Matthew 21

1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with it; loose [them] and lead [them] to me.

3 And if any one say anything to you, ye shall say, The Lord has need of them, and straightway he will send them.

4 But all this came to pass, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

5 Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

6 But the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus had ordered them,

7 brought the ass and the colt and put their garments upon them, and he sat on them.

8 But a very great crowd strewed their own garments on the way, and others kept cutting down branches from the trees and strewing them on the way.

9 And the crowds who went before him and who followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed [be] he who comes in the name of [the] Lord; hosanna in the highest.

10 And as he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11 And the crowds said, This is Jesus the prophet who is from Nazareth of Galilee.

12 And Jesus entered into the temple [of God], and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those that sold the doves.

13 And he says to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but *ye* have made it a den of robbers.

14 And blind and lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

15 And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders which he wrought, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant,

16 and said to him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus says to them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

17 And leaving them he went forth out of the city to Bethany, and there he passed the night.

18 But early in the morning, as he came back into the city, he hungered.

19 And seeing one fig-tree in the way, he came to it and found on it nothing but leaves only. And he says to it, Let there be never more fruit of thee for ever. And the fig-tree was immediately dried up.

20 And when the disciples saw [it], they wondered, saying, How immediately is the fig-tree dried up!

21 And Jesus answering said to them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what [is done] to the fig-tree, but even if ye should say to this mountain, Be thou taken away and be thou cast into the sea, it shall come to pass.

22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

23 And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him [as he was] teaching, saying, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

24 And Jesus answering said to them, *I* also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, *I* also will tell you by what authority I do these things:

25 The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?

26 but if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet.

27 And answering Jesus they said, We do not know. *He* also said to them, Neither do *I* tell you by what authority I do these things.

28 But what think ye? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go to-day, work in [my] vineyard.

29 And he answering said, I will not; but afterwards repenting himself he went.

30 And coming to the second he said likewise; and he answering said, *I* [go], sir, and went not.

31 Which of the two did the will of the father? They say [to him], The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say unto you that the tax-gatherers and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but *ye* when ye saw [it] repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.

33 Hear another parable: There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a fence round it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country.

34 But when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his bondmen to the husbandmen to receive his fruits.

35 And the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them in like manner.

37 And at last he sent to them his son, saying, They will have respect for my son.

38 But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance.

39 And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen?

41 They say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil [men], and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42 Jesus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of [the] Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

43 Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

44 And he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.

45 And the chief priests and the Pharisees, having heard his parables, knew that he spoke about them.

46 And seeking to lay hold of him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they held him for 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Eis, the point they were going towards.
• [b]. Pros, that 'in the presence of,' 'at which' they were. (Pros with accusative is 'at,' if the place is reached.)
• [c]. Zech. 9.9.
• [d]. Lit. 'son of one under yoke.'
• [e]. Ps. 118.25-26. Hosanna signifies 'Save now.'
• [f]. As ch. 1.22.
• [g]. Hieron, the general buildings, not the shrine; so vers. 14,15.
• [h]. Isa. 56.7.
• [i]. Jer. 7.11.
• [j]. Ps. 8.2.
• [k]. As ch. 16.4.
• [l]. Eis, the point they were going towards.
• [m]. Lit. 'a man, a householder.'
• [n]. Hostis: as ch. 19.12.
• [o]. There is no good English word for this: it means that a part of the fruit or wine is paid in kind according to agreement, instead of a fixed rent. So with all kinds of produce. But we can hardly say 'pay fruits,' nor 'give,' nor indeed, 'render,' but there is nothing better than this last.
• [p]. Ps. 118.22-23.
• [q]. Lit. 'Head of corner.'
• [r]. 'This' refers grammatically to 'corner-stone.'
• [s]. Lit. 'speaks.'