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Verse-by-Verse Commentary

The Book of Matthew

Chapter 21: Blessed Is He That Cometh in the Name of the Lord

Matthew 21 brings the King to His city. Riding into Jerusalem on a colt in fulfillment of prophecy, 'meek, and sitting upon an ass,' Jesus is hailed with palms and shouts of 'Hosanna to the Son of David.' He enters the temple and drives out those who had made His Father's house 'a den of thieves,' declaring, 'My house shall be called the house of prayer.' He curses a fruitless fig tree as a sign, and teaches His disciples the power of believing prayer. When the chief priests challenge His authority, He silences them and tells three parables of judgment, the two sons, the wicked husbandmen, and the rejected stone that becomes 'the head of the corner,' warning that the kingdom will be taken from those who reject Him and given to a people bringing forth its fruits. The chapter is the King's arrival and His reckoning: the meek Saviour who comes to save is also the Lord who judges fruitlessness and unbelief.

About This Commentary

This is a verse-by-verse study of Matthew chapter 21. For each section you will find the KJV text, word studies that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here the King enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, curses the barren fig tree, and answers His challengers with parables of judgment. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.

Setting the Stage

The King

Behold, Thy King Cometh

Jesus enters Jerusalem meek upon a colt, to shouts of Hosanna.

The Temple

The House of Prayer

He cleanses His Father's house and curses a fruitless fig tree.

The Challenge

By What Authority?

He silences the rulers and exposes their unbelief with the two sons.

The Stone

The Head of the Corner

The rejected Son becomes the cornerstone, and judgment falls on the builders.

The Triumphal Entry

Hosanna to the Son of David (Matthew 21:1-11)

The promised King rides into Jerusalem in humble majesty, and the crowds hail Him with the words of Messiah's welcome.

Matthew 21:1-11

Behold, Thy King Cometh unto Thee, Meek

"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

Word Study

"Hosanna," Greek hosanna (ὡσαννά), from the Hebrew hoshiah-na. The cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26 and means "Save now!" or "Save, we pray." It was both a plea for salvation and a shout of praise to the coming Deliverer. The crowds join it to "Son of David," the Messianic title, and to "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." They are welcoming Jesus as the promised King who comes to save. The word that begins as a prayer for rescue is fittingly addressed to the very One who came "to give his life a ransom for many."

Explanation

Jesus enters Jerusalem deliberately fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 -- "thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass" -- staging His own coronation as a King of peace, not war. The crowds spread garments and cry "Hosanna to the Son of David," hailing Him with a word that means "save now." Yet the whole city is "moved," asking "Who is this?" and settling for "the prophet of Nazareth" -- falling short of the truth their own shouts proclaimed. The humble King rides in to claim His city, and it does not know the day of its visitation.

Gospel Focus

This is the King's deliberate, public claim to His throne. For most of His ministry Jesus quieted talk of His Messiahship; now, days before the cross, He openly presents Himself to Jerusalem as her King, and He does it exactly as Scripture foretold. Zechariah had foretold a King who would come to Zion "lowly, and riding upon an ass" (Zechariah 9:9), and Matthew records the fulfillment: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass." Jesus fulfills it to the letter, sending for the colt, riding in not on a war-horse but on a lowly beast of peace. Here is the paradox of His kingship: true majesty in perfect meekness. He comes not to conquer with the sword but to save by the cross. The crowds sense the moment and pour out their welcome, spreading garments and branches, crying "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Their words are truer than they know: this is indeed the Messiah, the Saviour come in the Lord's name. Yet how shallow much of the crowd's praise proved to be, for within the week many voices shouting "Hosanna" would be shouting "Crucify him." The whole city is "moved" and asks, "Who is this?", the question every soul must answer. The multitude's reply, "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee," is true but far too small; He is not merely a prophet but the King, the Son of David, the Lord come to save. The scene calls us to a Hosanna that lasts: to welcome Him not merely as a wonder-worker or a moment's excitement, but as the meek and saving King, and to keep crying "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" all the way to His cross and beyond.

The Temple and the Fig Tree

My House Shall Be Called the House of Prayer (Matthew 21:12-22)

The King cleanses His Father's house of merchandise, and curses a leafy but fruitless tree as a sign of empty religion.

Matthew 21:12-22

Ye Have Made It a Den of Thieves

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Word Study

"the house of prayer," Greek oikos proseuches (οἶκος προσευχῆς). Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7: "My house shall be called the house of prayer." God's house was meant to be a place of communion with Him, where all nations might seek His face. But the temple traffic, set up in the court of the Gentiles, had crowded out that very purpose, turning a house of prayer into "a den of thieves," echoing Jeremiah's rebuke of the temple (Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus' zeal for His Father's house exposes how easily religion's machinery can smother religion's heart, and He claims the temple as "my house," the Son cleansing His own Father's dwelling.

Explanation

Jesus acts as Lord of the temple, driving out the merchants and reclaiming it as "the house of prayer" they had made "a den of thieves." The cursing of the fruitless fig tree the next morning is an acted parable of the same judgment: a religion full of leaves but barren of fruit is under sentence. To the disciples' amazement He turns it into a lesson on believing prayer -- faith that does not doubt can move mountains. The King cleanses His Father's house and pronounces the withering of an empty, fruitless worship.

Gospel Focus

The King's first act in Jerusalem is to purify worship. He enters "the temple of God" and drives out the merchants and moneychangers who had turned the court of prayer into a market, quoting the prophets: "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Notice He calls it "my house", the Son claiming His Father's temple as His own, an unmistakable note of His deity and His authority. His anger is holy: it burns not against sinners seeking mercy but against those who exploited the worship of God for gain and blocked the nations from prayer. And immediately He shows what the temple is for: "the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them," and children cried "Hosanna." Where merchandise is cast out, mercy and praise come in. The rulers are "sore displeased" at the children's worship, but Jesus defends it from Psalm 8: "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." The praise the proud withhold, God receives from the lowly. The next morning comes the sign of the fig tree, "leaves only" but no fruit. In leaf, it advertised figs it did not have; so Israel, and every religion of outward show, made a great display of piety while bearing no fruit for God. Jesus curses its fruitlessness, and it withers, a solemn warning that God looks past the leaves of profession for the fruit of a changed life. Yet from this Jesus draws a lesson of faith: "If ye have faith, and doubt not... all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." The house of prayer, the withered fig tree, and the promise of believing prayer belong together: God seeks real communion and real fruit, not empty show, and He answers the prayer of genuine, trusting faith. Let Him cleanse the temple of your heart, and bear fruit, not leaves only.

Authority and the Two Sons

Whether of Them Twain Did the Will of His Father? (Matthew 21:23-32)

The rulers demand His credentials; Jesus exposes their unbelief and warns that repentant sinners enter the kingdom before proud religionists.

Matthew 21:23-32

The Publicans and the Harlots Go Into the Kingdom Before You

"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

Word Study

"he repented," Greek metameletheis (μεταμεληθείς). The word means to change one's mind, to think differently afterward and feel the pull to act on it. The first son says "I will not," but then "repented, and went." His change of mind became a change of course. This is the repentance that matters, not fine words but a turned will that obeys. The tragedy of the rulers is that they said "I go, sir" with their religion and went not; the "publicans and harlots" said no with their sinful lives but then truly turned and went. Actions, not professions, reveal who did the Father's will.

Explanation

When the chief priests challenge His authority, Jesus counters with a question about John's baptism that traps them in their own cowardice -- they will not answer honestly, so He will not answer them. Then the parable of the two sons exposes them: the son who said "I will not" but repented and went did the father's will, unlike the son who said "I go" and did nothing. Tax collectors and harlots who repented at John's preaching enter the kingdom before religious leaders who professed obedience but refused to believe. Doing the Father's will, not claiming to, is what counts.

Gospel Focus

The temple rulers try to trap Jesus with a question of authority: "By what authority doest thou these things?" Rather than answer directly, He exposes their bad faith with a counter-question about John the Baptist: "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" They are caught. If they say "from heaven," they condemn their own unbelief; if "of men," they fear the people. So they lie: "We cannot tell." Their problem was never lack of evidence but unwillingness to submit; men who will not follow the truth they already know have forfeited their right to more. Then Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. One says "I will not," but repents and goes; the other says "I go, sir," and goes not. The question answers itself: the first did the father's will. The application is a thunderclap to the religious elite: "the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." The despised sinners were like the first son, they had lived a defiant "no" to God, but when John "came... in the way of righteousness," they believed, repented, and turned. The chief priests were like the second son, all outward "yes," robes and rituals and pious words, but no real obedience, and when they saw sinners repenting under John's preaching, they "repented not afterward, that ye might believe him." Here is the searching truth of the gospel: God is not impressed by professions of faith unbacked by a turned life, and He is not too far to reach the worst sinner who truly repents. The harlot who turns to Christ is nearer the kingdom than the churchman who only says the right words. Which son are you, the one who said no and yet obeyed, or the one who says yes and never goes?

The Wicked Husbandmen

The Stone Which the Builders Rejected (Matthew 21:33-46)

In a parable of Israel's leaders, the tenants kill the heir, and the rejected Son becomes the cornerstone and the stone of judgment.

Matthew 21:33-46

The Same Is Become the Head of the Corner

"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet."

Word Study

"the head of the corner," Greek kephale gonias (κεφαλὴ γωνίας). Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22, the same psalm the crowds had just sung. The "head of the corner" is the chief cornerstone that ties a building together and bears its weight. The builders, the rulers of Israel, examined this stone, Christ, and threw it aside as useless; but God has made the rejected stone the very foundation of His true house. It is "the Lord's doing." The rejected Son of the parable and the rejected stone of the psalm are one: Christ, cast out and slain, whom God exalts as the cornerstone of His church.

Explanation

The parable of the wicked husbandmen tells Israel's history and its climax: the vineyard owner sends servant after servant (the prophets), and finally "his son," whom the tenants kill to seize the inheritance. Jesus is openly foretelling His own murder at the hands of the leaders, and pronouncing the result -- "the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." He seals it with Psalm 118: "the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." The rejected Son is the cornerstone, and those who stumble at Him fall.

Gospel Focus

This parable is the whole story of Israel and her Messiah, told to the very men about to fulfill it. God is the householder; the vineyard, carefully planted and hedged, is Israel; the husbandmen are her leaders, entrusted to render God His fruit. Down the centuries God "sent his servants," the prophets, and the tenants "beat one, and killed another, and stoned another." At last, "last of all he sent unto them his son", the climax of God's dealing with men, His own Son. But the tenants, seeing the heir, plot to "kill him, and... seize on his inheritance," and they "cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him", an exact preview of Christ crucified outside the city walls within days. Jesus asks what the owner will do, and the rulers pronounce their own sentence: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men." Then Jesus turns the knife with Scripture: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." They are the builders; He is the stone they are rejecting; and God will make Him the cornerstone in spite of them. "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof", the privileges squandered by unbelieving Israel would pass to a new people, the church gathered from all nations, who bear fruit for God. And He gives a solemn double warning about this stone: "whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Christ is either the stone on which we fall in broken repentance, and are saved, or the stone that falls in judgment and crushes. There is no neutrality toward Him. The rulers "perceived that he spake of them," and in their rage moved to arrest Him, proving the parable true even as they heard it. The rejected Son is the risen Lord and the cornerstone of the church; build your life on Him, or be broken by Him.

Chapter 21 in Review

Matthew 21 is the arrival and the reckoning of the King. Jesus rides into Jerusalem in humble majesty, fulfilling Zechariah, "meek, and sitting upon an ass," to shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." He cleanses the temple of its merchandise, "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves," heals the blind and lame, and receives the children's praise. He curses a fruitless fig tree as a sign, and teaches believing prayer. Challenged on His authority, He silences the rulers, then tells three parables of judgment: the two sons, where "the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you"; the wicked husbandmen who kill the heir; and the rejected stone that God makes "the head of the corner," warning that "the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

For the Apostolic reader the chapter holds together the two faces of Christ's coming: salvation and judgment. He comes as the meek, saving King, welcomed with Hosannas, the Son of David who will give His life a ransom. Yet He is also the Lord of the temple, calling it "my house," who purges false worship, curses fruitless religion, and pronounces judgment on unbelief. The parables press one urgent truth: God looks for the fruit of real repentance and obedience, not the leaves of profession, nor the words of a son who says "I go, sir" and goes not. And at the center stands the stone the builders rejected. Christ, cast out and slain, is raised by God to be the cornerstone of a new people gathered from all nations to bear fruit for Him. Every reader stands before that stone. Fall on it in repentance and be saved and built upon it; refuse it, and it becomes the stone of judgment. Cry your Hosanna, welcome the King, and bring forth the fruits of the kingdom.

Key Takeaways
  • Jesus openly comes as the meek King foretold by the prophet, welcomed with Hosanna (21:5, 9).
  • He claims the temple as "my house" and purges it for prayer and mercy (21:13-14).
  • The withered fig tree warns against leaves of profession without fruit (21:19).
  • God honors the turned will, not empty words: repentant sinners enter before proud religionists (21:28-31).
  • The rejected Son is God's chosen cornerstone; there is no neutrality toward Him (21:42, 44).
  • The kingdom passes to a people who bring forth its fruits (21:43).

Questions for Reflection

  • Is your Hosanna lasting, or the shallow enthusiasm of a moment?
  • Does your life bear fruit for God, or only leaves of profession?
  • Are you the son who said no but obeyed, or the one who says yes and never goes?
  • Have you fallen on the cornerstone in repentance, or are you rejecting it?

References & Sources

Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The King on the colt: Zechariah 9:9. Hosanna and the cornerstone: Psalm 118:22-26. The house of prayer and the den of thieves: Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11. Praise from babes: Psalm 8:2. Christ the cornerstone: Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Ephesians 2:20. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.

  1. The Triumphal Entry: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19; Zechariah 9:9.
  2. The cleansing of the temple and the fig tree: Matthew 21:12-22; Mark 11:12-25; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11.
  3. The question of authority and the two sons: Matthew 21:23-32; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8.
  4. The parable of the wicked husbandmen and the rejected stone: Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19; Psalm 118:22.
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