About Matthew

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and King of Israel, demonstrating through His teachings and miracles that He fulfills Old Testament prophecies.

Author: Matthew (Levi)Written: c. AD 50-70Reading time: ~6 minVerses: 46
Kingdom of HeavenJesus as MessiahFulfillment of ProphecyDiscipleshipChurch

King James Version

Matthew 21

46 verses with commentary

The Triumphal Entry

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

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KJV Study Commentary

As Jesus approaches Jerusalem for His final Passover, the narrative states: 'And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples.' This geographical precision marks the beginning of Passion Week—the culmination of Jesus's earthly ministry. The phrase 'drew nigh unto Jerusalem' (ἤγγισαν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα/ēngisan eis Hierosolyma) c...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XXI. (1) **And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem.**—Here again we have, as far as we can, to fill up a gap in St. Matthew’s Gospel. We have to think of the journey up the narrow valley that leads from Jericho to Jerusalem. Our Lord, as before, was followed by the disciples, and they in their turn were followed by the crowds of pilgrims who were drawn to the Holy City either by the coming Passover...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat--**the burning heat. **of the day--**who have wrought not only longer but during a more trying period of the day.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Go into the village over against you.**—This may have been either Bethany or, on the assumption that it was nearer Jerusalem, Bethphage itself. **An ass tied, and a colt with her.**—St. Mark and St. Luke name the “colt” only. St. John speaks of a “young” or “small” ass, using the diminutive of the usual name (ἀνάριον)*.* The colt was one on which “man had never sat” (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30). ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13. But he answered one of them--**doubtless the spokesman of the complaining party. and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? &c.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **The Lord hath need of them.**—Simple as the words are, they admit of three very different interpretations. “The Lord” may be used either (1) in the highest sense as equivalent to Jehovah, as though the ass and the colt were claimed for His service; or (2) as referring to Christ in the special sense in which He was spoken of as “the Lord” by His disciples; or (3) as pointing to Him, but only ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet</strong>—Matthew's characteristic formula (πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθέν, <em>plērōthē to rhēthen</em>) introduces Zechariah 9:9. The Triumphal Entry wasn't spontaneous theater but divine orchestration. Jesus deliberately staged His royal claim (riding the messianic colt) while fulfilling prophecy to the letter.<br><br>Matthe...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **All** **this was done.**—The Evangelist returns to the formula of Matthew 1:22. Literally, *all this has come to pass.* The words are his comment on the act. At the time (as we find from John 12:16) the disciples did not understand its significance as connected with the prophecy that follows. The purpose lay in the mind of their Master, not in theirs. It is significant of what St. John recor...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?--**that is, "You appeal to justice, and by that your mouth is shut; for the sum you agreed for is paid you. Your case being disposed of, with the terms I make with other laborers you have nothing to do; and to grudge the benevolence shown to others, when by your own admission you have been honorabl...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

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KJV Study Commentary

The quotation 'Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass' from Zechariah 9:9 presents the paradox of the king's arrival. 'Meek' (Greek: praus) means gentle, humble, not asserting rights—contrasting with expected military conqueror. The donkey symbolizes peace (horses signified war). Jesus deliberately fulfills prophecy, publicly claiming messia...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Tell ye the daughter of Sion.**—The words seem to have been cited from memory, the Hebrew text of Zechariah 9:9 beginning, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; shout O daughter of Jerusalem,” and inserting “just, and having salvation” in the description of the King. As the words stand in Zechariah (we need not here discuss the question as to the authorship or composition of that book) they ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. So the last shall be first, and the first last--**that is, "Take heed lest by indulging the spirit of these murmurers at the penny given to the last hired, ye miss your own penny, though first in the vineyard; while the consciousness of having come in so late may inspire these last with such a humble frame, and such admiration of the grace that has hired and rewarded them at all, as will put...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them</strong>—Simple obedience (ὑπήκουσαν, <em>hypēkousan</em>) without recorded hesitation. Jesus had given unusual instructions (take a colt you don't own, tell the owner 'the Lord needs it'), yet the disciples trusted His authority.<br><br>This verse models discipleship: immediate compliance with Christ's directives even when the reasoning ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **And the disciples went.**—St. Mark and St. Luke give more graphically an account of their finding the colt, of the question asked by the owner and the by-standers why they did it, and of their answering in the words they had been told to use, “The Lord hath need of them.” They returned with the ass and the colt, and then the procession began.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon .

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes</strong>—The disciples improvised a makeshift saddle (ἱμάτια, <em>himatia</em>—outer garments) for the unbroken colt. <strong>They set him thereon</strong> uses an ambiguous pronoun: Jesus rode the colt (as Mark/Luke specify), while garments covered both animals.<br><br>Matthew alone mentions both mother and colt, perhaps hyper-l...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **They set him thereon**—*i.e.,* on the garments which served as a saddle. Our Lord rode on the colt, and the ass followed, or went along by His side. St. Mark and St. Luke mention the colt only.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>A very great multitude spread their garments in the way</strong>—Ancient enthronement ritual (2 Kings 9:13). The Greek πλεῖστος ὄχλος (<em>pleistos ochlos</em>) means 'the vast majority.' <strong>Others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way</strong>—likely palm fronds (John 12:13), symbols of Jewish nationalism and victory since the Maccabean revolt.<br><br>The crow...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **And a very great multitude.**—Better, *the* *greater part of the multitude.* Part of the crowd had come with Him from Galilee, part streamed from Bethany, excited by the recent resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:17). Some went before Him, some followed. As they advanced they were met by a fresh crowd pouring forth from Jerusalem. Of the latter, St. John records that they came out with palm-bra...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

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KJV Study Commentary

The crowds' cry 'Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest' quotes Psalm 118:25-26, a messianic psalm. 'Hosanna' means 'save now' or 'save, we pray'—a plea for deliverance. 'Son of David' explicitly identifies Jesus as Messiah. The crowd hailed Jesus as deliverer, expecting political salvation from Rome. Within days, many would cry 'Cruc...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Hosanna.**—We gather, by comparing the four Gospels, the full nature of the mingled cries that burst from the multitude. (1.) As here, “Hosanna.” The word was a Hebrew imperative, “Save us, we beseech thee,” and had come into liturgical use from Psalms 118. That Psalm belonged specially to the Feast of Tabernacles (see Perowne on Psalms 118), and as such, was naturally associated with the pa...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **All the city was moved.**—It was the beginning of the Paschal week, and the city was therefore filled with pilgrims of many lands. To them this was a strange prelude to the usual order of the feast, and they asked what it meant. The answer fell short of the full meaning of the shouts of the people, but it expressed that aspect of the character of Jesus which was most intelligible to strange...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee</strong>—The crowds' confession falls tragically short. Jesus is indeed <em>prophētēs</em> (προφήτης), but He's the Prophet-King-Priest, Yahweh incarnate. <strong>Of Nazareth</strong> was nearly contemptuous (John 1:46, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?'), yet providentially fulfilled prophecy (Matt 2:23).<br><br>Galilee (Γαλιλαία) m...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 21 Chapter Outline Christ enters Jerusalem.(1-11) He drives out those who profaned the temple.(12-17) The barren fig-tree cursed. (18-22) Jesus' discourse in the temple.(23-27) The parable of the two sons.(28-32) The parable of the wicked husbandmen.(33-46) **Verses 1-11** This coming of Christ was described by the prophet Zechariah, Zec 9:9. When Chri...
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Jesus Cleanses the Temple

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple.</strong> This dramatic action demonstrates Christ's righteous zeal for God's house and His messianic authority. "Went into the temple" (<em>eisēlthen eis to hieron</em>, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν) specifies the temple courts, likely the Court of the Gentiles, the outer area accessible to non-Jews. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **And Jesus went into the temple.**—Here, again, there is a gap to be filled up from another Gospel. St. Mark (Mark 11:11) says definitely that on the day of His solemn entry He went into the Temple, “looked round about on all things there,”—*i.e.,* on the scene of traffic and disorder described in this verse—and then, “the evening-tide being come” (or, “the hour being now late”), went back t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' rebuke 'It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves' combines Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, condemning the temple's corruption. God intended the temple as a place of prayer (worship, communion with God); instead, it became a marketplace where money-changers and merchants extorted worshipers. 'Den of thieves' means a hideout where robber...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **It is written.**—The words which our Lord quotes are a free combination of two prophetic utterances: one from Isaiah’s vision of the future glory of the Temple, as visited both by Jew and Gentile (Isaiah 56:7); one from Jeremiah’s condemnation of evils like in nature, if not in form, to those against which our Lord protested (Jeremiah 7:11). **A den of thieves.**—The pictorial vividness of ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them</strong>—David had banned the blind and lame from the temple (2 Sam 5:8 LXX tradition). Jesus, the greater David, welcomes and restores those the old order excluded. The Greek τυφλοὶ καὶ χωλοί (<em>typhloi kai chōloi</em>) were ceremonially marginalized, yet found mercy at Messiah's hands.<br><br>After cleansing the templ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **The blind and the lame.**—These, as we see from Acts 3:2, and probably from John 9:1, thronged the approaches to the Temple, and asked alms of the worshippers. They now followed the great Healer into the Temple itself, and sought at His hands relief from their infirmities. If we were to accept the LXX. reading of the strange proverbial saying of 2Samuel 5:8, “The blind and the lame shall no...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

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KJV Study Commentary

After cleansing the temple, 'when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased.' The ironic contrast is stark: children recognized and worshiped Jesus as Messiah ('Son of David') while religious leaders burned with indignation. The phrase 'sore displeased' (ἠγανάκτησαν/ē...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **The chief priests.**—These, as commonly in the Gospels, were the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, as well as Annas and Caiaphas, who were designated by the title in its higher sense, the one as actually high priest, the other as president of the Sanhedrin. (See Note on Luke 3:2.) **The children.**—Literally, *the boys,* the noun being masculine. Taking the Jewish classifi...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Hearest thou what these say?**—The priests and scribes had probably remained in the Temple, and had not heard the Hosannas which were raised on the Mount of Olives. The shouts of the children were therefore a surprise to them, and they turned to the Teacher and asked whether He accepted them in the sense in which they were addressed to Him. Had He really entered the Temple claiming to be th...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there</strong>—After confrontation with religious authorities, Jesus withdrew (ἐξῆλθεν, <em>exēlthen</em>) to Bethany, home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 11:1). <strong>He lodged there</strong> (ηὐλίσθη, <em>ēulisthē</em>) suggests regular nightly retreat from hostile Jerusalem.<br><br>Jesus's strategic withdrawal illu...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **And went out of the city into Bethany.**—St. Mark, as already noticed, places the incident that follows on the morning that followed the triumphal entry, and before the cleansing. We have to choose, there being an obvious error of arrangement in one or other of the narratives, between the two, and the probability seems on the whole in favour of the more precise and more vivid record of St. ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 12-17** Christ found some of the courts of the temple turned into a market for cattle and things used in the sacrifices, and partly occupied by the money-changers. Our Lord drove them from the place, as he had done at his entering upon his ministry, Joh 2:13-17. His works testified of him more than the hosannas; and his healing in the temple was the fulfilling the promise, that the gl...
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The Fig Tree Withers

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered</strong>—The Greek ἐπείνασεν (<em>epeinasen</em>) emphasizes Jesus's genuine humanity. The eternal Word who fed 5,000 experienced hunger Himself. This wasn't playacting but authentic human limitation, though without sin (Heb 4:15).<br><br>His hunger sets up the fig tree incident (v.19), but Matthew records this physical detail to...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **In the morning.**—The word implies “daybreak,” probably about 5 A.M. This was the usual Jewish time for the first food of the day. If we may infer from Luke 21:37, John 18:1, that the greater part of the night had been spent either in solitary prayer or in converse with the disciples, we have an explanation of the exhaustion which sought food wherever there might seem even a chance of findi...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 18-22** This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession co...
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And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon , but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. a fig tree: Gr. one fig tree

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **In the way.**—Better, *on the road.* Fig-trees were often planted by the road-side under the notion that dust suited them. **He came to it.**—St. Mark adds, what St. Matthew indeed implies, that He came, if “haply He might find anything thereon.” The fig-tree in Palestine bears two or three crops a year. Josephus, indeed, says that fruit might be found on the trees in Judæa for ten months o...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 18-22** This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession co...
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And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!</strong>—The Greek ἐθαύμασαν (<em>ethaumasan</em>, 'marveled') shows astonishment at the speed: <strong>How soon</strong> (πῶς παραχρῆμα, <em>pōs parachrēma</em>)—immediately, not gradually. The disciples focused on the miracle's timing, missing Jesus's symbolic judgment on Israel's fruitless religio...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **And when the disciples saw it.**—Here again St. Mark’s narrative (Mark 11:20-21) seems at once the fullest and the most precise. As he relates the facts, the disciples did not perceive that the fig-tree was withered away till they passed by on the following morning. Peter then remembered what had been said the day before, and, as the spokesman of the rest, drew his Master’s attention to the...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 18-22** This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession co...
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Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>If ye have faith, and doubt not</strong>—The Greek μὴ διακριθῆτε (<em>mē diakrithēte</em>) means 'don't be divided in mind,' united trust versus double-mindedness (Jas 1:6-8). <strong>Ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed</strong>—hyperbolic language common in rabbinic teaching, yet pointing to real power.<br><...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **If ye have faith, and doubt not.**—The promise, in its very form, excludes a literal fulfilment. The phrase to “remove mountains” (as in 1Corinthians 13:2) was a natural hyperbole for overcoming difficulties, and our Lord in pointing to “this mountain”—as He had done before to Hermon (Matthew 17:20)—did but give greater vividness to an illustration which the disciples would readily understa...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 18-22** This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession co...
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And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus promises answered prayer: 'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive' (Greek: πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ πιστεύοντες λήμψεσθε, 'all things whatever you ask in prayer believing you shall receive'). The promise seems unconditional but context clarifies - 'believing' (πιστεύοντες) faith includes trust in God's wisdom and will. 'In prayer' (ἐν τῇ πρ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer.**—Here again there is the implied condition (as in Matthew 7:7) that what is asked is in harmony with the laws and will of God. If it were not so it would not be asked in faith, and every true prayer involves the submission of what it asks to the divine judgment. The words suggest the thought, of which we have the full expression in John 11:42,...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 18-22** This cursing of the barren fig-tree represents the state of hypocrites in general, and so teaches us that Christ looks for the power of religion in those who profess it, and the savour of it from those that have the show of it. His just expectations from flourishing professors are often disappointed; he comes to many, seeking fruit, and finds leaves only. A false profession co...
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The Authority of Jesus Questioned

And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The chief priests and the elders came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things?</strong>—The Sanhedrin's delegation (ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, <em>archiereis kai presbyteroi</em>) demands Jesus's credentials. <strong>By what authority</strong> (ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ, <em>en poia exousia</em>) questions His legal right to cleanse the temple and teach.<br><...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **The chief priests and the elders.**—St. Matthew and St. Luke add “the scribes,” thus including representatives of the three constituent elements of the Sanhedrin. The character of the teaching is further specified by St. Luke, “as He was preaching the gospel”—proclaiming, *i.e.,* the good news of the kingdom, the forgiveness of sins, and the law of righteousness.** By what authority** . . ....
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 23-27** As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thought...
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And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things</strong>—Jesus employs rabbinic counter-questioning (common in Jewish debate) to expose His opponents' hypocrisy. The Greek ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς (<em>erōtēsō hymas</em>, 'I will ask you') matches their interrogation.<br><br>Jesus wasn't evading but revealing. His counter-question ab...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **I also will ask you one thing.**—The question is met by another question. As One who taught as “having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29), He challenges their right to interrogate Him on the ground of precedent. Had they exercised that right in the case of the Baptist, and if so, with what result? If they had left his claim unquestioned, or if they had shrunk from confessing ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 23-27** As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thought...
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The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?</strong>—Jesus forces binary choice: divine origin (ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, <em>ex ouranou</em>) or human invention (ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, <em>ex anthrōpōn</em>). John's baptism represented his entire prophetic ministry, which authenticated Jesus (John 1:29-34). Their answer would reveal whether they recognized God's voice.<br><br><strong>If we shall ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) **They reasoned with themselves.**—The self-communing was eminently characteristic. The priests and scribes had, in dealing with the mission of John, halted between two opinions. At one time they came to his baptism (Matthew 3:7); at another they said, “He hath a devil” (Matthew 11:18). They watched the ebb and flow of a public reverence which the death of John had deepened, and dared not rep...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 23-27** As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thought...
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But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people</strong>—Raw political pragmatism: φοβούμεθα τὸν ὄχλον (<em>phoboumetha ton ochlon</em>), 'we fear the crowd.' <strong>For all hold John as a prophet</strong>—the same people who held Jesus as prophet (v.11, 46) yet would soon cry for His crucifixion. Popular opinion proved fickle foundation.<br><br>The leaders' fear of man became a snare (Pr...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 23-27** As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thought...
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And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>We cannot tell</strong>—The Greek οὐκ οἴδαμεν (<em>ouk oidamen</em>) means 'we don't know'—a lie. They knew but wouldn't admit it. <strong>Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things</strong>—Jesus honors their choice. Since they refused to acknowledge God's authentication through John, they'd proven themselves incapable of recognizing divine authority in Jesus.<br><br>Jesus's r...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) **We cannot tell.**—The confession of impotence to which the priests and scribes were thus brought was, as has been said, a virtual abdication. Before such a tribunal the Prophet whom they called in question might well refuse to plead. There was, indeed, no need to answer. For those who were not wilfully blind and deaf, the words that He had spoken, the works which He had done, the sinless li...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 23-27** As our Lord now openly appeared as the Messiah, the chief priests and scribes were much offended, especially because he exposed and removed the abuses they encouraged. Our Lord asked what they thought of John's ministry and baptism. Many are more afraid of the shame of lying than of the sin, and therefore scruple not to speak what they know to be false, as to their own thought...
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The Parable of the Two Sons

But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(28) **But what think ye?**—The question serves to connect the parable with the foregoing incident, and so gives point to its special primary application. In many MSS. the answers of the two sons are inverted, and it is accordingly the “second,” and not the first, who is said, in Matthew 21:31, to have done the will of his Father. **Go work to day in my vineyard.**—The parable rests on the same im...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 28-32** Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, onl...
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He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went</strong>—The first son's initial defiance (οὐ θέλω, <em>ou thelō</em>, 'I don't want to') represents tax collectors and sinners who initially lived in rebellion. <strong>But afterward he repented</strong> (μεταμεληθεὶς, <em>metamelētheis</em>)—felt regret, changed his mind—and went.<br><br>This parable inverts religious ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(29) **I will not.**—The bold defiance of the answer answers to the rough recklessness of the classes (publicans and harlots) who were represented by the “first” of the two sons. Their whole life, up to the time of their conversion, had been an open refusal to keep God’s laws, and so to work in His vineyard. **He repented.**—The Greek word is not the same as that of Matthew 3:2, and expresses rath...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 28-32** Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, onl...
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And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>I go, sir: and went not</strong>—The second son's false compliance (ἐγώ, κύριε, <em>egō, kyrie</em>, 'I will, sir') represents the chief priests and elders. Respectful words (κύριε, 'lord/sir') masked disobedience. <strong>And went not</strong>—no action followed the promise.<br><br>This cuts at performative religion: prayers without obedience, confession without transformation, 'Lord, Lor...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(30) **I go, sir.**—The tone of outward respect, as contrasted with the rude refusal of the elder son, is eminently characteristic as representing the surface religion of the Pharisees.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 28-32** Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, onl...
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Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(31) **They say unto him, The first.**—The answer came apparently from the lips of the very persons who were self-condemned by it, and so implied something like an unconsciousness that they were described in the person of the second son. They who gave God thanks that they were not like other men, could not imagine for an instant that the “went not” represented their spiritual life in relation to G...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 28-32** Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, onl...
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For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For John came unto you in the way of righteousness</strong>—ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης (<em>en hodō dikaiosynēs</em>) means John's life and message perfectly aligned with God's righteous requirements. He preached and modeled repentance. <strong>And ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him</strong>—devastating indictment. Society's moral outcasts recognized truth the reli...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **In the way of righteousness.**—The term seems used in a half-technical sense, as expressing the aspect of righteousness which the Pharisees themselves recognised (Matthew 6:1), and which included, as its three great elements, the almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, that were so conspicuous both in the life and in the teaching of the Baptist. **The publicans and the harlots believed him.**—The ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 28-32** Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, onl...
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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(33) **Which planted a vineyard.**—The frequent recurrence of this imagery at this period of our Lord’s ministry is significant. (Comp. Matthew 20:1; Matthew 21:28; Luke 13:6.) The parable that now meets us points in the very form of its opening to the great example of the use of that image in Isaiah 5:1. Taking the thought there suggested as the key to the parable, the vineyard is “the house of I...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it</strong>—The parable shifts from two sons to wicked tenants. The vineyard owner (God) expects fruit (ὁ καιρὸς τῶν καρπῶν, <em>ho kairos tōn karpōn</em>—the season of fruits). His servants (τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ, <em>tous doulous autou</em>) are the prophets sent to Israel...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(34) **When the time of the fruit drew near.**—We must be content here with following the general drift of the parable, and cannot find any exact parallel in the history of Israel to the successive sendings of the servants of the householder. It is enough to see in them the general expectation (comp. the language of Isaiah 5:4, “I looked that it should bring forth grapes”) that the developed life ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another</strong>—Israel's treatment of the prophets catalogued. The verbs escalate: ἔδειραν (beat/flay), ἀπέκτειναν (killed), ἐλιθοβόλησαν (stoned). Each verb uses different servants, showing repeated persecution patterns across generations.<br><br>Hebrews 11:36-38 describes faithful prophets who suffered mo...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(35) **Beat one, and killed another.**—The language paints the general treatment of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, being the most conspicuous instances. The language of our Lord in Matthew 23:30; Matthew 23:34, not less than that of Hebrews 11:37, implies that the prophets, as a class, had no light or easy task, and were called upon, one by one, to suffer persecutio...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise</strong>—God's patience persists through escalating rejection. ἄλλους δούλους πλείονας τῶν πρώτων (<em>allous doulous pleionas tōn prōtōn</em>)—'other servants, more than the first.' Each wave of prophets faced identical treatment: violent rejection.<br><br>Divine patience should provoke repentance (Rom 2:4)...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(36) Other servants more than the first.—There is, perhaps, a reference here to the greater power and fulness of the work of the later prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stretching onward to that of the Baptist, as closing the whole line.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son</strong>—ὕστερον δὲ ἀπέστειλεν... τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ (<em>hysteron de apesteilen... ton huion autou</em>)—'last of all he sent... his son.' This climaxes the escalation: after servants (prophets), the Son (Jesus). <strong>They will reverence</strong> (ἐντραπήσονται, <em>entrapēsontai</em>) means 'show respect, feel s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(37) **Last of all.**—The variations in the other Gospels are noticeable as more vivid and dramatic. “He had yet one son, his beloved” (Mark 12:6). “He said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son, it may be they will reverence him” (Luke 20:13). The language of deliberation and doubt is evidently inapplicable, except by a bold anthropomorphism, to divine acts, but it sets forth (1) the gradu...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(38) **This is the heir.**—What we learn elsewhere enables us to understand the feelings with which the priests and scribes must have heard these words. Already had Caiaphas given the counsel that one man should die for the people (John 11:49), while among those who knew it, and did not protest, were many who believed on Him, and yet, through fear of the Pharisees, were not confessed disciples (Jo...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him</strong>—Prophecy masquerading as parable. The verbs predict Jesus's passion: ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος (<em>ekbalontes exō tou ampelōnos</em>)—'casting out of the vineyard.' Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem's walls (Heb 13:12), <strong>outside the camp</strong>, bearing our reproach.<br><br><strong>And slew him</s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(39) **Cast him out of the vineyard.**—The minor touches of a parable are not always to be pressed in our interpretation of it; but we can hardly help seeing here a latent reference to the facts (1) that our Lord was delivered over to the judgment of the Gentiles; and (2) that He was crucified outside the Holy City, (John 19:20; Hebrews 13:12), which was, in a special sense, as the vineyard of the...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?</strong>—Jesus makes His hearers pronounce judgment on themselves. ὅταν οὖν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος (<em>hotan oun elthē ho kyrios tou ampelōnos</em>)—'when therefore the lord of the vineyard comes'—assumes certain return and reckoning.<br><br>The question forces application: τί ποιήσει τοῖς γεωργοῖς...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He will miserably destroy those wicked men</strong>—κακοὺς κακῶς ἀπολέσει αὐτούς (<em>kakous kakōs apolesei autous</em>)—'bad [men] badly he will destroy.' The wordplay intensifies: wicked men receive wicked destruction. The leaders pronounced their own judgment, not recognizing they described their coming fate (AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem).<br><br><strong>And will let out his vineyard ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(41) **They say unto him** **. . .**—The fact that the answer to the question came, not from the speaker, but from the hearers of the parable, is peculiar to St. Matthew. On the assumption that those who gave the answer were the scribes and Pharisees, we may see in it either a real unconsciousness that they were as the men on whom the punishment was to fall (see Note on Matthew 21:31), or, more pr...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner</strong>—Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23, identifying Himself as the rejected stone (λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν, <em>lithon hon apedokimasan</em>). The 'builders' (religious leaders) assessed Messiah and rejected Him as unsuitable. Yet God made this rejected stone κεφαλὴν γωνίας (<em>kephalēn gōnias</em>)—the cornerst...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(42) **Did ye never read. . . .?**—The quotation is remarkable as being found (Psalm 118:22) in the immediate context of the verse which had supplied the “hosanna” shouts of the multitude on the preceding day. In the primary meaning of the Psalm, the illustration seems to have been drawn from one of the stones, quarried, hewn, and marked, away from the site of the Temple, which the builders, ignor...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken</strong> (καὶ ὁ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τοῦτον συνθλασθήσεται)—The participle πίπτω (piptō, 'to fall') pictures stumbling over the stone (Christ), while συνθλάω (synthlaō, 'to shatter, to break in pieces') shows complete destruction. This alludes to Isaiah 8:14-15, where Yahweh becomes 'a stone of stumbling' to both houses of Israel. Those...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(44) **Whosoever shall fall on this stone.**—There is a manifest reference to the “stumbling and falling and being broken” of Isaiah 8:14-15. In the immediate application of the words, those who “fell” were those who were “offended” at the outward lowliness of Him who came as the carpenter’s son, and died a malefactor’s death. That “fall” brought with it pain and humiliation. High hopes had to be ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them</strong> (καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὰς παραβολὰς αὐτοῦ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι περὶ αὐτῶν λέγει)—The verb γινώσκω (ginōskō, 'to know, to perceive, to recognize') shows they correctly understood Jesus's meaning. The parable of two sons (21:28-32), the wicked tenants (21:33-44), and ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(45) **They perceived that he spake of them.**—The real or affected unconsciousness of the drift of our Lord’s teaching was at last broken through. The last words had been too clear and pointed to leave any room for doubt, and they were roused to a passionate desire for revenge.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But when they sought to lay hands on him</strong> (καὶ ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι)—The verb ζητέω (zēteō, 'to seek, to endeavor') with κρατέω (krateō, 'to seize, to arrest') shows deliberate intent to arrest Jesus. Their response to truth was violence—not refutation but removal of the truth-teller. When people can't answer Christ's arguments, they silence His voice. This murderous intent ful...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(46) **When they sought to lay hands.**—We must remember that they had once before made a like attempt, and had been baffled (John 7:44-46). Now circumstances were even more against them. The Prophet was surrounded by His own disciples, and by an admiring crowd. Open violence they did not dare to venture on, and they had to fall back upon the more crooked paths of stratagem and treachery. Ellicott...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 33-46** This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, if faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicked world, or from ungodly professors ...
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