Matthew 21 is the twenty-first
chapter in the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
in the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
section of the Christian
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. Jesus
triumphally or majestically arrives in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
and commences his final
ministry before his
Passion.
Structure
The narrative can be divided into the following subsections:
*
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:1–11)
*
Cleansing of the Temple (21:12–17)
*
Cursing the fig tree (21:18–22)
*
Authority of Jesus questioned (21:23–27)
*
Parable of the Two Sons (21:28–32)
*
Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (21:33–46)
Text
The original text was written in
Koine Greek
Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
.
This chapter is divided into 46 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early
manuscripts
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...
containing the text of this chapter are:
*
Papyrus 104 (AD ~250; extant verses 34–37, 43, 45)
*
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...
(325–350)
*
Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...
(330–360)
*
Codex Bezae
The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis is a bi-lingual Greek and Latin manuscript of the New Testament written in an uncial hand on parchment. It is designated by the siglum D or 05 in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts, and � ...
( 400)
*
Codex Washingtonianus
Codex Washingtonianus, Codex Washingtonensis, Codex Freerianus, also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Gospels'', ''The Freer Gospel'' and ''The Freer Codex'', is a Greek uncial manuscript of the four Gospels, written on parchment. It is de ...
( 400)
*
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, written on parchment. It is designated by the siglum C or 04 in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New ...
( 450)
*
Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century)
*
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus
The Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus ("Tyrian purple, Purple Codex of Saint Petersburg"), designated by N or 022 (in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), ε19 (in the Biblical manuscript#Von ...
(6th century; extant verses 7–34)
*
Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant verses 1–18)
*
Uncial 087 (6th century; extant verses 19–24)
Old Testament references
*Verse 5:
Isaiah 62:11,
Zechariah 9:9
*
Verse 13:
Isaiah 56:7;
Jeremiah 7:11
*Verse 16:
Psalm
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of H ...
New Testament parallels
*
Matthew 21:13:
Mark 11:17;
Luke 19:46
Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (21:1–11)
The narrative takes some topics from previous chapters:
*the fulfillment of prophecies (cf. 1:22–3, etc.)
*Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (cf. 16:21; 20:17)
*his 'meekness' (cf. 11:29)
*his status as 'king' (cf. 2:1–12)
*'Son of David' (cf. 1:1—18)
*'the coming one' (cf. 3:11; 11:3), and
*'prophet' (cf. 13:57)
The "great multitude" (verse 8) had followed Jesus through the neighbouring city of
Jericho
Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017.
F ...
in the
previous chapter.
The initial part of the narrative also offers two "firsts":
*(1) Jesus' (indirect) 'public claim to messianic kingship', and
*(2) the crowds' 'recognition of that kingship' (contrast 16:13–14).
These two "firsts" challenge the people of Jerusalem to make a decision about "who is this Jesus" (cf. verse 10).
Verse 2
:''"Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me."''
Commentator
Dale Allison is reminded of the finding of
donkey
The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...
s for
King Saul
Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late elevent ...
recorded in .
Verse 3
:''"If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'the Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately”''.
For Arthur Carr, this account "leads to the inference that the owner of the ass was an adherent of Jesus, who had perhaps not yet declared himself". To
William Robertson Nicoll
Sir William Robertson Nicoll (10 October 18514 May 1923) was a Scottish Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900), Free Church minister (religion), minister, journalist, editor in chief, editor, and man of letters.
Biography
Nicoll was born in Lums ...
, "it was to be expected that the act would be challenged".
[Nicoll, W. R.]
The Expositor's Greek Testament: Matthew 21
accessed 12 March 2021 For
Henry Alford, it is the Jehovah who needs them, for the service of God; for Nicoll, it is Jesus who is the Lord or master who needs them, using the term Ὁ κύριος, ''ho kurios'', in the same manner as where it refers to Jesus in : "Save us, Lord; we are perishing."
Verse 4
:''This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:''
Some versions read "All this took place ...", but the word ὅλον (''holon'', "all") does not appear in a number of early texts.
[Meyer, H. A. W.]
Meyer's NT Commentary
on Matthew 21, accessed on 5 October 2019
Verse 8
:''A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.''
For accuracy, some commentators note that (''ho de pleistos ochlos'') is best read as "most of the people", or "the greatest part of the multitude":
thus the
Revised Version
The Revised Version (RV) or English Revised Version (ERV) of the Bible is a late-19th-century British revision of the King James Version. It was the first (and remains the only) officially authorised and recognised revision of the King James Vers ...
reads:
:''And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way.''
Nicoll suggests perhaps this minority had no upper garments, or did not care to use them in that way.
Old Testament kings were honored by the spreading of garments in their way, "that their feet might not touch the dusty ground".
Verse 11
:''And the crowds said,''
::''This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.''
Cleansing of the Temple (21:12–17)
Verse 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,''
"Money changers": are certain people who sat in the
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
at certain times, to receive the "half shekel", and sometimes change the money for it to themselves. It was a custom for every Israelite, once a year, to pay half a shekel towards the temple charge and service, based on the orders given by God to Moses in the wilderness during the numbering of the Israelites, to take half a shekel out of everyone twenty years of age and older, rich or poor (), though this does not seem to be designed as a perpetual rule. However, it became a fixed rule, and was annually paid. Every year a public notice was given in all the cities in Israel, that the time of paying the half shekel was nearing, so the people will be ready with their money, for everyone was obliged to pay it, as stated,
[Maimonides. Hilch. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 1. 7. Quote: ''"it is an affirmative command of the law, that every man in Israel should pay the half shekel every year; even though a poor man that is maintained by alms, he is obliged to it, and must beg it of others, or sell his coat upon his back and pay it, as it is said, . The rich shall not give more, etc.--All are bound to give it, priests, Levites, and Israelites, and strangers, and servants, that are made free; but not women, nor servants, nor children."''] Notice being thus given,
[Misn. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 3.] ''"on the fifteenth day (of the same month), "tables" were placed in the province, or city (which Bartenora
[ interprets sJerusalem; but Maimonides says,][ the word used is the name of all the cities in the land of Israel, excepting Jerusalem), and on the twenty fifth they sit "in the sanctuary".'' The same is related by Maimonides. This gives a plain account of these money changers, their tables, and their sitting in the temple, and on what account. These exchangers had a profit, called "Kolbon", in every shekel they changed. This "Kolbon" gives the name "Collybistae" for these exchangers in this text. The large gain must amount to a great deal of money. They seemed to work within the frame of law when Christ overturned their table, unless it should be objected, that this was not the time of their sitting, because that happened a few days before the ]Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt.
According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
, which was in the month Nisan (the tenth of Nisan, when Christ entered the temple), whereas the half shekel should be paid in the month Adar
Adar (Hebrew: , ; from Akkadian ''adaru'') is the sixth month of the civil year and the twelfth month of the religious year on the Hebrew calendar, roughly corresponding to the month of March in the Gregorian calendar. It is a month of 29 days. ...
until the twenty fifth of Adar. Moreover, these men had other business, such as money exchange, especially at such a time as the passover, when persons came from different parts of world to attend it; and might want to exchange their foreign money for current money.[ John Gill. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Exposition of the Old and New Testament. Published in 1746–1763.]
Verse 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.''
Citing from Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11
Cross reference: Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
Authority of Jesus questioned (21:23–27)
Verses 24–27
:''Jesus ... said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: the baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’, we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet”. So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”''
Allison notes that "this section is less about Jesus ... or the Baptist">ohnthe Baptist than it is about the chief priests and elders, characterising these as (a) less spiritually aware and perceptive than the multitudes over whom they preside, and (b) moral coward
Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
s driven by expediency.
Parable of two sons (21:28–32)
Occurring only in Matthew, this parable refers to two sons. Their father asked both of them to work in his vineyard. One of the sons said that he wouldn't do it, but he later changed his mind and did the work anyway. The other son said he would do it, but he didn't go.
Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (21:33–46)
Verse 43
:''Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.''
Protestant biblical commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that "Jesus is not here referring to the ''Gentiles
''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites, groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsider ...
'', as, since Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...
' time, many ... have supposed, but, as the use of the singular already plainly indicates, to the whole of the future subjects of the kingdom of the Messiah, conceived of as one people, which will therefore consist of Jews and Gentiles, henew Messianic people of God", the "holy nation" addressed as such in . The phrase "the fruits of it" means "the fruits of the kingdom".
Verses 45–46
:''45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.''
Chapter 22 opens with the words, "And Jesus answered and spoke to them again ...", suggesting that Matthew's account of the Parable of the Wedding Feast is a response to the "stirrings in the minds" of those who listened to Jesus.[ Plumptre, E. H. (1905)]
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
on Matthew 22, accessed on 22 August 2024
See also
* Bethany
Bethany (,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac language, Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā''), locally called in Palestinian Arabic, Arabic Al-Eizariya or al-Aizariya (, "Arabic nouns and adjectives#Nisba, lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
of Lazarus (name), L ...
and Bethphage on Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet (; ; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem, east of and adjacent to Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive, olive ...
* Fig tree
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
* Parables of Jesus
The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the word ...
* Other related Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
parts: Psalm 8, Isaiah 5, Isaiah 56
Isaiah 56 is the fifty-sixth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets.Theodore ...
, Jeremiah 7, Zechariah 9, Mark 11, Mark 12, Luke 19, Luke 20, John 2, John 12
John 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It narrates an anointing of Jesus' feet, attributed to Mary of Bethany, as well as an account of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem ...
References
Sources
*
External links
* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)
{{Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew chapters