Matthew 21: Introduction

Transcription

1 Matthew 21:10-17 Introduction We saw last week that for years, Psalm 118 had been sung at every Passover festival as the pilgrims ascend the hill of Jerusalem but always without a king. But this year, as Jesus acts out the prophecy of Zechariah nine, He shows that He is also the true fulfillment of the king in Psalm 118 which is the same Psalm that the crowds were already singing. So here at the beginning of the end, Jesus rides into Jerusalem as the king in Zechariah nine; the king who will establish worldwide dominion and universal peace not through coercion or force, but rather by peaceful means. The crowds see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and they realize that the song they were singing is being fulfilled before their very eyes. The king is leading the procession into Jerusalem and the king is Jesus. And so the very great multitude spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road, and the crowds that went before Him, and those that followed after Him began shouting together with the words that had been written hundreds of years earlier for this very occasion: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matthew 21:9) It s difficult for us to even imagine the joy and the excitement of a procession like this. The very great multitude is both going before Jesus and coming after Him, thronging around Him and escorting Him through the gates of the city. But then we read in verses 10-11: I. Matthew 21:10 11 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this? And the crowds said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. Another translation says that the whole city was shaken (HCSB), and this is probably a more accurate translation (cf. Mat. 27:51; 28:4; Heb. 12:26; Rev. 6:13). The NRSV says that the whole city was in turmoil. Jerusalem was not ready for a king especially a king from Galilee who comes riding through the gates of the city on nothing more than a donkey and with nothing more than a harmless multitude of Galilean pilgrims. This could only mean trouble with Rome and with absolutely no hope of any positive outcome. The king is leading the procession into Jerusalem, and yet Jerusalem apparently doesn t know who the king is. But the pilgrims from Galilee know who He is. The whole city was in turmoil, asking, Who is this? And the crowds said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. Jerusalem is not ready for a king at least not this kind of a king. Jerusalem does not know who this king is. So what can this mean for the fulfillment of Zechariah 9? What can this mean for the fulfillment of Psalm 118? Was this just something of a dramatic fling that s over just as soon as it began? Well, that will depend on what Jesus does next. Matthew tell us: II. Matthew 21:12 13 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. 1

2 When Jesus entered the temple, He was really entering the temple courtyard. We refer to this courtyard as the court of the Gentiles, but most of the people here would have been Jews. This courtyard (which made up the majority of the 33 acre temple complex) was simply as far as the Gentiles were allowed to go. Thirty acres is a pretty big courtyard. France says that this courtyard formed the natural meeting place for visitors and locals alike, especially at festival seasons, and the porticoes [which surrounded the courtyard] provided shaded areas for groups to gather and for teachers to collect a crowd. It was here in this courtyard where the moneychangers and those who sold pigeons had set up shop. And it was here in the midst of this vast and crowded courtyard (nearly a mile in circumference) that Jesus began overturning the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. Jesus is quoting Isaiah 56:7, and in that context prayer is to be understood in light of burnt offerings and sacrifices that God has promised will be acceptable on His altar. Isaiah 56:7 Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer. The point here is that the temple is a sacred place that is set aside for joyful fellowship and intimate communion with God. And yet through their buying and selling of wares, Jesus says that the people are making the temple into nothing more than a den of robbers (quoting now from Jeremiah 7:11). Now the selling of sacrificial animals was important as it would be very impractical for the pilgrims to bring their animals all the way from home. The currency exchange was also important as the temple offerings could only be purchased, and the temple tax could only be paid with the proper currency. The activities themselves were legitimate, but their location in the temple courtyard was not. It s possible (and maybe even likely) that the money-changers and the animal salesmen were making an unjust gain, but this doesn t seem to be the point that Jesus is making. Notice that He drives both those who were selling and those who were buying out of the temple. Both the sellers and the buyers were making God s house into nothing more than a den of robbers. If there would have been no buyers willing to make purchases in the temple courtyard, then there would have been no sellers set up in the temple courtyard. So Jesus drives them both out of the temple while also overturning the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling pigeons. But what is the meaning of all this? Why does Jesus do this? What s going on? Well, isn t it obvious? The people are making God s house into a den of robbers! What other explanation could we possibly need? What other justification could Jesus possibly need? And yet there is something else going on here. It s something very important, and very obvious to anyone who truly knew their Scriptures (which would be our Old Testament). We know from Mark that Jesus drove the buyers and the sellers out of the temple on Monday, the day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:12-19). But Matthew compresses these two events so that it would appear that Jesus drove the people out of the temple immediately upon His entrance into the city (cf. Luke19:41-46). So why did Matthew do this? Well, I believe it s just another way of making something that s already obvious, even more obvious. Jesus actions here in the temple courtyard are the natural outflow and expression of His entry into Jerusalem as Israel s Messiah. By compressing these two events together, Matthew reminds us that the prophets had already 2

3 foretold that when the Messiah came, He would cleanse the temple. In other words, it was expected that when the Messiah came, He would cleanse the temple. Malachi 3:1 4 Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner s fire and like fullers soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. Zechariah 14:20 21 On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, Holy to the LORD. And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day. Why does Jesus cleanse the temple after He has entered Jerusalem as the Messiah? Not simply because it was the right thing to do, but also in order to act out these prophecies of Malachi and Zechariah just like He acted out the prophecy of Zechariah 9 when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Now at this point, some of us are going to complain that the acting falls far short of the script. The fulfillment seems to be falling far short of what the actual prophecy described. A few overturned tables and chairs, and the driving out of a few buyers and sellers certainly can t equal the picture of temple cleansing that we ve just seen in Malachi and Zechariah. And yet Matthew doesn t seem to be bothered by this! And Jesus certainly makes no apologies! So just as the entrance into Jerusalem had symbolic significance as a pointer to how the Messiah s kingdom would come, and how it would grow, so also this cleansing of the temple has symbolic significance. This cleansing of the temple in Matthew twenty-one anticipates and foreshadows the true cleansing that Jesus will accomplish through His shed blood on the cross. This cleansing of the temple here in Matthew twenty-one anticipates and foreshadows the work that Jesus will do in recreating and rebuilding Israel s temple not as a physical building, but as a spiritual house. 1 Peter 2:4 5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This is the already of the temple cleansing that Jesus has accomplished through His death on the cross. But there will also be the not yet of Christ s second coming, and the final judgment, and the creation of a new heavens and a new earth, and the descent of the New Jerusalem where God will dwell among His purified people, and share joyful fellowship and intimate communion with His purified people (Rev ). This new creation (which is in Christ) will be the ultimate fulfillment of the temple cleansed, purified, renewed, recreated, and now fit for all eternity. This is the meaning of Jesus cleansing of the temple here in Matthew 21! As Jesus acted out the prophecy of Zechariah 9 when He entered Jerusalem (in a very provisional way), so now He acts out the prophecies of Zechariah 14 and Malachi 3 as He cleanses the temple. And so 3

4 Jesus makes the statement that as the Messiah, He has come to cleanse, and purify, and renew, and ultimately to rebuild Israel s temple as a truly spiritual house, built of living stones, and possessing a holy priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Here, then, is the amazing fulfillment of Isaiah 56:7 where God says: Isaiah 56:7 Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer. * When Jesus overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling pigeons, and when He drove those who were buying and selling out of the temple, this was not just a statement of protest, but also one of fulfillment. In other words, by His actions Jesus was saying: I have come to make this temple into a true house of prayer, a place where God and man may live together in joyful fellowship and intimate communion and this is what I will do. This is the true meaning of the temple cleansing here in Matthew 21. And now we can also understand the true meaning of verse 14. III. Matthew 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. This is the last reference to any healing in Matthew, and it s also the only reference to any healing in all of Jesus time in Jerusalem. So it s kind of unique, and even more so when we realize that this is the only time when those who come to be healed are identified simply as the blind and the lame (cf. cripples, lepers, deaf, mute, etc. 11:5; 15:30-31). 2 Samuel 5:8 And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind [the Jebusites], who are hated by David s soul. Therefore it is said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. It s possible that the blind and the lame were not (as a general rule) permitted within the gates of the temple (cf. Acts 3:1-10). But we can know for sure that the blind and the lame were not permitted to approach or draw near to God as His priests. Leviticus 21:17 18 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame But here in Matthew 21, Jesus not only casts the buyers and the sellers out of the temple, but He welcomes the blind and the lame who come to Him in the temple, and He heals them. And by this healing, Jesus opens the door for the blind and the lame to fellowship and commune with God in His temple even potentially as a holy priesthood. Out with the buyers and the sellers. In with the blind and the lame. As Israel s Messiah, Jesus has come to cleanse, and even to rebuild the temple as a true house of prayer a spiritual house, built of living stones, and possessing a holy priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to fulfill the temple, and to bring joyful fellowship and intimate communion between God and man. As Jesus said in Matthew 12:6, I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. * Notice also the parallel between 1 Peter 2 and Isaiah 56 in terms of the explicit focus on the Gentiles! 4

5 IV. Matthew 21:15 17 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant, and they said to him, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise? And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. The chief priests and the scribes are the guardians of the temple service and worship. How dare Jesus presume to cleanse their temple! How dare Jesus allow these ignorant children to go on praising Him as though He really were the Son of David! They are filled with righteous anger: Do you hear what these [children] are saying? And Jesus responds by quoting from the Greek translation of Psalm chapter eight: Psalm 8:1 2 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established praise because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. God will silence the chief priests and the scribes. He will silence them through the ultimate triumph of the praises of these children in the temple of those who compared to the chief priests and scribes are no more than infants and nursing babies. Notice, too, that Jesus applies the praises of Psalm chapter eight, which are intended for God alone, to Himself. Certainly, the chief priests and the scribes would not have missed this. So even though Jesus was meek, in His meekness He was strong. Even though Jesus was humble, in His humility He was bold. Jesus is not backing down not in the slightest! Out with the buyers and the sellers! In with the blind and the lame! Out with the chief priests and the scribes! In with the infants and the nursing babies! Conclusion As Israel s Messiah, Jesus has come to cleanse and even to rebuild the temple as a true house of prayer, and He will accomplish this mission not by any military or political revolution, but by His own death. Today, as we come to Jesus, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, we ourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-5). In other words, this is all true because when Jesus cleansed the temple in Matthew twenty-one, it wasn t just a statement of protest, but a statement of fulfillment. And so this is truly God s temple cleansed and purified through Jesus blood; renewed and recreated through His resurrection! This is God s house of prayer where we can come and share joyful fellowship and intimate communion with our Creator. Because of Jesus, the spiritual sacrifices that we offer today of worship, and praise, and prayer, and supplication, and obedience, and commitment, and faith can all be truly acceptable in God s sight. And so every Lord s Day morning we could pray with words like these: Hebrew: Strength or as France would paraphrase: strength ascribed to God in a formula of praise. NRSV; HCSB; NIV; NKJV; NLT 5

6 To thy temple I repair; Lord, I love to worship there, When within the veil I meet Christ before the mercy seat. While thy glorious praise is sung, touch my lips, unloose my tongue, That my joyful soul may bless Thee, the Lord my Righteousness. While the prayers of saints ascend, God of love, to mine attend; Hear me, for thy Spirit pleads; Hear, for Jesus intercedes. While I hearken to thy law, Fill my soul with humble awe. Till thy gospel bring to me Life and immortality. While thy ministers proclaim Peace and pardon in thy Name, Through their voice, by faith, may I Hear thee speaking from the sky. From thy house when I return, May my heart within me burn, And at evening let me say, I have [communed] with God today. (James Montgomery; 1812) God s temple has already been cleansed, and purified, and renewed, and recreated. And yet the final consummation of this cleansing and renewal is still not yet. In Jesus day, and in the days of the prophets of old, the temple ritual [was] allowed to obscure the point of authentic communion with God (Hagner). We must still guard against the same thing. We must guard against the ritual and the routine of Church becoming a substitute for joyful fellowship and intimate communion with God. When Jesus said that the buyers and sellers were making the temple into a den of robbers, He was actually quoting from Jeremiah seven, which says: Jeremiah 7:4, 8-11 Do not trust in these deceptive words: This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD. Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered! only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. When the not yet comes, we don t want to be on the wrong side of the cleansing. So as a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood, let us always offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6