Matt 21:33-46 TRUST AND OBEY GOD
We just read a parable by Jesus this morning – the parable about the evil tenants.
• If you take a look at what He said before and after, you will notice that Jesus spoke THREE parables in a row.
• The first one was the parable of the two sons (CS heard it last week), then the parable of the tenants (which we are covering today), and in chapter 22 the parable of the wedding feast.
Jesus was using these parables to teach the chief priests, Pharisees and scribes – that is, the religious leaders.
• They were challenging Jesus, unwilling to believe He was their Messiah, the Son of God, prophesied in the Scriptures.
• Through the parables, Jesus gave them the chance to think and reflect, and hopefully see their mistakes, repent and believe Him.
The confrontation started in 21:12 when Jesus entered the Temple and saw that the outer court had been transformed into a market.
• People were selling and buying and Jesus “overturned the tables of the money-changes and the seats of those who sold pigeons” (21:12)
• Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (21:13)
The religious leaders ought to know better. They had the Scriptures. They know the Word of God and the purpose of the Temple.
• But they turned it into a marketplace for their own benefit. They leased the stalls and earned from the money exchanges.
• Until Jesus stepped in and stopped all that.
It is interesting to see how Matthew records it.
• 21:15 when the religious leaders saw the wonderful things that Jesus did and the children crying out, praising God, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, they were angry!
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• Something was wrong with their hearts. They were not concerned about PRAYING to God or PRAISING God, but their profits. Jesus has just cut off their earnings.
So when Jesus entered the Temple again in 21:23, they confronted Him.
• “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
• Jesus did not give them a direct answer. He wanted them to think.
• “Is the baptism of John the Baptist, whom they knew, from heaven or man?
• If they say from heaven, then why don’t they believe him? If they say from men, then the crowd would be angry because, to them, John was a prophet of God.
The truth is, that both John the Baptist and Jesus received their authority from God.
• The religious leaders were not willing to accept their words and believe them.
• They have rejected the prophets that God has sent.
By now, we know what’s the problem. They know the Scriptures but they are not willing to believe.
• Hence the need for Jesus to tell them the parables, not to condemn them but to awaken them from their willful disobedience.
The FIRST PARABLE (21:28-32) is about two sons receiving their father’s instruction to work in the vineyard.
• The first son said ‘I WILL NOT’ but afterwards changed his mind (repented) and went.
• The second son said, “I GO, SIR” but did not go.
• “Which of the two did the will of his father?” We all know the answer.
Which do you prefer?
• We all prefer the one who changed his mind and did what the father said.
• It’s not about knowing, it’s about doing. It’s not about knowing the Scriptures but obeying the will of God.
• Jesus went on to tell the religious leaders, even the tax collectors and prostitutes will go into God’s Kingdom because they “change their minds and believe”. They obey God.
• While the religious leaders continue to reject “the way of righteousness” (21:32) that John the Baptist preaches.
Even though they have the Scriptures and pride themselves in knowing the Word, they did not obey God’s will. They were blinded by unbelief and self-will.
Jesus went on to tell them a SECOND PARABLE – Parable of the Tenants.
• Like pouring salt on a wound, Jesus stressed the point further by giving them an even clearer picture of what He means.
• We know the religious leaders got His point because at the end, in 21:45 says when they “heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them.”
• Sadly, they still did not repent. The next verse in 21:46 tells us that.
In this parable, Jesus pictured Israel as a vineyard, which is a common metaphor used in OT to speak of Israel.
• God has blessed Israel and provided everything that it needs to be fruitful.
• He built a protective fence around it, a winepress to press the grapes within it, and a watch tower to guard it against enemies.
• He handed the vineyard to the care of farmers, meaning the spiritual leaders of Israel.
These tenants or farmers are the religious leaders entrusted with the care of Israel and making sure the people know the Scriptures and walk in God’s ways.
• As was the customs of the day, the owner would send his servants to collect some of the fruit from the vineyard, from time to time.
• These are the prophets of God sent to Israel to see if they are producing fruits and walking in obedience to God.
But as the story goes, “the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.” (21:35)
• The owner sent more, hoping that they might change their minds but they did the same.
• Jesus uses this analogy to raise the point that many of God’s prophets sent to Israel were rejected and persecuted.
• And the latest one, John the Baptist, was also ignored. The religious leaders refused to believe him and heed his message of repentance.
The situation turns from bad to worse. The owner finally sent his son, thinking that they might respect him.
• The tenants saw this as an opportunity to seize the inheritance.
• There was a law at that time that allowed the property to be passed on to whoever had owned it at that time if there was no heir. So they killed the son.
This was prophetic. Jesus was reminding the religious leaders that if they persist in their rebellion, they are capable of doing the same, and it came true.
The tenants thought they were successful but the story did not end there.
• The owner of the vineyard came to judge the wicked tenants. Jesus asked, “What will the owner do to those tenants?” (21:40)
• The answer was obvious. They answered in 21:41. The wicked tenants who rebelled against the owner would be punished severely.
• And the owner will open up the vineyard to others who would obey him and bear fruits.
21:42 Jesus pointed to Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God who has come! He quoted from Psalm 118:22-23 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”,
• The stone that they rejected would become the chief cornerstone of God’s Kingdom.
• To the religious leaders who refused to believe in Jesus, the “stone” would crush them. They would be judged for rejecting Christ.
Jesus says, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” (21:43)
• The Kingdom belongs to those who truly believe and obey God; those who put their trust in Jesus Christ and bear the fruits of repentance and righteousness.
That’s the concern of Jesus in telling the parables. The religious leaders need to “change their minds and believe” Him.
• If they continue in their unbelief and disobedience, they will be left out of the Kingdom of God. They will face God’s judgment.
21:45 “When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.”
• How do they know? Their conscience tells them. They have been behaving like the tenants in the parable. They rejected His authority and were plotting to kill Jesus.
Jesus did not tell the parables to condemn them but to wake them up. He wants them to listen and repent. They can still be saved if they do.
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What can we learn today? TRUST AND OBEY GOD. Believe in God and obey His will.
The chief priests, Pharisees and scribes are learned people, who are acquainted with the Law (Scriptures).
• They know God’s Word better than many but they were blinded by their pride and self-righteousness.
• They had the prophecies of God but chose not to believe the Messiah.
• They heard the words of Jesus and saw His miracles but chose to reject His authority.
• They were more concerned about protecting their power and authority, their profits and prestige.
Their failure serves as a warning to us today.
• We must stay receptive to God and seek always to obey Him in everything we do.
• We would rather be the first son who said “I will not” but later repented and obeyed the father’s will.
• And not the second son, who said very quickly, “I go, sir” but disobeyed the father.
What we want is not KNOWLEDGE but OBEDIENCE. They knew the Scriptures but they disobeyed God.
• Don’t tell me how much you know; show me how much you obey God.
• Knowledge doesn’t change us; obedience does.
• We can know the Ten Commandments or recite them and still steal and covet, commit adultery and bear false witnesses.
It is not the knowledge of God’s Word that changes us; it is our submission to it. We are called to obey God’s Word.
That’s the Great Commission that Jesus gave us:
• “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matt 28:18-20) NIV ESV observe
• He did not say, “Teach them everything I have commanded” but “Teach them to OBEY everything that I have commanded”.
There is a world of difference between the two.
• To impart knowledge is simple. To teach obedience is difficult.
• But we are called to obey. Obey what you know to be God’s will.
• Don’t focus on knowledge. Focus on obedience.
The religious leaders would eventually be judged, not for their lack of knowledge but for their unbelief and disobedience. They were not willing to obey.
OBEY BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU
The owner sent more servants even after the first batch was killed, and then His son, still longing for a change. The owner did not want to judge them immediately.
• That’s the heart of God for us. God gives us time to repent.
Do you know when obedience is easier? It is when you know the other person loves you.
• When you know God loves you and has your best at heart.
• When you know that His plan for you is to bless you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future.
• When you know that He has died to save you and give you an abundant life.
So trust and obey Him, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. (John H. Sammis)
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Dear friends, we all need to believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord.
• He is the Son of God that God has sent. He has come to save us from our sins and grant us forgiveness and a new life.
• He rose again on the third day, giving us the hope of a future beyond death and eternal life with God.
• Why believe in Jesus? Because He comes from God, He is our God and our Saviour, and there is no other.
• You can believe in Jesus today and be a child of God.
Prayer:
Teach us obedience, Lord, so that we can please You in every way and glorify Your Name.
