1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 And when the chief priests 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 sore displeased,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
Matthew 21 is a critical chapter in the New Testament of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. This chapter is notably packed with several significant events in the life of Jesus Christ, marking the beginning of His final week on earth leading up to His crucifixion. The chapter starts with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, followed by the cleansing of the temple, the cursing of the fig tree, and Jesus' authority questioned. It concludes with a parable of two sons and the parable of the vineyard. These events and teachings are crucial in understanding the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.
The chapter begins with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, an event celebrated today as Palm Sunday. Jesus rides into the city on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. The crowds spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. They shouted, "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9). This event symbolizes Jesus' humble yet royal entry as the Messiah into the heart of Jewish religious life, Jerusalem.
Following his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the temple. The temple was supposed to be a house of prayer, but it had been turned into a "den of thieves" (Matthew 21:13). The religious leaders had allowed the temple to become a marketplace rather than a place of prayer. Jesus drives out those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturns the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. His actions were symbolic of His authority and a critique of the religious leaders' corruption and their exploitation of the people's faith for material gain.
The next morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to the tree, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever." (Matthew 21:19). Immediately the tree withered. This act was not a random display of divine power but a symbolic act. The fig tree represented Israel, and its lack of fruit symbolized Israel's failure to produce the fruits of righteousness, despite its religious pretensions. The cursing of the fig tree was a warning to the nation of Israel about the impending judgment due to their unfruitfulness in righteousness and rejection of their Messiah.
Upon Jesus' return to the temple, the chief priests and elders question His authority. They ask, "By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21:23). Jesus, in His wisdom, responds to their question with a question about the baptism of John. They were unable to answer, and as a result, Jesus did not answer their question either. This exchange underscores the religious leaders' spiritual blindness and their refusal to recognize Jesus' divine authority.
Jesus then shares the parable of the two sons. A father asks his two sons to work in his vineyard. The first son initially refuses but later goes. The second son agrees to go but does not. Jesus uses this parable to illustrate the religious leaders' hypocrisy. They were like the second son who said he would work but did not, while the tax collectors and prostitutes, who were seen as sinners, were like the first son who eventually did the father's will. This parable underscores the theme of repentance and obedience to God's will.
The chapter concludes with the parable of the vineyard, where a landowner leases his vineyard to some farmers and goes away on a journey. When the harvest time approaches, he sends his servants to collect his fruit. The tenants beat and kill the servants. Finally, the owner sends his son, thinking they will respect him. But they kill him too, hoping to seize his inheritance. This parable foretells Jesus' death and the subsequent judgment on Israel for rejecting their Messiah.
In conclusion, Matthew 21 is a significant chapter that presents several key events and teachings from the final week of Jesus' earthly ministry. It reveals Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to fulfill prophecy, challenge religious corruption, call for righteousness and repentance, and foretell His death for humanity's redemption. This chapter calls on readers to recognize Jesus' authority, bear the fruits of righteousness, and obey God's will, emphasizing the dire consequences of rejecting Jesus, the Messiah.
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