Matthew 21 1 16
The King of Peace Matthew 21:1-16 Almost anywhere we go, we can see messages related to ideas of peace. Making the peace sign with your two fingers used to be more popular. Then, we also have the actual peace symbol. Then when we drive around town, we see the bumper stickers that say something like, “For peace, not war.” Everyone in this world is looking for peace. In a day where more and more people (and even children) are growingly anxious, people are longing for peace – not just external peace in society, but an internal peace. So, people turn to philosophy and religion. But, when we look in this direction, we can get confused because there are different answers of attaining peace. One religion might suggest finding peace through inner enlightenment. Others may say that you find it through rejecting your appetites and meditating. Still others call for moral reform. While others say peace comes when you annihilate the enemy and live a life of submission to God. It seems to me that everyone wants peace, but we don’t know how to get it. I know I’ve mentioned this bumper sticker before, but one that really bothers me is the one that says, “Co-exist.” The reason why it bothers me is because I’m assuming it means that we need to lay aside our differences in order to get along and have peace. I find that to be a very intolerant because it assumes we cannot respect people while holding firmly to an opposing view. Yet, even in me refuting a bumper sticker, I’m at odds with the person’s view and so where is peace? It seems to me that everyone wants peace, but we all have difficulty know how to go about experiencing it. We all want to live in a peace-filled society, but none of us know how to bring about a society that really lives peacefully. So, is it futile to want peace or to pursue peace? No. Absolutely not. However, I think that peace is more difficult for people to embrace than they think it is. If people truly come face-to-face with peace, you will get various responses. Some people will be overjoyed. Others will be angry. Some will submit. Others will kick against it. You’ll find tears of gladness and praise while you’ll also find people silenced in their annoyance. The reason why I say this is because of the passage we are faced with today. We are focusing our attention on the truths of Palm Sunday, and most of us have probably faced the conundrum of a society that praised Jesus on Sunday, and murdered him on Friday. How could murderous attitudes arise so quickly? I think it is because many people really did not fully understand Jesus on Sunday. Yet, by Friday, they didn’t want to have anything to do with him. You see, Jesus came to Jerusalem pronouncing peace. And, from a biblical perspective, “peace” is not just some nebulous idea that exists for anyone to grasp. Peace is directly connected with Jesus. Jesus sounded great on Sunday. But, when they actually heard the message and truths that Jesus was proclaiming, they wanted him dead.
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So, today, as I preach, I fully expect that in preaching on Christ, there will be those of you who will be overjoyed and humbled at the message. I also wonder if there will be those who will get angry. The reason I think this is because we are coming head-on with the Redeemer-King who offers peace. But, He offers peace in His way. So, we can’t come with our co-exist bumper stickers and peace symbols and merely think that because we want peace then Jesus must be on our side. Instead, we must come with nothing in our hands, humbly looking to Him to see what His plan for peace is. These sixteen verses in Matthew 21 reveal some very important truths, and they call the readers to a very specific response. In these few verses, we see that “Jesus resists the proud, but gives peace to the humble.” Some will cringe. Others will rejoice. But, in the midst of all of this, I pray that we will see more of the fulfillment of what the angels said when Jesus was born: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 1 Let’s read the first eleven verses of chapter 21 again. 1. Jesus comes to bring peace (vv. 1-7). Right off the bat we are confronted with Jesus’ intent in His entrance into Jerusalem. Before I go any further into his goals for peace, let’s get a simple background to make sure we are all on the same page. Jesus has been ministering primarily in Israel for three years. He most recently performed a miracle for two blind men outside of Jericho and now Jesus is headed into Jerusalem. We obviously know that he is coming into the city to reveal true Kingdom values, die on the cross for people’s sins and then rise from the dead; however, these people obviously did not. Jesus comes closer to the city, and he tells two of his disciples (who remain nameless) to go into a village to take the donkey and colt that will be in plain sight to them. Jesus then anticipates that someone will ask what they’re doing. So, Jesus tells the disciples to say to the owner, “The Lord has need of them.” The response will be that the people will give the animals to the disciples. This is an interesting scenario. Have you ever thought about this scenario from Jesus’ perspective? Jesus is taking complete command of the situation. He is commanding his disciples and he is telling them what will happen. In addition, he is calling the disciples to speak authoritatively on his behalf to some people in another town. And, they’re to tell the people that the Lord Jesus needs those donkeys. And, as a result the people will give them to Him. The reason I find this so fascinating is that here we have Jesus revealing His authority and also His intention to follow through in God’s salvation plan. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in John 10, which state: No one takes [my life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.2 Jesus says that no one is forcing Him to die. No one is taking His life from Him. No. The Triune God has orchestrated this plan, and Jesus is in charge of the earthly events leading to His own death. He is in complete control over it all! Ventura, how awesome to know that Jesus did not merely die, but that He willed to lay down His life at the hands of people. Jesus desired to save people! Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him! Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem and willingly laid down His life. What a glorious King! But, wait a second, does this text say anything about Jesus being a king? Obviously it does in verse 5, but we are given hints to Him being the King earlier on in this story. The very fact that Jesus says, “The Lord has need of them,” indicates to the owners of the donkeys that Jesus is the Master. He is King and He is also God. And, the owners of the donkeys pay the homage due to Jesus. They give him the donkey and colt immediately. This would have been a significant sacrifice. According to Mark’s and Luke’s account of this 1 2
The New King James Version. 1982 (Lk 2:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 10:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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situation, the colt had never been ridden. On commentary I studied wrote the following on this: “It was a gesture of respect and honor to offer such an animal to someone, as if to say, ‘This animal has been reserved especially for you’” (MacArthur, p. 259). And the colt was specifically reserved to Him. But why? Why did Jesus have to ride a colt? If this is really a triumphal entry, then why not have a white horse with a grand entourage? Some have taken this passage and said that Jesus was trying to confound the people by riding a donkey instead of a horse. In other words, his humility was expressed through riding on a donkey. And, while I believe that Jesus was humble here, I don’t know if riding the colt revealed His humility. In actuality, there are examples of kings in history who rode donkeys in front of people. In 1 Kings, we read of David’s words regarding Solomon, when he says: “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 3 It seems as though a king riding on a donkey was symbolizing times of peace. So, one reason for Jesus choosing a donkey is because He is declaring to Jerusalem that He desires peace for the city. Secondly, we read verse five and find that this is a fulfillment of the prophecies spoken by Isaiah and Zechariah. Then there is a third reason. This reason speaks more specifically to the age of the donkey. How many of you have ever worked with a donkey before? I ask this question not having worked with them myself. But, I’ve read that colts can be even more stubborn than the adults. They need to be broken into submission. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus is riding a colt that has never been ridden and we don’t hear signs of it stopping and needing to be pulled? It is wise that the mom is next to it, but it is still amazing that this colt is walking. I think that’s why Mark and Luke are quick to state that this colt had never been ridden. As a man by the name of D.A. Carson wrote, “In the midst, then, of this excited crowd, an unbroken animal remains calm under the hands of the Messiah who controls nature. . . . Thus the event points to the peace of the consummated kingdom. . .” (Carson, p. 438). So, here we are entering Passover week, and then Jesus, the man who has done innumerable miracles, is entering the city on a colt in fulfillment of the prophecies, declaring peace to Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion. Verse five says, “Behold your King is coming to you!” King Jesus is coming into Jerusalem on a colt. And, he is noticeably humble. The One who left heavens glories and came into the degradation of this sinful world which He created is showing signs of peace! Amazing love, how can it be? Now, it does seem as though the people got at least some of the intentions of the entry on a donkey. I can’t help but wonder if news traveled fast regarding Jesus’ entrance in Jerusalem. Jesus had healed two blind men in Jericho and they had followed him. In addition, there was a multitude by Jesus at that time. In this story, we are told that there was a multitude of people around him. Obviously, news was traveling. Perhaps it came from the blind men. Perhaps it came from the people who gave the donkey and colt away. However it happened, news traveled fast and people were excited!
In preparing Jesus for the ride, the disciples laid some of their own clothes on the animals and Jesus sat on the clothes. (By the way, if you were ever confused here and thought that Jesus sat on both the donkey and colt at the same time, look at the wording again. It seems as though Jesus was set on the clothes. In addition the other gospel writers talk about him sitting on the colt.)
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The New King James Version. 1982 (1 Ki 1:33–34). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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So, here we have the scene that is set, and now Jesus enters the city. The disciples are obeying and showing homage to Jesus. And the people praise Him by taking some of their clothes and also cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them across the road. This was a sign to honor Jesus as King. Remember in our previous series with Elisha and Jehu that when Jehu told his friends that he was going to be king, his friends responded by doing a similar thing. 2 Kings 9 says: “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” 4 2. Jesus’ presence elicits a response from everyone (vv. 8-11). The people are showing homage to Jesus, but they’re doing so much more. As Jesus is coming into the city, they quote from Psalm 118. But, before quoting 118, they say, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Hosanna means “O save.” They’re crying out for Jesus to save them. They need rescue and then they’re recognizing that Jesus is the Son of David. This isn’t merely people saying, “We know you’re from the Davidic line.” This is a messianic title, and they are confessing that they know who Jesus is. Messiah, save! They’re looking to the son of David to save. And, they even confess that this is Jesus who is the Son of David. Look, some people ask who He is and others respond by saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”5 They know who He is. They confess He’s the Messiah. They also ask Him for salvation. It’s the great exuberance and confession of the people at this triumphal entry that has caused many of you to wonder how the people could be so joyous and then become so hostile towards Jesus in less than a week’s time. In other words, how can there be people who know all of these truths and yet not be truly saved? Well, let’s keep in mind two things. First, definitions matter. In other words, what type of salvation do people want? Let me try to help you understand what I’m trying to say. Let’s say there’s a college student who was really busy, but didn’t maximize his time well enough and only decided to study for a test the night before. Then, as he enters into the classroom, his teacher reminds him of how much that test is worth to the overall class grade and that student says, “Oh Lord, save me!” What does salvation mean to this person? It simply means that they want to be rescued from a bad grade so that they have a grade that won’t be horrific. Let’s give another example. Say that you grew up in a background where you consistently heard messages of the fire and brimstone sort. I know of many people who grew up in that type of background, and the idea that was basically communicated was “Hell is full of fire. You don’t want to go there, right? You need Jesus to save you from Hell.” What does save mean there? It means save from an eternally painful existence and just let me live in something better than that. Let’s give one more example. My sister-in-law has visited Ireland on a couple of occasions, and on one of her trips, she brought back pictures of these certain cliffs. If you’ve ever watched the movie, The Princess Bride, you’re familiar with the cliffs of insanity. Well, she visited the real thing. In looking at the pictures, I feel panic. I don’t like heights. Added to that, my sister-in-law told me that they don’t have a fence at the cliff. Even describing this, at times I can literally feel my muscles start to weaken in my body. I would never want to go to such a place. I have visions of friends wanting to prank me and they push me to the edge, but they don’t stop soon enough and there I go, falling down the cliff. Now, let’s say by chance that as I started to fall, I grabbed the edge of the cliff and starting yelling “SAVE ME!” What does that phrase mean? I doubt anyone is thinking, “Is he calling to Jesus to save him from his sins and grant him eternal life? If anyone thinks that, they need to go back to language school and learn the value of defining words based on context! But, just in case you didn’t know what I would mean while saying that, let me just be clear. If that ever happened, and you were one of those socalled friends that did that to me, I mean, “Grab me and get me out of here!” 4 5
The New King James Version. 1982 (2 Ki 9:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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You see, I’ve given three different scenarios where save refers to three different things. So, whenever the Bible refers to people saying, “Save me,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re asking for real salvation. They could be asking for saving from something, but they’re not really wanting forgiveness of sins and eternal joy in God. So, definitions matter. But, there’s another truth to keep in mind while thinking through this story. Not only do definitions matter, but history matters. While this is not something based on the text, it is based in history, and I think it’s something worth considering. Based on census records in Jerusalem about ten years after this Passover, it was recorded that there were around 260,000 lambs sacrificed in that one Passover week. That has led people to believe that there was somewhere around 2 million people in the city during the time of Passover. Based on that record, it seems probable that there were about that many people in Jerusalem during Jesus’ day. The city expanded to four to five times its population during Passover week. Therefore, many people had to stay in other cities – like Jesus and the disciples staying in Bethany. Given that there were two million people, I don’t believe all two million were outside while Jesus was coming in. Therefore, the crowd at Jesus’ death could have had a mixture of triumphal entry people and other people who weren’t even there. I also think it is possible that there were those at Jesus’ triumphal entry who truly believed and those who did not believe. So, definitions matter and history matters in order to gain a context. But, maybe you think, “Pastor Timothy, how can you say that many of the people probably didn’t really want real salvation?” Let’s look at the text again. In verse 9, they quote Psalm 118. Because the people confess that Jesus is the Messiah, they are saying He is the One who comes in the name (or the glory and power and majesty and might) of Yahweh Himself. Then they quote again, “Hosanna in the highest!” Save to the uttermost. What’s interesting is that Psalm 118 was quoted by the people of Jerusalem around 100 years prior to this point in time. It was quoted by the people when a man by the name of Jonathan Maccabeus delivered one of the fortifications in Jerusalem from Syria’s power. This chant by the people almost seems to be a throwback to that point in time. And then the people call Jesus to save in the highest! Be the best and final and ultimate Savior in the name of the Lord. So, what do they mean by save? The lynchpin to understanding what they wanted is actually found in the palm branches themselves. My ESV Study Bible says the following, “Branches (palms) symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory. . . .” What do they want? They confess Jesus as King, but they only want Him to rescue them from their enemies. They seemingly want rescue from Roman oppression. Jesus alludes to this in Matthew 23, when we read Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and then He says: “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” 6 He basically says that there’s going to be a day in the future where people will say it and mean it! Like Jonathan Maccabeus, the people in Jerusalem want Jesus to save, but save in even greater ways than Maccabeus could have ever done! They wanted peace. Jesus comes on a colt and signifies a desire for peace. They think they’re on the same side, but little do these people know that their idea for gaining peace and Jesus’ idea for instituting peace are worlds apart. Isn’t this the case with so many people in our day as well? All-too-often people are asking God to save them from so many things, but they do not really want Him. I love it when Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”7 There are so many false gospels out there. There’s a get out of hell free “gospel.” There’s a have your best life now “gospel.” There’s a moralistic “gospel.” There’s a therapeutic “gospel.” There’s a social justice “gospel.” There’s a be yourself “gospel.” There’s an Oprah “gospel.” There’s a republican “gospel.” There’s a democratic “gospel.” But, none of these are the true gospel! The gospel is the message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection in the place of 6 7
The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 23:39). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 17:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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sinners which is the power of God that leads us unto salvation. It’s the power of God unto being reconciled with Him! Listen, do you want God or do you really want benefits from Him? Listen, do you just want out of Hell or do you want God? I’m not saying Hell isn’t a frightening place, but what I am saying is that we shouldn’t just be thinking salvation is being taken out of Hell. The horror of Hell is that God’s gracious presence isn’t there. The horror of Hell is that you are separated completely from God’s mercy and hence you experience the wrath that follows. The greatest joy of Heaven is that God is there! What makes Heaven truly Heaven is that God is there in the fullness of His kindness, justice, mercy and grace! Listen, streets of gold are wondrous. A mansion is something to be looked forward to. But, I’m telling you this, they’re all vain if Jesus isn’t with us. So, what do you want? If you just want a better life or you just want to justify yourself and your behavior, then maybe you’re one of the fickle people in Jerusalem who cried “Hosanna,” but really didn’t want Him. Instead, I pray that you would be one who says “Hosanna” and really means it. It is true that there is going to be a day when Jesus is coming again, and people will say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” And, what a day that will be. In that day, there’s going to be a glorious coronation in Heaven. The apostle John records in Revelation 5 that there are going to be angels and living creatures and elders and the number is myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. At that point in time, we will all say: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. 8 What an unfathomably awesome day that will be! I hope you will be there with me to rejoice in our Savior together. But, do you want Him, the King of Peace, or do you want your plans for peace? At this point, I think Matthew causes us to see the divergence between our plan and Jesus’ plan for peace. Let’s read verses 12-16 together. 3. Jesus possesses authority over all (vv. 12-16). Do you want peace? If you really desire peace, then you must recognize something, Jesus is truly Lord over all, and you are called to submit to and trust in Him for whatever He designs to do. I don’t think many of us like that message. While we like that God is “in control” when things make sense, we definitely don’t like God’s control when things are going in a way against what we’d perceive. We just read that Jesus triumphally entered the city of Jerusalem, but in other accounts we find that Jesus only entered the temple, looked around and left the city for the night because it was late. What Matthew records here is actually what takes place the next day. Nevertheless, this is basically the first thing Jesus did in Jerusalem to reveal His kingly authority. But in this story, we read something that seems completely against the grain. Jesus has entered Jerusalem. The people are calling for national salvation from the Romans. But, instead of Jesus confronting the Romans, Jesus goes straight to the heart of Israelite worship. Jesus goes to the great temple in the city of Jerusalem. This is the place where people from all over the known world are making sacrifices to God during the Passover week, and Jesus confronts them all of their arrogance against God. In this first action step in Jerusalem Jesus reveals that He possesses authority over all, and we ought to humble ourselves under His mighty hand because He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 8
The New King James Version. 1982 (Re 5:12–14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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Here we have the scenario. Jesus enters the temple. Keep in mind, there are a lot of foreigners in the area at this point in time. In addition to this, Jesus is in the court of the temple that was considered the Court of the Gentiles. People traveled through this area of the temple to more easily travel through the city. And, it was in this portion of the temple where there was the buying and selling of animals for temple sacrifices. This is a busy place! Jesus then comes in and says: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”9 Why is Jesus so angry? Obviously he is angry because the purpose of the temple is not being fulfilled. But what is this statement referring to? First, I want to make a note here that Mark’s gospel actually gives some more clarity to what Jesus said by quoting Jesus’ statement as saying that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations. This is a helpful addition because it also gives some more clarity to understanding the entire phrase and the wickedness that’s taking place here. Second, to give you an idea of the evil of the temple practices, understand that the High Priest at this time utilized the temple for his own power. The business that took place in the Court of the Gentiles was known as the Bazaar of Annas. He ensured that only the animals bought in the temple were blessed by the priest for sacrifices, and he incorporated franchise fees for the booths that were set up in the temple. In addition, these booths had to pay a certain percentage of prophets to Annas. Add to this that the temple charge for an animal was up to ten times more than the normal price for an animal. And, the people had to convert their Roman currency into temple currency (if they didn’t have temple currency). For those who had to convert the money, they were charged a 25% currency exchange fee. Now, you can get the idea of what Jesus is saying when He calls them a den of robbers. But, there’s more! The passage that Jesus is quoting from is Jeremiah 7:11. In that context, the prophet is warning against a type of superstition that elevates the temple itself and he also warns against behavior that dishonors the temple. Mixed with this idea is Jesus’ accusation that they are a den of thieves. The word “thieves” in the Greek actually could carry the meaning of being a nationalist rebel. In other words, as one commentator wrote, “The temple . . . had become . . . the premier symbol of a superstitious belief that God would protect and rally his people irrespective of their conformity to his will” (Carson, p. 442). The people were pride-filled in their idea of grace. Like Joash whom we studied last week had no zeal for God’s plan when he heard that he was going to win the battle, so the nation of Israel was prideful in their national zeal. They had a zeal, but not a godly zeal. They had zeal to make money, but many had no zeal for eternal treasure in Jesus. They had a zeal for their own glory, but that meant that they had no zeal for God’s name to be proclaimed among the Gentiles! Do you see their self-absorption? Do you see your own in this passage? I want to take a moment to call you to ponder your zeal. What do you love? What do you want? What are you zealous for? Are you zealous for a higher paid position? Are you zealous for a life of protection and ease? Are you zealous for food? Are you zealous for Christ? Where are you? Are you a person who thinks God is a genie for your life? Do you think God will merely protect and rally around you simply because you “prayed a prayer” a long time ago? Do you expect God to do great things in your life, but you just keep disobeying Him and you don’t care about following after Him? I remember hearing a story of a professor who had given his students a syllabus for the year, and when a certain paper was due, certain students forgot. He gave them grace, but told them to get them in at the second date. 9
The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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The next time another paper was due, fewer people had it in on time, but he still allowed them to make it up. By the third time, more people had delayed turning in the paper, and he asked if a certain student had the paper and that student responded with a non-chalant “no.” Sproul marked the paper as incomplete and said there would be an automatic dock in his grade. The student chimmed in immediately and said, “NO FAIR!” To which the teacher said, “Do you want what’s fair?” Yes! Then he said, “F.” And he looked at the class and said, “Does anyone else want what’s fair?” You see, when we are given grace, we are prone to take it for granted, aren’t we? We receive, receive, receive. And, it is a good thing that God continues to give because His kindness is what we need in order to see our need to repent. However, if we refuse to repent, our hard-heart will only store up greater wrath for ourselves. And, this is what is clearly revealed to the religious leaders in this temple. They take grace for granted. They do whatever they want to do. They utilize the temple for their selfish purposes. And, they are so bold to think that God’s just on their side, and they don’t care that they’re living lives opposite from what God called them to do. Oh, how I pray none of us are like these men. Right here, Jesus is confronting the temple, and this is a good thing for Him to do this. It’s a loving action for Christ to pinpoint sin. And, maybe He’s doing that in you right now, too. That’s His love calling you to find freedom in Him. If you would truly turn to Him, you would find freedom in Him! But you must humble yourself. You must see yourself for what you really are. You are weak, frail and in need. Left to yourself, you’re a traitor, and left to yourself, you can do nothing without God’s sustaining and enabling grace! Left to yourself, you’d be without the Creator who created you to enjoy Him forever! But it is marvelous that as Jesus does this in the temple, there are those who respond to this powerful display of authority – the sick and the children. How awesome and terrifying. It’s terrifying because Jesus turns away from the religious leaders. How we ought to shudder at this. There are those who are so hardened against God that God turns. Like we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, God resists the proud. That means that He strong arms them! Oh, if that’s you, repent! Be humble. Acknowledge your weakness. But, the passage doesn’t stop there. God gives grace to the humble. He gives grace to the weak, sick and needy. This would have been a shock that Jesus healed these people, and it would have been a shock that these people are even coming into the temple. In this day, most authorities would not allow anyone lame, blind, deaf or mute from offering a sacrifice in the temple. Yet, here are these people who were probably outside of the temple, simply wanting some type of handout to help them make it through the day. And, they know what Jesus is doing, and they are bold enough to come into the temple – risk all – and come before Jesus! And, what does Jesus do? He doesn’t turn them away. He embraces them and heals them. Right here, we have another exercise of authority. Through Jesus confronting the sin in the temple and then in Jesus healing in the temple, we see that Jesus is the King in the temple. He is the redeemer and He is exercising His rightful rule over the events within the temple. But, it’s not only the sick who come to Jesus. There are also children. Children who probably heard the cries of the previous day, and they’re crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Again, what an encouragement to us. Some people make it sound like you have to spruce up your life and make yourself perfect before you come to God. NO! You must come to Him as a child or as a sick person. You must come to Him as you are – in your weaknesses. I read a quote recently by D.L. Moody who said “God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.” And, you know what, the antithesis is true! God embraces those who come emptyhanded before Him!
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So, here we have the sinners being confronted, the sick being healed, and Jesus is being praised. And, it’s at the praise that the religious leaders are indignant. They recognize that his works are wondrous, but they won’t accept Him as Lord. And, again, how many people live like this. They say, “Oh yeah, Jesus was a great guy, but He wasn’t God. . . .” What a sad state for a person to find themselves in. Listen, either Jesus was a Lord or He was the greatest deceiver who ever lived. There’s no in between. And, these religious leaders seem to want a middle-of-the-road. They’re indignant that the children are calling Him the Son of David. Here’s the final blow of Jesus’ authority. He says: “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” 10 Have you never read? Talk about a very pointed statement that’s dripping with judgment. These people are the “experts” in the Word. Have they never read?! Of course they have. Yet, Jesus checkmates them and says, “Do you know nothing?” Everything I’ve been doing here has been to reveal who I am. I am King. I am the Redeemer. I heal the sick and the weak. I have come in peace. And yet, they’re going to hate His method for peace because they don’t think they need healing. But He forgives and gives eternal life and peace and rest to those who truly go to Him for salvation. Listen, if you’re confronted in your sin this morning, that’s a good thing. Lay those sins at God’s feet. Confess them this morning and call out for Him to rescue you from the sin and give you love for Him. Hear me, Jesus died and rose again in order to take the punishment for your sin and then to give you eternal life through God. But, I want to give a warning and a comfort. It’s a warning to those whose hearts are hard. You know that Jesus is coming back again? He’s not coming on a donkey. Revelation 19 tells us that when He returns, He is coming on a white horse. In that coming, He is going to wage war against the world, and the hearts of all people have been so trained to reject Jesus that they’re reject Him all the more in that war, and in that war, Jesus will win. But the Scriptures say that He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God. Oh listen to me. If your heart is hardened, listen. Why would you choose death? Instead, trust the One whose taken the wrath of all who would trust in Him. I also said that this coming again is a comfort. For those of you who do trust in Christ, remember, Jesus is coming again and He is going to make all things right! You may feel weak and worn-out today, but take your weak self and run to Christ! Find that He will carry you all the way into eternity. He takes the sick and child-like and gives the Kingdom to such. So rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice in the King Jesus who is our redeemer. And, let us say with hearts of true praise, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Carson, D.A. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI. 1984. 2. MacArthur, John A. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16-23. Moody: Chicago, IL. 1988. 3. The ESV Study Bible
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The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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So, today, as I preach, I fully expect that in preaching on Christ, there will be those of you who will be overjoyed and humbled at the message. I also wonder if there will be those who will get angry. The reason I think this is because we are coming head-on with the Redeemer-King who offers peace. But, He offers peace in His way. So, we can’t come with our co-exist bumper stickers and peace symbols and merely think that because we want peace then Jesus must be on our side. Instead, we must come with nothing in our hands, humbly looking to Him to see what His plan for peace is. These sixteen verses in Matthew 21 reveal some very important truths, and they call the readers to a very specific response. In these few verses, we see that “Jesus resists the proud, but gives peace to the humble.” Some will cringe. Others will rejoice. But, in the midst of all of this, I pray that we will see more of the fulfillment of what the angels said when Jesus was born: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 1 Let’s read the first eleven verses of chapter 21 again. 1. Jesus comes to bring peace (vv. 1-7). Right off the bat we are confronted with Jesus’ intent in His entrance into Jerusalem. Before I go any further into his goals for peace, let’s get a simple background to make sure we are all on the same page. Jesus has been ministering primarily in Israel for three years. He most recently performed a miracle for two blind men outside of Jericho and now Jesus is headed into Jerusalem. We obviously know that he is coming into the city to reveal true Kingdom values, die on the cross for people’s sins and then rise from the dead; however, these people obviously did not. Jesus comes closer to the city, and he tells two of his disciples (who remain nameless) to go into a village to take the donkey and colt that will be in plain sight to them. Jesus then anticipates that someone will ask what they’re doing. So, Jesus tells the disciples to say to the owner, “The Lord has need of them.” The response will be that the people will give the animals to the disciples. This is an interesting scenario. Have you ever thought about this scenario from Jesus’ perspective? Jesus is taking complete command of the situation. He is commanding his disciples and he is telling them what will happen. In addition, he is calling the disciples to speak authoritatively on his behalf to some people in another town. And, they’re to tell the people that the Lord Jesus needs those donkeys. And, as a result the people will give them to Him. The reason I find this so fascinating is that here we have Jesus revealing His authority and also His intention to follow through in God’s salvation plan. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in John 10, which state: No one takes [my life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.2 Jesus says that no one is forcing Him to die. No one is taking His life from Him. No. The Triune God has orchestrated this plan, and Jesus is in charge of the earthly events leading to His own death. He is in complete control over it all! Ventura, how awesome to know that Jesus did not merely die, but that He willed to lay down His life at the hands of people. Jesus desired to save people! Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him! Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem and willingly laid down His life. What a glorious King! But, wait a second, does this text say anything about Jesus being a king? Obviously it does in verse 5, but we are given hints to Him being the King earlier on in this story. The very fact that Jesus says, “The Lord has need of them,” indicates to the owners of the donkeys that Jesus is the Master. He is King and He is also God. And, the owners of the donkeys pay the homage due to Jesus. They give him the donkey and colt immediately. This would have been a significant sacrifice. According to Mark’s and Luke’s account of this 1 2
The New King James Version. 1982 (Lk 2:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 10:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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situation, the colt had never been ridden. On commentary I studied wrote the following on this: “It was a gesture of respect and honor to offer such an animal to someone, as if to say, ‘This animal has been reserved especially for you’” (MacArthur, p. 259). And the colt was specifically reserved to Him. But why? Why did Jesus have to ride a colt? If this is really a triumphal entry, then why not have a white horse with a grand entourage? Some have taken this passage and said that Jesus was trying to confound the people by riding a donkey instead of a horse. In other words, his humility was expressed through riding on a donkey. And, while I believe that Jesus was humble here, I don’t know if riding the colt revealed His humility. In actuality, there are examples of kings in history who rode donkeys in front of people. In 1 Kings, we read of David’s words regarding Solomon, when he says: “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 3 It seems as though a king riding on a donkey was symbolizing times of peace. So, one reason for Jesus choosing a donkey is because He is declaring to Jerusalem that He desires peace for the city. Secondly, we read verse five and find that this is a fulfillment of the prophecies spoken by Isaiah and Zechariah. Then there is a third reason. This reason speaks more specifically to the age of the donkey. How many of you have ever worked with a donkey before? I ask this question not having worked with them myself. But, I’ve read that colts can be even more stubborn than the adults. They need to be broken into submission. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus is riding a colt that has never been ridden and we don’t hear signs of it stopping and needing to be pulled? It is wise that the mom is next to it, but it is still amazing that this colt is walking. I think that’s why Mark and Luke are quick to state that this colt had never been ridden. As a man by the name of D.A. Carson wrote, “In the midst, then, of this excited crowd, an unbroken animal remains calm under the hands of the Messiah who controls nature. . . . Thus the event points to the peace of the consummated kingdom. . .” (Carson, p. 438). So, here we are entering Passover week, and then Jesus, the man who has done innumerable miracles, is entering the city on a colt in fulfillment of the prophecies, declaring peace to Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion. Verse five says, “Behold your King is coming to you!” King Jesus is coming into Jerusalem on a colt. And, he is noticeably humble. The One who left heavens glories and came into the degradation of this sinful world which He created is showing signs of peace! Amazing love, how can it be? Now, it does seem as though the people got at least some of the intentions of the entry on a donkey. I can’t help but wonder if news traveled fast regarding Jesus’ entrance in Jerusalem. Jesus had healed two blind men in Jericho and they had followed him. In addition, there was a multitude by Jesus at that time. In this story, we are told that there was a multitude of people around him. Obviously, news was traveling. Perhaps it came from the blind men. Perhaps it came from the people who gave the donkey and colt away. However it happened, news traveled fast and people were excited!
In preparing Jesus for the ride, the disciples laid some of their own clothes on the animals and Jesus sat on the clothes. (By the way, if you were ever confused here and thought that Jesus sat on both the donkey and colt at the same time, look at the wording again. It seems as though Jesus was set on the clothes. In addition the other gospel writers talk about him sitting on the colt.)
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The New King James Version. 1982 (1 Ki 1:33–34). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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So, here we have the scene that is set, and now Jesus enters the city. The disciples are obeying and showing homage to Jesus. And the people praise Him by taking some of their clothes and also cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them across the road. This was a sign to honor Jesus as King. Remember in our previous series with Elisha and Jehu that when Jehu told his friends that he was going to be king, his friends responded by doing a similar thing. 2 Kings 9 says: “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” 4 2. Jesus’ presence elicits a response from everyone (vv. 8-11). The people are showing homage to Jesus, but they’re doing so much more. As Jesus is coming into the city, they quote from Psalm 118. But, before quoting 118, they say, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Hosanna means “O save.” They’re crying out for Jesus to save them. They need rescue and then they’re recognizing that Jesus is the Son of David. This isn’t merely people saying, “We know you’re from the Davidic line.” This is a messianic title, and they are confessing that they know who Jesus is. Messiah, save! They’re looking to the son of David to save. And, they even confess that this is Jesus who is the Son of David. Look, some people ask who He is and others respond by saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”5 They know who He is. They confess He’s the Messiah. They also ask Him for salvation. It’s the great exuberance and confession of the people at this triumphal entry that has caused many of you to wonder how the people could be so joyous and then become so hostile towards Jesus in less than a week’s time. In other words, how can there be people who know all of these truths and yet not be truly saved? Well, let’s keep in mind two things. First, definitions matter. In other words, what type of salvation do people want? Let me try to help you understand what I’m trying to say. Let’s say there’s a college student who was really busy, but didn’t maximize his time well enough and only decided to study for a test the night before. Then, as he enters into the classroom, his teacher reminds him of how much that test is worth to the overall class grade and that student says, “Oh Lord, save me!” What does salvation mean to this person? It simply means that they want to be rescued from a bad grade so that they have a grade that won’t be horrific. Let’s give another example. Say that you grew up in a background where you consistently heard messages of the fire and brimstone sort. I know of many people who grew up in that type of background, and the idea that was basically communicated was “Hell is full of fire. You don’t want to go there, right? You need Jesus to save you from Hell.” What does save mean there? It means save from an eternally painful existence and just let me live in something better than that. Let’s give one more example. My sister-in-law has visited Ireland on a couple of occasions, and on one of her trips, she brought back pictures of these certain cliffs. If you’ve ever watched the movie, The Princess Bride, you’re familiar with the cliffs of insanity. Well, she visited the real thing. In looking at the pictures, I feel panic. I don’t like heights. Added to that, my sister-in-law told me that they don’t have a fence at the cliff. Even describing this, at times I can literally feel my muscles start to weaken in my body. I would never want to go to such a place. I have visions of friends wanting to prank me and they push me to the edge, but they don’t stop soon enough and there I go, falling down the cliff. Now, let’s say by chance that as I started to fall, I grabbed the edge of the cliff and starting yelling “SAVE ME!” What does that phrase mean? I doubt anyone is thinking, “Is he calling to Jesus to save him from his sins and grant him eternal life? If anyone thinks that, they need to go back to language school and learn the value of defining words based on context! But, just in case you didn’t know what I would mean while saying that, let me just be clear. If that ever happened, and you were one of those socalled friends that did that to me, I mean, “Grab me and get me out of here!” 4 5
The New King James Version. 1982 (2 Ki 9:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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You see, I’ve given three different scenarios where save refers to three different things. So, whenever the Bible refers to people saying, “Save me,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re asking for real salvation. They could be asking for saving from something, but they’re not really wanting forgiveness of sins and eternal joy in God. So, definitions matter. But, there’s another truth to keep in mind while thinking through this story. Not only do definitions matter, but history matters. While this is not something based on the text, it is based in history, and I think it’s something worth considering. Based on census records in Jerusalem about ten years after this Passover, it was recorded that there were around 260,000 lambs sacrificed in that one Passover week. That has led people to believe that there was somewhere around 2 million people in the city during the time of Passover. Based on that record, it seems probable that there were about that many people in Jerusalem during Jesus’ day. The city expanded to four to five times its population during Passover week. Therefore, many people had to stay in other cities – like Jesus and the disciples staying in Bethany. Given that there were two million people, I don’t believe all two million were outside while Jesus was coming in. Therefore, the crowd at Jesus’ death could have had a mixture of triumphal entry people and other people who weren’t even there. I also think it is possible that there were those at Jesus’ triumphal entry who truly believed and those who did not believe. So, definitions matter and history matters in order to gain a context. But, maybe you think, “Pastor Timothy, how can you say that many of the people probably didn’t really want real salvation?” Let’s look at the text again. In verse 9, they quote Psalm 118. Because the people confess that Jesus is the Messiah, they are saying He is the One who comes in the name (or the glory and power and majesty and might) of Yahweh Himself. Then they quote again, “Hosanna in the highest!” Save to the uttermost. What’s interesting is that Psalm 118 was quoted by the people of Jerusalem around 100 years prior to this point in time. It was quoted by the people when a man by the name of Jonathan Maccabeus delivered one of the fortifications in Jerusalem from Syria’s power. This chant by the people almost seems to be a throwback to that point in time. And then the people call Jesus to save in the highest! Be the best and final and ultimate Savior in the name of the Lord. So, what do they mean by save? The lynchpin to understanding what they wanted is actually found in the palm branches themselves. My ESV Study Bible says the following, “Branches (palms) symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory. . . .” What do they want? They confess Jesus as King, but they only want Him to rescue them from their enemies. They seemingly want rescue from Roman oppression. Jesus alludes to this in Matthew 23, when we read Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and then He says: “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” 6 He basically says that there’s going to be a day in the future where people will say it and mean it! Like Jonathan Maccabeus, the people in Jerusalem want Jesus to save, but save in even greater ways than Maccabeus could have ever done! They wanted peace. Jesus comes on a colt and signifies a desire for peace. They think they’re on the same side, but little do these people know that their idea for gaining peace and Jesus’ idea for instituting peace are worlds apart. Isn’t this the case with so many people in our day as well? All-too-often people are asking God to save them from so many things, but they do not really want Him. I love it when Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”7 There are so many false gospels out there. There’s a get out of hell free “gospel.” There’s a have your best life now “gospel.” There’s a moralistic “gospel.” There’s a therapeutic “gospel.” There’s a social justice “gospel.” There’s a be yourself “gospel.” There’s an Oprah “gospel.” There’s a republican “gospel.” There’s a democratic “gospel.” But, none of these are the true gospel! The gospel is the message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection in the place of 6 7
The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 23:39). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 17:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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sinners which is the power of God that leads us unto salvation. It’s the power of God unto being reconciled with Him! Listen, do you want God or do you really want benefits from Him? Listen, do you just want out of Hell or do you want God? I’m not saying Hell isn’t a frightening place, but what I am saying is that we shouldn’t just be thinking salvation is being taken out of Hell. The horror of Hell is that God’s gracious presence isn’t there. The horror of Hell is that you are separated completely from God’s mercy and hence you experience the wrath that follows. The greatest joy of Heaven is that God is there! What makes Heaven truly Heaven is that God is there in the fullness of His kindness, justice, mercy and grace! Listen, streets of gold are wondrous. A mansion is something to be looked forward to. But, I’m telling you this, they’re all vain if Jesus isn’t with us. So, what do you want? If you just want a better life or you just want to justify yourself and your behavior, then maybe you’re one of the fickle people in Jerusalem who cried “Hosanna,” but really didn’t want Him. Instead, I pray that you would be one who says “Hosanna” and really means it. It is true that there is going to be a day when Jesus is coming again, and people will say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” And, what a day that will be. In that day, there’s going to be a glorious coronation in Heaven. The apostle John records in Revelation 5 that there are going to be angels and living creatures and elders and the number is myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. At that point in time, we will all say: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. 8 What an unfathomably awesome day that will be! I hope you will be there with me to rejoice in our Savior together. But, do you want Him, the King of Peace, or do you want your plans for peace? At this point, I think Matthew causes us to see the divergence between our plan and Jesus’ plan for peace. Let’s read verses 12-16 together. 3. Jesus possesses authority over all (vv. 12-16). Do you want peace? If you really desire peace, then you must recognize something, Jesus is truly Lord over all, and you are called to submit to and trust in Him for whatever He designs to do. I don’t think many of us like that message. While we like that God is “in control” when things make sense, we definitely don’t like God’s control when things are going in a way against what we’d perceive. We just read that Jesus triumphally entered the city of Jerusalem, but in other accounts we find that Jesus only entered the temple, looked around and left the city for the night because it was late. What Matthew records here is actually what takes place the next day. Nevertheless, this is basically the first thing Jesus did in Jerusalem to reveal His kingly authority. But in this story, we read something that seems completely against the grain. Jesus has entered Jerusalem. The people are calling for national salvation from the Romans. But, instead of Jesus confronting the Romans, Jesus goes straight to the heart of Israelite worship. Jesus goes to the great temple in the city of Jerusalem. This is the place where people from all over the known world are making sacrifices to God during the Passover week, and Jesus confronts them all of their arrogance against God. In this first action step in Jerusalem Jesus reveals that He possesses authority over all, and we ought to humble ourselves under His mighty hand because He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 8
The New King James Version. 1982 (Re 5:12–14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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Here we have the scenario. Jesus enters the temple. Keep in mind, there are a lot of foreigners in the area at this point in time. In addition to this, Jesus is in the court of the temple that was considered the Court of the Gentiles. People traveled through this area of the temple to more easily travel through the city. And, it was in this portion of the temple where there was the buying and selling of animals for temple sacrifices. This is a busy place! Jesus then comes in and says: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”9 Why is Jesus so angry? Obviously he is angry because the purpose of the temple is not being fulfilled. But what is this statement referring to? First, I want to make a note here that Mark’s gospel actually gives some more clarity to what Jesus said by quoting Jesus’ statement as saying that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations. This is a helpful addition because it also gives some more clarity to understanding the entire phrase and the wickedness that’s taking place here. Second, to give you an idea of the evil of the temple practices, understand that the High Priest at this time utilized the temple for his own power. The business that took place in the Court of the Gentiles was known as the Bazaar of Annas. He ensured that only the animals bought in the temple were blessed by the priest for sacrifices, and he incorporated franchise fees for the booths that were set up in the temple. In addition, these booths had to pay a certain percentage of prophets to Annas. Add to this that the temple charge for an animal was up to ten times more than the normal price for an animal. And, the people had to convert their Roman currency into temple currency (if they didn’t have temple currency). For those who had to convert the money, they were charged a 25% currency exchange fee. Now, you can get the idea of what Jesus is saying when He calls them a den of robbers. But, there’s more! The passage that Jesus is quoting from is Jeremiah 7:11. In that context, the prophet is warning against a type of superstition that elevates the temple itself and he also warns against behavior that dishonors the temple. Mixed with this idea is Jesus’ accusation that they are a den of thieves. The word “thieves” in the Greek actually could carry the meaning of being a nationalist rebel. In other words, as one commentator wrote, “The temple . . . had become . . . the premier symbol of a superstitious belief that God would protect and rally his people irrespective of their conformity to his will” (Carson, p. 442). The people were pride-filled in their idea of grace. Like Joash whom we studied last week had no zeal for God’s plan when he heard that he was going to win the battle, so the nation of Israel was prideful in their national zeal. They had a zeal, but not a godly zeal. They had zeal to make money, but many had no zeal for eternal treasure in Jesus. They had a zeal for their own glory, but that meant that they had no zeal for God’s name to be proclaimed among the Gentiles! Do you see their self-absorption? Do you see your own in this passage? I want to take a moment to call you to ponder your zeal. What do you love? What do you want? What are you zealous for? Are you zealous for a higher paid position? Are you zealous for a life of protection and ease? Are you zealous for food? Are you zealous for Christ? Where are you? Are you a person who thinks God is a genie for your life? Do you think God will merely protect and rally around you simply because you “prayed a prayer” a long time ago? Do you expect God to do great things in your life, but you just keep disobeying Him and you don’t care about following after Him? I remember hearing a story of a professor who had given his students a syllabus for the year, and when a certain paper was due, certain students forgot. He gave them grace, but told them to get them in at the second date. 9
The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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The next time another paper was due, fewer people had it in on time, but he still allowed them to make it up. By the third time, more people had delayed turning in the paper, and he asked if a certain student had the paper and that student responded with a non-chalant “no.” Sproul marked the paper as incomplete and said there would be an automatic dock in his grade. The student chimmed in immediately and said, “NO FAIR!” To which the teacher said, “Do you want what’s fair?” Yes! Then he said, “F.” And he looked at the class and said, “Does anyone else want what’s fair?” You see, when we are given grace, we are prone to take it for granted, aren’t we? We receive, receive, receive. And, it is a good thing that God continues to give because His kindness is what we need in order to see our need to repent. However, if we refuse to repent, our hard-heart will only store up greater wrath for ourselves. And, this is what is clearly revealed to the religious leaders in this temple. They take grace for granted. They do whatever they want to do. They utilize the temple for their selfish purposes. And, they are so bold to think that God’s just on their side, and they don’t care that they’re living lives opposite from what God called them to do. Oh, how I pray none of us are like these men. Right here, Jesus is confronting the temple, and this is a good thing for Him to do this. It’s a loving action for Christ to pinpoint sin. And, maybe He’s doing that in you right now, too. That’s His love calling you to find freedom in Him. If you would truly turn to Him, you would find freedom in Him! But you must humble yourself. You must see yourself for what you really are. You are weak, frail and in need. Left to yourself, you’re a traitor, and left to yourself, you can do nothing without God’s sustaining and enabling grace! Left to yourself, you’d be without the Creator who created you to enjoy Him forever! But it is marvelous that as Jesus does this in the temple, there are those who respond to this powerful display of authority – the sick and the children. How awesome and terrifying. It’s terrifying because Jesus turns away from the religious leaders. How we ought to shudder at this. There are those who are so hardened against God that God turns. Like we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, God resists the proud. That means that He strong arms them! Oh, if that’s you, repent! Be humble. Acknowledge your weakness. But, the passage doesn’t stop there. God gives grace to the humble. He gives grace to the weak, sick and needy. This would have been a shock that Jesus healed these people, and it would have been a shock that these people are even coming into the temple. In this day, most authorities would not allow anyone lame, blind, deaf or mute from offering a sacrifice in the temple. Yet, here are these people who were probably outside of the temple, simply wanting some type of handout to help them make it through the day. And, they know what Jesus is doing, and they are bold enough to come into the temple – risk all – and come before Jesus! And, what does Jesus do? He doesn’t turn them away. He embraces them and heals them. Right here, we have another exercise of authority. Through Jesus confronting the sin in the temple and then in Jesus healing in the temple, we see that Jesus is the King in the temple. He is the redeemer and He is exercising His rightful rule over the events within the temple. But, it’s not only the sick who come to Jesus. There are also children. Children who probably heard the cries of the previous day, and they’re crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Again, what an encouragement to us. Some people make it sound like you have to spruce up your life and make yourself perfect before you come to God. NO! You must come to Him as a child or as a sick person. You must come to Him as you are – in your weaknesses. I read a quote recently by D.L. Moody who said “God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.” And, you know what, the antithesis is true! God embraces those who come emptyhanded before Him!
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So, here we have the sinners being confronted, the sick being healed, and Jesus is being praised. And, it’s at the praise that the religious leaders are indignant. They recognize that his works are wondrous, but they won’t accept Him as Lord. And, again, how many people live like this. They say, “Oh yeah, Jesus was a great guy, but He wasn’t God. . . .” What a sad state for a person to find themselves in. Listen, either Jesus was a Lord or He was the greatest deceiver who ever lived. There’s no in between. And, these religious leaders seem to want a middle-of-the-road. They’re indignant that the children are calling Him the Son of David. Here’s the final blow of Jesus’ authority. He says: “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” 10 Have you never read? Talk about a very pointed statement that’s dripping with judgment. These people are the “experts” in the Word. Have they never read?! Of course they have. Yet, Jesus checkmates them and says, “Do you know nothing?” Everything I’ve been doing here has been to reveal who I am. I am King. I am the Redeemer. I heal the sick and the weak. I have come in peace. And yet, they’re going to hate His method for peace because they don’t think they need healing. But He forgives and gives eternal life and peace and rest to those who truly go to Him for salvation. Listen, if you’re confronted in your sin this morning, that’s a good thing. Lay those sins at God’s feet. Confess them this morning and call out for Him to rescue you from the sin and give you love for Him. Hear me, Jesus died and rose again in order to take the punishment for your sin and then to give you eternal life through God. But, I want to give a warning and a comfort. It’s a warning to those whose hearts are hard. You know that Jesus is coming back again? He’s not coming on a donkey. Revelation 19 tells us that when He returns, He is coming on a white horse. In that coming, He is going to wage war against the world, and the hearts of all people have been so trained to reject Jesus that they’re reject Him all the more in that war, and in that war, Jesus will win. But the Scriptures say that He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God. Oh listen to me. If your heart is hardened, listen. Why would you choose death? Instead, trust the One whose taken the wrath of all who would trust in Him. I also said that this coming again is a comfort. For those of you who do trust in Christ, remember, Jesus is coming again and He is going to make all things right! You may feel weak and worn-out today, but take your weak self and run to Christ! Find that He will carry you all the way into eternity. He takes the sick and child-like and gives the Kingdom to such. So rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice in the King Jesus who is our redeemer. And, let us say with hearts of true praise, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Carson, D.A. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI. 1984. 2. MacArthur, John A. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16-23. Moody: Chicago, IL. 1988. 3. The ESV Study Bible
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The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 21:16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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