Matthew 21:44 Commentary and Bible Study

Expounding Psalm 118:22 further, the Lord extends the metaphor to show how it applies to those who will not receive him. He is the stone which the builders rejected, and that stone has an effect on individuals, one by one. He is like a stone which a man encounters and causes him to trip and fall. Those who oppose him and refuse to accept him as the chief corner stone are those who stumble on him, and the resulting fall will be so great that they will be broken to pieces, shattered with no possibility of recovery. This describes those who hear the gospel and reject Christ and all that God says about him. The sin of the chief priests and scribes was very great, and they would do well to caution themselves before plunging forward in their attacks on the Lord Jesus.On the other hand there are those on whom the stone falls. Some commentators refer this to the final judgment when Christ returns at the end of time, and all who have not received him are punished for their unbelief. That stone will grind them to powder. Neither of these outcomes is recoverable. Jesus Christ and what we do with him is the deciding factor in the eternal outcome of every soul.