Continuing a Bible study of the gospels:
(Matthew 21:1) And when they drew near to Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples.
In the last chapter, Jesus and the disciples and a multitude of people following them, had left Jericho and were making their way to Jerusalem where Jesus had told His disciples He would be betrayed and condemned to death. They were now nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of His disciples.
(2) Saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you and right away you shall find a donkey tied and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to Me."
Jesus told the two disciples to go to the village which was most likely Bethphage, and informed them they would immediately find a donkey tied up and her colt with her. He told them to untie and bring the donkeys to Him.
(3) "And if any man says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."
Jesus further instructed the two disciples that if anyone said anything to them about taking the donkeys, they were to tell that person that the Lord had need of them, and he would immediately send them with the disciples.
(4) All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, (5) "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and sitting on a donkey and a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
These things were done fulfilling a prophecy by Zechariah in chapter 9, verse 9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding on a donkey and a colt, the foal of a donkey."
(6) And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. (7) And brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
The two disciples indeed went and did just as Jesus had told them to do. They brought the donkey and the colt to Him, and laid their outer garments on them, so that Christ might sit on them rather than directly on the donkey.
(8) And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them in the way.
Many other people also spread their garments in the road, and others cut down branches from the trees and spread those in the road ahead of Jesus. This was the way kings and princes and conquerors were often honored.
(9) And the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
The multitudes of people who went before Jesus and those who followed behind cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Hosanna was an exclamation of adoration, and by calling Him the Son of David, the people acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. Hosanna precisely meant, "Lord save us;" whether they realized it meant that or not, the people were in another way acknowledging the Savior of the world.
(10) And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"
When Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was astir. The people were moved emotionally or perhaps the meaning is physically. There was surely movement and great excitement at the coming multitude and triumphant procession through the city. The people wanted to know who this was who was worthy of such honor.
(11) And the multitude said, "This is Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
The multitude accompanying Jesus told them that it was Jesus the Prophet, that is, the Prophet of whom Moses had prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18, when he said that the Lord would raise up a Prophet. Although Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem, he had lived and had been educated in Nazareth, and it was the common opinion of people that He was from there.
(12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those who sold doves.
Jesus went into the temple at Jerusalem and found people buying and selling merchandise in the outer courts of the temple. The holy temple of God had been turned into a commercial enterprise where vendors sold religious items related to sacrifice. As I write this on Christmas Eve, I can't help but think how Christ might react to our Christmas displays and mounds of presents supposedly worshipping HIS birthday. We, too, are just as guilty of turning a beautiful gift of God's into a humongous commercial enterprise.
This appears to be the second time that Jesus cleared the temple of vendors and customers, overthrowing tables and chairs. Although this is Matthew's first account of it happening, chronologically John recorded an earlier event when Jesus actually made a whip and drove them all out of His Father's temple. However, having learned nothing, here they all were again, and Jesus again drove them out of His Father's temple.
(13) And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called the house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of thieves!"
Jesus said to those He drove out of the temple courts that it was written in scripture that the Lord's house was to be the house of prayer, but they had made it a den of thieves, referencing a statement in Jeremiah 7:11 that turned out to be prophetic for this time, "Is this house which is called by My name become a den of thieves...?"
(14) And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
Having condemned the profane use of the temple, Jesus then set about His Father's business and showing the proper use of the temple. It was a house of prayer and of the goodness and power of God to heal the spiritually blind, as He also healed the physically blind and lame.
(15) And when the chief priest 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 sorely displeased.
It's really a most remarkable thing that when the chief priests and scribes saw all the goodness and miracles that Jesus did, and hearing the praises of the people, they were incensed. I can't help but think of the division in our country in this day. In no way am I comparing President Trump to Jesus, but it's the principle of doing good for the people that is hated by people in power. Those in power didn't want people praising him and giving him credit for the good things he did for the people. Instead, they would actually sacrifice the well-being of the people for their own political power. I believe they actually sacrifice people! I mean, people's very lives. The lies and cover-ups being told about this covid pandemic at this time are actually causing loss of people's lives, but as long as it means they get to stay in power, it's worth that "greater good," so they tell us. The tale of covid is a huge book in itself, but suffice it to say that the people making the laws obviously don't believe the fear hype they spread, or they would practice what they preach. The little people must be vaccinated and wear masks in their own homes and disinvite relatives to their Christmas parties who don't obey those rules, but those same people are seen constantly partying in crowds without those masks. Thousands upon thousands of people pour into our country on the southern border without being tested or vaccinated. I actually believe that's on purpose to keep the covid scare going so they may continue to control the masses, and of course control voting methods. Again another book for another time. But just like the politicians of this day, the leaders in Christ's day did not care about the good being done for the people; they only cared that this Jesus was getting their power and glory!
(16) And said to Him, "Do you hear what these say?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise'?"
The chief priest and scribes heard the praises to Jesus, and asked Him if He heard what they were saying, insinuating of course, that He wasn't what the people claimed Him to be, and He should reprove them. However, Jesus answered them by quoting Psalm 8:2, indicating He approved of what they were saying and that they spoke correctly--the children might offer praises to God.
(17) And He left them and went out of the city into Bethany, and He lodged there.
Jesus left them and went to Bethany which was about two miles from Jerusalem, and He lodged there. This was probably to prevent being apprehended by His enemies before His time. As those enemies were probably expecting Him to overthrow their government and set Himself up as King, by leaving Jerusalem, He alleviated those suspicions for the time being.
(18) Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry.
The next morning Jesus returned to Jerusalem, and on His way, found Himself hungry.
(19) And when He saw a fig tree by the way, He came to it and found nothing on it, but leaves only, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you hence forward forever." And presently the fig tree withered away.
Being hungry, Jesus went to a fig tree He saw beside the road, expecting to find fruit to eat. However, there was no fruit, only leaves on the tree. Jesus spoke to the tree, in effect cursing it, declaring no fruit to grow on it from that point in time and forward. The tree withered and died. This may be seen as an illustration of what was to become of the Jewish nation. They flourished with leaves only, bearing no real fruit. It was the proper time for them to have borne fruit, having had Jesus in their midst preaching and teaching for the past three plus years. But as they had only empty words and only an external show of religion, God would soon take away His kingdom, the Gospel; and their temple, city, and nation, would be destroyed just as the fig tree was.
(20) And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!"
The account in Mark stated that it was the next day when the disciples saw the tree again and they were amazed at how quickly it had dried up and withered away since they last saw it the day before.
(21) Jesus answered and said to them, "Verily, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this to the fig tree, but also if you shall say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it shall be done."
Jesus replied to the disciples that if they had complete faith with no doubt, they could likewise do to the fig tree what He had done, and even greater things, such as moving a mountain and casting it into the sea. This promise was probably peculiar to only the disciples, as that power had been given to them, that if they had complete faith, they could do whatever they asked as they had been promised that what they bound or loosed on earth would be bound or loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18); God in heaven would agree to what they asked on earth. I do not believe this is to be taken as a promise to all of us, that we can move mountains if we just have faith enough. However, if it is God's will and the Holy Spirit leads for His purposes, I do believe it is then possible, but only when that power has been given as it was to the disciples.
(22) "And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."
Jesus added a final encouragement to the disciples, that whatever they asked in prayer and in faith, they would receive. This scripture has certainly been taken out of context by most who read it. This is not a promise that everything we ask for, we will get if we only have faith enough; this promise was to the disciples who had already been given the power to receive what they asked. That's not to say that God won't give us our hearts' desires, but only if within His will, and we should really want His will to be done, as He knows so much better than we what is best for us!
This seems a good place to end this post as this is a long chapter. The King of kings had come into Jerusalem in triumph and glorious praise, but was rejected by the chief priests and scribes. His cursing of the fig tree was representative of what was to happen to Jerusalem because of that rejection. If Jerusalem had repented, they surely would have been saved, just as sinners who repent will be saved. However, if sinners don't repent, like Jerusalem, they will perish.
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