Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 21:38

"But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance." — Matthew 21:38 (ASV)

Things did not turn out as a loving heart might have hoped. Evil worked itself to its consummation. When the husbandmen saw the son, that is to say, as soon as the chief priests and Pharisees perceived that the true Messiah had come, they said among themselves what they dared not say openly.

The very sight of the heir of all things fired them with malice. In their hearts they hated Jesus, because they knew that He really was the Messiah. They feared that He would dismiss them and assume possession of His own inheritance, and therefore they would make an end of Him: “This is the heir; come, let us kill him.”

Once they got Him out of the way, they hoped to keep the nation in their own hands and use it for their own purposes. Therefore, they inwardly said, “Let us seize on his inheritance.” They knew that He was “the heir,” and that it was “His inheritance,” but their knowledge did not prevent them from seeking to snatch the vineyard away from its rightful owner.

Our Lord vividly portrayed what was passing in the minds of the proud ecclesiastics around Him, and He did not hesitate to do this to their faces. No names were mentioned, but this was personal preaching of the best kind.