Audience: Chief Priests, Scribes & Elders
Matthew 21:33-46
Mark 12:1-12
Luke 20:9-19
Matthew 21:33-46
Mark 12:1-12
Luke 20:9-19
And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a trough for the wine press, and built a watchtower, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. And he sent a slave to the tenant farmers at the proper time, so that he could collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from the tenant farmers. And they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent to them another slave, and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. And he sent another, and that one they killed. And he sent many others, some of whom they beat and some of whom they killed. He had one more, a beloved son. Last of all he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ And they seized and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
this has become the cornerstone.
This came about from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
And they were seeking to arrest Him, and they were afraid of the crowd, because they knew that he had told the parable with reference to them. And they left Him and went away.
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
this has become the cornerstone.
This came about from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
And they were seeking to arrest Him, and they were afraid of the crowd, because they knew that he had told the parable with reference to them. And they left Him and went away.
God created the world and everything in it: Genesis 1:1, John 1:3. Naturally, He is the Master and Owner of all. He chose His nation as His people to spread word about Him (His will for the tenants). He went away for a long journey and sent His slaves to collect some fruit (the ones who sow and others who reap - prophets and believers), which some where beaten and others killed. The Master and Father sent His only Son (Salvation/Deliverer), in which they killed in order to steal His inheritance. The Master and Father shows up at His own land to confront those He hired to farm His land with vengeance against them.
Sounds pretty familiar from what is shown and told in the Old Testament - even into the new as Jesus foretells of His own sacrifice through this parable. He showed them exactly who they serve - their father Satan who seeks to kill, steal and destroy. All of which the tenants (kings/leaders) did to His slaves (prophets), showing them the darkness that is in their heart. Another tell-tale sign to tell God apart from Satan is that God is freely giving while Satan gives an illusion of freedom, among many other kinds of illusions (love, peace).
These two passages are a perfect summation of what Jesus is telling them: Isaiah 60:11 but… Matthew 23:13
To think that those who were so learned and educated had become so blind by pride in the knowledge of God, placing what they knew or thought they knew about Him above even Himself… I remember a long time ago praying to God to keep me from exactly this problem. I didn’t want to become so puffed up that I become a major hindrance to another’s Salvation. I desire to do right in the sight of God because I fear Him more than I do anyone else, but I also love Him… even though I’m not very good at that, God has been very, very gracious and merciful to me.
