Bible Commentaries
Matthew 21

Verse 10

Matthew 21:10

Who is this? ... Who is This!

Verse 19

Matthew 21:19

The barren fig tree // Mark 11:13

Utley reminds us "Remember the name of the city of Bethphage means "house of figs." There were obviously many of these fruit trees in the area."

Fig tree -- This apparently is different from our fig trees in the United States. Here the figs do not ripe until August and way after the appearance of the leaves. It is said "Fig trees in Bible lands produced an early, edible fruit before the leaves appeared. This was a harbinger of the regular crop. If no early figs appeared, as in the case of this fig tree, it indicated that there would be no regular figs later on." BBC.

Barnes And said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee ... - Mark calls this “cursing” the tree Mark 11:21. The word “curse,” as used by him, does not imply “anger,” or disappointment, or malice. It means only “devoting it to destruction,” or causing it to wither away. All the “curse” that was pronounced was in the words “that no fruit should grow on it.”

The Point: "Jesus uses the occasion to dramatie a parable of judgment. Jesus has come to Jerusalem seeking fruit, and finding none, the temple is therefore doomed to destruction. The withering of the fig tree is therefore a prophetic sign of the future destruction of Israel’s most important sacred shrine." College Press NT

Verse 25

Matthew 21:25

believe ... Believing meant obeying. We see this illustrated here.

Verse 28

Matthew 21:28

1) Who 2) What 3) When 4) Where 5) Why

Why? Matthew 25:41; Matthew 7:21; Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:8;

A Father’s Request

A. Son

B. Work

C. Today

D. Vineyard (church)

Verse 29

Matthew 21:29

Repentance - a change of mind that results in a change of life.

Verse 33

Matthew 21:33

vs. 33-46 Destruction to come because the Jews rejected Christ.

Verse 41

Matthew 21:41

vs. 41 The Jews condemned themselves.

Verse 45

Matthew 21:45

The Jew leaders knew Jesus was talking about them.