Verses 1-6
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See teaching on Matthew 21 for additional details not discussed here.
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Verses 2-4. Keep in mind that, as Jesus knew from the Father what would happen here, the Spirit can reveal visual details and predict circumstances that are important, in order for us to direct our actions correctly.
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Grow in hearing from the Spirit you will have this kind of help.
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Verse 6. Notice that the disciples were allowed to go as soon as they spoke exactly what Jesus had commanded them to speak.
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Remember that if you do exactly what is in the Word, it cannot fail. You will avoid many problems if you speak and do exactly what is in the Word and what is revealed by the Spirit.
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Verses 7-10
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Jesus fulfilled prophecy here (see Zechariah 9:9-10), to show that He was Messiah, by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
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Notice that the people began to cry out in praise to Jesus, exalting Him as the Messiah, all on their own. Jesus, as humble as He always was, made no announcement for Himself that He was the Messiah.
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This praise, to fulfill prophecy, was so impossible to silence, in fact, that Jesus said even the stones would cry out if the crowds were to be silent (Luke 19:40).
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Without a word, Jesus' presence alone evoked praise to His name. Creation praises God simply because of who He is.
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We do not have to try to make anyone glorify God. Take courage in knowing that God will be glorified no matter what!
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Verse 11 – See teaching on Matthew 21 for details.
Verses 12-14, 20-26
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Verses 12-14. Jesus experienced hunger. And when He saw a fig tree with leaves, which meant that it should have had fruit, He was displeased with the tree. So, He cursed it, and it died.
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In the same way, let's not be believers that have leaves but no fruit. It displeases God if we make the appearance of godliness (leaves), and yet be without any godly works (no fruit). Be a fruitful believer by being obedient to the Word!
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Verses 20-24. Jesus' main point, however, in cursing the fig tree (seen in verse 23), was to show us that when a person possesses great faith, their words and prayers are extremely powerful. Even in something as simple as a quick word in a moment of hunger, the word shall come to pass. Great faith is so powerful, in fact, that Jesus said one could throw a mountain into the ocean.
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Qualities of great faith:
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Great faith makes your prayers most effective.
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Requests in prayer will be granted most often when a person is in faith.
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Great faith makes your words powerful, and can accomplish anything that you can imagine and speak.
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Faith does not activate merely in moments of deep prayer or spiritual enlightenment. Great faith brings power and consequence to many words you speak, even to spontaneously wishing death to a tree.
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That being said, great faith is also very dangerous. Jesus said that anything we say, if we believe it without any doubt, will happen. For this reason, God does not give great faith to just anyone. It would bring great destruction if He did. As such...
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Great faith is a rare gift that is given by God (1 Corinthians 12:9). It cannot be fabricated or emotionally drummed up.
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You must be serious about obedience to God if He will entrust you with great faith. You can't just believe hard enough on your own.
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For good reason, great faith and miraculous power are very rare to find. Truly, God is doing for us good by making great faith hard to attain.
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However, faith is important for a believer to be effective. Be thankful for the faith that you do have, and grow your faith by being serious about obedience of God!
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Verses 25-26. Know also, to pray effectively, you must forgive others. If you do not actively forgive, your prayers will be hindered.
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Unbelievers must begin forgiving others, as part of repenting and receiving salvation (repentance is necessary for salvation). If they do not forgive, they cannot be forgiven.
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How can a person value God's forgiveness for themselves if they don't value forgiveness extended to others also?
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But, as believers, we're already forgiven. Already being forgiven, if we ever start to take on resentment, our salvation won't be revoked. But, such sin will harden us over time, if we don't repent. This is very dangerous.
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All in all, to pray and live well, always forgive and don't be bitter!
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Verses 15-19
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Jesus was able to enter the temple and cause great disturbance, and yet, the Pharisees did not arrest Him, for reasons concerning their own fear.
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At this time, Jesus knew that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified (Mark 10:33-34). And yet, His boldest displays of authority took place in these moments, and right before He was to be killed. He was absolutely fearless.
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It almost seems He wanted to “go out in a blaze of glory”, we might say.
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As with Jesus, you do not have to be afraid of any threat against your life, so long as you walk in obedience to God. Obedience is the safest place to be!
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See teaching on Matthew 21 for details specific to Jesus cleansing the temple.
Verses 27-33
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It's no wonder that the Pharisees wanted to know how Jesus could be so bold and so authoritative in these moments. He rode into Jerusalem like a King and acted like He owned the temple!
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But their question to Jesus was insincere. They didn't really want to know the truth. So, Jesus didn't give it to them.
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We learn that it is often good to respond to questions with questions.
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Don't give knowledge to people who have no appreciation for it. This only causes harm.
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And responding to questions with questions can reveal a person's heart motive—which will tell you how much information you should give them, or not.
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See teaching on Matthew 21 for more details.