Matthew 21:1-17
“Behold, Our King Comes.”
Vs. 1-5 The Kings Preparation
Vs. 6-11 The King Rides & The City Is Shaken
Vs. 12-13 The Cleaning of the Temple
Vs. 14-17 The Restoration of the Temple
Intro
We now come to the last part of this book and the last week of Jesus’ life. The events recorded here are pointed and purposeful. What Jesus does in this scene He had not done before in His entrance into Jerusalem. Not only does He not shy away from glory, He entices it.
Now what we have just read is traditionally known as “Palm Sunday,” which this year falls just three weeks from today on the 28th. It is also called the “Triumphal Entry,” a name that might better be reserved for Rev. 19:11–14, where Jesus comes at His second coming.
What is recorded for us is a series of responses to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. People’s responses can be very difficult to gauge. A four-year-old girl was at the pediatrician’s office for a check-up. As the doctor looked into her ears with an otoscope, he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the little girl was silent. Finally, the doctor put a stethoscope in her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Barney in here?” “Oh, no!” the little girl replied. “Jesus is in my heart. Barney’s on my underpants.”
Vs. 1-5 The Kings Preparation
Vs. 1-3 Jerusalem was bulging with people, some 2 million there to celebrate “Passover.” 1500 years earlier, God used His servant Moses to deliver the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians. Nine plagues were released by the hand of God, and each time pharaoh hardened his heart. The 10th plague was announced, “the death of the firstborn” from every house. The only way of escape was to slaughter a lamb and mark the top and bottom of the door of each house.
Now, 1500 years later, Jesus comes not quietly as He always had done. No, this time He stages an event! Matthew as well as the other gospel writers are very specific as to the details of Jesus’ entry into the city and the events that follow.
Matt. tells us that as they came near to Jerusalem, they did so by coming on a route that led them by a village called “Bethphage,” or house of figs, where Jesus sent two of His disciples to get the donkey and its colt. What is interesting is that the location of Bethphage is the route a person would take if they entered the temple through the main gate.
You would enter the city through the water gate and then the temple through the main gate. Previously, as Jesus went into the temple, it is believed that He always went in through the “sheep gate” at the opposite end of the temple. Not this time.
Then there is, if you read the other accounts of this, a belief that Jesus actually entered the city three straight days, each time staying with the disciples outside the city in a village called Bethany with the twelve.
Here is the triumphal entry He rides in, and Mark 11:11 tells us that “Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” That would have been on Saturday, which was the Sabbath, and there were no money changers in the temple. Interesting as He goes into the temple the first time it is the Sabbath & the only ones at the temple would have been the priests. So Jesus shows that He is the Great High Priest.
Then the next day He again goes into the temple on Sunday, which was the first day of the week, Matt. 21:12–13. That is the day He cleanses the temple and restores it. It is that day that we see Him enter the temple as the King with authority.
Lastly, on Monday, Luke 19:41 records for us the fact that He again goes into the city, wept over it, and again cleanses the temple. This time He appears as a prophet.
Now I cannot be sure of those details, but they are interesting nonetheless! All of this brings about a question: why? Why all the attention to detail?
Vs. 4-5 Here we have the answer. “All this was done so that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet.” The donkey and its colt are all part of the demonstration. Was this a miracle? Well, we don’t know for sure, but I rather think not. I believe that Jesus has set the stage for this earlier.
Now the quote is from Zech. 9: & it occurs in the portion of Zechariah where the prophet spoke upon the land of Hadrach (Syria), and in the middle of this prophecy he speaks of Jesus first coming and of a king who would be rejected. Now Matthew leaves out some words in his quotation of this as the fulfillment.
He leaves out the words “rejoice greatly” and “he is just having salvation.” Why? Well, it is the difference again between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. His coming into the city was for judgment of sin, which is not to rejoice over. Second, His coming into Jerusalem was an act of mercy and grace, not justice and salvation. He had that for this city, but they would not receive it; that is why he weeps!
Vs. 6-11 The King Rides & The City Is Shaken
Vs. 6-9 Here we see the disciples in obedience. Now some see a contradiction here as Matthew records the use of two donkeys and the other gospel’s record only one. The answer is simple: there were two donkeys, but Jesus rode the colt, and the colt’s mother came along. Matthew is showing the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Speaking of the fulfillment of prophecy, Sir Robert Anderson in his book “The Coming Prince” points out something very interesting concerning the date of Jesus’ triumphal entry. Dan. 9:25 says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. Now the decree to restore the temple, which Daniel refers to here, was given on March 14th, 445 BC. In Daniel’s day, they used a 360-day calendar, so if you take the specifics of his prophecy:
A.) “seven weeks” The word week here is “sevens” and refers to years. That would come out to 49 years.
B.) “sixty-two weeks” Again, the word week is seven, and if you do the math, it would add up to 434 years.
C.) Adding these together, you come up with 483 years or 173,880 days “Until Messiah the Prince” comes. Folks that puts this event at April 6th, 32 AD. & you know what? That is the exact day that Jesus rode that colt into Jerusalem, 483 years later.
Now this must have been quite a scene as “great multitudes” spread out their garments upon the ground, took down branches, and laid them upon the ground. 7 They began to shout, “Save now, save now!” Now when the Romans would win a great battle, they would come in riding a great horse with shouts following after them.
A donkey was an animal of peace, not war; that is what Jesus came riding, but remember that he will one day come on a great white horse with His saints behind him. The praise that proceeds from the crowd is out of Psalm 118:24, a Psalm that Jesus will attribute to Himself.
It is hard to realize that this would be the same crowd in a week that would shout “Crucify Him.” Yet when you really stop and think about it, a lot of folks do the same thing. They make an intellectual commitment to Jesus in a time of need. A sort of spiritual “good luck charm.” They were their crosses; they went to church trying to do everything they could to get what they wanted.
But when Jesus’ good luck charm does not produce what they expected, they become disappointed and say, “I tried Christianity, and it did not work!” May I just say that Christianity is not something that you “try”? Jesus & the Cross is not some “good luck” charm. He is your savior who died upon that cross.
Now, can you imagine how you would feel if your loved one died to save the life of another? Then you develop a friendship with them. Time goes by, and they come up to you and say, “Hey, I’m not going to hang around you any more; as a matter of fact, I don’t like you!” “Well, what have I done?” you ask. “Your relatives’ deaths on my behalf did not make me rich or popular.” “I mean, nothing that I wanted to have happen to me has happened as a result of them dying for me!” That is the way many people react towards Christ.
Vs. 10- 11 Now the city was “moved”; that’s the word where we get our word “seismic” from. The city was shaken emotionally and mentally by what was going on with Jesus. They wanted to know, “Who is this?” I kind of think that it was the gentiles who wanted to know this.
Vs. 12-13 The Cleaning of the Temple
Vs. 12 As I’ve said, I think this is the next day, and He comes back into the temple and finds all of the commotion going on. This is the second time He has done this; the first was at the start of His ministry. These folks were crooked. You had to pay your offering in temple shekels and not in Roman currency.
So the money changers were there in the court of the gentiles to “help” you out, but in doing so they were making a huge profit and giving kickbacks to the priests. Same thing with the dove tables. You could get doves outside and bring them in, but the priest would always find some blemish on them. So only the doves that had the temple seal upon them were accepted, and of course they were expensive.
Now look at Jesus here, one man knocking over the tables, and nobody stops Him. Jesus was no wimp. Oh, He was gentle, but He is holy as well. What does all this show us about what Jesus wants out of our temples being that we are temples of the Holy Spirit?
Well, he wants a clean temple. One without compromise. May I say it is a good thing when Jesus comes into your life, Christians, and knocks over some tables? Maybe it’s been some time since He has come in and knocked some tables over, but may I suggest that you remove those things that are corrupting your faith?
Those things that are keeping others from knowing Jesus. You have a choice, friends; you can either remove those tables or have Jesus knock them over. Notice that He cannot make your temple into what it ought to be before He cleanses it!
He wants it to be a place of communion with Him, “Prayer.” A place of consistent fellowship. That is God’s design for us: a place of prayer. Folks, if there is corruption in the house, then fellowship is not happening!
Vs. 14-17 The Restoration of the Temple
Vs. 14 He wants the temple to be a place of healing. Jesus wants to be able to use you to heal those who cannot see. To touch those who cannot walk. Folks, that is what the church ought to be doing.
Vs. 14 Furthermore He wants it to be a place of power. A place where the impossible is accomplished.
Vs. 15-16 He wants it to be a place of praise. Now notice who it was that was praised. It was the children; is that not great? The religious are having a cow, but the children are praising.
Vs. 17 As we conclude this morning, may I ask you to search your heart this morning and see what kind of temple you are? Would he leave there and lodge somewhere else?
Matthew 21:18-27
“Figs and Fakes”
Vs. 18-19 Leaves Without Figs
Vs. 20-22 Fruitful Faith
Vs. 23-27 Authority, Who Has It?
Intro
As we come into the second day of Jesus’ final week, we have a curious story concerning this fig tree; then we move onto the questioning of His authority by the chief priests and the elders. In both of these stories, we shall deal with authenticity and authority. A wise person once said, “You must act as you believe, for you will eventually believe as you act.”
One of the worst things to hear as a Christian is the “H” word. You know, when someone calls you a “hypocrite.” The story is told of Jesse James, who killed a fellow in a bank robbery and shortly thereafter was baptized in the Kearney Baptist Church. Then he killed another man and joined the church choir and taught hymn-singing.
Not that long ago, the Hollywood branch of the American Cancer Society decided to hold a benefit night along with a professional tennis tournament. What they learned later was that a major tobacco company was also sponsoring the tennis tournament. They had already committed to selling 500 tickets to an event that was named after a well-known brand of cigarettes. The publicity that was sent out had the “American Cancer Society” name along with a young woman with a tennis racket in one hand and a cigarette in the other. How about you? Are you authentic in your faith?
Vs. 18-19 Leaves Without Figs
Vs. 18 Now you will notice that this event takes place in the morning as He was returning to Jerusalem. Again, we realize that these events take place over a period of a few days.
Something else I want you to see here. Now we know that He stayed in Bethany, which was a few miles outside the city. So what, you ask? Well, Bethany had a famous family living there. A family made famous by Jesus, Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, lived there. The whole raising of Lazarus had really tweaked the chief priests who took counsel to kill him, for many were believing in Jesus based upon that incident (John 12:10–11). Well, it seems that Jesus went to their house for dinner but did not stay the night with them. How do we know that? Well, two reasons:
A.) Jesus would not have risked the lives of His friends on account of Him. In fact, we see him staying at the garden of Gethsemane on the night he is arrested.
B.) Knowing the heart that Mary & Martha had to serve, it is hard to believe that they would let Jesus go from their house in the morning without something to eat, but here we see that He was hungry.
So what do you think Jesus was doing at night? It is just an opinion, but I believe He was up all night praying. Praying for the spiritual condition of the city, which He wept over. What do you think Jesus is doing now? I mean, what is He doing now in regards to you? Well, the Bible tells us in Heb. 7:25 “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Then there is the story of Peter’s failure in Luke 22:31-32 a week from this time where Jesus says, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Folks, I love this. I mean the picture of Jesus knowing every little detail of my life, praying for my strength. It is good for us to pray for each other, but you have the Lord praying for you, even knowing that we are going to blow it, but praying for our return to Him. You never have the excuse to say, “I can’t come back to the Lord; I’ve blown it too bad this time.” Hey, He knows and has been praying for you.
Vs. 19 Now we come to this cursed fig tree. I must admit that this story puzzled me a bit. I mean, so what if the fig tree has no figs; why curse a dumb tree? I’ve come up with some new insight into this whole incident.
First, this story has prophetic implications. Jeremiah (the weeping prophet) was speaking of Judah’s judgment in chapter 8. In verses 5-6, God says that Jerusalem is always backsliding and refusing to return and repent. Then in verses 8-11, he goes on to say how they are proud of their heritage and proclaim “peace and peace” while rejecting the word of God.
Then in verses 12–13, the prophet declares, “In the time of their punishment, they shall be cast down. I will surely consume them,” says the LORD. “No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” Hosea also describes Israel as a fig tree in 9:10, and so does Jesus in Luke 13:6-9.
Simply put, this story is a practical parable to Israel: that God has been patient, as Jesus’ story in Luke 13 tells us, but time is up. 40 years later, the Roman general Titus would come into this city and kill over 1 million Jews, and Israel would cease being a nation for over 1900 years. Israel failed to bring forth fruit to God; they were not a light unto the gentiles. So Jesus came to this fig tree, with its leaves but fruit, and said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” After the nation rejected Jesus, it withered and died from the roots up.
The second thing I get out of this story is practical, that is, God desires fruit in our lives. He creates with a purpose in mind. We are all too often concerned with what others see when we ought to be concerned with what God sees! With that said, may I point out a few things about this fruitless fig tree?
First, the problem with the tree was not that it had no fruit; it was that it had appeared as though it should have fruit and didn’t. This tree was a hypocrite; it was pretending to be fruitful by its outward appearance but had no fruit. This tree was not fulfilling its true function; it was just putting forth leaves but not fruit. I’ve done some study on the kind of fig trees native to this region and found some interesting things.
Fig season was in late June or early July, but this type of fig tree put forth a first fruit crop this time of year. What’s more interesting is that figs come on the tree before the leaves do. So when Jesus came up to this tree and saw the leaves, naturally He thought it would have had the first fruit of figs on it.
May I say, folks, that whatever you do as a believer, be real! Don’t try to look like you are something you are not. Hey, if you don’t have fruit yet, be honest and pray. With that said, why did this fig tree have no fruit? “Now Pastor, how can we know that?” Hey, I said I’ve been looking into this fig tree thing!
Look carefully at the text. How many forests does Jesus go to? “A fig tree”! It does not say that Jesus went up to “some” fig trees but just one. So what? When we first moved here to Merced, we lived at a house that had a fig tree; it was the only one around, and it produced figs all the time. With this said, this type of fig tree cannot produce fruit alone. It seems that this type of fig tree has a small male variety that has to grow right next to it for cross-pollination.
Simply put, without the other type of fig tree around, it cannot produce fruit. Hey, folks, you cannot produce fruit in your life without being with other Christians. It’s true we need each other; we are “fruitless” without the body of believers. You may think it’s OK to be a fig tree out there all by yourself, and others may see your leaves and say, “Looks good,” but the truth is there is no fruit.
One other thing interesting about this type of fig tree. They don’t have blossoms. There is no flower that comes on these trees ahead of time. Yet they have to be cross-pollinated. Well, it seems that God has placed this little fruit wasp that takes the pollen from the male tree and goes inside the fruit itself to pollinate it. Without that little pest, no fruit. Folks, it’s the trials and tribulations in our lives that produce lasting “fruit” in our lives.
So with that said, “Be transparent, be with other believers, and allow the Lord to work in the circumstances of your life.”” For it is the lack of these things that leads to fruitlessness.
Vs. 20-22 Fruitful Faith
Vs. 20 It is interesting to me that the disciples were more interested in knowing “how” than they were in knowing “why.” May I just say to you sometimes that the better question to ask ourselves is the “why?” We are all into programs and such, folks. There is no shortcut to Christian maturity and growth; it all runs through the cross. How great it is to ask ourselves, “Why am I not growing in Christ?” Instead of, “How can I do this quickly?” Yet the Lord answers both questions.
They wanted to know how this miracle was accomplished so quickly, and Jesus uses it as an opportunity to further speak on the issue of fruitfulness.
Vs. 21 First, fruit will be produced through “faith.” In fact, fruit can be produced no other way except by trusting in God. Now, according to Mark’s account, the mountain that Jesus probably pointed to was the Mount of Olives. It is the Mount of Olives that Zech. 14:4 says: “In that day His (Jesus’) feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” All of that will take place at His second coming. So in other words, if you trust the Lord, you will not only see fruitless trees removed; you shall soon see my coming again.
. 22 Second, fruit will be produced through prayer. Now you will notice that this statement is made to Jesus’ disciple’s. And what makes a disciple? It is a person who has surrendered their will to the will of the Lord. So the purpose of prayer is not for our own desires or to enrich ourselves. We should not be praying to get out will done, but rather His will done. The person who is surrendered to God 7 is asking for God’s will, not their own, which is going to be fruitful!
Vs. 23-27 Authority, Who Has It?
Vs. 23 As we have been speaking of true fruit, now we move to the fakes. Now Jesus had just the day before overturned the tables, and He comes back into the temple this time He is teaching the people. So the chief priests and elders want to know what authority Jesus has to do what He has been doing. These people were the religious leaders of the nation, and it was their duty to judge the people. So they are right in asking the questions. Notice they ask two questions, and neither one of them denies the miraculous things Jesus did. All they can do is question His right to do them.
“By what authority are you doing these things?” Is your authority political, social, or spiritual? That is what they are asking—what is the purpose behind what you are doing? Now I think that was a big question, but not the one that bothered them the most.
“And who gave you this authority”? ” Jesus’ presence was without permission from them, so where did He get such permission? And if they had not given him permission, then what he was doing was illegal.
Vs. 24-25 Now notice Jesus’ response back. Now He does not decline to tell them what they ask; He just wants to determine if they are willing to receive the answers. It would be pointless to tell them the source of His authority if they were not ready to believe it. So He says, “You want to know whether or not I have the right to come into the temple to do & teach. Am I a teacher called by the authority of God, or am I a man craving popular opinion and the acclaim of the people?” That is what He says back to them.
Vs. 25 The Baptist of John, where was it from, heaven or men? John’s ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus. All that John did pointed to Jesus. John was not the light, but he testified of the “true light,” Jesus. Now the people believed that John’s authority came from God. Since Jesus is asking these guys about John’s fig tree, “Leaves or fruit,” boys, “Leaves or fruit?”
So from trapping Jesus, they find themselves trapped. They were supposed to be leaders under the authority of God, but they were men who were swayed by popular opinion. If they said from God, Jesus would say that John testified of Him and that they allowed Herod to put John to death. If they said man, then the people would come after them.
These guys were fruitless figs. Oh, they had a lot of leaves but no fruit. How about you? What kind of tree are you, a fake or one with fruit?
Matthew 21:28-46
Vs. 28-32 Who Will Work Today?
Intro
To clearly understand these parables, we need to go back and see what brought them on. As Jesus came into the temple, for the third time, He was teaching, and the chief priests and elders came up to Him about His previous activities of cleansing the temple. Their questions dealt with authority.
They were the only ones that had the right to grant authority in the temple, and Jesus had not gotten authority from them. These guys were the judges of Israel, so they questioned Jesus’ right to do and say the things that He did. So Jesus told them that He would answer their questions if they answered His concerning John the Baptist. Since they were concerned with authority, they should have made some conclusions concerning John’s ministry.
Now these guys were caught in a horns of dilemma, so they refused to answer one way or another, but Jesus is not going to let them off so easily. That is why He shares these parables with them—to get them to look at themselves. It is hard to understand the motives of others. These guys were impugning the motives of Jesus; now Jesus will get them to judge their own motives for authority.
A pastor was walking down a street on a cold day when he spotted a young boy on the front porch of a home. The doorbell was set high in the doorway, and the little guy was too short to ring it despite his attempts at jumping. Feeling sorry for the little guy, the pastor stepped up onto the porch and rang the bell for him and then asked, “And now what, young man?” “Now,” exclaimed the boy, “we run like crazy!”
Vs. 28-32 Who Will Work Today?
Vs. 28: “But what do you think?” Now these guys just a minute ago refused to think when they were asked a direct question, but Jesus is going to get them to think by putting their deeds on trial using an illustration.
Vs. 29 First, there are the non-religious (tax collectors and harlots) who refuse to go and work in the vineyard but later regret it. Now this word regret is only used five times in the N.T., and it means to be filled with sorrow. Now this guy was not only filled with sorrow; this sorrow led to a change in attitude and action as he went into the vineyard.
Vs. 30 Second, we have those who, when asked, just said, “I, sir.” In Greek, “go” is not there. It suggests that the second son wanted to put himself in contrast with the other son, who said he would not go. It was as if the second boy was saying, “You can depend upon me, sir!”
This boy wanted to appear religious but did not want to be obedient any more than the first boy did. Jesus is going to give us the interpretation of this parable in verses 31b–32, but before He does, He wants the religious folks to give Him their opinion concerning the story.
Notice that in the story both are addressed as sons. We may not be able to tell the difference between the two, but their actions will reveal which one is the true son. Also, you can see that there is no mistaking what God requires each of those sons to do: “work in the vineyard.” Neither can anyone mistake when it is that they are to start “today.” Lastly, you will see who’s vineyard it is (Gods).
Vs. 31 So Jesus asks, “Which one did the will of God?” Now notice what’s important here, “the will of the Father!” It’s not whether or not you say you are a Christian that is important; anyone can do that. God is not impressed with lip service or emotional responses. Today a lot of folks want to talk about how many came forward at an alter call, and they say, “Well, 4000 got saved today!” No! 4000 said they would go to the vineyard; you got to wait and see how many show up to work!
Now, how did the first son differ from that of the second? Well, clearly, they repented and sorrowed, but more than that, they were out in the vineyard to work. Their sorrow over their rebellion had legs, didn’t it? Folks, being a Christian is more than intellectual agreement with some creeds or doctrines; it’s a change of life.
I’m afraid today, in our rush to be relevant to a new generation, we have redefined success in terms of numbers. The Bible speaks of two prophets with some similarities, Jonah and Jeremiah. Both were sent into cities to preach; both were reluctant to do so. Both cried out to the Lord to be delivered from distress. Yet with that said, they had very different results.
Jonah preached a single sentence: “In forty days, the city will be destroyed.” And 600,000 got saved! Jeremiah preached to the same city for 40 years, and not a single person got saved. If these two were alive today, which one would all the books be written about? Which one would get interviewed and quoted?
Which one would be doing church growth seminars? It is easy, Jonah! Yet with that said, which one of these two prophets did the folks of Jesus’ time think He was most like? Well, Matt. 16:14 tells us it was Jeremiah. Not a single person thought of Jonah! And why do you ask? Jeremiah’s heart was like Jesus’. God’s not interested in some outward show; He is into your heart!
Even after the religious leaders saw the change of life in the tax collectors and harlots, they still did not repent themselves. It is a sad state when professing believers are resistant to change and growth. If anything, we believers ought to be the most open to change! When the houses on our block flooded last year, the response of those who flooded varied.
One of my neighbors just took the money he got back from the insurance and bought some new toys. He had his carpet cleaned, and that was it. To this day, I’m told that their house looks all right, but it still has a smell about it.
Now when ours flooded, Mike Salvadori came over, cut a few holes in our walls, and said, “Everything from the floor up to 4 feet has got to go.” You see, when a person accepts Jesus, God doesn’t just redecorate; He strips it bare and makes it new, for it’s the only way it won’t keep smelling bad!
Vs. 33-41 Who’s Vineyard Is This?
Vs. 33-36 Now Jesus reveals the heart of those religious folks and why they would not change. Again, he uses a familiar word picture, a vineyard. The story of this vineyard mentioned here is found in Isaiah 5:1–7. “Now let me sing to my well-beloved A song of my beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard. On a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and he planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst and also made a winepress in it; so he expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.” Jesus is calling these guys back to Isaiah’s prophecy, which reminded Israel of God’s goodness towards them and only asked that they bring forth fruit to God’s glory. This parable shows that God had a plan for this vineyard; in fact, He had even placed a tower of protection upon it. He placed official leaders (vinedressers) in it so that it would produce fruit for Him.
Simply put, God put everything necessary for fruit production. I mean, these guys lacked nothing. Yet, when He sent servants (prophets) at vintage time to check and see on the fruit production, all the official leaders did was beat, chase off, or kill the servants. Now if I were the Lord, I would just send my army in there and kill each of these guys. Instead, the Lord sends His son to instruct them.
Vs. 37-39 God sends His own Son! So the failure of the vineyard was a direct relationship to those that He had put over the vineyard; it was their fault that He was not able to get fruit from it.
So they kill the son, saying, “We will seize His inheritance!” So what’s the point of the story? It’s found right there in these words. These guys had forgotten who’s vineyard it was. They had forgotten that they were just put there to ensure that the vineyard would be fruitful. They had begun to believe that the vineyard existed for them; it was all about their vineyard rather than their masters.
Vs. 42-46 Rejecting the Stone
Vs. 42 Now Jesus quotes to them right out of Ps. 118: It was the same section of scripture that the people were singing as He came into Jerusalem.
There is an interesting story told in connection with this passage. When the temple was being built, stones were quarried miles away and transported to the Temple Mount. Now these stones were huge, some 40 feet wide and 20 feet high, yet they were so perfectly cut that you could not pass a knife blade between them; in fact, they did not even use mortar to put them together.
The most important part of the building was the “chief cornerstone,” for from it all the other stones fit together. Well, when that stone arrived, no one could figure out where it belonged, so they threw it off a cliff. It was not until the foundation was all done that they realized that they did not have the “corner stone.” It was then that they realized that they had rejected it. A kind of life imitating scripture!
The word “rejected” is found some 9 times in the N.T., and it means to be unfit after trial. In the case of Jesus, those who rejected Him were the ones unfit after trial.
Vs. 43-44 Now notice that rejecting Jesus has two consequences.
So you see Jesus made them pass judgment and told them, “Your choice, fellows!” “What’s it going to be, brokenness or dust?”
Vs. 45-46 Here we are told a few days before the crucifixion their choice: they want to lay their hands on Him. All the world will have one of two relationships with Jesus; you will either call Him “Savior” or you will call Him “Judge.” Now I want to be on record this morning that I deserve to be judged by Him, but because He took my punishment and I have accepted this truth, then He is my Savior. What’s it going to be for you?