Christian Living

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Tracing Jesus’ Footsteps towards the Cross


From the period covering Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem; through to the preparation of His disciples for His apparent death on the cross are found (in Matthew 21 - 28). He taught them through parables, had confrontation with religious leaders and left those leaders speechless because of fearing the response of the people. These chapters also cover His betrayal, agony in the garden, arrest and trial, death, resurrection and ascension. This article only covers part of the journey to the cross travelling through Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-32). Jesus facing the cross did not cringe but He walked in full authority to His final destination and fulfilled many prophesies spoken about Him.

His journey to Jerusalem:
He approached Jerusalem and stopped at Bethpage near Mount Olive;
He sent two of His disciples on a specific mission, ‘Go to a certain village, and at a certain place they would find a donkey and her colt, loose them and bring them to Him. If anyone demanded an explanation tell them that the Lord needs them.’
Is that authority or what? It appears that the Lord was wrapping up the finishing touches to all prophesies spoken about Him.

The outcome
Is 62:11 – the Lord has already proclaimed that the salvation of the Jews was coming and His reward was with Him, and (in Zech 9:9) – Rejoice, your King is coming to you ---, lowly riding on a donkey - this day was already prophesied. Did Jesus being a Rabbi,had knowledge of the Torah enacting that prophesy? I don’t think so.

Therefore, every prophesy from the city of His birth, tribe, mother of His conception and how He would be conceived, His life, ministry and age of his death and resurrection, were already fulfilled or left to be fulfilled, leading up to His death and resurrection. Jesus at age thirty-three had a death sentence hanging over Him and He was marching triumphantly to His final destination on earth.

Matthew states categorically that all this was done that it might be fulfilled. The disciples did as the Lord commanded them and brought the donkey and colt to Him, the unplanned procession was led by God Himself to authenticate His Son. The people came out in multitudes to spread palm branches in an act of worship to their Messiah without even acknowledging Him. They quoted a song of praise (found in Psalm 118:26) to their King saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
This is definitely another fulfilment. The very fact that these same people who were praising Jesus would turn against Him eventually, showed God’s powerful timing and fulfilment of His Word. It was not their willingness to worship Jesus as their Messiah, but if they had disobeyed Yahweh’s prompting a greater miracle would occur, the stones itself would have cried out. So the multitude said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee,” note, they hadn’t said the Messiah because they did not recognize him.

The next stop was the temple:
Jesus travelled through the streets on dusty roads straight to His Father’s house; what did He see? Instead of using this house as a place of worship and deliverance, where the Great I Am wants to set His people free and meet every social, physical, material and spiritual needs, men were making merchandise (buying and selling), profit making and ‘money laundering’ in God’s house (Matt 21:13). No wonder Jesus had to do a clearing out. What is Jesus saying about the misuse of God’s house today?

Jesus demonstrated the purpose of the temple’s use after he had cleared it out. He healed the sick, the blind and all who came for deliverance, despite all the opposition He had from those money making religious leaders (chief priests and scribes).

They saw what took place and the children were singing praises to Jesus “Hosanna to the Son of David” and these religious leaders became indignant and questioned Jesus about the children praising Him, He pointed them to the Scriptures, if you had heard that it said from the mouth of babes and infants emanate perfect praise (see vv14-16), they would have had no qualms.
Bethany
Jesus left the temple and travelled to Bethany and rested for the night. In the morning Jesus returned to the city, and during His travels He had a lesson on faith to demonstrate to His disciples. Jesus was hungry and looked for food on a fig tree that should have had figs on it, this fig tree was fruitless but it had plenty of leaves. Jesus cursed it and pronounced it would not bare figs again and immediately it withered away. That fig tree future was nonexistent.

Why should the disciples be surprised that the fig tree withered immediately? Didn’t they know that Jesus had all authority? They walked with Him, heard His teaching, saw many miracles and deliverance at His words of command:
• they had experienced the crowd spreading palm leaves and their declaration of Him;
• they saw Him took authority in the temple and drove our those who were making merchandise and money laundering;
• they saw the sick being healed and delivered, and children sang worship and praise to Him.
Why did they still doubt His authority after all they had experienced?
The purpose
There are many questions as to why there were no figs on the tree, was Jesus unreasonable to this poor fig tree, was it the season to produce figs, was it an act of Satan against Jesus, or was this an example, another attempt before the cross to eradicate doubt from these men, and for them to trust in the Messiah they had come to know?
I believe the latter of the above questions is more likely, ‘they asked why the fig tree dried up so soon, showed they weren’t looking for immediate response; Jesus statement gave them a solution to their dilemma. These verses are worth taking note of and commit to memory. God has empowered us to trust and not doubt:
“Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt 21:21-22).
Jesus gave them a twofold lesson He said, you say if you have faith and do not doubt it will be done, that’s lesson one, then He said whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive, lesson two. We have the assurance from Jesus of receiving what we pronounce when all doubts are eradicated. James said if we are praying and doubting at the same time don’t expect to get our answers from God (see James 1:6-7).
Let’s reiterate the lesson in simple format, which many of us are seen to be having struggles - doubt cancels out faith; Jesus said if we have faith and believe we have the ability to say and it will happen, and pray believing and we will receive what we pray for, just like that.

What a lesson to learn in our troubled world? We have been entrusted with power from on high but we need to know how to use this power to enhance the effective working of the kingdom of God. The disciples had a lesson that day demonstrated by their Master, as we observe the functioning of this lesson in the book of Acts after Jesus ascended to heaven. The Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying of signs (Mark 16:20).

The journey continued
The next time Jesus entered the temple a delegation of priests, elders and people confronted Him about His teaching. They wanted to know by what authority He was preaching and doing the things He did, and who gave Him authority? Jesus questioned them as the Jewish custom was to answer a question by another question; the question was on baptism.

“You answer Me this question and I will answer yours. ‘Who instigated the baptism of John?’ Was it from men or from God?” (Paraphrased)
These religious men were smart enough to hold their peace; whatever their answer was would have exposed them so they declined to give an answer. Jesus did not reveal to them the source of His authority either. I guess in their hearts of hearts they already knew the source of Jesus’ authority, this is the reason they wanted to get rid of Him.
Jesus gave the religious leaders a parable, a lesson for them to take note of whether they wanted to hear it or not; it was about a father who had two sons who asked the first one to work in his vineyard and the son refused but afterward he felt bad and did the task, the father then asked the second son and he said yes he would do it, but he never did. Jesus asked them, ‘which of the two sons did their father’s will.’
They answered – “The first one.”
Jesus showed them and defined how closely related they were to the parable because of their rejection of the Messiah, but the tax collectors and harlots will enter the kingdom of God before they do. John the Baptist came from God, a man who had walked the way of righteousness, yet they did not believe on him, but relent afterwards, because they saw tax collectors and harlots believing on him.

John came as a precursor of Jesus, he lived a righteous life, declared that the Messiah was on the scene to be revealed in God’s time. Because he preached repentance and did not waterdown the word many harlots and tax collectors turned to God, and they themselves learned to walk the way of righteousness. John saw Jesus afar off and declared Him to the world, baptised Him and took a back seat.

John lost his head because he was righteous and spoke the truth. As it was then, so it is now, many do not want to hear the truth, ‘waterdown the gospel and many will flock in their thousands and be found in many churches.’ They are religious but not right with God, in other words not having right relationship with our Maker. Nevertheless Jesus came to fulfil all righteousness and He did.

Our history could have been different if Jesus did not know the purpose of His mission; He knew His Father and His Father knew Him. The relationship between them was mutual; Jesus did only those things which His Father gave Him to do; gave Him authority to speak to the fig tree. Later on the unity He had with His Father cost Him His life – and He paid the price for our sins. Jesus made sure before leaving to equip the disciples and they in turn equip us through those same words given to them; that we in turn may equip others by the same words handed down. This is the purpose for the lesson of the fig tree; to believe, say and do, and eventually what you believe, say and do, become you. Have faith in God, not in man to be empowered by those same words Jesus taught His disciples.

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