Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 20:29-21:5)

(Jesus’ final week of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Some have confused the account of the two blind beggars in Matthew with the Healing of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 and have even thought it was a contradiction of Scripture. How can we know it was not a contradiction?
2. What was significant about the way the two blind men addressed Jesus: They cry out, “Lord, Son of David.”
3. Why was the crowd following Jesus nervous when the Blind men called out “Lord, Son of David” asking them to shut up?
4. What symbol did the casting away of the cloak of Bartimaeus represent?
5. Why did Jeus choose a donkey instead of a horse to enter Jerusalem at the beginning of His final week on earth?
6. How do we see the sovereignty of God involved in the events leading up to crucifixion of Jesus?
7. What was the Biblical reason Jesus entered Jerusalem on this occasion riding a donkey when He had in the past walked everywhere?
8. Why was the Eastern gate at the entrance of Old Jerusalem sealed?
9. What did the sacrifice of the Lamb during the Passover in Exodus fore view?
10. What is the significance of the Last Supper and what event did it fulfill?

Introduction

We have entered the final major section of the Gospel of Matthew, which leads us through the final week of Christ’s earthly ministry, the last supper, His death, resurrection, post appearances, and ascension into heaven. In real life, these events only cover six days, but it covers about a third of the gospel of Matthew. So, buckle up; we will spend some time in this essential part of our study of Matthew. 

Chapter 20 closes out with the transition into this third and final section of Matthew:

Matthew 20:29-34, “And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O LORD, thou son of David. 31And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O LORD, thou son of David. 32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33They say unto him, LORD, that our eyes may be opened. 34So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

At this point, Jesus had crossed over the Jordon River from Perea to the eastern side and began His final journey toward Jerusalem. His journey would take Him through Jericho. I’ve always considered Jericho as a beautiful city of palm trees and tropical setting. I was somewhat disappointed when my wife and I visited there recently. Today its streets are lined with trash and rundown building. I think it is the dirtiest and trashiest place I’ve seen in all my travels. The Old Testament Jericho was in ruins when Jesus visited there nearly 2,000 years ago. The ruins of Herod’s Jericho that Jesus visited have been excavated and are alongside Jericho’s third modern Arab city today. In the center of the ruins of the Jericho of Jesus’ time are the remains of one of the four palaces of Herod, which lies in the very center of the ruins.

It was here as Jesus passed through the ruins of Old Jericho and entered Herod’s Jericho that Jesus encountered two blind men. Some have confused this account with the Healing of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52. Some have even thought it was a contradiction of Scripture. Blind beggars were common in the time of Jesus. Bartimaeus was healed as Jesus left the ruins of Old Jericho, and the two blind beggars were healed as He entered Herod’s Jericho. Some believe that only Bartimaeus was mentioned in Mark’s account, while Matthew mentions two unnamed blind beggars. It makes little difference in which view we accept as long as we don’t think the Bible is in error; the point being made is the real issue.

In Matthew’s account, the two men hear Jesus approaching. They had heard of Jesus and the healings He had performed, and they cried out to Him to have mercy on them. Notice how these men address Jesus; They cry out Lord, Son of David; this is a recognition of Jesus as the Messiah who will sit on the throne of David in the kingdom; it was their recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. That made the crowd uncomfortable. Luke tells us in Luke 18:39 that those leading the way began to tell the beggars to shut up, rebuking them. That did not hush the beggars; they continued to cry out to Jesus, “Son of David have mercy on us.” One of the reasons the crowd might have been nervous was the blind men were proclaiming Jesus as the king near the palace of Herod, which would be considered an insurrection by the Romans. For the blind men, it was a statement of their faith in Jesus. No doubt they knew the danger in their proclamation, but they persisted anyway. It was significantly to their advantage that they did because little did they know that this would be their final chance to receive the healing of Jesus. Jesus would never pass this way again.

If you are reading this today, Jesus is also passing your way. Are you as these two beggars who needed not only physical healing but also spiritual healing? If so, Jesus is ready to save you and to give you eternal life, but today is the day of salvation. There may never be another opportunity. Call out to Jesus while He is near. He may never pass this way again. At this very minute, 105 people across the world will die without Christ and any hope for all eternity. Please don’t let that happen to you; come to Jesus; He is calling out to you today.

For these two blind men, their healing could be the difference between life and death. Because of their blindness, they were unable to hold a job and had to resort to begging. They were homeless and had to be exposed daily to the elements. They were considered outcasts from society, and the Pharisees believed them under God’s judgment because of their blindness. Unlike Israel as a whole, these blind men demonstrated genuine faith in Jesus, and Jesus heard their pleas for healing and stopped and called the men to Him. Mark put it this way concerning the healing of Bartimaeus in Mark 10:49-50, “And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.” The casting away of his cloak was a symbol of casting away our sins or confessing our sins as we place our trust in Jesus for salvation. A cloak was a treasured garment in those days. It served as a protection from the weather, the sand storms, and a shelter at night; this was a mark of trust in Jesus that he would be healed and enabled to provide for his needs for the first time.

In verse 32, Jesus asks the blind men what he wanted Him to do. They tell Jesus that they want their eyes to be opened, and with compassion, Jesus grants their wishes. This week I heard 21-year-old Jordon Turpin tell how she felt the first time in her life that she visited a park. She had been a prisoner in her home along with 13 siblings, from age 2 to 29 years, ruled by cruel parents, for her entire life until she escaped at the age of 17. She said that the park was so beautiful and wondered how even heaven could be better. I imagine as the blind men opened their eyes and saw the beauty of the blue sky and perhaps puffy white clouds above a horizon of swaying green palm trees for the first time, they were overjoyed.

In the gospel of Mark 10:52 (KJV), we read, Jesus said to blind Bartimaeus, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” These blind men whose eyes were opened became disciples and followed Jesus to Jerusalem.

The faith of these men proves the necessity of faith for a relationship with Jesus. The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:6 (KJV), “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

We now come to the place in Matthew where Jesus will soon die for the sins of man:

Matthew 21:1-5 “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The LORD hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”

Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east to a town called Bethpage located on top of the Mount of Olives; it was from here, in a few days, that Jesus ascended into heaven, and it is the same place on the east side of Jerusalem, where Jesus is coming again: We read in Acts 1:9-12 KJV, “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 stedfastly 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. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.”

From here, Jesus directs two disciples, giving them explicit instructions to enter Bethpage to seek out a donkey and her colt and to bring them to Him. Jesus tells them if anyone asks, tell them that the Lord has need of them. Jesus refers to Himself as Lord, which is “Yahweh,” the proper name of God. It so happened that men did ask why the disciples were taking the donkey and her colt, and when the disciples replied that the Lord needed them, they relented. God had made arrangements in advance for Jesus to use the donkey. It was common in those days for a dignitary to borrow a mule or donkey for transportation as it is today to rent a car. While horses were rare in that day and used primarily for war, donkeys were plentiful and a symbol of peace associated with degradation and poverty. It was the standard way for a dignitary to enter the city of Jerusalem, which sent a signal of peace and humility. King Solomon is an Old Testament example; he rode a mule to his inauguration, as we read in 1 Kings 1. According to Luke, this particular colt had never been ridden and was reserved for royal service, which Jesus was indicating.

It took a lot of things coming together at the appropriate time to ensure the events went as God had planned. The colt was born at precisely the right time and was hitched at the right place, and the bystanders were prepared in advance for the proper response. God is sovereign in all matters, including His plans for our lives as believers, without controlling our actions but instead giving us the freedom to make choices. We can rest assured that God will provide all our needs according to His sovereign will. God is the creator of the universe and can bring about whatever outcome He desires. We sometimes think we own property and material things, but it’s God who owns all things, and it is through His grace that He allows us to use them for a little while. Jesus went through His life owning nothing but the clothes on His back. He said that He had no place of His own to lay His head.

Nevertheless, God provided everything He needed at the appropriate time. We should view that all we have belongs to God, and we are only using it for a while. Also, we need to rest assured that God loves us and will provide for our needs if we have the patience to wait on His plans for us. When that is our attitude, it eliminates anxiety and relieves us of forever struggling to obtain things that we will forfeit in the end. Also, it builds our faith in God that He is in control and will provide us with those things needed to serve Him.

Our needs are not nearly what our wants are; We can depend on God for our needs but not always for our wants. Without God’s provision, there would be no hope; through His grace, God provides for both the saved and the unsaved. The Bible says in Matthew 5:45, “…he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.:” Even though unbelievers may not realize it, they could not exist without God’s daily provisions.

We may wonder why, on this occasion, Jesus rides on the back of a donkey when He has walked everywhere during His Galion ministry. We know why based on verses 4 and 6, which is a quote from Zechariah verse 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Jesus came to earth in the form of humility to serve others and die on a cross to provide salvation for the world.

The final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry fulfills a lot of Old Testament prophesy. There are also a lot of misconceptions and false traditions that need to be corrected. In the weeks ahead, we will expand on this week’s events and hopefully know more about it than we have ever known before. In today’s study, Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate. The Eastern Gate faces the Mount of Olives, the site of Jesus’ second coming, and is the main entrance to the Temple. That gate has been sealed and can no longer be used. The Eastern gate was sealed shut in 1541 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. However, before that this sealing of the gate, the gate was sealed before and then reopened. The final sealing of the gate is said to have been a defensive move by the sultan to prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering the city of Jerusalem; this was based on the Jewish belief that the Messiah was yet to come. According to the Bible, we know that the Messiah had already entered Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate on Palm Sunday at today’s time nearly 2,000 years ago.

According to Mark, Jesus arrives at the Temple late in the day and then leaves to go outside Jerusalem to Bethany for the evening. After Sunday night, Jesus returned to the Temple for the following three days before the Passover. There He taught on the temple grounds and was questioned by several of the religious leaders. These first four days of Jesus’ last week are highlighted in the Old Testament. The fulfillment of the Passover will take place at the last part of this week when Jesus and the disciples meet in the upper room to observe the Last Supper; this is the fulfillment of the Passover feast as described in Exodus when God gave the observance of the Passover to Israel.

In Exodus, God gave Israel the Passover observance. He told them to select a lamb on the tenth of Nisan: “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening,” Exodus 12:3-6 (KJV).

After the tenth day of Nisan, the lamb was kept in the house and examined for any flaw for four days until the fourteenth. On the evening of the fourteenth, the lamb was sacrificed as a fore view of when Jesus would die for the sins of Israel and the world. The lamb’s blood was put on the doorposts of the house. The remaining was eaten that night with nothing to be leftover. The tenth day of Nisan would fall on Sunday of the week Jesus was crucified. When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, He goes straightway to the Temple, and for four days, He is inspected by the religious leaders. Just as the spotless lamb, no flaw could be found in Jesus.

Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to rule and reign; He came to fulfill the Passover, symbolized by the Last Supper and consummated by His death on the cross the next day. Jesus fulfills every detail of the Passover as Israel celebrates the feast; this was the timeline; as we go forward, we will study in detail the movement of Jesus throughout this week. Also, in the middle of this final week, we will see the discourse Jesus gave on the events of the end time. In it all, we will see how the sovereignty of God brought about all the events that collimated in the death of Jesus on the cross, His resurrection, and ascension into heaven. I hope that all of you will stay with me as we cover some of the most important events of all of history.