Matthew 21:23-46, Conflict with the Religious Leaders

Jesus has entered Jerusalem, been adored by throngs of Passover pilgrims, cleaned out the temple and then cursed the fig tree.  All attention is on him.

Matt 21:23-27
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?"

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.  John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" 

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, `From men'--we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet."

So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said,  "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these  things.

Jesus deflects the question by going to its source.

Matt 21:28-32
"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.

"Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, `I will, sir,' but he did not go."

"Which of the two did what his father wanted?" 

"The first,"  they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 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.

After first deflecting their question, Jesus goes ahead and provides a basic answer, in essence accusing the leaders of ignoring John, an accusation they were trying to avoid.

Being religious does not get one into the kingdom of God.  Being a religious leader might even be a hindrance!?  The Passover Week is filled with conflict between Jesus and the legalistic religious leaders.

Matt 21:33-39
"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 went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 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. Last of all, he sent his son to them. `They will respect my son,' he said.

"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."

Another story.  Do the leaders understand the analogy?

Matt 21:40-46
"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

"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."

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"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. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

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.

Jesus repeatedly resorts to parables, a very distinctive type of teaching.  He has been doing this throughout his three year ministry.

The quotation in verse 43, on the "capstone" (or "cornerstone") is from Psalm 118:22-23.
Some ancient manuscripts do not have verse 44.

The sparring between Jesus and the religious leaders continues throughout the Passover Week.

Matthew 21:1-22, Entrance into Jerusalem

Jesus's popularity, which has fallen lately due to his "hard sayings" and his refusal to be politicized, has begun to return.  He approaches Jerusalem in advance of the Passover feast.

Matt 21:1-9
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. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  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!"

The crowds welcome him into Jerusalem as a prophet.  Somehow the people know something is happening on this day; they all interpret this as a Messianic fulfillment of some kind.

The quote in verse 5 is from Zechariah 9:9. The quote in verse 9 is from Psalm 118:26.

NIV footnotes: "Hosanna" is a Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an  exclamation of praise.

Matt 21:10-11

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."

The Passover Week has begun.  It will end with a crucifixion and then something miraculous on the first day of the week after that.  The remaining seven chapters in Matthew will cover that week.

Matt 21:12-13
Jesus entered the temple area 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. "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.' "

It is not clear how Jesus drove out the money changers.  He may have begun by driving out the animals they were selling for the sacrificial system.

The quotes in verse 13 are, respectively, from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  The Isaiah quote implies that the temple is to be a model for "all nations", which includes the Gentiles.  Jesus is incensed that the religious leaders have degraded what was to be an example to the world.

Matt 21:14-17
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the  temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 

"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 have ordained praise' ?" And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple; this, of course, attacked a certain moneymaking element of the religious power.  But the religious leaders seem most upset that the children are worshiping Jesus, instead of following them!

The quote in verse 16 is from Psalm 8:2.

Matt 21:18-22
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city,  he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, 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.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in  prayer."

A metaphor in action.  (But Jesus seems to be reacting in frustration?)

In the next passage, Jesus preaches in the temple courts.  The religious leaders cannot miss him.

Matthew 20, Towards Jerusalem (Humility & Service)

More teaching on the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 20:1-16
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out  early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, `You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'
So they went. 

"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, `Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' `Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, `You also go and work in my vineyard.'

"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, `Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'  The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.  So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. 

"But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the  landowner. `These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they  said, `and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

"But he answered one of them, `Friend, I am not being unfair  to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?  Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?  Or are you envious because I am generous?'

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

This is not an economic philosophy, but a statement about God reaching out to the Gentiles.

Matt 20:17-19
Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,"We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

We are going to have a lesson in submission and humility, subverting the way of the world.

Matt 20:20-23
Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

"What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" 

"We can," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

Jesus passes this request off as something beyond his power.  It seems there were certainly limits to his humanity.

Matt 20:24-28
When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high  officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Service, humility, not power -- this is what is important in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 20:29-34
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of  David, have mercy on us!"

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on  us!"

Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.  Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

I wonder if the blind men really expected this or were even asking for this.  What was their perspective?  Why were there two?  Sitting together?

These teachings have had a common theme of service and humility.  All of this is a prelude to entering Jerusalem during Passover Week.

Matthew 19, Questions about the Ten Commandments

We continue to collect a number of parables and teachings of Jesus, during his three year ministry, as he walks toward Calvary.

Matt 19:1-6
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator `made them male and female,' and said, `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

One gets the impression that the religious leaders are not really interested in improving families and marriages, but in trapping Jesus.  And so Jesus responds simply, quoting from Genesis.  This is expected and the religious leaders have a follow-up question.

The quote in verse 4 is from Gen. 1:27.  The quote in verse 5 is from Gen. 2:24.

Matt 19:7-12
"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"  Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between  a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

"So if Genesis says this, why does Moses say that?"  Jesus's answer distinguishes between God's ideal principles and the human tendency to always find a way out.  At the end we have a brief summary about the value of being single, within reasonable limits.  (Peter was married; apparently most of the disciples were not.)

Matt 19:13-15
Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

A famous statement about children.  What is the real significance of this?

Matt 19:16-22
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied.  "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "`Do not  murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give  false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and `love your neighbor  as yourself.'"

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your  possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

The young man knows he lacks something.  But like all of us, he does not really want to hear the solution.

Matt 19:23-26
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of  God."

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Salvation is very much a divine act.

Matt 19:27-30
Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you!  What then will there be for us?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Jesus reassures the disciples.  "Yes, I've noticed your devotion.  It will be rewarded."

Notice the emphasis on renewal.  The coming kingdom will be a renewal of the universe, not some transportation to clouds (and harps)!

The first Old Testament quote in verse 19 is from both Exodus 20:12-16 (or Deut. 5:16-20.) The second Old Testament quote in verse 19 is from Leviticus 19:18.

Matthew 18, Towards Calvary

We now have a series of teachings as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, Calvary, and the final Passover week.

Matt 18:1-6
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the  depths of the sea."

A childlike humility seems to be a significant part of faith, as opposed to the constant human striving to be the one on top.  Again, Jesus inverts the standard human view of power and success.

Matt 18:7-9
"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown  into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

This passage includes hyperbole about the need to protect oneself from those things that divert one's heavenly goals and mission.  (Yet, I know some that seem to allow their emphasis on personal sin to divert them, seeking to be so "spiritual" that they help no one else!)

Matt 18:10
"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones.  For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

So children have angels?  Do each of us?  What does this mean?

The NIV footnotes say that some ancient Greek manuscripts add a phrase (verse 11), "The Son of Man came to save what was lost."

Matt 18:12-14
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

I love this parable.  Every child should know that their parents will spare no expense to find them and protect them.  In the same way, the shepherd will care for every sheep!  This is a compassionate statement about the importance of each of us, even the "one-percenters" on the bottom, for whom no one else seems to care.

Matt 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so  that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

This passage sets up a basic strategy for transparency in disputes and confrontation.  It is important to quickly and privately discuss conflict, before bitterness builds.  But it is not easy to practice.

The quote in verse 16 is from Deut. 19:15.

Matt 18:18-20
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

A very strong statement, a little unsettling.  Does it really work?

Matt 18:21-22 
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

No, not 7 times, but 70 x 7 – practical infinity.

Matt 18:23-35
"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. `Be patient with  me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.  He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' he  demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, `Be  patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything  that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. `You wicked  servant,' he said, `I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as  I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

A harsh parable, in many ways.  But there is some beauty in it.  The ratio of money lent in the two events is probably about a million.  In the first case the servant owes millions of dollars but turns on another who owes only a couple of dollars.

More online resources for Matthew

On Sundays we relax a bit from this blog, catching up on our readings or briefly summarizing where we have been or where we are going.  Today I want to note a few more online resources.

The Blue Letter Bible has a study guide on Matthew.  It begins here.

Bob Utley, a pastor out of East Texas (where I'm located now) has a nice overview of various passages from the Bible.  Here is his introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.  Bob's accent meets the stereotype of the southern televangelist, but his understanding and communication of bible passages is much better than that.

On a different direction, here is the Wikipedia page on the Renaissance painting of Jesus calling the tax collector, Matthew, to be his follower.  The gospels were the source for much of medieval and Renaissance art.

While searching Youtube, I found a four hour (!!) adaptation of Matthew as film. Personally this is not for me (I'd rather read the whole book – in the KJV – than watch this slow moving film!) but I it shows the things one can try to do with Bible Study.

Tomorrow we return to Matthew, looking at the "transfiguration" which appears in chapter 17.