The Trap In The Temple

Questions This Sermon Answers:

1. Why did the chief priests question Jesus’ authority in the temple?

After Jesus cleansed the temple and was teaching there, the leaders confronted Him: “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23, NKJV). They held official religious power and resented a teacher who had not received His commission from them. Their question was not honest inquiry but an attempt to discredit Him. Jesus answered with a question about John’s baptism, exposing that they cared more for public opinion than for truth.

2. What is the point of the parable of the two sons?

A father told both sons to work in the vineyard. The first refused but later repented and went; the second promised but did not go (Matthew 21:28-30). Jesus concludes, “tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31, NKJV). The parable contrasts empty profession with genuine repentance. Outwardly religious leaders said “yes” to God yet did not believe John, while notorious sinners turned and obeyed. True obedience is shown by repentance, not mere words.

3. What does the parable of the wicked vinedressers teach about Israel’s leaders?

The landowner who planted the vineyard pictures God, the vineyard His covenant people, and the vinedressers the leaders entrusted with them. They beat and killed the servants (the prophets), and finally killed the son: “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance” (Matthew 21:38, NKJV). Jesus foretells His own rejection and death at their hands. The parable indicts a leadership that claimed God’s vineyard yet refused to give Him His fruit, inviting judgment.

4. What does “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” mean?

Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Matthew 21:42, NKJV). The builders are Israel’s leaders; the rejected stone is Christ. Though men cast Him aside, God set Him as the foundation of His redemptive plan. Peter applies the same text to the resurrection (Acts 4:11), and Paul calls Christ the chief cornerstone of the church (Ephesians 2:20).

5. What does it mean that the kingdom would be “taken from you”?

Jesus declares, “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:43, NKJV). The privileges of the covenant—long held by unbelieving leaders—would pass to all who believe, Jew and Gentile, who produce true fruit. This is divine judgment on fruitless covenant privilege. Outward membership and religious office save no one; the Lord requires the fruit of faith and repentance from those who claim His vineyard.

6. How does this passage display total depravity?

The vinedressers’ response to grace is escalating violence—beating servants, killing prophets, and finally murdering the Son. The Westminster Confession (6.4) teaches that from original corruption “do proceed all actual transgressions.” Left to themselves, sinners do not welcome God’s messengers but oppose them. The leaders’ hatred of Christ shows that the natural heart, apart from grace, rejects the very Son God sends. Only sovereign grace can turn a rebel into a fruit-bearing servant of the kingdom.

7. Why did Jesus answer their question with a question about John the Baptist?

When asked for His credentials, Jesus replied, “The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (Matthew 21:25, NKJV). The leaders reasoned only about consequences, fearing the crowd, and answered, “We do not know.” Their refusal exposed that they had already rejected John’s witness to Christ. Jesus does not cast pearls before those who will not deal honestly with God’s revelation. His wisdom turned their trap into a mirror of their own unbelief.

8. What does “whoever falls on this stone will be broken” mean?

Jesus warns, “whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:44, NKJV). Christ the cornerstone is also a stone of stumbling (Isaiah 8:14-15). Those who stumble over Him in unbelief are broken; those on whom He falls in final judgment are crushed. There is no neutral ground before Christ. He is either the sure foundation on which one is built or the rock of judgment that no one escapes.

9. How does Christ’s authority connect to His office as Mediator?

The leaders demanded to know His authority, but Scripture answers that the Father appointed Him. The Westminster Confession (8.1) states it pleased God “to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus… to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King.” Jesus teaches in the temple as the Prophet who declares God’s word, points to the cross as the Priest who offers Himself, and rules as the King whose kingdom cannot be taken. His authority is not borrowed from men but given from eternity.

10. What should we learn from the leaders’ endless attempts to trap Jesus?

Immediately after, the Pharisees “plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Matthew 22:15, NKJV), and His answer—“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21, NKJV)—left them marveling. Every trap only displayed His wisdom. For believers this is assurance: no scheme of men can overthrow Christ or His kingdom. We are called not to test Him but to trust and worship Him as the cornerstone God has laid.