Matthew 21:33-41 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
In this parable Jesus continues his attack on the Pharisees and teachers of the law. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was greeted by the people with a clamor of devotion. The people were eager to establish Jesus as the leader of their people, religiously and secularly. Pilate wrote, Jesus the king of the Jews, probably because he had heard the rumor that the Israelites wanted to make Jesus their king. The religious leaders also were aware that people were talking about Jesus being the Messiah, of course, ending their coveted position as the religious leaders of the Jews. Jesus, after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, does not stir up trouble for Pilate and the Roman overlords, but He does threaten the hierarchical establishment of the Jewish people. After his entry into Jerusalem, He goes to the Temple that is under the Sadducee’s administration. He drives out the money changers and sellers of animals and birds from the Temple. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:13) Later, he curses the fig tree, a symbol of the religious establishment that has failed to shepherd the people, a failure to gather the fruit of righteousness for God. The fig tree was lush with green leaves, but no fruit. The religious leaders had a semblance of serving God, but were not producing fruit. Their lives exhibited self-indulgence, not the sacrifice of true shepherds of God’s flock, his chosen people. Jesus condemns the religious leaders for their failure to accept that his authority to minister in Israel comes from God. Even the blind man Jesus healed with mud knew Jesus’ authority had to come from God. The (blind) man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:30-33) The religious leaders were willfully ignorant of where Jesus received his power to perform miraculous works. Because of that, Jesus attacks them for being hypocrites. He gives them the parable of two sons who were asked by the father to work in the vineyard. (See Matthew 21:28-31) The first son told his father he would not waste his day working in the vineyard. He represented sinners who chose their personal life over the father’s will. But later he repents and works in the vineyard. He is the sinner who turns his life over to God. The second son represents the priests who decide early in their lives they will live for God in his vineyard, but then their self-willed lifestyle prevents them from working in the vineyard. They do their own will, but not God the Father’s will. Jesus relates that the priests are the second son, saying they will serve God, having on the trappings such as the robe with long tassels and phylacteries that are conspicuous because of their size, but failing to work in the vineyard. He condemns them for their lack of obedience to God his Father. Now in today’s focus, we see Jesus giving the parable of the tenants, revealing the wickedness of the leading priests and leaders of Israel: the elders.
As with the Promised Land, the farmers were given a mature vineyard and everything else needed to produce abundant fruit and wine. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. The farmers needed nothing else to do but to take care of the vines and to harvest the fruit. When the Israelites went into the Promised Land, the vineyards had been established, the walls around the cities were there for protection from their enemies. The wells had been dug; the cities had been built there for habitation. The Israelites, as the farmers in this parable, had received a mature land ready for occupying, ready to produce abundant crops for God’s glory. But as with the farmers in this story, the leaders of the Jewish nation: the kings and the Jewish hierarchy were often self-indulgent, unthankful, believing they had received this land because of their intrinsic value, not because of the grace of God. Why should they be grateful to the owner when they are the ones working the land, not the owner. They assumed the abundance of the land and the wealth accrued by the leaders were a result of their efforts and ability alone. Why should they give anything back to an absent owner: God? The landowner does not deserve their obeisance for he is not there working the soil. Only they deserve the product of their labor. Jesus in this parable refers directly to the intransigent wickedness of the leading priest, the elders, and the teachers of the law. As with the nation of Israel that had willfully failed to serve God who had delivered them from slavery, the contemporary leaders of the Jews were serving themselves rather than God. Their hearts were far from God and their intentions for Jesus were as evil as the leaders of old who had abused, persecuted, and killed the prophets. Jesus uses this parable to expose their hearts, explaining as the farmers, their intent to destroy anyone who threatened their self-willed lives. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Jesus goes on and describes how they will try to gain ownership to the land by killing the owner’s son. This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. As with the owner’s son, Jesus’ crucifixion will be outside of the vineyard, away from the power structure of Israel, outside of the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus relates to his audience that the leaders will kill him, satisfying the caldron of hatred that they have for Jesus. The unsaid conclusion of this parable is stated by the listeners. He (the landowner) will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” By saying this they were predicting their own future. God will judge them harshly.
Jesus in his dialogue with the Jewish elite was giving them their future. The fig tree will be cursed. The reward of heaven will be given to the prostitute and sinner who decides to go into the vineyard even though at first they said no to God’s authority in their lives. They will be blessed by Jesus for they recognize Jesus has been sent by God for their deliverance from sin. They are not sitting on the fence trying to decide on which side they should jump: serving God or serving themselves. The leading Pharisees, teachers of the law, and the elders had decided to dwell on the wrong side of the fence. Jesus knows this and calls them hypocrites, for they claim they are in God’s vineyard, but they are not. They are as the wayward son who wastes his inheritance on his own desires, his extravagant, self-indulgent life. Jesus knows the Pharisees glory in the people’s deference to them. They seek the praises of men more than the praise of God. Their lives are oriented towards the now, not for the blessings of a future existence with God. Jesus understood well the motivation of their lives, what energized them, and it was not God’s will. They had left their shepherding responsibilities; instead of that, they superimposed their own selfish will over God’s desire for their lives. They will be judged harshly for their lifestyle focused on self. The farmers in the parable chose their own direction in their lives. They wanted freedom from serving the landowner. They forgot the goodness of the landowner, his gift of a wonderful vineyard, ready to produce abundant fruit. We who are in the household of God should always remember the grace of God, his undeserved goodness to us. He has given us a profitable land. His promise for us today and tomorrow is that He will be with us, giving us his abundant life, eternal life. The farmers had this kind of future for them, an abundant, eternal future, but they chose otherwise. They sought immediate gratification. They wanted everything now, not later, but now. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:34-36) Yes, the farmers were the workers. They had reasons to want the whole crop. But they were tenants, servants to the landowner. They forgot or ignored their position in life. The Lord loves his people. He has an inheritance for them that is beyond their imagination. He desires his people to serve him by taking up their cross, being in the vineyard of their lives, serving him as willing servants. God is in control when we are willing, obedient farmers. The crop of eternal life will be given to many if we are faithful to his calling in our lives. We are not our own—God has bought us with the death of his Son. Let us not be hypocrites as the elders and leaders of Israel, serving God with their tongues and lifestyle, but not in their hearts. Let us know full well that God has given us our lives; let our lives be fruitful in his vineyard that He has given us for his glory. Amen!
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