Matthew Chapter 21

The Triumphal Entry

            ¹ When they got close to Jerusalem, to Bethany on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² “Go in the village across from you. Close by you’ll find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anybody says anything, say the Lord needs them; they’ll send them right away.” ⁴ That fulfilled what the prophet said,

                        ⁵ “Tell the people of Zion [Is 62:11],

‘Your king’s coming to you,

                                    humble and riding on a donkey—

                                                the colt of a donkey’” [Zech 9:9].

            ⁶ The disciples did like Jesus said, ⁷ brought the donkey and colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸ The big crowd spread cloaks on the road; others started cutting tree branches and spreading them on the road. ⁹ The crowd ahead and behind started shouting,

                        “Hosanna to the son of David!

                        Blessed be the One that’s coming in the name of the LORD [Ps 118:25-26]!

Hosanna

in the highest!”

¹⁰ When he went into Jerusalem, it stirred up the whole city, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowd said, “The prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”                     

Mt 21:1-11

Second Cleansing of the Temple;

Cursing the Fig Tree

            ¹² Jesus went into the Temple and drove out the ones that were buying and selling, and turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of men selling doves.

            ¹³ He said^p, “Scripture says,

‘Call my house a house for prayer’ [Is 56:7].

You’ve made it ‘a den of thieves’!” [Jer 7:11]

            ¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things he was doing and the kids shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant, ¹⁶ “Do you hear what they’re saying?”

             “Yes. You’ve read, haven’t you, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you’ve prepared yourself perfect praise’?” [Ps 8:3 LXX] ¹⁷ He left the city for Bethany to spend the night.

¹⁸ In the morning as he was coming into the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ He noticed one fig tree beside the road. He went over to it and didn’t find anything on it but leaves. He said^p, “You’ll never grow fruit again.” Right away the tree started shriveling up.   

Mt 21:12-19

Discussing the Shriveled Fig Tree

            ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they were surprised, “How did it shrivel up so fast?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you have faith—and don’t doubt—not only will you do what happened to this fig tree; even if you tell this mountain to be picked up and thrown in the sea, it’ll happen. ²² Whatever you ask for in prayer you’ll receive if you believe.”           

Mt 21:20-22

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

            ²³ When he went into the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came while he was teaching, “What right do you have to do this? Who gave you that right?”

            ²⁴ “I’ll ask you a question too. If you tell me, I’ll tell you what right I have to do this. ²⁵ Was John’s baptism from heaven or humans?”

They talked it over, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ If we say, ‘From humans,’ we’re afraid of the people” (everybody considered John a prophet). ²⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know.”

He also said, “I won’t tell you either what right I have to do this.”                  

Mt 21:23-27

A Story About Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first, ‘Go work in the vineyard today.’

            ²⁹ “‘I don’t want to,’ but later he regretted it and went.

            ³⁰ “He went to the other son and said the same thing.

“‘Okay,’ but didn’t go.

³¹ “Which one did the father’s will?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said^p,

“Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into God’s kingdom before you are. ³² John came telling you to live right, and you didn’t believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. But you, when you saw that, didn’t even regret it later and believe him.                                                                                           

Mt 21:28-32

A Story About a Vineyard

³³ “Listen to another story. A landowner planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, rented it out to tenants, and went on a trip. ³⁴ When it came time for the fruit, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. ³⁵ The tenants took them and beat one, murdered another, and stoned another. ³⁶ He sent some others—more than the first, and they did the same thing. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son, ‘They’ll respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when they saw him, they said, ‘That’s the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ They dragged him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When the owner comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ They said, “He’ll miserably destroy those sinful men and rent out the vineyard to other tenants that will pay him the fruit in its season.”

⁴² Jesus said^p, “You’ve read in the scriptures, haven’t you,

‘The stone the builders rejected

                                    has become the cornerstone.

That has come from the LORD;

                                    it’s amazing to us’? [Ps 118:22-23]

⁴³ So God will take the kingdom away from you and give it to a nation that will produce its fruit. [[ ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on that stone will get bruised, and whoever it falls on will get crushed.]]^ms”

⁴⁵ The chief priests and the Pharisees knew he’d told his stories about them. ⁴⁶ They were trying to find a way to arrest him, but they were afraid to; the people considered him a prophet.                                                               Mt 21:33-46