Matthew 21:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

NIV: The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'

NASB: And the crowds were saying, 'This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.'

CSB: The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

NLT: And the crowds replied, 'It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'

KJV: And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

NKJV: So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The Christian church celebrates Palm Sunday: the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the long-promised king, the Messiah, honored and praised by the Israelites. Clearly, though, nobody understood Jesus' actual purpose for coming to the city. He had not arrived to take the throne of a political kingdom (John 18:6). Rather than arriving on a warhorse (Revelation 19:11–16), Messiah first came to suffer, to die, and to be raised in order to make it possible for all to come to the Father through Him (Matthew 17:22–23; 20:28).

Those who didn't know Jesus asked who He was. Some of those with basic information described Him as a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. They could not yet fully understand that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior who would die for their sin. Instead, this group pictured Him as a powerful prophet like those in the Old Testament who did great miracles and delivered messages from God.

Matthew 21:1–11 follows Jesus on His final, "triumphal" entry into Jerusalem. He rides on a donkey for the final mile or so to intentionally fulfill a prophecy from Zechariah about the king arriving in Jerusalem. The crowds praise Him as the Messiah, lining His path with branches and their cloaks. They shout out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" as seen in Psalm 118. The event we now call Palm Sunday stirs up Jerusalem with many people asking who Jesus is.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 4/29/2024 12:10:53 PM