The Teachings of Jesus

Sermon Seventy-Nine

Matthew 21:33-46

(parable of the wicked tenants)

by

Jim Bordwine, ThD

Introduction

Our study of the Lord’s teaching in the book of Matthew has brought us to the beginning of the Savior’s last week on earth. This is the time He recently described for the disciples. Jesus has entered the city of Jerusalem. Matthew records the enthusiastic manner in which Jesus was welcomed by the citizens. We read of His action when finding the Temple inhabited by various merchants; and we learn that Jesus healed many who came to Him while He was in the Temple.

As we might expect, the Pharisees were upset. Here is how Matthew puts it: “When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they became indignant. . .” (21:15) Jesus is doing “wonderful things”—like healing the blind and the lame—yes, we would say those are wonderful things; and the children are praising Him with great joy. Perhaps God put that praise upon their young hearts so that the Savior would be honored by little ones even though He is hated by those who are the religious leaders of the nation. That seems to be indicated when Jesus quotes Psa. 8:2 where the writer says that God ordains praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies.

Something spectacular is going on; Jesus is being praised by children, He is performing one miracle after another, and the only ones not happy are the very ones who should have been rejoicing based on their knowledge of Scripture. But, rather than join in the praise or give thanks for the blind who are receiving sight and the lame who are being made whole, they stand firmly in opposition to Christ! They are the only ones who don’t seem to realize what is going on.

Leaving Jerusalem, Jesus traveled to Bethany. Upon His return the next day, He used a withered fig tree to teach the disciples a lesson about the power of faith. Going back to the Temple, Jesus began teaching the people. This drew the attention, once again, of the religious officials. Here is the question they put to the Lord: “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (v. 23) Obviously, the chief priests and scribes are greatly bothered by the Lord’s presence and think challenging Him on His authority to teach might be a way to discredit Him and get rid of Him. The thing they want most is to see the people turn on Jesus. This is because at the center of their anxiety about Jesus is His popularity; these men loved attention and they loved being feared; they were greatly disturbed, therefore, when Jesus received such adoration.

Instead of falling into their trap, Jesus responds with a question of His own. Knowing how they treated John the Baptist, Jesus asks them to identify the origin of John’s ministry—was it from heaven, that is, ordained by God, or was it from men, meaning of John’s own creation. The religious leaders know they cannot answer either way due to the implications (if they say “from men,” they know the people will rise up because they believed John was sent from God; and if they say “from heaven,” the people will want to know why they did not receive and support John). Jesus leaves them with the question and refuses to tell them by what authority He was teaching.

After reminding the religious leaders that while they rejected John, the tax collectors and prostitutes followed Him, Jesus speaks the following parable, which is both a description of the current situation and a sobering warning to the chief priests and scribes regarding the judgment that surely will come upon them for their neglect of duty and perversion of God’s holy Word.

The Text

Matthew 21: 33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 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.’ 39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”

The Teaching

This is a simple story, one that sets before the hearer the issues of properly recognizing authority and properly fulfilling duty. The story centers on a vineyard fully prepared by a certain landowner. The owner not only equipped the vineyard for operation, which included a new wine press, but he also built a guard tower to sound the warning and protect the vineyard from invaders (v. 33). Once this vineyard was complete, the owner rented it to vine-growers and left the area. The text says he “went on a journey.” In the absence of the owner, the vine-growers were left on their own and were not immediately accountable and that is when an evil plot was conceived.

The land owner trusted those working his vineyard, of course. This was a common arrangement. The owner expected the vine-growers to care for his land and bring in the crop. They would get part of the profits and the land owner would get part of the profits. According to custom, therefore, when the time for the harvest arrived, the land owner sent slaves to the vine-growers to receive his portion of the profits (v. 34). This is where a wicked plot is revealed. The vine-growers turn out to be evil men; they are thieves and liars and the kind of men who break their words. In this case, the vine-growers, having determined to keep all the profit from the vineyard, took the owner’s slaves and beat one, killed one, and stoned a third (v. 35).

This was, by any estimation, absolutely horrible conduct. The land owner had been so generous. He had given the vine-growers every advantage—they had a newly constructed vineyard and wine press to work with; and they were able to keep secure by making use of the watchtower built for defense. The land owner showed himself to be kind, perceptive, and willing to give of his best to those willing to work for him. In every way, the land owner treated the vine-growers with respect and generosity. In turn, the vine-growers treat the land owner with contempt. They show themselves to be greedy, dishonest, and murderous.

Rather than attack the vine-growers or seek to destroy them, the land owner demonstrated great patience. He sent another team of servants to the vineyard (v. 36). This group was larger than the first, but the vine-growers did exactly the same thing as before. This was outrageous behavior to say the least. As I indicated, in response to kindness and generosity, the vine-growers are showing complete and shocking brutality. This story, thus far, establishes a scene in which unbelievable advantage is met with unbelievable evil.

Before we continue, let’s keep in mind that Jesus is telling this story to a group of religious leaders who have clearly made known their contempt for Him. This parable is meant to convey spiritual truth, like all parables in Scripture. Therefore, you should already be able to identify some of the characters in the story. Basically, Jesus is describing the tremendous advantage God had shown to Israel and how Israel’s leaders, the men now seeking to stop Jesus, had led the people in rebellion against their God. He called them, He fought their enemies and protected them, He provided for them generously, but they were now in a state of rebellion against Him. And much of the blame had to be assigned to the chief priests and scribes—those men who are hearing this story. This parable is about them.

The story continues and we’re told that the land owner decided to send his own son as a representative to the wicked vine-growers. They had been so bold, so evil, yet he reasoned that they would respect his son (v. 37). We might at first fault the land owner for being so trusting, but there is another way to view this action, especially if we understand that this parable is about God and Israel. We might focus on the amazing mercy shown by the land owner to those men—in spite of their terrible actions against him. The land owner is excessively long-suffering. He doesn’t resort to destroying the wicked vine-growers as soon as they manifest rebellion. In fact, he gives them opportunities to repent and make things right.

What the vine-growers do to the son represents the height of their offense against the owner: “when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’” (v. 38) Suddenly, the vine-growers see an opportunity to get rich—far beyond what they had already imagined. If they kill the son, they reasoned, we can seize his inheritance. These men want riches and they want power and they care nothing about the goodness shown to them by others. They are ready to take advantage of the situation and kill the son of the man who had treated them so liberally.

Consequently, “They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” (v. 39) In their eyes, that was that. They took full possession of what belong to the son now that the son was dead. They took the vineyard by force and assumed they would be able to keep it. No one was left who had any stake in that vineyard, except the owner. His slaves are injured or dead, and his own son is dead. They assume the land owner will give up and not attempt to take back his land. Their scheme appears to have succeeded.

I imagine that the chief priests and scribes who were listening to this story were quite interested. They probably were giving no thought to the fact that Jesus was really describing them. As He concludes His story, Jesus asks the leaders a question: “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” (v 40)

Jesus is assuming the land owner will retaliate; He implies that the land owner is not defeated and will come back for what is his. The question, then, is not whether the land owner is too devastated to fight. The question is: What is he going to do when he gets his hands on those wicked, deceiving, lying, murdering vine-growers? In the Lord’s story, the land owner is not going to surrender; he will not fall victim to the scheme of the vine-growers. He will come to take back that which belongs to him. And in so doing, he will have to deal with the vine-growers. What do you think he will do?, Jesus asks the chief priests and scribes.

Scripture teaches that sin blinds us. That means that sin prevents us from seeing truthfully or fully. A person steeped in sin always has a twisted view of life. That person cannot operate correctly, nor can he interpret events correctly. Sin causes him to have a distorted perception. As a result, he sinks deeper into sin. This is part of the punishment God sometimes allows a person to experience. He lets them have what they want, which is freedom to contradict His will. God, therefore, turns loose of them, as it were, and sin’s corruption grows steadily. I think that is what we are witnessing here in this story. The religious leaders are asked a question they never should have answered; but they did answer because their powers of perception were infested with sin.

When Jesus asks them what they think the land owner will do to those wicked vine-growers, having no insight that He was describing them, the chief priests and scribes utter a statement grounded in absolute hypocrisy: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.” (v. 41) So, Jesus might have said, you think they should be severely punished? O, yes, we certainly do! You think they should receive no mercy? They don’t deserve mercy after what they did! They should die quickly and without pity.

They have just announced their own judgment. They have analyzed a situation of wrong-doing and have called for the execution of the offenders—yet, they are the offenders! They abused the mercy and kindness of God; they robbed Him; they lied to Him; they sought to defraud Him; they killed His prophets; and they are now trying to kill His Son! Upon their own shameful heads they have just called for the judgment of God.

Now the Lord is going to lead them to a dreadful conclusion:

The Text (continued)

Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES ‘? 43 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. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.

The Teaching (continued)

The chief priests and scribes have revealed their lack of perception before, so Jesus speaks bluntly to them. He quotes from Psalm 118 where the writer describes the glorious work God has done in bringing redemption to His people. The writer of the Psalm also implies some contention at the dawning of that wonderful age. The text speaks builders who have rejected a stone; God, however, appoints that stone to become the chief corner stond for His house of salvation.

In certain places in God’s Word, Jesus the Messiah, is described as a stone coming down from heaven crushing all opposition. The New Testament writers speak of the Church as a building composed of “living stones.” When it is all put together, the image is that of a beautiful structure made of the souls of the redeemed all resting upon that corner stone, which is the Savior. The writer also declares that this work is marvelous to behold.

Jesus has called the attention of the leaders to that prophecy. He is, in essence, saying that the day of God’s construction of this holy edifice has begun and that He is that chief corner stone, which they are rejecting. If this is true, the implication is that the leaders are standing against the purposes of God Himself. By their wicked conduct and perversion of the comforting words God gave to Israel, they have robbed the people of their heritage. Therefore, Jesus continues, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (v. 43)

Someone is going to take the place of the nation of Israel and inherit the amazing promises God gave in the past. Those to whom the promises came have shown themselves unwilling and unworthy, so God decrees that redemption will be given to others. We know, of course, that Jesus is speaking of the Gentiles. Rather than be the first to welcome the Messiah and then declare His  wonderful message of salvation to the Gentiles, the Jews, thanks to the misguidance of their leaders, will not have that privilege. They will, in time, be able to respond to the gospel, but the place of honor is no longer theirs to enjoy.

God’s inclusion of the Gentiles in His plan for redemption is one of the leading themes of the New Testament. It is seen in Acts and the epistles. Paul, in fact, writes about this development at length in his letter to the Ephesians. There are places in the Gospels where Jesus also makes this prediction. The plan for salvation is going to be world-wide in scope and will not be limited to the Jews. God has used the disobedience of the Jewish leaders to make way for the inclusion of all nations in the kingdom. And, as noted, this is one of the most celebrated truths in the New Testament.

Notice the severity of the judgment awaiting the chief priests and scribes. The stone that they choose to reject, the Lord Jesus, will destroy them. They cannot change a decree of God by opposing Him. They can only be crushed as His will is done in spite of their desires. It is difficult to imagine how men appointed to lead the people of God, trained in the Word of God, and honored by the people, could ever come to such a miserable end. In all their speculation and requirements and tinkering with the Law, they have only succeeded in guaranteeing their own destruction. The plan of God will unfold according to His will.

Finally, we come to the highlight of the Lord’s words: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.” I want you to think about this: There are only two ways to react to the news that you have broken God’s Word, displeased Him, and brought trouble upon the heads of others in the process. You either repent, seek His forgiveness, and restore what you can, or you stubbornly stand fast and seek to minimize or destroy the evidence against you. We know the choice made by the Pharisees: “When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.” (v. 46)

The leaders have given their response to yet another opportunity to forsake their transgressions. They respond as they have before, with hatred for the Son of God who brings peace for the humble, but a fierce judgment for those who rebel. He has spoken the sentence that will be carried out against these men. This is a moment of sadness because we realize how wrong these men were; nevertheless, they were responsible for their actions.

Now it all comes together. The wicked vine-growers in the Lord’s parable are the chief priests and scribes. They were entrusted with God’s vineyard, which is Israel, and they abused their place and did not lead the nation in producing the spiritual fruit that was due to God. The servants sent by the land owner to the wicked men are the prophets who came “morning after morning,” as the Scripture says, pleading and warning the transgressors to repent. And the son of the land owner is, of course, Jesus Christ. And the Pharisees will soon do to Him what the wicked men did in the story—they will cease Him and put Him to death thinking their troubles are over.

Application

What do we learn from this story? In addition to considering another passage in which Jesus must face religious leaders determined to stop Him, what do you see in these verses that might help you live more joyfully and consistently? I’d like to make a few suggestions. For example, this passage, like so many others in the Gospels, shows us sin’s ability to blind us to reality. You’ve probably known someone who has been caught up in sin and simply refuses to forsake it. As I’ve worked with many people in this condition over the years, I’ve noted how they seem to reach a point where they are unable to see or hear the truth. From the outside, their behavior looks like insanity. They are so clearly doing wrong, so clearly destroying themselves, and so clearly bringing misery to others, yet they continue to justify their wickedness.

This happens when sin blinds a person. If a man continues to betray his wife by flirting with another woman or having other contact with her, eventually he will, in his own mind, be able to justify his sin. Anyone else would look at his situation and call him to repentance, but he will not listen because he has reasoned within himself that his conduct is defensible. Sin has robbed him of the ability to judge rightly; it has corrupted his perception. And then you see the man vigorously defending the breaking of God’s law. His conduct is not logical, his conduct is clearly contrary to God’s Word, but sin has distorted his thinking and the result is a stubborn commitment to doing that which God forbids even if it destroys his home, his family, and his reputation.

Sin is that powerful. It keeps you from seeing reality. It causes you to think irrationally. That is what happened to the Pharisees. That is what happens to anyone who plays around with sin. It will overcome you if you do not forsake it quickly. Therefore, this story gives us a timely warning about sin. We shouldn’t play around with it and we shouldn’t forget how powerful it is.

Another lesson worth taking from this story has to do with kindness. Kindness is not always met with gratefulness. Though God was excessively patient and kind to Israel for many centuries, the nation as a whole did not respond in humility and thanksgiving. Over time, Israel developed a reputation of responding to God’s goodness by disobeying Him and treating His mercy as something common and unimportant.

This story, therefore, is a reminder to us to pay close attention to the state of our hearts when we are considering the kindness God has shown to us. You might be thinking of how kind He has been in an overall fashion, or how kind He has been in some particular circumstance. God’s kindness and mercy should always produce in us a profound sense of gratefulness. He owes us nothing. We are not able to earn anything from Him. When God shows us kindness, He is doing it without taking into account all those elements that would disqualify us from receiving His good attention. God is by nature kind and merciful. And any expression of these characteristics should result in our giving of thanks and living in a state of thankfulness.

Consider the last thing God did for you that caused you to think of His kindness and goodness. How did you react? Did you murmur a short prayer thanking Him and then get on with your life? Or did you stop and meditate on God’s expression of love for you? And did that consideration humble you and make you truly grateful?

We have the glaring example of the religious leaders of Israel who routinely responded to God’s kindness with rebellion in one form or another. The challenge before us is to never follow their example.

Finally, I think the most powerful lesson to be taken from this story has to do with grace. We all know that the word grace refers to the various expressions of love that we receive from God. Any good we experience is due to His grace. Any happiness we have is due to His grace. And, of course, our standing among His people is due to His grace. That which delivers us from a state of sin and condemnation to a state of forgiveness and eternal life is grace—God’s willingness to save us in spite of our transgressions. Grace, therefore, is the only thing that separates us from those who are left to face the consequences of their sin.

This is a truth on which we build our lives as Christians. We have no life apart from God’s grace. We have no future, no hope, no joy, no reason to celebrate apart from God’s grace. In our story, the scribes and chief priests did not receive the grace of God so as to be saved. They remained in their natural state of sin and attacked the One sent into the world as the supreme manifestation of God’s grace.

I’m referring, of course, to Jesus Christ. He is the only thing that separates you from eternal death. He is the only thing that separates you from the fate awaiting the enemies of God. Jesus Christ, the ultimate expression of God’s grace, is the reason you can live each day with hope, and live each day with confidence, and live each day with purpose. Isn’t that what the gospel is about? Doesn’t the gospel declare that when we were lost and condemned in our state of sin, God sent His Son to be our Substitute? Doesn’t the gospel tell us that Jesus took our place on the cross and isn’t that an act of divine grace? Doesn’t the gospel tell us that we can have all of our transgressions wiped out by the death of the Savior and isn’t that an act of God’s grace?

When all is said and done, the only thing that keeps me from total destruction is the grace of God. Because it pleased Him, He saved me by appointing Jesus to take my place. I didn’t deserve that, I could never merit that—and that is what makes my salvation a matter of God’s underserved love, which is, once again, His grace.

When we read stories like the one considered today, we should be moved by the fact that God has included us in the number of the redeemed. When we read of how God’s enemies are always overcome and how they face a terrible future, we should pause and express our thanks to Him. We are people of grace—we live because of God’s grace and only because of God’s grace.

Let’s pray…

Communion hymn

Conclusion

As I stated, the supreme expression of God’s grace is seen in Jesus Christ. He took our sin upon Himself and gave His life for us. We did not deserve His act of substitution, yet we know we would have perished forever without it. It is for our benefit, therefore, that we have presented to us each week the gracious work of Christ. It is presented to us in this sacrament. There we have a reminder that He gave His life for us and He shed His blood for us. There we have a reminder that He is alive even now and dwells in us day by day thought His Spirit. This sacrament allows us to review that past and rejoice in the present and hope in the future—all because of the Savior’s willingness to take our place.

1 Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.