I want to look at the Palm Sunday account from Matthew’s Gospel. It is found in chapter 21. We are going to look at the authority Jesus demonstrated in chapter 21 up to the verses where we see the authority of Jesus being questioned by the religious leaders.
Let me remind you that when Jesus was born, Matthew 2:3 tells us that all of Jerusalem was troubled, but here on what we might call Jesus’ “coronation day,” the day when He rides into Jerusalem as a King, the whole city is excitedly stirred about Jesus (Matthew 21:10). Matthew doesn’t want us to miss this shift.
Let me also say that you can only suppress an enthusiastic crowd for so long. When people who are like-minded gather together and are amped up about what they are supporting, eventually, their enthusiasm will erupt. This display of loyalty and excitement, this wave of worship and declaration of allegiance to Jesus was bound to happen. Jesus had squelched this kind of demonstration from crowds many times before, but this was the appointed time for them to hail Him as King.
Just a few chapters earlier, in Matthew 20:19, we read, “17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Jesus knew full well what would happen once He rode into Jerusalem. He spoke it ahead of time. Some may argue that it was Judas’ betrayal that set the events of the crucifixion into motion, but it wasn’t. Jesus, Himself got the ball rolling with His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This was happening on His terms, not on Judas’ terms, not on the religious leaders’ terms, not on Rome’s terms. Jesus called the whole thing ahead of time. The fact that Jesus predicted what would happen to Him in Jerusalem and had the courage to ride into the city to initiate His own crucifixion tells us that Jesus was confident of His authority.
And Jesus instructed His disciples to borrow a donkey and its colt. Luke tells us the colt was so young that it had never been ridden. An unbroken animal would calmly, peacefully support the Prince of Peace as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The fact that the animal was under Jesus’ control is another symbol of His authority over all things.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem, not like a conquering general on a horse, but on a colt which was customary for royalty. Royalty carries its own kind of authority. That day, Jesus fulfilled yet another prophecy about Him from Zechariah. Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9. Jesus entered Jerusalem just as it was said that He would. He conservatively fulfilled 300 prophecies in His lifetime.
When someone fulfills prophecy after prophecy and the words were spoken hundreds of years before His arrival, it is a symbol of His authority.
Matthew 21:8ff say it was a very large crowd that spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c] “Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
The spreading of garments down on the road before someone was an act of loyalty and a promise of support. When people are following someone, when they pledge their support, they are affirming someone’s authority.
The waving of palms was a symbol of victory and success. Jesus was being declared the winner before the real battle began to take place. Victors have authority and power. In this demonstration of support and declaration of victory, the people were crying out that Jesus had saving power. Their cries of “Hosanna,” were affirmations of Jesus’ saving authority.
We move on in Matthew’s account to verse 12 where we read about how Jesus approached the temple courts and noted how the Court of the Gentiles, the place where non-Jews could come and pray and seek God, how it had been turned not only into a marketplace, but into a place of robbery and religious abuse. The fact that Jesus took charge in that moment to drive out everyone who was buying and selling sacrifices there was a demonstration of His authority. In that moment, He got rid of all of them. That was no small thing. He was overturning an abhorrent and abusive practice that had by this time become steeped in tradition. He was righteously angry over what was taking place, and He had the right to be.
It was a big business, ingrained into the religious life of Israel and was heavily controlled by those who had set themselves up as the religious authorities. Here, Jesus was challenging and overturning the authority over the religious leaders who had propped up such a despicable practice. Picture Jesus, walking into the Milton Flee Market and demanding that everyone close up shop and leave! That is what I pictured as I read the story. This wasn’t one guy and a few doves; it was a large operation. Those selling doves for sacrifices were charging 20 times what people would have spent outside of that setting. The religious establishment was profiting on people’s desire to be right with God. And Jesus stood on the authority of Scripture as He shut it all down, saying, 13 “It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”
That is next-level authority! Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture to back up His authority to do what He was doing. He was quoting from Isaiah 56:7 which prophesied that the temple would be a place for ALL the nations to pray…all the nations, not just the Jewish people. The Gentiles, the non-Jews, were given the privilege of praying in the outer courts, but praying in that chaotic marketplace environment was impossible.
In this bold act, Jesus demonstrated His authority to overturn broken and oppressive systems, systems that put barriers between God and His people.
Moving on in Matthew 21, Jesus began to heal the blind and the lame at the temple. The chief priests and teachers of the law saw what was happening and heard the shouts of the children who were praising Jesus in the temple courts, and verse 15 says they were indignant. That means they were angry at and annoyed with Jesus. They didn’t see Him as worthy of any of the praise He was receiving and didn’t think He should be demonstrating the clout they didn’t believe Him to possess, but they couldn’t wrap their minds around all that was going on.
They questioned Jesus at that point. Verse 16ff: 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”
The chief priests and teachers of the law thought Jesus should tell the children to be quiet. They couldn’t believe He was willing to let them continue to offer their praise to Him. Jesus responded to their question with a question and comment that was sure to not sit well with them. He says, “Hey, it’s in the Book. Have you not read it? Do you not actually know all you claim to know? Did you miss that day of class? Were you sleeping the day they covered Psalm 8:2 in Hebrew school?” From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise. Remember that verse?” Well, He didn’t say it quite like that, but I’m guessing that is how they took it. If little children could recognize Jesus’ authority, the religious leaders were being put in their place for not seeing what was right in front of their eyes.
Jesus didn’t just have a following. He had authority, and the religious leaders started to question who gave it to Him.
As the chapter continues, Jesus was on His way back into the city after spending the night outside of the city, and He was hungry. He saw a fig tree on the road. It had leaves on it but no figs. Y’all, that was false advertising. If there were leaves, there were supposed to be figs. The leaves signaled fruit had arrived. When the leaves appeared, the fruit appeared with them, but something was wrong with that fig tree. There was no fruit. It looked full of promise, but it was an empty one. So, Jesus cursed the fig free saying, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. Matthew 21:19
The disciples had seen a lot of miraculous things happen, but they had never seen a tree go limp and lifeless before their very eyes. I wonder if all of the leaves fell to the ground right away. That would have been amazing to see. The disciples were being schooled in a lesson on how something can look good, can look righteous, can look religious and be deceiving; how something can look good but have no real fruit, and Jesus revealed that He had the authority to judge something by its fruit or lack of fruit.
Charles Spurgeon said, “The first Adam came to the fig tree for leaves, but the second Adam looked for the figs.” Spurgeon
Let that sink in. Just because someone appears religious doesn’t mean they are in a right relationship with God. Those in a right relationship with Him will bear fruit in their lives. Israel may have appeared to be religious, but there was no fruit sprouting from their religious actions. The same was definitely true for the religious leaders.
Jesus went on to talk to the disciples about how the cursing of the fig tree was a response to a prayer He prayed that it be cursed. He said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Whatever you ask for you will receive if you ask in faith? Was Jesus making that a promise to His followers? Whoa! Who was Jesus to make that kind of guarantee? One theologian said, “Nothing is too big for true faith to obtain, but that faith must have a promise to lean on.” -Poole
How did Jesus have authority to make that kind of promise? Who was Jesus to say that mountains could be moved, that prayers could be answered if great faith was demonstrated? Who was He to teach such nonsense? Here’s today’s main text:
The Authority of Jesus Questioned-23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him.
Are you catching this? Jesus went back into the very temple where He had uprooted the money changers. He wasn’t scared of the religious leaders. He had done a temple cleansing which readied people for some temple teaching. He demonstrated His authority to teach the Word of God, and as He did, the religious leaders interrupted the sermon.
“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“We don’t know.” Wow. The religious leaders, the ones with all of the answers admitted they didn’t know. When earthly authorities admit they don’t know something, whether they like it or not, they are admitting that there is an authority greater than themselves.
Jesus answered their question about His authority with a question of His own. He said, “If you answer my question, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” He asked, “John’s baptism-where did it come from? Was it from heaven or of human origin?” Jesus was questioning their competence to judge Him on His authority. Their ability to judge John the Baptist correctly was a measure of their ability to judge Jesus correctly. If the religious leaders answered Jesus’ question correctly, they would also have the correct answer to their question about Him. They could not say John’s baptism was of human origin for they were cowards. They couldn’t face those who had believed it all. They would not say it was of heaven for they were hypocrites. So, they chose silence. They would rather be indignant than righteous. They would rather be in the dark than know the truth. They would rather rely on their religious efforts than on the righteousness of Jesus.
That’s what happens to all who reject Jesus’ authority. I’ll answer the question the religious leaders wouldn’t. No one gave Jesus His authority. He is and always has been the authority, and no man can take it from Him. That expression, “Who died and made you King?” is a flawed question to ask of Jesus. That’s how we think it works. We think someone has to elevate us, promote us, crown us or give us position or authority. Jesus had none of that. He always has been and always will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Watch this video: https://youtu.be/yzqTFNfeDnE
Here’s the bottom line:
Jesus has Courageous and Confident Authority. He rode into Jerusalem with His face set on His mission like a flint. He drove out those money changes knowing it would further antagonize those who would call for His death.
Jesus has Comprehensive Authority. He was in control of all things, whether donkeys or fig trees.
Jesus has Commanding Authority. He taught the Word with authority, and He accurately judges the hearts of men.
Jesus has Correctional Authority. He schooled the religious leaders on wrong thinking.
Jesus has Consummate Authority. He is worthy of all worship, honor and praise. He can make promises and fulfill them.
Jesus has Calculated Authority. He determines ahead of time what will happen, and it does.
Jesus has Compelling Authority. People follow Him in response to His authority.
That’s my King!
Are you indignant towards Jesus? Are you apathetic? Are you antagonistic? What is your response to Jesus this morning? Are you following Him? Does your life reflect that you have bowed to Jesus’ authority? Does your worship reflect that He is supreme? Does the Word of God have your attention and bring correction to your life when necessary?
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