Bible Strands
Matthew 21:45
When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus delivers His teaching to the chief priests and Pharisees immediately after concluding His parable about the stone. They are the direct audience at this precise moment in the narrative.
The words — ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) literally means "having heard," marking the immediate reception of the teaching. Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi) specifies the exact religious group Jesus is addressing.
The thread — Luke 20:19 records the same sequence of chief priests and scribes hearing a parable, recognizing its target, and moving to arrest Jesus. Luke 11:45 notes a legal expert similarly perceiving that Jesus' words directly implicated his own group.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that Jesus' teachings directly identify the listener's own spiritual condition. It demands a response to that indictment rather than passive observation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
Cross-references
- Luke 20:19 When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
- Luke 11:45 One of the experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”
- Matthew 12:12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”