Luke
20:9-20 NIV
9 He went on to tell the people this
parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers
and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to
the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the
tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but
that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and
they wounded him and threw him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said,
‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will
respect him.’
14 “But when the tenants saw him, they
talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the
inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard
and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those
tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
17 Jesus looked directly at them and
asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 Everyone who falls on that
stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
19 The teachers of the law and the chief
priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he
had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
20 Keeping a close watch on him, they
sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something
he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of
the governor.
It’s Mine! It’s All Mine!
Jesus
speaks right to the point here. He doesn’t leave any doubt, no doubt at all.
Yet, as I studied this passage this past week, I struggled with Jesus final
words. I didn’t want to hear all this corner-stone stuff. I didn’t want to hear
about falling on that stone. I didn’t want to hear about this stone falling on
me and crushing me. But you know what? I needed to hear all of this. I needed
to hear and see myself in this parable.
So, let’s
dig into my study notes from this past week. Let’s dig into my sinfulness. Let’s
dig into God’s grace.
Is this
a parable or an allegory? Apparently other people have wondered this same
thing. But the text indicates it is a parable, so let’s go with that. Funny
thing… many things do seem like an allegory.
Here are
a few examples:
·
Owner of the vineyard = God
·
Vineyard = Israel
·
Tenants = Jewish Authorities
·
Servants = O.T. Prophets
·
Beloved Son = Jesus
·
Murder of Son = Crucifixion
·
Death of the Tenants = God’s plan in history
·
New Tenants = Apostles/Gentiles
Those entrusted
to the spiritual leadership of the day were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the
Teachers of the Law. These leaders, over time, have abused the Prophets of the past
and are about to kill God’s Son, Jesus. Yes, they are seeking a plan to get away
with the death of Jesus, for they believe, Jesus is a heretic.
Let’s
paint a picture here. Play with me here and let’s pretend.
Imagine
a picture of people over time. Let’s picture you and I along with Adam and Eve.
We have a mind to possess all things. We have a mind to possess, power, wealth
and control. We have a mind to possess the mind of God. We have a mind to
possess the same power that God has Himself. We have a mind to control it all,
including nature. Picture that we can have any idol or thing for free. Picture
being God at no cost.
That’s
kind of like the picture that the tenants wanted to see in this parable.
Well,
God had a picture too… But we ruined it… I’m included here as well. Forgive me.
Isaiah
5:1-7 NIV
5 I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the
choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a
winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad
fruit.
3 “Now you dwellers in
Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my
vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
5 Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to
my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor
cultivated,
and briers and
thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
7 The vineyard of
the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted
in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for
righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
This scripture would be common knowledge to the people of
Jesus’ day. A scripture that tells us how God built up and created everything
we would ever need in life. Yet look what happens. Look what I did with the
gifts of God. Look what the nation of Israel did, what the people of Judah did,
what Adam and Eve did, with the gifts of God. We spoiled this picture of God
for our own spite and greed.
Farmland was frequently owned by an absent landlord and the
landlord would hire out tenants as sharecroppers. The landlord would be given
some of the fruit of the land but really, most of the fruit produced went to
the tenants. The tenants would get all they need to live a good life.
In this parable and in this life, everything needed to live
was freely given, even as if we owned it all for ourselves.
In the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Give
us this day our daily bread.”
What does this mean? Luther explains it this way:
God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all
people, though sinful, but we ask in this prayer that he will help us realize
this and to receive our daily bread with thanks.
What is meant by “daily bread”?
Daily bread includes everything needed for this life, such
as food and clothing, home and property, work and income, a devoted family, and
orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good
name, and true friends and neighbors.
Yes, God gives us all we need to live out our lives. Even
though we are sinners. Yet, I want more! Like the tenants in this parable, we
want to keep it all. These tenants want all of the inheritance of God.
After several trips of the Landlord sending servants to get
a portion of the fruit raised failed, the Landlord sent His own Son. And the
tenants killed the Son as well.
Jesus brings this parable to a conclusion. A rough and to
the point conclusion. Permit me to site verses 17 and 18:
17 Jesus
looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning
of that which is written:
“‘The stone the builders
rejected
has
become the cornerstone’?
18 Everyone who falls on that
stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
What is this?
Remember the Son of the parable = Jesus?
Anyone who rejected Jesus would suffer judgment.
Let’s look back…
Isaiah
8:14 NIV
14 He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah
he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them
fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
Who’s the “he” here? Well, God it seems, maybe Jesus.
Daniel interpreted a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had about a
large statue. Look back at Daniel chapter 2. Anyway, in this dream Daniel sited
a rock:
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human
hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and
smashed them.
Daniel goes on later to speak of this rock:
45 This
is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by
human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and
the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the
future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
This statue in Neb’s dream. Well, it was large, with a head made
of pure gold, a chest of silver, and a belly and thigh of bronze, with feet of iron
and clay mixed. These were kingdoms. God had given ol’ Neb all that he needed
to live on, yet, Neb was power hungry and wanted more.
Who is the rock in this dream, the rock cut out of a mountain?
Thinking back to the parable Jesus just told us in Luke 20, maybe
Jesus perhaps?
So, let’s look at verse 18, and the words of Jesus, once again…
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces;
anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
This is the sure triumph
of God’s love!
What?
Well, we stumble in our
sin, we stumble along with so many other people in history. Think of the
stumbles and sins of:
·
Nicodemus – sneaking around
in the night to question Jesus
·
James/John – as they seek
power and position is Jesus’ eternal Kingdom
·
The Disciples – when sad
and hungry and tired at so many times with Jesus
·
Peter – as he denies even
knowing Jesus at His trial before the crucifixion
·
Thomas – wants proof of
what happened… was the resurrection really real?
·
Paul – who persecutes the
early church
·
John Mark – as he walks
away from ministry
·
Me and You too – as we fail
Jesus over and over again in our daily sins
The Gospel can make us stumble and fall.
It’s too much love to be real!
This parable may be brief and hard to
take. It accuses the Religious Leaders of the day, but it also accuses you and me
as well.
Yet, this parable “Points to Jesus.”
This stone accused us, yet rolls away to
the Light of a NEW dawn of grace and love and resurrection. Let this harsh, to
the point, message awaken you.
A reading from:
Psalm
118:22 NIV
22 The stone the
builders rejected
has become the
cornerstone;
Reject Jesus or stumble, and you will be broken and crushed.
The Stone will fall on you.
Build your life on Jesus the cornerstone. He saves and forgives.
The Jewish Leaders rejected Jesus, BUT Jesus IS the foundation
on which the Kingdom of God is built. The Kingdom of God is where Jesus IS.
AND, as you turn to Jesus, you are repented by God, you are given faith and you
are given all the belief you will ever need.
Yes, you will be, as ol’ Neb was, broken of your pride and
selfishness and humbled before God. You will be saved.
Turn away from God? And the Stone falls on you.
God gives you all you need.
Lord, I want to know Jesus. As I wander in the wilderness
of sin, death, and temptation, restore me to You and You alone… today… tomorrow…
and forever! Amen
I leave you with my favorite hymn… once again, I’m sure.
God give us everything we need…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J90xCWrBtMo
