Matthew21
The King comes
1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, Go to the village opposite you and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them to me. 3 And if any man says anything to you, say, The Lord has need of them; and he will send them immediately. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and sitting on an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him on it. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
- ‘Hosanna’ means save now.
- Scholars have determined that this was the exact day that Daniel prophesied their king would come.
- GH Pember and Sir Robert Anderson on page 328 of their great work on prophecy, The Great Prophecies prove that this day was 483 years to the day predicted by God through Daniel in Daniel 9:22-25.
His house is a house of prayer
10 And when he came into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all those that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those that sold doves, 13 And said to them, It is written, My house will be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
- The priests were making money off of the peoples desire to worship God.
- They had concession stands in God’s courts where they declared the sacrifices the people brought unfit and charged 3x the price for the people to purchase ‘acceptable’ sacrifices.
- Their worship was all ritual and greed.
- Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies
15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were very displeased, 16 And said to him, Do you hear what these say? And Jesus said to them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he was hungry. 19 And when he saw one fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing on it, except leaves, and said to it, No fruit grow on you from no on forever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled saying, How soon is the fig tree is withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said to them, Truthfully I say to you, If you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you will say to this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; it will be done.
- He taught them to trust God without doubts.
- If you want more faith, learn more of God’s word.
- Romans10:17 faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- Job 5:9 Who does great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number:
He promised that whatever we ask, believing we will receive
22 And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
23 And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?
- Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
24 And Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or of men? And they reasoned with themselves saying, If we say, From heaven; he will say to us, Then why did you not believe him? 26 But if we say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28 But what do you think? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said the same. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to him, The first. Jesus said to them, Truthfully I say to you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and you, when you had seen it, afterward you did not repent that you might believe him.
- His purpose is that all might believe.
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder that planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and dug a winepress in it; and built a tower, and leased it out to vinedressers, and went into a far country: 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them the same thing. 37 But last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will revere my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
- Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? 41 They said to him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and give out his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
- At that moment they were rejecting the chief cornerstone of the building of God’s eternal house.
- It is marvelous in our eyes that God prevails over evil by bringing worthless sinners to be His eternal sons, a total impossibility except for the marvel of God’s love and grace toward us.
- Ephesians 2:20 And are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone
43 So say I to you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing its fruits. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken: but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
- What is broken can be mended.
- All men have gone against God at some time.
- Jesus came to heal mankind from sin.
- Those who refuse to turn to God will never be mended.
- Powder just blows away with the wind.
- God took the kingdom from them and gave it to a nation that would bring forth fruit.
- Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Matthew 22
The Lord gave an illustration of the heavenly marriage
1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent out his servants to call those that were invited to the wedding: but they would not come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those that are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And those remaining took his servants, and mistreated and killed them. 7 But when the king heard of it, he was filled with wrath: and he sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city.
- God is the king who takes a bride for His Son.
- Revelation 19:6 Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.
- Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to me forever; yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.
8 Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were invited were not worthy. 9 So go into the highways and invite as many as you find to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding garment: 12 And he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, Tie him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
- God’s righteousness is our wedding garment.
- Adam and Eve made themselves coverings of fig leaves that were not acceptable to God.
- Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- Jeremiah 23:6 and this is his name by which he will be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
15 Then the Pharisees plotted how they might trap him with his own words. 16 And they sent their disciples out to him with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth, neither care for any man: for you do not regard the persons of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the tribute money. And they brought to him a denarius. 20 And he said to them, Whose image and superscription is this? 21 They said to him, Caesar’s. Then said he to them, Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s. 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.
- The Lord expects us to obey the laws of our nation and pay our taxes.
- The Pharisees tried to get Him to say something they could call blasphemy so they could stone Him. This was a plot to kill Him.
- The Lord perceives and confronts wickedness.
23 That same day the Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers with us: and the first, when he had married a wife, died, having no seed, left his wife to his brother: 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And lastly the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her. 29 Jesus answered and said to them, You are mistaken, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
- The Lord tells us we are wrong, wandering from God’s path when we don’t know the scriptures.
- Through the ages theologians and scholars have been squabbling over the minor points of scripture that could both be true.
- But what will any of that matter when you face God? We need to learn His word, seeing Him there.
- Ephesians 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.
- 2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.
He is the God of the living who speaks to us in His word
31 But about the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
- God’s truth astonishes.
- John 10:28 And I give to them eternal life; and they will never perish, neither will any man pluck them out of my hand.
34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, who was a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him, saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it, You are to love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him, The Son of David. 43 He said to them, How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said to my Lord, You sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? 45 If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither dared any man to ask him anymore questions from that day on.
- This question Jesus asked them was pure, divine genius. If they allow themselves to follow the logic, they will arrive at the answer: God was to be born into the human race!
- They were rejecting Jesus because they expected the promised Savior, God Himself, to come from eternity in blinding glory.
- He commands that we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.
- That’s how God loves us.
- There is nothing better for man to do in all of life
and eternity than to love God.
- To love someone or something above God is to be out of balance and misinformed because God is the most worthy of love and the source of all the wonderful things.
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SUMMARY: Matthew 21-22
- The King comes
- His house is a house of prayer
- He promised that whatever we ask, believing we will receive
- The Lord gave an illustration of the heavenly marriage
- He is the God of the living who speaks to us in His word