In our study of the parables, we now come to the last of three parables taught by Jesus in Matthew chapter 21. Now as I always say, Jesus taught using parables to illustrate a spiritual truth regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. Parables are not meant to be taken literally, mom, but are necessary for us to have an understanding Of spiritual truths we would not be able to understand on our own. One of the most striking and challenging parables that Jesus told is the Parable of the Tenants or the Parable of the Vineyard, recorded in Matthew 21:33-46.
In this parable, Jesus exposes the rebellion and wickedness of the religious leaders of his time and reveals the consequences of rejecting him as the Messiah and the Son of God. He also shows us the grace and mercy of God, who sent his Son to die for our sins and to give us eternal life.
33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:33–46)
The parable of the tenants is set in the context of Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, before his crucifixion and resurrection. He had entered the city triumphantly, riding on a donkey, and was hailed by the people as the Son of David and the King of Israel. He had cleansed the temple of the money changers and the merchants and had healed the blind and the lame. He had also confronted the chief priests and the elders, who questioned his authority and tried to trap him with their questions. In response, Jesus told them three parables: the parable of the two sons, the parable of the tenants, and the parable of the wedding banquet. These parables were aimed at exposing the hypocrisy and unbelief of the religious leaders and warning them of the judgment that awaited them if they did not repent and believe in him.
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
They wanted to know Jesus's authority. They demanded his credentials and wanted to know who gave him the authority to do and say such things. We know that Jesus taught contrary to everything the religious leaders of his day taught. He focused on the heart matter, while the Jewish religion of that day focused on the external. And so, in his teaching, he unmasked their hypocrisy and their lust for power.
Now, let’s look at this Parable, verse-by-verse:
“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. (Matthew 21:33)
This would have been a common scene in Jesus’s day. Someone who owns land, a wealthy man, develops this land into a vineyard. And he develops this land for the purpose of leasing it out so that he can make money, while the farmers use the land to grow grapes and produce wine. And we learned from the parable that master spares no expense to develop the land to its best potential. He builds a hedge around the vineyard to keep wild animals and thieves out. He built a tower and the wine press. And then after developing the land he leases the land to the farmers to allow his investment to grow. The point is, that this landowner took great care to make sure that he did it right.
After that Jesus says that he leases out the land to the farmers and he travels abroad. This also isn't uncommon. He can't cultivate it on his own and so he contracts the work out who farmed the land for their own livelihood.
When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. (Matthew 21:34)
Verse 34 tells us that the time of the harvest comes around, and so he sends his servants to the farmers to receive his portion of the harvest. His servants are representing the master to collect what is rightly his. This would also be common as the servants are skilled businessmen who represent the master's interests and conduct the affairs of the landowner in his absence. But then something amazing takes place and Mark also gives us more detail to the Parable
And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. (Matthew 21:35)
And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. (Mark 12:3–5)
There is a sequence of calculated events that provide a tremendous twist of something that would be unheard of. When the servants arrive instead of the farmers fulfilling their agreement, they killed the servants. Mark's language indicates that this was done in rapid succession. First one serving came and they beat him. The next one came and they killed him. The next one came and they stoned him. It's incredible to think about. These tenant farmers were given such an opportunity and privilege are suddenly revolting against the one who owns the land. The one who gave him the opportunity. They become filled with hatred for the owner that provides for them, but they wanted everything.
And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. (Matthew 21:35)
Now, instead of the owner seeking revenge, becoming indignant, or even killing the farmers themselves, the landowner sends more servants. And the farmers do the same thing to those servants. Now some people will become critical at this point and say, “this is too far fetched. No one would keep sending servants after they continually are killed.” That's the whole point Because if you think this is outrageous, wait till you see the meaning of the application. Now the parable takes an unthinkable twist:
Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. (Matthew 21:37–39)
They have killed all the owner's servants. So now the owner sends his own son. The phrase “finally” is a Greek word filled with emotion and sadness. Mark adds the detail that it is his only son saying, “they will respect my son.” That word respect has a indication of repentance. It means literally, “to turn oneself around” or to be ashamed.
However, when the farmers see the son, instead of changing their approach they plot to kill him. Did you catch that? They knew exactly who he was. They planned his murder. The whole thing was premeditated as a result of careful planning. This was malicious because they were hungry for the power of the owner of the vineyard.
You can imagine as the people are hearing this parable that they are incensed. And then masterful rabbinic teaching Jesus turns the illustration over to them to provide the application:
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” (Matthew 21:40–41)
What do you think the landowner is going to do to these farmers? And so the people respond back with the only sensible answer to this outrageous scenario, saying he must destroy these wicked men! In doing so, verse 41 says right out of their mouths these leaders condemn themselves. Which brings us to Jesus explanation.
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Matthew 21:42–44)
Jesus hasn't moved on to another idea. He is underscoring the whole point of the parable by quoting from Psalm 18:22, a Messianic Psalm.
A cornerstone was the most carefully selected stone used to determine the squareness of a building's walls. In selecting a stone, builders wanted to make sure that it was perfect. And so Jesus, quoting from the Psalm, says that there was a stone that was rejected by the builders and thrown away. However, later, it became the headstone. It became the cornerstone of everything. God brings back a stone that was rejected by men and puts it in a place of significance.
Now, who is Psalmist referring to? It's Israel. Israel was a stone that the men of the world rejected and discarded. But not so for God. Because it was Israel that is indeed the cornerstone for the entire redemptive history of the world. The world has rejected it, but God has said it is a place of significance and the cornerstone of all of Redemptive history. Everyone else will reject Israel, but God has a place for it for his redemptive plan.
But like with most messianic psalms, there is a double fulfillment. As with most prophecies, there are immediate and future meanings. Christ is the cornerstone and the rejection.
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him, this man is standing before you well. (Acts 4:10)
For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6)
Now, how does all this fit into the explanation of the parable? First, God is the landowner of the vineyard. The vineyard is the Kingdom of God, full of all of his blessings. The farmers are the religious leaders of Jesus's day and in Israel’s history. The servants are the prophets of the Old Testament. The son, of course, is Christ.
Israel was set as the cornerstone of God's redemption, given the kingdom. They were given the blessing of tending to God’s Kingdom's vineyard. Yet God continually sent them prophets whom they killed. Finally, God sent his own son, and now Jesus, talking futuristically to them, tells the religious leaders that they will also reject the chief cornerstone.
They threw Jeremiah into a pit. They rejected his Ezekiel. Amos fled for his life. Zachariah was stoned. Micah was beaten. Now, in Jesus’s day, the religious leaders are now political leaders, buying for power and they will soon treat Jesus as Israel treated the prophets. He knew what was in their hearts, and they were saying to themselves at the very moment, “This is the heir” (v. 38).
In other words, they knew who he was; they knew he was the Messiah, but their demonic lust for power and control overrode their own understanding.
Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. (Matthew 23:31)
So now we see two results. First, Jesus tells them that the Kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to someone else. We know that to be the church. But we also know that replacement is only temporary. We know from studying Romans 9-11 that Israel has only been removed temporary, and they will be back. We know that's the purpose of the tribulation.
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1)
For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it. (Jeremiah 30:3)
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. (Zechariah 9:12)
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weep over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)
Second, what cornerstone have you set your life upon today? That will be evidenced by the fruit of your life. God has given us everything we have and has entrusted us with his gifts and his grace. He has given us his word and his spirit to guide us and to teach us his will. Most importantly, he has given us his son, who suffered and died for us and defeated death in the grave for us. He is the only way to the father, and he is the chief cornerstone. To put our trust in our hope and anything else is folly. It is putting our trust in a faulty stone.
This parable teaches us that God is full of patience, mercy, and grace, but he is also just and holy. He does not tolerate sin and rebellion, and he will not let the wicked go unpunished. He sent his servants, the prophets, to warn his people and to call them to repentance but they rejected him and persecuted them. He then sent his son, the Messiah, to save his people and reveal his love, but they rejected him and crucified him. Today, he has sent his servants, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, pastors, and teachers, to proclaim the gospel and invite people to his kingdom, sadly, there will be many who will still reject him and oppose him. And while we are living in a day of tremendous patience and grace, there will come a time when that will come to an end.
We know that time to be the great tribulation. And those who reject the cornerstone will be left to endure it. Those who reject Christ today will find themselves without hope. Both now and in eternity. Therefore, there is no excuse today! Just as there was no excuse for Israel when Christ was before them in the flesh, there is no excuse for you today. Who is the cornerstone of your life? More significantly who is the cornerstone of your finances, your marriage, our church, our worship, and everything else around us? If it is anything other than Christ, then we have rejected him, and today is the acceptable day of salvation.
