Matthew 21:38 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Recognition does not always lead to reverence. In the parable, the tenants know who stands before them, yet their knowledge becomes the basis for a conspiracy. This verse brings the story to its sharpest point and prepares Jesus' hearers for a warning about rejecting the Son whom God has sent.
The tenants recognize the son as heir and deliberately plot to kill him in hopes of taking his inheritance. Jesus portrays a conscious, covetous rejection of the one sent with the owner's full authority.
The Context of Matthew 21:38
The householder has planted and equipped a vineyard, leased it to husbandmen, and sent servants for the fruit due to him. The tenants beat, kill, and stone the servants; even a larger second group receives the same treatment. The owner then sends his son, expecting the tenants to reverence him. Verse 38 records their private plan upon seeing the son. In verse 39 they seize him, cast him out of the vineyard, and kill him. Jesus asks what the owner will do, then cites the rejected stone and declares that the kingdom will be given to people bringing forth its fruits. The chief priests and Pharisees understand the parable addresses them.
What Does Matthew 21:38 Mean?
"This is the heir" shows that the husbandmen understand the son's unique relation to the owner. Their response is deliberate: they speak "among themselves," form a plan, and urge one another, "come, let us kill him." The goal they name is seizure of the inheritance. Within the story, this is irrational rebellion. The vineyard does not become theirs because they murder the heir; it remains the householder's property, and the owner will come. Jesus brings covetous desire and violence together. The tenants want the benefits of the vineyard without honoring the owner or the son through whom his claim is made.
The son appears after the servants have already been rejected, which makes the owner's action an act of patience within the parable. Verse 38 turns that patience into a greater test of the tenants' hearts. The chapter has already shown leaders questioning Jesus' authority and refusing John's witness. Soon they recognize that Jesus speaks of them and seek to lay hands on him, though fear of the crowd restrains them for the moment. The parable does not merely recount an abstract moral failure. It confronts leaders with the danger of rejecting God's rightful rule while holding responsibility within his vineyard.
The connection to Christ is direct from the parable's next verse: the tenants cast the son out and kill him. Jesus speaks these words in Jerusalem shortly before his death, and Matthew later recounts his crucifixion outside the city. He also follows this parable by quoting Scripture about a stone rejected by builders becoming the head of the corner. The son is rejected, yet God does not surrender his purpose or inheritance to those who oppose him. The chapter holds together the seriousness of human rejection and the Lord's marvellous work in establishing the rejected stone as the cornerstone.
Bible Verses Related to Matthew 21:38
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”
- Psalm 2:1-3
“But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 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. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 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. 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? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.”
- Matthew 21:37-46
“And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,”
- Matthew 27:31-33
“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
- Hebrews 13:12
Where Matthew 21:38 Echoes in Scripture
Matthew 27:31-33 strongly echoes the parable's movement. After Jesus is condemned, he is led away to be crucified at Golgotha, outside the city. Matthew 21:38-39 does not provide every detail of that event, yet its sequence of rejecting the son, casting him out of the vineyard, and killing him prepares readers for the passion narrative and gives Jesus' warning a solemn immediacy.
How to Apply Matthew 21:38 Today
The tenants' reasoning warns us against treating God's gifts, callings, or communities as possessions to control for ourselves. Desire for influence can become destructive when it refuses the authority of Christ and seeks the benefits of his vineyard without the fruit of faithful service. We can practice a different posture by receiving our work and relationships as trusts from God, giving thanks for them, and asking how they may bear fruit for his purposes. When Christ's authority challenges a cherished plan, honest prayer can uncover whether fear or self-interest is speaking more loudly than reverence.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might the desire to control obscure our reverence for Christ's authority? We might pray: "Father, give us hearts that honor your Son. Free us from grasping what belongs to you, and teach us to bear faithful fruit in every trust you place in our care."