Worship With Us Sunday School10 AM Sunday Morning11 AM Sunday Evening4 PM Thursday Night7 PM
1377 S 20th St, Louisville, KY 40210 Contact
True Words Baptist Church — Revelation 21:5
BOOK 40 OF 66 · GOSPELS · KING JAMES BIBLE

Matthew 21

Matthew book home•Chapter 21 of 28•46 verses
Search Matthew
Aa  Reading settings
Text size
Reading width
Track chapter:
Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study
REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Matthew 21 Overview

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt in fulfillment of Zechariah, cleanses the temple, receives children’s praise, curses a fruitless fig tree, and answers challenges to His authority. He then tells parables of two sons and wicked husbandmen that expose leaders who profess obedience yet reject God’s messengers and His Son.

MatthewBook
21Chapter
46Verses
GospelsDivision

Before you read Matthew 21

Coming from

Matthew 20 established the immediate context: Jesus tells the parable of laborers in the vineyard, emphasizing the landowner’s right to be generous and challenging comparisons based on merit.

In this chapter

The King enters Jerusalem publicly and immediately confronts fruitless worship, corrupt leadership, and rejection of divine authority.

Leads into

Matthew 22 continues the account: Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, where invited guests reject the king’s summons and one attendee is found without a wedding garment.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Matthew presents the triumphal entry as fulfillment of Zechariah’s humble King. The crowd’s enthusiasm is real, but the chapters that follow will show how shallow public acclaim can coexist with leadership rejection.

The fig tree acts as an enacted sign of fruitless profession in the broader temple/judgment context; it should not be reduced to a lesson about getting whatever one asks by sufficient mental confidence.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Jesus openly claims messianic kingship

His entry is intentionally shaped by prophetic Scripture.

Worship without fruit faces judgment

Temple corruption and the barren fig tree stand near one another as signs of failed religious life.

Authority from God demands a response

Leaders refuse to answer John’s authority because honesty would expose them.

Profession and obedience are not the same

The two sons illustrate the gap between saying and doing.

Rejecting the Son is the climax of rejecting God’s messengers

The husbandmen kill the heir after abusing earlier servants.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Zechariah 9:9

Matthew explicitly connects Jesus’ entry with the promised humble King.

Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11

Jesus joins prophetic temple language about prayer and corruption.

Psalm 118:22–23

Jesus applies the rejected-stone passage to Himself in the husbandmen controversy.

Hebrews 1:1–2

God speaking finally in His Son parallels the parable’s progression from servants to the heir.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not use the fig-tree episode as a formula for material manifestation

Its immediate setting is judgment, fruitlessness, and faith in God’s power.

Do not turn the rejection of corrupt leaders into contempt for all Jews

Jesus is confronting particular leaders within Israel, while His disciples and many followers are Jewish.

Do not separate the temple cleansing from Jesus’ concern for prayer and worship

The issue is not mere anger at commerce but corruption of sacred purpose.

Read Matthew 21 watching for…

Prophetic details in the entry.

The crowd’s titles for Jesus.

What Jesus changes in the temple.

The relationship between fig tree and temple conflict.

The leaders’ dilemma over John’s authority.

The escalating rejection in the parables.

TWBC REVIEW STANDARD

Plain language. Scripture first. Fact distinguished from inference. No filler. No fake certainty. Designed to help you read the Bible itself.

Chapter outline5 sections
1-11Jesus enters Jerusalem as the multitudes hail the Son of David12-17Jesus cleanses the temple and receives praise from children18-22Jesus curses the barren fig tree and teaches about believing prayer23-32Jesus answers a challenge to his authority and gives the parable of the two sons33-46Jesus gives the parable of the wicked husbandmen and warns the leaders of coming judgment
1

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

2

Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

3

And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

4

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5

Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6

And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7

And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

8

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9

And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

10

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11

And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

12

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

15

And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

16

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

17

And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

18

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

19

And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

20

And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

21

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

23

And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

24

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25

The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

26

But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

27

And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

28

But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

29

He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30

And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31

Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

32

For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

33

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

34

And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

35

And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36

Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

37

But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38

But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

39

And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

40

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

41

They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

43

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

45

And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

46

But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

STUDY THIS VERSE

Matthew 21:43

Back to verse ↑

Cross References

Cross-reference storage is active. This passage does not yet have curated references loaded.

Related TWBC Resources

The Scripture resource graph is active. Sermons, Bible Overviews, courses, questions, and studies can attach here without changing the Bible text.

My Note

Sign in to keep private notes and personal verse tags.

Sign in →