This section of the gospel begins with Jesus entry into Jerusalem the story we remember on Palm Sunday. Matthew tries to fit the story of Jesus riding in on a donkey with the prophecy of Zechariah 9.9 as noted in the footnote. But that scripture not only lists a donkey and a colt so both are mentioned in this gospel and in fact somehow Jesus rides them both into the city in verse 7! Other than that detail the rest of the story with the palm branches and shouting Hosanna seems to fit the most familiar recollection of the events of that day. However, here when the city is stirred up asking who this is, the crowds acknowledge him as the "prophet" Jesus in verse 11. We will see that reference again in verse 46.
The first thing Jesus does in Jerusalem is go to the temple and there he turns over the tables of the money changers and sacrifice sellers reminding all of the word of God spoken by the prophets that, "My house will be called a house of prayer." The children in the temple in this gospel are still shouting, "Hosanna" and then Jesus quotes a Greek version of the Old Testament the LXX which differs from what is in our Bibles in Psalm 8:2 translated from the Hebrew text! So do not be surprised if you never read the verse as it was quoted.
In the cursing of the fig tree story as it is told here the tree dries up immediately! In other versions it is fond dried up the next day when they pass by again. verse 22 seems to be loaded with a promise that whatever is prayed for will be granted if one has faith. Hence if it doesn't happen, you obviously just don't have the faith. (I have faith that God will do what God will do and I pray that God's will be done and that I learn to accept that rather that try to change God's behavior.)
Jesus' authority is called into question and though he does not directly answer it he turns the tables on the ones who ask by asking about where they thought John's authority came from. Could he be doing more temple cleansing here? He talks about 2 sons and it is not like the parable of the prodigal and his brother we will get from Luke's gospel, but here he turns the tables as he pronounces that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom before the chief priests and elders. When he told a parable about the tenant farmers they realized that he was really talking about them with this parable, too.
In chapter 22 is another parable in which the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding party, but the invited guests do not want to come. It gets so bad they abuse and kill the inviting servants (prophets) so the party throwing king destroys the invited guests and their city. (Now by the time this gospel is written, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD and the readers might hear this even though 40 years earlier when Jesus was in the temple it may have sounded like ancient destruction by the Babylonians.) It seems odd that the parable ends with another parable about a guest not wearing the proper wedding attire with a totally different purpose or moral to that story than the first one. Verse 14 seems out of place and would better refer to the story ending in verse 10. And watch for repeats of verse 13 throughout the rest of this gospel there will be much weeping and grinding of teeth.
A great line is offered in the trick question asked about paying taxes. Jesus slips past the slippery slope of their baited question with the words, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." (And I would add that everything is God's we are only stewards taking good care of it for awhile.) So then the Saducees had a question about how to solve a purplexing question about the matrimonial ties in eternity. Jesus dismisses their concern by noting a difference in relationships in heaven, but affirms belief in the resurrection noting the use of the present tense rather than the past tense in reference to being the God of the patriarchs.
And if you do not know the Great Commandment the section from verse 34-40 is worth committing to memory. Then after the questions are posed to Jesus he turns the tables again to ask them a stumper about who David's Lords are in Psalm 110. After this Q and A period they do not dare ask any more questions period.
Chapter 23 opens with Jesus using this as a teachable moment for the crowds reminding them to do what the leaders tell them to do but not to act like they act! And then points out that the greatest should be a servant. Then in the rest of the chapter Jesus pronounces "Woes" or here translated as "How terrible" on the actions and practices of the Pharisees. Then this section ends after Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem in the beginning with a story of Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem and how the people will not be gathered to Jesus like he would have wanted it like a hen gathering the chicks. (Sometimes do you scatter away from Jesus rather than running to him?)
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