Daily Writing

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant Matthew 21:15

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Having seen, also, the chief priests and the scribes, the ‘wonderfuls’ that He did, and the boys croaking in the temple, and saying, ‘Hosanna! The ‘Son, David’,’ they outraged.” (CG).

In the previous verse, the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple, and He healed them. Matthew next records, “Having seen, also, the chief priests and the scribes.”

These are the religious leaders at the temple. The chief priests would be the high priest, the leaders of the divisions of the priests, and anyone else considered to be in a leadership position among the priests. Any of these there at the time might be included in the statement. They, along with the scribes, saw “the ‘wonderfuls’ that He did.”

It is a new word found only here in Scripture, the adjective thaumasios, something wondrous or wonderful. Being a neuter plural, it is taken substantively as a noun in English. But for a literal rendering, it says “the ‘wonderfuls’”, meaning all of the wonderful things that Jesus had done and was doing.

One can almost sense the jealousy running through them as they walked around basking in their superior position within society, and yet unable to accomplish any of these “wonderfuls” that Jesus was accomplishing, one after the other. Along with that, it next says, “and the boys croaking in the temple.”

Matthew uses the masculine pais rather than the neuter paidion. Although scholars argue for “children,” the masculine signifies boys. The reason for the use of the masculine may be that Matthew was remembering Jesus in the Court of Israel, the Men’s Court, where women were not permitted.

Either way, they were “croaking.” The word krazó, to croak like a raven, is used. It identifies a notable crying out in various contexts, such as fear, desperation, elation, etc. Matthew notes this younger group croaking “and saying, ‘Hosanna! The ‘Son, David’.’”

This younger group had gotten caught up in the jubilation of the crowd that had ushered Jesus into Jerusalem. They were openly calling out with the implication that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, indicated by their words. Because of this, it says of the leader that “they outraged.”

The word was first seen in Matthew 20:24 when the ten apostles were outraged at James and John for presuming to be placed at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom. The same unhealthy jealousy has filled Israel’s leaders, as Jesus stole the spotlight among the people because of what He was accomplishing.

Life application: Jealousy is one of those things that wells up in us, often because of our own inadequacies. We may not be as strong, wealthy, oratorically blessed, handsome, etc., as someone else. Because of this, we may fail to obtain something we desire because of this limitation.

In such cases, we covet what they have. If that desire becomes too great, it can lead to any of a host of unacceptable outcomes, including murder. This is just what will happen to Jesus. In the very act supposedly upholding the Law of Moses, the jealousy of Israel’s leaders overtook them.

They coveted Jesus’ superior ability to properly treat the masses in various ways, as evidenced by the use of the word “wonderfuls.” This is seen at this same general time by the words of the Pharisees in John 12 –

“Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. ¹⁸ For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. ¹⁹ The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!’” John 12:17-19

The jealousy in them welled up into coveting what Jesus was obtaining. Because of that, the leaders eventually plotted murder and had Jesus crucified. This is what law does. It causes these things to spring up in us and brings about death –

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ ⁸ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. ⁹ I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” Romans 7:7-11

This doesn’t mean that we won’t covet without law, but that the law is what brings about the knowledge of the matter and the penalty associated with it that would not have come about otherwise. The leaders of Israel didn’t get this. People all over the world, even in churches, still are not getting it. What we need is Jesus to free us from the body of death in which we exist.

Despite the leaders’ evil actions leading to Jesus’ death, without that having occurred, we would remain forever separated from God. Thus, despite evil having been the motive behind their actions, the result was what God had purposed for restoring us to Himself.

Think of the wisdom and glory of God, who was able to put this marvelous plan of redemption together and have it come about. Thank God for Jesus Christ, who died so that we could be reconciled to God once and forever. Hallelujah to our God.

Lord God, thank You for the wisdom and beauty of the good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  Matthew 21:14

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And they approached Him, blind and lame, in the temple, and He cured them.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” With that noted, Matthew next says, “And they approached Him, blind and lame, in the temple.”

At the end of Chapter 20, as Jesus healed the blind men at Jericho, it said, “And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.” If they followed Him to Jerusalem, it may be that they were with Him as He entered the temple. If so, it would be obvious to those who were healed that Jesus could heal the blind at the temple as well.

Even if those men didn’t follow as far as Jerusalem, others who were there in Jericho and saw what Jesus did would have implored the blind and lame to seek Him out while He was there. With the unholy use of the temple taken care of, a more suitable use for bringing God glory was to be seen in these needy souls. Thus, Matthew notes, “and He cured them.”

As seen in earlier commentaries, this was one of the expected roles the Messiah would fulfill –

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.” Isaiah 35:5, 6

Jesus was sent by His Father on a mission to accomplish all things in the Law and Prophets. He set about completing that mission, and He continued through His last week before the cross.

Life application: Take time today to pray for people in your church to want to know God more intimately by wanting to know His word more fully. Those who think they can bypass this fundamental and basic step in knowing Him more personally are not thinking clearly.

It is true that we can be deeply in love with God by knowing the simple gospel. Many people lived lives full of love for Him without having a copy of His word, but to know Him intimately, and to understand what He expects of us more fully, there is no substitute for reading and contemplating Scripture.

It is truly our lifeline back to Him. Be sure to read it and to pray for others to want to do so as well. The word is what will bring about true change in the hearts and minds of those who have received Jesus.

Lord God, thank You for our precious Lord Jesus, who is so meticulously revealed to us in Your wonderful word. May we have the deepest hunger and desire to know You by knowing Him. And we will know Him when we know Your word. Help us to be responsible in this matter. Amen.

Monday, 6 July 2026

And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Matthew 21:13

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He says to them, ‘It has been written: “The ‘house, Mine’, ‘house, prayer’ it will be called.” You also, it, you made ‘cave, robbers’.’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus drove out those selling in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and those who sold doves. After having done that, Matthew next records, “And He says to them, ‘It has been written.’”

Jesus uses Scripture as the written authority to justify doing what He has done. Even if the leaders of Israel allowed this under their authority, what they allowed could not be justified if it conflicted with what God submitted in His word. It is His word that established them as a people and gave the leaders their authority to lead.

As for what had been written, Jesus loosely cites Isaiah and Jeremiah, saying, “The ‘house, Mine’, ‘house, prayer’ it will be called.”

This is from Isaiah 56:7. A literal translation from the Hebrew says –

“…for My house, ‘house, intercession’ it will be called to all the peoples.”

Jesus’ citation of this shows what the intent of the temple was. It was to be a house of intercession between God and man. And more, it was for all the peoples, meaning people groups that extend beyond the nation of Israel. Instead of presenting the temple to the peoples in this manner, Jesus next says, “You also, it, you made ‘cave, robbers’.”

Two new words are seen here. The first is spélaion, a cavern or cave. One can see the etymological ancestor of our word spelunk, a cave. Instead of a place of order and structure, a cave is an unshapely, dark dwelling where hidden deeds can be carried out.

The second new word is léstés, a robber. It is someone who steals out in the open, typically with violence. The thought is something like a bandit or a marauder. If on the high seas, it would be a pirate. Jesus’ words are cited from Jeremiah 7:11 –

“The ‘cave, tyrants’ it became, the house, the this, which it was called, My name, upon it.”

The Hebrew word parits, tyrant, is from parats, to break out. As such, the word refers to someone like a violent destroyer. The people had taken a good thing and destroyed its intended use. Because of their treatment of the House of God, Jesus was compelled to take action, setting things right before His Father.

Life application: One can see how God jealously protects His dwelling. The tabernacle and then the temple were edifices intended to reflect the glory of who God in Christ would be and what He would do. Each implement was a type and shadow of Jesus, meaning His person and His ministry.

They had profaned that by allowing things not designated by God to interfere with what was ordained by Him. But this is something we can do today as well. God has presented Christ Jesus to the world. The gospels are recorded, and the epistles have been provided to explain Jesus and His ministry.

But anytime we deviate from what is written, even unintentionally, we mar and deface God’s presentation of Christ, just as those of Israel marred and defaced the anticipations of Christ in their treatment of God’s house.

In Ezekiel 9:1-11, God judged and destroyed the people for exactly this irreverent attitude. Take time to read that passage today and think about what our actions deserve when we treat the word in a similar manner.

Do you think God is pleased with legalism? Is He pleased with liberal theology? Will He be forgiving of Joseph Smith’s addition to Scripture in the Book of Mormon or the Seventh Day Adventists’ esteeming of the writings of Ellen G. White? No. He will pour out His anger on those who so manipulate and twist His word for their own demented purposes.

God does not change. Let us not manipulate the sacredness of God’s word, but treat it as holy and sacred.

Lord God, may our treatment of Your word demonstrate a caring and respectful attitude toward its contents at all times. Help us to cherish it, share it properly, and exalt You through our application of it to our lives. Amen.

Sunday, 5 July 2026

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. Matthew 21:12

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He entered, the ‘Jesus’, into the ‘temple, the God’, and He ejected all those selling and buying in the temple. And the ‘tables, the coin dealers’ He overturned, and the ‘benches, those selling’ the doves.” (CG)

In the previous verse, the multitudes informed those in the city that it was Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee, whom they were praising. After having entered the city, it next says, “And He entered, the ‘Jesus’, into the ‘temple, the God’.”

Some manuscripts leave off the article before Jesus. They also leave out the words “the God.” The timeline in Mark is different but not irreconcilable. Matthew skips some of what Mark says. Mark places what Jesus will do in the temple on the next day (see Mark 11:11-15).

Matthew is thus making a categorical analysis, while Mark is following a chronological path for his narrative. Understanding this, the accounts do not contradict. The focus is different. Having entered the temple, Matthew continues, saying, “and He ejected all those selling and buying in the temple.”

It is generally accepted that this was in what is known as the Court of the Gentiles. To get a sense of the layout of the temple complex, its size, what went on there, etc., refer to Albert Barnes’ lengthy commentary. In short, the Court of the Gentiles was being used as a place of marketing of animals, currency exchange, etc.

The law prescribed that certain sacrifices be made by those who came for the feast days. These animals had to be spotless, meaning without defect. Rather than bringing their own from a distance, a market was set up where such animals could be purchased.

Likewise, there would be various currencies brought in by the pilgrims. In order to make purchases, however, there would be money exchangers who would trade those units of money for the temple currency known as shekels. This had become a great business where exalted rates for “spotless” approved animals could be made. Also, there would be surcharges for the exchange of money.

Because of this, the priests could make a lot of money from this process. However, this type of business should not have been conducted in the Court of the Gentiles. Any transactions for religious services should have been outside of the temple complex.

For convenience and certainly for control over the process, the priests had taken the area where the nations could come before the Lord, and they had essentially turned it into a Walmart. As such, Matthew next says, “And the ‘tables, the coin-dealers’ He overturned.”

The kollubistes, coin-dealer, is first seen here. It is believed to be akin to kollourion, eye salve, found in Revelation 3:18. These are the money exchangers who possessed the temple shekels and sold them to those with the standard money of those who came.

A second new word is katastrephó, to turn upside down. It is only seen here and in the comparable passage found in Mark 11:15. Jesus, seeing the greed and irreligious nature of what was occurring right in the House of God, took charge and dumped their tables over. Matthew also notes, “and the ‘benches, those selling’ the doves.”

A third new word is now seen, kathedra, a bench. It is derived from kata, down against, and hedraios, to be sedentary, settled, etc. Thus, it is a place where someone plants himself for work, exercising authority (as in Matthew 23:2), etc.

One can see the etymological root of the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, found in Roman Catholicism. That leads to the thought of the cathedral. The irony of calling the Roman Catholic bishop’s seat a cathedra when its three uses in Scripture are noted in a negative light is evident.

Life application: At what point a church passes the line from a place of instruction, worship, and glorification of God to a place like what the temple in Jerusalem had become is debatable.

Everyone wants to think that their way is acceptable, and it is those on the other side of some unseen line who have departed from what is right and proper. But whatever is done in a church setting should be looked at carefully to determine if it is holding fast to the main points of what a church is for.

If the focus is on the music, such as weekly concerts to motivate emotion, that church has become a “me” centered body because people are going for the purpose of being personally motivated.

If the focus is on receiving a blessing based on what one gives, the same is true. The church has become a supposed conduit for people to prosper materially. Such examples are not what church is for. Rather, we are to learn about God, worship Him for the sake of His glory, and fellowship with others, building them up and engaging with them as people who will be spending eternity together in God’s presence.

Take time to evaluate why you are going to church and what you think you are getting out of it. In doing this, you may be able to adjust your priorities so that they more perfectly align with honoring God.

Lord God, help us to focus on You and Your glory in all we do. Forgive us when we make this life about ourselves. We have needs, hopes, and desires, but we should always place them after our devotion to You. This life is temporary. What You have given us in the life to come is eternal. Help us to remember this. Amen.

Saturday, 4 July 2026

So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”  Matthew 21:11

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘also crowds’, they said, ‘This, He is the prophet, Jesus, the ‘from Nazareth, the Galilee’.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, when Jesus had come into Jerusalem, the people asked who He was. In response, “The ‘also crowds’, they said, ‘This, He is the Prophet, Jesus.’”

This response can be taken in a couple of ways. The first is that they are claiming Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses’ words –

“And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. ¹⁹ And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.’” Deuteronomy 18:17-19

This was understood to be a particular prophet who would come in the future, not merely one of a line of prophets. In fact, in John’s gospel, that this is a particular individual is made perfectly clear –

“Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’
²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’
²¹ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’
He said, ‘I am not.’
‘Are you the Prophet?’
And he answered, ‘No.’” John 1:19-21

The other option is that the words “the Prophet” refer to one of the many prophets who had arisen since the time of Moses, such as Samuel, Gad, Daniel, Jeremiah, etc. Thus, the people would be speaking in general terms. Based on His being hailed as the Messiah with the quoting of Psalm 118, the former option seems likely, but it is debatable. Along with being noted as the Prophet, it next says, “the ‘from Nazareth, the Galilee’.”

Jesus (Yeshua) was a common name at the time. To ensure He was identified more fully, the area where He was raised and performed so many miracles is affixed to His identity. The stories of great miracles being performed in the area of the Galilee would have permeated the collective conscience of the people.

Life application: To this day, it is debated who Jesus is. Islam has Him in a list of prophets leading to Muhammad. They deny His deity, and they deny that He was killed or crucified. Instead, they teach that He was raised bodily to heaven, protecting Him from death.

Mormons teach that Jesus was a man who became a god. Liberal churches teach that Jesus was a good teacher, but shy away from anything about Him that is confrontational or causes them to admit that their sinful lives will be judged by Him. They have so watered down the message of Jesus that every perversion imaginable is supposedly considered acceptable to Jesus, calling their vile teaching “loving” and “non-judgmental.”

An overwhelming number of messianic churches, along with groups like the Hebrew Roots Movement, teach that Jesus came to restore and “renew” the Mosaic covenant, thus requiring His people to continue observing the Law of Moses. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus was the archangel, Michael. He was crucified for sin and then was raised as a “mighty spirit being.” They deny a literal physical resurrection of the Man who is God incarnate.

These are but a few of the skewed and heretical ideas put forth concerning who Jesus is. But getting the “who” of Jesus right is the most important thing any human can do. So important is this issue that CS Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, used a “poached egg” analogy, illustrating the absurdity of people’s thoughts concerning Jesus.

He notes that a man claiming to be God while being merely human would be a lunatic or the Devil of hell, not a teacher. He compared the delusion of claiming divinity to the insanity of a man who believes he is a poached egg.

Either Jesus is the Lord God, or He is not. To deny His deity, if He is God, cannot be overcome in the process of salvation. The Lord alone is without sin, and the Lord alone deserves the glory for what He has accomplished. If He is the Lord God, it is our duty and responsibility to honor Him as such.

Be careful to consider who Jesus is. Get this point right, believe that God has done what He has done through Jesus, and be saved. This is important.

Lord God, may we be strong in our convictions concerning Jesus and what He has done for us. And may we stand firmly on the good news when talking to others. There is no other Savior, no other access to heaven’s glory, and no other King of the Universe than the Lord God who has come in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.