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Translation
King James Version
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Complete Jewish Bible
Whoever falls on that stone will be broken in pieces; but if it falls on him, he will be crushed to powder!”
Berean Standard Bible
Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
American Standard Version
Every one that falleth on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.
World English Bible Messianic
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Whosoeuer shall fall vpon that stone, shall be broken: and on whomsoeuer it shall fall, it will grinde him to pouder.
Young's Literal Translation
every one who hath fallen on that stone shall be broken, and on whom it may fall, it will crush him to pieces.'
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Commentary on Luke 20 verses 9–19
9 ¶ Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
Christ spoke this parable against those who were resolved not to own his authority, though the evidence of it was ever so full and convincing; and it comes very seasonably to show that by questioning his authority they forfeited their own. Their disowning the lord of their vineyard was a defeasance of their lease of the vineyard, and giving up of all their title.
I. The parable has nothing added here to what we had before in Matthew and Mark. The scope of it is to show that the Jewish nation, by persecuting the prophets, and at length Christ himself, had provoked God to take away from them all their church privileges, and to abandon them to ruin. It teaches us, 1. That those who enjoy the privileges of the visible church are as tenants and farmers that have a vineyard to look after, and rent to pay for it. God, by setting up revealed religion and instituted orders in the world, hath planted a vineyard, which he lets out to those people among whom his tabernacle is, Luk 20:9. And they have vineyard-work to do, needful and constant work, but pleasant and profitable. Whereas man was, for sin, condemned to till the ground, they that have a place in the church are restored to that which was Adam's work in innocency, to dress the garden, and to keep it; for the church is a paradise, and Christ the tree of life in it. They have also vineyard-fruits to present to the Lord of the vineyard. There are rents to be paid and services to be done, which, though bearing no proportion to the value of the premises, yet must be done and must be paid. 2. That the work of God's ministers is to call upon those who enjoy the privileges of the church to bring forth fruit accordingly. They are God's rent-gatherers, to put the husbandmen in mind of their arrears, or rather to put them in mind that they have a landlord who expects to hear from them, and to receive some acknowledgment of their dependence on him, and obligations to him, Luk 20:10. The Old Testament prophets were sent on this errand to the Jewish church, to demand from them the duty and obedience they owed to God. 3. That it has often been the lot of God's faithful servants to be wretchedly abused by his own tenants; they have been beaten and treated shamefully by those that resolved to send them empty away. They that are resolved not to do their duty to God cannot bear to be called upon to do it. Some of the best men in the world have had the hardest usage from it, for their best services. 4. That God sent his Son into the world to carry on the same work that the prophets were employed in, to gather the fruits of the vineyard for God; and one would have thought that he would have been reverenced and received. The prophets spoke as servants, Thus saith the Lord; but Christ as a Son, among his own, Verily, I say unto you. Putting such an honour as this upon them, to send him, one would have thought, should have won upon them. 5. That those who reject Christ's ministers would reject Christ himself if he should come to them; for it has been tried, and found that the persecutors and murderers of his servants the prophets were the persecutors and murderers of himself. They said, This is the heir, come let us kill him. When they slew the servants, there were other servants sent. "But, if we can but be the death of the son, there is never another son to be sent, and then we shall be no longer molested with these demands; we may have a quiet possession of the vineyard for ourselves." The scribes and Pharisees promised themselves that, if they could but get Christ out of the way, they should for ever ride masters in the Jewish church; and therefore they took the bold step, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 6. That the putting of Christ to death filled up the measure of the Jewish iniquity, and brought upon them ruin without remedy. No other could be expected than that God should destroy those wicked husbandmen. They began in not paying their rent, but then proceeded to beat and kill the servants, and at length their young Master himself. Note, Those that live in the neglect of their duty to God know not what degrees of sin and destruction they are running themselves into.
II. To the application of the parable is added here, which we had not before, their deprecation of the doom included in it (Luk 20:16): When they heart it, they said, God forbid, Mē genoito - Let not this be done, so it should be read. Though they could not but own that for such a sin such a punishment was just, and what might be expected, yet they could not bear to hear of it. Note, It is an instance of the folly and stupidity of sinners that they proceed and persevere in their sinful ways though at the same time they have a foresight and dread of the destruction that is at the end of those ways. And see what a cheat they put themselves, to think to avoid it by a cold God forbid, when they do nothing towards the preventing of it; but will this make the threatening of no effect? No, they shall know whose word shall stand, God's or theirs. Now observe what Christ said, in answer to this childish deprecation of their ruin. 1. He beheld them. This is taken notice of only by this evangelist, Luk 20:17. He looked upon them with pity and compassion, grieved to see them cheat themselves thus to their own ruin. He beheld them, to see if they would blush at their own folly, or if he could discern in their countenances any indication of relenting. 2. He referred them to the scripture: "What is this then that is written? How can you escape the judgment of God, when you cannot prevent the exaltation of him whom you despise and reject? The word of God hath said it, that the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." The Lord Jesus will be exalted to the Father's right hand. He has all judgment and all power committed to him; he is the corner-stone and top-stone of the church, and, if so, his enemies can expect no other than to be destroyed. Even those that slight him, that stumble at him, and are offended in him, shall be broken - it will be their ruin; but as to those that not only reject him, but hate and persecute him, as the Jews did, he will fall upon them and crush them to pieces - will grind them to powder. The condemnation of spiteful persecutors will be much sorer than that of careless unbelievers.
Lastly, We are told how the chief priests and scribes were exasperated by this parable (Luk 20:19): They perceived that he had spoken this parable against them; and so he had. A guilty conscience needs no accuser; but they, instead of yielding to the convictions of conscience, fell into a rage at him who awakened that sleeping lion in their bosoms, and sought to lay hands on him. Their corruptions rebelled against their convictions, and got the victory. And it was not because they had any fear of God or of his wrath before their eyes, but only because they feared the people, that they did not now fly in his face, and take him by the throat. They were just ready to make his words good: This is the heir, come let us kill him. Note, When the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil, the fairest warnings both of the sin they are about to commit and of the consequences of it make no impression upon them. Christ tells them that instead of kissing the Son of God they would kill him, upon which they should have said, What, is thy servant a dog? But they do, in effect, say this: "And so we will; have at him now." And, though they deprecate the punishment of the sin, in the next breath they are projecting the commission of it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–19. Public domain.
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Eusebius of Caesarea (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 339
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The rulers of the Jewish people being now assembled together in the temple, Christ put forth a parable, foretelling by a figure the things they were about to do to Him, and the rejection that was in store for them.
But the parable which Esaias gives denounces the vineyard, whereas our Saviour's parable is not directed against the vineyard, but the cultivators of it; of whom it is added, And he let it out to husbandmen, that is, to the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the doctors, and all the nobles.
Christ is called a stone on account of His earthly body, cut out without hands, (Dan. 2:34.) as in the vision of Daniel, because of His birth of the Virgin. But the stone is neither of silver nor gold, because He is not any glorious King, but a man lowly and despised, wherefore the builders rejected Him.
Ephrem the SyrianAD 373
COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 16.19
He proposed another parable. “A certain man, a householder, planted his vineyard.” This is like what the psalmist said, “You brought a vine out of Egypt, you drove out the nations and planted it.” He protected it with a hedge, the law, and prepared a pit in it for the winepresses, the altar, and built a tower there, the temple, and sent his servants to bring him its fruit. The first, the next and the last were not received. Then he sent his Son. He was not the last, for although he appeared at the end, he already existed. John witnessed, “A man will come after me, who is before me.” He did not do this because he was unaware that the ancestors were incapable of receiving the produce but to remove the detractions of these stubborn ones from their midst. They were saying that he was not able to direct and prepare everything that he wanted to by the law, so therefore he sent his Son to impose silence on them. When they saw his Son coming, they said, “Here is the heir of the vineyard. Come! Let us kill him, and the inheritance of the vineyard will be ours.” They killed him, but their inheritance was taken away from them and given to the Gentiles. It happened just as he had said, “For to him who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Ephrem the SyrianAD 373
COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 16.20
He led them to the point of judging themselves, saying, “What do the vinedressers deserve?” They made a pronouncement concerning themselves, saying, “Let him destroy the evil ones with evil.” He then explained this, saying, “Have you not read that the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner?” What stone is this? It is the one known to be as hard as lead. See, he has said, “I am setting a plumb line in the midst of the sons of Israel.” To show that he himself was this stone, he said concerning it, “Whoever knocks against that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush and destroy whomsoever it falls upon.” The leaders of the people were gathered together against him and wanted his downfall because his teaching did not please them. He said, “It will crush and destroy whomsoever it falls upon,” because he got rid of idolatry along with other such things. “The stone that struck the image has become a great mountain, and the whole earth has been filled with it.”
Basil of Caesarea (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 379
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
And this happens as it were to men who are condemned, having nothing to answer to the plain evidence of justice. But it is the property of Divine mercy not to inflict punishment in secret, but to foretell it with threatenings, that so it might recall men to repentance; and thus it follows here, He shall come and destroy those husbandmen.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 9.30
The vineyard prefigures us, because the people of God, founded on the root of the eternal Vine, appear above the earth, bordering the lowly ground. They now grow ripe with budding flowers. They now are clothed with dense greenery and take on a gentle yoke when they worship with mature branches as if with the twigs of the vine. The Father Almighty truly is the Vinedresser, and Christ is the Vine. We, not vine sprouts, are pruned by the sickle of the eternal cultivator if we do not bear fruit in Christ. The people of Christ then is correctly named a vineyard, either because the sign of the cross is woven on its forehead or its fruit is gathered in the last season of the year. It may also be called a vineyard because there is equal measurement in the church of God for rich and poor, humble and powerful, servants and masters. There is no difference in the church, as in all the rows of the vineyard. As the vine clings to trees, so the body is joined to the soul and the soul to the body. When the vine clings, it is raised up. When it is pruned, it is not diminished, but it increases. The people of God is stripped when it is bound, uplifted when it is humbled, crowned when it is cut back. The tender shoot cut from an old tree is grafted onto the progeny of another root. When the scars of the old shoot are cut away, the people of God likewise grow into the wood of the cross. It is as if they are cherished in the arms of a pious parent. The Holy Spirit comes as if cast down into the deep ditches of the earth and poured into this prison of the body. With the flow of saving water, the Holy Spirit washes away whatever is filthy and raises the posture of our members to heavenly discipline.
John Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 407
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Now it was not accidentally but part of the purpose of the divine dispensation that Christ came after the prophets. For God does not pursue all things at once, but accommodates Himself to mankind through His great mercy; for if they despised His Son coming after His servants, much less would they have heard Him before. For they who listened not to the inferior commands, how would they have heard the greater?
BedeAD 735
On the Gospel of Luke
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken. Upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. It is one thing to stumble against Christ through evil deeds, another to deny Him through impiety. Whoever is a sinner and yet believes in Him falls indeed upon the stone and is shattered, but is not utterly crushed; for he is preserved by wisdom for salvation. Upon whomever it falls, that is, upon whom the stone itself comes down, and who utterly denies Christ, it will grind him to powder, so that not even a shard remains in which a little water may be drawn. Whether he speaks of those who fall upon Him, who now despise Him or bring Him injuries. Therefore, they do not utterly perish yet, but are nonetheless shattered so that they do not walk rightly. But upon whom it falls, it will come upon them from above in judgment with the punishment of destruction. Therefore, it is said it will grind them to powder, so that the wicked may be like dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth (Psalm 1).
Bede (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 735
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The man then who plants the vineyard is the same who, according to another parable, hired labourers into his vineyard.
But it is rightly written fruit, not increase. For there was no increase in this vineyard. The first servant sent was Moses, who for forty years sought of the husbandmen the fruit of the law which he had given, but he was wroth against them, for they provoked his spirit. Hence it follows, But they beat him, and sent him away empty.
By the other servant is meant David, who was sent after the commandment of the law, that he by the music of his psalmody might stir up the husbandmen to the exercise of good works. But they on the contrary declared, What portion have we in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. (1 Sam. 20:1.). Hence it follows, And they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. (1 Kings 12:16.) But He does not stop here, for it follows, And again he sent a third: whereby we must understand the company of prophets who constantly visited the people with their testimony. But which of the Prophets did they not persecute; as it follows, And they wounded him also, and cast him out. Now these three successions of servants, our Lord elsewhere shows to comprehend under a figure all the teachers under the law, when He says, For all those things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning me.
But our Lord most clearly proves that the Jewish rulers crucified the Son of God not from ignorance but for envy. For they knew it was He to whom it was said, I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. (Ps. 2:8.) And they cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. (Heb. 13:12.) Because Jesus, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered without the gate.
Or was He cast out of the vineyard and slain, because He was first driven out of the hearts of the unbelievers, and then fastened to the cross?
As if He said, How shall the prophecy be fulfilled, except that Christ, being rejected and slain by you, is to be preached to the Gentiles, who will believe on Him, that as the corner stone He may thus from both nations build up one temple to Himself?
Or else, He who is a sinner, yet believes on Christ, falls indeed upon the stone and is shaken, for he is preserved by penitence unto salvation. But upon whomsoever it shall fall, that is, upon whom the stone itself has come down because he denied it, it shall grind him to powder, so that not even a broken piece of a vessel shall be left, in which may be drunk a little water. Or, He means by those who fall upon Him, such as only despise Him, and therefore do not yet utterly perish, but are shaken violently so that they cannot walk upright. But upon whom it falls, upon them shall He come in judgment with everlasting punishment, therefore shall it grind them to powder, that they may be as the dust which the wind scatters from the face of the earth. (Ps. 1:4.)
(in Marc. 12.) Or understanding it morally; to every one of the faithful is let out a vineyard to cultivate, in that the mystery of baptism is entrusted to him to work out. One servant is sent, a second and a third, when the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets are read. But the servant who is sent is said to be treated despitefully or beaten, when the word heard is despised or blasphemed. The heir who is sent that man kills as far as he can, who by sin tramples under foot the Son of God. (Heb. 6:6.) The wicked husbandman being destroyed, the vineyard is given to another, when with the gift of grace, which the proud man spurned, the humble are enriched.
Theophylact of Ohrid (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1107
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Or each one of the people is the vineyard, each likewise is the husbandman, for every one of us takes care of himself. Having committed then the vineyard to the husbandmen, he went away, that is, he left them to the guidance of their own judgment. Hence it follows, And went into a far country for a long time.
He says of the fruit of the vineyard, because not the whole fruit, but part only, He wished to receive. For what does God gain from us, but His own knowledge, which is also our profit.
After the prophets then had suffered all these things, the Son is delegated; for it follows, Then said the Lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? That the Lord of the vineyard speaks doubtingly, arises not from ignorance, for what is there that the Lord knows not? but He is said to hesitate, that the free will of man may be preserved.
Now He said this, not as ignorant that they would treat Him worse than they did the prophets, but because the Son ought to be reverenced by them. But if they should still be rebellious and slay Him, this would crown their iniquity. Lest therefore any should say that the Divine Presence has necessarily been the cause of their disobedience, He uses purposely this doubtful mode of speech.
Since we have already assumed the people, not Jerusalem, to be the vineyard, it may perhaps be more properly said that the people indeed slew Him without the vineyard; that is, our Lord suffered without the hands of the people, because in truth the people did not with their own hands inflict death upon Him, but delivered Him up to Pilate and the Gentiles. But some by the vineyard have understood the Scripture, which not believing they slew the Lord. And so without the vineyard, that is, without Scripture, our Lord is said to have suffered.
Now Matthew seems to relate the parable differently; that when our Saviour asked indeed, What will he do then to the husbandmen? the Jews answered, he will miserably destroy them. But there is no difference between the two circumstances. The Jews at first pronounced that opinion, then perceiving the point of the parable said, God forbid, as Luke here relates.
For the rulers of the people rejected Him, when they said, This man is not of God. (John 9:16.) But He was so useful and so precious, that He was placed as the head stone of the corner.
He mentions two condemnations or destructions of them, one indeed of their souls, which they suffered being offended in Christ. And He touches this when He says, Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be shaken to pieces. But the other of their captivity and extermination, which the Stone that was despised by them brought upon them. And He points to this when He says, But upon whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder, or winnow him. For so were the Jews winnowed through the whole world, as the straw from the threshing floor. And mark the order of things; for first comes the wickedness committed against Him, then follows the just vengeance of God.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Luke 20:18 concludes Jesus's Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen with a stark and dualistic warning about the consequences of one's relationship to Him, the "stone." It prophesies two distinct but equally devastating outcomes for those who reject or oppose Him: a shattering brokenness for those who stumble over Him, and utter pulverization for those upon whom His judgment falls, underscoring the inescapable and severe nature of divine reckoning for persistent rebellion against God's Son.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Luke 20:18 is rich with several potent literary devices. The most prominent is Metaphor, where Jesus identifies Himself as the "stone," a symbol laden with Old Testament significance (e.g., Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 8:14). This metaphor highlights His foundational role in God's kingdom and His dual nature as a source of salvation for some and judgment for others. The verse also employs Hyperbole and vivid Imagery in describing the consequences: "shall be broken" and "grind him to powder." These are not literal physical outcomes but exaggerated, dramatic portrayals of spiritual and eternal devastation, emphasizing the severity of God's judgment. Furthermore, the verse exhibits Antithetical Parallelism, contrasting two distinct scenarios and their outcomes: falling upon the stone versus the stone falling upon someone. This structure effectively highlights the two different ways one can encounter Christ and the corresponding, yet equally dire, consequences of rejecting Him.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Luke 20:18 is a profound theological statement on Christology and eschatology. It asserts Jesus's divine authority and His ultimate role as the arbiter of human destiny. He is not merely a prophet or teacher, but the very "stone" upon whom all humanity will either build their salvation or meet their destruction. The verse underscores the absolute seriousness of one's response to Jesus, revealing that neutrality is impossible. To reject Him, whether by stumbling over His claims or by actively opposing His reign, incurs a devastating divine judgment, ranging from spiritual brokenness to utter pulverization, a complete and irreversible undoing of one's existence in the face of God's righteous wrath. This powerful imagery serves as a stark warning, particularly to the religious leaders of Jesus's day who were actively plotting against Him, and to all who would similarly refuse to acknowledge His messianic identity and divine authority.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Luke 20:18 is a sobering reminder that our relationship with Jesus Christ is not passive; it demands a decisive response. We are confronted with the reality that Jesus is either the solid foundation upon which we build our lives, leading to salvation and eternal security, or He is the "stone" over which we stumble, leading to spiritual ruin, or the ultimate instrument of divine judgment that utterly crushes those in rebellion. This verse challenges us to examine our hearts: are we humbly submitting to His authority, embracing His teachings, and building our lives upon Him as the chief cornerstone? Or are we, like the wicked husbandmen, resisting His call, denying His identity, and effectively sealing our own fate? The imagery of being "broken" or "ground to powder" vividly portrays the devastating consequences of rejecting the Son of God. It compels us to recognize the urgency of repentance and faith, understanding that to stand against Christ is to invite an inescapable and complete judgment. This passage calls us to a posture of humility, surrender, and worship, acknowledging Him as the Lord of all, upon whom our eternal destiny rests.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the meaning of "that stone" in Luke 20:18?
Answer: "That stone" unequivocally refers to Jesus Christ Himself. This is made clear by the preceding verse, Luke 20:17, where Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." Jesus applies this Old Testament prophecy directly to Himself, asserting His identity as the Messiah, the foundational and essential element of God's kingdom, yet paradoxically rejected by the very religious leaders who should have recognized Him.
What is the difference between "shall be broken" and "will grind him to powder"?
Answer: These two phrases describe different degrees or aspects of divine judgment, both severe. "Shall be broken" (Greek synthláō) implies a shattering or crushing, a severe injury or ruin that results from stumbling over or opposing Christ. It suggests a personal devastation, perhaps a judgment experienced in this life or a lesser degree of eternal ruin. "Will grind him to powder" (Greek likmáō), on the more intense hand, signifies complete pulverization or annihilation, leaving no trace. This imagery, echoing Daniel 2:44, suggests an overwhelming, inescapable, and ultimate divine judgment against those who actively and defiantly reject or rebel against Jesus. The first is a consequence of encountering Him in opposition; the second is a direct, active judgment from Him.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Luke 20:18 finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in Jesus's identity as both the rejected Stone and the triumphant Judge. He is the very "stone" prophesied throughout the Old Testament, the one whom the builders (Israel's religious leaders) rejected, yet whom God made the cornerstone of His new spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:4-8). Those who, like the chief priests and scribes, stumble over His claims and refuse to believe in Him will find themselves spiritually "broken" by their own opposition and unbelief. However, the ultimate fulfillment points to Jesus's future role as the sovereign King and Judge. Just as the stone in Daniel's vision crushed all earthly kingdoms (Daniel 2:34-35), so too will Christ, at His second coming, descend in power and glory to execute final judgment upon all who have defiantly rejected Him. On that day, His divine authority will "grind to powder" every opposing force and individual, revealing Him as the one before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess Him as Lord, whether in salvation or in utter destruction. Thus, Luke 20:18 is a chilling prophecy of Christ's ultimate victory and the inescapable reality of His righteous judgment.