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Verse 1:"And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples." "Drew near to Jerusalem." This is the place where God's prophets were killed. Bethphage means "the household of the unripe figs." Jerusalem was originally the place of the kings. However, when the Lord came, He was rejected. This was because the figs were still unripe.
Verse 2:"Saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and lead them to Me." In the other Gospels only a colt was mentioned. In the Gospel of Matthew there are a donkey and a colt because this has typological significance. A colt was unclean. Only after it was ridden did it become clean.
Verse 3:"And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them; and immediately he will send them." "The Lord has need of them." Here "the Lord" is Jehovah. Therefore, the Lord Jesus made use of them in the capacity of the Creator. All things belong to the Creator. Bible expositors all say that the donkey signifies the Gentiles and the colt signifies the Israelites. Actually, the colt signifies the Gentiles and the donkey signifies the Israelites. The Lord gained the power through the Gentiles, but the Jews followed. It is most difficult to ride on a colt; even a donkey expert cannot do it. Every saved person was once a colt. After we were saved, the Lord rode on us as a colt. A horse signifies war; a donkey signifies peace. This time the Lord came as the Prince of Peace. When He comes the second time, He will ride on a white horse (Rev. 19:11).
Verse 4:"Now this took place in order that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying..." This verse fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet in Zechariah 9:9.
Verse 5:"Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, a foal of a beast of burden." In the prophet's prophecy there were such words as "righteous" and "salvation." In the Gospel of Matthew, the quotations from the Old Testament regarding salvation and righteousness refer to the kingdom. Thus, what the Lord indicated here was that although He was rejected, He was the King.
Verses 6-8:"And the disciples went and did as Jesus directed them, and led the donkey and the colt. And they put their garments on them, and He sat upon them. And most of the crowd spread their own garments in the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them in the road." The healing of the blind previously was the prelude because in that incident the Lord was called "the Son of David." Here, the people also called Him "the Son of David." Many Bible scholars say that this was the Lord's last offering of Himself to the Jews. But this cannot be right, because the Jews had already been rejected in chapter thirteen. Otherwise, why did the Lord dwell in Bethany? It was because Jerusalem had already become a forsaken place.
Verse 9:"And the crowds who went before Him and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" "Hosanna" is a cry for help. (It indirectly means to praise.) It means that this One has the power and is worthy of our praise.
Verses 10-11:"And when He entered into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the crowds said, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." It was a pity that on the way they addressed Him as "the Son of David," and yet here they identified Him as "the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." Not too long after that they crucified Him on the cross. "All the city was stirred." This is parallel to the situation in chapter two. The situation on the way was good, but once He entered the city, things became different.
Verses 12-13:"And Jesus entered into the temple and cast out all those who were selling and buying in the temple. And He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling the doves, and He said to them, It is written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers." This was the Lord's purifying of the temple the second time. At the beginning of His ministry, He purified it the first time (John 2:13-17). Here it was the conclusion of His ministry, and there was the need for another purification. The first time it was "My Father's house," and He was purifying it in His qualification as the Son of God. Here it was "My house," and He was purifying it in His qualification as the Son of David and as the King. For the Lord to become a king, He must have the pure worship. "Money changers...selling the doves." To exchange money and to sell sacrificial animals surely provided convenience for those worshipping God. However, the Lord viewed these things as being unclean. In the matter of worship, the Lord has no need of an intermediary or a go-between. These things advertise themselves as providing convenience for men; actually they are there merely for monetary gain. Apparently it was for the convenience of the temple, but in reality it was in the nature of merchandizing. "A den of robbers." This does not refer to stealing. To open a shop on a big street is to do business. To open a store on a straight street also is to do business. But to open a stand in the temple is robbery. To be a teacher in a school is to do business; but to be a pastor in a church is to be a robber. A robber steals while people are not paying attention. The robbers in the church also work while people are not paying attention, the only difference is that people are thankful for their work. The Lord shows us that the temple must be pure.
Verse 14:"And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them." First He purified, which is to maintain the moral standard; then He healed, which is the outflow of grace. Here the sick ones are not sick with leprosy, but are sick with blindness and lameness. The Lord healed the eyesight and the strength. This means to make people understand His purpose and do His will.
Verses 15-16:"But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that He did and the children who were crying out in the temple and saying, 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 sucklings You have perfected praise'?" The previous praises were heartless praises; the praising ones were only following the crowd. This is why only a few little children remained here. When the chief priests and others saw the wonderful things that He did, they were very displeased. Apparently, they were jealous. The reason they could not praise Him was that they were not little children.
Verse 17:"And leaving them, He went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there." "To Bethany." During the last seven days, the Lord always went to Bethany and stayed in the house of Mary. There was no need for the Lord to notify the hostess concerning when He would go there. Today the demand on us should be the same. If He cannot find a dwelling place in Jerusalem, He could dwell in Bethany. In Bethany there was a household with life, love, and service. Bethany denotes a house of grace, love, and singing.
Verse 18:"Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He became hungry." "Returned to the city." The Lord returned from Bethany to Jerusalem. "Hungry." This means that there was one thing He had not gained and that He was not satisfied. The fig tree signifies the Jews (just as plum blossoms are the national flower of China). Grapes, figs, and olives all refer to Israel.
Verse 19:"And seeing a fig tree on the way, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, May there no longer be fruit from you forever! And the fig tree was instantly dried up." The Gospel of Mark mentions that "it was not the season for figs" (Mark 11:13). This seems to imply that the Lord should not have cursed the fig tree. Christ said that the Jews had two harvests of figs: while the leaves were flourishing, the first-ripe figs were on the tree, after which there would be the harvest of ripe figs. This was why the Lord came to the fig tree to look for figs; otherwise, He would not have come to look for them. The time spoken of in the Gospel of Mark in relation to this event was during the big harvest. The Lord cursed the fig tree because its leaves were flourishing, and the outward appearance was quite good, yet in reality it was empty and deceiving. Leaves here refer to man's righteousness; leaves were used to cover the nakedness of Adam (Gen. 3:7). The fruit refers to that which truly satisfies God. "On the way." The meaning here is the same as that in chapter thirteen. It signifies being near to Satan. However, the tree will still revive and blossom in the future, but it will not be that particular tree.
Verses 20-21:"And when the disciples saw this, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree instantly dry up? And Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen." All these things are done by faith. Once the Lord speaks, we should believe in His word. What we believe in are God's promises and His words. The sea signifies the Gentiles, whereas the mountain signifies the Israelites. To remove the mountain into the sea signifies the scattering of the Jews among the Gentiles until they disappear. The principle here is that sometimes our prayers ought to be directed at the mountain. The mountain, in teaching, signifies obstacles, a kind of fixed difficulty (flatness signifies ease). If we have sufficient faith and urgency in our prayers, we should speak directly to the difficulties. In healing the sick and in casting out demons, we not only should ask God, but when we have faith, we should rebuke the sickness and the demons also.
Verse 22:"And all that you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive." This is the greatest promise. We only need to believe.
Verse 23:"And when He came into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority?" The chief priests and the elders saw the wonders of His works, and they presented these two questions. These two questions are actually one question. If one is answered, the other is answered also.
Verses 24-27:"And Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come, 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 crowd, for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus and said, We do not know. He too said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things." "I also will ask." Believers can learn from the Lord here. When people ask you unwarranted questions, you can ask them something back. The Lord did not answer because He had already given them too much light and revelation. Too much light can only blind the eyes. The Lord's question was quite meaningful. John was the forerunner of the Lord. They had once asked John if he was the Christ. John had testified that he was not. Hence, if they would first answer the question concerning John, their other question would be solved by itself. They were most cunning. They did not believe, yet they were unwilling to speak up. They said: "We do not know." This was a lie. Actually, they could not say that they knew. If they said it, they would lose their face. "Neither do I tell you." It is a question of authority; the Lord did not say that He did not know or that He could not answer. He is omnipotent and omniscient, and He could never lie. The principle here is to either ask a question in return or not answer at all.
Verses 28-30:"But what do you think? A man had two children. And he came to his first son and said, Child, go today and work in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I do not want to; yet later he regretted and went. And he came to the other and said likewise. And he answered and said, I will, sir; yet he did not go." This parable points out the positions of the Pharisees, scribes, elders, chief priests, etc. The two children both refer to the Israelites, because according to the flesh, they were the chosen ones. (In this age only the saved ones are brothers; in John 8 the Jews were considered the sons of the devil. "The first son" refers to the publicans and the harlots, the sinners who have obeyed and repented. "The other" refers to the Pharisees and those like them; they were sons only in name. They prayed on the street and decorated their garments with the Scriptures, but they did not keep the important parts of the law. Here the Lord asked them to draw their own conclusion. In dealing with sinners, we should do the same; we should ask them to draw their own conclusion. Here they could not draw the conclusion.
Verses 31-32:"Which of the two did the will of the father? They said, The first. Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the harlots are going into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him. And you, when you saw it, did not later regret it to believe him." "The way of righteousness" here means the way of peace. Although John encouraged them once, and the faith of the tax collectors and harlots encouraged them once again, they still would not believe. "The kingdom of God." Why not say "the kingdom of the heavens"? If "the kingdom of the heavens" had been used, the real significance would be lost here. The kingdom of God mentioned here refers to the spiritual reality. Without regeneration one cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). "Before you." This is a Greek expression; it does not mean that the Pharisees would eventually enter the kingdom of God after the tax collectors. Rather, it means that the tax collectors would enter while these Pharisees would not.
Verses 33-40:"Hear another parable. There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard and put a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower; and he leased it out to vinedressers and went abroad. And when the time to harvest the fruit drew near, he sent his slaves to the vinedressers to get his fruit. And the vinedressers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent some other slaves, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then later he sent to them his son, saying, They will respect my son. But the vinedressers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take possession of his inheritance. And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore when the master of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" This parable is concerning "a man, a householder." Hence, it cannot be interpreted on the human level, because (1) God never goes away to a foreign country, and (2) God foreknew that the Jews would kill the Lord. The householder refers to God. The vineyard signifies the realm of Israel. The hedge signifies protection (Job 1:10). "Winepress." Wine refers to that which makes man happy. The tower is a watchtower, by which one acquires knowledge. "Leased it out." It is not for sale, and it is absolutely not given away. To lease it out means that God has the ownership and that He asked the Jews only to manage it for Him. If interpreted on the human level, the fact that He "went abroad" is unexplainable. "And when the time to harvest the fruit drew near." This shows the earnestness of God's desire. Before the Lord came, God already had such a desire. The "slaves" signify the prophets who came before the Lord, who were all persecuted and even killed. "His son" refers to the Lord Jesus. "They will respect my son." This was spoken according to human logic. As far as God is concerned, the Lord did not stumble into death at the hands of fate; instead, He came purposely to die, to humble Himself, and to take the form of a slave. "This is the heir." Again this is true only as far as the human aspect of the parable is concerned, because the scribes and the Pharisees basically denied Him as the heir. The vinedressers signify the Pharisees, the scribes, the chief priests, etc.
Verse 41:"They said to Him, He will miserably destroy those evil men and will lease the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give the fruit to him in their seasons." They drew this conclusion by themselves. This was fulfilled at the time Titus destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. However, only a part was fulfilled; the major part will be fulfilled during the great tribulation. They said, "His blood be upon us [A.D. 70] and upon our children [the great tribulation]!" (Matt. 27:25). The "other vinedressers" (v. 41) are the Jews in the kingdom and not the Jews at the present time.
Verse 42:"Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, `The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner. This was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" "The builders" signify the scribes, the Pharisees, and the chief priests. "The stone...the head of the corner" signifies the Lord Jesus (see Psa. 118:22-23; Acts 4:11). "Marvelous." The Jews, who have a blood relationship with the Lord, do not believe, yet we, the Gentiles, believe. The cornerstone also refers to resurrection. "Have you never read?" They could ask themselves.
Verse 43:"Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing its fruit." The kingdom of God here refers to the spiritual reality. One can take away only another's spiritual experience.
Verse 44:"And he who falls on this stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it shall crush him to powder and scatter him like chaff." To the Jews the Lord was the rock of stumbling. The Jews were stumbled because the Lord was not splendorous and did not have a kingly demeanor (see Isa. 8:14-15; Rom. 9:32-33; 1 Cor. 1:23; 1 Pet. 2:8). To the church the Lord is the rock and the cornerstone (1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). To the Gentiles the Lord is the smiting stone (Dan. 2:34). The first part of verse 44 refers to the Jews, and the second part refers to the Gentiles. Concerning the Gentiles they must wait for the coming of the kingdom (Dan. 2:44). Today the Jews say that He is the carpenter's son, a deceiver, and they are stumbled.
Verses 45-46:"And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking concerning them. And though they sought to seize Him, they feared the crowds because they held Him as a prophet." Unbelievers are fearful of everything. Christians are bold; they are not afraid of being despised and ridiculed. Fearful people dare not believe in the Lord; they reap for themselves eternal perdition.
