Matthew 21 records Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. As we have seen in reading through all four gospels, only Matthew records Jesus riding on two donkeys at once. The point is the same: the people recognized Jesus for who He was–the Messiah. But as we know, this acclamation wouldn’t continue. By Good Friday, the same crowds called for Jesus’ death. Next, Jesus cleansed the money changers out of the Temple, which was another major challenge to the religious leaders’ authority. The next morning Jesus cursed a fig tree for not having fruit. He used the moment to point out the importance of faith in our lives. After this, the religious leaders went on the offensive asking Jesus to tell them the source of His authority. He responded with a question for them: Where did John the Baptist get his authority–from God or people. The leaders knew they were trapped, because if they said from God, Jesus would ask why they didn’t listen to him, but if they said from people, the crowds would attack them, because the crowds believed he was a prophet. When they said, “We don’t know,” Jesus said He would not tell them where His authority originated either. After this, Jesus told a parable of a man with two sons. He asked both of them to do some work for him. One said, “No,” but later did go to work, while the other said, “Yes,” but then didn’t. Jesus asked which did the will of his father? They responded, “The one who did his father’s will.” Jesus told them in the same way the tax collectors and sinners would go to heaven before them, because of their response to Jesus. The chapter closes with Jesus telling a parable of a vineyard owner whose tenants abused and killed the servants he sent to collect his prophets at the time of harvest. Finally, the man sent his son, thinking they would respond to him, but they killed him, too. The message wasn’t lost on the religious leaders, so they decided it was time to get rid of Jesus.
Matthew 22 starts with Jesus telling the Parable of the Wedding Feast, in which all of the invited guests turn the Master down when told it is time to come. He then invites the poor, the lame, and any who will come. This again shows how the Kingdom of Heaven will be received by those the religious leaders would never have expected. This is followed by three “tests” set before Jesus by the religious leaders. The first was to ask Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. The leaders thought they had Jesus, because whether He said yes or no, they “had” Him. The problem is Jesus didn’t say yes or no. He had a coin brought to Him and asked whose inscription and picture were on it? When the leaders responded it was Caesar’s, Jesus told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s. Next, the Sadducees came with a question about the resurrection. Because we’ve all read it a number of times at this point, we know they didn’t believe in the resurrection, and their question involved a woman who had been married to seven brothers, and whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Jesus pointed out we are not married in heaven but are “like” the angels. He also pointed out that when God confronted Moses’ in the burning bush, He told Moses, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The present tense verb makes it clear the three patriarchs were alive and with God, thus verifying the resurrection of the dead. Finally, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in Moses’ Law? Jesus answered without hesitation: It is to love God with everything we have, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This shut up the leaders. Jesus ended this encounter by asking them whose son the Messiah is. He asked this because everyone knew the answer was supposed to be King David, yet David called the Messiah “Lord.” After this no one dared asked Jesus any more questions.
In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounced seven “woes” over the Pharisees. The word used in the original Greek, which is translated “Woe to you” is a strong word that could be translated “damn you”, so Jesus was moving toward His final conflict with the leaders, which would end in His arrest, condemnation, and crucifixion. The chapter ends with Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem. He knew the inevitably of this being the place of His crucifixion, even though it was the center and heart of Israel.
As we return to John 19, we read the record of Jesus’ being handed over for crucifixion by Pilate, even though Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. Then Jesus is crucified, and in John’s account Jesus ensured that John would care for His mother, Mary, after Jesus’ death. When the soldiers went around breaking the legs of those who had been crucified, they found Jesus was already dead, so they pierced His side with a spear, rather than breaking His legs. This is significant, because a prophecy in the Old Testament had said not one of His bones would be broken. Finally, Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, who was a Pharisee, but who had apparently believed Jesus was the Messiah. Nicodemus assisted Joseph as they buried Jesus and started the embalming process. As the chapter ends, it seems all hope is lost. But we know the rest of the story!