talk of righteousness, but no fruit of righteousness. They had leaves, but there were no figs. Beginning in Matthew 21:33, Jesus will talk about the vine-growers who hated the owner of the vineyard. Their hatred reached such a point that they would kill the son of the owner. Jesus made it very clear that the religious leaders were like the vine-growers. They hate the Son and have rejected the chief cornerstone. Israel missed their Messiah! They didn’t believe in Him. Their religion was all show. Their religion was all cultural and external—all leaves and no fruit. In Matthew 21:43, Jesus tells them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”

So, on one level it’s a story about Israel, but it is also a story about us. It is an acted parable with an intended meaning. Just as Jesus went to the fig tree looking for fruit, God comes looking for fruit in our lives. The prophet Isaiah in sang a parable in song about fruit. We read in Isaiah 5:

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. … 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isa 5:1-2, 7).

God looks for fruit in our lives, and not just fruit – He is looking for good fruit, not bad fruit. He is looking for real spiritual fruit of righteousness, not merely the leaves of external religion. Mere religiosity without genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may look good before men, but it greatly displeases the Lord. When God comes looking for fruit in your life, what will he find? Will he find the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)? Will he find the fruit of righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:11)? Will He find the fruit of good works that please Him (Col. 1:10)? Will he find the fruit of witnessing as you share with others about Jesus and the gospel (1 Cor. 3:5-6)? Will he find the fruit of praise upon your lips (Heb. 13:15)?

And that leads us to the reaction of the disciples to what they saw; and to the next lesson we’re to learn …

2. The Word about Faith in Prayer (Matt. 21:20-22).

The disciples had a hard time learning the lessons of dependency upon the Lord. They had seen Him perform many miracles. But when they saw Him curse a fig tree, and then saw the fig tree wither and die afterwards, they marveled; saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (Matt. 5:20).

It’s interesting that He didn’t answer their question directly. Instead, it seems to me that the Lord told them something that they weren’t expecting.

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:21-22).

Jesus told the disciples something similar back in Matthew 17:20 when He answered their question about why they could not help the man with the demon possessed son. There He said: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  

Remember that these two verses are not just a random insertion by Matthew about faith and prayer. They come in the context of the cursing of the fig tree, directly in answer to Jesus’ disciple’s question about it, and the in the larger context of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. They come in the context of the fruitlessness of the religious leaders and the Lord’s desire for good fruit.

So let me ask you, based upon what Jesus teaches here, how does one live a fruitful life before God? The answer: FAITH. The problem of no fruit is the problem of no faith. Jesus says “if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done” (Matt. 21:21). Jesus is using hyperbole here to show that there is nothing that faith in Him cannot do.  We can’t make fig trees wither or cause mountains to throw themselves into the sea. But nothing is impossible for God. Faith lays hold of God’s power to do things that are impossible for us to do.

And then Jesus goes on to tell us that God answers the prayer of faith. He says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:22) That is an amazing verse. It is a breath-taking promise that God will answer your prayers when you pray in faith believing.

Now I don’t believe that Jesus is giving us some kind of “blank check” to do whatever we want independently from His Lordship. Did you notice that He specifies, “if you have faith and do not doubt . . .”? Who is it we’re to have faith in? Obviously, we’re to have faith in Him! What is it we’re not to doubt? We’re not to doubt His will expressed clearly in His word. It’s all about Jesus—not about what we want. The promise He makes in this passage is NEVER something we’re to try to claim in any other way than with complete, heartfelt, sincere, dependent faith on Him and in obedient trust in His word.

Jesus shows that a lack of fruit is a result of a lack of faith in Him. And a lack of faith in Him is revealed by a lack of prayer to Him. A person who doesn’t pray is a person who wreaks of self-sufficiency. They are a person who is all leaves and no fruit. They are a person who is doing things on their own and in their own strength. And when you do things on your own and in your own strength, do you know what happens? NOTHING. In John 15, Jesus said,

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.“ (John 15:4-8).

The kind of faith our Lord wants from us is characterized by “abiding” in Him. It’s the kind of faith in the Lord Jesus that recognizes that we draw our very life from Him, and cannot do anything apart from Him. And it involves an understanding of His revealed will through the holy Scriptures; and a commitment be completely yielded to that will without doubt or without wavering.

So, here’s two lessons our Lord wants us to learn from the fig tree—and both lessons have to do with a vital faith in Jesus Christ. First, the tree that is covered with leaves but is barren of fruit teaches us the barrenness of mere religion on the outside when there’s unbelief in Jesus on the inside. Is your religion just an outward show, or is it bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17)?

Second, the promise of the Savior to the disciples teaches us that real fruitfulness is a product of genuine, living, personal, dependency upon Jesus Christ in faith. Such faith in Jesus brings glory to the Father. When your life is full of fruit, your prayers will be filled with faith, and God will accomplish His purposes through your life and in our church. Is your faith demonstrated by believing prayer?

 

 

 

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Cleansing the Temple – Matthew 21:12-17

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Cleansing the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17

In our study of Matthew’s Gospel, we’ve come to the great events of that last, holy week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It began with our Lord’s ‘triumphal entry’ into the city of Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 and will end in Matthew 27 with Jesus’ crucifixion. If you’ve ever wondered, how do you get from Palm Sunday when everyone was cheering Jesus to Good Friday when Jesus hung on the cross, the answer is what happened between Sunday and Friday during this final week of Jesus’ life. Of course, we have seen opposition to Jesus from the religious authorities mounting throughout the Gospel of Matthew. But in the plan of God, the hostility toward Jesus comes to a head during this week and will culminate in His execution on the cross.

Luke records that the Pharisees were upset by Jesus’ triumphal entry, and told Jesus to rebuke His disciples who were praising Him as the King (Luke 19:39). Matthew told us that the whole city was shaken by that event (Matt. 21:10). But if that day offended the religious leaders, just wait until you see what happens next. Nothing infuriated the Pharisees and the chief priests more than disrupting their religion. And that is exactly what Jesus does next. Jesus performs two prophetic acts of judgment: the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree. The first deals with false worship, and the second with false profession. Israel’s worship was corrupted. They performed religious rituals to God in their worship, but without a true relationship with God. They professed a desire for God’s Messiah, but rejected Him when He came. And for that, they would be judged.

Matthew 21:12-17 tells us the story of the Son of God’s entry into the temple—into His Father’s house. The Old Testament prophesied that when the Messiah came, He would come to the temple and clean house. We read in Malachi 3:

1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:1-3).

Jesus came to the temple in fulfillment of prophecy, and He came to clean house. The worship in the temple was corrupted. And in an act of judgment, Jesus cleansed it. Matthew’s brief account tells us what Jesus immediately drove out of the temple, what He welcomed into it, and what He received and enjoyed in the midst of it. And in doing so, he teaches us three important truths about worship and God’s house. God’s house is to be a place of prayer, healing, and praise.

1. Jesus Drove the Market Out (Matt. 21:12-13)

Matthew 21:12 tells us, “Then Jesus went into the temple of God.” Let me give you a picture of what He saw. First, He saw a huge crowd of people. It was Passover week. Jews from all over came to Jerusalem, and the temple was the focal point of everything that week. All of these people had come up to Jerusalem to offer up sacrifices, according to the law of God (Exodus 12). These sacrifices were performed at the temple. Now certainly, what Jesus wanted to find in the temple were sincere worshipers of God.

In addition to the crowds in the temple, Jesus saw the market. The temple complex consisted not only of the temple building itself, which housed the inner holy place and the holy of holies, but also the several courtyards and colonnades that surrounded the temple building. So when Jesus entered the temple, it was not the temple building itself, but the outer court of the temple called the court of the Gentiles. There, He saw the market.

MacArthur gives some background on the business in the Temple. The business enterprises in the Court of the Gentiles came to be known as the “Bazaar of Annas,” whose chief priests and other associates oversaw the Temple franchises. Merchants would buy rights to a concession for selling sacrificial animals, wine, oil, or salt, or for exchanging money into the proper currency and denominations used in Temple offerings. They provided a necessary service for those traveling from far away. When you arrived in Jerusalem, you could purchase what you needed rather than having to bring it all with you.

So, if these were necessary services, what is the problem here? Well, there are a couple of problems here. One is the location. They’re doing all this in the temple! That’s not what the temple is for. They could have done all this business outside the temple gates. And the other problem is they are taking advantage of the people. There is extortion and price gouging going on. In addition to the franchise fees the operators would often be required to pay a certain percentage of their profits to Annas. According to Levitical law, any animal approved by the priests could be offered in the Temple. But the chief priests often made certain that animals not bought in one of their franchises would be judged unacceptable. A person would often have to pay as much as ten times what an animal normally cost. As if that extortion were not enough, those who needed to have foreign currency exchanged or who had to have their money converted into the exact amount for an offering were charged a processing fee.[1]

You can imagine what this did to the temple. It turned it into a marketplace. There would be buyers and sellers dashing back and forth. There would be lines of impatient people, and crowds pressing at tables. There would be haggling for the best price, and very likely would have been the kind of language filling the air that characterizes the trading of goods and money even today. And of course, there would be profits being made. In short, the temple was being used in selfish pursuit of business, rather than to offer sincere worship to a holy God.

That’s what Jesus found when He came into His Father’s house. And He drove it out. Matthew 21:12 tells us that Jesus “… drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” Jesus put an end to the selfish abuse of God’s house.

And notice how Jesus justified His actions. He quoted Scripture. Jesus didn’t just act out of His own passions. He always did what He did in accordance with the written word of God. Matthew 21:13 says, “And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “” Jesus is quoting here from two prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).

In context, the prophecy from Isaiah reads,

1 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the LORD Speak, saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants–Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant– 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isa 56:1-7 NKJV)

That was the intention of the Father for His house. It was to be a house of prayer—a holy place. It was even to be a house of prayer “for all nations”—so that the Gentiles who sought the God of Israel could freely come within its courts and pray to Him. Yet what Jesus found was that the very court of the Gentiles, where the nations were supposed to come and pray, had been turned into a bazaar.

Even worse, Jesus says, “you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus spoke the words of Jeremiah 7, where God sent His prophet to stand at the gate of the old temple and speak to the people entering it (Jer. 7:1-2), saying,

3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’ 5 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 8 Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. (Jer. 7:3-11).

The people in Jeremiah’s day felt as long as they had the temple, it was proof that they were God’s people and would be safe from their enemies. They thought they could live as they pleased and still come to the temple to worship and pray. Jeremiah spoke of thieves, murderers, liars, and idolaters (Jer. 7:9).  These were wicked, sinful people who came into the temple, saying “we are delivered!”

People sometimes do the same today. They go to church on Sundays, and then do whatever they want the rest of the week. But that is not what church is all about. Just as the temple was God’s house in the Old Testament, the people of Christ’s church are God’s house in the New Testament. Here’s the bottom line. You cannot live in sin all week long, and then come to church on Sundays as though none of that matters.

When you put together these prophecies from Isaiah and Jeremiah as Jesus did, the thrust of His message was that the worship that was being offered in the temple of God was corrupt, sinful, and evil. God calls their worship an abomination.

The marketplace in the temple made me think of the multitudes of times I’ve turned the television to a religious channel, and saw an 800 number and a credit card symbol on the bottom of the screen. It made me think of all the churches that adjust their schedules and reshape their style to reach a particular “target audience” from a higher economic level. It made me think of all the things of the world that churches are bringing into the holy house of God in a desperate effort to appear “relevant” and “tolerable” to the world. It made me think of how many churches and pastors are becoming increasingly hesitant to preach God’s word out of a fear of turning people away, and are preaching instead a market-driven message that the people of this world will find more acceptable.[2]

God’s house is a house of prayer. That doesn’t mean the only thing we do is pray. Rather, it means everything we do is done in an attitude of prayer. We come with a heart dependent on the Lord and seeking His face. That’s the first thing we learn from our passage today. God’s house is a place of prayer, not profit – a place of holiness, not a place for sin, selfish gain, or abuse.[3] This is why Jesus drove the market out.

Next, we see that …

2. Jesus Welcomed the Needy In (Matt. 21:14)

Matthew 21:14 says, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus came into His temple, He not only drove out what the Jewish leaders had allowed to come in. He also brought in what they sought to keep out.

Under the Old Testament law, members of the priestly family who had the sad misfortune to suffer a defect were not permitted to serve in the temple. “‘For“, as the law says, “any man who has a defect shall not approach“; and specifically, “a man blind or lame” (Leviticus 21:18). The law even prohibited making an offering of any animal that was “blind or broken or maimed” (Leviticus 22:22). The Jews had misapplied these scriptures, leading to the unmerciful belief that the blind and the lame would defile the temple, and that they should be forbidden from coming into the temple area.

Who should be allowed to come into God’s temple more than those who need His mercy most? And what characterized the merciful ministry of the promised Messiah more than the prophecies of the Old Testament, that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped“, or that “the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing” (Isaiah35:5-6)? Jesus excluded no one from His holy presence, or held anyone off from approaching Him, who truly sought His mercy. Those who most know their need for Him always find themselves loved and welcomed by Him. And so, here, we see that He doesn’t simply walk outside the temple area in order to heal the blind and the lame. He clearly expresses His heart for needy people by permitting them to come into His Father’s very house; and by healing them in the very court of the temple.

What a lesson for us as a church! All are welcome in God’s house. The church is a place where people of all races, backgrounds, and social status can join together to worship and serve the one, true and living God. The church is not a social club. It is the family of God, and all who come truly seeking God are welcome. It is a place where healing happens. Whatever your background, whatever your past, whatever sins you are currently struggling with, you are welcomed by Jesus.

One of the wonderful things about church is you don’t have to fix up your life before you come. Church is not a place for holy people who have it all together. It is a place for sinners to be healed. We come to church as broken, hurting, sinful people. We put our trust in Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. He heals our sin-sick souls and transforms us into children of God who walk according to His word.

So we see the Jesus welcomed the needy. Finally, we see that …

3. Jesus Received the Praise of Children (Matt. 21:15-17)

By this point, you would have thought that the high priests and scribes would have readily recognized Jesus for who He is. He had ridden into the city on a humble foal of a donkey as the prophet Zechariah had promised. He had entered into the temple and boldly cleansed it as had been predicted by the prophet Malachi. He had ministered before their very eyes as the Book of Isaiah promised the Messiah would do; healing the blind and the lame.

And now, they’re given one more sign. Matthew writes,

15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matt. 21:14-16).

These were small children, and they were probably shouting, inside the temple, the same sort of words that they heard the crowds shout about Jesus as He approached the city (Matt. 21:9). The chief priests and teachers of the law were not happy about all this. The temple was their area, and Jesus was invading their territory. And so, when they see Jesus healing the sick and all the children shouting Jesus’ praises—in their temple! Instead of joining in with the praises, they begin to protest instead.

They asked Jesus if He heard what these noisy little children were saying—no doubt expecting that Jesus should share their indignation, and command the children to be quiet. And I love Jesus’ answer to their question. “Yes.” It’s a simple, straight-forward, bold answer, as if He was saying “Yes! I of course I hear the children. And I have no intention of stopping them. I gladly receive their praise.”

Instead of hushing the children, Jesus silenced His critics by asking them, “Have you never read …” Again, Jesus appealed to the authority of God’s written word. Surely they had read Psalm 8! There, in front of them, they were seeing prophecy fulfilled—if they had only had the eyes to see it. Out of the mouths of these little ones, Jesus was receiving the praise in the temple that the high priests and the scribes were refusing to give.

Jesus quotes Psalm 8 in this manner: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise” (Matt. 21:16b; Psalm 8:2). The word that is here translated “perfected” is a term that refers to the repairing and knitting of a thing together so that it is united and complete. The NASB translates it “prepared”. The NIV translates it “ordained”.

The point is that it was through the praises of the little children that praise to our Lord was “perfected” and made “complete”. It was ordained by God that way. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19? “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Pure, unadulterated praise, like that of little children, is what God desires.

I believe that Jesus wants God’s house to be a place where the meekest, the smallest, and the seemingly most insignificant are welcomed, respected, and well-received in their praises to Him. He does not consider His praise to be complete unless it comes from little mouths.[4]

And notice that Jesus is the rightful recipient of our praise. He is the Son of God, the divine second person of the triune God. He receives worship rightly because He is worthy. We read in Philippians 2: “… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi. 2:10-11).

The worship of Jesus is where the continental divide of all religions takes place. All religions either worship Jesus as the only true God or they don’t worship Jesus as the only true God. And those that refuse to worship Jesus are false religions. When the chief priests and scribes refused to worship Him and sought to hinder those who were, they demonstrated themselves to be false. They hated Jesus. They wanted to destroy Jesus. Perhaps this is why we read in Matthew 21:17, “Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.” He didn’t find what He had a right to expect in the temple in Jerusalem; and so He went out from them and left them. They had refused to worship Jesus. They had attempted to stop the worship of Jesus. As we will see next time in the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus leaving them was an act of judgment on their false worship because they did not believe in Him.

What we learn about Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem we can apply to ourselves as the people of God. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15, “… I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” What does the Son of God want to find in His Father’s house? This passage shows us three things: 1) that His church is a holy place for all who seek Him; 2) that those who most need His mercy are welcomed; and 3) that His praises from the smallest among us are encouraged and respected.

—————————————————————

 

[1] John MacArthur, Macarthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16-23, Moody Publishers, Chicago, p. 268.

[2] Greg Allen, What Jesus Wants to Find in the Church, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030908.htm.

[3] Ray Fowler, God’s House, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/gods-house/.

[4] Allen, ibid.

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Who Is This? Matthew 21:1-11

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Who Is This?

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21 begins the last week of Jesus’ ministry before He would be crucified. Matthew devotes seven chapters to the events of this week. It is the culmination of Jesus’ mission as the Son of God. From the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew has presented Jesus to us as the promised Messiah and King.

But most Jews in Jesus’ day missed Him as their Messiah and King because they were expecting a different kind of Savior. They thought that Messiah would be a mighty political deliverer, who would lead Israel to military victory over their Roman oppressors. They were not looking for a lowly Savior, riding on the foal of a donkey. They could not conceive of a suffering Savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners. And so, tragically, they missed the coming of their King![1]

Yes, the multitudes rejoiced as Jesus rode that donkey’s colt into Jerusalem. But did they truly understand Who He was and why He came? Our text today calls us to worship Jesus as our King with rejoicing. Yet if our praise is to be more than just empty emotion, we must understand correctly who Jesus is and what He came to do. In Matthew 21:10, the people were shaken when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and they voiced this decisive question, “Who is this?” Who is Jesus? Matthew answers that question for us in this passage (Matthew 21:1-11).

Notice first …

1. The Planned Presentation of the King (Matthew 21:1-5)

Our text begins, “Now when they drew near Jerusalem …” (Matt. 21:1). As we know from our previous studies of Matthew, Jesus had planned His arrival in Jerusalem. On several occasions, Jesus had told His disciples that they were headed to Jerusalem and why. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus “began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” He repeated this prediction in Matthew 17, adding that He would be betrayed (Matt. 17:22-23). Then again, in Matthew 20, Jesus told them again in more detail, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again” (Matt. 20:18-19).

Jesus went to Jerusalem for a specific purpose: to suffer at the hands of sinful men, die upon the cross, and rise again. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus told us the purpose of His death, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” His death was a redeeming death, a sacrificial death, a vicarious death, and a saving death. When Jesus died, He paid the debt for our sins.

Everything that Jesus did as He entered Jerusalem and everything that occurred that day was on purpose. Jesus planned it and executed it on purpose. Remember, up to this point, Jesus had not broadcasted the fact that he was the Messiah. Throughout His ministry in Galilee, Jesus often warned those He healed to “tell no one” (Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 12;16). In Matthew 16, after Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” (Matt. 16:16), Matthew writes, “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ” (Matt. 16:20). After Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them in His divine, royal splendor, “He commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead’” (Matt. 17:9).

But now, Jesus intentionally goes public. Jesus knew that the hour for His suffering and death was at hand. He will no longer conceal who He is. He is the Christ, the Messiah who has come giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. He is the Davidic King who has come to save His people. But He is not the kind of Messiah and King the people are expecting.

So, look what Jesus does:

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” (Matt. 21:1-3).

Jesus is in control of everything that happens here. First, Jesus sent two disciples to bring His ride to Him. Notice that the disciples didn’t have to look for the animals. He said that, as soon as they came into the village, they would “immediately” find not just a donkey, but a donkey and her colt tied together. Two animals—requiring two disciples to bring them.

Second, we see that they were instantly allowed to take the animals. Jesus told them, “And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them” (Matt. 21:2-3). Luke’s Gospel tells us that’s exactly what happened. When the owners saw the two disciples untying the donkeys, they wanted to know what they were doing. And when the disciples said what the Lord told them to say, they just let them go.

Everything went exactly according to plan. Now, some will say that these things took place just as Jesus had spoken because Jesus had made prior arrangements with the owner of these donkeys. That’s pure speculation, because the scripture doesn’t say that. Since Jesus had clear foreknowledge of the specifics of His crucifixion and resurrection, it’s not a stretch to believe that Jesus simply knew where the donkeys were and how the owners would respond.

Whether Jesus prepared for it supernaturally or not, the point is Jesus was clearly in charge of the events surrounding His death, including the triumphal entry, the betrayal by Judas, and the death plots of the Jewish leaders. None of it took Him by surprise. He is the King of authority who controls all things according to His purpose, even the events of His death (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).[2]

And all of this, Matthew tells us, was in keeping with the promise of the Scriptures, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 21:4). Then Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9:9, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matt. 21:5). The “daughter of Zion” refers to the people of Jerusalem. It’s a prophecy to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

It’s important for us to know that when Matthew quotes the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, he doesn’t just pull a verse out of thin air. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew is writing his Gospel to Hebrews who know their scripture and the context in which it was written. Zechariah prophesied four centuries before the coming of Christ to the Jewish remnant who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. In the first part of Zechariah 9, God promised to judge the nations surrounding Judah through the coming of a conqueror from Greece. From history, we know him as Alexander the Great. He would strike terror into the hearts of those in his path. He often slaughtered all the men in a city and sold the women and children into slavery. He was a conqueror obsessed with his own power and dominion. The later part of Zechariah 9 then predicts the future prosperity of Judah and how God would then bring judgment on Greece.

However, right between these prophesies of judgment, Zechariah gives a prophecy to Judah about their coming King (Zech. 9:9) who would speak peace to the nations and whose dominion would be to the ends of the earth (Zech 9:10). Here is what the Lord said through Zechariah,

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.'” (Zech. 9:9-10).

Zechariah says that the Messiah King would be “just” or righteous. He will exercise justice perfectly. And Zechariah says this King will come “having salvation”. He will come to save His people. Zechariah says, “He shall speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10).

However, the part of the prophecy that Matthew stresses is the humility of this promised King. In contrast to the proud Alexander on his war horse, Jesus came “Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:5). The donkey was a lowly animal, used for peaceable purposes by those who were of no rank or position. By riding the foal of a donkey, Jesus was showing Himself to be the King, in fulfillment of our text, but not the exalted political king and military commander that the people expected. MacArthur shows the contrast, writing,

Alexander the Great inspires fear. Alexander the Great inspires dread. Alexander the Great makes war. But this king in verse 9 and following does not inspire fear and dread, but praise. He doesn’t make war; He makes peace. He’s not a foreign tyrant; He is Israel’s own king. He’s not cruel and oppressive; He’s kind and righteous. He doesn’t slay; He saves. He’s not rich; He’s poor. He’s not proud; He’s meek. He’s not riding a white horse; He’s riding a colt of a beast of burden. Very stark contrast.[3]

Jesus is the gentle King who said, “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). He is the humble King who said, “27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave– 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:27-28). The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus because, “He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Messiah who offered salvation and peace with God through His death for us on the cross.

God spoke it through His prophet four hundred years before Jesus came. And the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled it perfectly according to God’s word. God sovereignly determined how the Lord Jesus would present Himself as King in Jerusalem. It was a planned presentation.

Who is this? He is Jesus Christ, the King of authority, justice, salvation, peace, and humility.

How did the people respond to Him?

2. The People’s Praise of the King (Matthew 21:6-9)

Matthew tells us, “6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.” (Matt. 21:6-7). Having retrieved the donkey and colt as Jesus instructed them, the disciples then made a saddle using their own cloaks, and Christ sat on this colt as the procession began to wind its way to the city of Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:8 says, “And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road…” Multitudes of pilgrims and disciples joined Jesus on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. And seeing Jesus riding the donkey’s colt, they did what would have been appropriate for the coming of the long-awaited King. First, they create a royal carpet of sorts by spreading their cloaks on the road before Him. This custom goes back to Old Testament times where the people would spread their cloaks on the ground before the approaching king. One example is with King Jehu, in 2 Kings 9:13: “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king!’” Spreading your cloaks on the ground was a sign of submission and respect. So, when the people spread their cloaks on the ground before Jesus, they are welcoming Him into Jerusalem and symbolically saying they submitted to Him as their King.

Matthew tells us that “others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matt. 21:8). Palm branches were a sign of joy, especially in the occasion of a military victory. And so we begin to understand what kind of king the people expected Jesus to be. If Palm Sunday for Jesus was all about the humility of a donkey, for the people it was all about the pageantry of the palms.[4] They weren’t looking for a gentle and peaceful king. They were looking for a military king who would deliver them from the power of Rome and inaugurate the Jewish kingdom.

The crowds got bigger as they approached Jerusalem, and now there were crowds of people ahead of Jesus as well as crowds of people following, and they are all shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9). “Hosanna” is a cry of salvation from Psalm 118:25. It literally means, “Save us, now!” “Son of David” is a messianic title. The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of David. The Christ would be a King who would take the throne of His father David and reign forever. So, when the people cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, they are proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.

They also said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD,” quoting Psalm 118:26 about the coming of the Messiah. And they shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!”, affirming that Jesus’ coming into the city was a cause of praise to God. It echoes the worship of the heavenly host at Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest!”

As Christ entered Jerusalem, the people were singing a prayer that the Son of David might save them. And Jesus truly is the Savior. Only He didn’t bring salvation in the way that the Jews expected. When we read Matthew 21 in the context of everything else that takes place in the rest of the book, we clearly understand that Christ’s kingdom isn’t a political kingdom. He didn’t come to physically reign over Jerusalem that day. Jesus was establishing a spiritual kingdom. He came to save His people from their sins by giving His life a ransom for many.

Who is this? This is Jesus, the Messiah and King who has come to save. He is blessed for He comes in the name of the Lord in fulfillment of God’s word. He is worthy of the highest praise. And as He comes, the people rejoice and praise Him as the King in fulfillment of prophecy.

But did they really understand what kind of King and Savior He would be?

Finally we see …

3. The Perplexing Person of the King (Matthew 21:10-11)

We see the confusion of the crowd as Matthew reports, “10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”” (Matt. 21:10). Imagine this great multitude, as they marched into the city, shouting, celebrating, and singing ‘hosannas’ to the Lord! It caused quite an uproar! The whole city was shaken. Due to all the commotion, the people of Jerusalem were asking, “Who is this?”

So, who is this? We have already seen the people welcome Jesus as their King. We have seen them proclaim Him as Messiah. And now they also identify him as the Prophet. Matthew 21:11 says, “11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”” What did they mean by this? Perhaps some simply meant that Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet sent by God who, like the prophets of the Old Testament spoke the word from God. It was clear from His miraculous power that He was from God. But was He more?

Back in the Old Testament Moses told the people of Israel: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Now, the people in the city ask, “Who is this?” and the crowds answer, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Jesus was the prophet like Moses whom God raised up in fulfillment of prophecy.

We can view the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in two ways, for it was two things at once.[5] It was a planned presentation of Jesus as King, a public declaration of His Messiahship. By entering Jerusalem this way Jesus threw down of the gauntlet to the religious leadership. He forced the people and their leaders to make a decision about Him. Was He the King and Messiah? Would they accept Him? Or would they carry out their plot to destroy Him (Matt. 12:14)? Jesus came into Jerusalem as a King and dared the religious authorities to do something about it. His hour had come. There was no turning back. Jesus knew that He came to Jerusalem to suffer and die. And when the people hailed Him as Messiah, Prophet and King, it put Him on a direct collision course with the chief priests and teachers of the law, who later that week will condemn Him to death and turn Him over to the Romans to be mocked, beaten, and crucified.

Because, while the triumphal entry presented Jesus as the Messiah and King, it also declared that He was not the Messiah that the people were expecting or what the leaders wanted. He had not come to overthrow the Roman oppressors but to give His life a ransom for their sins. He entered Jerusalem as a king, to be sure, but as a meek and lowly king, riding a donkey. Jesus boldly proceeded into Jerusalem, knowing everything that would happen to Him there. He accepted the praises of the crowd, knowing that everything they proclaimed about Him was true. Jesus stirred up the city, knowing that this would lead to His final confrontation with the religious leaders.

Who is this and how should we receive Him? Let’s receive Him as the Messiah whose coming was promised by God, and prepared far in advance for our salvation. Let’s recognize Him as the King who comes meek and gentle and lowly—not as our Judge now but as our Savior—and as One who takes our sins upon Himself at the cross, so that we need not experience the fear of judgment for our sins. Let’s celebrate Him as the promised King, who’s coming is the answer to the cry, “Save now, O Lord!” And above all, let’s be sure that we place our trust fully in Him who came into Jerusalem to give His life on the cross for our sins.

Because although Jesus comes to us as the humble, servant King today, He has also promised that He will come again. And at His second coming, Jesus will return as the mighty sovereign to judge and to reign forever. Instead of a donkey, He will ride a white horse. Instead of bringing peace, He will make war. Revelation 1911-16 describes it:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

What a contrast there is between that first entry into Jerusalem and the second! The first was on a meek and mild donkey—a symbol of gentleness and peace, but the second will be on the white stallion of a warrior. The first was to make atonement for our sins, but the second will be to judge, to make war, and to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Jesus wore no crowns at that first entry; but at His second, He will wear many crowns. At His first entry, the clothes of the happy crowds were thrown before Him, but at His second, He will wear a robe dipped in blood. Crowds of humble people went before Him and behind Him at His first entry, but at His second, He will be accompanied by the white-robed armies of heaven. He came to His own people that first time to be struck down, but He will come the second time to strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. When He came that first time into the city, they announced Him as Jesus, the prophet from the humble town of Nazareth of Galilee, but when He comes the second time, He will be called by the name “The Word of God“, and will bear the title “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS“.[6]

Listen, your eternal destiny at the time of Christ’s second entry into Jerusalem is going to depend upon whether or not you have properly responded to His first coming. If we receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior now, we will reign with Him when He comes again. The crucial question today is, “Who is this?”

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[1] Steven Cole, Lesson 12: Rejoice! Your King is Coming! (Zechariah 9:9-10 and Matthew 21:1-11), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-12-rejoice-your-king-coming-zechariah-99-10-and-matthew-211-11

[2] Cole, ibid.

[3] John MacArthur, The Humble Coronation of King Jesus, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-42/the-humble-coronation-of-king-jesus.

[4] Ray Fowler, Destination Jerusalem, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/destination-jerusalem/.

[5] Robert Rayburn, The Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/the-triumphal-entry.  

[6] Greg Allen, “Jesus’ ‘First’ Triumphal Entry”, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030208.htm.

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