33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder,
which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in
it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far
country: 34 And when the time of
the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might
receive the fruits of it. 35 And
the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned
another. 36 Again, he sent other
servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying,
They will reverence my son. 38 But
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the
vineyard, and slew him. 40 When
the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those
husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy
those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which
shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto
them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:
this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this
stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder. (Matt 21:33-44)
The Collect
First Sunday after Trinity
O
|
GOD, the strength of all those who
put their trust in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the
weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us
the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee,
both in will and in deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We
happen upon the most clearly defined description of the nature of the Kingdom
of Heaven, given through illustration, in all of the Scriptures. We have
received glimpses and brief outlines throughout preceding parables, but this
brings the very summary and climax of the work of Christ in redeeming us and
revealing the wicked Vinedressers of the Kingdom. It is reminiscent of that
beautiful parable given by the prophet Nathan to King David of the Little Ewe
Lamb (2 Sam 12) except for the fact that the precious Lamb of God is identified
in this parable as the only Begotten Son of the Certain Householder. Please
observe that the Pharisees and chief Priests understood this parable perfectly
well but, unlike David, instead of repenting themselves of the evil, they seek
to fulfill the parable completely by murdering the Son of the Householder who
is delivering the parable. Amazing, is it not?
Let us
review the nature of the Vineyard prior to delving into a verse-by-verse study
of this parable:
In Microcosm,
the vineyard can relate to our BODIES that are entrusted to us by
God. It was created by God for His own purposes. If we use them contrary to the
purposes of God, we are guilty of malappropriation. God created it to be
a vessel of righteousness, but we often fill it with filthy foods,
mind-altering drugs, and employ them in lustful ways. The allegory may relate
to the MIND: The mind is the receptacle of Light through the Eye.
It is the film upon which our image is stamped. That image should be educated
in righteous living, reflect light and purity, and produce the fruitful
thoughts that are honoring to God, its owner. It may refer to the SOUL,
the very essence of who are. The SOUL is all that we own eternally, and we
shall own them either in Heaven or in Hell. Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Prov 4:23) Those
issues referenced are ETERNAL ISSUES.
In Macrocosm,
the Vineyard applies coincidentally to the nation and its people. Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath
chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12) The nation is
characterized by the collective beliefs and righteousness (or lack) of her
people.
In the
greater sense, the Vineyard is the Church. The Church is a Garden enclosed for
cultivating faith and life in Christ.
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder,
which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in
it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far
country. The beginning words of introduction by our Lord to this
parable open the reality of its relationship to the former parable of the two
sons (Matt 21:28-3). "Hear another
parable," that is, one related to the preceding. Just as
the preceding parable focused allegorically upon the rejection of John the
Baptist's messianic mission, the parable at hand focuses on the rejection of
the very Son of God. Hearken back to the calling of Abraham and his Seed of
promise – was this not the vineyard planting of God? For if the
inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham
by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made….
(Gal 3:18-19) Moreover, God has built up a hedge of defense about the Vineyard
to prevent the weeds and parasites of the world from entering. Are we not, as
the Church, the Bride of Christ – that same spouse made reference to in Song of
Songs? A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up,
a fountain sealed. (Song 4:12) Are we a garden bringing forth good
fruit for man? Are we not a Spring shut up and a Fountain sealed unto God? Now
will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My
wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and
gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and
built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he
looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. (Isa
5:1-2) God has, indeed, set a High Tower of watchfulness in our midst.
Have we manned the tower and kept a watchful eye out for error and false
doctrine? The Winepress in its midst is a free-flowing fountain of grace that
runs as red as the Blood of our Lord on Calvary.
God
withdrew from man when Adam fell in the Garden at Eden. He withdrew unto His
Throne in Heaven because He will not brood sin in the heart. This is the far
country to which the Householder withdrew. But He did not depart for the Far
Country until He had made ample provision for our return to the state of Grace
in Christ. He planted a Vineyard!
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his
servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. These husbandmen represent religious leaders
who claim to serve God but often falsely so. As time of harvest ripened, God
sent His prophets unto the Vineyard as His vicegerents to collect the fruits of
faith.
35 And
the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned
another. The religious leaders of the day who stood in the place of
the Pharisees and Chief Priests beat, killed and stoned the true prophets of
God from Abel to Zacharias. That upon you may
come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the
temple and the altar. (Matt 23:35)
But God
is patient and long-suffering. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and
they did unto them likewise. Did this Householder not know the
fate awaiting those others He sent unto the Vineyard? Of course, He knew of it!
But He is a God of Justice and Judgment, as well as Mercy. He does not condemn
without justification, and He gives us a full opportunity to remove any doubt
of our wicked hearts. Would you send your own son into such a danger knowing
they have murdered your representatives? Would that be wise? It was altogether
wise for god to send His only Begotten Son into the world to redeem us, for
that was the earnest of His love for us.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son,
saying, They will reverence my son.
Do we even yet reverence His son? Does our worship reflect reverence, or
does it reflect the pride of man? God knew full well what treatment His won
would receive. That is what makes His Gift to us all the more of so mighty a
treasure. He knew that He would not require the death of Abraham's son, Isaac
at the hands of his father. But God would, indeed, make the provision of
redemption for us by means of the sacrifice of His own only Begotten Son by
sending Him into the world to die for us.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they
said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us
seize on his inheritance. Men do the same today – men who
attract the respect and following of foolish men and women. The religious
leaders, whose hearts are not conformed to God, desire to take the Kingdom by
force. Just as the Pharisees and Chief Priests desired to destroy Jesus so that
they may have sole ownership of the Kingdom of Heaven, so do many evangelicals
and apostate churches today. How many `first' churches in America would
accept the credentials of Christ to come as their senior pastor? No, they
desire someone more respectable, more sophisticated, don't they? How many of
the prudes would accept the governance of Christ were He to return in bodily
form today?
39 And they caught him, and cast him out
of the vineyard, and slew him. Here is a tragic and disparaging fact: Christ was taken in the
Garden at Gethsemane, He was arraigned for a showcase trial in which even His
judge, Pontius Pilate, found Him innocent of any wrong. He was stripped naked,
spat upon, beaten, and ridiculed for us. He was cast outside the gates of the
city. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his
own blood, suffered without the gate. (Heb 13:12) He was taken to a
hill outside the gates, Calvary, and there crucified to seal His promise of
redemption and atonement for us. And when they were come to the place,
which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. (Luke 23:33)
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will
he do unto those husbandmen? In the murder of the Householder's Son, the
brigands forfeited their hope in Heaven. They never recanted nor repented
of their foul deed. What would any king do for the murder of his son sent under
good intentions to collect his own? The response of the Jewish leaders proves
that they understood well the principles and plot of the parable: 41 They
say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his
vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their
seasons. Notwithstanding those who cling to the idea that the Jews,
regardless of their present rejection of Christ, are the Chosen People. The Chosen
People and Israel of God are the spiritual Seed of Promise. No exceptions!
Christ told, frankly, the Jewish leaders that the Kingdom shall be taken from
them and given to those bearing the fruits of it. They agreed with the very
judgment that was destined to fall around their own necks – but they didn't
LIKE it!
42 Jesus
saith unto them, Did ye never read in the
scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? It is truly amazing when we labor and build,
bypassing the very Corner Stone without which the building cannot stand, and,
at last discover that the very stone that kept getting in the way of our
construction was the Corner Stone itself! How shall we make now fashion the
building so that it will conform to that Corner Stone that gives it structure
and purpose?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
That nation bringing forth the fruits thereof is not some political state at
any place in the world today, but a spiritual people who may be separated by
great distance from each other but who belong to that Remnant that the Lord has
promised to preserve in the earth until His Coming. The Jewish people had been
entrusted with the oracles of God, but had gotten more obsessed with the
position than the giver of it. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken:
but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
'Whosoever' is quite an all-encompassing pronoun. It leaves no holes in the net
for escape of ANY who reject Christ – Jew or Gentile. Thankfully, there are
many good Jewish people who are coming to Christ in these latter days, but they
cannot come as a class apart, but as believing Christians.
The
following reaction of the Pharisees and Chief Priests reveals the whole truth
that the parable applied distinctly to them and their kind. And
when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived
that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared
the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. (Matt
21:45-46)
Politicians ALWAYS fear the believing multitudes. They prefer to take their
prey under the cover of darkness in a Garden on the City's Eastern border. Does
our government today reflect that we are a nation whose God is the Lord? Does
your life reflect that you are a citizen of His Kingdom?
