The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew #2549

As Jesus just said in Matthew 21:21, "It shall be done"! And so it SHALL... for it is written.

We have now come to the fourth period of Christ's ministry whereby the Kingdom shall be rejected and our Lord and Saviour shall be delivered up and crucified to pay to price to offer forgiveness and salvation to "whosoever will". As Jesus Christ has now explained numerous times to His disciples, this was the plan of God from the beginning as it is written in the Law and the Prophets which teach us about and lead us to know Jesus Christ.

Those who are students of His Word know that there is a stark contrast between the first advent, where we "see" the magnificence of the King of kings and Lord of lords enter into Jerusalem on a lowly ass as the most humble servant ever there was, and the second advent where He shall come in His Glory and Majesty and ride in on a white horse with ALL power and authority to establish His kingdom and subject ALL nations (bend every knee) to His righteous rule!

Keep this contrast in mind as we begin our study.

Matthew 21:1
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

Zech. 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

olive, elaia, el-ah'-yah, Greek 1636; feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive (the tree or the fruit) :- olive (berry, tree).

olive, zayith, zah'-yith, Hebrew 2132; probably from an unused root [akin to Hebrew 2099 (Ziv)]; an olive (as yielding illuminating oil), the tree, the branch or the berry :- olive (tree, -yard), Olivet.

oil, shemen, sheh'-men, Hebrew 8081; from Hebrew 8080 (shaman); grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figurative richness :- anointing, × fat (things), × fruitful, oil ([-ed]), ointment, olive, + pine.

Christos, khris-tos', Greek 5547; from Greek 5548 (chrio); anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus :- Christ.

chrio, khree'-o, Greek 5548; probably akin to Greek 5530 (chraomai) through the idea of contact; to smear or rub with oil, i.e. (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service :- anoint.

Now here are the instructions Jesus gave to the two disciples He sent into the village to fetch an ass and a colt with her:

[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,

Remember we discussed this in our very first study. Here is an excerpt from that study:

"Haven't you read", for "It is written", that Jesus Christ would come and fulfill all the things foretold of Him by the prophets? That is why you will find in this opening book of the New Testament those phrases and others such as "that which was spoken" and "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" along with over 60 references to the Old Testament, to document beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets at His coming! To that end, the special object and "Divine purpose in the Gospel of Matthew is to set forth the Lord as Yahveh's King. Hence those events in His ministry are singled out and emphasized which set forth His claims as the Messiah - sent to fulfill all the prophecies concerning Him" (Companion Bible, pg. 1306).

Matthew 2:4-6
And when he (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. [5] And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, [6] And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Here is Matthew's quote of the scripture that Christ was fulfilling. It is from Zech. 9:9 concerning the first advent of the King. Verse 10 speaks of the second advent so don't forget to go check it out.

Matthew 21:5
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.

Zech. 9:9
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.

Matthew 21:6
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.

You "see", ALL knees shall bow before Him one way or the other when He comes, whether it be willing or unwillingly, bow they shall. This too is written in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

[23] I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

[24] Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

Now here is it in the New Testament, quoted by Paul from that which was already written, even that which we just read in Isaiah 45:

Romans 14:11
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Matthew 21:8
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.

Psalm 118:25-26
Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

[26] Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Matthew 21:10
And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

moved, seio, si'-o, Greek 4579; apparently a primary verb; to rock (vibrate, properly sideways or to and fro), i.e. (genitive) to agitate (in any direction; cause to tremble); figurative to throw into a tremor (of fear or concern) :- move, quake, shake.

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

Remember the rich man also called Him "Good Master". Nevertheless, true it was that Jesus was "the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee", but you "see" He was the Son of David, Yashua Messiah, Yahveh's Savior, the Anointed One of God, the Son of the Living God, Emmanuel God with us!

Now it is time to perk up our ears to "hear" and to open wide our eyes to "see" the effect of the casting out of the "buyers and sellers" in "the temple", and overthrowing the "tables of the moneychangers", and unseating those who "sell" profane sacrifices to our people as a way to please God! To that end, the next three verses (12-14) are taken together in context. Keep in mind as with all the teachings of Christ, the picture of what we are about to "see" is given to us to as a visual aid to the spiritual lesson He is teaching.

Matthew 21:12
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,

You see, true disciples of Christ need to expose these crooks for who and what they really are, an easy task indeed if you are familiar with His Word! Remember back in Matthew chapter ten Christ told His disciples two specific things concerning money when they go out to teach. One, they were NOT to take a purse, which means they did not need financing (neither their own nor a financier's), and two,they were NOT to take a "scrip" which is a beggar's bag! In other words, His teachers and representatives are not to beg people nor continually ask them for money. Christ promises that if you do things His way, according to His commands, that you won't have to worry about money.This ministry is living proof of that promise in that we have never had a fundraiser nor ever passed a collection plate nor ever ask anyone for money, nor do we ever intend to. The point is that any church that focuses on money is not following Christ's directions which means there is something wrong!

Now, obviously Christ is not teaching us that in exposing the moneychangers and overthrowing their tables we are to physically enter into churches and flip over the collection plates. Remember, He is just giving us a picture to see in our mind's eye. But spiritually we are to inform and educate our brothers and sisters when the opportunity presents itself that the "house of God" is to be a house of prayer, which is your true sacrifice, not the giving of your money to rip-off artists who sell you doves or pass the basket in the name of Jesus.

Here is a question: "What is your duty and service to God?" Does He want your sacrifices and burnt offerings? No, He wants your love as it is written Hos. 6:6, "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."Does He want you to do that which the rich man wanted to do, i.e. some good thing, to save himself? No, you are to get rid of all the idolatrous things you possess and obtain the pearl of great price and then give His precious truths to the poor in spirit, those whose spirits need healing. That is your sacrifice, NOT money! You "see", it is much easier to plop some cash in a money plate than to be willing to so much as stop by the wayside to help a poor spiritually blind brother or sister! Do you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven. Then if there be any sacrifice let it be the sacrifice of service and ministering unto the poor in spirit. And when you bring your sacrifice unto the LORD thy God, make sure is in not lame nor blind nor has any ill blemish. The shadow, which is a type, was given in the law for us to "see".

Deut. 15:21
And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.

And so it is that His truth, the Word of God, exposes con-artists and overturns the tables of the moneychangers and explains what His house is all about!

Matthew 21:13
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.

Jeremiah 7:11
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

Matthew 21:14
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?

Psalm 8:2
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Matthew 21:17
And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there.

[18] Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered.

Nevertheless, Jesus Christ was returning to the city when He saw a fig tree "in the way"!

[19] 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.

Matthew 24:32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: [33] So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. [34]Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  .

Remember again that what we are picturing in our mind is a visual aid to help us "see" the spiritual (invisible) things Christ is teaching.Now notice that when He spoke, the fig tree presently, meaning instantly, withered away, as in dried up "right before the eyes of the disciples"! And it would not grow any fruit from this point on! What does that mean? Let's read the next verse and then see what Christ has to say regarding this drying up.

Matthew 21:20
And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

[21] 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.

Paul explains it very plainly.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

substance, hupostasis, hoop-os'-tas-is, Greek 5287; from a compound of Greek 5259 (hupo) and Greek 2476 (histemi); a setting under (support), i.e. (figurative) concrete essence, or abstract assurance (object or subject) :- confidence, confident, person, substance.

Rev. 18:21
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Matthew 21:22
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Amen