Matthew 21

1 When they drewe neye vnto Ierusalem and were come to Betphage vnto mounte olivete: then sent Iesus two of his disciples

2 saiynge to the. Go in to the toune that lyeth over agaynste you and anone ye shall fynde an asse bounde and her colte with her: lose them and bringe them vnto me.

3 And if eny man saye ought vnto you saye ye yt the lorde hath neade of them: and streyght waye he will let them go.

4 All this was done to fulfyll that which was spoken by the Prophet sayinge:

5 Tell ye the doughter of Sion: beholde thy kynge cometh vnto the meke and sittinge vpon an asse and a colte the fole of an asse vsed to the yooke.

6 The disciples went and dyd as Iesus comaunded them

7 and brought ye asse and the colte and put on them their clothes and set him theron.

8 And many of the people spreed their garmentes in ye waye. Other cut doune braunches fro the trees and strawed them in the waye.

9 Moreover the people that went before and they also that came after cryed sayinge: Hosanna to ye sonne of David. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lorde Hosanna in the hyest.

10 And when he was come in to Ierusalem all the cyte was moved sayinge: who is this?

11 And the people sayde: this is Iesus the Prophet of Nazareth a cyte of Galile.

12 And Iesus went in to the temple of God and cast out all them that soulde and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the mony chaugers and the seates of them that solde doves

13 and sayde to them: It is wrytten my housse shalbe called the housse of prayer. But ye have made it a denne of theves.

14 And the blinde and the halt came to him in ye teple and he healed the.

15 When the chefe prestes and scribes sawe the marveylles that he dyd and the chyldren cryinge in the teple and sayinge Hosanna to the sonne of David they disdayned

16 and sayde vnto him: hearest thou what these saye? Iesus sayde vnto them yee: have ye never redde of the mouth of babes and suckelinges thou haste ordeyned prayse?

17 And he lefte the and wet out of ye cite vnto Bethanie and had his abydige there.

18 In the mornynge as he returned in to the cyte ageyne he hungred

19 and spyed a fygge trre in the waye and came to it and founde nothinge theron but leves only and sayd to it never frute growe on the hence forwardes. And ano the fygge tree wyddered awaye.

20 And when his disciples sawe that they marveled sayinge: Howe sone is the fygge tree wyddered awaye?

21 Iesus answered and sayde vnto the: Verely I saye vnto you yf ye shall have faith and shall not dout ye shall not only do that which I have done to the fygge tree: but also yf ye shall saye vnto this moutayne take thy silfe awaye and cast thy silfe into the see it shalbe done.

22 And whatsoever ye shall axe in prayer (if ye beleve) ye shall receave it.

23 And when he was come into the teple the chefe prestes and the elders of the people came vnto him as he was teachinge and sayde: by what auctorite doest thou these thinges? and who gave the this power?

24 Iesus answered and sayde vnto them: I also will axe of you a certayne question which if ye assoyle me I in lyke wyse wyll tell you by what auctorite I do these thinges.

25 The baptime of Iohn: whence was it? fro heve or of men? Then they reasoned amoge them selves sayinge: yf we shall saye fro heven he will saye vnto vs: why dyd ye not then beleve hym?

26 But and if we shall saye of men then feare we the people. For all men helde Iohn as a Prophet.

27 And they answered Iesus and sayde: we cannot tell. And he lyke wyse sayd vnto them: nether tell I you by what auctorite I do these thinges.

28 What saye ye to this? A certayne man had two sonnes and came to ye elder and sayde: sonne go and worke to daye in my vineyarde.

29 He answered and sayde I will not: but afterwarde repented and went.

30 Then came he to the second and sayde lyke wyse. And he answered and sayde: I will syr: yet wet not.

31 Whether of the twayne dyd the will of the father? And they sayde vnto hym: the fyrst. Iesus sayde vnto the: verely I saye vnto you that the publicans and the harlotes shall come into ye kyngdome of God before you.

32 For Iohn came vnto you in the waye of rightewesnes and ye beleved hym not. But the publicans and the harlotes beleved him. And yet ye (though ye sawe it) were not yet moved with repentaunce that ye myght afterwarde have beleved hym.

33 Herken another similitude. Ther was a certayne housholder which planted a vineyarde and hedged it roude about and made a wynpresse in it and bilt a tower and let it out to husbandmen and wet in to a straunge coutre.

34 And when the tyme of the frute drewe neare he sent his servauntes to the husbandmen to receave the frutes of it.

35 And ye husbandme caught his servauntes and bet one kylled another and stoned another.

36 Agayne he sent other servantes moo then the fyrst: and they served them lyke wyse.

37 But last of all he sent vnto the his awne sonne sayinge: they will feare my sonne.

38 But when the husbandmen sawe the sonne they sayde amoge the selves: This is the heyre: come let vs kyll him and let vs take his inheritaunce to oure selves.

39 And they caught him and thrust him out of the vineyarde and slewe him.

40 When the lorde of the vyneyarde commeth what will he do wt those husbandme?

41 They sayde vnto him: he will cruellye destroye those evyll persons and wyll let out his vyneyarde vnto other husbandmen which shall delyver him the frute at tymes convenient

42 Iesus sayde vnto the: dyd ye never redde in the scriptures? The stone which ye bylders refused ye same is set in ye principall parte of ye corner: this was the lordes doinge and yt is mervelous in oure eyes.

43 Therfore saye I vnto you the kyngdome of God shalbe take from you and shalbe geve to the getyls which shall brynge forth the frutes of it.

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone he shalbe broken but on whosoever it shall fall vpon it will grynde him to powder.

45 And when the chefe prestes and Pharises hearde these similitudes they perceaved yt he spake of the.

46 And they wet about to laye hondes on him but they feared ye people because they tooke him as a Prophet.

Matthew 21 Commentary

Chapter 21

Christ enters Jerusalem. (1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple. (12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple. (23-27) The parable of the two sons. (28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen. (33-46)

Verses 1-11 This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, ( Zechariah 9:9 ) . When Christ would appear in his glory, it is in his meekness, not in his majesty, in mercy to work salvation. As meekness and outward poverty were fully seen in Zion's King, and marked his triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, how wrong covetousness, ambition, and the pride of life must be in Zion's citizens! They brought the ass, but Jesus did not use it without the owner's consent. The trappings were such as came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too dear to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined with the multitude that abused him upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did him honour. Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under his feet. Hosanna signifies, Save now, we beseech thee! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude join the cry of the day, whether it be Hosanna, or Crucify him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples. When Jesus was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved; some perhaps were moved with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were moved with envy. So various are the motions in the minds of men upon the approach of Christ's kingdom.

Verses 12-17 Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, ( John 2:13-17 ) . His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the glory of the latter house should be greater than the glory of the former. If Christ came now into many parts of his visible church, how many secret evils he would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practised under the cloak of religion, would he show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!

Verses 18-22 This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession commonly withers in this world, and it is the effect of Christ's curse. The fig-tree that had no fruit, soon lost its leaves. This represents the state of the nation and people of the Jews in particular. Our Lord Jesus found among them nothing but leaves. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, till they were undone, and their place and nation rooted up. The Lord was righteous in it. Let us greatly fear the doom denounced on the barren fig-tree.

Verses 23-27 As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thoughts, affections, and intentions, or their remembering and forgetting. Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to shun needless disputes with wicked opposers.

Verses 28-32 Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity.

Verses 33-46 This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us ask ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages, render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separate persons. Our Saviour, in his question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when he comes he will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and they would not admit his doctrine or laws; they threw him aside as a despised stone. But he who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as he has of making that which breaks out redound to his praise. May Christ become more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation and Cornerstone of his church. May we be willing to follow him, though despised and hated for his sake.