Matthew 21 - What Jesus Wants Us To Know

SF Stagecoach, NV

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Prodigals and Unsaved,

            I know this one is out of order, I got so busy (like all of us this time of year), I thought I had already blogged Chapter 21 last Sunday, but I had just prepared it in MS Word.  Sorry about that.  Any way please enjoy it now.

            Our Lessons in Matthew will always contain topics such as; Living Life, Healings, Miracles, Deliverance and more.  Today we'll learn; The Triumphal Entry, Cleansing The Temple, The Barren Fig Tree, Authority Challenged, Parable Of Two Sons, and Parable of the Landowner.

    There is always more to learn..., - Abba [God], wants to reveal Himself to you.  Knowing that the truth will set you FREE.  That's why Jesus, through His Word, reveals to us what His Father [Abba] told Him daily, to do and say.  The World, is the twerp's [satan's] playground. But if you know your authority, he can't play with you.
    To shorten these Chapters, I'm going to list the scripture, for those of you who do not have a Bible, but only comment on the verses that I feel need more explanation for today.

Verse  NOTE: ALL meanings are from Strong's Concordance, unless marked otherwise.

Chapter 21:1-46

21:1-3  The Triumphal Entry:

·         [Matthew 21:1-3 NKJV] 1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose [them] and bring [them] to Me. 3 "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."
    Jesus had to finish His Ministry on earth in Jerusalem, fulfilling another prophecy He would do.
    [Zechariah 9:9 NKJV] "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion [Israel]! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He [is] just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."
    Why Jesus had His disciples get him a donkey and a colt - I don't know, but it does say here, Jesus rode the foal of a donkey - a COLT!  Zechariah Prophesied this around 536 B.C.  to 520 B.C.
 

21:4-7  [Matthew 21:4-7 NKJV] 4 "All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' " 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set [Him] on them."
*   Verses 4-5  The daughter of Zion is referred to as Jerusalem, or the Jewish people.  Again, to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah above.
*   Verses 6-7  The disciples did as requested by Jesus, bring the donkey and the colt - they didn't use saddles in those days, so they just added some of their clothes on the donkey and helped Jesus on the colt.
    [Ezekiel 44:1-2 NKJV] 1 "Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it [was] shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.
    The Bible records - that Jesus went into the Sheep gate, where all the Offerings were brought in 10 days prior to offering.  Where the Rabbi's, checked all animal sacrifices, making sure their offering was without blemish or sickness, then killed them.  The Torah says, lambs were to be killed on the 14th day of the first month.  Around 3 pm.
    Did you know, Jesus was crucified at 9 am, then died at 3 pm.  Discovery News says, Geologists say Jesus, as described in the New Testament, was most likely crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year 33.  This is what was recorded happening while Jesus was crucified and died.
    [Matthew 27:45 NKJV] "Now from the sixth hour [9 am] until the ninth hour [3 pm] there was darkness over all the land."
    In the Old Testament, darkness is frequently a sign of judgment (Amos 5:18; 8:9).  Darkness as a sign of divine judgment highlights the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death.  On the cross, Jesus endured the judgment of God upon our sin.
     “The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).Have you ever seen or heard of, this curtain?  I saw one, the exact replica in size creation in Lancaster, PA. This, like the original one, was made of one piece - and to tear this heavy one piece in 1/2 would take an act of God.  This would make sense in light of Ephesians 2:14, where Paul said "Christ has torn down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile".
    “The earth quaked, and the rocks were split” (Matthew. 27:51).  When God appeared to Moses on Sinai to give His Law, “the whole mountain shook violently” (Exodus. 19:18). Warren Wiersbe, connects the earthquake at Jesus’ death to the Sinai event, suggesting that the earthquake at Calvary signified that the demands of the law were fulfilled in Christ.
    “The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:52).  These resurrections demonstrate Jesus’ victory over death. They are a foretaste of what will come at the end of time, the final resurrection of which Paul wrote in
1 Thessalonians 4:16: “the dead in Christ will rise” (also 1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Thus, they symbolize the hope all believers have because of the death and resurrection of Christ.

21:8-11 [Matthew 21:8-11 NKJV] 8 "And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread [them] on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed [is] He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" 11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
    At this point, the majority of the Jews sill had not recognized Jesus and their Savior - they were/are still waiting for Him to come and destroy the evil and persecutions of their land.

21:12-13 Cleansing The Temple:
 [Matthew 21:12-13 NKJV] 12 "Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "
    I don't think many churches still do this, BUT, I never agreed with playing bingo [gambling] in any church.  There are plenty of VFW's, schools, and in NV, casinos.
    This is also the only time Jesus lost His cool! - that's how angry for Abba's sake He was!  Sometimes when I go out for dinner in NV afterwards, my Uncle and I would have coffee while we played the slot machines.  OOPS - ABBA said to me, NO MORE on Sundays!  The casinos would have to close down from my $5-10 occasionally.  PS:  I've had an agreement with Abba, that whatever I won, I'd give to help the missionaries give children supplies to help teach them.

21:14-17 [Matthew 21:14-17 NKJV] 14 "Then [the] blind and [the] lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant 16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" 17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there."
    Verses 14-16 Now that Jesus cleaned up His Father's Sanctuary, it's time to heal.  Of course the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things Jesus did, they were indignant - Why?  Because THEY COULDN'T!  And the people LOVED Jesus for the wondrous works He did.  Praising Abba, Jesus let them know, it was perfected praise from the babies and nursing infants!
      

21:18-22 The Barren Fig Tree:

·       [Matthew 21:18-22 NKJV] 18 "Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw [it], they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
*   Verses 18-19  Jesus was hungry - thought He'd get some fruit.  But it hadn't grown yet, just leaves were there.  Jesus spoke to that tree, telling it, it would never grow fruit again.  This may sound strange to some, but Abba created this whole world by His Words.  Jesus just followed what His Father did - He spoke death to it and it withered immediately.
*   Verses 20  The disciples amazed that Jesus could do this. Now it's time to tell the disciples what He did - so they could.  Just as we can - then Jesus explained "how to".
*   Verses 21-22  Jesus tells them REALLY, IF YOU HAVE THE FAITH AND DO NOT DOUBT they could do the same thing.  Yes, it only takes 2 things.  1) You have faith and 2) do not doubt it's possible.  That's a bad habit many of us need to break [doubting].
    One time, taking my hubby to a Doctor's office, which was in a professional building, where there were no wheel chairs.  My husband was 200+ pounds and I could not lift/carry him into the office.  So I asked the Holy Spirit for HELP, that a wheel chair would be in the hallway - AND IT WAS!  I had HOPED and BELIEVED.
    [Hebrews 11:1 NKJV] "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  The Word gives us the answer in ONE SENTENCE!  Often, as I was learning, it would take me 2-3 tries before I saw the manifestation, but I never doubted after that.  I will admit, I've never tried to move a mountain - yet!  Jesus also confirms, "whatever" you ask in prayer, BELIEVING, you WILL RECEIVE. - That goes back to Hebrews 11:1.

21:23-27   Authority Challenged:

·       [Matthew 21:23-27 NKJV] 23 "Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" 24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 "The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26 "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
    Verse 23 - Jesus just couldn't catch a break, when the chief priests or elders were around, at the temple [church].  It's like all these democrats, who hate President Trump, as far as they are concerned, everything he does is; illegal, immoral, or unethical and they'd try to stop whatever he wants to do for the people.  Me, I would have bragged my authority is in Christ Jesus [which I do]!  Given to me by God Almighty - if you have a problem with that tell my Father!
    Verse 24-26  Jesus is so much nicer than me.  He simple gave them a question and no matter how they answered - they'd be up a creek without a paddle and they knew it.
    Verse 27  Their answer, because they did not have a relationship with Abba was, "I dunno"  so Jesus didn't answer them.  We know though, His authority is from God Almighty and the baptism is from Heaven.

21:28-32   Parable Of Two Sons:

[Matthew 21:28-32 NKJV] 28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' 29 "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 "Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I [go], sir,' but he did not go. 31 "Which of the two did the will of [his] father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them,"Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom before  you kingdom of Go before  32 "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw [it], you did not afterward relent and believe him."
*   Verses 28-30  2 Sons, one said no, but went anyway the other said OK dad, but didn't go at all.  So the first son had a change of heart and the second had no intention of obeying his father so he lied to him.  At least the priests got that one right.
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*   Verses 31-32   means: turning from ones evil ways, asking forgiveness.  
        Jesus tells them, assuredly [no doubt], tax collectors and harlots will enter the Kingdom of God before you.  Can you see their mouths drop?  Tax collectors, in those days [and ours] were considered low-lives and crooked.  Harlots we know, share their physical bodies for money and often to married men [adultery] breaking their covenant with their wives.  [forsaking all others, till death do we part].  Yet Jesus said they'd enter Heaven before the chief priests.  Why do you think that is?  Many are corrupt, but they change their ways, repenting to Abba - asking forgiveness for their sins, in Jesus' Name [IJN].  Some priests or ministers today, do not repent. Although Jesus didn't say, they would not enter the kingdom of heaven, but they won't be first in line as they think. Why?  They wouldn't forgive or accept a sanctified sinner, even if they repented.

21:33-46   Parable of the Landowner"

·       [Matthew 21:33-40 NKJV] 33 "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner [Abba] who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers [Israel] and went into a far country. 34 "Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants [Prophets] to the vinedressers [Israel], that they might receive its fruit. 35 "And the vinedressers [Israel] took his servants [Prophets], beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 "Again he sent other servants [Prophets], more than the first, and they did likewise to them."  37 "Then last of all he sent his son [Jesus] to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 "But when the vinedressers [Israel] saw the son [Jesus], they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' 39 "So they took him and cast [him] out of the vineyard and killed [him]. 40 "Therefore, when the owner [God] of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"

*   Verse 33 - God planted Israel and placed a hedge around it for protection, providing their needs, before He left it in the vinedressers [Israel's] care.
*   Verse 34-35  Now when it was time to collect God's fruit, He sent servants [prophets] whom Abba trusted to collect what was due Him.  The farmers-religious leadership, beat one servant and killed the other.
*   Verse 36-37 - Again God sent other servants [prophets] more than last time, to collect what belonged to God, they killed them too.  Finally God sent His Son [Jesus] to collect the debt, thinking they wouldn't kill him. 
*   Verse 38-40 - The farmers/tenants [Jewish religious leadership] knew the son of the landowner [God] and thought if they killed him too, they could keep his inheritance.  Taking him out of the vineyard [Israel]they did just that.  So when the Landowner [God] comes, what will He do to them?

·         [Matthew 21:41-46 NKJV] 41 They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease [his] vineyard to other vinedressers [the Gentiles] who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes' ? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet."
*   Verse 41 - God will destroy those wicked men and lease it to "other vinedressers" [Gentiles], who will render to him the fruits in season.
*   Verse 42-43 - The stone which builders rejected [Jesus] have become the chief cornerstone.  Cornerstones and capstones are used symbolically in Scripture and picture Christ as the main piece of the foundation of the church and the head of the church, respectively. Jesus is the beginning of and is foundational to the church, and He now stands over the church in His rightful position of honor, guiding the church to fulfill its divine destiny.
*   Verse 44-46 - This will be more than they [Jews] can tolerate.  He is saying that there will be a new people of God made up of all peoples who will temporarily replace the Jews so that Jesus can establish His church. This will change the way God deals with man, from the old dispensation of the law to a new dispensation of God’s grace.  It will usher in a period of time where man will no longer understand forgiveness of sins as man’s work through what he does or doesn’t do or by the sacrifices of animals on the altar, but by the work of Christ on the cross. It will be a time where each individual can have a personal and saving relationship with the One and only God of the universe. 
    Hope this much clearer now?  This is the time we're in RIGHT NOW! 
 

    My prayer 4 U:  Father, in Jesus' Name I'm asking You to reveal, to Your Children, how to think from Heaven's perspective, so they can release Heavenly solutions in their lives and help others, help them NOT TO LEAD with their head, but with the heart of JESUS!  -  In Jesus' Name - AMEN! and AMEN!

    FYI:  I'm having many problems with my IBM computer, so I'm changing over to a IMac hopefully the first week of January.  It may take me a few days to change all my IBM files/programs over to Mac.  So should I miss the from January 3rd [Thursday] to January 5th, [Sunday] 2019 please bear with me.  I'll be back As soon as possible.  We've completed Matthew Chapters 1-22, just have Chapters 23-28 left.  Please email me if there's something you'd like to study, email is at the top of the blog.

  

Blessing to ALL - AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sandy - The Lord's Servant