
This week Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Michael Barber, professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School, continue their study of the Gospel of Matthew by diving into 21:1-22.
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A
Welcome to form. Now, I'm Tim Gray, president of the Augusta Institute, and joining me is my good friend Michael. And Dr. Barber and I are going to talk and continue our Bible study on the Gospel of Matthew. But you might see that our settings are a little bit different. We've gotten a new studio here that our crew all pitched in and helped build our amazing studios crew. And we're so excited to have this new studio. And so now we've moved our Bible study into this new format, which is really exciting, isn't it, Michael?
B
Yeah, this is great because I get to plug in my computer here. Which camera am I supposed to look at? I'm not. Oh, that one. Okay. Yeah, I get to plug in my computer here and use a lot of audio. I mean, a lot of visual aids. So I'm excited about this. This is how I teach class.
A
So it's great. It's great having a table, too. That's what I like.
B
It is nice having a table.
A
We're super excited. And I want to just give a shout out to all of our members of the mission circle who your support that's allowing us to expand and improve our equipment and our facilities and reach more and more souls for Christ. So I know a lot of you wrote in and asked, hey, are you going to continue that Matthew Bible study? You know, you're at chapter 21. Don't stop now. So we had to take a little pause. We had a lot of things going on, and with the shift into the new studio, we wanted to wait till we had this all built out. So now we're ready to go and we're excited to be back into the Gospel of Matthew. So if you have your Bibles, open up to Matthew chapter 21 and join us. As now we've made Jesus journey to Jerusalem and. And now we're going to have his royal triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
B
Michael. That's right. So we read about this in chapter 21 and we'll just pick up now. When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go into the village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say what The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you meek and mounted on a donkey, on a Colt on the foal of a beast of burden. Now that's from Zechariah, chapter nine. And it's a really important prophecy. We see. Matthew explains that what is taking place in this scene was ultimately prophesied by this.
A
In other words, this isn't just any ride.
B
That's right.
A
This is not, you know, Jesus just picking up his Uber to get into Jerusalem. He has this donkey that he's going to ride, but that's fulfilling the prophecies of Zechariah. So it's an important event, and it's signaling that this event is Messianic. Why don't you talk about that Messianic nature, Michael?
B
Sure. So the Messiah is, of course, the figure that Jews, many Jews in Jesus day were looking forward to. They were anticipating the Messiah's arrival. This is the figure who would bring Israel's redemption and ultimately usher in the kingdom of God. And the most prominent version of Messianic hopes was that it would be a descendant of David, a future Davidic king, a king from the line of David. And this passage from Zechariah 9 is Davidic in shape because it reminds us of another person in the Old Testament, Solomon.
A
Solomon, who when he gets crowned king in 1 Kings chapter 1, what we see is that he rides a donkey into Jerusalem, right, for his coronation ceremony.
B
We have the story here. It's in 1 Kings, chapter 1. We read that Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and. And the Karithites and a bunch of other people, they went down and they had Solomon ride on King David's mule. And then when he comes into the city, they blew the trumpet. And all the people said, long live King Solomon, and Reed. And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy. So the figure in Zechariah comes riding on a donkey. And that is evocative of this famous scene of Solomon. We should also point out. Yeah, go ahead.
A
I was just gonna say one of the things I think, Michael, that throws a lot of people off. Cause I know it did me before I studied this. When you hear the prophecy here, look, you know, Zion, your king comes to you humble in riding on the foal of an ass on a donkey. And I always thought, well, this is Jesus humble entry. But it completely throws off the significance of him fulfilling Zechariah 9 and echoing the great King Solomon, the son of David, who is enthroned. And so I think the idea of humble is Misleading. It's humble for a king to ride a donkey in Jerusalem, very impressive, but not humble for any old pilgrim going to the temple or Jerusalem.
B
That's a crucial point, right? So the people are going to recognize something big is going on. Well, why? I mean, people ride on donkeys all the time because pilgrims didn't usually come to Jerusalem riding on donkeys. So the fact that Jesus is coming as a pilgrim, right, he's coming to the Passover feast in Jerusalem and he's arriving with the throngs of people who are also going up to the temple for this festival. The fact that he comes riding on a donkey makes him stand out. And it is really helpful in Zechariah 9, behold, your king is coming to you. Actually, the Greek term there in the Greek version of the Old Testament, prowse is the same term Jesus uses in the Beatitudes. Blessed are the meek. Right? And we talked about this then, that meekness is not weakness, right? That's what she said. I like that. And so meekness is not weakness. And you see that on display in Zechariah 9, where the king, like Solomon, doesn't have to demonstrate his might by riding on some majestic horse. He comes riding on a donkey, right?
A
And you know, I think in the circumstances of Solomon, it's humble because, you know, Solomon's brother is trying to become king, right?
B
This is important.
A
And he's putting together a coalition of very strong people, and it's a strong power move. And while he's further out from Jerusalem having a private party, kind of consolidating his coalition, Solomon, quickly, we gotta quickly get you down there to coronate Solomon. It's a rush job. And so they get David's donkey, right, as part of the ceremony. Now, I think of the contrast for this scene with the book of Revelation. And in the book of Revelation, towards the end, in chapter 19, and we're going to see it again, I think in chapter 20, Jesus rides on his second coming. So this is Jesus first coming. This is the climax of Jesus first coming of his entire ministry. His earthly life is now reaching a culmination with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And I believe that he rides this donkey into Jerusalem as this climactic event. Whereas in his second coming, he's riding a very different animal. He's riding a war horse, a white war horse with the sword of the, you know, of the Word of God, you know. And so you see, he comes humbly the first time. The second time he'll come with power and judgment and Majesty.
B
Right, exactly. Which is hidden here. In a certain sense, though, the people get it. And we read the people went and did as Jesus had directed the disciples. They brought the donkey and the colt and they put it. They put on them, on the donkey and the colt, their cloaks, and Jesus sat on them, and most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road. And that actually reminds us of another scene in the Old Testament where the people lay their garments on the road before king Jehu in second kings 9. 3. Then in haste, every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps. Yeah.
A
And I think people oftentimes don't understand what that means. And you think of this is when Jehu is being coronated king. And so the idea of taking off your robe before the king, it's not that there was a bunch of water and they wanted him to stay dry. He's already riding on a donkey.
B
Right.
A
But the idea, Michael, is that, as you know, in the ancient world, your robe was your status symbol.
B
That's right.
A
And it signified your honor and your dignity. And to take your robe off for somebody else to walk over was saying, I'm submitting to your authority and to your kingship. And so it's an act of submission to somebody's royalty over you. And so the disciples are suggesting what, when they take their garments off before Jesus.
B
Right. They're submitting to his royal authority and acknowledging that they're his subjects, so to speak.
A
So we have two threads here. You've got the donkey riding the donkey, which goes back to Solomon. Now you have the walking over the garments, which goes back to Jehu, both which were coronation events.
B
That's right. That's right. And then one more detail. They cut down branches from the trees and they spread them on the road. Now, Matthew doesn't tell us that it's palm branches. We read that in John. But this is a significant detail because it reminds us of what happened at the time of the Maccabees. See, what happened at the time of the Maccabees is the Greeks defiled the temple and Judas Maccabeus the hammer. That's what Maccabeus means. Judas.
A
You nailed it.
B
Very good. It's hammer time. So Judas Maccabeus is the one who restores the temple. And so after they have their great victory, we read it happened that on that same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place. And this is, of course, a major Jewish festival to this day, Hanukkah, and they celebrated it with eight days rejoicing. And we read that they came and they took fronds of palm as part of the procession to the temple. So we've got a couple of things going on here. We've got the Davidic imagery, which is really significant, but it's not going to be a coincidence that shortly after reading about Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, he's going to go to the temple and we're.
A
Going to see a cleansing of the temple, just as Judas Maccabaeus.
B
Very significant.
A
You know, the other point that echoes for me in the story of Judas Maccabeus in 2 Maccabees, chapter 10, is that when they bring those palm branches, which is palm is a sign for the. In the Hellenistic period of victory. And so triumph. Victory. And so we call this the triumphal entry of our Lord in Jerusalem. But they also sing hymns of thanksgiving. And we even get a phrase of that in two Maccabees, chapter 10, where they say, give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever. And so here they're singing one of those Thanksgiving hymns. Psalm 118.
B
Yeah. So we read the crowd went up before him, and the ones that followed him were shouting, hosanna, save us. And it's a really interesting detail because the Greek. There is not the way the Greek version of the Old Testament transliterates that. In fact, biblical scholars point out that this probably just shows us historical memory, right? That they remember that they were saying hosanna, which is probably taken from Psalm 118. Although it is interesting, in 2 Samuel 14, for example, people come and ask David to save us. And so very similar. Jesus is the son of David. And what do they cry? Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, which is what we say every time we celebrate.
A
Exactly. And so, you know, every time we hear those words in the mass, it's to remind us that Jesus is coming, right. You know, that he's present in the Eucharist. And just as he came to the temple, he's going to come to the temple of our own bodies, and we better be ready to receive him. Well, like the disciples here and not like those in Jerusalem and the people in the temple who aren't well prepared, as we'll see.
B
Right. What's really interesting is he enters the city and the whole city was stirred up saying, who is this? Well, wait a minute, don't you know? Well, the People who know are the pilgrims that come up from Galilee. So what's interesting is we get the sense that Jesus disciples are primarily Galileans. And the people who live in Jerusalem, who are the wealthy and the elite and the powerful, they don't understand what's going on. And so the crowds actually have to tell the people of Jerusalem, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee, which is a really neat little detail.
A
Yeah, I know, it's. It's terrific. Why don't we move on to the cleansing the temple? Because, yes, there's even more, but we, we got to keep pushing on.
B
So. So we go on. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the money changers. And it's a really interesting term there, catastropho in the Greek, the word that's used for overturning is the word that's used in other contexts in the Old Testament for God's judgment.
A
Yeah.
B
Basically God's going to turn things upside down. Right. And so it's a sign of judgment here. And the seats of those who sold pigeons. Some people have tried to say this is about the temple tax or other things, but if he is targeting the pigeons, it can't be about the temple tax. Right. And he said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer. And this is a quotation from the book of Isaiah. And here we have a really interesting conundrum in Matthew and actually it's in the other synoptic gospels too, because as Jesus is performing his action, he quotes two prophecies. On the one side, he quotes Isaiah and Isaiah 56, which is announcing that in the future day when God saves his people, there'll be a new temple. And God's going to restore his people and gather them in this new temple. But then Jesus does something surprising. He says, but you make it a den of robbers. Now that's from Jeremiah 7:11, and that's a prophecy about the destruction of the temple. So now we've got an interesting situation. Jesus is announcing there is going to be a future temple. He affirms that prophecy from Isaiah, but this isn't going to be it. This isn't the new covenant temple, this temple of Herod. Right. And it's interesting too that he says it's a den of robbers. That word that's used there, robbers, lace day.
A
It's not just like it's a strong term. Yeah, no, it means brigands, someone who steals with violence.
B
That's Right. And it's a term that's used for Barabbas. Right. Later. So what's gonna happen later in the narrative is the temple establishment, the temple priests. We are told it's temple priests who send soldiers to arrest Jesus with swords and clubs. So they're the ones that look like brigands here.
A
Exactly.
B
So it's a fascinating scene. So many people have come up with different explanations of all this. But I think the key idea is that this is not the future temple of the eschatological age. This is not the temple that the prophets announce will be the new temple. In fact, in Zechariah, there's a great prophecy, Zechariah 14, at the end of the book, there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the merchant. Right, in the house of the Lord. And so by sending all the traders out, Jesus is saying, this can't be the eschatological temple, because look, there are merchants here in this temple. I should actually be deferring to Dr. Gray because he wrote one of the best books on the temple and the Gospels. A really fantastic. Actually, this is how I really got to know Dr. Gray, was this amazing dissertation he wrote at Catholic University of America on the Gospel, the Temple and the Gospel of Mark. So what other thoughts do you have about this passage? It's really important.
A
It's such a rich phrase and there's a lot I go into. But let me ask you, Michael, why does Matthew, and he's different than Mark and others here. Why does he mention the blind and the lame?
B
Oh, this is so good.
A
Being healed of the temple.
B
This is so good, good, so important.
A
Because it seems like it doesn't fit what the triumphantry and everything you've been building up. But I bet you're going to.
B
Oh, no, this is really significant. It's only in Matthew's Gospel. And I'm finishing up a book that deals with some of this. So I've spent a lot of time studying it.
It's fascinating. Jesus heals the blind and the lame in the temple. Because in the historical books we read a story in 2 Samuel of what happened when David conquered Jerusalem. So everybody knows that Jerusalem is an Israelite city, right? Belongs to Israel. What most people don't know is the person who made it a Jewish city was David. It's not the star of Moses in Jerusalem, it's the star of David. David conquered the city. And there's a rich and beautiful story about how that happened, because it was a fortress. It was.
A
And the Jebusites brag that nobody could conquer the fortress that they could defend it with.
B
Even so they say, you will not enter. And they say, you will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off. In other words, you're such a weak warrior, David. We're just going to send the blind and the lame. They're going to go out there and they're going to, you know, shake their sticks around and you're going to scream. Ah, they have sticks.
A
Yeah. And that's how confident they were in their fortress.
B
That's right.
A
And their gates.
B
And David will be.
A
Even their blind and the lame could. Could repulse David's army.
B
And so David then conquers the city. And we read after the story, we read, therefore it is said, the blind and the lame shall not come into the house. So there seemed to be a tradition that developed that the blind and the lame were not to go into the temple because it was said that the blind and the lame would ward off David. Okay, so the fact that Jesus then has the blind and the lame come to him in the temple is remarkable because the children come and they see him in the temple. They say, hosanna to the son of David. And what does he do? He heals the blind and the lame. And this is remarkable. So what we see is, in a sense, the blind and the lame were under a kind of curse. They couldn't go into the temple because of David. Jesus demonstrates that he is the true son of David by lifting that ailment, by healing them of that ailment. And moreover, the Jewish leaders, the high priests, they don't recognize Jesus in the temple. And they say, what do you think you're doing here? They ask him, by what authority do you do these things? It's remarkable. They say, do you hear what the children are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you never read out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies? Have you prepared praise? So the real blind people are actually the leaders. They're the ones that don't see. Right.
A
It's such an incredible paradox.
B
It is.
A
And I love how you describe how David's reversing the new David. Jesus is reversing the Davidic curse, in a sense, that had bent over the blind and the lame in the city of Jerusalem, in the city of the temple, and they can't have access to that house.
B
That's right.
A
And of course, this is part of the hope for us, right, that Jesus wants to take down the barriers. He wants us to have access to him and here he's doing that for this group of people that were intentionally excluded.
B
Right. And that's actually a big part of the prophecy in Isaiah 56 is that eunuchs and others, foreigners, are not going to be in the temple in the present age, but in the age to come they will be given a place. One more interesting thing we read in this passage about how they say, don't you hear what these people are saying? And it's just worth pointing out that we have a sort of intertextual illusion. Jesus said to them, yes, have you never read out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise? Well, earlier in the gospel, in Matthew 11, Jesus is praying to the Father and he says, you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. I like the ESV better than the rsv. The RSV is babes. It's infants is a better term. And the idea is the rich, the wealthy, the powerful, the people who are wise in their own understanding, they don't get it. But those who are lowly, those who are poor.
Those who are the unlikely are the one God makes his plan known to, he reveals himself to the.
A
Cultural elites, don't get it in Jesus time and they didn't get it in Jeremiah's time. So that's right, you got to go back a little bit to that prophecy from Jeremiah chapter 7. You know, Jeremiah is a prophet and at that time, you know, the Babylonians are threatening and the people are saying, look, we're not worried about the Babylonians because we've got the temple and we've got Jerusalem. And so, you know, we can't be defeated. Which is exactly the claim of the Jebusites to David. Ironically, you know, we can't be defeated. And Jeremiah's like, no, no, you can. And Jeremiah says, look, quit saying the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. Therefore we're going to be protected by. Because the temple of the Lord dwelt in Shiloh and go back to Shiloh, now it's ruins. And the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the enemy of Israel because of Israel's sins. So the fact that God has chosen Israel, the fact that he blesses Israel with his own presence and his own liturgy and his own temple, doesn't mean that the people of God are going to be scot free from any trouble and tribulation, especially if they sin. And so, you know, when Jeremiah gives that prophecy, he gets in trouble for that. It's very unpopular. And eventually Jeremiah is thrown Into a cistern, into a prison, and they plot to kill him. But people intercede, and he doesn't actually die. But Jesus is quoting one of the most infamous speeches of any prophet that got that prophet Jeremiah in a heap of trouble. So that took a lot of chutzpah for Jesus to quote Jeremiah in his oracle against the temple in the midst of the temple.
B
So let's point out that Jesus, when he asks the disciples who people say that he is, only in Matthew, they say, you're John the Baptist, you're Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. People thought Jesus might be Jeremiah, and there's a reason for that. Jeremiah was famous not just for his words, but for his prophetic signs, for his deeds. And he performed prophetic deeds of all places in the temple, announcing judgment. Jesus is a lot like Jeremiah. He's a prophet who does signs. He issues oracles of coming judgment, and he announces the destruction of the temple of his day.
A
Yeah, it's amazing. Well, maybe we have time to talk about Jesus cursing the fig tree before we conclude. So in that morning, as he was returning. In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry and seen a fig tree by the wayside. He went in and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, may no one ever eat the fruit of you again. And the fig tree withered at once.
B
She woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day, apparently.
A
Huh. Well, you know. Exactly. And the problem is it's the time of the Passover, so it's spring. It's not the harvest time for figs, right?
B
That's right. Yeah.
A
Now, of course, what's interesting is that the very beginning, the place that they leave is Bethphage.
B
That's right.
A
Which means house of the fig.
B
Yep.
A
And so, you know, so there was figs there, maybe. Maybe there's a fig farm in Bethphage. And, you know, Jesus goes on, he's hungry, and he's thinking, well, I'm in Bethphage, I'll get a fig. But it's not the season for figs. And so that's interesting. So a lot of scholars note that. So what is Jesus really looking for when he's looking for fruit from that fig tree?
B
Well, one thing we know is that in the preaching of John the Baptist in Matthew 3, we've already been introduced to the idea. And if you go back and watch that episode that we recorded, we talked about it then. John the Baptist was referring to bearing good fruit. And he talked about how the Tree is about to be cut down, and the good fruit are works of repentance. So Jesus is looking for repentance. And many people have noted the way that this aligns well with the temple episode. Not as quite. Not the same way as it does in Mark. And Mark, there's a sandwich around it. But nonetheless, in Matthew, we still have the link between Jesus's prophecy of the destruction of the temple by means of Jeremiah. But we also have this fig tree episode. In the Old Testament, the fig tree could be an image of Israel. And so Jesus is announcing, yes, judgment is going to come on the leaders. Right. Not all Jews, but it's going to come on the leadership who reject him and who don't bear fruits of repentance.
A
Yeah, I think that's really powerful, Michael. And I also wonder if. And this is way in the background, but I can't help it but take a glance back into the background here, that there was a Jewish tradition that the fig tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
B
Yep.
A
And so cursing.
B
Because what did they dress in after they ate the fruit?
A
Fig leaves.
B
They put fig leaves on.
A
So, yeah. So this is a tradition that I think is rooted in scripture. I agree with you. You know, right after they sin, the next thing they do is they make fig leaves. They sew fig leaves into their garments to hide their nakedness. And so clearly there's something with. There's figs in the Garden of Eden. And so the idea, if this interpretation of Genesis 3 is correct, that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and I love figs, by the way, and I love to go to Israel, I love pilgrimages and. And figs and dates. Those are some of the best desserts. It's really the more sweet food there. But if the fig tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil by which Adam and Eve sinned and brought death and woe to our world, Jesus cursing the fig tree at first appearances looks like a vindictive, angry, grumpy. You know, he's woke up on the.
B
Wrong side of the bed hangry because.
A
He'S hungry and he's angry.
B
So.
A
But Michael, is there a positive thing to see out of the curse and the fig tree? If this is an allusion to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
B
Right. It definitely could be a sign that Jesus is cursing the source of sin, so to speak, and that he is overturning the sin of Adam and Eve. I just have to mention that.
A
And don't you. And that Fits beautifully with what you talked about. Him reversing the cursing in the time of David with the blind and the lame. And now he's stretching all the way back to Adam.
B
Yeah, and it makes a lot of sense, too, because the temple was associated with the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is seen in the book of Jubilees. It says that the Garden of Eden was the holy of holies of the world, which is like a temple. And the story, we have a later story called the Life of Adam and Eve. And in that story, Eve said at that very moment, when she ate of the fruit, my eyes were opened and I knew that I was naked of the righteousness with which I had been clothed. And I looked for leaves so that I might cover my shame, and. But I did not find any from the trees of paradise except those of the fig tree only. And that's the tree that she ate from. And I took its leaves and I made for myself skirts. They were from the same plants of which I ate. So she ate of that tree, and now she's wearing. So this is a Jewish tradition. We see it in other texts, like Life of Adam and Eve. Now, I think the idea is, in fact, Jesus is not just a new David. We already saw the first line of the Book of Matthew is the book of the Genesis of Jesus Christ. He's the new Adam.
A
Yeah, he really is. And we're seeing the beginning of a new Genesis here as he is entering into Jerusalem and the Temple. And it's exciting time. And I think this is a great time for us. You know, it kind of worked out, Michael, to pause our Bible study a little bit, just to kind of align it close to Lent, because this is perfect time for people to. As we go through this Bible study of Jesus last days. And it's a good preparation for Holy Week and getting ready for Lent. And I just want to thank everybody for joining us. And I want to also mention we've got these great studios. How do you like the new setup?
B
This is fantastic. I love it. Yeah. I love being able to look at my computer and show people pictures and Bible verses. It's a lot of fun.
A
Yeah, I'm really thrilled. And having the new equipment to have a table. This is fantastic. And it's so exciting because you're getting a view into our control room. We're, you know, on the other side of that control room, we have our live studio where we do the Augusta Institute live show on Tuesdays at 7pm Eastern, which is. Which is a great joy. And again, I just want to say special thanks to everybody who supports the Augustine Institute because you're helping us expand our mission so that we can reach more and more people in a more effective way with the good news. I think that's so important.
B
Yeah. Thank you very much. This is such a delight to be able to explain the Gospel and have all the, you know, the technology and the technological advantages to do it. So thank you very much.
A
And I know people were worried we weren't going to finish Matthew, but we will, Michael. We're going to finish Matthew. And so what I'd recommend is, you know, we're talking here about Jesus cursing the fig tree. You know, read on from the second half of chapter 21. We'll cover that next time. And I think the next lesson will probably take us all to chapter 21 to finish. And so that gives you a little leeway of what you can prepare. And as we get ready for this Lenten season, there's a lot of great programs on the Forum platform for Lent. Our team has worked really hard to provide all kinds of things, whether living Lent as a family. There's going to be a series on that. There's going to be a lot of different content. We're even going to have a special Bible conference for Holy Week, a Bible study on Holy Week that you're going to be part of, Looking Forward, and many others. So we hope that you join us for that. And we thank you for being with us. God bless.
Episode: Matthew 21:1-22
Date: December 6, 2025
Hosts: Dr. Tim Gray (A) & Dr. Michael Barber (B)
This episode resumes the in-depth study of the Gospel of Matthew, focusing on the opening verses of chapter 21 (Matthew 21:1-22). Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Michael Barber examine Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the significance of the donkey prophecy, the imagery of garments and branches, the cleansing of the temple, the healing of the blind and lame, and the cursing of the fig tree. With rich historical, theological, and intertextual insights, the hosts guide listeners through how these events reveal Jesus as the Messianic King, echo prophetic traditions, and announce both judgment and the dawning of a new covenant age.
Prophecy Fulfilled
Davidic and Messianic Echoes
Symbolism of Humility and Power
Contrast With Jesus’ Second Coming
Laying Cloaks on the Road (08:07–08:54)
Branches and Victory (09:03–10:24)
Singing of Psalm 118 (10:24–11:43)
Liturgical Connection
Prophetic Action
Scriptural Echoes
Jeremiah and Jesus
Matthew’s Unique Detail
Reversing Exclusion
Praise from Children: True Sight and Revelation
Event and Context
Fruit as Repentance
Allusion to Eden
Jesus as New Adam
On Meekness:
On Royal Submission:
On the Cleansing of the Temple:
On Reversing Exclusion:
On Cursing the Fig Tree:
The hosts maintain an engaging, scholarly yet accessible tone, blending deep exegesis with lively banter and practical reflections. They intersperse teaching with humorous asides (“woke up on the wrong side of the bed… hangry”) and pastoral encouragement, grounding biblical insights for both study and devotion.
Listeners are invited to reflect on these pivotal events in Matthew 21 as essential to understanding Jesus’ messianic identity, the nature of true worship, judgment and mercy, and the invitation into the new temple of Christ’s body. The episode serves as a rich resource for Lenten or Holy Week preparation, with encouragement to continue reading and join the next installment.