Mattityahu (Matthew) Chapter 21

Mattityahu (Matthew) Chapter 21 opens with Yeshua (Jesus) triumphantly entering Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) on a donkey and colt, procured by His talmidim (disciples), in order to fulfill the words of the prophet Z'kharyah (Zechariah), as crowds of people praised Him and carpeted the road with their clothes and branches cut from trees. Then Yeshua entered the Temple grounds and drove out the corrupt merchants and their customers, overturning the desks of the money-changers and the benches of those selling pigeons, rebuking them for turning His Father's house of prayer into a denof robbers. The head cohanim and scribes heard what the people were saying, calling Him "Son if David," meaning they called him the Messiah, and were furious, asking Him if He heard what the people were saying. However, he quoted Psalm 8:3 to them, which was to confirm that He was who the people claimed He was, and then left them. The next day He came upon a fig tree because He was hungry, but seeing that it was bare of fruit, He cursed it to be forever unfruitful, and it withered, which amazed His talmidim, and Yeshua told them that if they too trusted and didn't doubt not only could they do this, but also command mountains to move into the sea, saying they will recieve everything they ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, as long as they have trust. Then as He was teaching at the Temple, the cohanim asked by what s'mikhah (laying on of hands, symbolic of transferred authority in Jewish tradition, they are asking who gave Him this authority) do you do this. He then makes them a deal, He will answer their question if they answer His: where did the immersion of Yochanan (John) come from, God or man? They answer "we don't know" to avoid offending them people, who considered Yochanan a prophet, and to avoid admitting that they hadn't believed Yochanan, even though he was sent by God. Likewise Yeshua did not answer their question. He then tells an parable of two sons, one who, at first, did not heed his father, but later did what he was asked, and one who lied to his father, saying that he would heed him, but then did not do what was asked of him, He asked them which son did what was asked? When they answered, "the first," He told them that this was why tax-collectors and prostitutes would enter the Kingdom of Heaven before them, because they trusted Yochanan when they did not. He then told another parable about a farmer who planted a vineyard, who rented it to tenants and left, at the harvest he sent servants to collect his share of the crop, but the tenants beat and killed his servants each time he sent them, and when he sent his son, thinking they would respect him, but they killed him as well to seize his inheritance. Yeshua asked them what the owner would do to them, not realizing they were the tenants in the parable, the cohanim answered that the owner would viciously destroy the tenants and replace them with trustworthy tenants who would give the owner his share of the crop. Then Yeshua quoted Psalm 118:22-23 to them, and revealed that the Kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to people who would bear fruit. Instead of learning anything the cohanim left, realized that Yeshua had been speaking of them, and sought to arrest Him, but did not do so for fear of the crowds, who saw Him as a prophet. #truth #bible #newtestament #gospelofmatthew #yeshuahamashiach #trust #parables #godonadonkey #enteringyerushalayim #flippingtables #chastisingcohanim