Matthew 21:1–17

The Son of David claims what belongs to him.

Jesus entered Jerusalem. He was like a king who had won a battle. What happened there showed something. And what happened in the Temple showed it too. These events showed who Jesus is. He is a prophet, a priest and a king.

There was a large crowd of people. They were all going to Jerusalem. Every year, there was a great religious event there. The Jews remembered the time when God had saved them. They had been slaves in Egypt. But God had brought them out of Egypt. (The book of Exodus describes this time. Read Exodus chapter 12 especially.)

Many people who were in the crowd would have known Jesus well. But they began to recognise something. There was a mystery about him too. So they asked the question: ‘Who is this?’ It was not the first time that they had asked that question. (Compare Matthew 8:27.)

The answer (verse Matthew 21:11) was not complete. But it was correct. They may have been thinking about a passage that was in the OT. It was Deuteronomy 18:14–19. It had the promise that a very special prophet would come. People must ‘listen to him’. His words would be the words of God. He was called the prophet.

But Jesus was more than a prophet. This passage suggests that Jesus was (and is) a king too. ‘Son of David’ was a Jewish title. Jews were sure that it referred to the Messiah. And the Messiah would also be their king. (Read Matthew 20:29-34.) They expected him to be a peaceful ruler, like Solomon (verse Matthew 21: 5).

There was a Jewish tradition. It was when a royal person was coming. The people would spread branches of trees on the road. It happened at another time too. People spread their clothes for Jehu to stand on. (Read 2 Kings 9:13.) This was when they were making him king. Matthew 21:5 repeats Zechariah 9:9. Matthew 21:10 of that passage speaks about a king who would rule the world.

Matthew emphasised all these things. They show what he believed. It was this. Jesus was the Messiah. He was also king of the Jews. There is something interesting about the Mountain of Olives too (Matthew 21:1). Jews believed that it had a connection with the Messiah. (Read Zechariah 14:4, 9, 12-19.) They expected the Messiah to come from there. He would ‘be king over all the earth’. Then he would punish the nations who were against the Jews.

He who will come will be the Lord (God) himself. The book of Zechariah makes this clear. This is similar to many other OT passages. Sometimes the Messiah is different from the Lord (God). At other times, he is the same person as the Lord (God). Matthew showed the great mystery about Jesus. He is God and he is man!

Proper and false religion

The priests and the teachers of the Law had many advantages. They were the religious leaders in ancient Israel. They were responsible for the Temple. God had said that he would live there. (Read 1 Kings 6:1-2, 9-14; 8:10-29.) These leaders could go to the Temple at any time. They had studied God’s word. Their job was to teach that word.

The job of these religious leaders was special. But they had no respect for God’s house. They refused to obey his word. (Compare Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Matthew 21:13 repeats words from both of these OT verses.) They studied God’s word eagerly. But they did not know its real meaning. One such verse was Malachi 3:1. Jesus had come. They should have known that the verse referred to him. But they did not know. There was a great contrast between these religious leaders and another group of people.

This other group of people could not go into the Temple. They were the blind people. It was the same for people who could not walk. Religious leaders made this rule. They repeated some words from the OT. (Read Leviticus 21:18–21.) But they left out the next verse (Matthew 21:22). These people could not serve in God’s house. But they could share in its benefits. The leaders used a tradition too. (Read 2 Samuel 5:6–8.)

There were also children. They had little importance in the religion of that time. (Read Matthew 19:13-15.) These three groups came to Jesus in the Temple. They began to experience good things. (Read Matthew 21:14-15.) They were things that God had promised. They would happen when Messiah came. (Read Isaiah 35:5-6.) So, these people came to Jesus. But the chief priests and teachers were not like them at all. These leaders were very angry with Jesus.

Something important happened. Jesus ‘left them’ (Matthew 21:17). In OT times, the glory of God left God’s people too. (First, God’s glory came in 1 Kings 8:10-11. Then the glory left in 1 Samuel 4:12-22.) Jeremiah 7:13-14 and 26:4-6 refer to this time in the city called Shiloh. God said that he would have to do the same thing again. The people refused to listen. So God had to let the enemy destroy the Temple. This happened in 587 B.C. (Note: B.C. means Before Christ.) The book of Ezra tells how the Jews rebuilt the Temple. Now Jesus went away from the Temple. He left the leaders. So God’s glory was no longer present. They must have God’s punishment instead.

Questions

  • You can know the truth. But you may not recognise its real meaning. Can you think about ways in which this might happen? Think about the religious activities in your life. Does Jesus seem to be absent from any of them?
  • We agree that Jesus is King. Think about your church’s ideas. Think about what its members do. Whose opinion is most important? Is it the opinion of the leaders? Is it the opinion of the members? Or does Jesus’ opinion come first? Think of some examples.
  • What exactly did Jesus not like in the Temple? Should we ever follow his example? What things would Jesus not like in churches today? What can we do to change them?