| Matthew 21:1 And when
they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of
Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying 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. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell 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. 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 thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And 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. 10 And when he was come 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. |
Mark 11:1 And when
they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of
Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. |
Luke 19:28 And when he
had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. |
| Everything that
Jesus did, directly or indirectly, was a fulfillment of prophecy. In
fact, so many prophecies were fulfilled in his earthly life and ministry
that the odds of them all occurring by chance are astronomical. Some
might say he deliberately tried to do what the prophecies predicted, but the
manner of some events, such as his birth and crucifixion, were totally
beyond the control of any human being. This particular prophecy, that
he would come riding in on the colt of an ass, was found in Zechariah 9:9. The reason for the excitement of the crowds on this particular day is not spelled out in the three synoptic Gospels, but becomes apparent when reading John's account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Some of the leading men of Jerusalem had witnessed the event, which took place in nearby Bethany, and the news of it must have spread like wildfire in Jerusalem. It was that event, as well, that first caused to Pharisees and scribes to begin plotting Christ's death. Of course, many of the same people who welcomed Jesus as Messiah on Sunday called for his death on Thursday, albeit many in the second crowd were made up of Jewish leaders, who never supported him anyway. The passage holds lessons for us, as well as for the people who first welcomed, then rejected, Christ. If our faith consists in seeking the spectacular, and the emotional rush it brings, we may balk at the sacrifice and hard truths that also part of being a believer. The church has far too many fair weather Christians, who fall away at the first sign of persecution or controversy. We want to make Christ over in our own mold, and if our congregation doesn't fit the mold, we look for another that does, or else we desert the assembly of believers altogether, perhaps ending up in a cult. Whenever we turn our backs on the Lord after having full knowledge of him, we are driving nails into his cross, and perhaps into our own coffins. |
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| Matthew 21:18 Now in
the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. |
Mark 11:12 And on the
morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. Mark 11:20 And in the
morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. |
| At first glance,
this seems a peculiar story. Why would Jesus punish a plant, which
does nothing but respond to its environment? Secondly, and this
is implied but not stated, the fig tree represents those believers, or at
least professing believers, who give the outward show of bearing fruit, but
never really produce any. This parallels the illustration of the vine
and the branches in John 15. Jesus said we would be known by our
fruits (Matthew 7:16-20), and the fruit the Spirit produces in us is named
in Galatians 5:22-23. Someone who claims to belong to Christ but shows
no "fruit meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8) is a hypocrite, and none of
Christ's. This passage also reiterates the lesson Jesus taught after his model prayer (Matthew 6:14-15) of the importance of forgiveness in getting answers to our prayers. Failing to forgive others creates obstacles between us and them, as well as between us and God. Faith cannot do its work if we don't have a clear path of prayer to the God who rewards it. |
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| Matthew 21:12 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, 13 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. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Matthew 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching,
and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this
authority? |
Mark 11:15 And they
come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out
them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the
moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. Mark 11:27 And
they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there
come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, |
Luke 19:45 And he went
into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that
bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. Luke 20:1 And it came to pass, that on one
of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the
gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, |
| Paul wrote to
Timothy that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
No doubt the rulers of the temple got their "cut" from the profits raked in
by the moneychangers and animal sellers. Money often means power to
those who covet it, and by chasing out the temple merchants, Jesus was not
only taking money out of the rulers' pockets, but challenging their power.
Their plans to murder him, which begin to take shape with his triumphal
entry, now began to solidify into a definite purpose. That's one
reason the world hates the true church so much now; we challenge their power
and control. Those who choose to serve God are no longer in bondage to
the movers and shakers of this world, themselves instruments of the prince
of this world, Satan. Just as the Devil used his proxies in an effort
to destroy Christ, so he uses the pawns of our time, in the media, politics,
and business, in his efforts to destroy the work and witness of the body of
Christ now. The world cannot not stand against the Truth, and has no answer for the righteous judgment of the Holy Spirit, just as the chief priests and elders had no answer for Jesus' question about John the Baptist. All the denizens of this world can do is try to destroy the witness they cannot answer or refute. |
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