In the previous blog, we saw that the Kingdom of Israel was taken away and given to another nation. Jesus substantiates His words by quoting Psalm 118. In doing so, He introduces a new image. In the parable, it was the son who was rejected and killed, but in Psalm 118, it is a stone that is rejected by the builders.
Matthew 21 (based on ISA)
42 Jesus said to them: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’ (literally: head of the corner, see Statenvertaling); this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
The stone
The significance of the stone is twofold. Firstly, it represents Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). We find quite a few rocks and stones in the Bible. Consider the stone on which Jacob rested his head — which he then set up and anointed with oil (Gen. 28:18). Or the fifth stone with which David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40) But above all, the stone rolled away from Jesus’ tomb (John 20:1). They all speak of Him who defeated the enemy, rose from the dead, and serves as the guarantee that all will be made alive.
However, the stone also represents the Kingdom of the Messiah, which will ultimately put an end to all human rule (Dan. 2:44-45).
Head of the corner
The stone that the builders rejected speaks of the rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish people, particularly their leaders (Acts 4:11). The builders in Psalm 118 are the same as the tenants in the parable. By rejecting the Messiah, they also rejected the Kingdom.
But the stone they rejected became the Head of the corner. Christ, the Stone rejected by Israel, became the Cornerstone of another structure: God’s spiritual dwelling place and temple. He became the Head of the ecclesia (Eph. 2:19-22).
44 And whoever falls on this stone will be crushed, and on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like chaff.
Israel scattered
Israel stumbled against Christ, the Stone, and fell over it (Isa. 8:14-15; Rom. 9:32-33). Israel would perish as a nation, just as Ezekiel 37 depicts the people as a valley full of dry, dead bones.
But even there, national death is not the end. Ezekiel foretells that the bones will come together again and be brought to life. The setting aside and scattering of Israel are temporary.
The second part of verse 44 is usually translated as “and on whomever it falls, it will crush,” but the word used here means: to scatter like chaff. That aligns precisely with what happened to Israel. The people would not only perish as a nation but also be scattered among the nations.
45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He was speaking about them. they understood
At first, the chief priests and Pharisees did not understand the parables, but now they understood that He was speaking about them. Jesus had applied the words from Psalm 118 to them and then stated plainly: “The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you.”
46 And while seeking to arrest Him, they feared the crowd, because they regarded Him as a prophet.
We read several times that the crowd regarded Jesus as a prophet (Luke 7:16; John 7:40). The leaders wanted to arrest Him but feared the crowd. Later, they would plot how to kill Him (Matt. 26:4; John 11:53).
This parable ends here, but the conversation with the leaders does not. The next parable — that of the royal wedding — follows directly from what is happening here.