The notes I used are from Preacher's Sermon and Outline Bible on Matthew.
Title: Triumphant Entry and Cleansing the Temple
Theme: To show the connection between Matthew 21 and our lives
Text: Matthew 21
Introduction
The interesting part of Matthew 21 is the contrast between the Triumphant Entry and Jesus’ Cleansing the Temple.
Reminder: Matthew was written to show Jesus as the Messiah. It is not always written in chronological order. Matthew 21 shows a connection between each story.
Mat 21:1-46
(1) Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, (2) saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. (3) "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."
(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 is coming to you, Lowly (meekness-He came to win men’s hearts with salvation and relationship not force), and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.'" Zechariah 9:9 So much different than many expected.
As He deliberately fulfilled the prophecy, so we now deliberately accept or deliberately reject His claim.
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).
Thought 2. Note two very significant things.
1) Christ did not come to execute justice, but to save men spiritually through the forgiveness of sin. Christ came not as a judge to judge men for ignoring, neglecting, rejecting, and misinterpreting God; but He came as the Messenger of Peace to reconcile men to God by the cross
2) Christ is coming again, coming as Judge to execute justice among all men, both the saved and unsaved
(6) So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
(7) They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
(8) And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
(9) Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"
Hosanna – Lord Save Us! Lord do something
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
They had faith
(19) And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.
(20) And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"
(21) So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.
(22) "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Why did Jesus destroy the tree?
⇒ He destroyed it for the same reason that He angrily ran through the temple casting out all who bought and sold.
⇒ He destroyed it for the same reason that He lashed out at the Pharisees for being hypocritical (Matthew 23:13-39).
⇒ He destroyed it for the same reason that He cast the evil spirits into a herd of swine, killing them (Matthew 8:28-34).
⇒ He destroyed it for the same reasons that He became indignant (angry) with the disciples for keeping little children from coming to Him (see Deeper Study #4—Mark 10:14).
⇒ He destroyed it for the same reason that He deliberately demanded uncompromising loyalty despite family or personal needs (Matthew 8:18-22; Matthew 10:34-39).
Why did Jesus act with such force in destroying the tree? For the same reason He acted with such force in all of the above. Jesus always acted either to teach man or to save and help man. In destroying the fig tree, He was teaching man a much needed lesson.
The lesson: the Messiah has absolute power over all the physical universe. The unfruitful among men (symbolized in the fig tree) do not have such power. Contrariwise, He alone has such enormous power. He alone has the power to judge and to determine fruitfulness and unfruitfulness, life and death, salvation and condemnation. He alone laid down His life; no man took it from Him (John 10:11, 15-18, esp. John 10:18).
(10) And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"
(11) So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
(12) Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
(13) And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"
"Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" (Isaiah 56:7).
"Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes" (Jeremiah 7:11).
(14) Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
(15) But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant
(16) and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"
(17) Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
(18) Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.
Contemplated Act – This was planned
"And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve" (Mark 11:11).
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Heb 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Two wonderful things happened when the temple was cleansed of its corruptions.
1. The worshippers, those in need (symbolized by the blind and lame), were able to come to Christ and worship and have their needs met quietly.
2. Christ was able to take His rightful position within the temple. He was able to become the prominent figure and to receive the worshippers and to minister to those who had need.
Thought 1. People are barred, kept away from the church when corruption is within its walls. It may not be only buying and selling; it may be divisiveness, grumbling, complaining, gossiping, and a host of other sins. But nothing will keep people away from the church quicker than sin within the church.
When such sins are removed and the church is purified, then Christ can and will be known to have His rightful place in the church. People can then come and be helped. They can worship and have their needs met.
Thought 2. The needy are often barred, cut off, and unwelcomed by society. Such is not to be true of the church. The church is to have open arms and a pure heart, welcoming all, no matter how poor and needy. In fact the church is to be the very worship center for ministry.
By Whose Authority
(23) Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"
(24) But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:
(25) "The baptism of John; where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'
(26) "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."
(27) So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Jesus told two Parables – Parable of the Two Sons and the Wicked and the Wicked Vinedressers
(45) Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
(46) But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
Joh 12:17-19 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. (18) For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. (19) The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"
Why were they so upset?
I. They had not given permission
II. They did not start them, so they could not stop them
III. They were praising Him and not Praising them
Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
Parable of the Two Sons: What it Takes to Enter God’s Kingdom
(28) "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'
(29) "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.
(30) "Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.
(31) "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
(32) "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
Parable of the Wicked Husbandman: Represented Israel’s Rejection of Jesus’ Messiahship
(33) "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
(34) "Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
(35) "And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
(36) "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
(37) "Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
(38) "But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'
(39) "So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
(40) "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"
(41) They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."
(42) Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?
(43) "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
(44) "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
