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The events in chapter twenty-one took place during the last week of the Lord’s life on earth (John 12:1). In this period of time He willingly presented Himself to the children of Israel for a thorough examination.
We have seen that the last time the Lord Jesus came to Jerusalem He came not to work, but to present Himself to those who were to slaughter Him. In Matt. 21:23-46; 22:1-46 the Lord was tested and examined. According to Exodus 12, the passover lamb had to be examined four full days. In the Jewish calendar, four days could also be considered six days, for part of a day was counted as one day. Thus, Matthew says that Christ ascended the Mount of Transfiguration after six days, but Luke says that He did so after eight days (Matt. 17:1; Luke 9:28). During the last week of His life, Christ was examined for six days. Then He was crucified on the day of the Passover. This indicates that He was the real Passover Lamb; the lamb in Exo. 12 was a type.
First the Lord was examined by the chief priests and the elders. Matthew 21:23 says, “And as He came into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” The chief priests represented the religious power, and the elders represented the civilian power. These two powers came together to test Christ, who was standing before them as the Passover Lamb to be examined by the children of Israel. These Jewish leaders asked the Lord where He had received His authority and who had given it to Him. The Lord Jesus did not answer them directly, but with another question.
In verse 24 we see the Lord’s answer: “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?” This was a difficult question for the chief priests and elders to answer. If they had said that John’s baptism was from heaven, the Lord would have asked them why they did not believe him. But because they were afraid of the crowds, who regarded John as a prophet, they did not dare to say that it was from men.
The chief priests and elders told the Lord Jesus that they did not know whether John’s baptism was from heaven or from men (v. 27). Their answer was a lie. Children often lie by saying that they do not know. This is the best way for them to escape an accusation. The children are not taught to lie in this way; they do it naturally. Thus, the chief priests and the elders were like children who lie by saying that they do not know.
Verse 27 says, “He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.” This indicated that the Lord knew the Jewish leaders would not tell Him what they knew; hence, neither would He tell them what they asked. They lied to the Lord in saying that they did not know. But the Lord spoke the truth wisely to them, exposing their lie and avoiding their question. In this way, the Lord Jesus passed the first test, and no defect was found in Him.
After the Lord Jesus had dealt with the chief priests and elders in such a wise manner, He gave them a parable about a man who had two children (vv. 28-32). The man told the first child to work in the vineyard. At first the child refused, but later he regretted it and went. The man told the second child to do the same. But after saying that he would go, he eventually did not go. The Lord Jesus then asked His hearers which of the two did the will of the father. When they said the first, the Lord said to them, “Truly I say to you, that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you” (v. 31).
In Luke 15:1-2, 11-32, the Lord likened the leaders of Judaism to the firstborn son, and the tax collectors and sinners to the second son; but here the Lord likened them in the opposite order. This indicates that the Jews were the firstborn of God (Exo. 4:22), having the birthright, but due to their unbelief the birthright was shifted to the church, which has become God’s firstborn (Heb. 12:23). Thus, the Lord’s word here implies a shifting of the birthright. In God’s economy the birthright was taken from Israel and given to another people, a people composed of saved sinners and tax collectors. This means that the birthright of God has been transferred from Israel to the church.
Verse 32 says, “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 you, when you saw it, did not later regret it so as to believe him.” The Lord seemed to be saying, “You chief priests and elders are the second sons. Apparently you obey God, but actually you disobey Him. In the eyes of God, the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes are much better than you, because they received the preaching of John the Baptist. Because they received John’s way of righteousness, they will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but you will be shut out.” This means that the birthright was taken from Israel and given to the saved, repentant, and forgiven sinners who constitute the church.
Verse 32 speaks of the way of righteousness. The Gospel of Matthew, as the book on the kingdom, stresses the matter of righteousness, for the kingdom life is one of strict righteousness, after which we must seek (5:20, 6; 6:33). John the Baptist came in the way of such righteousness, and the Lord Jesus was willing to be baptized by John to fulfill such righteousness (3:15).
In verses 33 through 46 the Lord continues with another parable concerning the transfer of the kingdom of God. Verse 33 says, “There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard and put a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and leased it out to husbandmen, and went into another country.” The householder is God, the vineyard is the city of Jerusalem (Isa. 5:1), and the husbandmen are the leaders of the Israelites (21:45).
When the householder sent his slaves to the husbandmen to receive his fruits, the husbandmen flogged them and killed them (vv. 34-36). These slaves were the prophets sent by God (2 Chron. 24:19; 36:15). The flogging, killing, and stoning mentioned in verse 35 were the persecutions suffered by the Old Testament prophets (Jer. 37:15; Neh. 9:26; 2 Chron. 24:21).
Later, the householder sent his son. The son, of course, was Christ. When the husbandmen saw the son, they said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance” (v. 38). This word indicates that the Jewish leaders were jealous of Christ’s rights and wanted to maintain their false position. Thus, “they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him” (v. 39). This refers to Christ’s being killed outside the city of Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12).
Verses 40 and 41 say, “When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to Him, He will miserably destroy those evil men, and will leave the vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render the fruits to him in their seasons.” Verse 41 was fulfilled when the Roman prince, Titus, and his army destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The other husbandmen spoken of in this verse were the Apostles.
In verse 42 the Lord Jesus says, “Have you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the cornerstone; this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” The stone here is Christ for God’s building (Isa. 28:16; Zech. 3:9; 1 Pet. 2:4), and the builders are the Jewish leaders, who were supposed to work on God’s building. In this verse the Lord said that the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone (Gk., the head of the corner). Christ is not only the foundation stone (Isa. 28:16) and the topstone (Zech. 4:7), but also the cornerstone.
Verse 43 says, “Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.” The kingdom of God was already there with the Israelites, whereas the kingdom of the heavens had only drawn near (3:2; 4:17). This proves that the kingdom of the heavens is different from the kingdom of God. In this verse the Lord says that the kingdom of God will be given to another nation, which is the church.
The first part of verse 44 says, “And he who falls on this stone shall be broken to pieces.” This refers to the Jews who stumbled at Christ and were broken to pieces (Isa. 8:15; Rom. 9:32).
The last part of verse 44 says, “But on whomever it falls, it shall scatter him as chaff.” This refers to the nations which Christ will smite at His coming back (Dan. 2:34-35). To the believers, Christ is the foundation stone in whom they trust (Isa. 28:16); to the unbelieving Jews, He is the stumbling stone (Isa. 8:14; Rom. 9:33); and to the nations, He will be the smiting stone.
At the end of this parable, the Lord Jesus not only indicated that the kingdom would be taken from Israel and given to the church; He also referred to God’s building. Very few Christians today are clear about God’s building. Although you may have been in Christianity for years and may have heard that Christ was the Son of God, the Savior, the Redeemer, and perhaps even your life, you probably never heard that Christ is also God’s building stone. As we have pointed out, He was the stone rejected by the builders. The Jewish leaders must have been shocked to hear that Christ was a stone. In talking with them concerning the vineyard, indicating thereby that He was the son of the owner of the vineyard, Christ eventually referred to Himself as the stone rejected by the builders. Today, hardly any Christians have the concept that our Savior is a stone for God’s building.
In Acts 4:10 and 11 Peter referred to Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the stone rejected by the builders. Then in verse 12 he said, “And there is no salvation in any other; for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved.” Christians often use Acts 4:12 in preaching the gospel, but rarely, if ever, do they tell people that Christ is not only the Savior but also the stone. That our Savior is a stone reveals the fact that God’s salvation is for God’s building. The Savior is related to salvation, and the stone is related to building. But today’s Christians have not seen this matter adequately. God’s intention on earth is not simply to have a vineyard — it is to have a building. In the ancient times the nation of Israel was a vineyard; however, today the church is not merely a vineyard, but also a building. The church is a farm that produces materials for God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9). Whatever this farm grows is for the building. Although this matter has been missed by both Jews and Christians, the light has come to us in these last days so that this truth may be recovered. We have come to know that Christ is not only the Savior, but also the stone.
In the life-study of Revelation, we saw that Christ is the Lion-Lamb-stone. He is the Lion for victory, the Lamb for redemption, and the stone for building. In a sense, both Jews and Christians see the matter of redemption. However, they have not progressed to see the building. Christians today simply do not realize that Christ is a stone. In verse 42 the Lord said that the stone, not the Savior, would be rejected by the builders. Eventually, in resurrection, this rejected stone became the cornerstone. This is seen clearly in Acts 4, a chapter dealing with the resurrection of Christ.
The cornerstone is the stone that joins the walls. As the cornerstone, Christ connects the Jews and the Gentiles. Through Christ as the cornerstone the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers are brought together as one building for God. Thus, Christ is not only the foundation stone to support the building, but also the cornerstone to join the two main walls.
In verse 44 we see that Christ is not only the building stone, but also the stumbling stone. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. In Romans 9:32 Paul says that the Jews “stumbled at the Stone of stumbling.” The Jews that have rejected the Lord Jesus have fallen upon this stone and have been broken to pieces.
In verse 44 the Lord also says that this stone will fall on certain ones and scatter them as chaff. Thus, the Lord is also a smiting and scattering stone to the Gentiles. Daniel 2:34 and 35 say, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors.” These verses indicate that when Christ comes the second time, He will be a stone cut without hands falling from the heavens upon the great image. Daniel 2:35 also says, “The stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” The great image signifies the worldly powers from Babylon down to the ten kingdoms of the restored Roman Empire, which will exist at the time of Christ’s coming back. Christ will be the smiting stone that will scatter all the broken nations as chaff. Then He will become a great mountain, that is, the kingdom of God on earth.
Therefore, Christ is a stone to three categories of people: for the believers, He is the building stone; for the rejecting Jews, He is the stumbling stone; and for the Gentiles, He is the smiting stone. If you believe in Him, He will be to you the building stone. If you are a Jew and reject Him and are stumbled by Him, you will experience Him as the stumbling stone and be broken to pieces. If you are an unbelieving Gentile fighting against God, you will know Him one day as the smiting stone, for He will smite you and scatter you like chaff driven by the wind.
As a believer, Christ to you is a building stone. But how much building have you actually experienced? Although we are believers and although Christ is the building stone, we may not have very much building. Some genuine believers have even stumbled at Christ. On the one hand, they believe in Christ; but on the other hand, they say that they cannot take the way of Christ, and they shake their head at Him. In other words, they were stumbled at Him. Thus, instead of being built up by Christ, they have been stumbled by Him. Furthermore, some true believers have been smitten by Christ and blown away like chaff. It is rare to find genuine believers who are truly being built together. Such a building cannot be found in today’s Christianity. If you look for it in Catholicism, you will find abominations and fornication instead of building. Neither can the building be found in the denominations. On the contrary, today’s Christianity is full of stumbling and breaking. Yes, many have been brought to the Lord in Catholicism and in the denominations. But after they were brought to the Lord, they were spoiled. Instead of being built, they were stumbled or smitten.
We need to examine ourselves and ask how much of the building there is among us. Matthew was the only one among the four writers of the Gospels to give us a clear record of Christ as the stone. His record is complete. In no other portion of the Bible can we find Christ presented as a stone in three aspects: the building stone, the stumbling stone, and the smiting stone. All three aspects are found in Matthew for the kingdom.
The church is the life-pulse of the kingdom. This means that just as the body dies when the pulse stops, so the kingdom is wholly dependent upon the church. The church, in turn, is completely dependent upon the building. If there is no building, there is no practical church life. The church life is not simply a matter of meeting together or of having a little fellowship. In whatever locality we are, we need to be builded. For this, we must enjoy and experience our Christ as the stone. He is not only the foundation stone that bears us up, but also the cornerstone that joins us together. In Him and through Him we are built together.
Apart from such a building the church is vain, and without the church the kingdom has no life. The church is the kingdom life, and the reality of the church is the building. How we need to experience Christ as the building stone! He is the building element, the building life. Christ is life to us not only for victory, but all the more for building. The inner life people have spoken a great deal about Christ as the victorious life. But I never heard any one of them give a message saying that Christ is the building life. He is not only the victorious life, but also the building life. If you simply experience victory through Christ as life, your experience is not yet adequate. You must go on to experience the building life of Christ. Ultimately, Christ as life within us is for God’s building. You may be victorious, but still not be built. We need to be built. When we are built, we shall have the reality of the church life, and the church will be the life-pulse of the kingdom. Then the kingdom will be here in actuality.
To repeat, the actuality of the kingdom is the church, and the reality of the church is the building. In other words, the kingdom depends upon the church, and the church depends upon the building. We need to consider to what extent we have experienced Christ as the building stone. I believe that in the days to come the Lord will show us much more concerning the building. This building is closely related to the new man. On the one hand, the new man has been created, but on the other hand, the new man is being built. In order to have this new man, we need to experience Christ as the building stone.
After such a marvelous revelation, the Jewish leaders sought to seize the heavenly King that they might kill Him (vv. 45-46). This indicated that they, as the builders, fully rejected Christ as God’s building stone.
