Read Matthew 21:23–46
Questions from the Scripture text: Into where did Jesus come (v23)? Who confronted Him? What two things do they ask? What condition does Jesus give for an answer (v24)? What question does He ask (v25)? What is their concern with each possible answer (v25–26)? What do they answer (v27a)? So, what does Jesus answer them (v27b)? How does He continue to answer (v28)? What did the man in the parable have? What does he tell the first son to do? What does the son say, but what does the son do (v29)? What does he tell the second son (v30)? What does the second son say, but what does he do? What question does Jesus now ask (v31)? What do they answer? How does Jesus apply the parable to them? How did John come to them (v32)? How did they respond to John? Who responded properly? What impact did this fail to have? What does He proceed to tell them in v33? About whom? What did this landowner do? To whom does he lease the vineyard? What time drew near (v34)? What did the landowner do? But what do the vinedressers do (v35)? Then what does he do, and what do they do (v36)? What does he do last of all (v37)? And what do they do with the son, and why (v38–39)? With what question does Jesus conclude the parable (v40)? What do they answer (v41)? What does Jesus ask them in v42? To what does He compare the vinedressers? What did they reject (analogously to the son of the landowner)? But what happened to this stone? But Whom does Jesus say has done his? And how do the people respond? To whom does Jesus now apply both the parable and Ps 118:22 (v43)? What will be taken from whom? To whom will it be given? What will happen to whom (v44)? Who heard these parables (v45)? What did they perceive? What did they seek to do to Him (v46)? Why didn’t they?
From where does questioning Jesus come? Matthew 21:23–46 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that questioning Jesus comes from a heart that is in danger of being destroyed.
The chief priests and the elders challenge Jesus (v23) concerning His authority to cleanse the temple. Jesus’s answer isn’t a dodge of the question but n explanation of why they cannot have he answer. John has already proclaimed Jesus’s authority (v24–25). But he came in the way of righteousness (v32), and even tax collectors and prostitutes were more responsive to him. Because the chief priests and elders care more about appearances (v25–26) than righteousness, they would not be able to receive Jesus’s testimony any more than John’s (v27).
If we care about righteousness, we must receive the witness of Christ’s prophets in the Scriptures, which is to receive His own witness.
These priests and elders have made a display about willingness to obey God, like the second son (v30), but when God sent His own Son into the world, they did not give the obedience of receiving Him. Yet, tax collectors and prostitutes, who had initially rejected the will of God (v29a) repented (v29b) at the preaching of John (v32).
There is a lesson here about pretended religion vs the true work of God that produces righteousness from the heart.
And there is a lesson here about the sheer grace at work, when God gives this repentance. He is pleased to give it to the “worst” sorts of sinners. He will be pleased to give it to you!
Finally, Jesus finishes this encounter by teaching a parable about God’s forthcoming response to them. Their self-interest was on the verge of breeding murder of God’s Son, just as it had previously bred murder of His servants the prophets (v33–v39).
But as these hired builders/vinedressers reject the stone/Son, it is all under the sovereign and gracious providence of God. Not only is the Lord’s graciously making Him the chief cornerstone “the Lord’s Doing,” but even His sovereignly doing so by means of the builders’ rejecting Him is also the Lord’s doing! For, it is His intention to build a covenant nation out of Christ (v43).
And it is not just the Father Who will “destroy them miserably” (v41). They harm themselves by their assault upon Christ (v44a), and He will add to that His own devastating retribution (v44b).
Sadly, our sin makes us completely blind. Those who knew the obvious answer in v41 fail to see how their own response in v45–46 demonstrated exactly what Jesus was saying about them. To others, it was being granted to take Jesus for a prophet. Others were ahead of them for entering the kingdom! God give us, dear reader, to realize the truth about ourselves, so that we might turn from ourselves unto Jesus. Otherwise, we might find ourselves blind to the fact that resistance to Jesus is both harming ourselves provoking Him to righteous wrath against us.
How have you responded to God’s offer of repentance? In what ways are you taking shape and direction from Jesus as your cornerstone?
Sample prayer: Lord, give us to kiss the Son before His wrath is kindled even a little. By Your Spirit, make us to be those blessed who put our trust in Him, we ask in His Name, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP2 “Why Do Gentile Nations Rage” or TPH404 “The Church’s One Foundation”