Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-18
Summary
A man plants a vineyard, and leases it out. When he sent servants to collect some of the produce, the lessees beat and kill them, ultimately killing his son. He then in turn destroys them.
The Parable
“’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. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” 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.’
“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?’
“’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.’
“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.”
Lesson
God gave His kingdom to the Israelites, and looked for a return, He looked for their love and service, but when He sent the prophets to them, to correct them, they beat and killed them, up to and including His Son, Christ. Therefore, He took the kingdom away from them, and gave it to the church.
The nation of Israel never produced the fruit of the kingdom, the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:22-23. The return which He desired from them, they never gave Him.
So He sent them prophet after prophet, in order to turn their heart back to Him, but the nation as a whole never did, “The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy,” 2 Chronicles 36:15-16.
He even sent them into captivity into Babylon, but afterwards they only turned away from Him again, for Christ says to them, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!,” Matthew 23:37-38.
So, finally, He sent His Son, “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him,” Matthew 21:37-39.
And so they killed Jesus.
After the parable, Jesus quotes to them Psalm 118:22-23, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes,” and then says to them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” And so He took the kingdom away from Israel, and He gave it to the church.
Song of Solomon 8:11-12 says, "Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers. Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit. "My very own vineyard is at my disposal; The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit."
And so now the vineyard has been given to us. And we must take care that their failure doesn’t become our failure; we need to be bearing the fruits of the kingdom, and giving Him a return on our lease. As we’re told in the Song, the fruit of the vineyard belongs to the Lord, but we do eat of it. The thousand shekels we are to bring to the Lord, but we receive two hundred as our portion, for as the Scripture says, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” We receive a return, but we need to produce fruit. What is this return? Whatever form it takes, whether joy in our heart from working for the Lord, or some other form, yet the Lord is able to increase us.