Matthew 21

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Read and summarize

Q: Have you ever seen a coronation of a king or Queen? What was it like ( 21:1-11 )?

The Humble Coronation of Christ ( 21:1-11 )

( 21:1-11 ) Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

— A king or queen coronation is usually a large ceremony

— The king would be dressed in expensive robes and jewels and accompanied by dignitaries and soldiers and driven through the city in an ornate carriage with stately horses

— At the climax of the events the king would be presented with a scepter or stand on a sacred stone which represented the transfer of power into this hands

— At the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838 she wore a crown encrusted with giant rubies and sapphires surrounding a 309-carat diamond

— Her scepter was capped with an even larger diamond, cut from the Star of Africa and weighed 516 1/2 carats

—Matthew 21:1-11 portrays the most significant coronation the world has ever seen

— It was a true coronation of a king, but unlike Queen Victoria, there was no pomp, no splendor, and a nondescript sort of pageantry

The End of the Pilgrimage ( 21:1a )

— Jesus stopped in Bethphage and John tells us that He visited with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus six days before the Passover ( John 12:1-3 )

— As He faced the coming week of pain and death, He sought out the comfort and companionship of those three beloved friends

— A great number of Jews came to see Jesus and also Lazarus who was a living testimony of Jesus’s supernatural power

— John also tells us that the chief priests also planned to kill Lazarus as well ( John 12:10 )

Going Deeper

— Mary, Martha and Lazarus visited Jesus in Bethany “six days before the Passover” ( John 12:1-3 ), making it probably Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath

— This is the occasion that Mary anointed the Lord’s feet with costly perfume and wiped His feet with her hair ( John 12:3-8 )

— It was probably on Monday, the day after the crowd visited Him in Bethany ( John 12:12 ) that Jesus came to Bethphage and prepared to enter Jerusalem through the East Gate

— According to this chronology, the triumphal entry was on Monday rather than “Palm Sunday” as Christian tradition has long maintained

Q: Was Jesus a victim of circumstances? How did Jesus know to find the donkey and the colt (21:1-7 )?

The Exactness of Prophecy ( 21:1b-7 )

— From this text and many others it is clear that Jesus was always in control of the events that affected His life

— Only in His omniscience could Jesus have known that the donkey and her colt would at that moment have been where they were

— Matthew mentions a donkey and a colt, while the other Gospels mention only the colt.

— He shows how Jesus's actions fulfilled the prophet’s words, thus giving another indication that Jesus was indeed the Messiah

Q: What are the disciples to say if anyone questions why they need the animals ( 21:3 )?

( 21:3 ) And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

— Note that especially that Jesus is using the title Lord to designate Himself ( 11:27; 28:18 )

— Note also the Lord not merely “your” Lord; rather, the Lord of all, with the right to claim all for His own use

— Has the Lord asked something of you and you are reluctant to accept it? ( cf. Lk 9:26; Jn 21:21, 22 )

Q: Why did Jesus come on a donkey rather than a grand stallion ( 21:5)?

( 21:5 ) “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

— This is a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 ( cf. Is 62:11 )

This is a quotation from Zechariah 9:9 -- "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

— It seems totally inappropriate that any king, much less the King of kings, should make His triumphal entry mounted on a donkey

— He was not intended to come this time in earthly splendor or to reign in earthly power

— He did not come in wealth but in poverty; He did not come in grandeur but in meekness; and He did not come to slay Israel’s enemies but to save all mankind

— The precise fulfillment of this messianic prophecy would not have escaped the Jewish people, who responded with titles and accolades fit only for the Messiah ( 21:9 )

— Blessed is the Son of David

— Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

— Hosanna in the Highest

— There are certain important omissions in the quotation in Matthew which a careful comparison will reveal

— "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion" is omitted. Why?

— Because our Lord is not coming into Jerusalem for that time of rejoicing

— That will take place at His second coming

— Also omitted is "he is just, and having salvation"

— the word salvation has the thought of victory, which will be fulfilled at His second coming

— The conclusion to be drawn from these portions is that at His second coming there will be a true triumphal entry

— This same kind of omission is made in Luke 4:17-21 in the reading of the Isaiah scroll by Jesus

Going Deeper

— Jesus also fulfilled another OT prophecy

— “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.” ( Dan 9:24 )

— In the context of the passage, the idea is 69 weeks of years or 69 times 7 years, which comes to 483 years

— Two different systems of reckoning have endeavored to determine the chronology of the 483 after Artaxerxes’ decree to restore Jerusalem

— They are Sir Robert Anderson’s The Coming Prince and Harold Hoehner’s Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ

— Missler puts the date of Artaxerxes decree as March 14, 445 B.C. and Christ’s entry into Jerusalem as April 6, 32 A.D.

The Epitome of Praise ( 21:8-9 )

( 21:8-9 ) And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

— The account in Luke notes that they are singing Psalm 118, heralding Jesus as the Meshiach Nagid, the Messiah the King ( Missler )

— Spreading one’s garments on the street was an ancient act of homage reserved for high royalty ( cf. 2 Ki 9:13)

Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” ( 2 Ki 9:13 )

— The people recognized Jesus’ claim to be King of the Jews

— Jesus boldly rode as the King of peace, and the crowd gladly join him

— But the same people would bow to political pressure and desert Him in just a few days

— Today we celebrate this event on Palm Sunday

— This should remind us to guard against a superficial acclaim for Christ

Food for thought: Did Jesus ever sit on the throne of David? No, it didn’t exist then. He will later (Cf. 1 Kgs 1:38-40: Solomon was brought to his coronation riding David’s mule

Going Deeper

— Hosanna means “save now”

— Btu the people were not interested in personal salvation rather salvation for the nation

Q: After the great shouts of Joy that which accompanied Jesus as He rode into the city had subsided, the people gave a very strange response. What was it ( 21:10 )?

( 21:10-11 ) The Element of Perplexity

( 21:10-11 ) And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

— Who is this?

— Obviously most had paid little attention to what they were shouting

— They did not understand what they were saying

— They no longer called Him Son of David or praised Him as their great deliverer; He was now no more than a prophet

— The people knew but they could not believe, they saw but did not see, heard but did not understand ( Isa 6:9-10 )

Q: Why did Jesus clear the temple ( 21:12-17 )? Is this an example of “social justice” or “social reformation” ?

( 21:12-17 ) Purging the Perverted Temple

( 21:12-17 ) 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. 13 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.’ ” 14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 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 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” 17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

— This is the 2nd time Jesus cleared the temple ( John 2:13 - 17)

— The merchants sold sacrificial animals at high prices, taking advantage of those who had come long distances

— The moneychangers exchanged all international currency for the special temple coins, the only money the merchants would accept

— They often deceived foreigners who didn't know the exchange rates

— Commercialism in God's house frustrated people's attempts at worship

— Any practice that interferes with worshiping God should be stopped

Jesus combines two OT prophecies Is 56:7 ( My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples) and Jer 7:11 ( Has this house which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight?)

Q: Jesus cleared the temple three years earlier. Why did He clear it again? What does this teach us about the heart of God ( 21:12-17)?

— The Lord never stops declaring His will to the people, no matter how often or how wickedly they reject it

— Have you heard God’s truth but rejected it and continued in sin?

— Revealed truth that does not result in repentance becomes the source of greater condemnation

— As we compare the three records in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it becomes apparent that they record three different entries, and I believe that our Lord entered Jerusalem on three consecutive days and in three consecutive roles -- as Priest, as King, as Prophet

— And He retired each day to Bethany

— Apparently, He did not spend the night in the city until He was arrested

— Remember that the so-called triumphal entry ended at the cross

— But He will come the second time in triumph

The writer to the Hebrews puts this together in a wonderful way: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28).

We are told in Zechariah 14:4 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

( 21:17 ) Then He left

— In this simple but haunting words He left them there is a volume of truth

— Jesus left the unbelieving priests because they would not come to Him

— Jesus will not stay where He is unwanted

— Although every man is accountable to God, He forces Himself on no one

Q: Why did Jesus curse the fig tree ( 21:18-22 )?

The Way of the Fig ( 21:18-22 )

( 21:18-22 ) Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “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. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

— This was not a thoughtless angry act, but an acted-out parable

— Jesus was showing his anger at religion without substance

— Just as the fig tree was good from a distance but was fruitless on close examination, so the temple looked impressive, at 1st glance, but it sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely (21:43)

— The pretentious fig tree had its counterpart in the temple where on this very day a lively business was being transacted so that sacrifices might be made, while a the same time the priests were plotting to put to death the very One apart from whom these offerings had no meaning whatever

— Plenty of leaves but no fruit; bustling religious activity, but no sincerity and truth

— In cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple Jesus performed two symbolic and prophetic acts with one meaning

Going Deeper

Fig Tree

— Normally a fig tree produced fruit before it bore leaves

— Jesus was disappointed because a tree with leaves should have already bore fruit

— Just as the presence of the fig tree was a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation, its absence would become a symbol of judgment and deprivation

The fig tree is symbolic of Israel as in Matthew 24

— There was no fruit evidenced by the nation of Israel. There were only the outward leaves of a ritualistic, lifeless religion. This the Lord condemned.

— The nation of Israel went through a religious form, but they had no power. They had turned what God had given them into a dead, lifeless ritual without vitality and virility which no longer was accomplishing God's purpose.

— God will deal the same way with the organized church which has turned its back upon the person of Jesus Christ

— If you only appear to have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the fig tree that withered and died because it bore no fruit. Genuine faith means bearing fruit for God's kingdom

Q: What could the disciples not understand about the fig tree ( 21:20-22 )?

The Principle ( 21:20-22 )

( 21:20-22 ) And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “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. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

— The disciples knew why the tree withered because they heard the Lord curse it, but they could not understand how it could wither so fast

— Jesus took the opportunity to teach them of the power of faith joined to the purpose and will of God

Q: What did Jesus mean we can move mountains? Can this faith literally be used to move mountains ( 21:21 )?

— Many have wondered about Jesus's statement that if we have faith and don't doubt, we can move mountains

— Jesus, of course was not suggesting that his followers use prayer as "magic" and perform capricious "mountain moving" acts

— Instead he was making a strong point about the disciples (and our) lack of faith

— What kinds of mountains do you face? Have you talked to God about them? How strong is your faith?

( 21:22 ) And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

— This verse is not a guarantee that we can get anything we want simply by asking Jesus and believing. God does not grant requests that would hurt us or others or that would violate his own nature or will

— Jesus's statement is not a blank check

— To be fulfilled, our request must be harmony with the principles of God's kingdom

— The stronger our belief, the more likely our prayers will be in line with God's will, and then God will be happy to grant them

Going Deeper

— On Monday morning of Passover week Jesus rode into the city on a donkey colt to his coronation as king

— On Tuesday He came into the city again and cleansed the temple of the sacrifice merchants and moneychangers ( 21:12-17 )

— Now, on Wednesday, He entered Jerusalem for the third time and from Mark we learn that the fig tree involved two successive days

— Jesus cursed the fig tree on the morning that He cleansed the temple ( Tuesday ) and it was on the following day ( Wednesday ) that the disciples noticed the tree was withered from the roots up” ( Mark 11:14, 20 )

— Matthew condenses the two events into one account

Q: The Jewish leaders ask Jesus the same question that they always ask him. What is the question ( 21:23 )?

The Counter Question ( 21:23-27 )

( 21:23-27 ) Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” 24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

— The Pharisees demanded to know where Jesus got His authority

— They had no doubt hoped that He would answer by asserting that his authority came directly from God (as he had many times — cf. Jn 5:19-23; 10:18)

— If Jesus said His authority came from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy, as they had attempted to do previously ( Jn 5:18; 10:31-33 )

— Although they did not recognize the source and legitimacy of Jesus’ power, they never questioned that He had it

— The scribes refused to accept the obvious; no amount of miracles could penetrate their confirmed unbelief

Q: Jesus answered the religious leaders with a seemingly unrelated question that exposed their real motives. What was it ( 21:24-27 )?

— Jesus answered the question of the chief priests and elders with a query of His own

—He was not being evasive having given an answer to their question countless times before

— And if they answered His question now, He would answer their, telling them again by what authority he did these things

— If they said, “From Heaven” Jesus would then say to them, “Then why did you not believe him?”

— To have accepted John as a prophet from God would require that they also accept Jesus as the Messiah whom John talked about ( John 1:29, 34 )

— If they said, “From Men” they would lose credibility with the multitude who considered John a prophet

— Jesus showed that the Pharisees wanted the truth only if it supported their own views and causes

The Characterization ( 21:28-31a )

( 21: 28-31 ) “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.”

—This parable illustrates hypocrisy

— It is an illustration that the religious leaders did not respond properly to John the Baptist’s ministry

— The first son said that he would not obey his father (and later repented), but in the end he did and was out there working in the vineyard

— The second son who said he would go but did not implies that he never intended to go; he lied to his father

— The son who said he would obey and then didn't represented many of the people of Israel in Jesus' day, particularly the religious leaders.

— They said they wanted to do God's will, but they constantly disobeyed.

— They were phony just going through the motions.

— It is dangerous to pretend to obey God when our hearts are far from him because God knows our true intentions. Our actions must match our words.

Going Deeper

Parable vs Allegory

— A parable is a story that has a moral or spiritual lesson

— Matthew 21:28-32 is a parable

— An allegory can reveal a hidden meaning

— It is best not to change this parable into an allegory and ask “what does the vineyard represent?”

— This parable is only found in Matthew; the lesson is this: the doing of the will of God is the one thing needful

Q: What is Jesus saying here ( 21:31-32) ?

The Connection ( 21:31b-32 )

( 21:31b-32 ) Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

— Jesus now shows the connection between the earlier parable and the answer provided by the religious leaders

— He points out that their answer to His question was right but their response to Him and His ministry was wrong and wicked

—They did not correspond to the “latter son” who did the father’s will but to the former who did not

— They claimed to be longing for the Messiah but when He came they wanted nothing to do with him

— Jesus said to the proud religious leaders that tax gatherers and harlots who chose to disobey God but later repented (like the first son) would enter Kingdom before them

Summary:

— Who is the first son? the publicans and the harlots. Representatives of known sinners.

— How are they described? go into the kingdom of God before you

— Who is the second son? The Pharisees, religious leaders and Israel?

— How are they described? Maybe go into the kingdom of God after the publicans and harlots? Or not at all?

RC Sproul

There is one more point about this parable that we must not overlook. No one is ever saved by a profession of faith. Untold millions of people have gone to evangelistic meetings, and when the altar call was issued, they got up out of their chairs and went forward to receive Christ. Or they raised a hand, signed a card, or said the sinner’s prayer. Then, the next day, they went right back to wallowing in their sins. No one was ever justified by saying, “I hereby make a decision to follow Jesus.” Those who are justified, those who are saved, are the ones who follow Jesus.

Judgment on Christ’s Rejecters ( 21:33-46 )

( 21:33-46 ) “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

The Illustration ( 21:33-39 )

The main elements in this parable are:

— (1) the landowner — God

— (2) the vineyard — Israel

— (3) the tenants (vine-growers) — the Jewish religious leaders

— (4) the land owners — servants the prophets and priests who remain faithful to God and preach to Israel

— (5) the son — Jesus ( 21:38 )

— (6) the other tenants — the Gentiles

Jesus was exposing the religious leaders murderous plot ( 21:45 )

— in trying to reach us with his love, God finally sent his own son

— Jesus' perfect life, his words of truth, and his sacrifice of love are meant to cause us to listen to him and to follow him as Lord

— If we ignored God's gracious gift of his son, we reject God himself

The Conclusion ( 21:40-41 )

( 21:40-41 ) “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

The Explanation ( 21:42 )

( 21:42 ) Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

— 21:42 Jesus refers to himself as "the stone the builders rejected" although Jesus was rejected by many of his people, he will become the capstone, or cornerstone, of his new building the church ( Acts 4:11; 1st Peter 2:7 )

— Like Nathan saying to David, “You are the man” ( 2 Sam 12:5-7 ), Jesus is saying to the chief priests and elders, “You are the man!”

— You are the wretched vine-growers who beat and killed the vineyard owner’s servants and then killed his son

The Application ( 21:43-44 )

( 21:43-44 ) “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

— The Lord reiterated the judgment on unbelieving Israel; in the second half of verse 43 He reiterated their replacement by believing Gentiles

—The Jewish leaders who, as it were, fell on Jesus and put Him to death would themselves be broken to pieces

— And on whomever it, Jesus the stone, falls, it will grind him like powder

— Christ is “a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over” to unbelievers ( Is 8:14; 1 Pet 2:8 )

— The prophet Daniel pictured Him as a great stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” which falls on the kingdoms of the world and crushes them ( Dan 2:44, 45)

— Whether a ceramic vessel “falls on” a rock, or the rock “falls” on the vessel, the result is the same

— The saying suggests that both enmity and apathy are the wrong response to Christ, and those guilty of either are in danger of judgment

— And at the last judgment of God's enemies will be crushed by the stone

— In the end, Christ, the "building block" will become the "crushing stone."

— He offers mercy and forgiveness now and promises judgment later

— We should choose him now!

The Reaction ( 21:45-46 )

( 21:45-46 ) Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

— The leaders knew that Jesus was talking about them

— They were the son that falsely told their father that they would work in the field but did not

— They were the vine-growers who despised the vineyard owner and killed the servants and eventually killed the son

— They were the builders who rejected the stone that would become the corner stone

— But as always, in spite of what they understood, the Jewish leaders took nothing Jesus said to heart

— This passage shows God’s gracious provision for me, His patience for their unbelief and rejection, and His love in sending even His only son for their redemption

— But it also displays His righteous judgment that will be executed when His divine patience has run its course

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

Life Application Bible (NIV). Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan and Tyndale House Publishers. Carol Stream, Illinois

J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.

Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Luke/Luke%20Chapter%2021%20Continued.html