Jesus Goes to Jerusalem (Based on Matthew 21)

The time was now very near when Jesus must die, and He went to Jerusalem which was the place where He was to suffer. Was He afraid to go there? No, He wanted to go there. This was the reason He had come to earth, to suffer and to die for His people. If Jesus had not died, His people could not be saved.

When Jesus came to the Mount of Olives, He called two of His disciples and said, “Go into yonder village. When you come there, you will see an ass tied up, with a colt by her. Let them loose and bring them to me. If anyone asks you why you are taking them, you must answer, ‘Because the Lord hath need of them.’ Then the man will send them willingly.”

So the disciples went to the village and found the ass and the colt, as Jesus had said. As they began to untie them, some people, who were standing near, asked, “Why are you taking away the asses?”

The disciples answered, “The Lord hath need of them.” Then the men let them go.

Had Jesus told these people to have the ass and the colt ready for Him when He sent His disciples? No, but Jesus knew where the animals were, and He knew that the men would be willing to part with them for His sake. Jesus knew all things, and all things belonged to Him because He was God.

When the disciples brought the asses to Jesus, they took their clothes and put them upon the colt. Then they set Jesus upon it, to ride into Jerusalem. As they went along, a great crowd of people followed to honor and praise Jesus. Some of them threw their garments in the way, and some cut down branches from the trees and put them along His path. They shouted and said, “Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the temple. There, even the little children began to praise Him, and they cried, “Hosanna.” The priests and scribes were angry, but Jesus loved to hear the children’s song; He thinks none too young to pray to Him and to praise Him.

There were still many people buying and selling in the temple. Jesus had driven them out once before and now He sent them away again. He told them that His Father’s house was a house of prayer, not a place to buy and sell.

Long before Jesus was born, the prophet Zechariah had foretold what we have been reading. God’s Spirit showed Zechariah how Jesus would come in triumph to Jerusalem. Zechariah prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9).

From Jerusalem, Jesus went to Bethany. As He was returning, He was hungry. When He saw a fig tree, He went to look for figs, but there was no fruit on the tree. The tree looked good, for it was full of leaves, but not one fig was on it. Then Jesus spoke to the tree and said, “Let no fruit grow on thee forever.”

The next day, Jesus and His disciples passed that way again. When they looked at the fig tree, they saw that it was completely dried up, all the way from the root. Then Peter said, “Lord, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away!”

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Perhaps it was to teach a lesson to us. We are said to be like trees; if we profess to be God’s people, to be good and holy, then we are like trees full of leaves—looking good in the sight of men. However, a good tree will not only have leaves but also fruit. Even so, those who are truly God’s people not only say what is right but do what is right. This is bringing forth good fruit to the praise and glory of God. As the bad fig tree was cursed by Jesus and withered away, so all those who only pretend to be righteous, and are not really so, must at last perish forever.

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