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    Matthew 21:1-17
    Lesson 41

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:  
     
    Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.  
     
    One by one, Christ silences His enemies with logic and His knowledge of the Scriptures.  His enemies will give up trying to finish Him with trick questions by the time we get to Matthew 22:46 (lesson 45).​

    ​Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.
    Christians refer to this as Palm Sunday.
    Study Tip:

    As you study the Bible, use the five W's technique employed by investigative journalists.  Ask yourself who, what, when, where, and why as you read each passage.
    Where was -
     
    Bethphage -
    A small village near Bethany located between Jericho and Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives (Luke 19:29).  The name means "house of figs."  The village no longer exists.
     
    Mount of Olives -
    Sometimes called Mount of Olivet, it is a small mountain located less than two miles east of Jerusalem.  2 Kings 23:13 calls it "the mount of corruption" due to the pagan altars King Solomon built (I Kings 11:7) there centuries before the birth of Christ.  Jesus spent many nights on the Mount of Olives when visiting Jerusalem (Luke 21:37) and it was here that He was arrested.  Ezekiel 11:23 and     Zechariah 14:4-9 tell us that when Christ returns to establish His kingdom, it will be to the Mount of Olives. 

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 21:1-17
    Adoration in Jerusalem
    ​
    1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
     
    2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

    3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

    4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

    5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

    6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

    7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

    8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

    9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

    10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

    11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

    12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

    13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

    14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

    15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,

    16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

    ​17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.                            ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Drew Nigh unto Jerusalem." (21:1) - "Drew near to Jerusalem."
     
    "The village over against you." (21:2) - "The village opposite you."
     
    "Straightway ye shall find an ass." (21:2) - "Immediately, you'll  find a donkey."  In Old Testament times, dignitaries often rode donkeys and mules (Judges 10:4; 1 Kings 1:33).   
     
    "If any man say ought unto you." (21:3) - "If any man says anything you."
     
    "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet." (21:4) - Spoken by the prophet Zechariah.  See the Margin Note on verse 21:5 below.
     
    "Tell ye the daughter of Sion." (21:5) - "Tell Jerusalem." See Isaiah 62:11.
     
    "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." (21:5) - Just as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 five hundred years earlier.  This is more evidence that Jesus is the long-awaited Savior. 
     
    "Spread their garments in the way." (21:8) - "Spread their clothes in the road."  Laying one's clothes at the feet of royalty showed reverence (2 Kings 9:13). 
     
    "Strawed them in the way." (21:8) - "Spread them in the road."
     
    "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (21:9) - The crowd is reciting Psalm 118:26, an important Old Testament verse prophesying the coming Messiah.  Jesus also quoted this verse in Luke 13:35 and the crowd shouted it in praise of the Messiah in John 12:13. 
     
    "When he was come into Jerusalem." (21:10) - Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey that had never been ridden (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30).  What do donkeys and horses do the first time someone rides them?  Do they say, "Climb on and I'll take you where you want to go" or do they throw the rider off?  This animal knew who Jesus was. 
     
    "Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple." (21:12) - This is the second time Jesus ran the merchants, their customers, and moneychangers out of the Temple.  See John 2:13-17 to read about the first time.
     
    "Moneychangers." (21:12) - The Temple, and the merchants who sold their goods on Temple grounds, only accepted Tyrian coins.  So the money changers exchanged the Greek, Roman, and other foreign currencies of the visiting worshippers for a fee.
     
    "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer." (21:13) - Written in Isaiah 56:7.   
     
    "Crying in the temple." (21:15) - "Shouting in the Temple."
     
    "They were sore displeased." (21:15) - "They were very displeased."
     
    "Have ye never read." (21:16) - Read Psalm 8:2. 
     
    "Thou hast perfected praise?" (21:16) - "You brought perfect praise." ​
    You can read more about Jesus' grand arrival into Jerusalem in Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38 and John 12:12-19. 


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 21:1-17
    Jesus' Triumphant Entry
     
    1 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.

    2 "Go into the village over there," he said. "As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.

    3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will immediately let you take them."
     
    4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
     
    5 "Tell the people of Israel,
          'Look, your King is coming to you.
       He is humble, riding on a donkey-
          riding on a donkey's colt.'"
     
    6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.

    7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
     
    8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

    9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
     
      "Praise God for the Son of David!
          Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
          Praise God in highest heaven!"
     
    10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. "Who is this?" they asked.
     
    11 And the crowds replied, "It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
     
    Jesus Clears the Temple
     
    12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

    13 He said to them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves!"
     
    14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.

    15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David."
     
    But the leaders were indignant.

    16 They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?"
     
      "Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven't you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, 'You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'"

    17 Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Question:
     
    1. Earlier, Jesus shunned demonstrations in His honor, why did He take part in this one? (21:7-10)     ​​

    If you have questions, let me know.  I'll do my best to answer them.

    Answer: (Do you agree?) 
    ​​
    1. Previously, Jesus avoided any attempt to publicly honor Him so as not to arouse His enemies.  But with His crucifixion only five days away, things were now different.  Jesus' ministry was reaching its climax, and He wanted to announce to all Jerusalem that He was the long awaited Messiah. 

    Thought for the day:
    Although Jesus knows He will be crucified in a few days, He still went to Jerusalem.  He went to fulfill the Scriptures.  He went out of love for mankind. 
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    ​    © 2021 evolke