Bible Commentaries

And ¹ when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

(1) A graphic image of the spiritual kingdom of Christ on earth.

And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; ^a Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

(a) Let it be well to him that comes to us from God, or that is sent from God.

^b Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

(b) Happy and prosperous.

² And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet].

(2) An example of that vengeance which hangs over the heads of hypocrites.

³ And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

(3) Christ shows that he is indeed the true King and high Priest, and therefore the one who takes revenge upon those who do not show proper reverence for the holy function of the temple.

And would not suffer that any man should carry [any] ^c vessel through the temple.

(c) That is, any profane instrument (of which those men had many) that made the court of the temple a marketplace.

And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be ^d called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

(d) Will openly be considered and taken to be so.

⁴ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

(4) The power of faith is exceedingly great, and charity is always joined with it.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have ^e faith in God.

(e) The faith of God is that assured faith and trust which we have in him.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ^f ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

(f) Literally, "that you receive it", speaking in the present tense, to show the certainty of the thing, and that it will indeed be performed.

And when ^g ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

(g) When you will appear before the altar.

⁵ And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

(5) The gospel has been assaulted long since then by those in positions of human authority.

⁶ But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all [men] counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

(6) The reward of their evil conscience is to be afraid of those who should have been afraid of them.