26. The Downfall Of The Fruitless City (End-Times Series Part 7)

Welcome back to the podcast where we prod the sheep and beat the wolf.

This is episode 26 the downfall of the fruitless city.

For any of you that seen any movie I want to talk about context for just a moment I'm gonna use one of my favorite

movies the Princess Bride to illustrate.

When the revenge -seeking Spaniard from Princess Bride uttered the most famous lines in the movie to my opinion I

will go up to the six -finger men and I will say hello.

My name is an eagle Montoya.

You killed my father.

Prepare to die.

When he uttered those words there was more than an hour and 20 minutes of storyline that was underpinning that scene.

From his motive for revenge that he tells Wesley on top of the cliffs of insanity to his rants and flailing

about with a with His father's sword and a drunken stupor in the thieves forest much happens in

Inigo's life that makes his most significant scene all the more important.

Without all of that critical context Killing count Rugen may appear like nothing more than a frivolous

crime of passion.

Now if you don't know the Princess Bride, you obviously don't know at all what I'm talking about.

But if you do know the Princess Bride Then you'll understand that the context is important.

If you've never seen the Princess Bride watch it one of the greatest movies of all time it.

But if if you're just adamantly opposed to watching it you understand the point context matters and

The same is true when we're considering the topic of eschatology.

Before we can understand these prickly end times concepts that come out of chapters like Matthew 24

things like the Great Tribulation or the rapture the end of the age.

Before we can understand those things. We have to first go back and understand the context.

That's underpinning all of those statements and to do that.

We must understand that Matthew is Telling the story of the long -awaited Jewish King

who as Malachi foretold 400 years before would come and set up his never -ending Empire here

on earth.

Those who would accept his rule would live forever in his kingdom and those who would oppose him beginning with Jerusalem

Would be put under his feet and crushed if we don't understand that that's the story that Matthew is telling them.

We're gonna miss every eschatological point that Matthew is trying to make.

So with that Let us can let us continue in our journey in Matthew as we seek to

understand the end Times and as we try to understand the final week of Jesus's life

the final week.

Nearly a thousand years before the events that are recorded in Matthew the city awoke to the sounds of laughter

worship and joy.

The nations as God intended were coming they were streaming into the city of Jerusalem to see if what they have heard was

true.

They were coming to see the radiance and the power of Israel's God.

They wanted to see this magnificent temple where he visibly reigned.

They wanted to see the city.

That was his footstool.

They wanted to see the vice -regent that God had appointed to sit upon his throne in Jerusalem.

And that was the son of David King Solomon now

Thousand years later when Matthew's writing the Davidic King has been completely snuffed out.

The temple which has already been destroyed once before this has become a whitewashed tomb of dead pharisaical

religion.

The people who were called to announce the inauguration of God's kingdom have been beheaded by the

puppet king.

That's Herod and as Malachi warned The love of God was at an all

-time low among this increasingly paganized nation.

By the time that you and I arrive at Matthew's gospel The rot has sunk in so deep into the soul of Judah

that the wound was incurable.

Josephus the Jewish historian describes this era of history and Its people

highlighting the inevitability of God's judgment soon to come he writes this Shortly

after the destruction of Jerusalem and as you read it as you listen to it

You can just sense the agony in this man's heart for the people who refuse to repent.

This is what Josephus says and Here I cannot refrain from expressing what my

feelings suggest.

I am of the opinion that had the Romans deferred the punishment of these wretches then either the earth would have opened up and

swallowed the city or It would have been swept away by a deluge or have

shared the thunderbolts of the land of Sodom.

For it produced a race far more ungodly Than those who were

thus visited.

He's saying that this people was far more ungodly than Sodom and Then

he continues for through the desperate madness of these men.

The whole nation was involved in their ruin.

By the time of the New Testament the city of Jerusalem was so Noxious and odious to God that

she could not even detect her own moral stench.

With lying lips and hearts that were far from God Matthew 15 8 through 9.

She not only persisted in her murderous rage Matthew 14 1 through 12 23 29 through

33 but She was increasingly opposed to God's only

Son.

As a result Jesus tells his disciples that the keys of God's kingdom are gonna be removed from the people of

Israel Matthew 16 30 13 through 20 and That some of them some of the disciples were

going to be alive to witness her downfall.

That's Matthew 16 28.

When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem during his triumphal entry in the year 80 30 or 80 33 It was

surely for the salvation of his people.

Yes, and amen.

But as Malachi Rightly predicted he not only came for the salvation of his people But he came for the

judgment and the destruction of Jerusalem and when he entered the city it was also for

judgment.

Now in the weeks ahead, we're gonna narrow our focus Onto the final week of Jesus's life and we're gonna look

at the context.

So that when we get to chapter 24, we're gonna be able to understand all of the beautiful eschatology that's there and we're

and we're not gonna get confused about what the Last days mean or what the rapture means or the Great Tribulation or anything like

that?

We're going to understand what that passage means in its context.

So for the weeks ahead, we're gonna be looking at Matthew 21 22 and 23 today we're gonna focus on Matthew 21

and we're gonna see how everything in this chapter has to do with Jerusalem as the cursed

and fruitless city day one a Procession of

joy and judgment.

Matthew 21 opens with Jesus the true Davidic King preparing to ride into the royal city on

the back of a donkey for the final time.

At that time Kings would not only ride upon they would only ride upon horses if they were going out to war.

But if they approached a city in peace They would ride on a far less threatening mode of transportation which in

their day was a mule or a donkey.

This is especially true During what we would call like an Israelite changing -of -the -guard

ceremony or a coronation event which became tradition at the time of David Heard

David's explicit command on his deathbed Solomon his son would be anointed for the office

of King with oil by the high priest of Israel and Then once he was anointed King of Israel He would

ride into the capital city on the back of a donkey and as he rode a procession of important people would follow

With him singing and chanting long live the king.

And by the time that they finally arrived in the city of Jerusalem Solomon would would sit on his father's throne the

entire city was in a joyful Uproar and you can read about it in first Kings chapter 1 verses 38 through

40.

Now John since John tells us that Jesus was anointed with oil just

before his triumphal entry John 12 and since Luke tells us

That he rode into the city with a crowd of important people who were singing Blessed is the King who comes in the name

of the Lord.

It's Luke 19 and Since Matthew tells us that the city was stirred up upon

his arrival Matthew 21 There can be no doubt That

Jesus was coming as King to set up his kingdom in the Solomonic way.

Whether the people understood the ramifications of his coming or not matters very little to actually what Jesus is trying to communicate.

Jesus saw himself as the true Solomon the true son of

David who was coming to establish his kingdom if There's any

doubt about that interpretation at all.

Matthew himself clears it up for us by quoting from Zechariah 9 9 Which

says rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion Shout and triumph O daughter of

Jerusalem.

Behold your King is coming to you and he is just and endowed with salvation.

Humble and mounted on a donkey even on a coal the foal of a donkey.

From the quotation alone from that quotation in Zechariah.

We can see how Jesus is the long -awaited Messianic King he's the one who came to Jerusalem that

day in order to provide salvation for his people and to bring them into his kingdom of peace, but

as Malachi has taught us we must not miss the fact That Jesus is not only

coming for a blessing but for judgment and we see that in the context of Zechariah

9.

When you look up this passage You see verse 9 verse 9 looks all about the blessing.

But when you read the surrounding context, you actually see that really it's couched in the middle of

extreme judgment against the people.

For instance in that same passage in Zechariah 9 the same one that Matthew quotes in Matthew 21 The prophet speaks of a

rebellious nation That's going to be dispossessed from her land.

Her wealth is going to be cast into the sea and her city is going to be consumed with fire.

Zechariah 9 4.

The Lord then promises to bring an army to encamp around his house.

That's the Jerusalem Temple in judgment, that's Zechariah 9 8 and After the remnant of his

people are saved that's Zechariah 9 9 that's the passage that Matthew quotes then this

humble King is going to remove the weapons and the might and the power of Defeated Jerusalem

and he's going to create a global kingdom of peace that will eventually blanket the entire world with his

dominion Zechariah 9 10.

When we consider how Matthew identifies Zechariah 9 9 as being fulfilled in Christ We should not

be surprised that the rest of these verses also are gonna be fulfilled in Christ.

Let me show you what I mean.

Jerusalem really was dispossessed by the Romans her wealth was cast into the sea on

ships that were heading back to Rome.

Her city was burned into a smoldering ash heap.

All of that in fulfillment of Zechariah 9 4 her temple was surrounded by armies in judgment for her

rebellion, that's Zechariah 9 8 a Remnant of people the Christians were

spared before these events happened in 80 70 that's Zechariah 9 9.

God did remove Jerusalem from her favored status and from her religious power and prominence.

And Jesus really did Begin a brand new kingdom With him as

its king that's gonna continue along until the entire world is under his dominion.

That's Zechariah 9 10.

Everything in Zechariah 9 1 through 10 all of it not just his triumphal entry was

accomplished by Christ.

That includes the joy for the people of God, but it also includes the judgment against feckless

Jerusalem.

Later that evening the God who visits his temple After Jesus is

kingly ride into the city and after the crowds sort of dispersed.

He doesn't go to the palace as the anointed King as Solomon did.

His throne was gonna await him in heaven after his ascension.

So he didn't need to do that instead Jesus goes to the Jerusalem temple in order to pronounce

judgment upon its leaders and upon the barren empty building in True Malachi

like fashion.

Jesus came to the temple with tremendous fury and covenantal zeal overturning its tables chasing

out the wicked vendors and pronouncing judgment Upon the house that bore

no fruit for God.

Matthew 21 12 through 13.

This was how Jesus ended his first full day in the city on the last week of his life.

The judgment tones are there.

But as we see they're gonna continue to grow even more strongly as we turn the page over into day two.

So Jesus he leaves the temple after he cleanses that I'm sure he didn't make any friends on that night.

He goes home goes back to Bethany goes to sleep.

He wakes up early in the morning.

That's the beginning of day two a morning of mountain moving.

Now if you've been a Christian for any length of time at all You've probably heard the phrase or you've been encouraged to have

a faith that can move mountains.

That comes from Matthew 21 21, but unfortunately that is not at all what the passage is talking about not even remotely.

Matthew is not haphazardly breaking away from this narrative of Judgment where Christ rides into the

city of Jerusalem for judgment, then he goes to the Jerusalem temple for judgment.

He's not interrupting that narrative so that he can give you a pep talk about how to have a better life better health or a better car.

That would be absurd.

When we say things like you know if I just had enough faith that could move a mountain in my life or if you believe it then

you can See it sort of this R. Kelly theology.

We expose how little we understand about the narrative and of how shallow We are when

we approach the Bible.

The text is not about you.

It's about the judgment that Jesus is bringing to Jerusalem.

This passage has nothing at all to do with you having big faith.

This passage has everything with Jesus bringing a big judgment.

Remember the context.

Jesus comes to the fruitless city that offered him only leaves no fruit Matthew 21 8.

That point should shock us.

Then the next day he curses a leaves only tree a tree that would not bear fruit.

Matthew 21 18 through 19 listen to this.

He comes to the leaves only city and Then the next day he encounters a

leaves only tree.

The metaphor in the comparison could not be more striking.

Jerusalem was supposed to be God's city where he dwelled in this beautiful magnificent temple that was decorated like the Garden of

Eden and the city was supposed to be this paradise city where people could come and they could meet with the one true God

and be Nourished by his temple.

Imagine think about the Edenic Nature of the city of Jerusalem the tree of life was in the middle of the garden.

So to Jerusalem had this glorious temple in the middle of the city where pilgrims were supposed to

come and experience life healing nourishment and blessings.

But by the time that Jesus came to the city the whole thing had become stale

withered and fruitless.

Jerusalem was no longer the Garden City, but a religious wasteland.

No longer a place where pilgrims could be nourished and healed.

But a place set apart for the curse.

Matthew 21 14 through 16.

That is the context that Matthew is giving us so that we can understand that the

cursing of the fig tree is Not about a faith that can move mountains.

It's about Jesus who's going to remove the mountain city.

According to Matthew 21 that kind of faith belongs to Jesus and We must remember

this.

This is why I say that Jesus is going to remove the mountain city.

We must remember Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem that morning.

He's facing Jerusalem the fruitless city when he was encountered by the fruitless tree.

By cursing this tree Jesus is pronouncing doom upon the city as well.

Look at how he answers his befuddled disciples.

Jesus answered and said to them truly I say to you if you have faith and you do not doubt you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but

even if You were to say to this mountain

Be taken up and cast in the sea it will happen.

From the context of what's going on.

We know that Jesus is not sneaking in a word of faith passage so that Bill Johnson Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn can

abuse the scriptures.

Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem a mountain city.

The city that sits literally on top of a mountain.

So when he says if you say to this mountain It would be

clear to his disciples what he's talking about.

He didn't say if you say to a mountain some mountain somewhere or that mountain a mountain

that's really far away.

He was not referring to any old problem in your life.

Metaphorically that's looming over your life like a mountain of Everest in Nepal.

He is using a near demonstrative pronoun this to point to

a specific Mountain that all of them could see right in front of their faces that was standing there

looming over them.

It was that cursed mountain with Jerusalem on top of it that Jesus intended to cast

into the sea.

Do you remember when Zechariah said in chapter 9 verse 4 that all of their wealth would be cast into the sea?

History tells us that is exactly what happened to the city of Jerusalem.

And I believe that's exactly what Jesus meant when he said say to this mountain Jerusalem

be cast into the sea because that's what happened as We've said before the Romans not only destroyed

the mountain city of Jerusalem in the 70th year AD.

But they also killed about a million Jews.

They took nearly a hundred thousand of them hostage into slavery.

They plundered the city and all of its treasures and after taking everything that they possibly could Packing

everything up onto their ships.

They bound back for the city of Rome with all of their spoils and all of their victory and they cast off into the sea.

Jesus and Zechariah both prophesied that this rebellious

mountain city called Jerusalem the fruitless city Would be upended

and thrown into the sea.

And in 70 AD it was so.

Day two continued a noontime showdown.

After parabolically cursing the city of Jerusalem and promising that the mountain city would be cast into the sea Jesus

enters the city once more and he goes back to the temple mount for a confrontation with its cursed

religious leaders.

Instead of repenting for their sin in their own moral stupidity and blindness They accosted

Jesus and they challenged his authority to do the kinds of things that he was doing.

Matthew 21 23.

Jesus simply responds to them with a question which exposed their ignorance of John the Baptist

and It proved that they really did not know the Malachi like judgment that John the Baptist ministry

was going to pave the way for Matthew 21 23 through 27

afternoon storytelling.

Jesus the second day in Jerusalem continued after this temple event as reported in Matthew 21.

And it's starting to come to a close as he pronounces a litany of judgments

through parables on the temple mount.

The very first one of those parables that he proclaims or that he pronounces over the rebellious Jews

is when he compares them to a child Who responded to their father who told them to do something and they responded as if

they were going to obey the father.

But then later they ended up rebelling against the father.

It was that group that Jesus said was the rebellious child and it's to that group that Jesus

Reminded them that the prophecy of Malachi in the ministry of John would not bring

them salvation But would bring them judgment.

This is what he says in verses 31 through 32 truly I say you That the tax

collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness.

He's appealing to John here and you did not believe him but the tax collectors

and the prostitutes did believe him and You seeing this

Did not even feel remorse afterwards so as to believe him.

I Think Jesus is appealing to Malachi chapter 3.

You saw the messenger who came you saw the people who repented you

saw them Just like Malachi says and you hardened your heart and now it's time for me to come at

Malachi 4 in judgment the second and final parable ratchets up the

intensity of this even higher and makes it Explicitly clear who Jesus is talking about.

He's talking about the downfall of Jerusalem and its leaders.

Now to tell this story Jesus uses a very popular Old Testament parable from the book of

Isaiah that every single person in his audience would have Understood where it came from and they would have been familiar

with it.

In that Isaiah parable God compares the city of Jerusalem to a choice

vineyard that he planted for himself and He planted it so that it would bear fruit.

But the irony of Isaiah 5 which is where we find this parable is that the vineyard Jerusalem

Ended up producing worthless fruit and needed to be removed by God.

Isaiah 5 1 through 7.

By retelling that specific parable Jesus is again reminding the city That they were

made to produce fruit, but they haven't produced the kind of fruit that God intended and likewise they would be

removed.

But he doesn't stop there.

He crafts the story in such a way that places the lion's share of the blame.

For why the city is not producing fruit on top of the Jewish leaders heads.

He describes them as vine growers who the father who the owner put in charge and they were supposed to tend the vineyard keeping it

From falling into disrepute.

But every time the owner would send his slaves to gather his assets they would kill his slaves and they would

kill his servants and and even The parable shockingly says that the that the

owner sends his one and only son and they kill the son, too.

Then the owner in fury comes personally to deal with the situation and he brings awful

judgment.

By telling the story this way Jesus is not only reminding them that they were made by God to bear

fruit.

But he's reminding them that their cursed leaders are the ones that's polluting their streets.

Their cursed leaders are the ones who are keeping them from bearing fruit their cursed leaders the one who killed the prophets

of old.

Their leaders are the ones who killed God's messengers who came to deliver messages of repentance and it was

that awful city that was gonna kill God's one and only Son and

Infuriate the owner of that vineyard as a

punishment for such an outrageous crime.

God like the vineyard owner would come and rain down judgment on these people's

heads.

And he was gonna give their his assets to a different people the church.

We know this because verse 43 through 45.

This is what it says.

Therefore, it's Jesus speaking.

I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a people producing the fruit of it and

He who falls on this stone Will be broken to pieces.

But on whoever it falls it will scatter him like the dust and then the chief priests and the Pharisees heard

his Parables and they understood that he was speaking about them.

Conclusion.

Matthew 21 is about the fruitless city that would soon be brought under the

terrifying judgment of God in Jesus his final week he enters the fruitless

city and They offer him only leaves.

He enters the fruitless temple That lies rotten in rebellion.

On the second day he curses the fruitless tree as a demonstration of what's soon gonna happen to the fruitless city and

Then as Jesus ends his day He tells the story of the fruitless vineyard.

Fruitless city fruitless temple fruitless tree fruitless vineyard.

All of Matthew 21 is about the corruption and fruitless Ness of

Jerusalem and just like that vineyard.

That city was gonna be torn down.

Instead of old Jerusalem, you're gonna have new Jerusalem replanted for the people of God and given to a people who would care

after it.

Again this whole chapter is talking about the downfall of Jerusalem.

Join us next week as we dive into Matthew 22.

And we see how this chapter as well is gonna continue this Judgment theme that God has been working in the book of

Matthew and in just a couple of weeks We're gonna be ready to dive into some of the most difficult topics of eschatology

That can be found in the New Testament and we're gonna understand them more clearly Than we ever dared dream all because

we've labored and we put in the work to build a proper foundation.

I hope you have a blessed week.

Contemplating these things in Matthew 22 and until next time may God richly bless you in the study

of his word.