Chapter Text
The Triumphal Entry
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon .
8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12And 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,
13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
16And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
17And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
The Fig Tree Withers
18Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
19And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon , but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
21Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
27And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
33Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
Summary
Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. The crowds spread garments and branches on the road, crying Hosanna to the Son of David. He enters the temple and drives out the money changers and merchants, declaring that His house shall be called a house of prayer.
The chief priests and scribes are indignant at the children crying Hosanna in the temple. Jesus curses a barren fig tree, which withers immediately. He teaches about the power of faith in prayer and confronts the chief priests with parables challenging their authority.
Meaning
The triumphal entry presents Jesus as the promised King, but His choice of a humble donkey rather than a war horse reveals the nature of His kingdom. He comes not to conquer by force but in meekness and peace.
The cleansing of the temple demonstrates that Jesus claims authority over the very center of Israel's worship. The cursing of the fig tree is a prophetic act, symbolizing the judgment coming upon a nation that bore the leaves of religious observance but not the fruit of genuine faith and repentance.
Background
The prophecy fulfilled in the triumphal entry comes from Zechariah 9:9. Hosanna means save now and was a messianic acclamation drawn from Psalm 118. The event occurred during the week before Passover when Jerusalem's population swelled dramatically with pilgrims.
The temple courts had become a marketplace where money changers exchanged foreign currency for temple coinage and merchants sold animals for sacrifice, often at inflated prices.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-11The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
- vv. 12-17Cleansing of the Temple
- vv. 18-22The Withered Fig Tree and Faith
- vv. 23-27Jesus' Authority Questioned
- vv. 28-32Parable of the Two Sons
- vv. 33-46Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
Key Verses
“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”— 21:9
The Triumphal Entry acclamation, drawn from Psalm 118, publicly hails Jesus as the Davidic Messiah and is echoed in Christian liturgy through the Sanctus.
“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.”— 21:13
Jesus' cleansing pronouncement fuses Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, asserting messianic authority over the temple and condemning its corruption.
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”— 21:22
A foundational promise on believing prayer, frequently cited in teaching on faith and intercession.
“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?”— 21:42
Quoting Psalm 118:22, Jesus identifies himself as the rejected cornerstone — a text the apostles later make central to Christology (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7).
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The Messiah, who enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, and confronts the religious leaders.
- The disciples — Two are sent to fetch the colt; they witness the withered fig tree and Jesus' teaching.
- The multitudes — Pilgrims and city crowds who hail Jesus with Hosannas and regard him as a prophet.
- Chief priests and scribes — Temple authorities offended by Jesus' actions and the children's praise.
- Children in the temple — Young worshippers crying 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' whose praise Jesus defends from Psalm 8.
- Chief priests and elders — Leaders who challenge Jesus' authority and become the target of his parables.
- John the Baptist — Referenced as a prophet whose baptism came from heaven, vindicating Jesus' authority.
- Pharisees — Religious leaders who recognize themselves in the parable of the wicked husbandmen.
Places
- Jerusalem — The holy city and site of the temple, which Jesus enters in messianic procession.
- Bethphage — A village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives where Jesus prepares his entry.
- Mount of Olives — The ridge east of Jerusalem associated with messianic expectation (Zechariah 14:4).
- Temple of God — The Jerusalem sanctuary Jesus cleanses, declaring it a house of prayer.
- Bethany — A village near Jerusalem where Jesus lodges, home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Matthew explicitly anchors the Triumphal Entry in Zechariah 9:9, citing the prophecy of Zion's king coming meek and mounted on a colt (vv. 4-5), and the crowd's Hosanna draws on Psalm 118:25-26. In cleansing the temple Jesus invokes Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 (v. 13), and his cornerstone saying quotes Psalm 118:22 (v. 42), foreshadowing his rejection and vindication. The parable of the wicked husbandmen (vv. 33-41) prophetically anticipates his own death at the hands of Israel's leaders and the extension of the kingdom to a fruit-bearing people.
Devotional
Matthew 21 confronts us with a King who is both meek and uncompromising. He rides humbly into Jerusalem, yet overturns tables where worship has been hollowed into commerce. The withered fig tree warns that leafy religion without fruit cannot stand before him.
The two-sons parable presses a quiet question: do our words match our walk? It is not the polished promise but the repentant obedience that pleases the Father. Wherever we have said 'I go, sir' and not gone, today is an invitation to turn — and to bear the fruit the Lord of the vineyard is coming to find.
Literary Style
Gospel narrative interwoven with prophetic citation, prophetic sign-act (the fig tree and temple cleansing), controversy dialogue, and two parables of judgment. Matthew layers Old Testament quotation (Zechariah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah) to frame Jesus' actions as messianic fulfillment.