Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: Matthew
Ver. 42. The head of the corner. By these words, (Psalm cxvii,) which the Jews themselves expounded of their Messias, Christ shewed them, that although they, who should have been the architects, had rejected him, yet he should be the chief corner-stone to unite the Jews and the Gentiles, converted into one Christian Church, militant on earth and triumphant in heaven. See Acts iv. 11. (Witham) --- St. Augustine remarks, that this parable was addressed not only to the opponents of Christ's authority, but likewise to the people.
Ver. 43. The kingdom of God shall be taken from you. By this dreadful conclusion he tells them in plain terms, that they shall be forsaken, and punished for their blindness and obstinacy. (Witham)
Ver. 45. They understood that he spoke of them. This parable, though immediately addressed to the Jews, contains an admirable instruction for Christians. For, what the Jews have suffered for their wickedness and ingratitude, has also been the fate of many Christian kingdoms, and the mournful lot of many once flourishing happy churches, whose candlesticks are removed, and light extinct. The same conduct God observes with regard to particular persons, in punishment of their repeatedly abusing his graces; he at last withdraws them, and leaves the culprit to himself, and to the miserable consequences of this merited privation of grace.
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[1] Ver. 2. A prophecy of the coming of the Messias was here so manifestly accomplished in the person of Jesus, that I cannot but set down the words of the prophet Zacharias, chap. ix. Ecce Rex tuus veniet tibi justus & Salvator, ipse pauper, & ascendens super Asinam, & super pullum filium Asinœ. They are no less clear in the Hebrew, and other languages. See the Protestant translation in the prophet Zacharias.
[2] Ver. 9. Hosanna filio David. ta uio Dauid. See Maldonat.
Bible Text & Cross-references:
Christ rides into Jerusalem upon an ass: he casts the buyers and sellers out of the temple: curses the fig-tree: and puts to silence the priests and Scribes.
1 And *when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto Mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 Saying to them: Go ye into the village that is over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them and bring them to me.
3 And if any man shall say any thing to you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them: and forthwith he will let them go.
4 Now all this was done that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:
5 *Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold, thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of her that is used to the yoke.
6 And the disciples going, did as Jesus commanded them.
7 And they brought the ass and the colt: and laid their garments upon them, and made him sit thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way:
9 And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna to the son of David: *Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: Who is this?
11 And the people said: This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.
12 *And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves.
13 And he saith to them: It is written, *My house shall be called the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind, and the lame came to him in the temple: and he healed them.
15 And the chief priests and Scribes seeing the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying: Hosanna to the son of David; were moved with indignation.
16 And said to him: Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said to them: Yea, have you never read: *Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise.
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city into Bethania: and remained there.
18 And in the morning, returning into the city, he was hungry.
19 *And seeing a fig-tree by the wayside, he came to it: and found nothing on it but leaves only, and he saith to it: May no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig-tree withered away.
20 *And the disciples seeing it, wondered, saying: How is it presently withered away?
21 And Jesus answering, said to them: Amen, I say to you, if you shall have faith, and stagger not, not only this of the fig-tree shall you do, but also if you shall say to this mountain, Take up and cast thyself into the sea, it shall be done.
22 *And all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and ancients of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying: *By what authority dost thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 Jesus answering, said to them: I also will ask you one word, which if you shall tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? But they thought within themselves, saying:
26 If we shall say, From heaven, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say, From men, we are afraid of the multitude: *for all held John as a prophet.
27 And answering Jesus, they said: We know not. And he said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 But what think you: A certain man had two sons, and coming to the first he said: Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.
29 And he answering, said: I will not. But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went.
30 And coming to the other, he said in like manner. And he answering, said: I go sir. And he went not.
31 Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him: The first. Jesus saith to them: Amen, I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the publicans and the harlots believed him: but you seeing it, did not even afterwards repent, that you might believe him.
33 Hear ye another parable: *There was a master of a family who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it, and dug in it a wine-press, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen: and went into a strange country.
34 And when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen having laid hold of his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again he sent other servants more than the former: and they did to them in like manner.
37 And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son.
38 But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: *This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.
39 And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41 They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end: and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in due season.
42 Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: *The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes.
43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they understood that he spoke of them.
46 And seeking to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes: because they held him as a prophet.
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*
1: about the year A.D. 33.; Mark xi. 1, 10.; Luke xix. 29.; John xii. 12.
5: Isaias lxii. 11.; Zacharias ix. 9.; John xii. 15.
9: Psalm cxvii. 26.; Mark xi. 10.; Luke xix. 38.
12: Mark xi. 15.; Luke xix. 45.; John ii. 14.
13: Isaias lvi. 7.; Jeremias vii. 11.; Luke xix. 46.
16: Psalm viii. 3.
19: Mark xi. 13.
20: Mark xi. 20.
22: Matthew vii. 7.; Mark xi. 24.; John xiv. 13. and xvi. 23.
23: Mark xi. 28.; Luke xx. 2.
33: Isaias v. 1.; Jeremias ii. 21.; Mark xii. 1.; Luke xx. 9.
38: Matthew xxvi. 8. and xxvii. 2.; John xi. 53.
42: Psalm cxvii. 22.; Acts iv. 11.; Romans ix. 33.; 1 Peter ii. 7.