“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' (Zechariah 9:9) The prophet's message continues: "I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." (Zech 9:10)
"'I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim.' The kingdom of the ten tribes were expert in war, and in the use of the war chariot, as appears from Jehu’s driving furiously for the destruction of the house of Ahab. The Lord would also cut, 'off the horse,' or the cavalry from Jerusalem. etc. The conquests of the Messiah’s kingdom, which shall extend to the ends of the earth, shall not be effected by martial power nor by human might. The great conquerors have established their empires with fire and sword, and lost them again, after effeminacy of character, by a rëaction of the sword. But the spiritual temple, exalted above the hills, shall not be built with the might and power of arms, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. The king promised to Zion is therefore the Prince of peace. His servants, after the final wars of Gog and Magog, shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, to trim the vines." (Joseph Sutcliffe) After the endtime destruction, there will be everlasting peace.
Click link to the next study in my sequential chapter study through the Gospel of Matthew. https://www.mymorningmanna.com/post/matthew-22
Contrast between the religious and spiritual. "So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them." That is the nature of discipleship. "They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna (Save us) to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest! “Jesus is exuberantly acknowledged by the crowds as the ‘Son of David,’ a starkly Messianic address. [53— Consonant with Matthew’s quote of Zech 9:9, the address emphasizes the kingliness of the Messiah (‘Verseput, The Davidic Messiah and Matthews Jewish Christianity,’ 113-4).] If ‘hosanna’ retains any of its original force, [54—The Hebrew root behind hosanna is uvy which means deliver and has salvific overtones. See BDB 446-8. Broadus understands ‘hosanna’ as a cry for deliverance rather than a declaration of praise (Commentary on Matthew, 427).] then it would represent not only a declaration of praise but a cry for deliverance (often made to kings, cf. 2 Sam 14:4; 2 Kgs 6:26). Such overtones of deliverance recall the angel’s message to Joseph to name his son ‘Jesus’ (uvwhy) because he will save (uvy) his people from their sins (1:21). This type of deliverance language naturally bears a new exodus motif and hence involves Mosaic imagery (cf. ‘Exodus and Exile’ above).” (Mosaic Imagery in the Gospel of Matthew by Wayne S. Baxter)
"And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’ So the multitudes said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.’ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them: It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and 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 babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise' (Psalm 8:2)?" (1-16)
Paul taught the Hebrews: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the Word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward [that is, punishment], how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: 'What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.' (Psalm 8:4-6) For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we do not yet see all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' (Ps 22:22) And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.'(Ps 18:2) And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'" (Is 8:18) (Hebrews 2:1-13)
"Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you ever again.’ Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither away so soon?’ So Jesus answered and said to them: Assuredly, 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 also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (17-22) "The vineyard… is the land of Israel (Isa. 5:1–7; Jer. 12:10; Ps. 80:8–16), in which the vine and fig tree — both symbols of Israel and Judah — were planted…. [And Israel had already been removed from the remnant of Judah.] One week before His death, Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree to illustrate what was going to happen to the Jewish nation and the apostate church….Why did Jesus curse a fig tree? Surely the Lord was not so petty as to retaliate against a tree because it didn’t give Him breakfast! We need to examine this story closely, because it is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus is credited with being directly responsible for killing something. Fig trees are unique in that both mature leaves and ripe fruit appear at the same time. The tree Jesus cursed had all the outward signs of bearing fruit, yet the tree was a hypocrite. It was a fitting symbol of the Jewish nation. With its temple, priesthood, and sacrifices, Israel had all the trappings of true religion, but the genuine fruits — justice, mercy, and faith (Matt. 23:23) — were missing. Remember that withered fig leaves are a reminder of man’s failed attempts to cover his own sins. Notice the sequence: The same day Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree (Matthew 21), He later had a showdown with the phony Pharisees and exposed their hypocrisy.” (Behold The Figure by Doug Batchelor)
“Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’ But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John— where was it from? 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 multitude, for all count John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’ And He said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’ But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.’” (23-32) Those who said that they would go but never went will not enter in life.
"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed (apollymi) him.” (33-41) “Most often apollymi refers to actual death… [not a lessor quality as traditionalist suppose. Matthew] choose apollymi to say that:… a vineyard owner executes murderous tenants (Matt 21:41).” (Edward Fudge)
“Jesus was welcomed by huge crowds when He came to Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11), but the chief priests and elders confronted Him, demanding to know the authority by which He was operating (Matt. 21:23). At this time, Jesus began to speak in parables....Having told this story, Jesus asked a seemingly simple question, ‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?’ (Matt. 21:40). The reply of His listeners was not unexpected, ‘In vengeance he will put the scoundrels to death, and rent the vineyard to other tenants who will promptly pay him the rent’ (Matt. 21:41) With the stage set, Jesus painted a vivid picture of coming judgment: Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matt. 21:42)" (Rescue From Death by Robert Taylor )“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Yahweh is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see. This is the day Yahweh has made. Let’s rejoice and be glad today! We beg you, O Yahweh, save us! We beg you, O Yahweh, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh. We bless you from Yahweh’s house. Yahweh is El, and he has given us light. March in a festival procession with branches to the horns of the altar. You are my El, and I give thanks to you. My Elohim, I honor you highly. Give thanks to Yahweh because he is good, because his mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:22-29) Jesus is their Elohim. "But this [chief] stone, so rejected by the builders as unfit for raising the spiritual edifice, is become the head of the corner; has been made by God, the principal architect, the bond to connect the two walls and keep them together; that is to say, has been made the head of the whole church, composed of Jews and Gentiles." (Robert Bellarmine)
"Therefore"- because Judah rejects Me- "I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. (Matt. 21:42-44)…” This description can be multiplied. “To Break in Pieces, to Shivers—συνθλάω, συντρίβω, συγκλάω, Job 24:20; 34:24; Psa. 2:9; 72:4; 89:23-24; Isa. 8:15; Matt. 21:44; Luke 20:20; Rev. 2:27.” (Future Punishment: As Expressed In The New Testament by Edward White)
See also Daniel 2:44. “Jesus’ warning of the stone that grinds to powder brings to mind King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in the Book of Daniel….In his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar saw a dazzling sight: a human-like figure made of various metals. The gold, silver, bronze, and iron each represented a major Gentile kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire was the head of gold. Daniel lived to see Babylon conquered by the silver kingdom, Medo-Persia, in 539 BC (Daniel 5). In Daniel 8, Greece is prophetically named as the third kingdom (8:3-8, 20-21). This part of the dream was literally fulfilled when Alexander the Great defeated Persian King Darius at Issus in 333 BC and at Gaugamela in 331 BC.104 Rome succeeded Greece and ruled Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7).
Since the metals represent specific kingdoms, the presence of iron in both the legs and feet suggests connection. Clay in the feet, on the other hand, introduces distinction. Thus, the feet of iron and clay would represent an empire that is in some way connected with the historic Roman Empire (the one that ‘is’ in John’s day, Rev. 17:10) yet also distinct from it. It is at His Second Coming to establish His throne on the earth that Jesus will utterly destroy the kingdoms represented by the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.
John C. Whitcomb writes, It is significant that the smiting Stone crushes not only the feet and toes of iron and clay but also the entire image…. Just as the silver kingdom absorbed Neo-Babylonian religion and culture into itself (Cyrus even claimed that the gods of Babylon invited him to liberate their kingdom from Nabonidus and Belshazzar), so also Alexander the Great adapted Greek culture to Persian culture, which resulted in a new Hellenistic amalgam. And finally, Rome did not annihilate the religious, philosophic, and cultural aspects of the various Greek and Hellenistic kingdoms but incorporated them into the multifaceted empire called Rome.
At the second coming of Christ, however, there will be no absorbing, adapting, modifying, merging, or restructuring of previous kingdoms. There will be total destruction. Four hundred years before Daniel, the Holy Spirit uttered these words of the coming Messiah: I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘Thou art my Son…. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance…. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware’ (Ps. 2:7-9). Thus, every trace of gold (Babylonian), silver (Medo-Persian), and bronze (Hellenistic), as well as iron and clay (Roman) influence will be removed from the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ. In that great day, all idolatry will be smashed (Isa. 2:5-22), for ‘the kingdom of the world’ will ‘become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever’ (Rev. 11:15).105
Showers states, ‘Rome was to be succeeded by a fifth kingdom represented by the stone in the dream (vv. 44-45). This kingdom would be set up by the God of heaven, not by man. The characteristics of this Kingdom of God would be as follows: it would never be destroyed; no other kingdoms would ever succeed it; it would destroy and end all the Gentile kingdoms portrayed in the image of the dream; it would endure forever…. The stone struck the huge image on its feet, thereby causing the entire image to disintegrate…. After the stone had crushed the entire image, the wind blew away every remnant of it.” (Rescue from Death by Robert Taylor)
"'Therefore,'— said Jesus— 'I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.'
Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.” (45-46)
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