Jesus was still teaching in the temple in Jerusalem, and He was still using parables to speak directly to ...the chief priests and the elders of the people... (Matthew 21:23) Jesus used the example of a vinedresser in this parable, a person who works in a vineyard, cultivating and pruning vines. God is the landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. The people of the world are the vineyard and the vineyard is to be cultivated and pruned with the Word of God. The children of Israel are the vinedressers he leased it to. The prophets before Christ Jesus were his servants he sent to the vinedressers, but they took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned them. Christ Jesus is his son whom he sent to them last of all.
The prophet Elijah testified to this fact regarding the children of Israel when he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (I Kings 19:10, 14; Romans 11:3) Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ (Mark 12:6; Matthew 21:37; Luke 20:13) But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 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.” (Matthew 21:38-41; Mark 12:8-9; Luke 20:14-16)
We will soon study how this parable became fulfilled completely when we study the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus. But even more applicable to us today is the part where the Jewish leaders themselves responded, saying, He will ... lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” (Luke 20:16) 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’? [Psalm 118:22-23] “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:42-44; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17-18)
We've repeated this over and over during our studies, that God chose the children of Israel as His vessel, to reveal Himself to the world. But they continually chose to disobey Him. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ... But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. ... ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. (Jeremiah 7:21, 23-26, 28)
God sent his servants to the vinedressers; last of all he sent his son. But the children of Israel would do to Him what they had done to all who came before Him, they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Because of their disobedience and rejection of the Truth, God prophesied that the day would come when "...His Servant,... 'I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Isaiah 49:5-6) The Apostles Paul and Barnabas would quote this same scripture when they spoke to the Jews, by first saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." ... (Acts 13:46-47)
Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:45-46; Mark 12:12; Luke 20:19) The Truth sometimes hurts, but Christ Jesus purpose for teaching this and all of the parables was prophesied by God through the Prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” [Isaiah 61:1-2] (Luke 4:18-19)
“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. (Proverbs 9:7-9) We have a decision to make, just like the Jewish religious leaders and the Jews, whether we are going to become wise and love God even more for giving instruction and teaching so that we may increase in learning; or we can remain unwise and hate God and His Word. The choice is ours to make. He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. (Proverbs 13:13)
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