NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Part I

Verse 1: Jesus and His followers were getting closer to Jerusalem. But first, they stopped near the village of Bethphage, on the slopes of Mount Olive. From there, Jesus sent two of His followers on into town.

According to Jewish archaeologists, Bethphage is a village on the downslope of Mount Olive, and somewhat nearer to Jerusalem than the town of Bethany. It lay just east of the region of Golgotha where people’s heads were counted or numbered for the census at or near the Miphkad “Numbering Altar,”¹ just to the west of the village of Bethphage on Mount Olive.

It was in this very region on Mount Olive where Jesus was later crucified after the Sanhedrin had given their final decision at Bethphage to have Him executed for what they considered blasphemy. It is important to note that in Hebrew the word “golgolet” means “skull.” Indeed, because of this, this region near Mount Olive became known in New Testament Greek as “Golgotha.”² I do not know if the writer of the lyrics, “Oh Lord I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in,” that was popularized by jazz musician Louis Armstrong, had this in mind but one thing for sure, we can all say that we are part of those who are numbered at the altar on Golgotha where the Lamb of God was offered for our sins.

We are also told that the last three scrolls of the Third Division of the Jewish Bible³ were not kept in the library rooms within the Temple that were associated with the three main compartments of the Temple. Rather, these three books were kept outside the confines of the Temple, but still in a sacred area on Mount of Olive located just outside the camp of Israel as it existed in the time of Jesus. These were stored inside the walled village of Bethphage.

This was a priestly city reckoned in the time of the Second Temple to be an integral part of Jerusalem in which the court of the Sanhedrin gave their official decisions on what the limits of the city of Jerusalem were to be, what the regulations were about the killing of the Red Heifer, the decisions to execute a rebellious elder, and where the census and genealogical records were kept to prove who was an Israelite, a Levite, and Priest, etc. These scriptures show that “the footstool of God” was reckoned as the holiest place on earth and where people were officially required to worship God. It is no accident that later Jewish authorities (when Islam began) returned to Jerusalem and went directly to the Mount Olive and called that mount “God’s footstool.”⁴

They seemed to know that God had abandoned lower Mount Moriah as the place of His “footstool” and that God was now reckoning Mount Olive (upper Mount Moriah) as the proper “footstool of God.” This was the place where people could gather at “His feet” to worship God and to learn of His ways. Therefore, it could also be conjectured that when Christ returns and His feet touch Mount Olive, which will split in two, this will be the place where He lands.⁵

According to Jewish writings, “Beth Pagi” played such an important roll that at one time consideration was given to enlarging Jerusalem to include this village and make it a part of the Temple courtyards, although there was no discussion of extending the city’s walls that far.⁶ Often the term “walls” was used in the same way we use “city limits” today, as we see in this exchange: “Rabbi Hisda observed: As to what you say, If he [an Israelite] is in a heathen prison one may not sacrifice on his behalf alone; that was said only when the prison is outside the walls of Beth Pagi; but if it is within the walls of Beth Pagi, one slaughters on his behalf alone.”⁷ In other words, being in Beth Pagi was the same as being in Jerusalem.

Jewish commentators say that the sacrifice involved here is a reference to the Passover offering.⁸ We see that the Great Sanhedrin often went there to conduct business.⁹ We are also told that there was an oven in Bethphage, as well as the one in the Temple Court, where the Showbread was baked for the altar in the Holy of Holies.¹⁰ In their commentary on the Mishnah, called “Gemara,” the Jews say: “The Two Loaves and the Showbread were valid whether baked in the Temple court or in Beth Pagi!’”¹¹

Also, the Rabbis taught: “When a person sacrifices a thanksgiving-offering, but its bread is baked outside the walls of Beit Pagi, the bread is not consecrated. If, however, the bread was baked outside the Temple Courtyard, the bread becomes consecrated even though it is not inside the Courtyard.”¹² Some scholars in the past have become somewhat confused with the term “Beit Pagi” as referring to a portion of the Temple courtyard, and therefore is not the village of Bethphage two miles away. This question was asked of Rabbi Johanan: “What does ‘outside the wall’ mean?” He replied, “Outside the wall of Beth Pagi; but outside the wall of the Temple Court, it is sanctified, and we do not require ‘inside’ to mean near.”¹³ Jewish scholars comment that Beit Pagi was, “A fortified suburb of Jerusalem, which is at the edge of the city.”¹⁴

Even so, there were boundaries to the village, as we see in this comment: “He threshed it inside the walls of Beth Pagi.”¹⁵ One Jewish commentator explained: “The outer wall of Jerusalem, added to the original limits of the town.”¹⁶ St. Jerome speaks of Bethphage and calls it “the town of priestly jaws.¹⁷”¹⁸ This indicates that many priests lived and died in this compound. This certainly changes our view of Bethany and nearby Bethphage as being sleepy villages somehow disconnected from Jerusalem some two miles away. They definitely played an important part in what Jesus the Messiah came to do.

Therefore, Jesus’ visit to Bethphage was not accidental, nor incidental, but a monumental part of His pre-creation planned journey. Early church preacher Chrysostom had this comment: “Jesus had often entered Jerusalem before, but never with so much at stake. Why were earlier visits different? They came early in the dispensation when He was not very well known. The time of His Passion had not drawn near. He mixed in without distinction, keeping His identity under wraps. Had He appeared in this mode earlier, He would not have been held in high esteem. He would only have excited them to greater anger. But by now He had given them sufficient proof of His miraculous power. The cross was at the door. He now makes Himself more conspicuous. He does not hesitate to do things that were likely to inflame them. All this happens with dramatic impact. It might have been possible for these things to have been done earlier, but it was neither profitable or expedient.”¹⁹

Verse 2: He said to them, “Go into the town you see over there. When you enter it, you will spot a donkey with her colt. Untie them both, and bring them to me.”

It was in this setting that Jesus paused on the outskirts of Bethphage and told two of His disciples to go on into a nearby town to secure a donkey. Based on the geography, the closest town would be a place called Nob. At least this is the reading of one Jewish Rabbi, even though he was a known polemic writer.²⁰ We find this town spoken of by Rabbis who talked about one invading king (some say Nebuchadnezzar, and others Sennacherib) came to Nob, when he got there: “Mattresses were piled up for him until, by ascending and sitting on the uppermost, he saw the whole city of Jerusalem.”²¹

One well-known Rabbi commenting on the words in Isaiah: “This day the army will stop at Nob and prepare to fight against Mount Zion, the hill of Jerusalem,”²² (This tells us that this king had hurried his march toward Jerusalem), “in order to stand in Nob while it is still day, since his astrologers told him, If you attack it today, you will conquer it. And, when he stood in Nob and saw that Jerusalem was small, he did not heed the words of his astrologers and began to wave his hand arrogantly: For a city like this I have mustered all these armies? Stay here overnight, and tomorrow, each one will cast his stone upon it.”²³

So Jesus gave His orders to the disciples to enter Nob, because as David said: “The earth and everything on it belong to the Lord. The world and all its people belong to Him,”²⁴ and: “I already own all the animals in the forest. I own all the animals on a thousand hills.”²⁵ In other words, everything we see around us belongs to God, it is only on loan to those He created to take care of. And just in case the person in charge of watching this donkey and her colt were to ask what they were up to, Jesus gave them a simple response: “The Master needs them.”

This was not a strange mission Jesus was sending His followers on. After all, God sent Elijah on an assignment this way, “Then the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.’”²⁶ God knew exactly where His Son should be in order for His divine plan, worked out before the world began, could proceed in an orderly manner. This was no ordinary design, but one that would change the world forever. So it was imperative that Jesus followed His Father’s will, and that the disciples do exactly what Jesus told them to do.

Chrysostom points this out: “Note carefully how many miracles occurred so quickly. Observe how many prophecies are fulfilled. For example, when he said, ‘You will find a donkey,’ He foretold that no man should hinder them but that all, when they heard, should hold their peace.… He had already persuaded many who had never known Him before to give up their own property and follow Him. The Jews of Jerusalem were hardly persuaded, however, even though some of them were present with Him when He worked His miracles.”²⁷

So we see that this was a historic mission Jesus was on. It could not be repeated in case of failure. It was an all or nothing commitment to what He came to do. His disciples would try to stop Him but Jesus would not be deterred. Satan would try to stop Him because he knew that if Jesus succeeded in His mission, his fate was sealed for eternity and there would be no other opportunity for escape. Yes, Jesus had to complete this task. Otherwise, all would be lost forever. For this reason the world was created and mankind was placed here. It was critical that He did not fail.