Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 21:6-13)

(Jesus’ final week of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Why do you suppose Jesus chose to ride into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey at the beginning of the final week before the crucifixion?
2. What was the significance of the crowd strewing coats and branches in the path of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem?
3. What was the specific meaning to the Jews of palm branches?
4. There were two different groups of people there the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to greet Him with two different perspectives; how did they differ?
5. Why is it important to fact check our traditions against the Bible?
6. What was the song that the Jews greeted Jesus with as He entered Jerusalem?
7. Why did the Pharisees ask Jeus to rebuke the crowd for singing to Him?
8. How did Jesus reply to the Pharisees concerning their request to rebuke the crowd?
9. What was the ultimatum that Jesus gave to Israel as seen in Luke chapter 13?
10. What is the one greatest event of all history, which is viewed by everyone across the world?
11. What is the history and the importance of the Eastern Gate leading into Jerusalem?
12. What is the event that takes place in the tribulation, prior to the second coming of Jesus, that paves the way for the second coming?
13. If you’re wondering why Israel finally turns to proclaim Jesus as their Messiah, where can you find the answer?
14. What was Jesus so angry about when He entered the temple on His arrival to Jerusalem?
15. How are our bodies related to the Temple and in what ways can we defile it as the people did the temple in Jerusalem in the time of Jesus?

Introduction

In our last study of Matthew, Jesus was walking from Jericho up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is literally uphill from Jericho. The Elevation of Jerusalem is 2557.26 feet and the elevation of Jericho is 825.31 feet, which is a difference of 1731.95 feet. When we visited Jerusalem in January of last year it was very cold on some days; Actually, it snows there occasionally. On the other hand, we were baptized in the Jordon River near Jericho. The water was cold but otherwise it was a mild day. When we visited the Dead Sea, which is only 66 miles or 1 hour and 40 minutes from Jerusalem, the temperature of the water was over 70 degrees; the Dead Sea is 1,407ft below sea level, which is the lowest elevation on earth. 

Now, as we come to today’s study, we find Jesus has entered the city of Jerusalem where preparation is made for the Last Supper and His impending death, which occurs at the very time of Passover. Jesus instructed His disciples to go to a certain place in Bethphage where a young donkey with a colt would be tied and waiting. The donkey and colt were brought to Jesus; they put on them their clothes, and Jesus rode into Jerusalem through the east gate. It was four days from Passover and on a Sunday, the day we traditionally call Palm Sunday.

It was no accident that Jesus would die during Passover. Three lambs were slain for Passover on Nisan 14 the tenth of Nisan, the first month on the Jewish calendar (April on our calendar) between noon and 3 p.m. When Jesus was on the cross from noon until 3:00 P.M., according to Mark 15:33, there were approximately three hours of darkness during that time. When Jesus died, according to Mark 15:38, the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom; this was at the time when the last of the lambs were slain on the altar in front of the sanctuary. Israel had been celebrating Passover by this time since it was established when Israel was preparing to leave Egypt. According to the Biblical Timeline, the first Passover occurred on May 4, 1451 BC. It is difficult to determine the exact date of the crucifixion of Christ, but it is commonly proposed that it was on Friday April 3, AD 33. Therefore, Israel had been celebrating the Passover for nearly 1,500 years by the time of the crucifixion.

Crowds had gathered outside the city to celebrate Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem. They were now celebrating Jesus as the Son of David, King, and the Messiah:

Matthew 21:6-9 “And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD; Hosanna in the highest.”

Zechariah 9 foretold what would happen at the time of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey: What happened may seem rather odd to us today. However, it was the custom during the time of Jesus to greet a king’s arrival in this manner. We see the example of this in 2 Kings 9:13 when King Jehu, of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was coronated: “Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king,”2 Kings 9:13 (KJV).

The crowd strew coats and branches in the path of Jesus recognizing Him, in the form of a symbol, as king. The crowd mistakenly thought Jesus was arriving to set up His kingdom. In verse 8, some placed palm branches in the way. Matthew only said they were branches but John says they were specifically palm branches. Palm branches also had a specific meaning to the Jews of that day. They symbolized national liberation. In the second century the Jews used this symbol to greet the Maccabees after they liberated Israel after defeating the Greeks. Later Israel used the symbol of palm branches on their coins signifying a liberation of the nation.

There were two different groups of people there that day to greet Jesus, as He arrived to Jerusalem, with different perspectives. Those who greeted Jesus with coats on the ground saw Jesus as the Messiah who came to defeat Satan’s kingdom and set up God’s kingdom. The other group who spread palm branches saw Jesus as the conqueror who would defeat Rome and set up a world kingdom.

The traditions that are a part of our Easter celebration today are not always Biblical. For example, calling the Sunday before the crucifixion Palm Sunday is recognizing those who considered Jesus as conqueror; they were making a political statement. Whereas, those who spread coats in the way considered Jesus as the Messiah. This is not a major point of theology, and perhaps no harm is done because we today do recognize Jesus as our Messiah. The point is, just accepting traditions at face value without a fact check is not always the best approach. Some false traditions today include infant baptism, calling ministers priests or father, etc. The danger is depending on tradition rather than the Scripture.

As we turn back to Matthew, we see the crowd is also singing to Jesus from Psalm 118: “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.”  This was the greeting that Israel was taught to greet the Messiah when He arrived. Contrary to the past rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, the crowd is now embracing Him as the Messiah. This upsets the Pharisees and they say to Jesus in Luke 19:39-40, “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” The Pharisees were asking Jesus to rebuke the crowd and renounce that He was the Messiah, but instead, Jesus says that if the crowd did not recognize Him as the Messiah the stones would cry out that He was.

Even the Creation obeys the Word of God, that His will be done! Many on that day recognized Jesus as their Messiah and sung Psalm 118 to Him but others like the Pharisees did not. That is why back in Natthew chapter 12, Jesus also rejected Israel for committing the unpardonable sin by rejecting the Holy Spirit’s invitation to receive the salvation Jesus offered.

Jesus gave Israel an ultimatum as we see in Luke 13:34-35 (KJV), “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

The crowd was doing exactly what Psalm 118 requires to fulfill it as an Old Testament prophesy. Does that mean this is when Jesus is to bring the kingdom? The answer is no because the Pharisees continue their denial of Jesus as the Messiah and according to Matthew chapter 21, it is clear not all are on board with the idea that Jesus is who He says He is, and the next few days will prove that to be true.

The kingdom will come in God’s own time. Sometime in the future, the world will witness the greatest event in all human history. On a certain day Jesus Christ will physically return to earth. According to Scripture, every eye will see Him. This, of course, by the means of worldwide television. Christ will appear in sky like lightning. He will first touchdown on the Mount of Olives where He ascended into heaven nearly 2,000 years ago. At His ascension, Two angels stood by and foretold Jesus’ second coming: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven,” Acts 1:9-11 (KJV).

At His second coming, Christ will enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate of the walls of the Old City. The Eastern Gate was sealed shut in the 16th century AD by Israel’s Muslim conquerors, the Ottoman Turks, and a cemetery has been planted in front of it. Obviously, just as the Temple will be rebuilt, so will the Eastern Gate be reopened. By the way the Muslims sealed it to keep the Messiah from entering through it.

Not only will this fulfill the prophesy of the two angels at His ascension, it will also fulfill many of the Old Testament prophesy’s.  About 2,600 years ago, Ezekiel the prophet was given a vision of the Glory of the second coming of the Lord: “Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east,” Ezekiel 43:1-4 (KJV), foretold of the departure of the Spirit of God on September 17, 592 BC. This departure is after the second deportation of Jerusalem but before the final deportation and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Now he is prophesying that nearly 600 years later, the return of the holy Spirit to the house, the Temple.

As Jeus entered the City of Jerusalem, people were gathering around asking what all the fuss was about:

Matthew 21:10-11 (KJV), “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

According to statistics, about a third of the world today have never heard the name of Jesus, So, it is not too hard to understand that even though Jesus had been healing, preaching, and performing miracles for three years, there were some who had not heard of Him. Also, they identify Jesus as a prophet from Nazareth instead of the Messiah. This proves the point Matthew was making that not all agree with the consensus that Jesus was the Messiah proving this was not intended as the time for establishing the kingdom.

There is an event that takes place in the tribulation, prior to the second coming of Jesus, that paves the way for the second coming. Israel at last as a nation will recognize Jesus as their Messiah; 144,000 will be converted in one day., and then Israel will sing Psalm 118 and Jesus will come to them.

If you’re wondering why Israel turns to proclaim Jesus as their Messiah, the answer is found in Zechariah 12:8-10 (KJV). Durning the time the nations of the world surround Israel to abolish them we read: “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Back to our present study; Jesus will spend the next four days fulfilling the four days when the lamb was examined for any flaw during the Passover in Egypt. He will be tested by the religious leaders but no flaw will be found. He goes to the Temple and proclaims the purpose of the Temple:

Matthew 21:12-13 (KJV), “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

The Passover was a very busy week in Jerusalem; it is estimated that as many as three million Jewish men, often accompanied by their families, attended this event each year.  Sadly, the Temple grounds were turned into a merchant’s sales area. One of the forms of commerce was the exchange of money. People came from various countries with different forms of currency, which had to be converted to Roman coins since they were only acceptable in Judea, which was the rule of the Romans. However, the rulers of the Temple considered Roman coins a form of idolatry since they contained the image of Caesar. Therefore, they set up stations in the outer court of Temple where they could make an exchange for a fee. Therefore, visitors could make their donations to the Temple in drachmas of shekels. The rulers of the Temple also took their share of the profits of the businesses for allowing them to operate there.

The second form of commerce was the selling of lambs for the convenience of those offering a sacrifice at Passover. If you have ever bought food at an airport, you have an idea of the prices charged at the Temple. The priest of the Temple made a good profit from both of these transactions. If people brought their own sacrifice, the priest made sure they found a flaw in the lamb, which required people to buy a lamb from the Temple’s supply. The defective lambs were taken in as a trade in and then resold to another family as a flawless lamb. It all was a Temple scam to take advantage of people and make money off of them.

When Jesus entered the Temple, He flew in a rage of righteous anger and turns over the tables and the seat of them that sold doves and quoted from Isaiah chapter 56: “And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

The house of God was intended to be a place of prayer and worship, but the Temple instead had become a place opposite of that; it a place of con-men and low-class thieves. Those who came there with the intent of submitting to God were advantage of and were targets for the being over charged by the unscrupulous merchants. There are still those today who take advantage of the flock by scamming them out of their money for their own use. They will also fall into the hands of an angry God one day. Our service to God should never be connected to a money-making scheme. Our rewards are reserved in heaven where rust or moth will never devour them.

Today our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. We need to test ourselves in all things to make sure we are not defiling it as did the money changers in the Temple in Jesus’ day. We cannot serve the world and God at the same time. Our temple, the body, is intended to be a house of prayer and dedication to God as Jesus said of the Temple when He was on earth.