The King Is Coming

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The beginning of the end.

That's the best way to describe Matthew 21. For 20 chapters we have journeyed with Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth, throughout Galilee, into Capernaum and Gennesaret, into the Gentile areas of Tyre and Sidon, to Magadan and Caesarea Philippi, and into Jericho and Judea. Now, for the first time in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Matthew 21 records the last week of Jesus' life. For three years Jesus had preached, taught, and healed, and now, during Passover week, He was entering the holy city. It would be difficult to exaggerate the significance of the events that transpire in the remainder of this Gospel. Over a period of eight days, Jesus entered Jerusalem, cleansed the temple, challenged the religious leaders, instituted the Lord's Supper, got arrested, was tried, was crucified, and then was raised from the dead. This was the week all of creation had been waiting for. Back in the garden, God had promised the serpent, "I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15). The Son of God ultimately fulfilled that promise, crushing the head of the snake by His death and resurrection. The events of this week, planned before the foundation of the world, were not just climactic for Jesus' life; this was the climactic week for all of history!

Over a quarter of Matthew's Gospel—eight chapters—is devoted to these last eight days. Up to this point, Jesus has told those who were healed not to tell others, since it was not the time for His full identity and purpose to be more fully revealed. For example, when He healed two blind men in Matthew 9:27-31, Matthew writes, "Jesus warned them sternly, 'Be sure that no one finds out!'" (v. 30). However, at the end of Matthew 20, Jesus again healed two blind men, but this time He gave them no such warning (20:29-34).

In Matthew 21 Jesus asserts Himself as the Messiah, the promised King who would save His people from their sins (cf. 1:21). But He was not a King for the Jews only, for His saving rule would extend to the nations. You and I are also part of this purpose, for we are called to submit every part of our lives to His rule and reign. Christ is worthy of our adoration and the abandonment of our lives. In this chapter and the ones to follow, Matthew gives us a breathtaking, awe-inspiring, life-transforming picture of this King who will one day return. His attributes are on display, and the picture is stunning.278

Attributes of the King

Matthew 21:1-22

In this chapter alone we see (at least) 13 important and glorious attributes of King Jesus. We'll consider each of them below.

God designed every detail of the scene of Jesus' entry to show us the kind of King Jesus is. In the first three verses we see that He is the divine King. The glory of the incarnation is evident as Jesus, a man, divinely ordains where a donkey and a colt will be at a certain time for a certain purpose. If the disciples are asked why they are taking the animals, they are to respond, "The Lord needs them" (v. 3). To say that the "Lord" needs these animals in this context means that Jesus is more than one's personal master, teacher, or rabbi, as we might use these terms to show respect. This was a claim to be the Lord of all.

Next, Matthew points to yet another way in which Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. In verses 4-5 He is the prophesied King. The quotation in verse 5 comes from Zechariah 9:9, and "Daughter Zion" is a reference to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is often referred to in the Bible as Zion, because Mount Zion is the highest, most prominent hill there. Zechariah prophesied to God's people after they had come back from the exile. This remnant of Israelites had come back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and re-establish the city. It was a time of joy and of struggle. God's people had repeatedly seen the tragedy of failed kings, but Zechariah held out hope, promising a day when God would send His King. Zechariah 9:9 begins with a note of joy in light of the coming King. It specifies the way He would arrive, and the fulfillment we see here is truly amazing: 500 years before Jesus came, God promised that a donkey and a colt would be available the week before Passover for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. You don't write a script like that unless you are God!

Jesus not only stands forth as the prophesied King in Zechariah's prophecy, but also He is the righteous King. Unlike Israel's other kings, Jesus would be "righteous." Moreover, this righteous King would be "victorious" on behalf of His people, for He is the Savior King. This is why279 the crowds were crying "Hosanna" (Matt 21:9), which literally means, "Save now" (Osborne, Matthew, 756). This cry of "Hosanna" is itself a quotation from Psalm 118:25-26, where the psalmist cries, "Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success! He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed" (Osborne, Matthew, 756).

The timing of these events is also crucial for understanding the significance of these quotations. This was Passover week, a time when the population of Jerusalem would swell up to five or six times its usual size. People were coming to celebrate this feast of remembrance, a feast that reminded them of the time when God rescued their fathers from slavery in Egypt and brought salvation through the blood of a lamb. Now Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36) and the One who was inaugurating a new and greater exodus (Matt 2:13-15), was coming into Jerusalem during Passover week. This was no coincidence.

Despite Jesus' greatness and the significance of His coming, Matthew also tells us that He is the gentle King. Jesus did not come arrogantly, but humbly. Unlike other earthly rulers, He was meek (see also Isa 11:4; Matt 5:5). Most people in the West today don't understand the concept of a king. Many of the examples we see of monarchies are monarchies in symbol only. But in most places throughout history, a king would be honored with reverence and fear at his coronation. He would be dressed in ornamental, regal attire, surrounded by splendor and pageantry. Jesus, on the other hand, was surrounded by lowly Galileans as he came into the city not with riches, but in poverty; not in majesty, but in meekness. He came humbly and mounted on a donkey.

Zechariah's prophecy about Jesus also tells us that He is the peaceful King. Verse 10 of chapter 9 says that God's king would "proclaim peace to the nations." It was not uncommon for a king to ride on a donkey; the key is when a king would ride on a donkey. If a king was going to war, he would ride on a warhorse as a picture of power. When he was not at war, the king would ride on a donkey as a picture of peace. The fact that Jesus came riding on a donkey speaks to His mission as the One who came to make it possible for us to have peace with God. When Luke records this account he notes how the crowds cried out, "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!" (Luke 19:38; emphasis added). Then as Jesus drew near the city and wept, He said, "If you knew this day what would bring peace..." (Luke 19:42). This message of peace is good news for those who are by nature enemies of God (Rom 5:10).280

Jesus brought a message of peace: peace between God and man, and peace between men. We are reconciled to God through Christ, and we are reconciled to one another in Christ. This message was very different from what many people would have expected. They were looking for a ruler to come wielding his power and to overthrow Israel's oppressors. God's King, however, did not come wielding political power, but bringing spiritual peace. He is the "Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6).

The peace that Jesus came to bring was not just for Israel. Zechariah had predicted that the coming King would "proclaim peace to the nations," and that "His dominion will extend from sea to sea... to the ends of the earth" (Zech 9:10; emphasis added). He is the global King. Jesus rules over every leader, king, prime minister, and president in the world, and the salvation that He accomplished is good news for all peoples.

Related to Jesus' global reign is another important theme that has surfaced throughout Matthew's Gospel: He is the Messianic King. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the city was "shaken," asking, "Who is this?" (Matt 21:10). Both those who were following Jesus and those ahead of Him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!... This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee!" (vv. 9, 11). The phrase "Son of David" continues to be used in Matthew's Gospel, appearing as early as the first verse in the opening genealogy (1:1). Jesus has been portrayed as the promised Messiah, the King who would come from the line of David. In essence, then, the crowds in verse 9 were shouting, "Messiah, save us!" These crowds may not have known how Jesus would save them, since presumably no one, not even the disciples, had connected the dots between Zechariah 9 and Isaiah 53. It was not clear that the conquering King would be the Suffering Servant, that the Messiah would save His people from their sins by shedding His blood during Passover week. The significance of all that was happening in these final chapters of Matthew's Gospel would only be truly realized after Jesus' death and resurrection. Only then would these events and their significance come into focus, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, some people wanted to kill Him (Matt 20:18), but He didn't respond in the way we might expect an earthly king to respond. He is the compassionate King, and Luke tells us that Jesus wept over Jerusalem as He approached it (Luke 19:41). The heart of the Messiah was gripped for the sinners He came to save. Even though the crowds who asked, "Who is this?" would soon cry out,281 "Crucify Him!" (Mark 15:13), Jesus continued His journey to the cross to suffer and die. This was the ultimate act of compassion.

Amid the questions and the chaos swirling around Jesus, the crowds were partially right in their assessment of His identity. In verse 11 they referred to Him as the "prophet Jesus," which reminds us that He is the prophetic King. This statement may not seem noteworthy, but in the context of Matthew's Gospel it is incredibly significant. Matthew 21 gives us a glimpse of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, as the perfect prophet, priest, and king. We've already seen Him depicted as King (Matt 21:5), and soon Matthew will portray Jesus in a priestly role in the temple (vv. 12-16), foreshadowing the new way to God He will make for sinners. Likewise, Jesus is a prophet, for He is God's Word revealed to men in the flesh (John 1:1, 14).

In addition to His various roles, Jesus is also unique in terms of His character. There are many things we could say about Jesus' character, but first and foremost He is the holy King. Another prophecy made around 500 years before Jesus came witnesses to Christ's holiness and purity. Based on the prophecy in Mal 3:1-4, the Jewish people expected the Messiah to come and purify the temple and the people of Jerusalem. Here is what we read:

Malachi speaks of God's messenger restoring the worship life of the people of God and purifying the priests. But once again, Jesus fulfills these expectations in a way the people never could have expected. He walked into a scene where people were bustling in the outer court of the temple, known also as the court of the Gentiles, a place for the nations to meet with God in worship, praise, and prayer. Instead of such worship, however, Jesus found a commercial business filled with scores of people selling sacrifices and exchanging money. People were282 profiting off of one another and even taking advantage of one another, all while ignoring the purpose of the temple. So Jesus, in righteous anger, drove them all out, overturning their tables and their seats (Matt 21:12). He said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer.' But you are making it a den of thieves!" In Isaiah 56:7, God says that His house will be called a "house of prayer for all nations." Yet here in Matthew 21, the people of God were preventing the nations from praying.

In the second part of verse 13, Jesus says that God's house has been made into a "den of thieves." This is likely a reference to Jeremiah 7:10, a temple address in which God disciplined His people for offering ritual sacrifices while living in total disobedience to Him. Jeremiah's wider context is worth quoting here:

God's people were offering worship in Jeremiah's day, yet they did not behave in obedience to God. Jesus walked into a similar situation in Matthew 21, and as a holy King, He came to cleanse and to purify God's temple. This hideout for criminals against God needed to be restored to a house of prayer for God. Jesus does not deal with sin lightly, but in righteous anger. This leads to the next attribute of Jesus.

Jesus has the right to cleanse the temple because He is the authoritative King. In this chapter and the chapters that follow, Jesus' authority is put on display. This section of Matthew's Gospel has been referred to as Jesus' final break with Judaism, for He takes the religious leaders of Jerusalem head-on, making claims that they considered blasphemous—claims that would lead them to crucify Him. Consider four different aspects of the authority Jesus demonstrates in this text.

First, He has authority over the temple. Jesus had made clear in Matthew 12:6 that He is greater than the temple. Indeed, He is Lord of the temple, and He has the right to do in it whatever He desires, including throwing it into disarray. It must have been quite shocking for Jewish leaders who prided themselves in religious practices at the temple to283 have Jesus come in and turn it upside down. Who does He think He is? Is He in charge of this place? Yes, as a matter of fact, He is.

Second, He has authority over disease. This is not only a scene of righteous anger, but of divine compassion. Some were welcomed into the temple, including the blind and the lame, individuals who would often sit at the temple and beg for help. These individuals were restricted from going into the actual temple area, being confined to the outer courts (Carson, Matthew, 442). But Jesus did not cast them out; He cared for them and healed them (v. 14). This is the only miracle of healing in Matthew's Gospel that Jesus performs in Jerusalem. He is King, not only over kings, nations, and religious leaders, but also over disease. It's no coincidence that when heaven is described in the book of Revelation, the picture is very temple-like, and there, in the presence of Jesus and the worship of God, there is no sickness, disease, hurt, or pain (Rev 21).

Third, in addition to Christ's authority over the temple and over disease, He has authority over all people. Children in the temple cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (v. 15). It's a real problem for these religious leaders when children all over the temple begin shouting, "Save us, Messiah!" Indignantly, the chief priests and scribes asked Jesus, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" (v. 16). How could Jesus stand there and accept such blasphemous praise? Jesus responded to them by quoting Psalm 8:2: "You have prepared praise from the mouths of children and nursing infants" (Matt 21:16). Psalm 8 is all about praising God, and it begins, "Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!" (Ps 8:1). Jesus is deliberately accepting praise that God alone is due.

Fourth, in Jesus' cursing of the fig tree we see that He has authority over all creation. Though Mark tells us this wasn't the season for figs (Mark 11:13), this fig tree had leaves, which usually indicates that fruit is there. But Jesus found no fruit on this tree, so He cursed it, not because He was angry at it, but in order to make a point.

The cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree are closely related; in fact, Mark brackets the story of the temple cleansing with references to the fig tree (Mark 11:12-25) to make the same point. Jesus was commenting on the religious life and worship of God's people, particularly Israel's leadership. They had leaves, so to speak, on the outside, but on the inside there was no real fruit. There was a lot of man-centered religious activity completely devoid of God-centered spiritual productivity. These spiritually dead individuals claimed to worship God284 in the temple, all the while rejecting Jesus, who was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14), the new and greater temple (John 2:19). Jesus had no tolerance for such hollow worship and hypocritical religion.

To summarize what we've seen so far, Matthew is presenting Jesus as a royal figure. He is the coming King, and this is presented in two stages. He came the first time humbly riding on a colt, bringing peace through His shed blood. That was His purpose for coming to Jerusalem—to rescue sinners. He came to be crucified as King, not to deliver Israel from the power of Rome, as so many thought the Messiah would do. He came to deliver all people everywhere from the power of sin.

In Revelation 19 Jesus is no longer pictured coming on a donkey, but on a warhorse. Here is John's vision of the coming King:

King Jesus came the first time humbly riding on a colt, but He will come the second time sovereignly reigning on a horse. That final day will be very different from the one we see in Matthew 21. If you have not already given your allegiance to this King on that last day, it will be too late. He will come not to rescue sinners but to rule sinners. He will not come to be crucified as King; He will come to be crowned as King.

Application to Our Lives

Matthew 21:20-22

There are a number of exhortations for us based on what we've seen so far in Matthew 21. First, let us give Jesus praise. That praise begins as you gladly surrender to this King today. Second, let us prioritize prayer. Praying to God was one of the purposes of God's house, the temple, in285 the Old Testament, and though God doesn't dwell in a physical building today, He inhabits His people. We need to continually seek this King every day through prayer. In a day when we are bombarded with Christian commercialism, consumerism, and materialism, when our religion is filled with so much stuff and so much activity, let us not neglect to commune with God through Jesus the King. Third, let us bear fruit in our lives. We don't want to be like Israel of old, having all the signs of outward religion, but lacking real spiritual fruit. Jesus curses superficial religion throughout the Gospel of Matthew and throughout Scripture. He hates profession without practice. We shouldn't have songs on our lips without surrender in our lives, for we cannot separate outward acts from inward affection. This King desires—and deserves—more than hollow worship and hypocritical religion. Let us be on guard as a result of this text, and let us bear fruit in keeping with faith.

After all of these things, Jesus uses the cursing of the fig tree (based on the cleansing of the temple) to bring the discussion back to prayer in verses 20-22. Jesus speaks of telling a mountain to be lifted up and thrown into the sea. This is obviously a figurative expression to illustrate a spiritual reality. The point is not that we must muster up enough faith; rather, the point is that if we have faith in God, then we will receive what we ask, even when something seems too difficult, humanly speaking. What seems impossible to us is possible with God in prayer.

In these verses the verbs are all plural, so while these truths certainly apply to individuals, Jesus is specifically giving this promise to the community of disciples. So what is your church asking God for that can only be accomplished by His power? Have you asked Him to give you an impact on nations, such that He alone gets the glory? These are prayers that God will answer. If we ask and believe, we will receive these things, so let us have faith as His church. We have every reason to be confident in Jesus, no matter what lies ahead. This King can—and will—do the impossible when we ask.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What attributes do you think your unbelieving neighbors and co-workers would use to describe Jesus?
2. In your opinion, which attributes of Christ mentioned in this chapter seem to be lacking in the church's picture of Christ today? What is the danger of having a distorted view of Christ's character?286
3. How does the rich variety of Christ's attributes speak to His uniqueness?
4. In what sense is this section of Matthew "the beginning of the end"?
5. List the ways in which Jesus' authority is displayed in this chapter.
6. Which attributes mentioned in this chapter have been missing in your own view of Christ? Are there other Scriptures that speak to these attributes?
7. Respond to the following statement: "The Jesus of the New Testament is different from the angry God of the Old Testament."
8. Was it inconsistent with His compassion for Jesus to cleanse the temple the way He did? Why not?
9. How would you summarize Jesus' point in verses 20-22?
10. How will Christ's first and second comings be different?