21:1-11 Jesus' triumphal entry recalls Solomon's coronation as king of Israel. • (1) Jesus and Solomon are both the "Son of David" (21:9, 15; Prov 1:1). (2) Jesus rides a colt into Jerusalem (21:7) as Solomon rode David's mule into the city (1 Kings 1:32-40). (3) Both processions involve a great crowd celebrating the investiture of a new king (21:8-9: 1 Kings 1:39-40). (4) In both instances, Jerusalem was in a state of commotion (21:10: 1 Kings 1:45). Similar celebrations are recounted in 1 Mac 13:51 and 2 Mac 10:6-7. Back to text.

21:1 Bethphage: A small village of an uncertain location but clearly on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. Its Hebrew name means "house of figs". Back to text.

21:5 A combined reference to Is 62:11 and Zech 9:9. • The emphasis of this citation is twofold: (1) Isaiah's prophecy, only partially cited, speaks of a highway to Jerusalem when the Lord declares, "Behold, your salvation comes." The similar wording of Zechariah's prophecy connects this salvation with the coming king. (2) The uniqueness of this king is his lowliness and humility; he rides a peaceful donkey rather than a "war horse" (Zech 9:10). Back to text.

21:7 he sat on them: Matthew alone mentions a donkey and a colt (cf. Mk 11:7; Lk 19:35). That Jesus sat on them refers either to the garments or indicates that he rode both beasts successively. • Allegorically (St. Jerome, Homily 81): the two beasts are the nations that Christ brings under his Lordship. The donkey signifies Israel in its long-standing covenant with God; the colt is the younger Gentiles, unfamiliar with God and his Law. Jesus ushers them together into the Church of the heavenly Jerusalem (Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22). Back to text.

21:8 spread their garments: An expression of homage for a new king. • Similarly in 2 Kings 9:13, garments were laid on the ground for Jehu when he was hailed the king of Israel. See note on Mk 11:8. Back to text.

21:9 Hosanna: A Hebrew acclamation meaning "Save us" (cf. 2 Sam 14:4; Ps 118:25). Blessed is he: Words from Ps 118:26, the last of the Hallel Psalms (113-18), which were sung as hymns at Israel's great feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Booths. Back to text.

21:13 a house of prayer: Merchants sold sacrificial animals in the Temple as a service to pilgrims celebrating Passover. However, rates of monetary exchange and inflated prices made the selling a profitable enterprise. By citing Is 56:7, Jesus indicts the merchants for profaning the Temple. The Temple is not a common marketplace but a sanctuary for worship. • In context (Is 56:3-8), Isaiah sees God gathering all nations to his Temple. No longer shall Gentiles be excluded from his covenant people; God will join them to himself. The prophecy looks endangered by the present circumstances—animals are being sold in the Temple's outermost court, the court of the Gentiles. This prevents Gentiles from truly worshiping. Drawing from Isaiah, Jesus charges the establishment with obstructing God's intentions. a den of robbers: A citation from Jer 7:11. • In context, Jeremiah delivered a sermon of judgment to Israelites in the Temple. They presumed that the Temple guaranteed the Israelites' security and protection, despite their sinful living (Jer 7:4, 8-10). Because Israel disregarded Jeremiah, God destroyed Solomon's Temple in 586 B.C. Jesus here recalls both the circumstances and outcome of Jeremiah's prophecy: If Israel fails to repent, the Temple will again be destroyed (CCC 584). Back to text.

21:16 Out of the mouths of babies: A citation from Ps 8:2 (LXX). • In context, the psalm describes infants glorifying the Lord—a point that Jesus uses to hint at his divinity (cf. 11:25). Back to text.

21:19 a fig tree: A symbol of Old Covenant Israel (Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10). Jesus curses it because it is barren and has no figs (Mk 11:21). Symbolically, then, he announces God's curse on the unfaithful of Israel—i.e., those who refuse him as the Messiah and lack the fruits of repentance (3:8-10; 21:41, 43). Israel's faithlessness is a negative example: the Church must learn from the nation's mistakes and pray instead with faith and confidence (21:21; 17:20; Jas 1:6). Back to text.

21:28-32 The parable of the Two Sons explains the preceding question about John the Baptist's authority (21:25). The sons (21:28) represent two groups of people: the first are sinners who repent at the preaching of John (21:32); the second are Israel's leaders, who refuse the Baptist's message, even when tax collectors and harlots (21:32) respond to him (Lk 7:29-30). By following John's way of righteousness (21:32), the former sinners do the will of the father (21:31). Back to text.

21:33-41 The parable of the Wicked Tenants is an allegory—i.e., each of its details is important and symbolic (cf. Is 5:1-2). The householder is God (21:33) and the vineyard is Jerusalem (21:33). The tenants are Israel's leaders (21:33, 45) while the servants are OT prophets persecuted for warning Israel of its sins (21:34; cf. 23:37). The son is Jesus, who will be thrown out of the vineyard and crucified outside the city (21:39; cf. Jn 19:17, 20). Because of the wickedness of the tenants, God will put them to death (21:41) when he judges Jerusalem in A.D. 70. He will entrust the New Covenant kingdom to the other tenants in the Church (16:17-19; 18:1719). See note on Mt 24:1. Back to text.

21:42 in the Scriptures: A reference to Ps 118:22. • Jesus states that he (stone) is commissioned by God (the Lord's doing), despite his rejection by Jerusalem (the builders). Scripture thus foresees that the Messiah will paradoxically meet opposition from the leaders of his own people; conversely, the faithful see in the work of Jesus God's marvelous deeds. Psalm 118 is elsewhere cited as biblical support for Jesus' vindication and Resurrection (Acts 4:10-11; 1 Pet 2:7; CCC 756). Back to text.

21:43 given to a nation: God will transfer his kingdom from the leaders of the Old Covenant establishment to the shepherds of the New Covenant Church (19:28; Lk 22:28-30). Back to text.

22:1-14 The parable of the Marriage Feast is an allegory of salvation history culminating in Jesus. The king is God (22:2) who prepares a heavenly banquet for his son (22:2). The servants are OT prophets (22:3) called to summon Israel (22:3). Because some of the invited guests ignored the prophets and others killed them (22:6; 23:37), God will destroy their city, Jerusalem (22:7), and send other servants as apostles (22:8) to invite Gentiles, bad and good (22:10), to the celebration. Those lacking proper attire are cast into the darkness of eternal punishment (22:14). The parable highlights God's impartial treatment of all who are called—Jews and Gentiles. He rewards and punishes on the basis of one's acceptance or rejection of his call (cf. Rom 2:6-11) (CCC 546, 796). Back to text.

22:2 marriage feast: An image of rejoicing and communion with God. • The background is probably Is 25:6-9, where the salvation of God's people is portrayed as a joyful banquet. Its fulfillment takes shape at two levels: (1) Present Liturgical. The Holy Eucharist is Christ's banquet of sacramental food and drink (cf. Jn 6:53-58; 1 Cor 10:16; Rev 19:9). (2) Future Eschatological. Ultimate communion with Christ takes place in heaven with the unending union of God and his saints. Back to text.

22:11 no wedding garment: A symbol of righteous deeds that accompany faith (Rev 19:7-8). These deeds are outlined in Matthew as almsgiving (6:2-4), prayer (6:5-15), fasting (6:16-18), and works of mercy (25:34-40). Back to text.

22:15-22 The collaboration of the Pharisees and Herodians— representing opposite political views—reveals the extreme measures taken to eliminate Jesus (cf. 12:14; 26:4). Their strategy was to trap him: if Jesus opposed the tax, the Herodians could charge him with treason for instigating a tax revolt against Rome. If Jesus approved of it, the Pharisees would charge him as unfaithful to Judaism and its hopes of national independence. Back to text.

22:16 their disciples: Jewish nationalists opposed to Rome's occupation and rule over Palestine. See topical essay: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2. Herodians: Supporters of Roman rule, sympathetic to the Herodian dynasty. See notes on Mt 2:1 and 2:22. Back to text.

22:19 a coin: A "denarius" stamped with a profile portrait of Tiberius Caesar, the Roman Emperor (A.D. 14-37). This tax was especially offensive to the Jews, who knew that God forbade the fashioning of graven images in the likeness of any created thing (Ex 20:4). Back to text.

22:21 Caesar's . . . God's: Jesus evades the intended trap (22:17) with a subtle and riddle-like response. His words have several implications. (1) At one level, Jesus plays on the word "likeness" (literally, "image"). Caesar's coins could be given back to him in taxes without religious compromise; after all, he minted the coins with his own image and they were his rightful property. (2) More important, everyone has the duty of giving himself—created in the "image" of God (Gen 1:27)—back to God. Jesus implies that this higher duty is incumbent even upon Caesar. (3) Jesus' response turns his adversaries' trap back on themselves. He hints that taxation is the result of their own sins—had Israel been giving God his due, they would not have been subjected to the yoke of Roman rule. (4) In the end, Jesus affirms the propriety of fulfilling civil duties while emphasizing our primary duty of serving God (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:1317; CCC 2242). Back to text.

22:23 Sadducees: Priestly aristocrats centered mostly in Jerusalem. See topical essay: Who Are the Sadducees? at Mk 12. there is no resurrection: A denial at odds with mainstream Judaism (cf. Acts 23:8). Their apparent acceptance of the doctrine in 22:28 is only a facade; they hope to stump Jesus with an unanswerable question. Back to text.

22:24 If a man dies: A hypothetical scenario based on the levirate law of Deut 25:5-6. If a married man dies childless, this law requires one of his brothers to marry the widow and so produce offspring for his brother (cf. Gen 38:6-8). The seven husbands mentioned (22:26) may allude to the situation in Tob 7:11. Back to text.

22:30 like angels: Against the Sadducees, Jesus affirms the resurrection (cf. Jn 5:28-29). The event will signal the end of earthly marriage and its purposes (1)to beget children and (2) help spouses advance toward holiness. Life in heaven will no longer require populating the Church and sanctifying spouses. Rather, the righteous will live as angels, who beget no offspring and worship God continually (cf. Is 6:2-3; Rev 5:11, 12). Back to text.

22:32 Abraham . . . Isaac . . . Jacob: The Sadducees lack faith in God's power and thus misinterpret Scripture. At another level, Jesus' controversy with the Sadducees may also involve the canon of the Bible. The Sadducees accepted only the five books of Moses (Gen-Deut) as Sacred Scripture and rejected the full authority of the OT prophets. Jesus appears aware of this, since he could have cited several passages from the prophets that speak clearly of the resurrection (Is 26:19; Ezek 37:1-14; Dan 12:2). Instead, he tailors his response to the Sadducees by strategically citing one of the books of Moses (Ex 3:6). • In context, God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush as the God of the long-deceased patriarchs (Ex 3:1-6). Jesus draws two conclusions from the text: (1) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive with God; (2) their ongoing presence with God is the decisive precondition for their resurrection in the future (CCC 581). Back to text.

22:40 these two commandments: The 613 commands of the Mosaic Law are distilled into two prescriptions: love God (Deut 6:5) and your neighbor (Lev 19:18). These summarize the spirit of the entire OT (law and the prophets). According also to Paul, love is the greatest theological virtue (1 Cor 13:13) and fulfills God's moral Law (Rom 13:8-10; CCC 182224). Back to text.

22:45 calls him Lord: Jesus' question concerns the meaning of Ps 110:1. The Pharisees (22:42) assume it mentions the Messiah, but their understanding of the verse is partial and inadequate. • Psalm 110 is an enthronement psalm that was probably used at coronation ceremonies for Davidic kings. In context, David addresses his son as "my Lord" (22:44), a title more appropriate for one's superior. This implies that the expected Messiah would be greater than David himself, a crucial point missed by the Pharisees (cf. Acts 2:34-36). As Messiah, Jesus is the son of David (1:1) and yet greater than David as the Son of God (3:17; 16:16; 17:5) (CCC 439, 447). See note on Mt 1:17. Back to text.

23:1-36 Jesus warns the crowds and his disciples (23:1) that the scribes and the Pharisees (23:2) are dangerous and their false piety is unworthy of imitation. Jesus takes aim at Pharisaic attitudes (23:2-12) and announces seven "woes" indicting them as murderers (23:34-35). Back to text.

23:2 Moses' seat: This may be an actual "chair", like those used in later synagogues, or only a symbol of teaching authority. The Pharisees thus preach the Mosaic Law with authority, but their failure to practice its "weightier matters" (23:23) should not be followed by others. See topical essay: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2. Back to text.

23:5 their phylacteries: Small leather boxes containing Scripture verses. These are tied to the forearm and forehead while praying (Deut 6:8; 11:18). Making them broad, the Pharisees sought to parade their piety for public recognition. fringes: See note on Mt 9:20. Back to text.

23:7 rabbi: A Hebrew word meaning "my great one" and a title for revered Jewish teachers (Jn 1:38). Back to text.

23:9 call no man your father: Jesus uses hyperbole to post a warning that no one should pridefully desire honorific titles. His words are not meant literally. The NT writers elsewhere use father for natural fathers (Heb 12:7-11) and spiritual fathers in the Church (1 Cor 4:15; Philem 10). • The spiritual fatherhood of New Covenant priests is an extension of its application to Old Covenant priests (Judg 17:10; 18:19). Back to text.

23:13 woe to you: Recalls OT oracles of judgment (Is 5:8-23; Ezek 24:6, 9; Hab 2:6-20). This is the first of seven "woes" in Jesus' denunciation of the Pharisees (23:1516, 23, 25, 27, 29). He presents a covenant lawsuit against unfaithful Israel and pronounces "woes" as covenant curses upon the impenitent (cf. Deut 27:15-26). In Matthew, these seven "woes" stand opposite the New Covenant "blessings" in the Beatitudes (5:3-12; cf. Lk 6:24-26). • The OT background is likely Lev 26 and God's promise to exact "sevenfold" vengeance upon the Israelites if they violate his covenant (Lev 26:18, 21, 24, 28). Back to text.

23:15 a single proselyte: i.e, a convert to Pharisaic Judaism. Back to text.

23:16-22 The Pharisees made false and hair-splitting distinctions between oaths, supposing the object invoked (Temple, gold, altar) determined the binding force of sworn statements. Their distinctions, which made some oaths less binding than others, abused and devalued the sacredness of the practice (CCC 2153). See note on Mt 5:33. Back to text.

23:23 mint and dill and cummin: Small seasoning herbs. According to the Law, a tenth part (tithe) of all produce must be offered to God (Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22-23). The Pharisees scrupulously adhered to this small command but neglected greater and more important principles; for justice, mercy, and faith are the foundations of the Mosaic Law and should inspire all obedience to God (cf. 9:13). Back to text.

23:24 a gnat: One of the smaller unclean animals, which Jews were forbidden to eat (Lev 11:41-43). The Pharisees dutifully poured beverages through a cloth to strain them out before drinking. a camel: One of the larger unclean animals (Lev 11:4). Jesus' contrast exposes the Pharisees for observing the minute laws of God at the expense of greater principles of the spiritual life. Back to text.

23:27 whitewashed tombs: Since contact with the dead makes Jews temporarily unclean, it was customary to whitewash grave sites to make them visible and help prevent inadvertent contact (Num 19:11-20). According to Jesus, the practice illustrates how the visible piety of many Pharisees only disguises their interior corruption and hypocrisy. Back to text.

23:35 Abel to . . . Zechariah: Some see this as a reference to the first (Gen 4:8) and last (2 Chron 24:20-22) murders in the OT. This is based on the Palestinian arrangement of the OT, where Genesis is the first book and 2 Chronicles is the last. This is difficult to maintain, because the Zechariah in 2 Chron 24:20 is the "son of Jehoiada", not the son of Barachiah. Zechariah the "son of Barachiah" is rather the OT prophet (Zech 1:1) whose death is nowhere recorded in the Bible. Jesus may instead be drawing from ancient tradition, just as Isaiah's martyrdom is never mentioned in the OT but alluded to in Heb 11:37 as the prophet "sawn in two". In fact, later rabbinic tradition maintains that Zechariah the son of Barachiah was killed in the Temple (e.g., Targum on Lamentations 2, 20). In any case, the cup of iniquity filled throughout history begins to overflow with the Pharisees' intent to murder Jesus (12:14). By rejecting God's Messiah, Jesus' generation calls down divine judgment stored up from the ages. Back to text.

23:37 as a hen: The Holy City persistently rejected God's messengers. Jesus too stands rejected, though he desired to protect and gather its faithful (CCC 558). • Jesus' language evokes Is 31:5 and the Lord's protection of Jerusalem. Other OT texts similarly portray God as a winged bird protecting Israel (Deut 32:10-12; Ps 91:4). • Allegorically: the hen is the Church, who constantly calls out to her young lest they go astray. Just as a hen takes care of her own, so the Church regenerates the faithful in Baptism, feeds them with her preaching, and loves them with maternal affection (Auctor Imperfecti, Incomplete Commentary on Matthew). Back to text.

23:38 your house is forsaken: The city and Temple of Jerusalem are abandoned by God to judgment (cf. Jer 12:7; Dan 9:17). Jesus, God-in-flesh, symbolically enacts this by exiting the Temple (Mt 24:1) and walking to the Mount of Olives (24:3). • Jesus' Temple exit recalls Ezekiel's vision in the OT. He witnessed God's glory leaving Solomon's Temple and resting on the Mount of Olives, east of the city (Ezek 10:18; 11:23). God's departure was soon followed by the Temple's first destruction in 586 B.C. Back to text.

24:1-25:46 The Olivet Discourse is the final sermon of Jesus featured in Matthew (see outline for Matthew). Its purpose is to reveal events of the near and distant future. (1) Prophetically: Jesus foretells the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and the Temple that occurred in A.D. 70. His predictions about this catastrophe and the tribulations leading up to it are expressed in the apocalyptic language of the OT prophets, which is often cryptic and symbolic. The effect is to show that Jerusalem's doom will be an event of world-shaking consequence in the divine plan of salvation. (2) Typologically: the devastation of the Temple, which stood as an architectural symbol of creation, anticipates the fiery dissolution of heaven and earth. This will occur at the end of time when Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Pet 3:10-13; Rev 20:11-15; CCC 585-86). Back to text.

24:3 Mount of Olives: Rises directly east of Jerusalem. when . . . what: The disciples' question determines the focus of the Olivet Discourse, which all acknowledge is difficult to interpret. (1) Some read it as a double question about two distinct events: the fall of the Temple and the future return of Jesus. Several proponents contend that Jesus speaks of the first event in 24:4-35 and of the second in 24:36-25:46. (2) Others read it as a single question about a single event and the circumstances surrounding it. For some, the entire discourse concerns the demise of Jerusalem and the Temple; for others, its principle topic is the Second Coming. Either way, the whole of Matthew 24-25 is read as a unified exposition, with 24:36 marking a shift in emphasis rather than a change of subject. In favor of the single-question view, Luke records many of the same statements that span the two parts of Mt 24 (housetop, 24:17; lightning, 24:27; body and eagles, 24:28; Noah, 24:37; women grinding, 24:41) but rearranges them into a different sequence, all referring to a single time of fulfillment (see Lk 17:22-37). Luke's presentation thus undermines a division of the discourse into two halves dealing with two different subjects. For the main subject being the Temple's destruction, see essay: End of the World? close of the age: Jewish theology distinguished between "this age" and "the age to come" heralded by the Messiah. Christian theology transposed this traditional schema of the two ages to cover the present age of history, still dominated by sin and evil (2 Cor 4:4; Gal 1:4), and the coming age of eternal life in the resurrected state (Mk 10:30; Lk 20:34-36). Jesus may be said to address the closing of the age at both levels in the following discourse. Not only does he speak of the demolition of the Temple (24:2), which marks the end of the pre-messianic order of worship (cf. Jn 4:21; Heb 9:26), but he also foretells that heaven and earth will pass away (24:35), thus addressing the end of history as well (as in 28:20). Back to text.

Word Study

Coming (Mt 24:3)

Parousia (Gk.): literally means "presence" but can denote "appearing" or "visitation". The word is used four times in Mt 24 and 20 times in the rest of the NT. It is sometimes used in Greek literature to describe the visitation of a king or high official to a city he has previously conquered. In this sense, it presumes a period of absence before the king's return. The Bible uses it in a similar way for the arrival of important people (Jud 10:18; 2 Mac 8:12; 2 Cor 7:6; Phil 1:26). More important, it denotes the coming of Jesus Christ, who brings judgment upon his enemies (Mt 24:37, 39; 2 Thess 2:8) and rescues his faithful disciples (1 Cor 15:23; 1 Thess 3:13; 1 Jn 2:28). The word can refer both to Christ's "visitation" of destruction upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as well as to his Second Advent at the end of time as Judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 1:11; 2 Tim 4:1).

||    The Orthodox Faith (Dogma)    ||    Family and Youth    ||    Sermons    ||    Bible Study    ||    Devotional    ||    Spirituals    ||    Fasts & Feasts    ||    Coptics    ||    Religious Education    ||    Monasticism    ||    Seasons    ||    Missiology    ||    Ethics    ||    Ecumenical Relations    ||    Church Music    ||    Pentecost    ||    Miscellaneous    ||    Saints    ||    Church History    ||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Patrology    ||    Canon Law    ||    Lent    ||    Pastoral Theology    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bibles    ||    Iconography    ||    Liturgics    ||    Orthodox Biblical topics     ||    Orthodox articles    ||    St Chrysostom    ||   

||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bishop Mattaous    ||    Fr. Tadros Malaty    ||    Bishop Moussa    ||    Bishop Alexander    ||    Habib Gerguis    ||    Bishop Angealos    ||    Metropolitan Bishoy    ||

||    Prayer of the First Hour    ||    Third Hour    ||    Sixth Hour    ||    Ninth Hour    ||    Vespers (Eleventh Hour)    ||    Compline (Twelfth Hour)    ||    The First Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Second Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Third Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Prayer of the Veil    ||    Various Prayers from the Agbia    ||    Synaxarium