What Old Testament prophecies relate to the leaders' fear in Matthew 21:46? The immediate scene (Matthew 21:46) “Although they wanted to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because the people held Him to be a prophet.” The authorities sense that if they seize Jesus publicly, the people—who see Him as God-sent—could turn against them. That tension fulfills several Old Testament texts that foretold rulers opposing God’s chosen Servant yet hesitating because of public allegiance to that Servant. The rejected stone foretold • Psalm 118:22-23 — “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” • Builders = leaders; stone = Messiah. Their rejection is prophesied, yet the marvel of the crowds (“marvelous in our eyes”) shows popular acclaim that makes the rulers cautious. • Isaiah 28:16 and Isaiah 8:14-15 add that the stone will both be a sanctuary and a stumbling block, causing leaders to trip while others find refuge. > “See, I lay a stone in Zion… whoever believes will not be disturbed.” (Isaiah 28:16) Rulers plotting but restrained • Psalm 2:1-3 — “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed.” • Prophecy pictures political and religious authorities conspiring, yet the very need to “gather together” hints at concern over how to act—exactly the predicament in Matthew 21:46. Shepherds who detest the True Shepherd • v. 8: “My soul loathed them, and theirs also abhorred me.” • The prophet-shepherd (a Messianic figure) is hated by Israel’s “shepherds” (leaders). Their loathing coexists with fear of the flock who favors the true Shepherd, matching the situation outside the temple courts. • Ezekiel 34:1-10 condemns shepherds who feed themselves rather than the flock—another backdrop to leaders protecting their own position while weighing popular opinion. Persecuted prophets protected by the people Old Testament history repeatedly shows officials wanting a prophet silenced but hesitating because of public respect—events that function as living prophecies of the Messiah’s experience. • Jeremiah 26:16, 19 — When priests and prophets demand Jeremiah’s death, “the officials and all the people” defend him. The precedent foreshadows why the Sanhedrin fears arresting Jesus openly. • 1 Kings 22 (Micaiah) and 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 (Zechariah son of Jehoiada) echo the same pattern of leaders plotting while watching public reaction. Warning about rejecting the promised Prophet > “I will raise up for them a prophet like you… I will require it of anyone who does not listen…” • Knowing this passage, the leaders understand the gravity of attacking someone the crowd views as that very Prophet; fear of being found fighting God heightens their caution. Putting it together The Old Testament anticipated: • Leaders would view the Messiah/prophet as a threat (Psalm 2; Isaiah 8; Zechariah 11). • The common people would receive Him gladly (Psalm 118). • That split reaction would leave rulers scheming yet wary (Jeremiah 26). Matthew 21:46 is therefore the outworking of a prophetic mosaic: the cornerstone is rejected by the builders, yet honored by the crowd, leaving the builders afraid to lay a hand on Him—just as Scripture said all along. |
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