What Old Testament prophecies connect with the events in Matthew 21:39? Remembering the Scene in Matthew 21:39 “ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” Isaiah’s Vineyard Song Foretells Israel’s Rejection • Isaiah 5:1-2, 7 – “My beloved had a vineyard … Then he expected it to yield good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones … For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel.” • Israel is the vineyard; the owner’s disappointment and judgment preview the very action Jesus pictures in the parable. The Stone the Builders Rejected • Psalm 118:22-23 – “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD; it is marvelous in our eyes.” • Jesus cites this psalm in the same conversation (Matthew 21:42), linking the murder of the son with the builders’ rejection of God’s chosen Cornerstone. The Suffering and Pierced Servant • Isaiah 53:3-5 – “He was despised and rejected by men … He was pierced for our transgressions.” • The servant’s rejection and death match the tenants’ treatment of the son. Zechariah’s Twin Oracles • Zechariah 12:10 – “They will look on Me whom they have pierced.” • Zechariah 13:7 – “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” • Both oracles forecast violence against God’s chosen One outside Jerusalem, aligning with the son being cast out of the vineyard. Messiah Cut Off, Yet Confirming Covenant • Daniel 9:26 – “After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” • “Cut off” (violent death) echoes the son’s fate and underlines the prophetic timeline leading to Calvary. Foreshadowed in Joseph’s Treatment • Genesis 37:24, 28 – “They took him and threw him into a pit … They sold Joseph for twenty shekels of silver.” • Joseph—beloved son rejected by his brothers—prefigures Israel’s rejection of Jesus. Outside-the-Camp Typology • Leviticus 16:27 – Sin offerings “shall be taken outside the camp.” • Numbers 15:35-36 – Executions for capital sin occurred “outside the camp.” • Hebrews 13:12 applies the pattern to Christ: He suffered “outside the gate,” matching the parable’s detail that the son is slain outside the vineyard. Why These Prophecies Matter for Matthew 21:39 • Together, the passages above predict a beloved, God-sent figure rejected, expelled, and killed by those who should have honored Him. • Jesus weaves these threads into His parable, revealing that He Himself fulfills each prophecy literally and completely. |
    |