Matthew 21

Matthew 21:1-11

Chapter 59 “Who is this?” “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 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. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 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. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 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.

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11 These verses of Scripture, at first glance, appear to be out of sync with the rest of our Lord’s earthly life. The narrative reads like the account of some royal conqueror returning to his own city. “A great multitude” swelled quickly to “multitudes” (Some estimated the crowd to be more than 300,000!), accompanying the Lord Jesus Christ in what is described as his “triumphal entry “into Jerusalem. Loud cries of praise and expressions of adulation rang through the air. “All the city was moved.” Everyone wanted to know, “Who is this?” Everything in these eleven verses seems to contradict the whole tenor of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry. It seems to be altogether unlike him who would not cry, nor strive, nor lift up his voice in the streets. He always withdrew from the crowd, hid from applause, and urged those who were healed by his power to tell no one what he had done for them. Yet, our Lord’s public, triumphal entry into Jerusalem at this time is just what we should expect to see. He knew well that the hour of his death, the hour of his glory, the hour of his manifestation was near. The time of his humiliation and earthly ministry was drawing to a close. The hour was rapidly approaching when he must finish the work, which he had come into this world to do. His last great, climatic work was before him. There was nothing left for him to do except make atonement for and redeem his people by the sacrifice of himself upon the cursed tree.

Having assumed our nature, and having fulfilled all other things written in the Book of God concerning him, the Lord Jesus must now finish his work; he must fulfil all righteousness by his sin-atoning death. Now, he must satisfy justice and put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. He deemed it proper that every eye should be fixed upon him as he came to be offered up as the Lamb of God. He would have his great work of redemption known and advertised by everyone in Jerusalem. The sin atoning blood of the Son of God was about to be shed. And this great deed was not to be “done in a corner” (Acts 26:26). Therefore, he who had deliberately spent most of his life in secrecy, secluded from public view, he who would not allow his admirers to make him a king, now comes to announce himself King in the most public manner imaginable. His death would be his entrance into his kingdom.

Therefore, he made a royal procession through the streets of Jerusalem. This royal procession was our Lord’s public declaration that he is indeed the Christ of God, and that he was about to enter into his kingdom. All four of the Gospel writers were inspired of God to describe our Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem five days before his death, verifying the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah (Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9). We should not fail to observe the fact that none but Christ ever made such an entrance. The conclusion that must be drawn from that fact should be as obvious as it is undeniable: — This is the Christ, Zion’s King, of whom all the prophets spoke! The Omniscient God All the city asked, “Who is this?” The answers to that question were before them, and are clearly set before us in this passage. This great King is distinguished from all others in that he made his entrance in humility. Yet, even as he did so, he demonstrated both his omniscience and his sovereignty as our great God. “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 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. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them” (Matthew 21:1-3). Truly, this man, “Jesus of Nazareth,” is himself God who sees all, knows all, and rules all. He ordered two of his disciples to go into a specific village nearby, where they would find an ass and her colt. Then, he said, “Loose them, and bring them,” assuring them that the owner would immediately surrender his property to them for his sake. “The Lord hath need.” — I am sure that those four words have a far greater depth of meaning and significance than I am able to grasp. But that which is obvious is profoundly instructive. Taking upon himself our nature, our blessed Savior, while he was in this world, was a man full of needs. Yet, he never relinquished his deity in the least. He had need of the animals. Yet, he exercised absolute sovereignty over them and their owner. He sovereignly requisitioned this man’s property and made him perfectly willing to comply with the requisition. Obedience to Christ “All this was done… And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them” (Matthew 21:4; Matthew 21:6). — To all human reason, the Lord’s orders to these disciples would appear terribly difficult, even dangerous. They might be taken for thieves and dealt with accordingly. Yet, the disciples obeyed the Master without the least hesitancy, completely trusting him to prepare the way before them and make them successful in their task. That is the way we ought to obey our Lord. If he sends us on any errand in his name, he will both prepare our way and make us successful in performing the work to which he sends us. Obedience to Christ must be unquestioning and unhesitating. Genuine obedience, that obedience which arises from true faith, must be blind obedience (John 2:5; Proverbs 3:5-10). Scripture Fulfilled “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 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” (Matthew 21:4-5). “All this was done,” not because our Lord Jesus was incapable of walking the distance to Jerusalem, but “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.” Then, our Lord Jesus puts two Old Testament passages together (Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9). “Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” (Isaiah 62:11) “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) The Bible is, without question, the Word of God, fully and perfectly inspired and without error (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:20). Zechariah’s prophecy was made more than 550 years earlier; and it is here fulfilled in every detail. Once more, we see a clear example of the complete harmony of the Old and New Testament Scriptures. “Hosanna” “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. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 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.” (Matthew 21:5-9) The Lord Jesus Christ is King over all things by virtue of his obedience to God as our Substitute (John 17:2; Romans 14:9; Ephesians 1:21-22; Philippians 2:9-11). Let us ever worship and obey him as our great King. Let us ever throw off our filthy garments of self-righteousness before him and worship him, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” The word “Hosanna” is an exclamation of adoration and praise; but it is more than that. The word means “save me.” We worship and adore Christ as our Savior only when we bow to him as our King; and we bow to him as our king only when we worship and trust him as our Savior, laying everything at his feet, just as these multitudes “spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way” before the King. Robert Hawker suggested, “The Feast of Tabernacles was so celebrated, to denote holy joy in the gathering in of all the Lord’s blessings; and some have thought, that this feast was particularly typical of this entry of the Lord Jesus; for it is somewhat remarkable, that at this feast they carried branches, which they called Hosannas.” “Who is this?”“And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:10-11). Our Savior had been here before; but never had such enthusiastic crowds surrounded him with acclamations of praise. It seems that they were moved by some secret, uncontrollable impulse to go out to meet the King who came into their streets. Perhaps they were moved by nothing more than curiosity. Perhaps they had only some passing interest. Whatever their motives, the Lord’s appearance here stirred the whole city to such a degree that “all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?” “Who is this?” — No better, more needful question was ever raised. Let none find rest until he knows in the experience of faith that “this is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth,” until he is made to know that this man, who is God our Savior and King, is the Nazarite of God, who has fulfilled all the will of God as the sinner’s Substitute, by whom alone all the blessings of God come upon men (Numbers 6:1-27).

I do not suggest that the multitude had any idea what they were saying. Yet, like Caiaphas the high priest (John 11:49-52), they identified the Lord Jesus Christ as Jehovah’s righteous Servant and our Mediator, the only true Nazarite of God.

Matthew 21:12-22

Chapter 60 The House of Prayer “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, 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. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 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, 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? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:12-22) This passage of Holy Scripture sets before us two of the most remarkable events in our Lord’s earthly life and ministry. They are remarkable in that they are displays of the wrath and judgment of almighty God. Judgment is God’s strange work. Therefore, our Lord’s works primarily display the love, mercy, grace and goodness of God toward sinners. But judgment is as truly the work of God as redemption. Christ came both to redeem and save his people and to establish judgment in the earth (Isaiah 42:4) Usually, we see him displaying works and miracles of mercy. But here we see him displaying wrath and judgment. Both in driving the money changers out of the temple and in cursing the fruitless fig-tree, our Savior shows his willingness and his power to execute judgment. Both of these acts of judgment are emblems of spiritual things. Both were eminently figurative and typical. “Beneath the surface of each lie lessons of solemn instruction.” (J.C. Ryle). Yet, in the midst of wrath, our Lord remembers mercy. How like him that is! He drove out the moneychangers; but he healed the needy. He refused the services of the priests, but accepted the praises of children. He left the caviling scribes, but went to his friends in Bethany. He who is our God and Savior is both furious in wrath and glorious in goodness. As we go through these verses together, I want you to see seven things here recorded by divine inspiration for our comfort, learning, and edification. The Cleansing of the Temple “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, 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” (Matthew 21:12-13). We saw our Lord do a similar thing in the beginning of his ministry (John 2:14-15). During those days the temple of God, the priesthood, and all the ordinances of divine worship had degenerated into nothing but a sham, a show, a pretense. Religion was nothing but an outward service. Religious leaders were money-grubbing, self-serving professionals who, like most religious leaders today, made a business out of doing what men called “the work of the ministry,” “the work of God.” When our Lord came into the temple, he found that house built in God’s name, the place where God’s glory was once revealed, the place of sacrifice, the place where the law of God was read, expounded, and displayed, was disgracefully profaned. Everything was out of order. Our Lord saw it all with utter indignation. In fury, he drove out the religious merchandisers, anxious to make a profit on God. This is a vivid display of our Savior’s holy sovereignty and power in judgment. Among all the miracles our Lord performed, this must be viewed as one of the clearest displays of his eternal Godhead. Here is a man, the most humble man who ever lived, casting out those who bought and sold in the temple, overthrowing the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them that sold doves. He did this with such authority and zeal that no one dared oppose him. When he publicly announced that he had done this as God, publicly claiming that he was himself God, calling the temple; “My house,” no one raised a voice of objection. What an invincible proof this is of his divinity!

No one resisted him or his claim. So it shall be in the day of judgment. When the Son of God comes to judge the wicked, none shall be able to resist him (Malachi 3:2). There is a day coming when the Son of God will purge and cleanse his church and temple thoroughly. “He shall thoroughly purge his floor.” In that day, all chaff shall be burned. All the wood, hay, and stubble of man’s works shall be utterly consumed with the fire of his holy wrath. The Church of God, the assembly of God’s saints in public worship is a place of worship, “the house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). “Prayer” is the worship of God. And in the worship of God, small things matter (1 Chronicles 15:13). It is an act of abomination to make it anything else. The assembly of men and women in the name of Christ, every true local church is the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). This is the place where Christ meets his people (Matthew 18:20). This is the place of worship. There is no room in the house of God for anything except the worship of God. That involves the preaching of the gospel, prayer and praise, the reading of his Word, the attentive hearing of his Word, and the observance of gospel ordinances, believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Anything else is out of place in God’s house. The Compassion of our Savior “And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them” (Matthew 21:14). — It is ever the character of our God that in wrath he remembers mercy. When the blind and the lame came to him for healing, “he healed them.” Do not imagine that our Savior is not merciful because he is just and true. He has no tolerance for religious con-men and hucksters; but he is full of compassion to needy souls. Never did anyone come to him for mercy, while he walked on this earth, who did not obtain the mercy sought. And he has not changed. All who seek mercy from him obtain mercy. The place of mercy is still the temple of God, the divinely appointed place of worship, the church and house of God. I once came into God’s house as a blind, lame, helpless soul. There, in the house of worship, the Son of God healed me. In that place where his word is preached, I obtained mercy from him, and left the house seeing and hearing, leaping and dancing, and praising God my Savior. If you want mercy, put yourself in the place where mercy is found. If you are interested in others obtaining mercy, get them to the place where Christ dispenses mercy. The Children’s Confession “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” (Matthew 21:15). — This is another remarkable display of our Savior’s divinity. When our Lord Jesus received worship from these children in the house of God, his reception of their praise was an open claim that he is God. He, as well as those in the temple, knew that this cry, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” was praise reserved for no one but the Messiah. When the priests and scribes heard the praise of these children, and saw the Savior’s wonderful works of mercy, they were infuriated. Nothing that glorifies the Lord Jesus escapes the eyes of religious legalists and ritualists. Wherever Christ is honored as Savior alone, religionists are soon enraged Ecclesiastical pretenders are enraged by the simple preaching of Christ crucified, which is the constant exaltation of Christ in his house. How can the praise of these children be accounted for, except by the fact that their minds were seized and ruled by divine power, and sweetly forced to bear testimony to our Savior? This singular, unified act of adoration and praise from the children of those men our Lord had just thrown out of the temple, and of the scribes, chief priests, and Pharisees standing before him, cannot be accounted for any other way. They did not learn what they heard confessed from their parents. They learned who Christ was and how to praise him, being taught of God himself (John 6:45). Religionists Confused “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?” (Matthew 21:16). The chief priests and scribes were amazed, as well as angered by the fact that our Lord accepted the simple sincere praise of children, and showed utter contempt for their ornate, gaudy, well prepared services. They were confused because they understood nothing concerning the things of God. They did not understand that worship is spiritual, a matter of the heart (Isaiah 1:10; Philippians 3:3; Luke 16:15). True religion is not man centered, but Christ centered. True religion is not ceremonial, but spiritual. True religion is not a matter of creed, but of conviction. True religion is not outward, but inward. “For we are the circumcision.” — We are God’s true, covenant people, the Israel of God, Abraham’s true children, who “worship God in the Spirit.” We worship God as he is revealed in the Scriptures, by the power of his Holy Spirit, in our spirits, and in a spiritual manner. True worship is spiritual worship, not carnal, ceremonial ritualism (John 4:23-24). — “And rejoice in Christ Jesus.” We trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone, placing all our confidence in him as our Savior, with joy. We are complete in him (1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Colossians 2:9-10). — “And have no confidence in the flesh.” We place absolutely no confidence in our flesh, the experiences, emotions, or (imaginary) excellencies of our flesh.

The privileges of the flesh, the feelings of the flesh, and the works of the flesh are no basis of confidence before God. Christ alone is our confidence and joy. To lost religionists, that is utterly infuriating and confusing. The Contrast “And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there” (Matthew 21:17). — What a contrast there is here! The Lord Jesus left these caviling religionists to themselves, and went to Bethany. No greater judgment can befall human beings on this earth than for the Lord of Glory to leave them to themselves! But, there is always a remnant, according to the election of grace, to whom he ever comes in mercy. You remember who lived in Bethany. He went to the home of Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Because he loved them, he went to lodge with them. What a blessing! Our Master despised the company of quibbling religionists. He knew that debate with them was useless. So he left them to themselves. We would be wise to follow his example. In Bethany, in the home of his friends, the Friend of sinners was at home. Spurgeon wrote, “A day of excitement was followed by an evening of retirement in a country home. He spent the night of that most eventful day with his faithful friends. What a contrast between his entry into Jerusalem and his visit to his friends at Bethany! Lord, lodge with me! Make my house thine abode.” Let us pray the same. The Fig Tree Cursed “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!” (Matthew 21:18-20). The fig tree is an unusual fruit tree. It first bears fruit and then puts forth its leaves. Most fruit trees put forth their leaves and then their fruit. So when the Savior came, he saw leaves on the tree, a sign that it had put forth fruit early, but there was none. Having shown us clear displays of his deity, our Savior here shows us his real humanity. — “He hungered.” The Savior’s curse upon this barren fig tree is a picture of God’s coming judgment upon all who have a form of godliness but no substance of life, no fruit of grace. It was, no doubt, as Robert Hawker wrote, our Savior’s intention in this miracle “to preach by it to the people. The leaves of a mere profession, without fruit in, and from Christ, will stand in no stead in the day of enquiry. Nothing short of union with Christ’s person, can bring up after it communion and interest in what belongs to Christ.” He cursed the fig tree, and it withered. Is your religion all leaves? Prayer and Faith “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21-22). Clearly, these words had specific reference to those men to whom our Lord Jesus gave the power to perform miracles in that apostolic age. There are none who have such gifts in this age. Yet, the Lord’s instruction here is for us. In these two verses our Savior teaches us great lessons about prayer. Prayer involves faith in Christ, confidence in him, and confidence in God’s revelation of his will. And prayer involves submission to and seeking the will of God (John 14:13-14; James 4:3; 1 John 5:14). I do not pretend to understand all that our Lord teaches us here. However, I am confident that his instructions in these two verses are to be understood in connection with everything we have seen in this passage, and have a particular connection to the withered fig tree. Believing him, his church shall see the barren systems of false religion wither away. Babylon shall fall before us. The gates of hell shall never prevail against us. The obstructing mountains of difficulty shall be removed, and cast into the sea.

How often we have seen it; and we shall yet see it! Those who do not know and trust our Savior consider his words here unbelievable. Those who know him, to whom he has given, as Mark puts it, “faith in God,” they are words filled with hope, and inspiring expectation (Revelation 18:2; Revelation 19:1-7).

Matthew 21:23-32

Chapter 61 Two Questions and A Parable “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.

And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” (Matthew 21:23-32) The passage we have before us begins the last three days of our Lord’s earthly ministry prior to his arrest in Gethsemane. It is simply astonishing to consider how much work our Savior pressed into those three days. All that is recorded from Matthew 21:23 through chapter 25, all that is recorded by Mark in chapters 20, 21, and 22, and all that we read in John’s gospel from chapters 12 through 18 was done in those last three days before his arrest. His food and drink was to do his Father’s will. What an example he has given us! May God give us grace to follow it as men and women who know that “time is short.” In these verses we see the priests and elders of the people, the religious leaders of the day, attempting to discredit the ministry of the Son of God. These bitter enemies of righteousness, these bitter envious, insecure religious men swarmed around the Son of God like a nest of bees, trying to find some weakness in him. The question by which he silenced their quibbles, and the parable by which our Master forced them to condemn themselves are here recorded for our comfort, learning, and admonition by divine inspiration. May God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Matthew to write these words, inscribe their lessons upon our hearts. Satan’s Strategy The question raised by our Lord’s adversaries demonstrates the fact that Satan’s strategy never changes. While the Lord Jesus was preaching the gospel (Luke 20:1) in the temple, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders (Mark 11:27), rudely blurted out, “By what authority doest thou these things; and who gave thee this authority?” (Matthew 21:23). Their obvious insinuation was that our Savior obtained his power to perform the miracles he had performed from Satan. From the beginning of time, Satan’s most constant weapon against Christ and his people has been slander. Eve was seduced by the serpent’s slander of God’s character. Once the Lord God was discredited in her eyes, she was snared. Whenever it is impossible to disprove the work of God or deny the truth of God, Satan’s weapon of choice is to discredit the messenger of God by slander. These hell-inspired religionists could not refute our Lord’s doctrine. They could not deny his power. (The fig tree withered before their eyes!) And they could not find any fault with his life or the lives of his disciples. So the only way to defend themselves, the only way they could justify their opposition to the Son of God was to discredit him by casting some slander upon him. Often they slandered the Savior by his association with sinners; but here they attempted to discredit his authority. They ignored the good he did healing the sick, cleansing the temple, raising the dead, and teaching the people the Word of God, and quibbled about his authority to do what he did. Commenting on the actions of these men, J. C. Ryle observed, “Too many care nothing for the manifest blessings of God upon a man’s work, so long as he is not sent forth by their own sect or party.” These religious leaders had all the right credentials; but they knew nothing of the power of God. The Lord Jesus had no earthly credentials; but his words and works manifested the very wisdom and omnipotence of God. Credentials, degrees, and papers of authority mean nothing in the church and kingdom of God. Any man who is being used of God can expect to be the object of hellish slander. Wolves never attack a panted sheep, only living ones. Even so, artificial preachers are rarely the objects of spite, ridicule, and persecution, but faithful ones. The pope offered to make Luther a cardinal if he would just keep quiet. Luther refused. Then men called him a proud fool. He said, “Let me be counted fool or anything, but I will not be guilty of cowardly silence.” When the papists could not silence him, they said, “Luther is an apostate.” Luther replied, “I am an apostate, but a blessed and holy apostate, one that has fallen off from the devil!” When men said, “Martin Luther is a devil,” he replied, “So be it. Luther is a devil; but Christ liveth and reigneth. That is enough for Luther.” The most common areas of slander, by which God’s servants are attacked today, are the very same areas of slander that were hurled against the Son of God. Many are ridiculed because they lack the backing of recognized religious leaders, or lack impressive, academic degrees. William Huntington, who always signed his name “William Huntington, S.S.,” once said, “The degree S.S., or sinner saved, is more needful to teach others than an M.A. or a D.D.” Commenting on that degree, Spurgeon said, “Huntingdon’s degree of S.S., or Sinner Saved, is more needful for a soul winning evangelist than either M.A. or D.D. The pardoned sinner’s matter will be good, for he has been taught in the school of experience, and his manner will be telling, for he will speak sympathetically, as one who has felt what he declares.” Others are slandered in other ways. Perhaps the most common charge laid against gospel preachers is that they are antinomians. In the religious world no one is so quickly identified as a base, wicked man as that one against whom the charge of “Antinomianism” is laid. But, the fact is, no man ever preached the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace who was not accused of antinomianism! The Pharisees accused our Lord Jesus of being a glutton and a drunk. The legalists of his day accused Paul of teaching, “Let us sin, that grace may abound.” When wicked men, religious or irreligious, cannot refute that which is taught by another, slander is the tool they most commonly use to discredit the man. Nothing in this world is more base, more vile, more hellish and demonic than gossip and slander! Slander comes from an evil heart (Luke 6:45). It is characteristic of Satan, the slanderer (Revelation 12:10). Slanderers are wicked, base hypocrites (Psalms 50:20; Proverbs 11:9). Slander inflicts deadly wounds (Proverbs 18:8; Proverbs 26:22), stirs up strife (Proverbs 26:22), separates friends (Proverbs 16:28; Proverbs 17:9), and causes discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19). The tongue of slander is a scourge (Job 5:21) that is venomous (Psalms 140:3; Ecclesiastes 10:11) and destructive (Proverbs 11:9). Believer’s Baptism Our Savior’s question, by which he confounded the religious quibblers, clearly teaches us that believer’s baptism is a divine ordinance. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:24-27) If they had been honest the question which our Lord put before these men would have been very simple to answer. But they were not honest men. Though they pretended to serve God, they were men-pleasers. And men-pleasers are like politicians. They never commit themselves to anything until they know which way the wind is blowing and what the costs will be. Obviously, our Lord could easily have answered their question. He had already told them many times who he was and by what authority he acted. But now he seems to contemptuously shake off the dust of his feet against them. He showed his contempt for them publicly because they were public men. We must always be ready to give answer to anyone who desires to know the reason of our hope (1 Peter 3:15). We ought never shrink from any inquiry from people seeking to understand gospel doctrine or practices. Yet, our Savior’s example plainly shows us that we have no obligation to answer the caviling quibbles of those who oppose the gospel. Our Master’s primary instruction in this question was for the benefit of his disciples. The ministry of John the Baptist, particularly his practice of immersing those who professed repentance toward God, was a matter of great controversy in those days, just as believer’s baptism is a matter of great controversy today. Here, our Lord Jesus teaches us that John’s baptism was of heavenly origin. John Gill wrote, “By ‘the baptism of John’ is meant the ordinance of water-baptism, which was first administered by him.” No one had ever done anything like this before. Believer’s baptism began to be practiced by divine ordinance with the ministry of John the Baptist. Many today talk about baptism as a matter of choice, or of indifference. But neither is true. Believer’s baptism is a divine ordinance. As such, it is essential in the worship of God. These things are so clearly taught in Holy Scripture that any confusion about this blessed gospel ordinance is inexcusable. Baptism is for believers only (Acts 8:37-38).

Infant baptism is utterly without foundation in the Word of God. Baptism is by immersion only (Matthew 3:15-17). Immersion is not the “mode” of baptism. Immersion is baptism. That is what the word means. Baptism is a symbolic burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:12).

Until you can bury a corpse by throwing a few grains of sand on its face, you cannot baptize a person by throwing a few drops of water on their head. Baptism is a symbolic picture of the gospel (Romans 6:4-6). It is not a picture of regeneration, or of circumcision, or of renewal, or of cleansing. It is a picture of redemption, a picture of our, death, burial, and resurrection with Christ our Substitute. God’s Saving Grace In the parable about the two sons, our Savior teaches us that the Lord our God graciously saves every penitent sinner, even the most base and vile. “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” (Matthew 21:28-32). This parable is very brief, but very instructive. All who are wise will learn what it teaches. All men belong to God. God is not the Father of all men in a gracious, covenant way; but he is the Father of all and the Owner of all as the Creator of all (Matthew 20:15). As the sovereign Owner of all, God almighty has the right to do what he will with all. And he has chosen some to salvation and passed by others, loved some and hated others (Romans 9:13-18). All men are commanded to repent (Acts 17:30-31). In the Word of God, and particularly in this passage (Matthew 21:28-29; Matthew 21:32), repentance, obedience, and faith are used synonymously. Repentance is neither more nor less than faith in Christ; and faith in Christ is neither more nor less than obedience to him as Lord. We preach the gospel to all, and call all who hear our voices to faith in Christ. Because God commands all to repent, all who hear the gospel are responsible to repent. And the Lord our God is infinitely willing and able to save every sinner who bows to his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in true repentance and faith. It matters not how bad the sinner has been. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. It matters not how good you appear to be, or imagine yourself to be, if you do not trust the Son of God, you must perish forever. God is no respecter of persons. None are too bad to be saved; but many are too good in their own eyes to be saved. Robert Hawker wrote, “From our Lord’s giving the preference to publicans and harlots, to that of self-righteous scribes and Pharisees, we may safely conclude that nothing was more offensive to the Lord of life and glory, than a frame of mind which, of all others, is more immediately leveled against the leading doctrines of his gospel. Oh! for grace to be always aware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, which the Son of God himself declares to be hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1).” In the day of judgment I would rather stand before God as a publican, or a harlot, or anything, rather than stand before him as a self-righteous hypocrite (Romans 9:30 to Romans 10:4). Beware of self-righteousness! When you are slandered let it have no effect upon you, except to drive you into your Father’s arms. If you would be saved, you must “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” If God has saved you, if he has given you faith in Christ, confess him in believer’s baptism.

Matthew 21:33-46

Chapter 62 The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.” (Matthew 21:33-46)The parable contained in these verses was spoken by our Savior to the Jews and applies directly to that nation upon which the judgment of God has fallen. They are the husbandmen described in the parable. Their sins are set before us in plain words. They persecuted God’s prophets. They killed other prophets. And, at last, they murdered God’s darling Son! There can be no doubt that the parable was directly intended to be a word of condemnation against the Jewish nation. — “When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parable, they perceived that he spake of them” (Matthew 21:45). But it is a serious mistake for anyone to read these words and say, “That applies to the Jews. It has no reference to me.” “A godly man,” wrote John Trapp, “reads the Scriptures as he doth the statute-book. He holds himself concerned in all that he reads. He finds his name written in every passage and lays it to heart, as spoken to him. The wicked, on the other side, put off all they like not, and dispose of it to others.” Let us not be so foolish. The parable of the wicked husbandmen is a parable by which the Son of God speaks to us. “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” The Jews who heard this parable fall from the lips of the Son of God refused to heed its lessons. Therefore that nation is to this day under the curse of God’s holy wrath and just judgment.

When they had the light, they refused to walk in the light. Therefore God has sent blindness and darkness upon them. Let us beware lest the same thing happen to us. — “If God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Romans 11:21). The message of this parable is obvious. It warns us of the danger of despising gospel privileges. Those who despise the privileges of the gospel court the wrath of God. A Word of Warning The nation of Israel, and the blindness God has sent upon that reprobate nation that was once so greatly blessed of God, stands as a beacon to warn all who despise his goodness. God almighty sovereignly and graciously bestows upon some very great opportunities and privileges, and withholds them from others, as he sees fit (Matthew 11:20-26; Acts 16:6-7). He chose Israel alone to be a peculiar people unto himself. He separated Israel from all other nations. He counted the Jews alone to be his vineyard. He built a tower in it.

That is to say, God established his worship in Israel alone. To Israel alone he gave his law, his ordinances, his tabernacle, his altar, his priesthood, his sacrifices, and his prophets. The great privileges the nation of Israel once enjoyed, as well as the judgment of God described in this parable, were the subjects of Isaiah’s song… “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry” (Isaiah 5:1-7). The greatest blessing and privilege God can bestow upon any people is to establish his Word and his worship in their midst. How thankful men and women ought to be for the privilege and blessing of a gospel church and a regularly established gospel ministry (Amos 8:11-12). After attending one of the annual Bible conferences hosted by our assembly, a friend in New Jersey who had no gospel church near his family wrote, “If the people of Danville only knew what an opportunity and privilege God has given them, that little hillside would be covered with people, seeking to hear the Word of God.” It our privilege and responsibility to avail ourselves of the blessing God has given us. I wonder how we would react if we knew we were in danger of having the Word of God removed from us. If we knew that God had threatened to remove his candlestick from its place among us, so that neither we, nor our neighbors, nor our children, nor our grandchildren could ever again hear the gospel of his grace, would such a warning be of real concern to us. Well, he has given us warning. — “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5). God says, “Thou hast despised mine holy things” (Ezekiel 22:8). It is a well-deserved word of reproof. It is impossible for me to understand how men and women who claim to love the gospel of Christ can willingly absent themselves from the ministry of the Word. It is one thing to despise the labors of a pastor who faithfully seeks a message from God and diligently preaches the gospel. But a willing neglect of the gospel is much, much more than despising the labors of a man. It is despising God’s holy things: his Word, his ordinances, his praise, and his people. The Lord Jesus promised that wherever and whenever two or three gather together in his name he will be with them. To neglect that assembly is to neglect Christ’s company! I know many people who have no place of public worship and no one to minister to their souls. They get excited when a gospel preacher comes within a hundred miles. They gladly drive the distance to hear him. They plan their vacations around Bible conferences, special meetings, or places of worship. They listen to tapes every day. When they get a chance to meet with God’s saints and hear his Word, they are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They simply cannot get enough of the gospel. They soak it up like a dry sponge soaks up water. When the message is over, they talk about it enthusiastically. I know others, many others, who have faithful pastors and regular places of worship, who act as though they could care less. If they attend the worship of God once a week and give a little money to pay the light bill, they are more than content. In many places where people claim to love the gospel, it goes begging for a hearing. The evening services and mid-weak services could be held in a closet without being very crowded. If you are too busy to attend the worship of God, you are too busy! If you are too tired, then you need to give up something else, but not this! If you despise God’s holy things, he will take them away from you and give them to someone else (Romans 11:21). It is a sad fact that multitudes, like the Jews in our text, despise the privileges God gives them. God gave Israel his word; but they mingled with the heathen, and learned their works (Psalms 106:35). God sent them his prophets; but they chose darkness rather than light. God showed them the path of righteousness and life; but they hardened their hearts in unbelief and sin. God revealed himself to them; but they turned aside after idols. At last, God sent them his Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ; and they crucified him! What are you doing with the privileges God has given you? You have his Word. Do you read it, study it, and seek to know its message? If you have a gospel church and a regularly established, faithful gospel ministry, do you avail yourself of God’s ordinance? Do you value God’s people, his family? Do you cherish their company, or despise it? It is either one or the other. There is no middle ground. J. C. Ryle wrote, “Nothing offends God like the neglect of privileges.” I cannot adequately warn you of the danger of despising the worship of God. It is the first step toward apostasy (Hebrews 3:10-14; Hebrews 10:25-26). If you despise the kingdom of God, “the kingdom of God shall be taken from you” (Matthew 21:43). The time came when the cup of Israel’s iniquity was full and God would tolerate them no more. In 70AD, just 40 years after this parable was uttered, God sent Titus and the armies of Rome into Jerusalem to destroy the holy city, the temple, and the nation. From that day to this, the Jews have been scattered over the face of the whole earth, and grope about in spiritual darkness, as blind men, but as blind men who are completely confident that they alone have light and see. The churches of Asia Minor, once so strong, are now gone. Africa, once the cradle of light, is now the house of darkness. England, once so full of light and life, is now a graveyard of religious relics and memories. The same is true of the United States. Much, much has been given to us, and much shall be required of us! As John Trapp put it, “The gospel is that inheritance we received from our forefathers. It must be our care to transmit the same to our posterity.” “They Perceived” When our Lord spoke, even these proud priests and Pharisees could not help understanding that he spoke of them (Matthew 21:45). Even in wicked men, the conscience is strong to condemn. But it takes something more than a guilty, condemning conscience to produce repentance and faith in the heart. That is the gift of God’s saving goodness and grace (Romans 2:4; Ephesians 2:8-9). Recently, I read an article in which a man stated, “Mental assent itself is equal to faith.” When I read those words, I was shocked. The mere perception of truth is not saving faith. Saving faith is more than understanding and agreeing with gospel truths. Saving faith involves love for him who is the Truth. Anyone who is well taught by another man can be persuaded of doctrinal, gospel truth. But it takes more than the teaching of a man, and more than personal study for a lost sinner, dead in trespasses and in sins, to become a living saint, savingly united to Christ by faith.

Saving faith is the supernatural gift of God the Holy Spirit, the operation of his grace in us (Colossians 2:12). It is not something we arrive at by natural reason, something we merely perceive and agree to, or something we can be persuaded to perform by a slick “soul-winner.” Faith in Christ is that which springs up in the heaven born soul by the mighty operation of God’s free grace (Ephesians 2:1-10). “Marvellous in Our Eyes” “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” (Matthew 21:42) — Here, speaking of himself, our Savior quotes Psalms 118:22-23, pointedly applying David’s words to the chief priests and Pharisees standing before him. Those who were supposed to be the builders of God’s house had rejected the Foundation Stone, Christ Jesus, whom God has made “the Headstone of the corner.” Throughout the Scriptures our Lord Jesus Christ is compared to a stone. He is called “the Stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24). He is the Foundation Stone God has laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16). He is the One Stone laid before God’s elect in conversion, upon which we are built (Zechariah 3:9). Christ is the Stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” (Daniel 2:45), that will fall upon his enemies in judgment. To the unbelieving, he is “a Stone of stumbling and rock of offense” (Isaiah 8:14; Romans 9:32; 1 Peter 2:8). But, to all who trust him, the Lord Jesus is “a living Stone”, and the “chief Corner Stone, elect and precious” (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:4; 1 Peter 2:6). Christ is the Foundation on which we are built and upon which we build. All who build upon him are safe and secure. All who build upon anything else build upon sand; and every house built upon sand will fall. Yet, there are multitudes, like the chief priests and Pharisees mentioned here, who reject the Foundation God has laid and build upon another. Rejecting his eternal deity, his sin-atoning sacrifice, his perfect righteousness, his effectual intercession, and omnipotent grace, they build upon a the false foundation of “another Jesus.” Rejecting his work, they build upon their own works and religious ceremonies. Worse yet, they build their house of hope upon their own, imaginary freewill; and great will be the fall of it! Faith in Christ is compared to the building of a house of refuge (Matthew 7:24). Sooner or later our house will be tested by earthly trials, spiritual trials, rains of trouble, floods of sorrow, and winds of adversity (Matthew 7:25). If your house is built on Christ the Rock, it will endure the trial and stand the tests of time. If your house is built on the sand, anything other than Christ, sooner or later the rains and floods and winds will bring it crumbling down around you. Thanks be unto God forever, man’s rejection of Christ can never disannul the purpose and work of God! — “The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the Head of the corner!” Though men reject him, God has accepted him and made him the Head of all things and the Head Stone of the Corner. This “Stone, cut out of the mountain without hands,” is the Stone by which antichrist shall be destroyed (Daniel 2:34-35; Daniel 2:45). Zechariah describes our Savior’s exaltation as the Chief Corner Stone with exultation (Zechariah 4:6-10). He is the chief corner stone; he is higher than the kings of the earth. He is infinitely superior to angels, and the chief among ten thousands of his saints. He is exalted above all creatures, angels, and men. Like the corner stone in a building, Christ knits and cements his building, his church together. Chosen angels and chosen men, chosen Jews and chosen Gentiles, Old Testament saints and New Testament saints, saints above and saints below, all are joined together in him. It is Christ, the Chief Corner Stone, who strengthens and supports the building and holds it together. “This is the Lord’s doing” (Philippians 2:9-11), “and it is marvellous in our eyes.” It is marvellous in the eyes of all who believe; for the exaltation of Christ as our Mediator and Redeemer is a marvellous and wonderful display of the wisdom, goodness, justice, grace, mercy, truth, power, and faithfulness of God (Romans 3:24-26; Romans 4:25 to Romans 5:1; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:1-2). Christ is Head of the corner. Christ is the Heir of all things, Ruler of all things, and Disposer of all things; and in him we have all things. Salvation by A Fall “Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken” (Matthew 21:44). — Salvation is obtained by a fall. You must fall upon Christ, the Stone, and be broken upon him. If you do not fall upon him, this Stone will fall upon you and grind you to powder. Falling upon him, sinners are broken. Our Lord did not say, “Be broken and fall,” but, “Fall and be broken.” Faith is falling on him. It is a long, hard fall.

We must fall from our loftiness and self-righteousness upon Christ alone as our hope before God. Trusting his blood alone for atonement, his righteousness alone for acceptance with God, his grace alone to save us, trusting Christ alone as our Savior (1 Corinthians 1:30). Falling on this Rock, sinners are broken. And to the broken God’s Word gives this assurance. — “A broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:17). Just Judgment “But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them” (Matthew 21:44-45). — If you refuse to trust Christ, if you will not fall on him for mercy, he will fall on you in wrath. God’s judgment is always just. Judgment and wrath are always presented in Scripture as God’s response to man’s sin. “The wages of sin is death.” Judgment is something you earn. “But the gift of God is eternal life.” If you go to hell, it will be your fault, the result of what you have done. If you go to heaven, it will be God’s fault, the result of what he has done. If a person walks in the light God gives him, God will give him more light. The Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), Cornelius (Acts 10), and Lydia (Acts 16), are three great examples of that fact. If you despise the light God gives you, the light will be turned into darkness; and when light becomes darkness, how great is that darkness! There is no darkness like spiritual darkness; and there is no spiritual darkness like the darkness of reprobation (Hosea 4:17; Romans 11:8-10; Romans 11:21-22). Yet, man’s unbelief will not thwart, but shall only serve the purpose of God (Romans 3:3-4; Romans 11:33-36).