Triumphant Entry & Cleansing The Temple

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).