New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 21:44

The King Enters

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” Matthew 21:44 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 21:44, in plain English

Jesus adds, 'Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. And anyone it falls on will be crushed.'

Why it's here

You can either break yourself against this truth and be humbled, or resist it and be destroyed. There's no middle ground.

Who's speaking

Jesus delivers a solemn warning about the consequences of rejecting Him.

Where it sits in the story

The stone is unavoidable. You can fall on it in humility, or it will fall on you in judgment.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

Jesus adds a warning using the stone image: whoever falls on the stone will be broken (synthlasthēsetai), and whoever it falls on will be crushed (likmaō, 'pulverized like chaff') — echoing Daniel 2:34-35, 44.

Language and setting

The dual imagery draws from Isaiah 8:14-15 (stone of stumbling) and Daniel 2:34-35 (the stone that destroys kingdoms), presenting Christ as both stumbling block and judge.

Voice

Jesus warns of the consequences of opposing the cornerstone.

Significance

The stone cannot be ignored: you either stumble over it in repentance or it falls on you in judgment. There is no neutral ground.

In context

Matthew 21:42–46

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them.

46Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

Read all of Matthew 21 — Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey while the crowds shout hosanna. Within hours, he's overturning tables in the temple.

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