Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 records the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. These verses mark the beginning of the final week before the cross. In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, we see humility and authority, worship and judgment, glory and confrontation. This passage is not only historical. It reveals how Christ enters His church, confronts convenience religion, and calls us to purpose through the cross.
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 shows that when Jesus enters Jerusalem, He does not come for comfort but for confrontation. He rides in humility, yet He cleanses with authority. The triumphal entry and the temple cleansing reveal that resurrection glory only comes through the cross. This passage asks whether we will merely follow Him or allow Him to rule in us.
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW BIBLE STUDY SERIES
This study of Matthew: Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 – Triumphal Entry & Temple Cleansing is part of a verse-by-verse teaching series through the Gospel of Matthew.
Previous: The Last Shall Be First Understanding Matthew 20 Verses 1-28
Next: Matthew 21 Verses 18-32 – Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
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Scriptures used in this lesson
- Matthew 21:1-5, John 12:23, John 12:24–26, John 12:27, Hebrews 12:22–24, Zechariah 9:9, Revelation 19:11, Jonah 1:1–3, Jonah 1:17, Romans 8:19, 1 Kings 19:19, Matthew 21:9, 2 Kings 9:13, Matthew 21:12-13, 1 Peter 4:17, Romans 12:1, Matthew 21:14, Romans 11:22, Matthew 21:15-16, Psalm 8:2, John 3:3, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 21:17, 1 Samuel 4:21, Romans 14:17, John 3:3, Matthew 18:3, 1 Peter 5:6, Psalm 8:2, John 3:3, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 21:17, 1 Samuel 4:21, 1 Samuel 17:29, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Matthew 21:16, Exodus 32:32, Ephesians 2:22,
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 – The Final Week Begins
We begin Matthew chapter 21 and look at the first 17 verses. We will study the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. You already know the story, so I am not going to retell details about palm branches and the donkey. I want to bring this in a principle way. I want us to see the present truth and apply it to our own lives. The message of Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 is not just historical, it is present.
Chapter 21 begins the final week of Christ’s life before the crucifixion. His first triumphal entry into Jerusalem resembles the next.
The Triumphal Entry and the Heavenly Jerusalem – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
The next entry is into the heavenly Jerusalem – the church. He is looking for a colt, a son company to ride. When He enters, will you be following, leading, or be what He rides on? After entering, He cleanses the temple. If He cleans yours, He drives out both what sells and what buys. A convenient Christian does not interest the Lord. We will close by seeing that perfect praise comes from being like a child.
The chapter is divided into six parts. First is the triumphal entry in Matthew 21:1-11. Second is the cleansing of the temple, Matthew 21:12-17. Third is the cursing of the fig tree, Matthew 21:18-22. Fourth is the question of credentials, Matthew 21:23-27. Then come the parable of the two sons, verses 28 through 32, and the parable of the wicked husbandmen, verses 33 through 46. We will cover only the first two sections in this lesson.
Matthew 21:1-5 in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying 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.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 Tell 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.
As they drew near to Jerusalem in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, Jesus sent two disciples to get a donkey and a colt. He told them to say, “The Lord hath need of them.” This fulfilled the prophecy of (Zechariah 9:9). The disciples obeyed, brought the animals, placed their garments on them, and Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
Matthew 21:7-11 – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 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.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
When Jesus draws near to Jerusalem, He knows it is His final week. He will be received, then rejected. He will be betrayed, arrested, mocked, scourged, and crucified. Yet He comes willingly. In John 12:23, He says the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
John 12:23
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Glorification for Jesus meant a cross.
Drawing Near to Jerusalem – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
What I want you to see is that drawing near to Jerusalem is the beginning of understanding purpose. It is only when you draw near that you begin to see what glorification really means.
Now that does not mean everything is about to become easy. He is in Jerusalem in John chapter 12. He says the hour has come for Him to be glorified. That does not mean comfort. It does not mean no problems. When He speaks of glorification, He is looking at a cross. He has a date with a cross at Jerusalem.
In John 12:24–26, He explains what glorification really means.
John 12:24–26
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Glorification requires death. Fruit comes through dying. Honor follows sacrifice. That is what Jerusalem meant for Jesus.
Knowing Your Cause in the Kingdom – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
John 12:27
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Now is my soul trouble. He just said, I’m going to be glorified, but now he says, ” My soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour.”
Did Jesus understand His purpose? Did He know why He came to the earth? Of course, He did. Did He know why He was born? Yes, He understood that to be glorified meant to fulfill His purpose.
To be glorified means to do what you were born to do. It means completing the assignment the Father gave you. It means standing before Him and hearing, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
To be glorified does not mean men look at you as wonderful and great. For Jesus, glorification meant a date with the cross. Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 reveals the pattern of cross before glory. When He drew near to Jerusalem, He saw that cross. It was Sunday, and He knew that by the next Sunday resurrection would come. Between those days would be rejection, betrayal, mocking, scourging, and crucifixion. Resurrection required a cross. We all want resurrection, but we do not like drawing near to Jerusalem.
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 – The Last Week Before the Cross
This chapter begins the last week before His cross. It is the week of passion. One week from that Sunday, He would rise from the dead. He understood everything that would happen in those seven days. Yet He could say, “For this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). He knew His purpose.
The question is whether we know ours. Can we stand in this hour of a convenience gospel and say we know why we were born? Do we understand why we came into the kingdom? Have we drawn near to Jerusalem? Christ knew His cause. Many believers today do not know theirs. Few understand why they were born or why they entered the kingdom of God.
We speak often about purpose. We move into the prophetic to help clarify it. Still, we must look beyond ourselves and examine the church world. Do believers understand there is a reason they were born into the kingdom? That is the emphasis here. As we move forward, look at Hebrews 12 and see that you have also drawn near to Jerusalem.
The Heavenly Jerusalem and the Church – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
Hebrews 12:22–24
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
I want us to understand that Jerusalem, heavenly Jerusalem, is the church. When you come to the church, you come to the heavenly Jerusalem. We draw near to it. We always find our cross. You find your cross at Jerusalem. And Jesus says, take up your cross and what? Follow me (Matthew 16:24).
How do we follow Him? We follow Him by taking up our cross. He said, “Take up your cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). That is not a trick question. That is the call.
The church is where you should find your purpose. The purpose of the church is to help you discover your purpose in the kingdom of God. At the church, you should find your cross at Jerusalem. Hebrews 12:22 says you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to the church. You have come to God, and you have come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. We have already drawn near to Jerusalem.
The issue is that many have not picked up their cross. We have not settled our purpose. Jesus said, “For this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). He knew why He was there. He knew Jerusalem meant a cross. Do we know our cause?
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 shows that in Jerusalem, there is sorrow
In Jerusalem, there is sorrow. There is betrayal, pain, and death to the flesh. His flesh died there. Can we say with Him, “For this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27)? Many only draw near. They never enter in. Yet resurrection follows the cross. You cannot be resurrected unless you die. We want resurrection, but we resist death.
We were called into the kingdom for a purpose. God did not make a mistake in choosing us. Jesus understood His purpose and went to meet His cross. Then He tells us to take up ours and follow Him.
The Lord Hath Need of Thee – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
Next, we see the donkey and the colt. Jesus sent two disciples to untie the colt and bring it to Him. This fulfilled (Zechariah 9:9). The triumphal entry was not random. It was prophetic and purposeful.
Zechariah 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
The donkey symbolizes a meek burden bearer. It is a lowly animal. No Jewish king had officially ridden one since Solomon. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey because His first coming was not as an earthly or political Messiah. He came as the Prince of Peace. He came humble, meek, and lowly.
His second coming will not be the same. He will not return on a donkey. Revelation chapter 6 and Revelation chapter 19 speak of Him coming on a white horse (Revelation 6:2; Revelation 19:11). The first advent was marked by humility. The next will be marked by authority and conquest. In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, we see both humility and authority.
Revelation 19:11
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
He is coming again as a conqueror. He will come as the Son of David to rule and reign (Revelation 19:11–16). That was not how He came the first time. Many did not understand that. His first coming was not to take over the kingdoms of the world.
He came first as the Lamb. The next time He comes as the Lion (Revelation 5:5–6). The difference between the two comings is clear.
Then we see, “The Lord hath need of them” (Matthew 21:3). He is Lord of everything. If He needs something, it already belongs to Him. When He told the disciples to get the donkeys, He declared His ownership of them. All we have belongs to Him. If He has need, He will send for it.
Not only are our possessions His, but we are also His. The Lord had need of Jonah, and Jonah was His (Jonah 1:1–3). The same truth applies to us in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17.
Jonah 1:1–3
1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah refused to go. He would not give God what God asked for. Yet God still dealt with him. He prepared a fish for Jonah when he would not obey (Jonah 1:17). Can I tell you that the Lord will prepare a fish for any of us, too?
Jonah 1:17
17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
I believe many of us are in great fish’s bellies and do not realize it. Some of us need to be brought to shore so we understand where we have been. God calls for things from us, and we run the other way, just as Jonah did. He prepared a great fish for Jonah (Jonah 1:17). Sometimes He prepares circumstances for us so we will learn obedience.
He is Lord of everything. Jesus is Lord, whether a person is saved or lost. He knows where we are and what has us tied. One day, He sent disciples for me. He sent disciples for you. He knew what bound us. The Lord chose us, not the other way around (John 15:16). He chose us for a purpose.
I was like that ass colt. I was stubborn and rebellious, and I was tied to things and thought I liked it there. Then someone came and said the Lord had need of me. They untied me and brought me to Jesus. The Lord has need of thee (Matthew 21:3). That truth changed everything.
When He brings you to Himself, He covers you. He places you under anointing, and He sits upon what He has chosen.
The Son Company He Can Ride – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
He is looking for sons. Creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons (Romans 8:19).
Romans 8:19
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
The weos – the sons – are the donkeys of God. They are what He can sit on and ride back in to reclaim His creation.
You were like that donkey. I was like that donkey. We thought we liked where we were. The colt was brought to Jesus. The disciples placed their garments on it. Then Christ mounted it and rode into Jerusalem. That is what He wants to do with us. He wants to ride us into the heavenly Jerusalem.
He is looking for people who will be covered. The garments represent anointing and covering. He cannot sit on you until you are covered. We need that covering.
The disciples untied me and brought me to Jesus. They laid their clothes upon me. That covering was like Elijah laying his mantle upon Elisha.
1 Kings 19:19
19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
They began to cover my life and protect me from the enemy. It was not until that covering was placed on me that Jesus could sit upon me. He is looking for sons who are covered and ready for Him to ride.
What sits on us tonight? If it is not Jesus, then something else is. He wants people who belong to Him alone. He wants to ride them fully and bring them into the kingdom.
A great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut branches and laid them down. Those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Matthew 21:9
9 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.
When He came into Jerusalem, all the city was moved and asked, who is this? There was a very great multitude. There were three crowds – one in front, one around Him, and one behind.
Pathfinders, Sons, and Followers – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
The crowd in front took off their garments and laid them down, as they did for King Jehu in the Old Testament. He rode across those garments, and they also laid branches in the way.
2 Kings 9:13
13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.
They were anointed people. Their garments represented covering. They were a branch people connected to the true vine. He is the true vine, and we are the branches (John 15:1, 5). They laid everything down so He could ride into Jerusalem.
The first group was pathfinders. They went before Him and prepared the way. They laid it all down so the King of glory could come in. That kind of people pays the greatest price. Their lives are laid down. They become a sacrifice.
These are a Judah company. They go out front and fight the battles. They stand in front of the enemy. The Judah company leads the way in praise and warfare. Jehoshaphat sent the praisers first into battle (2 Chronicles 20:21). They’re a Judah company. They are the branch people of John 15. He’s the true vine. We are the branches that produce the fruit (John 15:1-5).
The branches laid themselves down before Him. We lay ourselves down before Him. There is a pathfinder people.
I believe we are basically a people of pathfinders. We are called to be sons, but we are also a cutting-edge people. We are called to lay it all down and hold nothing back. Our church is out front in the battles. Others may follow later, but someone must go first and not care what people say.
Different groups with Jesus in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
There are different groups. Some are pathfinders who lead the way. Some are servants and sons who are stable and dependable. Those are the ones He rides on. Others are followers. They may not be out front, but they still follow and cry, “Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9).
We cannot all be pathfinders or servants because not all will pay the price. Still, we can at least be followers. There are principles of growth and order in the kingdom. The question is whether we will be a people He can ride.
Hosanna means save now. They cried for deliverance, but they did not understand salvation. Jesus came the first time as the Lamb (John 1:29). He did not come to overthrow Rome. He came to deliver them from themselves.
When He first comes into our lives, He comes gently. Later, there is warfare if He becomes Lord. Our greatest enemy is within. He comes to deal with our thinking, our flesh, and our ways.
When Jesus Cleanses the Temple – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
Then He cleansed the temple and cast out those who sold and bought (Matthew 21:12–13).
He said His house was to be a house of prayer. The temple represents us. He spoke of His body as the temple (John 2:21). We are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).
When He comes into Jerusalem, He comes into the church. When He enters the temple, He comes into our lives. He drives out what does not belong.
People from many nations came to Jerusalem for the feast (Acts 2:5, 9–11). They exchanged money and bought sacrifices. It had become convenient. The temple looked like a marketplace. It was no longer a holy place.
When He walked in, He saw a barnyard. He smelled and heard corruption. That is what He found in me. He found greed and selfish worship. Yet He still came.
Everything must change when He enters. The stench must go. The purpose of our lives must change. He drove out both those who sold and those who bought. Judgment begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).
Matthew 21:12-13 – Temple Cleansing in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
12 And 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,
13 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.
It’s interesting to me that in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, Matthew gave only two verses to this event. We learn much more about it from the other Gospels.
1 Peter 4:17
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Judgment has to begin in the temple. It has to begin in the house of God. The Lord must have a people who can stand as a standard. Garbage has to be driven out so a people can reflect what He wants. That work starts in His house.
Both those who sold and those who bought had to be run out. The system had become convenient. It was never meant to be that way.
The Danger of a Convenient Christianity – Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
Look at the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:3-6. The family kept that lamb for four days. They raised it, laid hands on it, confessed over it, killed it, and prepared it. That was not convenient. The sacrificial system required time and involvement.
Later, it became quick and easy. People exchanged money, bought a lamb, offered it, and left in an hour. What had been a lifestyle became a transaction. That same spirit shows up today.
We want everything fast. We want an instant gospel. If a service goes long, people grow uneasy. Many do not want to linger in praise or offer real sacrifice.
Church attendance reflects this. Services are dropped when people do not show. Christianity has become convenient. Many do not offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, which Romans 12:1 calls our “reasonable service.”
Romans 12:1
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
People do not spend time in the Word. They do not pray or worship. They rush in on Sunday, give their offering, and leave unchanged. God prepared a fish for Jonah (Jonah 1:17), and He still deals with disobedience.
Jesus drove out those who bought and sold. Those who turned worship into gain or convenience faced the Lord’s wrath. That same warning stands today.
Matthew 21:14
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
There is a contrast in Him. The blind and the lame came into the temple, and He healed them. In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, we see that in Jesus, there is both goodness and severity. Paul speaks of this in Romans 11.
Romans 11:22
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
No one comes any other way but through Christ (John 10:1). In Romans 11:22, we are told to behold the goodness and the severity of God. Some can be cut off. Others can be grafted in again. What I know is we must not treat God lightly.
Revelation 3:5 speaks of names being blotted out. That alone tells me not to play games with Him. Walking with God is serious. I believe in eternal security. When He cleanses a life and fruit begins to appear, you know the tree by its fruit (Matthew 7:16). We are saved by grace, not by works. We work from salvation, not for it.
Even so, we must not presume on Him. Second Peter 2:22 warns that someone can return to the mire and to vomit. That warning keeps me sober. The message is simple. Do not fool with Him. Behold the goodness and the severity of God. I see the principle again in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17.
Context of Romans 11:22
That is what he is talking about in that context. of Romans 11:22. He is speaking about the Jews. I am not trying to take anyone’s salvation away. You know that I am not saying that one mistake ruins you. I am saying do not fool with God. He is Lord, and He loves you.
You should have peace in the kingdom. When you are walking in righteousness, holiness, and peace, you know you are His. The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy (Romans 14:17). If that is active in your life by the Holy Ghost, you are saved.
Now look at verses 15 through 16.
Matthew 21:15-16
15 And 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,
16 And 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?
Perfect Praise in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
The chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful works and heard the children crying Hosanna to the son of David. Another truth we learns from Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 is that the religious people were displeased with energetic praise. Jesus answered them by quoting, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise (Psalm 8:2).
Psalm 8:2
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
(NIV) Psalms 8:2
2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Notice who was offended. It was the priests and scribes. They were the religious minds of the day. They knew the Scriptures, yet what was happening did not fit their theology. It displeased them.
Many things we do can trouble religious minds. Sometimes what is truly scriptural does not fit established doctrine. Jesus answered them with Scripture. He said that out of the mouth of babes and sucklings praise is perfected. What they were hearing was scriptural. They simply did not understand it.
He brought it into a place we could grasp. He also said that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Understanding the kingdom requires new birth.
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
You must be born again. It is not a natural birth. It is a birth of the Spirit. When that happens, you become like a baby again.
Jesus said in Matthew 18 that unless you become as one of these little ones, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. That is the kind of heart required to enter His kingdom.
Matthew 18:3
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
You cannot be proud in the kingdom. You cannot act like you know it all. We must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). Praise must come as it does from a baby. We see this thought again in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17.
That praise must be pure. It must rise from humility in the heart and spirit. Praise cannot be done to please men (Galatians 1:10). It is not about appearance or dignity. It is about a free and honest expression before Him.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings He has perfected praise (Matthew 21:16). That is the kind of praise I want to offer.
The Scriptures say, “And he left them and went out of the city.”
Matthew 21:17
17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
I pray He never comes and finds only religion and then leaves us. The lesson closes with the words, and he left them (Matthew 21:17). The greatest religious minds of that day could not recognize the Lord’s Christ. They were so bound by tradition that they would not change.
Many temples have heard that same verdict. I pray that it is never spoken over us or over our city. Knowledge of Scripture must never replace obedience to the Lord of glory.
I think about 1 Samuel 4:10-11. The ark was taken into battle and handled wrongly. It was uncovered and carried out without reverence. Israel was defeated and the ark was taken.
Phinehas’s wife named her child Ichabod, saying the glory has departed (1 Samuel 4:21). That is what happens when God’s presence leaves. I do not want that written over us.
1 Samuel 4:21
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
When Jesus left them, the glory left. When we think we know it all and have everything under control, Ichabod can be written over it. The glory will depart as far as it can go. It will leave and find someone who will listen, move, and praise Him.
I pray Ichabod never comes here. It has no place in our city or valley. We want the glory of God. To be glorified means there is a cross. There are hard times before resurrection. If we want resurrection, we must go through the cross.
Each person has a purpose. We were born for a cause. For this cause we have come to this hour. There is a reason we stand here.
As David said, is there not a cause (1 Samuel 17:29)? There is a Goliath in the land. We want him defeated so the glory of God can come.
Lord, we have studied Matthew 21 verses 1-17 today.
We have learned that we were all donkeys once, tied to what bound us. You knew where we were and what held us. Lord, You sent disciples to loose us and bring us to You. You covered us with people who love You and love us. Then You mounted upon us. Let us be a church that You can ride. Let us be a sonship company that loves You and one another. Make us a branch people who remember that without You we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Help us understand that when You enter Jerusalem, You enter the temple. You come into our lives and cleanse what sells and buys. You drive out the stench because we are the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). Teach us Your goodness and Your severity. Keep us from treating You lightly.
Remind us that You heal and comfort us. Yet do not let us believe we can live with things that displease You. Purify our praise. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings praise is perfected (Matthew 21:16). As we humble ourselves, let our praise bring You glory.
Never depart from us. Do not write Ichabod over this place. We give ourselves to Your purpose. Cleanse us and make us a dwelling place for You (Ephesians 2:22).
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 21 Verses 1-17
What is the meaning of the triumphal entry in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17?
The triumphal entry in Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 reveals both humility and authority. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy and presenting Himself as the King of peace. Yet this was not a political takeover. It was the beginning of the week that would lead to the cross. The triumph shows that glory comes through humility and purpose, not through force or earthly power.
Why did Jesus cleanse the temple?
In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, Jesus cleansed the temple because worship had become convenient and commercial. The house of prayer had turned into a marketplace. He drove out those who sold and bought to restore holiness. The temple represents our lives. When Christ enters, He confronts what does not belong. Cleansing comes before healing and true worship.
Why did Jesus ride a donkey into Jerusalem?
Jesus rode a donkey to fulfill prophecy and to reveal the nature of His first coming. The donkey symbolized meekness and peace. In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, He did not come as a conquering political ruler but as the Lamb who would go to the cross. His humility demonstrated that the kingdom of God advances through surrender, not force.
What does Hosanna mean in Matthew 21?
Hosanna means “save now.” The crowds cried out for deliverance, but they misunderstood the kind of salvation Jesus came to bring. In Matthew 21 Verses 1-17, He did not come to overthrow Rome. He came to deal with sin and the heart of man. True salvation begins within before it ever changes the circumstances around us.
What does Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 teach about the cross before glory?
Matthew 21 Verses 1-17 shows that resurrection glory requires a cross. Jesus entered Jerusalem, knowing suffering awaited Him. He could say, “For this cause came I unto this hour.” Glory was not comfort. It was obedience to purpose. The same pattern applies to us. If we want resurrection life, we must first surrender and take up our cross.
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