And here we read that text. Here,
another parable. There was a certain householder
that 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. And when the time of fruit grew
near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might
receive the fruits of it. And the husbandman took his servants,
and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again he
sent other servants, more than the first, and he did unto them
likewise. Last of all, he sent unto them
his son, saying, They will reverence my son. And when the husbandmen
saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and let
us seize on the inheritance. And they caught him and they
cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. When the Lord,
therefore, of the vineyard cometh, what will he do under those husbandmen? They said unto him, He will miserably
destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard other
husbandmen who shall render unto him fruits in their season. Jesus said unto them, Did you
never read in the scripture, the stone which the builders
rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing and
it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore said I unto you, the
kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation
bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall, whosoever
shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. The chief priests
and Pharisees had heard, and the publicans, the parables,
they perceived that he spake of them. When they sought to
lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took
him for a prophet." Now, notice that our passage began with three
words from the Lord. Here, another parable. Now, that makes me want to call
it to your attention. Have you ever noticed Have we
ever grasped in our study of the Bible and of the New Testament
the fact that so many and so much of our Lord's public teaching
was done by means of parables? In fact, Benjamin Keats, an old
Baptist pastor, who wrote a large book on all the parables of the
Lord in the New Testament said this about, and I'm quoting,
consider that almost all of which our Lord spoke under the multitude,
he spoke it in parables, unquote. And the key word there is the
word multitude. When our Lord spoke to people
and a large crowd and great gathering, and particularly in the hearing
of the Jew, He used parables so much of the time to speak
and to teach unto them. We read in Matthew chapter 13
and verse 3, and He spake many things unto them in parable,
and he gave them on that occasion the parable of the soil, of the
seed, and of the sower. And he emphasized the various
kinds of soil in which the seed had fallen, because the sower
soweth the seed on all kinds of soil. and the soil in that
parable represent the state or condition of the heart of the
hearers of the Word of God. When the disciples ask him later
about the parable, Then the Lord, in Mark 4 and verse 13, seemed
to indicate that this was a key parable to all parables that
would exit out of his mouth. He said to them, do you not understand
or know this parable? How then will you know all parables
if you can't understand and discern this parable of the soil, how
then will you know or understand all parable? Now the Lord spent
a lot of time on this particular parable of the sower of the seed
and of the soil. Again, The disciples ask, and
it's in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 10, why do you speak unto
them in parable? Why is it that you are speaking
again and again unto the people in parable? Now, so that makes
it clear that the disciples themselves and the apostles were not yet
themselves sure what to make or how to understand the parables
that our Lord gave unto him, and the meaning of them, and
the spiritual application that was to be made from the parable
and the lessons that were to be learned. Consider, for example,
they ask, In Mark chapter 4 and verse 10, the meaning of the
parable of the seed of the soil and of the sower. And again,
in Matthew 13 and 36, they say unto him, declare unto us the
parable of the tares. Explain it. Break it down. Again,
Mark 7 and 17, when he was entered into the house, from the people,
then his disciples asked him again concerning a parable. Matthew 15 and verse 15. Then answered Peter and said,
declare unto us this parable. Open unto us the meaning and
the meaning of this great parable. Now the Lord was gracious unto
them. He opened unto them the meaning
of the parable that he spake in dark sayings out and among
the people, and especially dwelt upon that parable of the soil,
the seed, and the sower. Matthew 13, verse 3 and verse
8. He explains it. The seed is the
Word of God, Luke chapter 8. The four soils are the four kind
of hearts, or the condition of the hearts of the hearer. The
sower is the son of man, in Luke chapter 13, 37, or a minister of the Word of God. Now, here's a point for us to
notice and to consider, and that is that the yield of the seed
being sown in a particular heart depended in the agriculture on
the condition of the soil. Poor soil, rocky soil, thorny
soil never yielded a very good fruit. For the latter two are
the same in each case. The seed and the sower are one
and the same. And so the heart must be prepared,
just like the ground of the field must be prepared before it is
time to sow the seed in it. I believe that that preparation
of the heart is regeneration. Now consider the question of
the disciples in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 10. Why do you speak
unto them in parable? Now the word parable is an interesting
and a picturesque word. It is a mysterious saying because
though it contains things that in their actuality are familiar
with people, yet In the mystery form, it sets forth some sort
of spiritual or moral truth that is there in that parable. But
the Lord directly and forthrightly answers them. Now I'm going to
turn to Matthew chapter 13, if you want to turn there with me.
and read a rather lengthy passage, but it is pertinent under our
subject today, relevant under this. So we read the answer of
the Lord in Matthew chapter 13 and beginning in verse 11. He
answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them
it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall
be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath
not, from him shall be taken away even that he had. Therefore I speak unto them in
parable. Because they seeing, see not,
and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them
is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which said, By hearing
ye shall hear, shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and
shall not perceive. For this people's heart is wax
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes have they
closed, lest at any time they should see with eyes, and hear
with ears, and should understand with their heart, and should
be converted, and I should heal them. Blessed are your ears,
for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say
unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to
see those things which you see and have not seen them, and to
hear those things which you hear and have not heard them. So there is a great example of
our Lord speaking unto them while he spoke unto them in parable. Now, let's sum up the points
which the Lord makes. That is this. The parables serve
a two-fold purpose, as our Lord spoke then. Makes them parables
to serve a two-fold purpose, one to some people, one unto
another. And that is both to conceal or
hide, and also to enlighten. Now the parable, same parable,
by the same Lord, has both of those functions. For to some
it is given to be enlightened on things that are hidden from
others and that they cannot know or understand, and they therefore
cannot see or know or understand the mysteries of the kingdom
of God. And the Lord said in that the
prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled. What prophecy? Probably Isaiah
chapter 6, verse 9 and 10. Our Lord referenced that in John
chapter 12, 39 through 41. I wanted you to hear what Spurgeon
wrote on the Matthew 13 text, and I'm quoting. The Lord, by
his parabolic speaking, fulfilled the judicial sentence long before
pronounced upon the apostate nation among whom he received
such unworthy treatment." This is a judgment upon them that
Messiah is in their midst and they are not able to see or to
understand. Now to hear the Word of God,
just to hear it, ought to be counted as a privilege. But to understand it, and receive
it is a sovereign work of the grace of God. Blessed are they
who have ears to hear the word of God. And Christ would have
his disciple to reckon themselves blessed to be able to see and
to hear and to understand the words that Christ spoke unto
them while in the flesh. Since Matthew 13 and verse 17,
many prophets and many righteous men had desired to see and to
hear those things which they were hearing from the Lord, and
they had not heard them in time past. So then the non-elect of
Israel or blinded, we read in the New Testament. Now with these
thoughts behind us, let's go to and consider the parable of
the vineyard and of the husbandman and what some call the parable
of the wicked husbandman. Now this parable, and that's
in Matthew 21, our initial text, this parable centers around a
vineyard. And this word is summed 22 times
in the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And Paul in 1
Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 7. Now, a vineyard was a place
usually fenced in, and it was a choice piece of ground, especially
designed and qualified for a vineyard. And in that vineyard, vines were
planted, and stakes were put up, and they grew, and they wrapped
themselves around them that they might be supported, and there
they might grow and raise the grapes that the husbandmen were
expecting. Now let's look at the cast of
characters that we meet with here in this particular parable
of the vineyard. First there is the householder. The householder. He's the owner,
or we might say he's the proprietor of the property, in this case
of the vineyard. He owned the ground, he built
the vineyard, he fenced it round about, he put a wine vat in it,
and he built a tower that they might watch for the approaching
of any enemy. And then the husbandmen are the
tillers of the ground. They're the ones that care for,
they're the ones that see, they're the vine dressers who dressed
and they watered and they pruned the vines at the proper time
and they guarded the vineyard so that nothing could come and
do it harm or destroy it. Then there are the servants of
the householder. These are sent at the time of
the harvest that they might receive the fruit from the husbandman
of the vineyard. These are identified as the prophets,
the prophets of God of old. Then there is the main character,
the son of the householder, dear and precious and beloved unto
him. This is the son of the householder
or the owner, and he's dear and he is precious. His father, his
beloved son, as Mark calls him in chapter 12 and verse 6, and
one son, his well-beloved, and also Luke 2013, my beloved son. I will send unto them my beloved
son. Now, he's sent in the name and
the authority of the Father, who commands more respect from
them than the prophets and teachers of old and the slaves of the
householder, because this son has a much nearer and dearer
relationship unto the householder than they, that is, than the
prophet, being the beloved only son. Now, the bare facts about
the parable and the vineyard are very clear. Here's a householder
and his vineyard. He lets it out to husbandmen
to take care of it and attend it, and he goes away into a far
country. At the time of the harvest, he
sends his servant that they might receive of the householder the
fruit that is his due, only to have his servants beaten, stoned,
and even killed. wherein then the owner says,
I will send my only beloved son, him they will reverence. However, they seize him and they
kill him, intending to seize upon the vineyard What callous
words are they? Let us kill him, as they said
in our reading this morning. Now as to the spiritual lesson
of the parable, they are clear to those that have ears to hear
and eyes to see and a heart to understand. And I agree with
Keats. that this is one of the prophetic
parables of our Lord. This is a parable that is prophetic. The householder is God, the vineyard
is the people of God's name, the house of Israel, the husbandman
were the Jewish priests. and the rulers and the overseers
and the guides of the nation. They are called in Acts 4 11,
you builders, you builders, the stone you builders have set aside. Now the slaves and the servants
of the householder are the prophets, the prophets of old, and the
beloved son is Christ Jesus, our Lord, that is sent among
them. Now, the other nation, or the
other husbandmen, are principally the Gentile, who will be given
the oversight of the vineyard of the Lord. Now, the design,
I believe, of this parable is actually threefold, and I'll
give it very quickly. A. To show God's great bestowment
of privileges unexcelled upon the nation of Israel. To show
how God had richly blessed them as a chosen people. And then
B, to highlight their wickedness, the wickedness of the Jews. First in their treatment of the
prophet. culminating then in the murder
or the crucifixion of the very Son of God from heaven. Again, those words in verse 38,
come, let us kill him. First they said, let's seize
him. And then they said, let us kill
him, that the vineyard may be ours. Then see the prophetical
element of the parable And I quote again from Keech's good book,
it reveals the rejection of the Jew, God's calling of the Gentile,
also the destruction of Jerusalem and the ruin of their temple,
unquote. Here is a prophecy of that. And the reason for it is set
forth in this parable, their contempt for the things of God
and their rejection of the Messiah that God sent into this world. Now consider, to help us understand,
the image of a vineyard from the Old Testament. And here are
a couple of passages where the picture is very vivid and real. In Psalm chapter 80, And verse
8 through 16, you have the picture of a vineyard and what God did.
Again, in Isaiah 5 and 1 through 7. Jeremiah 2 and verse 21, this
mentions the vineyard and the vine, a symbol of Israel in the
Old Testament. Israel then is likened at that
time unto a choice vine, transplanted, brought out of Egypt, and transplanted
in a very rich and a very fertile place, suitable for their development. And there it takes root, and
it grows, and it grows profusely, the prophet said. It spreads,
but in them, because of her unfaithfulness, overrun, it's broken down and
destroyed, and is no more a vineyard and is burned. What a picture
is that of how God dealt with them. Now, in these passages,
Israel is that vine, that is in the Old Testament. In that
choice vineyard from Egypt to Canaan in Isaiah 5 and 7 says
this, For the vineyard of the Lord
of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant
plant." Unquote. Isaiah 5 and verse 7. But also, when the Lord looked
to his vineyard for good, sweet grapes. He said, it brought forth
sour, bitter, wild grapes. Instead, Isaiah 5, verse 2 and
verse 4. He looked for judgment, but behold,
oppression. He looked for righteousness,
but behold, a cry. Isaiah 5 and 7. That is, instead
of righteous dealing, instead of equity, every kind and every
degree of injustice and sin abounded among the people of Israel. The
weak and the poor were oppressed and own and own. So the Lord
declared that the vineyard would be laid waste. that it would be destroyed. It
would come to an end. It would be barren and be unfruitful. Thorns and briars would grow
in its place and it would be nothing but a forsaken waste. I don't know if you ever lived
in a country and see an old house where people have moved out,
the barn and it's just grown up and ugly and falling down
and collapsing. What an ugly picture is that. Now, the same two truths are
seen in Psalm chapter 80 and Isaiah verse 5 as in our parable. Number one, the great favor,
the great mercy, and the great goodness of God toward this people
and this nation. And number two, their constant
unfaithfulness. a whoring after the false gods
of the heathen, being disobedient and against saying people, Isaiah
65 verse 2 through 5. Romans chapter 10 verse 21 references
that, a disobedient and against saying people. Isaiah in chapter
6, in verse 5, lays particular sin to their charge, such as
walking in a way not good, after their own thoughts, provoking
God to His face, sacrificing in garden, and burning incense
upon bricks, sitting among the graves, eating swine's flesh,
and blaspheming God upon the hills. there are their sins in
part. And yet, get this, in Isaiah
65 in verse 5, during all of that, they claimed to be too
holy to have company with a heathen or to receive good counsel from
any other. They consider themselves a good,
holy, decent religious people in spite of all of that. Woe does that bring a picture
with people that we meet today, wicked and yet seeing themselves
as good and upright. And this, their action and their
thoughts carried over to that generation to which our Lord
appeared on earth in the flesh, the sentence of God still hanging
heavy over their head, that not even the person are the teaching
and the miracles and the mighty works of Christ reformed them
in whole. Not even the great works of Messiah,
works they could not deny or explain, did not reform them,
so that he passed them the final sentence against them, which
was not another captivity, or not another famine as they had
seen as chastisement in days of old, but the loss of their
place in the kingdom of God and the loss of all former privileges
taken away. Now the Lord uses the image of
a vineyard to convey that thought in the picture that it prints
in our mind. And husbandmen, because you see
a vineyard needs a lot of care. It needs a lot of attention.
all along the way unto fruition. And the purpose of such a vineyard
was to be fruitful. It was not a sight for the eye
like a flower bed, but it was to be fruitful. It was to provide
food and drink. for the owner of that vineyard. Wine in due season was to be
gathered out of that vineyard. And when the emissaries of the
owner did appear to receive the fruit, meaning the profit, they
were beaten, they were stoned, they were killed. and driven
out of the vineyard. This caused the proprietor to
declare to send his only servant, more servants, excuse me, send
more servants, verse 36, and they did the same thing unto
them, beat them And then finally, the owner of the vineyard sends
his very own darling, beloved, unique son among them, verse
37 in our text, saying this, Surely they will reverence my
son. In Mark chapter 12 and verse
6, he expresses it this way. Having one son, his well-beloved,
he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my
son. Luke 20.13 has it this way. I will send my beloved son. It
may be that they will reverence him when they see him," unquote. Or, the son is heir. The son is next to the owner. In fact, is one with the owner. But they murdered the one beloved
son that the householder sent unto them, intending to take
possession. of the vineyard, of the kingdom.
The Lord in this parable foretells his crucifixion, his death at
the hands of the Jew, especially at the hands of the leaders,
the ruler, the overseer, the council, and the priests and
the Pharisees. Luke 24, 20, you may remember,
the two on Emmaus Road in speaking unto our Lord said this, The
chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned
to death and have crucified him. They thought they'd lost all
hope because of that. Acts 2 23, Peter says to them,
ye men of Israel, have taken him and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain, and he's speaking of Jesus of
Nazareth. In Acts 3, 14 and 15, you denied
the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer. Now this they did in spite of
some facts. They did that even though Pilate
had declared the Lord to be innocent. I find no fault of death in him
again and again. Pilate, the judge, had found
no cause, had found him innocent, of the charges they brought against
him. You can see that in Luke chapter
23, 13 through 15. The second thing is Pilate was
determined to let him go. Acts 3 and verse 13. Pilate was determined to release
Jesus. He knew him not to be guilty,
and he knew that for envy they had delivered him, just like
Joseph's brothers had done him. Again in Acts 5.30, Peter accuses
the high priest and the council of slaying Jesus and hanging
him on a tree. Now that was a sign of curse,
Deuteronomy chapter 21 22 and 23. They hanged one on a tree
by the roadside who had been put to death, and it was a sign
of a curse. Their plot was, let us kill him,
the son who is the heir and let us seize the inheritance for
ourselves. That is the vineyard of the Lord. Also the kingdom of God, as in
verse 43, they would promote themselves from common servants
and have the kingdom. You may remember what old King
Ahab did, how he had, well his wife devised it, and how he had
Naboth killed and stole his vineyard away from him. But here in verse
40 of our chapter, the question, what will the true lord of the
vineyard do under those squatters? these usurpers and their devilish
plot against him and his son. When the vindication or when
the avenger of the son's death comes, what will he do? Verse
41, he will miserably destroy, will make a wretched end badly
destroying them. Matthew Henry seems to attribute
these words Matthew seems to attribute the words to Christ,
while Mark and Luke seem to attribute them unto the husbandman. But anyway, David did the same
thing, passing his off upon somebody else, 2 Samuel 5, verse 5 and
verse 6. And the vineyard was taken from
them and given to others. And from Luke 20 and verse 16,
when some heard this awful They said, God forbid, God forbid
that such a thing should be. I cannot tell you whether they
spoke that in defiance against the Lord or in agony, that such
would be their state. It's hard for me to say. But
at this point, the Lord brings in the passage from Psalm chapter
118 and verse 22 and verse 23. And all three gospels make mention
of this prophecy in Psalms chapter 118, that it is not limited to
David. That prophecy is not exhausted
or limited or completely fulfilled in David. The Lord asked, did
you never read in the scripture, and he quotes that passage, Psalm
100 and verse 18, surely they had and did not understand. The 22nd, the 23rd verses of
the 118th Psalm, the stone the builders refused become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eye. And in Acts 4 and verse 11, Peter
directly applies this prophecy before the Sanhedrin council
to be the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And two facts are here. Number one, Whom you crucified,
he lays that at the feet of the Jew. Number two, whom God raised
from the dead. You killed him, God raised him
up again from the dead. Thus their refusing him or rejecting
him was not merely setting him aside or putting him away and
have nothing to do with him. But it was their killing him. It was their crucifixion. The
ecclesiastes, the religious leaders, the priests, those who sat in
Moses' seat, the scribes, the Pharisees, the doctors of the
law, and the scholars. as they were known, who loved
to be greeted in the marketplace as rabbi, father, and reverend. Oh, how they loved that. Those
in authority in Judaism bear the strongest charge guilt in
this. For they led the charge against
the Son of God. These would seize his inheritance
and keep their office going as they were. And they enlisted
Pilate and Herod and the Romans. And you'll find that in Acts
chapter 4, 25 through 27. You'll find it in Psalm 2, 1
and 2, prophesied, gathered together against the Lord's anointed. Here, Christ is called a stone,
the stone. Ephesians 2 and 20, he's called
the chief cornerstone. 1 Peter 2 and verse 6, it is
contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone,
elect and precious. That's from Isaiah 28 and 16.
a living stone, he is called, in 1 Peter 2 and verse 4. And we note that in 1 Peter 2,
verse 6, verse 7, and verse 8, it makes a reference to that
prophecy in Psalm 118 and applies it again unto Christ. And in
essence, it makes the two-fold application that the Lord makes
at the end of the parable. The rejected stone is made the
head of the corner. And this is the Lord's doing. Now they rejected him, they killed
him. They put him in a grave and they
sealed it and they had it watched. But God raised him from the dead. Not only raised him from the
dead, but exalted him to the right hand of God and made him
the one and only foundation of the Christian church, the kingdom
of God, and the things of God. So that in 1 Corinthians chapter
3 and verse 11, other foundation can no man lay than that which
is laid, which is Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 2, verse 7 and 8,
unto you which believe he is precious, but unto the disobedient
he is a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, which stumble at
the word, being disobedient whereunto they were appointed. Now the
Lord makes a harsher application in Matthew chapter 21 verse 44,
Luke chapter 20 and verse 18. He that falls on the stone, he
that stumbles at it and is offended will be broken. He that falls
upon it will be injured. But the one that the stone falls
upon is a different matter altogether. It will grind him to powder. Think of pulverize, break in
little pieces, even the wicked husbandmen and all that they
stand for. The complete destruction of them
is prophesied when the stone falls upon them in red to crush
them to pieces. I think foretells the coming
judgment on that generation, that generation. to whom Christ
appeared, but who crucified him upon the cross. And that includes
the destruction of Jerusalem and of their beloved temple and
the priesthood and all that pertained unto them. God smiting them with
spiritual blindness so that all Israel is hardened except the
elect. And in 70 A.D., Jerusalem was,
quote, compassed about with armies, Luke 21 and 20, which seized
the city, and they burned much of the city with fire, and they
shed blood much, killing many of the Jew women and children,
And what an awful and bloody slaughter it was, as the armies
of Titus ravaged what the Jew considered the holy city, Jerusalem,
and the holy place, their temple. Now, as in the parable, The care
and the oversight of the vineyard was taken from the murderous
husbandmen, and they destroyed and given to others more faithful. So, in reality, the Jews, for
their sin against Messiah, have lost the privilege of the gospel
and their former status. They've lost the kingdom of God.
And as the old Baptist John Gill put it, removed them from the
church state, gospel ordinances, and the Jews delivered, and that
delivered over unto the Gentiles," unquote. An entire new structure
would be established, the old covenant would come in, the new
covenant would come in, and the old would pass away, which stood
in carnal ordinances, Hebrews 9. And verse 10, the new covenant
came in by Jesus Christ, and the ones of the Jew that set
aside the builder, or the block, the stone, is be made the head
of the corner. And in closing, I'd like to give
you two things said in that psalm. Number one, this is the Lord's
doing. Now they opposed it. They did
everything they could to be rid of the Son of God, refusing Him
as the Messiah. So it is the Lord's doing. God
raised Him from the dead, made Him the chief cornerstone. And
in spite of the rabid dogs that attempted to usurp his kingdom,
and as Spurgeon again did write, God himself has wrought the exaltation
of our Lord Jesus Christ, unquote. His kingdom is not of this world. It's not built and established
by men. It is the Lord's doing. Men have
not given him this headship and made him the foundation. The
Lord God in heaven has. The second thing, not only is
it the Lord's doing, but it is marvelous in our eyes. It's wonderful. It is astonishing. It is miraculous. when we think
upon it. Wonderfully done. And if I might,
I'd like to close with a description that I found in an old-time writer,
and I share it with you now. Quote, it never ceases to astonish. to know God by means of weakness
defeated his enemies. By the simplicity of the word,
destroying the wisdom of men, by the invisible influence of
the Holy Spirit, forming his son in human hearts in the face
of open, determined opposition." That's marvelous. It's wonderful.
He that hung on the cross and was buried in a tomb is not only
alive again, but he is at the right hand of God, having made
his crucifiers to be smitten with blindness of heart, because
they had not an ear to hear or an eye to see or a heart to understand. Thank God for this parable and
what is portrayed in it for our learning.