1742 | Matthew 21:16
the chil dren shout ing in the tem ple courts , “ Ho sanna to the Son of Da vid ,” m they were in dig nant . n
16 “ Do you hear what these chil dren are say ing ?” they asked him . “ Yes ,” re plied Jesus , “ have you never read ,
“ ‘ From the lips of children and infants you , Lord , have called forth your praise ’ a ?” o
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Beth any , p where he spent the night .
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
21:18-22pp — Mk 11:12-14,20-24
18 Early in the morn ing , as Jesus was on his way back to the city , he was hun gry . 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road , he went up to it but found noth ing on it ex cept leaves . Then he said to it , “ May you never bear fruit again !” Im me di ately the tree with ered . q
20 When the dis ci ples saw this , they were amazed . “ How did the fig tree wither so quickly ?” they asked .
21 Jesus re plied , “ Truly I tell you , if you have faith and do not doubt , r not only can you do what was done to the fig tree , but also you can say to this moun tain , ‘ Go , throw yourself into the sea ,’ and it will be done . 22 If you be lieve , you will re ceive what ever you ask for s in prayer .”
21:15 m ver 9 ; Mt 9:27 n Lk 19:39
21:16 o Ps 8:2
21:17 p Mt 26:6 ; Mk 11:1 ; Lk 24:50 ; Jn 11:1 , 18 ; 12:1
21:19 q Isa 34:4 ; Jer 8:13
21:21 r Mt 17:20 ; Lk 17:6 ; 1Co 13:2 ; Jas 1:6
21:22 s Mt 7:7 21:23 t Ac 4:7 ; 7:27
21:26 u Mt 11:9 ; Mk 6:20
21:28 v ver 33 ; Mt 20:1
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
21:23-27pp — Mk 11:27-33 ; Lk 20:1-8
23 Jesus en tered the tem ple courts , and , while he was teach ing , the chief priests and the el ders of the peo ple came to him . “ By what au thor ity t are you do ing these things ?” they asked . “ And who gave you this authority ?”
24 Jesus re plied , “ I will also ask you one ques tion . If you an swer me , I will tell you by what au thor ity I am do ing these things . 25 John ’ s bap tism — where did it come from ? Was it from heaven , or of hu man or i gin ?”
They dis cussed it among them selves and said , “ If we say , ‘ From heaven ,’ he will ask , ‘ Then why didn ’ t you be lieve him ?’ 26 But if we say , ‘ Of hu man or i gin ’ — we are afraid of the peo ple , for they all hold that John was a prophet .” u
27 So they an swered Jesus , “ We don ’ t know .”
Then he said , “ Nei ther will I tell you by what author ity I am do ing these things .
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “ 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 .’ v a 16 Psalm 8:2 ( see Septuagint )
Greek inscription prohibiting Gentiles from entering the inner courtyard of the temple .
Todd Bolen / www . BiblePlaces , taken at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum
21:17 Bethany . Just slightly farther down the road from Bethphage ( see note on v . 1 ), away from Jerusalem . 21:18 – 22 Jesus appears to work this rare miracle of destruction solely because he was hungry and the tree had no fruit . Mark 11:13 explains that “ it was not the season for figs ,” suggesting we should look for a less obvious explanation of the action . Sitting under one ’ s own fig tree became a common OT image of the Israelite enjoying freedom and prosperity in the land ( e . g ., 1 Kgs 4:25 ; 2 Kgs 18:31 ; Isa 36:16 ; Mic 4:4 ; Zech 3:10 ). In this context of judgment on Israel , the “ withered ” fig tree most likely stands for the nation ’ s coming destruction . Mark 11:12 – 14,20 – 25 spreads the action over a two-day period , but even if the fig tree did not shrivel up the instant Jesus cursed it ( Matt 21:19 ), a tree withering that quickly could still be said to have withered “ immediately .”
21:21 this mountain . Refers either to the Mount of Olives or to Mount Zion ( the temple mount ), depending on where Jesus was on the road between Bethany and Jerusalem . If he is pointing to the Mount of Olives , he may have Zech 14:4 in mind , in which the Messiah stands on the mountain and it splits in two . If , as may be more likely , he is pointing to the temple mount , then he is anticipating the destruction of the temple and its sacrificial system . 21:22 whatever you ask for in prayer . Must be understood in context . Jesus is not offering a “ blank check ” for those with enough faith but is promising that those with faith will see the end of this age and the coming of the next one . 21:23 – 27 The temple authorities ( see note on 16:21 ) would naturally ask Jesus by what authority he had initiated such a demonstration in Jerusalem . In good rabbinic fashion , he counters their question with another . Recognizing the popularity of John the Baptist with the people in general , Jesus ties his origin to John ’ s . But the authorities recognize his ploy and refuse to answer Jesus ’ question , pretending not to know . So Jesus refuses to answer them . 21:28 – 32 The Parable of the Two Sons . This little parable resembles the lost son ( Luke 15:11 – 32 ) in miniature . One son starts out refusing to obey his father and go to work for him but finally complies . The other one says he will work but does not . Only the first son actually “ did what his father wanted ” ( Matt 21:31 ). Performance takes priority over promise . The “ tax collectors ” ( v . 31 ; see notes on 9:9,11 ) and “ prostitutes ” ( v . 31 ) are like the first son ; the temple authorities ( v . 23 ) were like the second . The phrase “ entering the kingdom of God ahead of you ” ( v . 31 ) leaves the door open for these religious leaders to come in , but at this point in Matthew ’ s account they remain outside .