M A T T H E W.
CHAP. XXI.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the two main hinges upon which the door of salvation turns. He came into the world on purpose to give his life a ransom; so he had lately said, Matthew 20:28 Matthew 20:28. And therefore the history of his sufferings, even unto death, and his rising again, is more particularly recorded by all the evangelists than any other part of his story; and to that this evangelist now hastens apace. For at this chapter begins that which is called the passion-week. He had said to his disciples more than once, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of man must be betrayed. A great deal of good work he did by the way, and now at length he is come up to Jerusalem; and here we have, I. The public entry which he made into Jerusalem, upon the first day of the passion-week, Matthew 21:1-11. II. The authority he exercised there, in cleansing the temple, and driving out of it the buyers and sellers, Matthew 21:12-16. III. The barren fig-tree, and his discourse with his disciples thereupon, Matthew 21:17-22. IV. His justifying his own authority, by appealing to the baptism of John, Matthew 21:23-27. V. His shaming the infidelity and obstinacy of the chief priests and elders, with the repentance of the publicans, illustrated by the parable of the two sons, Matthew 21:29-32. VI. His reading the doom of the Jewish church for its unfruitfulness, in the parable of the vineyard let out to unthankful husbandmen, Matthew 21:33-46.