Matthew Henry Commentary Matthew 21
Matthew Henry Commentary
Matthew 21
Matthew Henry Commentary
Matthew 21
"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose [them], and bring [them] unto me. And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before him, 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. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." — Matthew 21:1-11 (ASV)
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 his majesty, that he appears, in mercy to work salvation. Since 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 whatever came to hand. We must not think the clothes on our backs too precious to part with for the service of Christ. The chief priests and the elders afterwards joined the multitude that abused him on the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that honored him. Those who take Christ for their King must lay their all under his feet.
Hosanna signifies, "Save now, we beseech you!" Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! But of how little value is the applause of the people! The changing multitude joins the cry of the day, whether it is Hosanna or Crucify him. Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred; some perhaps were stirred with joy, who waited for the Consolation of Israel; others, of the Pharisees, were stirred with envy. So various are the emotions in the minds of people at the approach of Christ's kingdom.
"And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of he money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were moved with indignation, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these are saying? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou has perfected praise? And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there." — Matthew 21:12-17 (ASV)
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 when he began his ministry (John 2:13–17). His works testified about him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling of 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 practiced under the cloak of religion would he show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer!
"Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he hungered. And seeing a fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only; and he saith unto it, Let there be no fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How did the fig tree immediately wither away? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." — Matthew 21:18-22 (ASV)
This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general. It teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the substance of it from those who have the outward 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 this 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 nothing but leaves among them. And after they rejected Christ, blindness and hardness grew upon them, until they were ruined, and their place and nation uprooted. The Lord was righteous in this.
Let us greatly fear the judgment pronounced on the barren fig-tree.
"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? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one question, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, From men; we fear the multitude; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We know not. He also said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things." — Matthew 21:23-27 (ASV)
As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were greatly 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 do not hesitate to speak what they know to be false regarding their own thoughts, feelings, and intentions, or what they remember and forget.
Our Lord refused to answer their inquiry. It is best to avoid needless disputes with wicked opponents.
"But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him." — Matthew 21:28-32 (ASV)
Parables that 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 intended to show that those who did not recognize John's baptism to be from God were shamed by those who did recognize and acknowledge it.
The whole human race is 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.
Jump to: