Matthew 21:1-17
The time for parables and subtlety is over. Jesus is coming to town, entering into Jerusalem. Now Jesus gives clear directions to the disciples, and rides right into town. Jesus enters Jerusalem to a city and a crown in turmoil, a people curious about who he is and what he’s doing.
What he does is go straight to the temple. He turns out the money changers and the vendors from the temple. And then people come to him, right in the temple, they come to him, the blind, the lame, and he cures them.
And then what the crowd says gets the chief priests and scribes in a tizzy. They want to know if Jesus is hearing what they are saying. Jesus tells them he has, and indeed, it is truth form the mouths of babes. This is as straightforward as Jesus gets, as unapologetic, as obvious. Just a week before he dies, Jesus goes in, does not turn on the charm offensive, and lays it on the line. Why now? Why this way? When do we need Jesus to charge in to our lives?
