21:44 This saying combines the prophecies of Is. 8:14 and Dan. 2:34, 44. Jesus claims to be the destroyer of earthly kingdoms, the founder of God’s kingdom on earth, and at the same time points out that the Jewish leaders are, as prophesied, opposed to this kingdom. Jesus’ quotation of Ps. 118 and the allusion to Is. 8:14 and Dan. 2 provide the ground for the “stone” as a reference to Christ that appears frequently in the New Testament (Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6–8).