CHAPTER 21
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.” Matthew 21:1-2
Bethphage was looked upon as being on the outer limits of Jerusalem.1 While we cannot know its exact location today we do know that it was closer to Jerusalem than Bethany, where Jesus often lodged with his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It is possible that Jesus had spent the night there prior to this incident. Jesus then sent two disciples to a nearby village with specific instructions about obtaining a donkey.
God had prepared his Messiah for this hour and God had also prepared the donkey. Jesus knew that in the village ahead the little animal was waiting. Bible commentators and scholars try to say that the donkey was awaiting Jesus because of some prearranged signal, but we must remember that this was the day before cell phones. Prearranging a signal would have been quite difficult. Sometimes these folks forget that God is Lord of all creation. He can speak to a total stranger in the night and command him to tie his choice donkey out front in the morning. He can speak to the donkey and the beast will obey his voice. He once spoke to a fire-worshipping king by the name of Cyrus and commanded him to send the people of Israel back to their land. The Lord is God and he can do anything!
We can only imagine what the disciples thought as they untied a colt that didn’t belong to them. It was no doubt a little like someone trying to hotwire a new Mercedes belonging to a total stranger and then driving it off. People could probably have gotten stoned for stealing a donkey in those days, so no doubt the two disciples were a little shaky. Matthew gives us some extra information on the donkey. Apparently the mother came along following after the colt as we will see in the next verse. So, there were really two animals involved and this, as seems to be indicated in the following Zechariah passage. Regarding Jesus and the little animal, the ancient writer Ephrem the Syrian (c. 363-373) quipped, “He began with a manger and finished with a donkey.” 2
The other gospel writers give us some extra information about the donkey. This little beast had never been ridden (Mk. 11:2; Lk. 19:30). This was very important information. In other places in the Bible we see that the things that are used of God must be pure, holy and solely dedicated to him (Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3; 1 Sam. 6:7; 2 Sam. 6:3). We can imagine what a task it would have been to ride a donkey that had never been broken. Only the Lord of creation could do such a thing. Writers have mentioned that the mother going with the colt would have had some calming effect upon it. Only Matthew mentions the mother coming along.3
“If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away” (21:3). It seems here that the Lord had given the two disciples a password, “the Lord needs them.” Based on this, some commentators are sure that Jesus had prearranged the whole thing. Still, how could he have prearranged the donkey being there along with its owners at exactly the right moment? We remember the later episode in Jerusalem, of the disciples being given orders to follow a man with a pitcher of water on his head. That too, would have been impossible to prearrange.
Commentators have mentioned that Jesus may have used the legal right of angereia (requisitioning). This right belonged to royalty and was even claimed by the Rabbis.4 However, this would sound a little far-fetched. Sometimes Bible commentators will go through all kinds of gyrations in order to keep from recognizing the miraculous.
The disciples did as they were instructed. Both Mark and Luke tell us that they went and found things exactly as Jesus had told them. The gospel writers relate that the disciples were questioned about what they were doing when they untied the colt (Mk. 11:4-5; Lk. 19:32-33). They quickly gave the password and the men (or owners) let them go (Mk. 11:6). It is a miracle in itself that these owners would allow total strangers to walk away with two of their expensive animals.
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘Say to Daughter Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey”’” (21:4-5). Matthew and John are the only gospel writers to quote this Zechariah passage. This makes it clear that Jesus was fulfilling ancient prophecy as he rode into Jerusalem on the little beast (cf. Jn. 12:15). Apparently, this prophecy was always seen as messianic among the Jews. The passage was taken from Zechariah 9:9 with some echoes of Isaiah 62:11.5
Jesus was coming as king but he was certainly a different kind of king than the people as a whole and their leaders were expecting. False theology and false eschatology were rife in those days just as they are again in our day. They were expecting a conquering king riding on a white charger and instead they got a lowly and humble king riding on a little donkey. It was too much for them! For this triumphal procession was not triumphal at all when compared to the great Roman processions they were used to.6 The leaders especially were in no mood to accept a “gentle” king. We can imagine the Roman soldiers garrisoned nearby laughed in scorn at the sight. In just a few generations this humble king would rule their whole empire.
“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on” (21:6-7). Unknown to the disciples, they were participating in what we might call “acted out prophecy.” 7 Jesus’ followers took their cloaks and made a saddle for Jesus as he mounted the little donkey.
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (21:8). As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem they ushered in a momentous hour, a time that Israel had anticipated through the ages, a time of which the prophets had spoken. The long-awaited Messiah of Israel was about to make his formal public appearance in Jerusalem.
We see a frenzy of religious activity here with people in the crowd spreading the cloaks before Jesus. Others were cutting branches and spreading on the road before him. When Jehu was proclaimed king (2 Ki. 9:13), his friends spread cloaks before him. They did the same in later times when Simon Maccabaeus entered Jerusalem after his victory (1 Maccabees 13:51). The gospel writer John tells us that some people were waving palm leaves before Jesus (Jn. 12:13). This was the Sunday before the coming Passover and in Christian practice it became Palm Sunday.8
The gospel writer Luke says: “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen…” (Lk. 19:37). We need to remember that the high holy period of Passover was at hand and vast crowds of Jews had gathered from all over the country and from many foreign nations. Barclay notes how some 30 years later in a Roman census it was revealed that almost a quarter of a million lambs were slain for the Passover.
With a minimum of ten people feasting on each lamb it would mean that there were two and a half million people crowded into Jerusalem for the feast.9
We need to understand some things about the crowd. Clearly there were apparently two groups represented here. There were those residents who had been present in Bethany and the many who had come to be with Mary and Martha. Some weeks before, many of these people had seen Lazarus being raised from the dead. There was also a crowd of people who had followed Jesus from the Galilee and from Perea. Then there were vast throngs that had come to the festival from all over Israel and the known world. We seem to have a crowd of people coming down the Mount of Olives with Jesus and another coming out from the city to meet Jesus. We can only imagine how the population of Jerusalem would have become electrified with the news “The Messiah is coming down the Mount of Olives!” We know that the Jewish leaders when they saw this crowd exclaimed, “…Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (Jn. 12:19).
In spite of all this acclaim, Jesus knew that there was so-to-speak a warrant out for his arrest (cf. Jn. 11:57). Jesus well knew that the religious leaders would later arrest him. They would condemn, mock and scourge him. Then they would deliver him to the Romans for crucifixion. Yet, he came publicly into Jerusalem. What courage! 10
“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (21:9). Although their leaders were blind to scripture, many in the crowds must have recognized the significance of the Messiah coming on a little donkey. From the top of the Mount of Olives one can gain a magnificent vista of the whole city of Jerusalem and the temple mount. Some may have remembered that this mount was set to be the scene of Israel’s final redemption (cf. Ezek. 43:2-9; Zech. 14:1-19).11 No doubt others may have remembered that in the prophecy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks and the time of fulfillment had surely come (Dan. 9:24-27).12 The combination of all these things must have sent the people into a holy frenzy.
They began to cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Barclay says, “Jesus could not have chosen a more dramatic moment; it was into a city surging with people keyed up with religious expectations that he came.” 13 The cries of the people were taken from Psalm 118:25-26 and “Hosanna” meant “Save us!” The cry “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” might have been an appeal for the angels in heaven to worship the Lord. It is thought by this time that the cries were simply those of welcome and acclamation, like “Hail!” 14 The psalm, which was part of the Hallel (Psa. 113-118), was no doubt already on their lips since it was recited regularly at Passover. Osborne says, “For one brief moment in time, lots of people greeted Jesus with enthusiasm and honor, respect and celebration.” 15
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee’” (21:10-11). The King of the Universe now stood in the temple. We might ask, where was the large welcoming committee of rulers, officials, priests, and Levites to greet him? They were all strangely absent. Later Jesus would say of the Jews and of Jerusalem, “…you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Lk. 19:44). He would further say, “…If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace— but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Lk 19:42).
What applied to the rulers of Israel certainly did not apply to the people in general. They happily proclaimed Jesus as the prophet from Nazareth and plainly hailed him as the Messiah. It was always true that the common people accepted Jesus and heard all his teaching with delight (Mk. 12:37). It was the selfish and jealous leaders who despised him and who were determined to do away with him. Proverbs 27:4 says, “…who can stand before jealousy?”
Clearly, the whole city of Jerusalem was shaken by this event. The Greek word for “shaken” or “stirred” is eseisthē. It means shaken as by an earthquake.16 It is from this that we get our word “seismic.” 17 From time to time Jerusalem has small seismic activities and these rumbles certainly get everyone’s attention. The activities of that day was nothing short of an apocalyptic upheaval. It was a strong enough upheaval that the authorities who had a death threat out on Jesus were suddenly hesitant to touch him.18
JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Matthew 21:12
When Jesus entered the temple he fulfilled the words of Malachi 3:1-4:
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.”
Indeed, Jesus came like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap to purify and cleanse a defiled priesthood and temple. Many scholars feel like this was the second cleansing of the temple, since there was also such an act early in the Lord’s ministry (Jn. 2:13-22).19
The Lord appeared in the Court of the Gentiles where all the merchandizing was taking place and turned over the tables of moneychangers and the stalls of those who were selling all kinds of sacrificial animals and doves. It was an unspeakably bold act. We can only imagine the chaos that resulted with coins rolling over the floor, with sheep running and bleating, and with doves fluttering. Jesus had manifested a holy zeal for the temple. Of course, that zeal would in the end cause his crucifixion (cf. Psa. 69:9; Jn. 2:17).
The Court of the Gentiles was the large area surrounding the temple. In that area there were many porticos offering shelter where Jesus had often taught. Since Gentiles were forbidden on the pain of death to enter the temple proper, this was the only place where they could come and worship the True God. Unfortunately, this area had become cluttered with merchants and merchandizing. It would have been difficult for a God-fearing Gentile to find a quiet place to worship.
“‘It is written,’ he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it ‘a den of robbers’” (21:13). We might pause to grasp some of the things that were going on in the temple area. In early times people were instructed to bring their animals and birds for sacrifice. These were inspected for wholeness by the priests and were then sacrificed. Over time however, the whole matter of sacrificial animals and birds had become controlled by the priesthood, and particularly by the former High Priest Annas. It had become a lucrative business.
The big problem was that their animals and birds were seriously overpriced. Barclay says, “… it was to all intents and purposes certain that they would reject an animal bought outside and would direct the worshipper to the temple stalls and booths… a pair of doves could cost as little as 4 pence outside the temple and as much as 75 pence inside the temple.” 20 If we translate this into our own coinage we can see how wildly overpriced these offerings were. It was a religious rip-off.
Then there was the matter of the temple tax. Every Jew had to pay the tax and it amounted to one half-shekel. After a certain date each year this tax could then only be paid at the temple itself. It could not be paid in common coinage, but shekels of the sanctuary, in Galilean half-shekels or especially in Tyrian currency which had a very high percentage of silver content.21 Never mind that the Tyrian currency had graven images upon it. Of course, when money was exchanged, Annas and his crew took themselves a fat fee.
As Jesus cleansed the temple he cited Isaiah 56:7, that the Lord’s house would be a place of prayer (cf. Jer. 7:11). It is rather amazing that, in spite of all the corruption there, Jesus still referred to the temple as God’s house. It is interesting that Jesus cleared out both the sellers and the buyers in the temple. Bruce says, “Sellers and buyers viewed as one company – kindred in spirit, to be cleared out wholesale…” 22 This might serve as a warning today that it is just as bad to buy as to sell. In other words, people who willingly accept and put up with abusive things in the church are just as guilty as those who propose and sponsor them.
The whole system of sacrificial worship had become corrupted. Something greater than the temple had arrived (12:6). The great prophet, one mightier than Moses, was now standing in their midst (cf. Deut. 18:15-18). This would spell doom for all the evil that was going on in the name of religion. The scholar J. Neusner realized by this that Jesus was threatening the whole sacrificial system.23
“The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them” (21:14). How amazing it is that as soon as the temple was cleansed, the work of healing could go on. Blomberg comments that, “Jesus illustrates the priority of mercy over sacrifice.” 24 There is something new here. France says, “According to 2 Samuel 5:8, the blind and the lame are excluded from (God’s) house by David’s decree. But the Son of David…welcomes and heals them in the temple.” 25 In truth, the Messianic age had arrived (Isa. 35:5).
“But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant” (21:15). While so many were filled with praise, the leaders of Israel were filled with jealousy and rage. The little children no doubt found pleasure in echoing the praise of the crowds toward Jesus. Morris says, “It is significant that on a day of such high drama Jesus should find time for children.” 26
“‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, “From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise”?’” (21:16). Morris comments, “It is not without its interest that they picked on the easiest target they could find – little children.” 27 Jesus answered the leaders in the words of Psalm 8:2. Clarke comments: “It was a common thing among the Jews for the children to be employed in public acclamations; and thus they were accustomed to hail their celebrated rabbis. This shouting of the children was therefore no strange thing in the land.” 28 Again, we can see the jealousy of the leaders displayed. It was fine for children to lavish their praise on them but it was not acceptable for it to be lavished on Jesus.
“And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night” (21:17). It was never safe for Jesus to spend a night in the city of Jerusalem, where the leaders could easily surround him and arrest him. There was always a welcome mat out in Bethany at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, so he went there (Lk. 10:38ff.; 21:37). It is clear from John’s gospel that Jesus also spent some time with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, just outside the old city walls (Jn. 18:1, 3). Of course, had Jesus even wanted it, there was very little lodging available in the city, due to the vast crowds of pilgrims.
JESUS CURSING THE FIG TREE
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Matthew 21:18
Morris comments: “Mark makes it clear that this happened on the day after the triumphal entry, but as we have seen, Matthew omits a good deal of information about chronology in this part of his book: he concentrates on what happened, not on when it took place.” 29 Here we see the humanity of Jesus clearly displayed. He was hungry. We cannot believe that Mary and Martha would have allowed the Master to leave their house without offering breakfast. However, we have seen before that Jesus was often in the habit of getting up early and spending some time in prayer. He probably missed breakfast for the sake of time with his Father.
“Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered” (21:19). Some liberal commentators have had a field day criticizing Jesus for this act. In Mark 11:13, we are told that it was not time for figs. How could Jesus dare curse a little fig tree for not having figs when it was not even time for them? Obviously, there is much more involved here.
In recent years a lot of light has been shed upon this verse. The commentator James Edwards says of figs: “After the fig harvest from mid-August to mid-October, the branches of fig trees sprout buds that remain undeveloped throughout the winter. These buds swell into small green knops known in Hebrew as paggim in March-April, followed shortly by the sprouting of leaf buds on the same branches usually in April. The fig tree thus produces fig knops before it produces leaves. Once a fig tree is in leaf one therefore expects to find branches loaded with paggim in various stages of maturation.” 30 The paggim are edible but still are poor substitutes for the luscious crop in the summer and early fall.
Jesus’ action with the fig tree is really another acted-out parable. In the Bible the fig tree is a picture of Israel (Hos. 9:10). The fact that the fig tree had leaves it was in a sense advertising that there might be an edible fruit available. Jesus went to the tree and found nothing so he cursed it. Israel advertised that she had fruit but when Jesus came he found none. The curse of God was soon to fall on the whole temple system and that happened a generation later in AD 70.
Some might object that Jesus was trying to raid some person’s fig orchard. However, the Bible makes very plain that a hungry person could pluck grain or fruit along the roadways without incurring guilt of any kind (Deut. 23:24-25). This was another law of mercy.
“When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig tree wither so quickly?’ they asked” (21:20). Morris comments: “Mark tells us that Jesus and the little band went on their way and that it was the next morning when they found the fig tree withered away. But, as we have seen, in this part of his narrative Matthew is very concise and specifically ignores chronology.” 31 So Matthew’s “immediately” turns out to be the next morning before the disciples notice that the fig tree has withered. Nevertheless, it withered at Jesus’ word. They asked Jesus about this seeming miracle.
“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and it will be done’” (21:21). Jesus uses this incident to give a great lesson on faith. If we truly believe something it will be granted. Jesus then gives a shocking example of belief. We can say to the mountain (presumably the Mount of Olives) “go throw yourself into the sea,” and it will happen. From many points on the Mount of Olives one can look down on the Dead Sea to the east, and no doubt this is the reference Jesus is using.
Now, what can we make of this teaching? Neither Jesus nor his disciples ever moved a mountain in the natural sense. In fact, moving a mountain would bring about an ecological disaster of enormous proportions. In removing mountains, Jesus was using a common figure of speech for doing the impossible.32 Throughout church history mountains of difficulty have loomed up challenging the assemblies. However, with strong faith in God those difficulties have been removed.33 That is what “moving mountains” is all about.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (21:22). This verse really stretches our faith. Jesus is saying that if we can believe as if it were done, then it is done. We must remember that true faith is based on the word and will of God. We must see it in the word for it to become reality. Jesus is not in any sense speaking of our wants, desires or lusts. James 4:3 warns us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” In this same episode, Mark 11:25 adds that we must forgive to receive. The Bible assures us that there are other guidelines for our faith prayers that will insure their success. Osborne says, “God does not grant requests that will hurt people or that will violate his own nature or will…not a ‘name it and claim it’ theology.” 34
JESUS IS QUESTIONED BY ISRAEL’S LEADERS
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Matthew 21:23
Jesus had just seriously interfered with Israel’s religious program by cleansing the temple. Since much of this financial operation was carried on by the priests we can imagine how upset they were. Jesus had really gotten into their pockets, so they got up their nerve and asked him for his credentials. In Judaism no one operated solely on his own authority. The priests and teachers always stood on the authority of previous rabbis or other authorized teachers.35
Once more Jesus used the accepted Rabbinic method of answering a question with a question. “Jesus replied, ‘I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’” (21:24). Obviously, the priests and elders were not interested in Jesus’ authority. They hoped to trap him with their question. If he said that his authority was from God, they would immediately accuse him of blasphemy.36 Blasphemy, of course, carried the death penalty in Israel.
“‘John’s baptism— where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’”(21:25a). This question no doubt shocked the leaders to their core. Jesus had just placed them on the horns of a dilemma. Today we might call it a Catch-22. It was an embarrassing predicament from which there was no way out.
“They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’— we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet’” (21:25b-26). To this point we have already noted that the leaders of Israel were cowards. They were afraid of Rome; they were afraid of the people; and by now they were quite afraid of Jesus. After all, they had lost every argument with him and had always ended up looking foolish. The leaders did not believe in John the Baptist but many of the people did, and Jesus did too. To deny the validity of a martyred prophet would likely cause a riot.
“So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’ Then he said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things’” (21:27). This group was made up of chief priests and esteemed elders of the people. It was their profession to know everything that was to be known about their religion. They were certainly expected to be able to judge between true and false prophets. Yet, they stood there red-faced in front of all the people admitting that there was something extremely important that they did not know. France says, “…by declining to pronounce an ‘official’ verdict on John, whose ministry was so clearly in line with that of Jesus, they had forfeited the right to challenge publicly the authority of Jesus.” 37 Guthrie adds, “They confess themselves incompetent as teachers and there is no point in the circumstances in Jesus’ saying anything more about his authority.” 38
What a sad picture they presented! Osborne says, “They had already rejected both Jesus and John as God’s messengers, carrying on a long tradition of the leaders of Israel rejecting God’s prophets.” 39
PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.” Matthew 21:28-29
Everyone likes a good story, and Jesus was superb at telling them. This little story is found only in Matthew and is packed with symbolism. Barclay labels it as “The Better of Two Bad Sons.” 40 The Father is plainly seen to represent God while the sons would represent the sinners and leaders of the Jewish people. Both sons were asked to obey God and work in his vineyard. That vineyard represents Israel (Isa. 5:1-7).
The first son said he would not go and work but he later repented and went. This is a picture of the tax collectors and harlots, whose inclination was not to obey the Father, but when they heard the gospel they turned (repented) and obeyed him. We have always heard that actions speak louder than words, and so it is.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go” (21:30). The second son is meant to picture the religious establishment who by their testimony were willing to serve God, but they were hypocrites. In the end they did not go into the Father’s field or serve him. They only talked about it and pretended to do it. There is an old preacher’s story highlighting the hypocrisy of the religious establishment:
The story is told of a zoo that was noted for their great collection of different animals. One day the gorilla died, and to keep up the appearance of a full range of animals, the zookeeper hired a man to wear a gorilla suit and fill in for the dead animal. It was his first day on the job, and the man didn’t know how to act like a gorilla very well. As he tried to move convincingly, he got too close to the wall of the enclosure and tripped and fell into the lion exhibit. He began to scream, convinced his life was over…until the lion spoke to him: “Be quiet, or you’re going to get us both fired!” 41
“‘Which of the two did what his father wanted?’ ‘The first,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you’” (21:31). Jesus’ style was to draw people into the parable and provoke an answer from them. Often they would speak forth their own condemnation unknowingly.
Barker and Kohlenberger sum up this parable: “Jesus is saying that the scum of society, though they have said no to God, are repenting, performing the Father’s will, and entering the kingdom; whereas the religious authorities have loudly said yes to God but never do what he says, and therefore they fail to enter.” 42
“For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him” (21:32). John the Baptist came revealing God’s way of righteousness. The scum of society gladly believed him and were baptized. However, the religious elite only came to look on and to judge (Jn. 1:19-27). They did not believe John, and they still did not believe when they saw the power of his preaching in changed lives.43
PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANTS
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. Matthew 21:33
This was a very familiar picture to the Israelites. There were many vineyards all over the land, an especially in the mountainous areas. Vineyards required a lot of work, both to establish and to maintain. Young vines had to be set out and a wall had to be constructed to keep wild animals and thieves out. A winepress had to be dug. Usually, basins had to be cut in the rock. One would be above the other. These basins also could be constructed of rocks and then plastered over. Grapes would be trodden in the higher chamber and the juice would flow to the lower chamber.44 Then a tower had to be constructed so that the keepers could watch out for animals, birds and thieves. France says, “A new vineyard was a major and long-term investment, from which no return could be expected for at least four years…” 45
The owner living in another place was also a familiar situation. At this time Israel had numerous absentee landlords. Many of these lived comfortably in the far-away cities. These owners would contract with tenants who would care for the vineyard. They could be paid in money rent, a fixed amount of fruit or an agreed upon percentage of the crop.46 Keener feels the agreed upon percentage for the landlord in those times was at least 25 percent.47
Now, let us try to find the spiritual significance of this story. It is easy to perceive that the owner is God himself. The vineyard is the house of Israel (Deut. 32:32, Psa. 80:8-11, Jer. 2:21, and especially Isa. 5:1-7). The cultivators are the religious rulers of Israel. The servants are the many prophets who came to warn and minister to Israel. The last one to come is Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son.
“When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit” (21:34). We must bear in mind that the owner has waited patiently over a period of about four years. From the scripture (Lev. 19:23-25) we know that only on the fifth year could the fruit of the vine be utilized by the owner. So, the owner has waited long to get this return on his large investment. No doubt he had great anticipation about this harvest.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way” (21:35-36). Morris says that with such action, “Evidently the tenants had already decided that they were going to make the vineyard their own.” 48 In many countries the laws concerning the land are written in such a way as to favor the ones actually using the property.
In the US we have the law of adverse possession. By this law a trespasser can take over unoccupied houses or lands by possessing them in an open, hostile and exclusive manner. This must be done over a period of time. This law is so lax in our state of Colorado that trespassers sometimes take over empty houses, change the locks, and gain legal right to occupy, even to the exclusion of the actual owner. It usually takes a court case for the owners to regain their property. It is likely that there was some type of law like this in ancient Israel. The law was initially designed to make sure all lands were in use by somebody. In the Mishnah it is noted that if someone had the use of land for a period of three years that person was presumed to be the owner, in the absence of any other claim (Mishnah, Baba Bathra 3:1).
If there was such a law on the books in Israel at that time it would have been very important for the owner or his representative to show up and make a claim for the owner’s portion of the harvest. That was his way of establishing ownership. The tenant’s actions of abusing, beating, and even killing the owner’s servants was a means of expressing that their intent was to take over ownership of the property. This was exactly what the religious leaders of Israel seemed intent upon doing. Actually, this had been the pattern of Israel’s treatment of God’s servants and prophets over the many centuries (e.g. Jer. 20:1-2; 44:4-6; 1 Ki. 18:4; 2 Chr. 24:20-21; 36:16; Neh. 9:26; Heb. 11:37).
The owner had legal power to deal swiftly with these thieves and bandits. However, the owner was a man of great patience and longsuffering, even hoping that there would be a change in his tenants. He was a picture of God and his longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).
“Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said” (21:37). This verse reminds us of Isaiah 5:4, where God asks, “What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?…” Here the question is answered. There is one more thing to be done. The owner could send his son. After all, the son was the only other person beside the father who possessed legal claim over the property.49 Here the parable makes it very clear that Jesus is none other than the Son of God. It was an unmistakable message to Israel’s leaders. Also, in the Bible the fourth year was the time when the fruit was offered up to God (Lev. 19:24). The Beloved Son, God incarnate, had come to receive what was his.50
France says, “the Son as God’s last word in succession to the prophets…so, this would be, according to Matthew, his first public claim, even if not explicit, to be Son of God, and may well lie behind Caiaphas’ charge in 26:63.” 51 Some have thought that the religious leaders sensed that Jesus was indeed God’s Son. Such a thing is possible but that theory would have to be reconciled with 1 Corinthians 2:8.52 It is very clear that their intent was to do away with Jesus so that their religious kingdom could be preserved.
Barnes comments: “God is often represented in the Bible as giving his Son, his only-begotten and well-beloved Son, for a lost world, John 3:16-17; 1 John 4:9, 1 John 4:14; Romans 8:3, Romans 8:32; Galatians 4:4.” 53 We might get the feeling that the owner was a poor manager since he lost many of his servants as well as his son. Morris comments: “But Jesus is telling a story that would illustrate the way a compassionate and loving God acts toward sinners, not the way a businessman would act to protect his investment.” 54
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him” (21:38-39). The true aim of the tenants is now seen clearly. They want to dispossess the owner and claim the inheritance for themselves. They were reluctant to give up their hold on the reins of authority and rather wanted to claim it all for themselves. We cannot overlook the fact that in this parable Jesus gave his own death pronouncement. 55
They threw him out of the vineyard. According to Jewish law a dead body could not be left in the vineyard without making the harvest impure.56 Thus, as a type and pattern, these bandits threw the son out of the vineyard. How accurately this corresponds to the death of Jesus the True Son in Jerusalem. He suffered and died just outside the city gate (Heb. 13:12) in a place called Calvary.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (21:40). Keener says, “Asking questions was a standard rabbinic way of involving hearers in the story or teaching; getting hearers of parables to pronounce judgment on themselves was familiar from the biblical prophets (2 Sam. 12:5-7; 14:8-17; 1 Ki. 20:40-42).” 57
“‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied, ‘and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time’” (21:41). Osborne comments: “Jesus’ question forced the religious leaders to announce their own fate…the religious leaders announced themselves to be wretches who deserved a miserable death, and stated that other tenants would take over what they thought they had.” 58
JESUS CONCLUDES
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42.
Once again Jesus accuses Israel’s religious leaders of not having read their scriptures. This was their only job, their profession, but they had utterly failed at it. Here Jesus reminds them of Psalm 118:22-23 (cf. Isa. 28:16). The Jewish builders or leaders in Jerusalem had somehow rejected the most important stone of all.
Meyer comments: “It is said that in the building of Solomon’s Temple, a curiously shaped stone, sent from the quarry, was left to lie for many months in the entangled undergrowth, till suddenly its fitness was discovered for a place in the temple walls. Then it was put into its right position, which it occupied thenceforward.” 59 The images of the stone and cornerstone became very popular ones for the early Christians as we see from the New Testament (Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:32-33; Eph. 2:20). Keener says, “…as the cornerstone of a new temple, Jesus poses a threat to the builders of the old one.” 60
Jesus was a lover of scripture and we have observed the pattern of how he chided the rulers of Israel for their gross scriptural ignorance. In the Bible, the picture of the cornerstone was plainly revealed. It was the stone that the “wise” religious builders had rejected (Psa. 118:22). Now, that rejected stone had become the chief cornerstone of God’s magnificent temple. It was a chosen and precious cornerstone, one in whom all people could trust and be saved (1 Pet. 2:6-7).
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (21:43). Robertson says of this statement: “It was the death-knell of the Jewish nation with their hopes of political and religious world leadership.” 61 The kingdom would now be given to another people or nation (Gk. ethnos) that would produce its fruit. This passage does not focus on Gentiles, but the new body or holy nation being gathered would certainly include them (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. Jn. 15:1-6; Rom. 11:11-28; Gal. 3:28-29; 6:10; Eph. 2:11-22; Col. 2:10-11). It would also include believing Jewish people, or the remnant of Israel. Morris says, “The words foreshadow the appearance of the Christian church.” 62
Scripture is plain that this rock or cornerstone (Dan. 2:35) will be a stumbling block for Israel. Isaiah 8:14-15 says: “He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” This passage is also clear in the next verse (v. 16) that the testimony and God’s instruction will be bound up with the disciples.
“Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (21:44). This is a picture of repentance and judgment. If we fall upon this stone (The Lord Jesus) in true repentance, our stubborn and unrepentant lives will be broken to pieces. We will be broken that we might be rebuilt upon Jesus as the Cornerstone. However, if we fail to repent, we will fall into judgment and be crushed by the same Cornerstone (cf. Dan. 2:44-45).
“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet” (21:45-46). The light finally dawned upon Israel’s leaders. They realized that Jesus was talking about them. They were livid with rage but they were too fearful of the people to arrest Jesus.