Matthew 21:45 Commentary and Bible Study

The chief priests and Pharisees were unteachable. Yes, they saw that the parables were directed against them, but instead of taking their lessons to heart and considering them carefully, and examining themselves, they immediately counted Christ as their enemy and fought against him. The parables were exactly what they needed to be delivered from the power of sin, but they were incapable of being helped by them. They well and truly stumbled at the chief corner stone laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16), and therefore they would be broken to pieces, and Scripture would be fulfilled. If they had been ready to listen, they would have done more than just respond with anger. They would have been open to what the Lord said, and given him credit as a teacher, and checked their immediate hostile response. They would have looked for the truth in what he said, and recognised their tendency to respond in a sinful way, and realised that this response was a dangerous obstacle to ever learning the truth for themselves. But their reaction was unthinking, and they were carried away by their own ignorance and prejudice.But again, the providence of God restrained them until the precise time that it was appointed for Christ to give his life for his people. They were afraid of the people and so could not act as they wanted to act. They must delay and wait for a better time. Eventually Judas gave them that better time, and they had to act on it quickly, but this was according to God’s timing.