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J ESUS OF N AZARETH :
T HE R EJECTED K ING
Matthew’s gospel records in great detail this official and final offering of the Davidic King
and his kingdom. The Pharisees had already demonstrated their rejection of Jesus by
attributing his kingdom power to Satan and Jesus had already proclaimed the new church
age would intervene before the coming of his kingdom, but this final week before his
crucifixion was an official and final rejection of Jesus by the nation of Israel. In Jerusalem, a
majority of the nation of Israel would be gathered for the Passover. All Jewish males age
twenty and up were required to attend, so there would have been thousands on hand.
Matthew records all of these things to portray the formal and official offer (and rejection)
of the messianic King.
If the previous two chapters document Jesus’ official, for-the-record offer of the kingdom to
the nation of Israel, this chapter records Israel’s official and final rejection of her king.
As a result of Israel’s rejection of her Messiah, she would be subject to a time of God’s
chastening and judgment: what we commonly call the Tribulation (23:36–39). This
judgment is described in the following chapters, often called the Olivet Discourse.
Understanding Matthew’s explanation of the literal, Old Testament kingdom being offered
by Jesus, rejected by Israel, and now in abeyance until the Second Coming of Christ is
necessary to help us understand these chapters.
Two points should be kept in mind as one works through these chapters. First, all that
Matthew has said regarding the nature of the kingdom of God must not be jettisoned at this
point. The kingdom of God offered by Jesus is the Old Testament prophetic kingdom, not
the New Testament church. Second, one must remember that this discourse answers the
disciples’ questions, prompted by Jesus’ prophecy that the disciples’ generation would see
the destruction of the temple, which took place a few years later in A.D. 70 (24:1–3). First,
they asked, “When will these things [the destruction of the temple] be?” (24:3). The rest of
the discourse as recorded by Matthew answers the other two questions (which are actually
one and the same) about “the signs of [Christ’s] coming and of the close of the age” (24:3).
Therefore, in this discourse we see five groupings: signs during the first half of the
Tribulation period (24:4–14), signs during the last half of the Tribulation (24:15–28), the
coming of Christ (24:29–31), illustrations of watchfulness (24:32–25:13), and the post-
tribulation judgments (25:14–46).
Jesus’ final days with his disciples show that he was the King of the Jews, rejected by the
nation of Israel, and even by his own closest followers. Jesus again predicted his betrayal
and crucifixion to his disciples (26:1–2). Just as Jesus had said, the religious leaders
gathered and plotted how to stealthily arrest Jesus with minimum attention (26:3–5). They
were helped by the disciple Judas Iscariot approaching them with an offer to betray Jesus
(26:14–15).
The focus on Jesus’ impending death continues as Matthew records an unnamed woman
anointed Jesus’ head with precious ointment (26:6–13). Instead of rebuking her, Jesus
affirms his regal character by allowing her to proceed, noting that she has prepared him for
burial (26:12).
Israel’s ultimate rejection of her Messiah culminated in the murder of God’s Anointed. This
chapter is once again filled with the story of Jesus’ rejection.
Matthew’s closing chapter sums up the significance of Jesus’ ministry and death for his
Christian readers. Jesus was the King of the Jews, and although rejected and crucified by
Israel, he rose from the dead, demonstrating undeniably that he was who he claimed to be:
the Son of God.
H IS C OMMISSION (28:16–20)
In contrast to the deceitfulness of the Jewish leaders, Matthew presents the obedience of
the disciples to their authoritative King. As Messiah and King, Jesus commissioned his
disciples once again before ascending to heaven. He said to them, “All authority has been
given to me” (28:18). On the basis of that authority, Jesus sent his disciples and the Church
that he would build to all the nations to make them his disciples. In contrast to his first
commission to go only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6), this commission is
inclusive. Because Jesus had been given all authority, they were to go to all the nations,
teaching them all that he had commanded. Furthermore, Jesus would be with them always.
This task was to be carried out until “the end of the age,” when the King would return from
heaven to judge the world and set up his kingdom (28:20).