Living with Christ in the Shadow of the Cross (Matt. 21:1-17)

Walking with Jesus in the Shadow of the Cross
Matthew 21:1-17

INTRODUCTION:
There was a little Swiss watch made with the smallest parts but with great skill. Yet it was dissatisfied with its small sphere of influence on the lady’s wrist. It wanted to do more. It envied the position of the great clock on the city tower. One day as it passed by the tower, riding on the wrist of its owner, the tiny watch said, “I wish I could go way up there! I could then serve many instead of just one!”

The owner was in a position to answer the little watch’s plea. She arranged her access to the tower clock. “You shall have your opportunity, little watch,” she said.

The next day, a small thread was let down from the tower and the little watch was tied to it. Slowly and carefully, the watch was pulled up the side of the tower, rising higher and higher. As you might guess, as the watch reached the top of the tower, it was completely lost to view. In a dramatic way, the little watch learned that its elevation caused it to completely lose its purpose.

You and I need to pray that we don’t lose the little influence we do have for Christ because we are not humble enough to accept the position and state in life that Jesus has given us. Throughout this year, each month, we are going to take an event out of the life of Jesus during His last week on earth, and see what lessons we might learn from Jesus. One-third of the Gospel accounts are dedicated to the last week of Jesus on earth. Who, but Jesus, could have so much impact on others during His last week on earth?

Matthew 21 begins the last week of Jesus’ life on earth until His resurrection. Jesus was in Jericho at the end of chapter 20; it was about 15 miles to Jerusalem from here.

The King arrives in the city of Jerusalem (21:1-11), but not on a war horse, a stallion, but on a donkey’s foal. If a farmer might arrive in the city riding a donkey, and a king might enter the city riding on a horse, and the emperor might enter riding in a chariot - how should the Lord of the Universe enter the city?

Jesus enters the city riding on a donkey. This illustrates His humility and it puts a lie to the accusation that Jesus intended to incite Israel, as a king, against the nation of Rome. Following that symbolic event, Jesus drives money-changers out of His Father’s house (21:12-17). Driving the money-changers out of the temple indicated a judgment on the temple and its occupants.

PREPARATION FOR THE ENTRY - 21:1-5:
“Daughters of Zion” (ver. 5) is a poetic description of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The phrase is used 30 times in the OT.

Zechariah 14:4 pictured the Messiah standing on the Mount of Olives. Many scholars want to make Zechariah 14 portray a millennial kingdom but the context of Zechariah 9-14 is often alluded to (such as 9:9 in verse 2) and quoted as being fulfilled in the earthly ministry of Jesus; in other words, referring to His first coming. There is no textual support to apply Zechariah 14 to the second coming of Christ. Genesis 49:10-11 pictures the Messiah / King coming from the tribe of Judah.

The location of “Bethphage” (ver. 1) is not known today but it is believed to have been about 1 mile from Jerusalem, on the east side of the Mount of Olives. “Jerusalem” had a population of about 70,000 during the year, apart from holidays. For the Feast of Passover, the number could swell to 250,000.

Jesus had told His disciples as early as 16:21 as well as 20:17-18 that He had to go to Jerusalem to be killed and to raise again. Since that point, He has been moving toward Jerusalem. Now, He has arrived. This chapter is the beginning of the so-called “Passion Week,” passio being a transliteration of the Latin word for “suffering.”

Jesus arrived in Bethphage on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives, outside of Jerusalem. From there, He sent a couple disciples into a nearby village (we do not know which one), to find a donkey and its foal. He needs them for His entry into Jerusalem. Jesus has been on foot, as far as we know, since He left Capernaum. Yet, the last couple miles will be on a donkey, both to portray Himself as the King of the Jews, as well as to illustrate His humility, in not riding on a horse. If Jesus had written on a horse, that action would have fed into the Jews’ accusations that Jesus was intending to incite a rebellion against the Roman government.

Jesus anticipated the donkey owner or caretaker asking why they needed the animals; the disciples’ response was to be: “The Lord needs them.” We have no record of Jesus talking to the owner or caretaker beforehand but apparently He did. At least the owner recognized the designation “Lord.” Immediately, He sent the animals for Jesus’ use.

Matthew writes that this event fulfilled two passages of Scripture: Isaiah 62:11 but especially Zechariah 9:9. This latter passage pictures the king of Israel riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the king being characterized by humility. He did not enter the city on a war horse but on a “beast of burden,” a donkey.

Jesus has emphasized the beauty and need for humility in Matthew 5:5; 12:18-21; 18:1-4; 19:13-15; 21:5; 23:12. Jesus chooses to enter Jerusalem in one sense, as a king, but unique king, an humble king. It is not until after the resurrection that John pictures Jesus (Rev. 19:11-16) as the King on a white stallion with a sword drawn in His hand. First, you bear the cross. Then you wear the crown. First comes humility, then comes exaltation.

A preacher was asked to speak for a community, charitable organization. After the speech, the chairman handed the preacher a check. “Oh, I couldn’t take this,” the preacher said with some embarrassment. “I appreciate the honor of being asked to speak. You have better uses for this money. You apply it to one of those uses.”

The chairman then asked, “Well, do you mind if we put it into our Special Fund?”

“Of course not. What is the Special Fund for?”

The chairman responded, “It’s so we can get a better speaker next year.”

Jesus illustrates to us that with great power ought to come great humility.

Jesus also illustrated on this occasion His omniscience in 21:2-3. Because Jesus knows everything and sees everything, we have reason to believe what He says, to trust what He says, to obey what He says.

Matthew has also been showing since 1:1 that Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah, the King of the Jews.

THE KING ENTERS THE CAPITAL - 21:6-11:
“Hosanna” echoes Psalm 118:25-26, the last of the Hallel psalms. “Hallel” designates psalms that begin and typically end with “Hallelujah” - “Praise to Jehovah!”

The disciples did just as Jesus had said and then laid garments on the foal of the donkey and Jesus sat on “them.” Obviously the word “them” refers to the garments, on the foal, not to the foal and the donkey since it would be physically impossible for Jesus to ride both animals at once.

The crowd, excited by the appearance of the great miracle-working prophet, was ecstatic! They spread their own garments on the road, laying out a “red carpet” for the coming King. Others also cut down branches and strewed them across the road (as with Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13). Palm branches symbolized nationalism and victory for the Jews.

It appears that the whole crowd, from the beginning of the procession until the end, sang the “Hallel” songs (Psalms 113-118), which were typically sung during the Passover Feast but especially appropriate on this occasion. Their song stated, “Save us! Son of David! Blessed is the One coming in the name of the Lord! Save us in the highest!”

Jesus finally enters Jerusalem in verse 10, where we see Jerusalem “shaken” at Jesus’ appearance. It had also been disturbed at His birth, in 2:3. The crowds were asking one another, “Who is This one?” Some believed they had the answer: “The Prophet, the One from Nazareth of Galilee”. That sounds like many in Jerusalem had heard and knew Jesus. Indeed, John mentions several appearances of Jesus in Jerusalem before His final week. Jesus identified Himself as a prophet in 13:57; see also 21:46.

THE KING CLEANSES HIS FATHER’S HOUSE - 21:12-17:
This event has a parallel at John 2:13-22. Many scholars believe the John 2 event is the same event as this one, set out of chronological order by John. It could also be very possible that Jesus performed the same action on two occasions, separated by a three-year gap. If this is a second “cleansing of the temple” by Jesus, then it would help explain the animosity the Jewish leaders are feeling toward Jesus at this point in time.

The citation by Jesus in verse 13 is a composite of Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Isaiah lived during the Assyrian siege and Jeremiah, during the Babylonian siege. Their words are appropriate also in Jesus’ day even though the “siege” has turned from a physical to a spiritual assault.

It should also be noted that according to Leviticus 21:17-18, Aaron’s descendants who were blind or lame could not serve at the altar. These, in Jesus’ day, were not priests but they were healed in the temple complex which suggests a reversal of the Mosaic legislation.

The temple had an outer court, the Court of the Gentiles (where these events likely take place), and then an inner court, the Court of Women. The next court, the Court of the Israelites, was the location of the altar for sacrifices. The inner temple was the Court of the Priests, where only priests could enter. The temple itself, the largest building in the Roman world, was 1,590’ (W) by 1,035’ (N), by 1,536’ (E), by 912’ (S), with an area the size of 35 football fields. It covered 1/6 of the total area of Jerusalem itself.

Rome had separate coinage than the Jews used. Their currency had to be exchanged so they could pay the required temple tax (Exo. 30:11-16; see also Matt. 17:24-27) or to buy animals for sacrifice, which was allowed under the Law. Doves were often sacrificed by the poor.

Jesus entered into the temple; He could not have entered the holy place as He was not from the family of Levi. However, He did enter the temple complex, where some were exchanging money and selling sacrifices. Perhaps they were charging exorbitant amounts, or in some other way were being dishonest with their efforts. Or, perhaps, their business should have been done outside the temple complex.

Jesus rebuked them, citing Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 to the effect that His Father’s house (cf. Luke 2:49), should be a house for prayer. These men had made it a den or hideout for thieves. This rebuke foreshadows the rebuke of the entire city of Jerusalem and its subsequent destruction, including the temple itself, which Jesus will predict in chapters 23 & 24. Jesus was not ashamed to point out the sin of other people. Are we?

Once again Jesus spends time healing the sick, the blind and the lame. This is the only miracle Jesus performs in the temple and it is the last healing Jesus performs in Matthew. If there needed to be evidence of His authority to do what He did (see verse 23), this was it. If there needed to be evidence that He was the Messiah, this was it. But when one is prejudiced, as the scribes and chief priests and Pharisees (and Sadducees) were, then evidence is pushed aside. From this point, the “chief priests” are mentioned 17 times in Matthew!

The chief priests and scribes saw the marvelous works He was doing and rather than accepting Jesus claims, they call on Him to rebuke the children who were imitating the adults: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The chief priests and scribes were indignant that these children were acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. Yet Jesus responded, asking if they had ever read Psalm 8:2, “Out of the mouths of babies and nursing ones you have prepared praise!” These children were simply fulfilling the anticipation of the psalmist. You might stop the mouths of adults, but children will cry out. An adult might deceive himself into saying, “There is no God.” But then his own child is going to ask, “Where did everything come from?”

Jesus left the critics, the temple, and the city and returned to the village of Bethany and spent the night there. “Bethany” was the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (John 12:1). Perhaps Jesus spent the night with them. Bethany was a couple miles from Jerusalem, and as with Bethphage, it was on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives.

The house of worship should, even under the terms of the New Covenant, still be a house of prayer. It ought to be a place where Christians can seek refuge from a hostile and critical world, where we can come together in peace, harmony, unity, love and sing praises to God through Jesus, to pray together, give from their earnings, study the Word together, and commune through the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s day. In this sense, we ought to continue imitating the children from this text and sing praises to the Creator and Redeemer, “Save us, Son of David!”

Here in the temple, during the last week of Jesus on earth, He is still serving others. He is anticipating a very painful death in just a few days, but He still spends His time serving others. He was healing the blind and lame, and encouraging children. Life is not about us. Life ought to be about service: serving God supremely and serving our fellowman sacrificially.

Take home message: What do we learn from walking with Jesus in the shadow of the cross? Humility will lead us to serve.