Matthew 21:45

45 When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew Jesus was talking about them.

Matthew 21:45 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 21:45

And when the chief priests and Pharisees
Which latter, though not before mentioned, were many of them of the grand sanhedrim, as well as the chief priests, scribes, and elders: "had heard his parables"; that of the two sons being sent into the vineyard, and that of the letting out the vineyard to husbandmen,

they perceived that he spake of them:
they plainly saw that they were designed by the son, that promised to go into the vineyard, but did not; only talked of works, but did not do them: and that they were the husbandmen that acted the ungrateful part to the householder, and the cruel one to his servants, and would to his son, their own consciences told them they were the men. They knew that the whole was levelled against them, and designed for them, and exactly hit their case.

Matthew 21:45 In-Context

43 "So I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who do the things God wants in his kingdom.
44 The person who falls on this stone will be broken, and on whomever that stone falls, that person will be crushed."
45 When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew Jesus was talking about them.
46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the people, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.