Matthew 21:36 kjv
Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
Matthew 21:36 nkjv
Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
Matthew 21:36 niv
Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
Matthew 21:36 esv
Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
Matthew 21:36 nlt
So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.
Matthew 21 36 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Chr 36:15-16 | The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion... but they mocked... and despised his words, until the wrath of the Lord rose. | God's persistent sending met with rejection. |
| Neh 9:30 | Many years you bore with them and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets... | God's long-suffering and prophetic witness. |
| Jer 7:25-26 | From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them daily... But they did not listen or incline their ear. | Persistent sending of prophets, yet people ignored. |
| Jer 25:4 | The Lord has sent to you all his servants the prophets, persistently sending them... but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear. | Repeated prophetic warnings unheeded. |
| Amos 2:11-12 | "I raised up some of your sons for prophets... But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, 'You shall not prophesy!'" | Opposition and silencing of God's messengers. |
| Matt 21:33 | "There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard... and leased it to tenants..." | Introduction to the parable's setting. |
| Matt 21:35 | "The tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another." | Previous mistreatment of the first messengers. |
| Matt 21:37 | "Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'" | The ultimate messenger sent after the servants. |
| Matt 23:34-36 | "Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify..." | Jesus foretells persecution of future messengers. |
| Matt 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!" | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's history of violence against prophets. |
| Mk 12:4-5 | "And again he sent to them another servant, whom they wounded in the head and treated shamefully... And again he sent another, and him they killed..." | Parallel account showing escalating violence. |
| Lk 11:47-48 | "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed... | Condemnation of perpetuating the actions of those who killed prophets. |
| Lk 11:49 | "Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'" | Divine purpose to send messengers, predicting their persecution. |
| Lk 20:11-12 | "And again he sent another servant, but they also beat and dishonored him and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third..." | Parallel account emphasizing continued violence and dishonor. |
| Acts 7:52 | "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One..." | Stephen's indictment on the persecution of prophets. |
| 1 Thes 2:15 | "...who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out..." | Condemnation of those who killed prophets and Jesus. |
| Heb 11:36-38 | "Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword..." | Various persecutions endured by faithful ones and prophets. |
| Rom 2:4 | "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" | God's patience is meant to lead to repentance. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise... but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." | God's ultimate patience for human repentance. |
| Isa 5:1-7 | "My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill... He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes." | The Old Testament 'Song of the Vineyard', key background for this parable. |
| Psa 80:8-16 | "You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it." | Israel portrayed as God's chosen vine. |
| Jn 15:1-8 | "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." | Jesus redefines the 'vine' as Himself and His disciples. |
| Matt 21:41 | "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants..." | The judgment pronounced on the wicked tenants. |
| Matt 21:43 | "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits." | The consequence: transfer of the kingdom. |
Matthew 21 verses
Matthew 21 36 Meaning
Matthew 21:36 reveals the ongoing patience and persistent efforts of the vineyard owner (representing God) in His desire for the tenants (representing Israel's religious leaders and people) to fulfill their responsibility. Despite their previous hostile mistreatment of the first group of servants (the prophets), the owner extends grace by sending another group, even larger than before, indicating an intensified appeal. However, the verse also highlights the hardened hearts and escalating rebellion of the tenants, as they inflict the same abuse upon these new messengers, showing their determined defiance against God's repeated outreach.
Matthew 21 36 Context
Matthew 21:36 is part of the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (or Vineyard) which Jesus tells immediately after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His confrontation with the chief priests and elders in the temple. This parable is Jesus' direct response to their challenge regarding His authority (Matt 21:23). Historically, the parable echoes Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard (Isa 5:1-7), presenting Israel as God's vineyard. The tenants represent the religious leaders of Israel who had been entrusted with God's people but abused their stewardship. The owner sending "other servants" continues the pattern of God's patience and persistent efforts throughout Israel's history, repeatedly sending prophets to call His people to faithfulness. This verse highlights the profound spiritual blindness and hardening of hearts among those who rejected God's messengers time and again, setting the stage for the climactic arrival and rejection of the owner's son, Jesus Himself. It serves as a strong polemic against the corrupt spiritual leadership who were failing in their God-given role.
Matthew 21 36 Word analysis
- Again (πάλιν, palin): This adverb signifies repetition and continuity. It underscores the owner's remarkable patience and perseverance in sending more messengers despite the violent rejection of the first group. It implies a second, deliberate effort, showcasing divine long-suffering.
- he sent (ἀπέστειλεν, apesteilen): Derived from apostellō, meaning "to send away," often with a specific commission. This verb emphasizes the owner's active initiation and authority in dispatching his representatives. Spiritually, it signifies God's sovereign act of sending prophets to His people throughout history.
- other servants (ἄλλους δούλους, allous doulous):
- others (ἄλλους, allous): Denotes different, but similar in kind. These are not the same individuals, but a new group fulfilling the same role.
- servants (δούλους, doulous): Refers to bondservants or slaves, highlighting their absolute subservience to the owner. In this parable, they symbolize God's prophets who served Him faithfully and delivered His messages. Their position as mere servants emphasizes that even they were not the ultimate heir.
- more than the first (πλείους τῶν πρώτων, pleious tōn prōtōn): This phrase emphasizes an increased number or quantity. It suggests an intensified effort on the owner's part, perhaps signifying a greater multitude of prophets, or a more urgent and complete appeal made by them, allowing for even less excuse on the part of the tenants.
- and they did the same to them: This concise phrase powerfully reveals the tenants' unchanging, rebellious disposition. "The same" indicates that their response was identical in nature to their previous violence—beatings, killings, stoning—despite the increased generosity and patience from the owner. It highlights a deeply entrenched spiritual rebellion and lack of repentance, demonstrating their escalating guilt and the deliberate nature of their rejection of God's messengers. This stubbornness directly foreshadows their ultimate rejection of Jesus, the Son.
- "Again he sent other servants": This phrase emphasizes the owner's persistent and compassionate character. It showcases a willingness to give further opportunities for the tenants to change their ways, illustrating God's boundless patience and grace in dealing with His people. It’s not just a repeated action but a deliberate renewal of effort.
- "more than the first": This particular addition signifies an escalation of the owner's gracious initiative. It implies that God sent not only a new set of messengers but an even more compelling and extensive witness, thereby removing any conceivable excuse for the tenants' actions and deepening their culpability.
- "and they did the same to them": This specific clause starkly illustrates the tenants' hardened hearts and their stubborn, unrepentant rebellion. Despite the owner's increased grace and warning, their response remains fixed in hostile rejection, revealing a profound spiritual blindness and a relentless determination to defy God's will.
Matthew 21 36 Bonus section
The escalating number of servants in the parable, and their increasingly severe treatment by the tenants, highlights a principle of divine justice: greater light leads to greater accountability. Each new dispatch of messengers by the owner increased the culpability of the tenants. The fact that the owner, despite the past abuses, continued to send even "more" messengers reveals His profound redemptive purpose. This divine pattern is woven throughout the biblical narrative, culminating in the sending of Christ as the final, ultimate messenger. The phrase "did the same to them" might seem simple, but it carries a powerful weight: it means they showed no remorse, no change of heart, no regard for the owner's authority, thereby sealing their fate.
Matthew 21 36 Commentary
Matthew 21:36 stands as a stark testament to two profound truths: the immeasurable patience and unwavering persistence of God, and the tragic, escalating rebellion of those entrusted with His vineyard. The repeated sending of "other servants," "more than the first," underscores God's persistent grace and His relentless desire for humanity to turn to Him and bear fruit. These servants represent the countless prophets sent throughout Israel's history, from Moses to John the Baptist, each carrying God's message of covenant faithfulness. Yet, despite the increasing intensity and number of these divine appeals, the tenants "did the same to them"—reflecting Israel's consistent pattern of rejecting and persecuting the prophets. This obstinate response is not merely a repeated act but a profound display of deepening spiritual depravity and hardened hearts. The verse subtly builds the dramatic tension of the parable, leading inexorably to the climactic sending of the Son (Matt 21:37), and serves as a severe indictment of the religious leadership in Jesus' day, exposing their spiritual bankruptcy and foreshadowing their imminent rejection of Christ. It serves as a timeless reminder that while God's patience is great, continued defiance will ultimately lead to judgment.