Matthew 21: 33 – 46
Hey, is He talking about us?
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
Now for your personal biblical development regarding the Gospels I want to give you the same situation given in the other Gospels. When we put them together we get a fuller understanding of what went on.
Mark 12, “12 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 11 This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
Luke 20, “9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers 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. Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” 17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
I have a major problem. When I conduct counseling sessions I often upset people. I do not do this on purpose. In fact I want to help them solve their problems after discovering the key issues. I often ask the person or couple that I believe that I am aware of the area that is causing their problems. I then seek their okay as to how they want to receive my report. I can give it to them all sugar coated, or I can tell them the truth. In almost all my years the counselees want the answer sugar coated but feel obligated to respond that they want the truth. What causes people to hate me is that I give them the truth and point them to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most people do not want to accept that they are causing the problem. They do not want to change. They just want the problem to go away. Sadly, when things are not going on to our satisfaction we do not take our own inventory and ask our Lord to show us our errors and help us to correct them.
Our Great Master Jesus Christ Is the best Counselor. In fact, He Is called the ‘Wonderful Counselor’. He efficiently brings out a person’s or groups sins and errors using Parables. These truthful stories are right on point. The individual hearing them are caught unaware that He Is telling their life stories until some time after the discourse when their light bulbs go on and they realize that He was talking about them.
Today we are going to witness our Great Master use His awesome oration to drive home the faults and sins of the religious leaders of Israel.
The final buildup of our Lord Jesus, and of what He has come to do, continues. He has entered Jerusalem as its King (21.1-11). He has taken over the Temple, casting out all that is commercial and to do with Mammon, and making it a place of healing for the lame and the blind, turning it from a robber’s den into a house of prayer (21.12-14). He has been declared in the Temple to be the Son of David by those from whose mouths, according to Scripture, proceeds God’s truth (21.15-17). He has portrayed by a miraculous sign the final demise of the old unbelieving and unfruitful Israel (21.18-22). He has reinforced the authority of John before the people and reminded them that he came from God (21.23-27). He has demonstrated that all men stand judged based on how they have responded to John’s ministry, exposing by that the inconsistency of the Jewish leaders (21.28-32). Now He will make clear His ultimate claim. That He Is ‘the only Son’, that He too has come from God, and that they will do to Him whatever they will. And that because they are so possessive of Israel, and so determined to fashion it in their own image, that they are unable to see their own folly. Here is the ultimate prophecy. The declaration beforehand of what they are going to do to Him (as in their hearts they well knew, but He was not supposed to know) because they have come to look on Israel as theirs.
Thus, He wants them to know that having rejected John and the prophets, He Is aware that they are now behaving towards Him in a spirit of enmity and malice that will result in His death. And He wants them to realize that they will be judged accordingly, because all that the prophets have pointed to Is now here. It is a final plea to their consciences and to their hearts. And He will then indicate that the end of the old nation is approaching and that it will issue in the new (verse 43).
This parable is in parallel to the parable of the laborer’s in the vineyard. There we were given the picture of the true laborers of the future, here we have described those who have had charge of the vineyard in the past, with the final indication that they will be replaced.
It should be noted also that this is the middle parable of three in succession. The first contrasted how people had responded towards His Forerunner, bringing out how even the riffraff responded because they accepted that John’s authority came from God, while the religious leaders did not. This one will describe how the leaders of Israel will behave towards Him as the only Son of the owner of the vineyard, just as they did towards John, and what the consequences will be for them and for the old Israel. The third parable will reinforce and underline His position as the King’s Son, and will bring out again that it is the poor and the needy who respond who will enjoy the future time of blessing, while those who should have done so will be rejected because they refuse to respond to His invitation.
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
The description here is partially based on Isaiah 5.2, although the background is different. In Isaiah 5 the vineyard was not let out. But the likeness confirms that, as there, the vineyard is a picture of Israel. Even the Jewish leaders recognized that here He was speaking about them (verse 45), for they did see themselves as having the responsibility for God’s vineyard. And this is further substantiated by other references in the Old Testament to Israel as a vineyard (Psalm 80.8-16; Isaiah 27.2-5; Jeremiah 2.21-22; Hosea 9.10, where again the vineyard is Israel/Judah). It is also confirmed by the previous parable in 21.28-32, which was also about a vineyard. But here the emphasis will not be on the fruitfulness of the vineyard, but the behavior of those who rent the vineyard from its Owner.
I want you to take into your thoughts that this Parable used by our Holy King Jesus Christ has several characters. They are;
. The Land Owner – Adoni Yahweh
. The Vineyard – Israel
. The Vine dressers – Jewish religious leaders
. The Land owner’s servants – The prophets and priests who remained faithful to God
. The Owner’s Son – The Lord Jesus Christ
. The other vine dressers - Gentiles
Please take note on the emphasis placed on the effort put in by the owner. What more could He have done for His vineyard that He had not done? He therefore deserved every consideration.
The parable is based on real life. In Palestine at that time there were many farms and vineyards tenanted by tenant farmers, with absent landlords who expected to receive their rents in the form of an agreed portion of the produce, and who had to ensure that they made their claim for rental at the proper time to reinforce their rights of ownership. Costs would be shared. And we can be sure that about some of those farms and vineyards there was much trickery, for tenants who were left without being approached for three years could claim formal ownership of the land.
So here the vineyard is planted and put under the control of others who are made responsible for ensuring that a fair rental in terms of produce is paid to the owner. The owner, Who Is clearly the God of Israel, then leaves it in their hands. It would take four years for the vineyard to become fruitful in such a way that rents (paid in produce) could be expected (Leviticus 19.23-25), but other subsidiary items might be grown, and full and regular accounting would be required from the start.
34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
When the time came that fruits could be expected the owner sent servants to collect the portion of the harvest that was due to him, no doubt also with instructions to oversee the harvesting and meet any expenses due. But when the vineyard workers saw them they beat them, killed them, or stoned them, depending on their mood at the time.
Ironically the ‘vineyard workers’, that is the religious leaders of Israel, would have claimed that they did ‘pay their rent’. They made all the required offerings (compare Isaiah 1.11-15) and gave tithes of all that they received (Malachi 3.8-10) but these were not the fruits that God was looking for.
36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
The vineyard owner continued to be persistent, and sent even more servants, but they treated them in the same way. ‘More than at first’ might signify sending a larger contingent, or it may indicate a longer string of servants. Jesus Is bringing out the supreme patience of God and the many opportunities that He had given to His people.
37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
Finally, the owner of the vineyard decided that He would give them one last chance. He would send to them his own son. This was with the twofold hope, firstly that they would acknowledge the potential owner as having the right to collect payment. It was one thing to ill-treat, mock and kill slaves. It would be quite another to ill-treat the son of the house. And secondly in the hope that their consciences might be moved at the thought that it was His own Son Who came to them, with the result that that they would repent and respond to Him. They would recognize that while they might get away with illtreating servants, it would be a very different matter with His only son. The implication was clear for all who had eyes to see. It was as clear a declaration of The Lord Jesus’ uniqueness, and of His Sonship as it is possible to have.
Matthew alone drops the phrase ‘the beloved son’. But this is in line with his abbreviating tendencies. (Just as he dropped the ‘good’ in ‘Good Teacher’ - 19.16). He does not need to mention it. The parable that follows leaves us in no doubt as to Whose Son He is. He Is the King’s Son.
And yet, as was necessary at this time of such bitterness, Jesus’ claim to be the Owner’s Son was couched in such a way that it could not be used as an instrument against Him. His claim was clear, but all knew that if they questioned Him about it and tried to accuse Him of blasphemy He would come back with one of His devastating questions, such as, ‘Why do you think that this applies to Me?’ and wait for their answer. All would, of course, know that it was meant to apply to Him, but they would simply be left looking foolish, not daring to answer.
Note that the sending of the Son is here seen as God’s final act towards men before judgment (John 3.16-21). If they will not respond to Him, and to those who go out in His Name, they will not respond to anyone.
Some may argue that no father in his right senses would do such a thing, and they would, of course, be right, especially in the sending of His Son on His own. But this is not speaking of any father. It is speaking of God the Father. And this is precisely what God amazingly did do. It is meant to sound remarkable.
38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’
The reaction of the husbandmen is then given. ‘Said among themselves’ was a hint of what Jesus’ listeners were already secretly doing. They were whispering among themselves. They would kill the heir so that they might retain control of the inheritance. For the Law allowed for the fact that if those in physical possession of land were able to farm it untroubled by anyone for several years they could claim legal possession of it for themselves, and they had probably gained the impression that the owner was unwilling to come himself. Thus, they may well have thought that if the heir was slain they would be left alone. Perhaps they also saw his coming as signifying that the father was dead. They certainly saw it as a display of weakness. They could not understand His longsuffering.
Certainly, as the Jewish leaders saw the great crowds hanging on to Jesus’ every word they must have felt that ‘their inheritance’ was slipping away from them. Thus, the picture is graphic, and in view of their plans to kill Jesus a revealing one. And they would feel that once He was out of the way they would be able to get a grip on things and regain control over the inheritance.
39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
The result was that the servants rejected the son, expelling him from the vineyard and killing him. This illustration was a clear warning to the Jewish leaders that both God The Father and Jesus were fully aware of their murderous intentions. The expulsion from the vineyard might be seen as indicating that it was their intention for Jesus to be seen as excommunicated and cut off from Israel (the vineyard is Israel, not Jerusalem), with the killing simply describing what was in their minds, and would eventually come to fruition. In the story it would be important that the son’s death take place outside the vineyard, otherwise the vineyard would be tainted.
Mark has ‘they killed him and cast him forth out of the vineyard’. But the ideas are not necessarily contradictory, for Mark probably meant ‘mortally wounded him and cast him out of the vineyard’. In each case it is rather a matter of where they wished the emphasis to be placed. For if the son was physically attacked and mortally wounded on entering the vineyard, retreating before the onslaught and collapsing dead outside the vineyard, either through loss of blood or under their final blows, either description would be true. (And why cast his body out if he was already dead? It would simply draw attention to their crime. All they had to do was bury him in the vineyard.). The difference is thus one of emphasis, not of chronological order. Each is emphasising the killing in their own way. Matthew and Luke are emphasising that he was killed. Mark’s emphasis is on the blows that commenced the death throes of the son in the first place, the first initial, vindictive and murderous attack. ‘Killed him and cast him out’ are simply therefore to be seen as two events that took place alongside each other.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
What the Lord of the vineyard will do is then spelled out by means of the answer to a typical question. What will He do with them? He will ‘evilly’ destroy the evil men who have done this thing, and give the vineyard to others. That is He will visit them with what we describe as ‘evils’. It does not mean that He will behave evilly, but that He will visit them with ‘evils’ in judgment. Note the play on words which emphasises that what they have sown they will reap. No one could really have been in doubt about the final ending of their tenancy. It was the obvious conclusion. Nevertheless, its literal fulfilment was remarkable. For Jerusalem would, within forty years after the death of Jesus, be destroyed. Evils would come upon it and the priesthood would be destroyed. And the care of God’s people would have been removed elsewhere, initially, among other places, to Syrian Antioch (Acts 13), and then to the church leaders of the local communities. But Jerusalem would be left empty.
Our Master and King Jesus then makes clear the basic facts which the parable is bringing home, that the very Stone which is the keystone of the whole of God’s building, is to be rejected by the builders, but will then be made the head of the corner by God. And the result is that the Kingly Rule of God will be taken away from them, and will be given to a nation which will bring forth its fruits, built upon God’s Cornerstone, while for those who have rejected it, the Stone will either become a stone on which they fall so that their bodies are broken, or a Stone which will fall on them and crush them.
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
As He constantly did our Lord Jesus then challenged them from the Scriptures. The quotation is taken from Psalm 118.22-23.
The builders came across a stone while building which did not appear to be useable because of its shape and size, and they thus put it to one side as ‘rejected’ and ‘useless’. Eventually, someone recognised that it was in fact the very cornerstone of the building, without which the building would not be complete, and it was thus brought into use and made the head of the corner.
The Psalm is undoubtedly a celebration of the deliverance of one who was of the house of David who will cut off the nations who surround him so that the righteous will rejoice in their tents. He will then return in order to worship God in His house (entering through the gates of righteousness), with the result that all will cry out, ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’, and the fact that it had become linked with Messianic expectations is suggested by the fact that verses from the Psalm were cited by the crowds, and linked with the title ‘Son of David’ as they welcomed Jesus when He rode in on the donkey’s colt. The Lord Jesus now therefore uses it to confirm His Messianic and royal status. It will be noted how admirably the citation of the Psalm follows on from Jesus entry into Jerusalem as royalty, riding on an donkey’s colt and receiving the acclamation of the crowds.
We do not know who the builders were who had rejected the original son of David. But they, as the leaders of Judah, had clearly despised him and dismissed him as being unsuitable to be their war leader as they knew David was. But now with His victory things were different. God had made him the head of the corner.
By using this same Scripture that references the Messiah as the son of David, our Lord Jesus Is indicating that the new builders (the Chief Priests, Elders and Scribes) have also failed to recognize Him for what He is, but that nevertheless He too will be established and will become the chief cornerstone. However, the next verse indicates that this will be of a new building in which the previous builders have no part. He is to be the foundation stone (16.18), or chief corner stone, of a new building, His church. And all this will be because of God’s activity which all men can only wonder at (Isaiah 52.13-15).
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
That is why He can categorically declare to them that the Kingly Rule of God is to be taken away from them (they will no longer have it on offer and be seen as potential sons of the Kingly Rule as Jews (8.12)), and that they will be replaced by the true sons of the Kingly Rule (13.38), so that it will be given to ‘a nation’ or ‘people’ that will bring forth its fruits.
All this tie in with 8.11-12 where unbelieving Jews will be excluded from the future Kingdom while believing Gentiles will be a part of it, along with believing Jews (Abraham, etc.). It fits in with the idea that one of the feedings of the crowds was of Jewish believers, while the other incorporated Gentile believers, so that they were one together as disciples of Jesus in the new congregation. It also parallels the idea in the above parable that the vineyard will be ‘given to others.
44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
The ideas are taken from Isaiah 8.14-15 and Daniel 2.34, 44-45, In the first case people stumble over the stone and fall heavily on it so that they are ‘broken to pieces’, in the second the stone come crashing down on them ‘scattering them to dust’. Both are equally devastating in their effects. There is seen to be no escape.
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
The chief priests and Pharisees, including the Scribes, suddenly realized ‘Hey, He Is talking about us.’ They recognized that His words were spoken against them, and that He was diminishing them in the eyes of the people, for all this was done openly. They were sworn enemies, but they were being thrust together by a common cause. This man was dangerous. He had to be got rid of.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
But their plans to arrest Him were shelved because they recognized that the people saw Jesus as a prophet, and that if they moved against Him they could cause a riot.
