Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 21:42-43

"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." — Matthew 21:42-43 (ASV)

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 today, we Gentiles enjoy the privileges of the gospel, while poor Israel is scattered to the four winds of heaven. But He who did not spare the natural olive will not spare the grafted branches if we are found unfruitful.

God takes the gospel away from one nation and gives it to another; but if the other does not accept it, and if He does not have all the glory of it ascribed to Him, He will take it away from that nation too.

He may deal with us in the same way: if England becomes and remains a drunken nation, a cruel nation, a proud nation, an unbelieving nation, a superstitious nation, and brings forth the evil fruits of the vine of Sodom, we may not expect God to always continue His kingdom among us. He will say to us, as Christ said to these chief priests and elders, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Our Lord reminds them of David’s language in Psalm 118:22-23. They were professedly the builders and they had rejected Him who was the chief cornerstone. Yet the Lord God had made the despised one to be the head of the corner. He was the most conspicuous and honored stone in Israel’s building. Against the will of scribe and priest this had been accomplished, for it was the Lord’s doing. They might rage, but holy minds adored and said, It is marvelous in our eyes. The sufferings and glory of Christ are the wonder of the universe which things the angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:12). All that relates to Him is marvelous in the eyes of His people.

The doom of the unfaithful religious builders was the result of their sin, Therefore say I unto you. They were to lose the blessings of the Gospel, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you. All share in the honors and offices of that kingdom would be refused them. That loss would be aggravated by their seeing it given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. What a warning is this to our own country! We, too, are seeing the sacrifice and deity of our Lord questioned, and His sacred Word assailed by those who should have been its advocates. Unless there is a speedy amendment, the Lord may take away the candlestick out of its place and find another people which will prove more faithful to Him and to His Gospel than our own has been.