Matthew Jesus Makes Away to the House of God for All Nations

 

Matthew

Jesus Makes Away to the House of God for All Nations

 

Matthew on His way to Jerusalem concluded with two things

The first comes after the way to the temple was cleared

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them Matthew 21:14

Then

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. Matthew 21:15

The children shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David”

The children shouted, “Save Now”

Jesus quoted Psalms 8:2

"'From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise'?"

The crowd saw Jesus as their new King of Jerusalem and rallied Him into the city

The people of the city questioned who is this?  

The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

The chief priests and the teachers of the law were indigent

But the children shouted Praise

Jesus came humbly on a donkey, violently cleansed the temple court

And sat in the temple to heal the children of praise

And Jesus said, “My Father’s house is a house of prayer for ALL NATIONS

 

Jesus Makes Away to the House of God for All Nations

 

Matthew 21 started a dramatic shift

on Jesus’ ministry.

 

Up until this time,

 Jesus had told the disciples and people

He had healed, not to tell anyone.

 

Jesus had made preparations

to use a donkey to ride on.

 

This was a deliberate plan of Jesus that

took some time to get ready for.

 

Matthew has been very good at showing

how Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets

and again Matthew reminds us of Zechariah’s prophecy that…

 

Your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

 

Not only was it a young donkey,

 that had never been ridden before, there had been arranged…

 

 A crowed was gathered.

 

Jesus had been to Jerusalem before,

but this time was very different.

 

This was a planned public announcement.

 

Jesus was announcing He is the coming King.

 

The crowed was not there because Jesus

was healing the sick…

 

 They were not there because of His teaching.

 

The crowed was there to…

 

 Announce publicly

 Jesus is “The Son of David”.

 

The Kings who would “Save” His people.

 

After adorning the donkey and the path to Jerusalem

with their coats and tree branches, they shouted…

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Hosanna in the highest!"

 

If you have ever been part of a rally,

you get the picture.

 

You have a gathering place

a short distance from your destination

and everyone is pumped with excitement.

 

The short march gets the crowed fired up.

 

When you get to the location where you want

to be recognized…

 

 The crowed is electrified and bold.

 

You want everyone in the city

to know you have a message.

 

The crowed was announcing the King.

 

The crowed was not happy

with the way life had been.

 

They see Jesus as their savior to the world’s condition.

 

This political rally was Jesus’ shift

to take His message public.

 

The first thing Jesus did was go

to the temple in an act to reclaim it.

 

The stories of the sellers in the temple court

tell us they were selling animals at marked up prices.

 

So we get the idea that Jesus was upset about price gouging.

 

But note Matthew tells us…

 

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out

all who were buying and selling there.

 Matthew 21:12

 

Both buyers and sellers were driven out.

 

We had seen Jesus do this

at the beginning of His ministry.

 John 2:13 ff

 

There was a lot to look at concerning sacrifices

in the Old Testament but…

 

 For now remember,

 both times Jesus cleansed the temple

was at Passover.

 

Passover came from the instruction God

gave the Children of Israel.

They were slaves in Egypt.

 

 God sent nine plagues on Egypt.

 

But Pharaoh did not set the people free.

 

So, God sent a tenth plague…

 

 A plague of death upon every first-born son

who was not covered by the sacrificed lamb’s

blood on the door post.

 

This was a picture of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb,

 to deliver us from slavery and death.

 

Also note…

    

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but my ears you have pierced;

burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not require.

 Psalms 40:6

 

First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made… And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 Hebrews 10:8-10

 

The spiritual meaning of Jesus driving out

the buyers and sellers of animals for sacrifice is…

 

God wants a clear path to God

which is made by the one

and only sacrifice, the Lamb of God.

 

Jesus came into the temple removing all sacrifices

because He is the one and only sacrifice

who can save us from slavery and death.

 

We need to take a look at Jesus’ words…

 

"'My house will be called a house of prayer,'

but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

Matthew 21:13

 

When Mark tells this story in Mark 11:17, he quotes…

 

for my house will be called

a house of prayer for all nations."

Isaiah 56:7

 

The temple of the Lord is for all nations to come and pray.

 

No one should be hindered from coming to God.

 

Jesus put the buyers and sellers in the same category.

 

 Both were to be removed from the Temple court.

 

I wonder how much of our lives are caught up

in buying and selling in such a way

we can’t get past the outer court of the temple.

 

Our work, our desire for money…

 

 Does it keep us and others away from the presences of God?

 

Matthew concludes with two things…

 

The first comes after the way to the temple was cleared.

 

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple,

and he healed them.

Matthew 21:14

Then…

 

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law

saw the wonderful things he did

and the children shouting in the temple area,

"Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

Matthew 21:15

 

The children shouted,

 “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

The children were shouting, “Save Now”.

 

Jesus quoted Psalms 8:2…

 

"'From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise'?"

 

The crowd saw Jesus as their new King of Jerusalem

and rallied Him into the city.

 

The people of the city questioned who is this?

  

The crowds answered,

 "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

The chief priests and the teachers

of the law were indigent.

 

But the children shouted Praise.

 

Jesus came humbly on a donkey,

violently cleansed the temple court

and sat in the temple to heal the children of praise.

 

And Jesus said…

 “My Father’s house is a house of prayer for ALL NATIONS”

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 21:1-17 NIV

 

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

 

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

 

5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion,

'See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" 

 

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

 

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

 

"Hosanna in the highest!"

 

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

 

11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

 

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

 

16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.

 

"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,

 

"'From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise'?"

 

17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.