Matthew 20-21

 

Matthew 20:1-16 Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. We have an idea of proportionate rewards, but this does not apply in God’s kingdom. It is either in or not in - that is what matters most. And once there, He decides rewards based on His inscrutable (to us) ways. 20:6-7 might make one wonder if these late-to-be-hired workers didn’t have any credentials, or show much initiative, or if they had gentle personalities and didn’t elbow their way to the front of the hiring line? But they showed up, waited, and were hired. 20:16 repeats 19:30, tying the two narratives together, switching perceived vs. real positions in life this life and the next - the highest and the lowest.

Matthew 20:17-19 Jesus predicts His own death a third time, repeating 17:22. Referring back to 20:16 in that He would die the worst kind of death, condemned by both religious and secular authorities, yet He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  (Revelation 17:14)

Matthew 20:20-28 Jesus  discusses who will rule with Him in His kingdom. The disciples wanted authority and position. Jesus told them what real authority costs and looks like: drinking His cup, and  healing the helpless and lowest. Those in positions of earthly authority lord it over their subjects (ain’t that the truth!), but authority in Jesus’ kingdom looks like Him. Not only do the positions of the first and last get switched (19:30, 20:16), but the one who is first in His kingdom then serves others.

Matthew 20:29-34 Two blind men are healed. What is the significance of them calling Jesus Lord, son of David? 2 Samuel 7:16 reports on the word of the Lord given through Nathan the prophet about the descendant of David; these men recognized Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment. There is nothing in David’s life about the blind receiving sight, but these men must have heard of Jesus’ miraculous healings and linked that to this scriptural promise from a thousand years earlier. They were right to do so. When we link current events to scriptural prophecies or promises, are we doing it right?

Matthew 21 Jesus triumphal entry and in the temple

Matthew 21:1-11 The triumphant entry to Jerusalem. 21:5 quotes Zechariah 9:9. Zechariah 9:9-17 goes on to say that this king will bring peace and save His people, and that He is Lord as well. In 21:9 the crowd sings or shouts Psalm 118:25-26. In 21:42 Jesus quoted previous verses, Psalm 118:22-23  (the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone). 

Comparing verses 21:9 & 21:11, we see that the crowd saw Jesus as both king and prophet. Recognizing Jesus for who He is and proclaiming it is the essence of His kingdom; this was in Jerusalem but not in Herod’s temple.

Matthew 21:12-17 Jesus enters the temple. This shows risky love by Jesus because He knew the consequences of provoking the priests and Pharisees. (See 21:45-46) As He overturned tables and benches, He quoted Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. The children were still shouting hosanna in the temple (presumably with Jesus no longer on a donkey). When He was asked indignantly by the priests if He heard what they were saying, He quoted Psalm 8:2 and left the temple. Psalm 8:1 opens with the majesty of His Name in all the earth. So obvious that little children can see it.

Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus curses the fig tree. This was outside the temple, but the tree withered immediately. The Jewish faith was God’s fig tree and He found no fruit in what was supposedly His temple. In 70 AD, this symbolic curse was fulfilled.

Matthew 21:23-27 Jesus returns to the temple and discusses the sources of authority for faith with the priests. He trounces their with a simple counter-question that reveals the emptiness of their religion. Theirs was a religion of rules and rituals. Genuine repentance, life-change, and relationship to God, John the Baptist’s ministry, was not part of it. So there was no hope they would recognize Jesus’ ministry.

Matthew 21:28-32 Parable of the two sons. This hits close to home. If a believer is a son, God is pleased with the one who, in the end, does what God asks. But if he is a son who talks a good talk but in the end dies not do what God asks, the first will enter God’s kingdom first. Note the reference back to John the Baptist, who the priests were unwilling to acknowledge that he preached and baptized with authority. 

Matthew 21:33-44 Parable of the tenants. In 21:42 Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23, perhaps to show how consistently the Old Testament tells of Him, since the crowds had been singing Psalm 118:25-26 when He entered town. But then He talks about the ministry of this stone. In 21:44 He reveals that the price of being saved is being broken, but the price of being judged is to be punished. 

Matthew 21:45-46 The chief priests and Pharisees conspire to kill Jesus. Jesus had provoked them beyond their tolerance with His ministry there, telling people the truth about God and performing miracles. They could not see beyond protecting their way of life to recognize God incarnate, the very God whose word they studied and they thought they were serving.