How does this verse connect with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? Setting the scene Matthew 21:38: “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’ ” The heir foretold in Psalm 2 • Psalm 2:7–8: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance…” • Matthew’s “heir” language echoes the royal Son of Psalm 2. • The vineyard tenants want the inheritance; Psalm 2 announces that the Son alone rightfully receives it. The rejected cornerstone in Psalm 118 • Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” • Jesus quotes this psalm two verses later (Matthew 21:42), linking the tenants’ murder plot with the builders’ rejection. • Both passages forecast that rejection leads to exaltation. Isaiah 53 and the suffering servant • Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men…” • Isaiah 53:7–8 speaks of the Servant being “cut off” and led “like a lamb to the slaughter.” • Matthew 21:38 shows that the leaders willingly scheme to kill the Son, matching Isaiah’s prophecy of deliberate rejection. Daniel 9:26—Messiah cut off • Daniel 9:26: “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” • “Will have nothing” parallels the tenants’ intent to strip the Son of His inheritance. • The timing prediction in Daniel underscores that Messiah’s death is divinely scheduled, not accidental. Foreshadows in the Joseph narrative • Genesis 37:20: “Come now, let us kill him… then we will see what becomes of his dreams.” • The brothers’ conspiracy against Joseph prefigures the tenants’ words. • Like Joseph, Jesus will be rejected yet later exalted and become the agent of salvation. Zechariah 12:10—pierced by His own people • Zechariah 12:10: “…they will look on Me, the One they have pierced.” • The murderous intent of the tenants culminates in literal piercing at the cross, fulfilling Zechariah’s vision. 2 Samuel 7:12–14—David’s royal descendant • God promises David an everlasting dynasty and calls the coming king His “son.” • Matthew’s parable identifies Jesus as that royal Son whose inheritance is the kingdom itself. Key takeaways • Old Testament prophecies consistently present the Messiah as Son, Heir, and Cornerstone whom many will reject. • Matthew 21:38 gathers these strands—royal sonship (Psalm 2; 2 Samuel 7), rejection (Psalm 118; Isaiah 53), death (Daniel 9; Zechariah 12), and ultimate inheritance (Psalm 2)—into a single line of dialogue. • The verse reminds us that Messiah’s suffering and subsequent glory were written in advance, demonstrating God’s sovereign plan and the reliability of Scripture. |
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