Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What Does Matthew Chapter 21 Mean?

Jesus and the disciples have nearly completed their long journey from the region of Galilee in the north to Jerusalem. They have now travelled the last leg from Jericho to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, not far from Jerusalem’s gates.

Before entering Jerusalem, though, Jesus directs two of His disciples to go into a village where they will find a donkey and its colt tied up. Jesus has arranged to ride the colt into Jerusalem to intentionally fulfill a prophecy about the Messiah. Zechariah predicted the King would come humbly and riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). The symbolism of this is easy to miss. Donkeys are common work animals and unsuited for battle. Victorious conquerors of that era would parade on horses, much as a modern general might ride into a city on the back of a tank. Riding a donkey, rather than a warhorse, is more like a modern person sitting in a pickup truck. In the future, Christ will come in power and judgment (Revelation 19:11–16). This time, His arrival is consistent with His role as a sacrificial Savior (Matthew 21:1–7).

As Jesus rides toward the gates, the large crowd following Him is joined by even more people coming out of Jerusalem, who have heard He is arriving. They put their outer garments and branches on the road in front of Him as symbols of submission and Jewish victory. They also shout out lines from Psalm 118 that are meant for the Messiah: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jerusalem is stirred up. People who don’t know ask who Jesus is. Some reply that He is a prophet from Nazareth of Galilee (Matthew 21:8–11).

Jesus later enters the massive temple in Jerusalem. He drives out those selling and buying animals. He overthrows the tables and benches of the moneychangers. This seems to be a second, separate incident from the one recorded in the gospel of John (John 2:13–22). Jesus’ anger is not about business or money, itself, but the crass way in which these men are profiting from the spiritual needs of the people (Matthew 21:12–13).

While at the temple, Jesus heals some blind and lame people who come to Him for help. Some children see this and begin to repeat the praises of the crowds as Jesus rode into town. Jesus defends the children to some chief priests and scribes who question Him. He does this, once again, by citing Old Testament Scripture (Matthew 21:14–17).

Jesus leaves the city to stay in Bethany for the night and returns the next morning, hungry. He sees a fig tree with leaves but finds no fruit. Though there would be no reason to expect ripe figs, at that time, a productive tree would have edible buds. The fact that the tree has nothing means it won’t produce fruit this year. Jesus curses the tree to never bear fruit again and it withers. The disciples ask Jesus how He has done this, and He tells them that all things are possible for them if they believe and do not doubt when they pray. With His other comments on prayer, this can be understood in the context of God’s will and the way faithful believers pursue it (Matthew 21:18–22).

Returning to the temple, Jesus is challenged by chief priests and elders. They ask Him to justify his authority to do all these things. Using the typical debate style of the era, Jesus promises to answer if they will respond to His question. The implication of His question is whether John the Baptist was a true or false messenger. Jesus knows these men rejected John but are too cowardly to admit it in front of the people. They weakly reply that they do not know (Matthew 21:23–27).

Rather than leave the issue alone, Jesus presses it. He tells two parables, each about vineyards, to show how the Jewish religious leaders have failed. He first compares them to a son who says “yes” to his father, but then disobeys. The people despised and dismissed by their culture as sinners were the ones who repented at John’s message; they will enter the kingdom of God before these hypocritical spiritual figureheads (Matthew 21:28–32).

The second parable pictures the Jewish leaders as tenants of a vineyard who refuse to give their agreed rent, in the form of harvested crops, to the owner’s servants. Instead they mistreat and kill the servants and then the owner’s son, as well. This connects to an Old Testament reference to Israel as a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1–7). Jesus applies this parable to Israel’s history of persecuting messengers of God (Acts 7:52), as well as how the men attacking Him were opposed to God’s message. The leaders recognize how the parable’s landowner will react, but don’t seem to fully grasp what that implies (Matthew 21:33–41).

Finally, Jesus applies Psalm 118:22–23 to Himself. He is the stone rejected by the builders that has become the cornerstone. The Greek phrase used here either means the strongest, most critical stone used in a building’s foundation, or the top brick in an arch. Either way, it is the ultimate basis of that structure’s integrity. The kingdom of God will be taken from the Israelite leaders and all who reject Jesus will be broken on or crushed by the cornerstone. In another display of political cowardice, these men who reject Jesus keep their silence out of fear of public opinion (Matthew 21:42–46).

Chapter Context
Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel’s failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees.

Verse By Verse

Verse 1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

Jesus and His disciples have been making their way from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has told them that in Jerusalem He will be delivered into the hands of the Jewish religious leaders, turned over to the Gentiles, and crucified, adding that He will be raised on the third day (Matthew 16:21; 17:22; 20:18–19). Now they have nearly arrived at the city.

The previous chapter ended with Jesus and the disciples near Jericho, about a fifteen-mile walk from Jerusalem on a Roman military road that rises about 3,000 feet in elevation. The road was likely crowded with others coming to Jerusalem for the Passover, as well as those who were specifically following Jesus. Bethphage was about a mile from Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

Jesus selects two of the disciples to go into a nearby village and bring Him an animal to ride into the city (Matthew 21:2).

Verse 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

Jesus and His disciples have been travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now about a mile away. Jesus is sending two of the disciples into a nearby village. He tells them they will find a donkey that is tied up and waiting for them, along with its young colt. They are to untie the animals and bring them to Jesus. Mark’s account mentions that the disciples will bring the animal back (Mark 11:3). Some suggest the donkey’s owner might have been there to see Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany (John 11:44–45), which happened the day before (John 12:12–13), and was anticipating the request.

However it happened, Matthew is indicating that Jesus has prearranged to have these animals waiting for Him. He specifically intends to ride them into Jerusalem as He arrives there. At least one reason for this is to intentionally fulfill a Messianic prophecy from Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9) that Matthew will reference later (Matthew 21:5). Commentators describe this as an “acted parable” in which Jesus is revealing His identity as the Messiah.

The imagery of a donkey is important, since they are only suitable for work, not for war. A conquering general might enter town on a horse, but Messiah’s first public proclamation will not be associated with conquest.

Verse 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

Jesus is sending two of the disciples into a nearby village. Upon entering the village, they will immediately find a donkey tied up, along with her young colt. They are to bring the pair of animals to Jesus. He will ride into Jerusalem instead of continuing to walk (Matthew 21:1–2).

Now Jesus prepares the two disciples with an answer for anyone who might ask why they are taking away the donkey and the colt. The disciples should say, “The Lord needs them.” He then assures them that anyone asking about the situation will understand and send the disciples on their way. It’s been suggested the donkeys’ owner might have been one of those who saw Jesus raise Lazarus (John 11:44–45; 12:12–13) and has already been asked to provide the animals.

Who does Jesus mean by “Lord”? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quote Him as using the word. Most commentators agree that He is talking about Himself, specifically, and not about the Lord God—Yahweh—in a wider sense. As Jesus nears Jerusalem and His crucifixion, He is becoming more and more open about who exactly He is. He has stopped telling those He heals not to reveal what happened to them. Now He specifically tells His disciples to describe Him to others as “the Lord.” Earlier moments were too soon for this proclamation, but this is “the hour” (John 2:4; 7:8) when it was meant to happen.

Verse 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus has sent two disciples to pick up a donkey and her colt form a nearby village. He has prearranged this and let the disciples know that the animals will be waiting for them there. Jesus will ride the colt into Jerusalem instead of walking (Matthew 21:1–3).

This was to fulfill a specific prophecy about the Messiah. The prophet in question is Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9), though a similar statement is also found in Isaiah (Isaiah 62:11). Matthew’s reference could be attributed to either. Unlike most prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, Matthew is clear that Jesus orchestrated this one personally. Commentators refer to it as an “acted parable,” meaning that Jesus is intentionally demonstrating to the crowds that He is the Messiah.

Prior to this moment, Jesus has been cautious about making His identity as Messiah widely known (Matthew 16:20; Mark 8:30). John, in his gospel, points out that this is because Jesus knows the time is not yet right for that news (John 2:4; 7:8). The people were likely to misunderstand (John 6:15). Now, however, it is time for Christ to openly claim His title (Matthew 21:9).

Verse 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold, your king is coming to you,humble, and mounted on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Matthew is referencing two Old Testament scriptures which carry similar messages. The first line comes from Isaiah 62:11 with the rest coming from Zechariah 9:9. He is showing how Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on the donkey and colt are a fulfilment of these prophecies (Matthew 21:1–4). Both verses are directed at the “daughter of Zion,” which was a common Old Testament name for the city of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 King 8:1).

The main prophetic aspect is that Zechariah describes the promised King coming to the people of Jerusalem in humility and sitting on a donkey. Zechariah specifies that the animal is a colt, the young foal of donkey or “beast of burden.” Jesus will enter Jerusalem riding on the colt, likely with the full-grown donkey along for the comfort of the young one. Zechariah is describing the arrival of the King of the Jews.

The choice of a donkey is, itself, an important symbol. While the people seem to expect Messiah to be a warlike conqueror, that is not yet Jesus’ mission (John 18:36). Horses are the ideal animals for war, so victorious warriors would present themselves atop a horse as they paraded. In the modern world, this would be equivalent to a general entering a conquered city on the back of a tank. Jesus, on the other hand, comes on the equivalent of a pickup truck: a workmanlike donkey. Rather than emphasizing His power, Jesus first comes in humility. His second coming, in contrast, will be one of spectacular might and judgment (Revelation 19:11–16).

Matthew doesn’t quote Zechariah’s middle lines that the king is coming “righteous and having salvation,” but that is exactly what Jesus is doing. These words from Zechariah clearly point forward to the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem. Jesus has chosen that imagery to make it perfectly clear to those who know the Scriptures that He is that king.

This fulfillment, as with so many others, will serve to reinforce the faith of the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 2:22; 14:26).

Verse 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

Jesus and His disciples have nearly reached Jerusalem. Jesus has directed two of the twelve to walk into a village nearby, untie a donkey and her colt they will find waiting there, and bring the animals to Him. He has told them what to say if anyone questions them: The Lord needs these animals (Matthew 21:1–5).

The two disciples do exactly as Jesus asked, apparently without questioning Him. The twelve have often showed they did not fully understand Jesus’ words or His mission. They have revealed selfish pride and ambition in fighting among themselves. Jesus has even described them as having little faith, at times (Matthew 8:26). However, the disciples have always been pictured as faithful and obedient servants to the Lord, ready and willing to carry out His commands (Matthew 19:27). For three years, they have done as He asks even when they didn’t understand the reasons behind His instructions.

Their loyalty and faithfulness to Him will be severely tested in the coming week, however (Matthew 17:22–23).

Verse 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

It may appear awkward that after walking all the way from Galilee, including the long walk uphill from Jericho to the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem, Jesus would suddenly direct His disciples to get Him a donkey so that He could ride the last mile into Jerusalem. However, Jesus was not tired. He had very specific reason for wanting to enter the city this way (Matthew 21:5). Jesus was delivering what Bible scholars call an “acted parable,” demonstrating with His actions instead of using a story to reveal that He is the Messiah.

Many Israelites knew the Scriptures well. After enduring Roman occupation, they were especially familiar with passages that promised the coming of the Messiah to rule and reign over Israel. They knew Zechariah’s prophecy addressed to the “daughter of Zion,” another name for the city of Jerusalem: “Your king is coming to you…humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus is intentionally entering the city in this way as a clear statement that He is the Messiah, the promised king. The prophecy not only identifies Messiah, it refers to the nature of His arrival: donkeys are not military animals. Rather than arriving on a horse—as He will in His second, conquering arrival (Revelation 19:11)—Christ will present Himself in a manner of peace.

Most English translations for this verse read a bit awkwardly. The disciples brought the two animals and “put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.” The second “them” means the cloaks, not the donkeys. Jesus did not sit on both the mother donkey and the colt at the same time. He sat on the colt to fulfill Zechariah’s words. The disciples put their outer cloaks over the animal so Jesus—and the animal—would be more comfortable.

Mark and Luke don’t mention the mother donkey, but they do mention that nobody had ever sat on this colt before (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30).

Verse 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

This is the moment celebrated in Christian churches on Palm Sunday: Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem at the beginning of what is often called Holy Week or Passion Week. This is also referred to as the “triumphal entry” of Christ.

Jesus has been telling His disciples that He is going to Jerusalem to be arrested, condemned, crucified, and then raised on the third day (Matthew 17:22–23). When they finally reach the city, however, Jesus enters to cheers and celebration from the people. Matthew has mentioned that a large crowd was following Jesus as He passed through Jericho on His way toward the city (Matthew 20:29). Now that crowd, perhaps along with others who know Jesus as the healer and miracle worker and “prophet” (Matthew 21:11), spread their outer cloaks on the road before Him as He rides into town and throw palm branches in front of His path along the way. This is a profound act of honor and acclamation.

It’s true that those who made the journey from other parts of Israel to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration were sometimes greeted in this way. However, these acts of submission and praise are clearly and specifically directed at Jesus alone. The city is stirred up over Him (Matthew 21:10). The crowd will explicitly refer to Jesus’ role as Messiah as they cry out (Matthew 21:9).

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey specifically to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy about the coming of the king of Israel (Zechariah 9:9). Placing outer garments under the feet of the king was a sign of respect and submission (2 Kings 9:13). Branches, especially palm branches, were a symbol of Israel and her victories in the past. It’s likely that not everyone who participated knew fully what was going on, but they welcomed Jesus as if welcoming a king.

Verse 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Matthew paints a vivid scene. Jesus, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9), is followed by a great crowd that has travelled the road with Him toward the city for Passover. People already in the city have heard that Jesus is coming, and another crowd emerges to meet Him as He enters (John 12:12–13).

It’s a celebration. Matthew has already described how most of the people are taking off their cloaks and putting them in Jesus’ path has He rides, as well as spreading branches in the road before Him. This is an act of submission to royalty (2 Kings 9:13). Here, he explains what it sounded like as Jesus made His triumphal entry.

The crowds shout words from Psalm 118:25–26. The word “Hosanna” literally means “save,” as it is used in Psalm 118, but it came to be a cry of praise for the One who had done the saving. The crowds call Jesus “the Son of David,” which is a name for the promised Messiah (Matthew 1:1). They also shout, “Blessed in he who comes in the name of the Lord!” And “Hosanna in the highest!” from those verses.

Some commentators point out that it is likely these verses were regularly shouted by the people to each other during the Passover season. That may be true, but in this case the words are clearly directed at Jesus, specifically. The following verse shows that the whole city was stirred up because of Him. Some want to know who He is. Others describe Him as the prophet of Nazareth. Still others clearly believed Him to be the Messiah in this moment, though they give up that hope later in the week when Jesus is arrested and condemned instead of taking the throne of Israel and overthrowing the Romans (John 18:4–12).

Verse 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

Matthew’s account shows that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is more than an isolated incident that came and went in a few hours. Great crowds accompanied a man known as a prophet with miraculous powers of healing into the city as He rode on a donkey. They shouted words to Him that praised Him as the Messiah. An energy spread through Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9).

Those who did not know Jesus wanted to know who He was and what all the commotion was about. The people ached for a Messiah to come and be king over them. They desperately wanted God to show Himself through a savior who would overthrow the Romans and return Israel to her former days of glory. They did not realize that was not what the Messiah had come to do at this time (Zechariah 9:9). That Messiah was predicted to come first on a donkey should have been a clue—donkeys are not warlike animals. It will not be until Christ’s second coming (Revelation 19:11–16) that He fulfills the role of Conqueror.

The following verse shows that understanding about Jesus was confused and inadequate. All of this was exactly what Jesus expected and needed to happen to fulfill His mission (Matthew 17:22–23).

Verse 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The Christian church celebrates Palm Sunday: the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the long-promised king, the Messiah, honored and praised by the Israelites. Clearly, though, nobody understood Jesus’ actual purpose for coming to the city. He had not arrived to take the throne of a political kingdom (John 18:6). Rather than arriving on a warhorse (Revelation 19:11–16), Messiah first came to suffer, to die, and to be raised in order to make it possible for all to come to the Father through Him (Matthew 17:22–23; 20:28).

Those who didn’t know Jesus asked who He was. Some of those with basic information described Him as a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. They could not yet fully understand that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior who would die for their sin. Instead, this group pictured Him as a powerful prophet like those in the Old Testament who did great miracles and delivered messages from God.

Context Summary
Matthew 21:1–11 follows Jesus on His final, “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem. He rides on a donkey for the final mile or so to intentionally fulfill a prophecy from Zechariah about the king arriving in Jerusalem. The crowds praise Him as the Messiah, lining His path with branches and their cloaks. They shout out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” as seen in Psalm 118. The event we now call Palm Sunday stirs up Jerusalem with many people asking who Jesus is.

Verse 12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

What is sometimes called the “triumphal entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem happened on Sunday. This began what is often called Holy Week or Passion Week. All four gospel accounts include numerous details about this week. By compiling those accounts, a timeline of the last days of Jesus’ earthly ministry can be formed.

Matthew has condensed and arranged the events of the week more by topic than by the order in which they took place. Most likely, the moment Jesus enters the temple and drives out the moneychangers takes place on Monday and not on Sunday immediately following His entry into the city. This appears to be the second time that Jesus “cleansed” the temple in this way. John described a similar event that seems to have taken place early in Jesus’ ministry (John 2:13–17).

At that time in history, the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was enormous. It dominated the city, covering a space of 172,000 square yards—more than 140,000 square meters—an area larger than most American football stadiums. The outer area of the temple was called the Court of the Gentiles. That’s likely where this marketplace was set up.

The problem Jesus addresses here is not that business was being done for the purposes of temple worship. Those coming to make sacrifices, especially from out of town, were required to purchase animals for sacrifice and to pay their annual temple tax. However, the temple tax could not be paid with foreign money, and several currencies were in use in and around Israel at the time. This required “money changers” to provide the service of trading temple currency for other currencies. That required some kind of a temple bank and perhaps the setting of exchange rates between currencies. It was all necessary.

Rather, Jesus may have been upset about either or both of two issues. First, it’s possible Jesus objected to the placement of this market inside the temple grounds, which were meant as a holy place devoted to prayer and the worship of God. Second, there’s reason to think buyers and sellers were overcharging those who came to worship—they were taking advantage of travelling people. These pilgrims had no other options for buying animals, including pigeons, or changing their money for the temple currency. The businessmen were working the temple like a business, buying low and selling high, perhaps depending on the supply and demand of resources.

In this case, Jesus doesn’t deliver a sermon about corruption. He acts, pointing forward to the coming judgment of God. Jesus drives all the buyers and sellers from the temple. He overturns tables and chairs. He is forceful enough to send those there for business out into the streets (Mark 11:15–18).

Verse 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Jesus has entered the temple in Jerusalem and taken great offense at the buying and selling and money-changing going on inside. He has overthrown tables and benches and sent those doing business out into the streets. Why was Jesus so angry? Most commentators suggest it is either because this otherwise-legitimate business was being done inside the temple courtyard, or more likely because the money-changers and sellers were charging too much for their services and using the worship of God for disproportionate profit.

Now Jesus quotes, again, from Old Testament Scripture. First, He references Isaiah 56:7 to say that “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Jesus may be applying Isaiah’s quote of the Lord to Himself, describing the temple as His house. One of the purposes of the house of God was to be a place for people to pray to the Lord, including people from “all the nations” (Mark 11:17).

Jesus then references Jeremiah 7:11, saying the Jewish religious leaders have made God’s temple a “den of robbers.” The context of Jeremiah’s statement takes the meaning of Jesus’ phrase beyond a mere accusation of dishonesty. It also implies that the existence of the temple would not protect Israel from the wrath of God in judgment.

Verse 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

This is the last time in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus is shown performing miraculous healing. It is significant that it takes place inside the temple. Some who are blind and lame approach Jesus while He is in the outer area of the temple, known as the Court of the Gentiles. We know this because those who were disabled in this way were not allowed in the inner courts or the sanctuary (Leviticus 21:18).

The fact that Jesus healed them in the temple implies two things. First, since they were no longer blind or lame, these people could now enter the inner courts. Instead of preventing them, Jesus made a way for them to participate by removing the obstacle that stood between them and the worship of God. He will soon do the same for those separated from God by their sin, all of us, by paying the price for that sin with His own life, making forgiveness and redemption possible (Hebrews 10:19–23).

Second, these acts of healing demonstrated that Jesus had authority over the temple. He had the authority to drive out the money changers and to make worshipers acceptable to God by healing them instead of merely barring them from entrance, as the Jewish religious leaders did.

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

Some children in the temple noticed Jesus chasing moneychangers and corrupt businessmen from the temple marketplace (Matthew 21:12–13). They saw Him heal blind and lame people who came to Him for help (Matthew 21:14). Now they begin echoing the shouts from the previous day (Matthew 21:9), when Jesus entered the city: “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Why were the chief priests and scribes so indignant about this? They understood that “Son of David” was a reference to the long-promised Messiah of Israel. Calling Jesus the Promised One would have angered those religious leaders. Also, the passage from which the word “Hosanna” was taken was meant to be directed to God alone. Since these critics did not believe in Christ, that would be especially offensive to them. They wanted Jesus to stop the children from praising Him in this way.

The children, though, had made a connection that the priests and scribes refused to acknowledge. Whether by accident or insight, they praised Jesus as the Messiah because they saw His displays of power and authority. Jesus would not correct them.

Verse 16 and they 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 infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

The chief priests and scribes, along with the Pharisees, will grow increasingly furious with Jesus during these last days leading up to the crucifixion. In Matthew’s gospel, this is the first confrontation with them during this week but certainly not the last. Right now, the religious leaders are angry with Jesus because some children in the temple who saw Him heal blind and lame people are praising Him. Specifically, they are echoing the shouts of the triumphal entry from the previous day (Matthew 21:1–10), “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

The priests and scribes ask Jesus if He hears what the children are saying. They know, of course, that Jesus can hear the children as well as they can. The question is meant to tell Jesus He should stop the children from speaking blasphemy. After all, those words are for the Messiah and, perhaps, for God Himself. Jesus should know that and put an end to it.

Jesus, though, responds with a question back to them. He asks, in essence, if they have never read Psalm 8:2. As with their question to Him, Jesus understands they know the passage well. This was a common Jewish way of making a point. Jesus references a Greek translation of the verse, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.” The Hebrew version of the verse translates to “strength” in most English versions, rather than “praise.”

Jesus’ point is that God is the one who causes children to praise Himself. The fact that Jesus applies this verse to Himself could only infuriate the religious leaders even further. In essence, Jesus is acknowledging that not only is He the Messiah, He is also equivalent with God. He will not stop the children from the praise God has prepared them to give to Him.

Verse 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Jerusalem was crowded with travelers because of the Passover holiday, making lodging there difficult. Fortunately, Jesus also had good friends in the town of Bethany, about two miles away. Jesus likely spent the nights of that week at the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, returning to Jerusalem each day.

Jesus’ relationship with these three may be the closest thing to a “friendship” seen in the Gospels. He stayed in their home when He was travelling and had frank and honest conversations with both Martha (Luke 10:38–42) and Mary (John 11:28–37). Matthew does not include the event, but Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead not long before this in a display of His authority and power over death (John 11).

Context Summary
Matthew 21:12–17 describes Jesus’ entrance into the massive Jewish temple in Jerusalem during what we now call Holy Week. He immediately drives a marketplace out of the temple and overturns the money-changers’ tables. He also heals some blind and lame people and refuses to silence some children who are praising Him as the Son of David. He quotes part of a psalm to chief priests and scribes who find this inappropriate.

Verse 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.

Mark’s telling of these days in Jerusalem before Jesus’ arrest falls in chronological order. Matthew, though, tends to group events from the week by topic and not in the order they occurred. He combines two events in this passage. Mark breaks them up, showing that Jesus cursed the fig tree on one day and the disciples noticed it on the next.

Jesus stayed outside the city during the week. It was crowded with travelers coming to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday. He stayed in Bethany, likely at the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Jesus is now making the two-mile walk back into the city, and He’s hungry. Jesus existed, mysteriously, as both fully God and fully human. In His human form, He experienced all the normal appetites that humans do—without ever serving those appetites in a sinful way. The fact that Jesus experienced such appetites is why the writer of Hebrews could say, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Verse 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

This verse reads as if Jesus is experiencing some hunger-fueled anger toward a tree. Most likely He was not, and simply took advantage of the moment to perform another “acted parable” for the disciples to illustrate an important point.

Jesus is walking the two miles back into Jerusalem for the day, and He is hungry. Since this is the time of Passover, we know it is too early in the season for full, healthy figs to be available. Mark’s version even adds that “it was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:13). However, in this season, there should be edible buds on a fig tree.

This fig tree should have those unripe green figs, at least. Instead, Jesus finds only leaves on the tree. The tree looks healthy from a distance, but has no fruit, and won’t produce any later on. Jesus curses the tree, saying to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” The tree immediately withers, though the disciples only notice this on the following day (Mark 11:20–21), where Matthew likely picks up the action.

Commentators have differing views on what this event means. Some say Christ was demonstrating the power of faith, which He talks about in the following verses. Others say the fig tree represents God’s coming judgment on Israel for failing to bear fruit in righteousness. Still other Bible teachers see a more limited judgment in the tree for those who are hypocrites, failing to bear fruit though appearing to do so, as was the case with the religious leaders in the previous verses. The implications for Israel are the most likely, especially since such symbolism was used in Old Testament prophecy (Jeremiah 8:13).

Verse 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”

Jesus’ disciples notice that the fig tree has withered (Matthew 21:18–19), likely something they noticed the following morning, according to Mark 11:20–25. Overnight, the tree went from healthy-looking to shriveled. Matthew condenses the details, though he does not actually say it all took place on the same day. Recording events in topical order, rather than a strict time order, was quite common in ancient literature. Matthew has chosen to do so in this part of his book in order to focus on specific themes.

The disciples do not ask Jesus what may seem to us to be the most logical question: Why did you curse the fig tree if figs are out of season? Instead, they ask Jesus how He caused the fig tree to wither. He answers that question in following verse (Matthew 21:21). The disciples would have known, more naturally than we would, that a productive tree would have had unripe, edible buds. The fact that it had nothing meant it was not producing fruit and would bring nothing that season.

This event was not merely an expression of Jesus’ displeasure in that moment. It’s possible the point of this destructive miracle was to provoke the question from the disciples. More likely is that Jesus meant the miracle as a warning of the coming judgment. Comparison of Israel to a withering, fruitless tree is also seen in Old Testament writings (Jeremiah 8:13).

Verse 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

The disciples have asked Jesus how He was able to cause a fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:18–20). Jesus presents them with a lesson about the power behind faith, indicating that with faith they could have withered the tree, as well.

In fact, Jesus adds that with faith in God and without doubting, they could have the power to tell a mountain to be taken up and thrown into the sea. In part, this is an example of hyperbole: exaggeration for effect. At the same time, it’s good to remember that the power behind prayer comes from God, not the one who prays. If a request is aligned with God’s will, it’s not impossible for Him to accomplish it (Luke 1:37). At the same time, that means a person who is fully aligned with the will of God wouldn’t make requests He clearly does not want (Matthew 21:22; John 14:13–14).

The point, of course, isn’t that Jesus wants them to throw mountains into seas, including the Mount of Olives, which they are standing on. He wants the disciples to understand that, in and through Him, they will have power beyond themselves to accomplish what He gives them to do in the coming years.

Verse 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Jesus’ statement to the disciples is a powerful promise, and it fits with what He has often said when healing the sick and afflicted and casting out demons (Matthew 9:22; 15:28). God cares deeply that His people trust Him and Him alone to do what they ask. God’s power, of course, is limitless. Anything is possible for Him (Luke 1:37). Jesus has made it clear, though, that those who want God to use His power in a specific way must have deep confidence of His ability to do what they ask.

Jesus said something similar to the twelve earlier in Matthew, making it clear that this power was available to them only in and through Jesus Himself: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:19–20).

It’s important to recognize that this promise from Jesus to the disciples can be misunderstood or misused. He is not saying to them or to the believers to follow in the coming generations that we can demand whatever we want from God in whatever form or fashion we want it and He is required to give it to us. He is still God, and we remain His creatures and children through faith in Jesus.

Christ specifically tells the disciples they will receive anything they ask—but only if they have faith. This means trust in God and His power to do what He wants to do. It also means an alignment with the will of God—it does not mean using the Creator as a vending machine. It’s noteworthy that these men, who heard Jesus make these promises (John 14:13–14), did not attempt grandiose, unnecessary miracles as part of their future ministry.

Part of asking “in faith” is trusting God to do what is most fitting with His purpose for us and the world. We can always be confident of God’s power as well as His goodness to do what is best. The promise and the condition both need to be understood, and both still stand. Receiving powerful things from God starts with believing He is able, making the request, and being convinced that His response will be both capable and loving.

Context Summary
Matthew 21:18–22 describes a morning when Jesus, being hungry, discovers no figs on a leafy fig tree. He curses the tree never to bear fruit again, and the tree withers at once. The disciples notice the withered tree and ask Jesus how He did it. He tells them that if they have faith and do not doubt, they could do this, too. They could even tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea. In fact, anything they ask for in prayer they will receive if they have faith.

Verse 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

The tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders continues to heat up as this week progresses. The “priests” approaching Him here held official leadership positions in the temple. They were likely members of the religious ruling body known as the Sanhedrin. They were less popular than the Pharisees but had more power since they were politically connected to the Romans. The elders with them were probably not priests but may have been from influential Jewish families and may have been on the Sanhedrin, as well.

Together, this group has come up with a question for Jesus and approached Him while He is teaching in the temple, probably somewhere in the outer courts. The question, itself, is actually a good one—but it’s being asked in an insincere and corrupted way. It’s not that this group wonders if they should listen to Christ. Rather, their motive is to stop Jesus from teaching, or possibly to discredit Him with the people by accusing Him of heresy.

By “these things,” they mean to ask why Jesus thinks He can enter Jerusalem receiving the praise of the crowds as if He were the king and Messiah (Matthew 21:1–11), chasing the money-changers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12–13), and healing the lame and blind in the temple courts (Matthew 21:14–15). After all, Jesus does not hold any position of official human authority beyond being known as a “rabbi,” teacher. He is not a member of the Sanhedrin or an officially commissioned priest or Pharisee or scribe. What gives Him the right to act and teach in these ways?

Jesus, knowing their motives, will not answer their question directly. The parables He provides, however, along with His other teachings, make the answer clear to those who sincerely want to know (John 5:19–24). Those who will come to believe in Him, though, will understand that Jesus acts and speaks under the authority of His Father, who is God. He represents God on earth and acts with the full authority of God in all He says and does.

Verse 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.

This exchange between Jesus and some religious leaders of Israel was not unusual in its form. Jewish rabbis loved to debate, posing questions to each other, answering questions with questions, and making witty or pointed remarks. They liked to add a competitive edge to their discussions of the law and theology. The pattern of counter-questions and challenges was, itself, nothing new.

Though the conversational style seemed familiar, the stakes were far higher than usual. They had asked by whose authority Christ healed and taught in the temple (Matthew 21:23). Soon, these men will use their authority to condemn Him and hand Him over to the Romans for execution (Matthew 17:22–23). Jesus is fully aware of their motives, yet He responds with deadly seriousness. He would be raised on the third day, despite their efforts—they, however, were facing the eternal judgment of God (John 3:36).

Instead of answering their question directly, Jesus followed His normal pattern and asked one of His own. This time, though, He agrees to answer if they will answer His question. His brilliant request in the following verse will silence them for now (Matthew 21:25). The parables Jesus provides immediately afterwards, along with His other statements, answer the original question, indicating that Jesus acts by the authority of God (John 5:19–24).

Verse 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

Some chief priests and elders of Israel have asked Jesus a pointed question: what gives you the right to teach, heal, and accept praise from the people (Matthew 21:23)? These are powerful men with the authority to condemn Jesus and turn Him over to the Romans, as they soon will (Matthew 17:22–23). They are hoping His answer will give them reason to do exactly that. Jesus, of course, knows this. If He tells them He is acting by the authority of the one and only God, His own Father, they will accuse Him of blasphemy and perhaps arrest Him immediately. Rather than invite a confrontation, Jesus agrees to answer them on one condition: that they answer His question first (Matthew 21:24).

The query posed by Jesus forces the men to state their position on John the Baptist: whether he was a legitimate prophet sent from God or a pretender. While the question these men originally asked Jesus was not wrong, itself, their motive was corrupt. Jesus’ counter-question brilliantly shows this. What these men really care about is power, and control, not sincere faith.

As a result, the group of powerful men huddles up to talk through their strategy. They quickly realize Jesus has put them in a no-win scenario. If they say John the Baptist’s message was divine, Jesus can accuse them of ignoring the messenger of God. The alternative, to claim John was a fraudulent teacher, would be immensely unpopular and go against their real motive of maintaining power (Matthew 21:26). What seemed like an easy way to trap Jesus has become a snare for these men.

John the Baptist also had at least one confrontation with a group of Pharisees and Sadducees. He famously called them a “brood of vipers” and warned of the judgment coming on those in Israel who do not bear spiritual fruit (Matthew 3:7–10).

Verse 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

Jesus has agreed to answer a pointed question from a group of chief priests and elders on one condition: They must answer His question first. He has asked them whether the work of John the Baptist was from heaven or from man (Matthew 21:23–24). Their question, as posed, was legitimate. However, their motives were not: the men who challenged Christ were not sincerely seeing an answer, but an excuse to catch Jesus saying something that would make Him guilty of blasphemy.

With Jesus’ counter-question, those hypocritical leaders are now stuck. If they say that John’s baptism was from heaven, the obvious implication is that they’re disobeying God. Of course, that’s not what these priests and elders think, but here they admit they are afraid to tell the truth. John the Baptist was popular with the people. The crowds of Israelites who flocked to see John and be baptized by him believed the man was a legitimate prophet sent from God.

In admitting this, even to each other, these priests and elders will reveal just how dishonest and political they really are. Jesus knew this, of course, when He posed the question to them. In a way, His response was, in fact, an answer to their original challenge. If Israel’s religious leaders had believed John was a true prophet from God, they would have believed his message about the Messiah, whom he identified as Jesus.

These men have an opportunity, of sorts, to at least demonstrate integrity. The honest answer—albeit the unpopular one—would be to say they thought John the Baptist was not from God. And yet, their first commitment is not to the truth but to their own security. It’s the same reason they refuse to see that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus has trapped them in this moment behind the wall of their own dishonesty and unbelief. Their public response will make this clear (Matthew 21:27).

Verse 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Jesus has forced those who challenged His authority into a corner by posing a question of His own (Matthew 21:23–26). In essence, He has asked whether or not John the Baptist was a true prophet. These chief priests and elders could not say yes, of course, or everyone would want to know why they did not believe John. At the same time, they realize that telling the truth—that they did not believe John—would lose the support of the many people who had a positive view of John.

This reply proves these so-called leaders are willing to put partisan control over the truth. Their real priority is maintaining leverage over the people they are supposed to be leading. They would rather keep their true convictions hidden, even about something as important as whether a messenger is a prophet from God. Rather than allow their generation to challenge and disrespect them, they choose to be silent. Their integrity is being tested, and they fail miserably. Their motive for confronting Jesus was dishonest, and so is their attempt to avoid His question.

So, they now reply in the weakest, lamest way possible for men who prided themselves on their ability to debate: “We do not know.” Since they did not meet His condition, Jesus tells them He won’t answer their question, either. Jesus defused their attempt to catch Him speaking blasphemy by simply asking them to tell the truth about their religious convictions. They would not.

Jesus’ overall message (John 5:19–24), along with the theme of the parables He is about to tell, provide an answer to the initial challenge. Christ acts under the power and authority of God.

Context Summary
Matthew 21:23–27 finds Jesus in the temple as He is challenged by priests and elders. They want to know by what authority Jesus acts. He agrees to answer if they will answer Him: Was John the Baptist’s baptism from heaven or from earth? The religious leaders know that if they say he was a prophet, Jesus will ask why they didn’t believe and repent. If they say John was not a prophet, though, the people will be upset. They say they don’t know. Jesus does not answer their question.

Verse 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

This continues a conversation between Jesus and a group of priests and elders. They attempted to goad Jesus into making a statement they could use against Him, and He replied by proving that they lacked sincere convictions (Matthew 21:23–27). Despite their attempt to avoid admitting disobedience, Jesus will now use a parable to illustrate why the least “religious” people in Israel would enter the kingdom of God before these self-important figures. These powerful men very likely wished at this point that they had not picked this fight with Jesus.

Jesus launches into this story directly from His prior comment by posing another scenario for them to answer. The theme of this parable will, again, bring up their rejection of John the Baptist. Jesus describes a man with two sons. The man tells both boys, first one and then the other, to go work in a vineyard for the day. The sons will answer and then do two different things.

Verse 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.

While teaching in the temple, Jesus was confronted by chief priests and elders who tried to trip Him up with a question. That did not go as His enemies planned, as Jesus’ counter-question forced them into a cowardly attempt to hide their real motives (Matthew 21:23–27). Pressing the issue, Jesus begins a parable involving a man with two sons. The man tells the first son to go and work in the vineyard for the day.

The first son initially refuses to do what his father has asked. In that moment, the son is not just being disobedient—he is being defiant. He directly says he will not comply. However, that hard-headed response eventually gives way and the son winds up doing exactly what his father wanted all along. This parable is meant to contrast those who initially respond to God with defiance, but later come to faith, with those who make a show of obedience but never really obey (Matthew 21:30).

In the following verse, Jesus describes a second son who follows the second pattern, doing exactly the opposite of the first son.

Verse 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.

Jesus is telling a parable to illustrate a powerful and devastating point to some of Israel’s religious leaders (Matthew 21:28–29). In context, this is a direct criticism of their hypocritical attacks on Jesus, while they themselves ignore the will of God (Matthew 21:23–27). In the first half of the parable, a man’s son initially refuses to obey a command to work, but then changes his mind and cooperates.

The man tells his second son to go work in the vineyard. This one answers his father very respectfully. Despite initial appearances, however, that son doesn’t do as he is told. As part of the parable, this is meant to depict men like those who have recently attacked Jesus. They give the appearance of obedience and honor to the Father, but in truth they are disobedient. This is in contrast to those whose spiritual state seems despicably defiant (Matthew 21:31), but who will eventually come to faith.

Verse 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

After defusing their attempted trap (Matthew 21:23–27), Jesus has asked some chief priests and elders another question, this time about a parable (Matthew 21:28–30). He has described two sons whose father separately instructs them to go work in the vineyard.

The first son is openly defiant, telling his father he won’t obey. Later, however, he changes his mind and does exactly as he was told. The second son gives the polite, seemingly obedient answer, but never actually does what his father commanded.

Here Jesus asks these religious leaders His question: Which son did his father’s will? They answer the only way they can: The son who did the work, even though he first said no, is the one who did the father’s will. The father wanted action, not just words. The one who acted obeyed. Despite the first son’s initial rudeness, his change of heart meant he came to obey and honor his father. The second son, on the other hand, never really honored his father, as proven by the fact that he only talked about obedience—he did not actually obey (John 14:15).

Now Jesus lowers the boom. His statement would have landed like a slap in the face. The examples of prostitutes and Jewish men who collected taxes for the Romans were not random choices by Jesus. Combined, these stereotypes summed up the worst of the worst in Israel’s sense of religious purity: wretched, wicked, traitorous, dirty, and despicable. In fact, they were considered outsiders to Israel’s religious community. They were lower than nobodies.

And yet, Jesus is claiming those very people would enter God’s kingdom ahead of the most religious and powerful men in Israel. The parable just given, further explained in the next verse (Matthew 21:32), shows Jesus is still talking about belief in the message of John the Baptist. Many prostitutes and tax collectors believed and repented—moving from defiance of God to submission (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). The Jewish religious leaders would merely pretend to submit, but never really obey (John 5:39–40; Matthew 23:27).

Verse 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

The contrast between Jesus Christ and His critics in this passage is striking. When they attempted to trap Jesus, He proved that they were too cowardly to tell the truth about their beliefs (Matthew 21:23–27). Jesus immediately follows that lesson with a parable that contrasts pretentious hypocrisy with eventual submission. Then, He boldly tells the most respected and powerful men in Israel that prostitutes and traitorous tax collectors will find heaven before they do. His ability to fearlessly speak hard truth comes as their cowardly answer to His challenge is still hanging in the air.

Jesus’ parable (Matthew 21:28–30) contrasted two sons. The first defied his father at first, then obeyed. The second seemed to agree, at first, but never complied. Obviously, it was the first, and not the second, who was truly obedient. With this in mind, Jesus has pointed out that tax collectors and the prostitutes have heeded the message of John the Baptist. They repented from their sin and were baptized by John. They initially said no to the commands of God—evidenced by lives of sin and selfishness—and then turned and began to obey Him (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

The Jewish religious leaders did exactly the opposite. They publicly and repeatedly said yes to God in every way they could, but this was ultimately all for show (Matthew 23:27). When God sent John the Baptist to them as a prophet and called them to repent from their sinful actions, these religious men refused to do so. Even when the people dismissed by society as despicable sinners believed and repented, the elders, scribes, and Pharisees refused to do so. They would not believe and obey (John 5:39–40).

Jesus tells them that John came to them in the way of righteousness. This means that, unlike them, John truly lived righteously before God. He did not merely say the right words and look good standing in the temple. He did what God told Him to do, and he kept doing it. From that position of righteous living, John called the Israelites to repent and join Him. Again, the religious leaders refused to do so.

Context Summary
Matthew 21:28–32 continues Jesus’ interaction with priests and elders in the temple, after He defuses a challenge. He delivers a parable about a man with two sons who tells them both to go work in a vineyard. The first says no, but then does it. The second says yes and then disobeys. Jesus, comparing the religious leaders to the second son, says that even the tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John the Baptist and repented will enter the kingdom of God before these important and powerful religious men.

Verse 33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.

Parables are stories which illustrate important truths. In this chapter of Matthew’s gospel, those truths are about ways Israel’s religious leaders had failed to obey God. In the previous story, Jesus began by asking for the opinion of His listeners (Matthew 21:28). Here, He starts with a command to listen.

He describes a landowner and master of a household. This man plants a vineyard and then builds the property into something that will produce a profit. He puts a fence around the vineyard to keep out animals and robbers. He equips it with a winepress to process the grapes. He raises a watchtower so servants can look out for potential threats from enemies, thieves, and fire. When all is ready, the landowner leases his well-equipped vineyard to some tenants who will work it while paying him rent. Then he leaves the country.

Jesus has described a very common scenario in Judea and other parts of the world. Wealthy landowners often rented out their land and lived off the rent, sometimes paid in crops. This parable is meant to remind Jesus’ Jewish listeners of a familiar Old Testament passage. Isaiah 5:1–7 also describes a metaphorical vineyard. It is said to be the house of Israel and to belong to the Lord. When the product of the vineyard—the people of Israel—turns out to be wild instead of useful, the owner of the vineyard destroys it.

In Jesus’ parable, the landowner is once again the Lord and the vineyard is Israel. This time, though, there are tenants who work the vineyard. They are meant to represent Israel’s religious leaders. They are charged with tending—caring for, growing—the vines in the field. Jesus’ story will show these are not good tenants.

Verse 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.

Jesus is telling another parable about a vineyard. The vineyard in this story has been developed and is leased out by a landowner to some tenants. The landowner moves away to another country. When harvest time comes, he sends a servant to collect his part of the fruit from the farmers renting his vineyard. “His fruit” means his share of the crop. It is the rent the tenants rightly owe, and would have agreed to, for the use of the vineyard.

This parable shares similarities with a metaphor given to Isaiah by the Lord in Isaiah 5:1–7. As there, the owner of this vineyard is God, and the crop is Israel. Jesus, though, adds tenants to the story. Those tenants represent the Jewish religious leaders, the ones given responsibility for “tending” Israel. In a similar sense, Scripture sometimes refers to spiritual leaders as “shepherds,” who are symbolically charged with protecting and guiding a flock of sheep.

In this story, the tenants will not respond well to the owner’s attempts to claim what is owed to him.

Verse 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

The owner of a vineyard has rented out his property to some tenants. This would have been a common situation in the ancient middle east. Their agreement was to work the vineyard, caring for the property and the plants, in exchange for a share of the final crop as it is harvested. However, when the owner sends servants to collect his share, the tenants refuse to hand it over. Instead, they beat one of the owner’s servants, kill another, and stone a third.

The meaning behind Jesus’ parable is clear, in part, because it closely parallels Isaiah 5:1–7. The landowner is the Lord God. The vineyard is Israel. The renters are Israel’s leaders, especially her religious leaders. Jesus’ description of their treatment of His servants evokes the treatment endured by God’s prophets in the Old Testament (Matthew 23:37). Those sent by God to deliver His messages and to demand righteousness from Israel were often persecuted and/or killed by Israel’s rulers or citizens (Acts 7:52).

Verse 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

Jesus is sharing a parable about some renters of a vineyard who refuse to pay their rent to the landowner. Instead of handing over the owner’s share of the crops when his servants came to collect it, the tenants beat and kill the servants. When the owner sends another group, the tenants do the same to them.

The renters, or tenants, in the parable represent Israel’s religious leaders. Much as a shepherd is responsible for caring for the safety of a flock of sheep (Jeremiah 3:15), or tenants were charged with tending the vineyard, so too were the religious leaders of Israel meant to care for the people. God is the landowner, and, in the following verse, Jesus is the landowner’s son.

The depravity of the tenant is increased as the story continues. Not content to reject and kill servants sent by the landowner, they will even try to usurp the position of the landowner’s son (Matthew 21:37–38).

Verse 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

Isaiah 5:1–7 depicts Israel as a vineyard which fails to produce good fruit, despite the owner’s care. As a result, the owner destroys it. Parallel to that, Jesus has been presenting a parable about another vineyard, also representing Israel. This time, the focus is on the men who the landowner charged with caring for the field. The owner rented the well-prepared field (Matthew 21:33–36) to some tenants. Their agreement would have been to give to the landowner a share of each harvest. But when the owner sends servants to collect his share, the tenants beat them and even kill some of them. This parallels Israel’s tragic history of prophets being ignored or murdered by religious leaders (Acts 7:52)

Now the owner of the vineyard decides to send his own son to collect the rightly owed crops. He imagines that the tenants will respect his son, though they have killed his servants. Instead, the following verse will show that they see the arrival of the son as an opportunity to defeat the owner of the vineyards once and for all.

Verse 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’

Jesus, in the temple, is telling a parable meant to illustrate the relationship between God the Father and Israel’s religious leaders. The nation’s leaders are represented by the tenants: renters of a vineyard. God owns the vineyard, which is Israel. He has repeatedly sent servants to collect the rent from the tenants, but they have mistreated and even killed the owner’s servants. The servants may be understood as the prophets of old (Acts 7:52; Matthew 23:37).

Now the owner of the vineyard has sent his own son, thinking the tenants will respect him. This is a gracious step, considering that the owner could have responded with violence or revenge of his own. Instead of responding in obedience, the tenants see an opportunity to have the son’s inheritance for themselves by killing him. They hope to own the vineyard by eliminating the future rightful heir.

It’s important when hearing any parable not to over-analyze the details. Each parable is meant to make a specific point, not to make every detail line up exactly with a precise person or action in the real world. The leaders of Israel were not literally attempting to become God, or to steal the inheritance of His Son. Broadly, Jesus is describing what Israel’s leaders have done to God’s servants over time and what they are about to do to Himself, God’s Son: to reject Him with violence and sin.

Verse 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

This concludes this parable about wicked tenants and the owner of the vineyard they are responsible to tend. Instead of paying their rent to the owner, in the form of a share of the crops, these tenants have mistreated and killed every servant the owner has sent to collect from them (Matthew 21:33–37). Now the owner has sent his son (Matthew 21:38), and the tenants have thrown him out of the vineyard and killed him, as well. They imagine that with the son dead, they will be able to take his inheritance.

Perhaps Jesus’ listeners in the temple do not see it, yet, but His story is meant to show how Israel’s religious leaders—including those Jesus is talking to—have failed to tend the vineyard of Israel faithfully. The have mistreated God’s prophets, servants sent to collect righteousness from Israel (Acts 7:52), and they will soon kill God’s Son (Matthew 17:22–23). Jesus is once again predicting His own death, this time in parable form and to the very men who will condemn Him in the coming days.

The question Christ poses in the following verse will begin to make this plain.

Verse 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

Jesus now asks a question of His listeners about His parable. He has described tenants who refuse to pay the owner of the vineyard their agreed rent. Instead, they have mistreated and killed every servant the owner has sent to collect his share of the crops. They have even killed his son in hopes of taking the inheritance of the vineyard for themselves (Matthew 21:33–39).

The question this raises comes with an obvious answer (Matthew 21:41), but Jesus asks for the sake of emphasis. The answer in the following verse might very well be spoken by one of the chief priests or elders Jesus has been talking to (Matthew 21:23). If so, the answer reveals their own condemnation. Whoever answers is clearly indignant about what these tenants have done to this vineyard owner, as they ought to be. God, as well, has a right to be angry about the way His messengers were mistreated (Matthew 23:37), and those meant to care for Israel wound up abusing her, instead (John 10:12–13).

Verse 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

This reply to a question Jesus asked about His parable (Matthew 21:33–40), shows His story has been effective. He has described some unreasonably wicked tenants who have mistreated and killed the owner’s servants when they came to collect rent. The tenants have even killed the owner’s son. Jesus asked the crowd what they thought the owner would do when he arrived. Though the response seems obvious, it carries an important message.

This response very likely comes from one of the chief priests or elders or Pharisees to whom Jesus has been talking (Matthew 21:45). If so, the very point of Jesus’ parable has been explained through the lips of those who are condemned by it. Not only was Jesus declaring Himself God’s Son and predicting His own death at the hands of the “tenants,” the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem, He was also warning of God’s coming judgment on those unrepentant religious leaders.

Whoever answers seems angered about what these evil tenants have done to the owner’s servants and son. This person refers to the tenants’ deserved fate using an interesting Greek phrase: kakous kakōs apolesei autous. That combination literally means something like “he will bring wickedness to those wicked ones,” or “the vile ones will be treated vilely.” A more concise rendering, such as the ESV, simply says “He will put those wretches to a miserable death.”

After purging his land of such evil people, presumably, the landowner will find more suitable tenants. Not only will Israel’s religious leaders suffer God’s judgment, new “tenants” will step in to help produce a harvest of repentance and righteousness from God’s people (Matthew 21:43).

Verse 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;this was the Lord ‘s doing,and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Jesus once more asks a group of Israel’s powerful and well-educated religious leaders if they have ever read a particular passage from the Scriptures. He knows they have, but He asks the rhetorical question to show that they have missed the point of what they have read and studied.

The passage Jesus quotes comes from Psalm 118, one of the psalms used in the Passover season. Jesus is referencing verses 22–23, which are found just before the words used to praise Him as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Psalm 118:25–26; Matthew 21:9). The translation used by Jesus matches that of modern English Bibles. These are words these religious leaders were angry to hear from the crowd, and from the children who later repeated them (Matthew 21:15).

Jesus applies these Old Testament words to Himself. He is the stone the builders rejected. The builders are Israel’s leaders, including the chief priests and Pharisees standing near Him. Though rejected by them, the stone, Jesus, has become the cornerstone or “head of the corner,” the most important stone in the structure. Prior to modern building techniques, it was extremely difficult to make the ground under a building perfectly level. Instead, whichever corner was lowest would be the location of the strongest, most important stone—which effectively held up the entire structure.

Alternatively, scholars suggest the phrase refers to the final keystone at the top of an arch. The Greek phrase is kephalēngōnias, literally meaning “head of the corner.” In either case, it is the stone on which the entire structure ultimately relies on to remain upright.

He adds that this is the Lord’s doing, meaning that the rejection by merely human leaders could never have stopped it. More than that, it is “marvelous in our eyes.” Jesus taking His place as the Messiah is ultimately a beautiful and pleasing work of God and not something engineered by any group of human beings.

Verse 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

This states, directly, what the parable of the tenants in the vineyard said indirectly (Matthew 21:33–41). Christ tells the chief priests and Pharisees standing in front of Him in the temple that the kingdom of God will be taken from them.

Israel’s leaders had held a powerful position on earth for centuries. Israel was God’s chosen people, and He dealt with His people most directly through the leaders who were meant to guide them to obedience and righteousness and trust in Him. Those leaders, though, had failed for far too long, rejecting God’s prophetic messengers (Acts 7:52). Now they had even rejected God’s own Son, Jesus, as the Messiah. The result would be that the leaders of Israel would lose the role of tending the vineyard of God’s people on earth.

Instead, Jesus says, the kingdom of God will be given to a people who will produce the fruit of righteousness and obedience to Him. Commentators disagree on whether Jesus is referring explicitly to moving the focus of God’s relationship with humanity from Israel to the church, made up of all who trust in Jesus alone for their salvation. The church begins with the twelve apostles and grows for a time as an apparent extension of Judaism before eventually becoming a mostly Gentile movement. What all agree on is that Jesus will now be the dividing line between those who are the people of God and those who are not. All who would belong to God must come through Jesus, the cornerstone.

Verse 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Jesus has quoted from Psalm 118:22–23 and has applied it to Himself. He is the stone that the builders of Israel, her leaders, rejected. The Lord, however, has made Jesus the cornerstone of the house of God (Matthew 21:42–43).

Now Jesus references Isaiah 8:14–15. Those who do not accept Him as the cornerstone will be broken or crushed by it. Isaiah put it this way, “And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

In other words, those who do not come to God by way of the cornerstone Jesus will be broken by the cornerstone Jesus (John 3:16–18). It is impossible to go around (John 14:6). All must go through Him to reach the Father or reject Him and be crushed (John 3:36).

Verse 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

This conversation began when some chief priests and elders approached Jesus with a question about the source of His authority (Matthew 21:23). Now Matthew shows that some Pharisees were present, as well—at least they had arrived by the time Jesus finished these two parables.

Instead of finding ammunition to use against Jesus, though, He had forced them to back down since they were unwilling to publicly say that John the Baptist was not sent from God (Matthew 21:25–27). Jesus launched from this into two parables that thoroughly condemned these Jewish religious leaders. He had indirectly owned His own role as the Son of God, predicting both His own death and God’s coming judgment of these Israelite leaders (Matthew 21:28–41).

Now Matthew adds a note to let his readers know that the chief priests and Pharisees understood that Jesus was talking about them all along. They grasped that He was condemning them and predicting that the kingdom would be taken from them. It’s not surprising that they were looking for a way to arrest Jesus and stop Him from teaching these things.

Verse 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Jesus knew He would be rejected, condemned, and executed in the coming days (Matthew 17:22–23). For now, however, He was enormously popular among the people in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–11). A cowardly lust for power, even at the cost of truth, kept Jewish religious leaders from arresting Jesus immediately. Above all, the chief priests had become politicians. They could not afford to lose the support of the people. For the time being, the people believed Jesus to be a legitimate prophet from God. Some apparently believed Him to be the Messiah.

These beliefs would not last the week for most Israelites, but the chief priests and Pharisees knew that if they arrested Jesus now, they would be seen as standing against God’s man. Ironically, this is exactly what they were doing.

Context Summary
Matthew 21:33–46 begins with another vineyard-related parable from Jesus. This one involves tenants who refused to pay the owner His agreed upon share of the crops. Instead, they mistreated and killed the servants he sent and then killed the owner’s son. Jesus compares Israel’s religious leaders to these tenants, saying the kingdom of God will be taken from them. Jesus identifies Himself in a psalm about a stone rejected by the builders but chosen by the Lord to be the cornerstone. All who reject Him will fall on the cornerstone or have it fall on and crush them.

Chapter Summary
Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.