Parable of the Wicked Tenants of The Vineyard

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Parable of the Wicked Tenants of The Vineyard Matthew 21:33-46 Mark 12:1-12 Luke 20:9-19

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Texts: Matthew 21:33-46, Parable of the Wicked Tenants of The Vineyard Wicked Tenants of the Vineyard 33. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41. They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 43. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 45. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 46. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. Mark 12:1-12, 1. And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winevat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5. And again he sent another, and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard to? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 10. And have ye not read this scripture; the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 11. This was the Lord s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? 12. And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. Luke 20:9-19, 9. Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 10. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 13. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14. But when the husbandmen 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. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16. He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 19. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. Introduction: I. Coffman (Matthew, p. 334) gives the following analogies as depicted in this parable: A. Householder, vineyard owner God. B. Vineyard privileged Jewish nation. C. Planting of the vineyard establishing Israel as a favored nation. D. Hedge, winepress, tower the Law of Moses. E. Husbandmen, tenants religious leaders. F. Servants sent to collect rent prophets God sent to Israel. G. Servant s mistreatment Israel s mistreatment of Old Testament prophets. H. Husbandman s, vineyard owner s desire for fruits from the tenants God s earnest desire to find true religion in Israel. I. Vineyard owner s son Jesus Christ. J. Killing of Son Christ s crucifixion. K. Son s being sent last Jesus is man s final opportunity to avoid destruction. L. Casting son out of vineyard crucifixion outside the camp, city.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 M. Taking the vineyard from the first tenants and renting it to others rejection of Israel s chosen people status and opening the doors of the kingdom to the Gentiles. N. Vineyard owner s long journey the long period of time before the coming of Jesus to earth. II. Jesus related these parables designed to show how terribly wicked the enemies of Christ really were. These parables are: Parable of Two Sons, Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, and the Marriage of the King s Son. Only Matthew (21:28 22:14) relates all three. Commentary: I. Jesus said to the people, Listen to another parable... A. We are to listen to all Jesus says to us. B. Jesus began to speak to them in parables; viz., (1) the two sons, (2) the wicked tenants, and (3) the marriage of the king s son. II. A certain landowner, a man planted a vineyard. Note: Isaiah 5:1-7, Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. III. The landowner: A. put a wall around it. B. dug a pit for the winepress in it. C. built a watchtower. IV. The landowner rented the vineyard to some farmers V. and went away on a journey, for a long time. A. This covered the Old Testament period from Moses to Jesus. VI. At harvest time, when the harvest time approached, he sent a servant, his servants to the tenants to collect some of the fruits, his share of the crop, of the vineyard, grapes or wine. A. Israel owed God the fruit of righteousness. B. Through all the years God had sent his prophets to Israel to call them to his services, but they refused the prophets calls more often than not. VII. The tenants seized his servant(s); A. Scriptures: 1. Hebrews 11:37, 38, They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 2. Jeremiah 37:15, Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison. 3. Matthew 23:31-35, Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 4. Acts 7:52, Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: B. They beat one, some. C. Killed another/others. D. Stoned a third. E. Sent him away empty-handed.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 F. Treated him shamefully. G. Struck him on his head H. Wounded one. Note: A. Matthew speaks of the vineyard owner s sending two groups of servants to collect the rent, his share of the crop. B. Mark goes into greater detail and talks of: (1) one servant who was seized, beaten, and sent away empty, (2) another servant who was struck on the head and treated shamefully, (3) yet another servant who was killed. Many others were sent some of whom were beaten while others were killed. C. Luke speaks of three individual servants being sent in sequence. D. All are correct. Some gave more or different information than others. VIII. The landowner then sent other servants to the renters, more servants than at first, to collect his share of the crop. A. These were treated in the same manner as the first servants; viz., they: 1. seized them. 2. beat them. 3. killed them, stoned them.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 IX. Last of all, the landowner sent his son whom he loved to them to collect his rent. A. The landowner pondered his situation. B. He asked, What shall I do? C. Only God would have sacrificed his Son for wicked, rebellious sinners. Note: The rejection of Christ by the human race is not to be followed by other offers of reconciliation. Coffman (Matthew, p. 336) X. The landowner said, Perhaps they will respect my son. A. Some of Israel reverenced the Son. B. The leaders of the people did not reverence the Son, but rather crucified him. XI. The tenants, when they saw the son, identified him as the heir and discussed their options. A. They talked the matter over and concluded, This is the heir. Let s kill him and take his inheritance. The inheritance will then be ours. 1. This indicates that the tenants, chief priests and Pharisees, knew Jesus was the Son of God. 2. 1 Corinthians 2:8, Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 3. Because the owner had been gone so long the tenants tried to gain ownership by adverse possession, squatters rights.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 B. They took the son, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Mark says they... killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 1. Hebrews 13:13, Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 2. Hebrews 13:12, Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. C. These tenants were motivated by greed. The chief priests, teachers of the law and Pharisees valued retaining their religious leadership and established position more than they valued determining the truth about Christ s divinity. XII. The big question is: When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? A. What then will the owner of the vineyard to... to them? B. John 12:48, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. C. Matthew 22:7, But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. XIII. The listeners to the parable replied, A. He will bring those wretches to a wretched end. 1. He will come and kill those tenants... 2. He will miserably destroy those miserable men.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 B. He will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time, the fruits in their season. 1.... and give the vineyard to others. C. Those who were condemned by this parable now condemned themselves by their answer to Jesus question, out of their own mouths. D. When the crowds heard this, they said, May this never be! Note: Would this compensate for the murder of the landowners servants and son? E. Israel, God s chosen people, the evil tenants, were desposed and their favored status was given to all of every nation who faithfully walk in the steps of Jesus the Lord. 1. The enemies of Jesus who were listening to this parable certainly did not want this to happen. 2. Their actions were bringing it to pass all too rapidly. 3. May this never be! But it was to be! F. They soon killed the son in the parable, but they certainly were not done with him, will never be done with him nor he with them. XIV. Jesus looked directly at them and said, asked, A. Have you never read in the Scriptures? Haven t you read this scripture? What is the meaning of that which is written: B. The stone which the builders rejected has become the capstone. (cornerstone, keystone, head of the corner).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 1. The stone, Jesus, was rejected by the doctors of the law, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. 2. Jesus would rise to sit forever at God s right hand. 3. Jesus here declared himself to be the head of the corner. The stone by which the whole structure is measured. C. The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. D. Psalm 118:22, 23, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. E. Dean Plumptre told of a stone which, according to the plans of the architect, was designed for a prominent place. This was unknown by the laborers who rejected it and cast it aside. Later it was restored by the architect to its rightful place. So it is with Jesus. XV. Jesus declared, A. The kingdom of God will be taken away from you (scribes, Pharisees, chief priests). B. The kingdom of God will be given to a people who will produce its fruit. C. He (everyone) who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. The stone will grind the rebellious to pieces. 1. Isaiah 28:16, Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 2. 1 Peter 2:7, 8, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 3. Daniel 2:34, 44, 45,Thou watched until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 4. Daniel 4:34, 35, And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 5. Isaiah 8:14, And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. D. He on whom this stone falls will be crushed. Note 1: John 10:35, If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; People who break the scriptures succeed in breaking only themselves. Those who stumble over Jesus do not hurt him, but they fall and break themselves. Note 2: Jesus is compared to a stone in several scriptures. 1. Matthew 21:42, Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 2. 1 Peter 2:7, 8, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 3. 1 Peter 2:4, To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. 4. 1 Peter 2:6, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 5. Isaiah 28:16, Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 6. 1 Corinthians 10:4, And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 7. Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. XVI. When the teachers of the law, the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus parables, they knew he was talking about them and had spoken this parable against them. A. In relating this parable Jesus finally made his point with his enemies. B. They no longer saw him as a teller of homely, simple stories of no particular significance. C. Had they been left to their own devices, the Pharisees would have then without delay killed Jesus, but his popularity with the crowds prevented this. 1. Jesus enemies did not want to cause a riot. 2. The rioters may well have turned on them and killed them. 3. So much for the behavior of some religious people in a pinch! XVII. Instead of repenting and mending their ways, they looked for a way to arrest Jesus immediately. XVIII. They were afraid to arrest Jesus in public because the crowds of people held Jesus to be a prophet.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 A. These chief priests and Pharisees were afraid that the crowds would turn on them if they attempted to arrest Jesus on the spot. 1. Mark 11:18, And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 2. Luke 21:37, 38, And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. B. Consequently they left Jesus and went away. Note 1: This parable covers the history of the Israelites from their exodus from Egypt to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Note 2: With a little story Jesus put to flight his fiercest enemies. Never a man spoke like this man!

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 Parable of the Wicked Tenants of the Vineyard Questions 1. Parabolic analogies: Householder, vineyard owner Vineyard Planting of vineyard Hedge/winepress, tower Husbandmen, tenants Servants sent to collect rent Servants mistreatment Husbandman s, vineyard owner s desire for fruit from the tenants Vineyard owner s son Killing of son Son s being sent last Casting son out of vineyard

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 Taking the vineyard from the first tenants and renting it to others Vineyard owner s long journey 2. The landowner said, Perhaps they will respect, reverence my son. God knew Jesus would be crucified. Why did the landowner use this expression? 3. When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? 4. Those who heard this parable said, May this never be! However, they continued in their evil way. Does this remind you of us? If so, in what respects?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 5. What was Jesus teaching when he spoke of a stone s falling on people and the stone s being made the head of the corner?