Orthodox Metropolis of Zambia and Malawi
The Parable of the Vineyard appears in three of the gospels (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19), with Matthew’s account being the most complete. However, there are additions in the others; hence, it is wise to study all three accounts so as to achieve the greatest understanding. To get the context of what is happening, we need to look at Matthew 21:18. Early in the morning, Jesus goes to the temple courts to teach (21:23). While He is teaching, the chief priest and elders confront Him, wanting to know by what authority He is teaching. Not allowing them to control the conversation, Jesus answers the question by first asking a question (21:24-26). They do not like His question nor His response to their answer; essentially, He has told them that they can’t save face from their obvious attempt to cajole Him and, therefore, He is not obligated to answer their question (21:27). What Jesus told them is that John the Baptist and He received their authority from the same source. This exchange causes the leaders to become angry and puts them in opposition to Jesus. Jesus then further frustrates the priests by telling two parables: the first one is the Parable of the Two Sons, and the second is the Parable of the Vineyard, sometimes called the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.
The first parable Jesus teaches tells the priests that they have claimed to accept the message from God but they have failed to live up to it by being obedient. Outwardly, they are pious and appear to be people of God, but God knows the heart, and there they have failed miserably. The next parable (the Parable of the Vineyard) is like pouring salt on a wound. Just in case they didn’t fully understand (which they did), Jesus gives a much clearer picture of what He means. Obviously, this further infuriates the priests, but it also gives the others who were present an opportunity to hear Jesus fully explain the implications of the disobedience of the Jewish people throughout the ages.
Background: There are 6 main characters in this parable: 1) the landowner—God, 2) the vineyard—Israel, 3) the tenants/farmers—the Jewish religious leadership, 4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel, 5) the son—Jesus, and 6) the other tenants—the Gentiles. The imagery used is similar to Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard (it would be prudent to study this also) found in Isaiah chapter 5. The watchtower and the wall mentioned in verse 33 are means of protecting the vineyard and the ripened grapes. The winepress is obviously for stamping out the juice of the grapes to make the wine. The farmer was apparently away at the time of harvest and had rented the vineyard to the tenants. This was customary of the times, and he could expect as much as half of the grapes as payment by the tenants for use of his land.
Explanation: Verses 34-36 tell us the landowner sent his servants to collect his portion of the harvest and how they were cruelly rejected by the tenants; some were beaten, stoned, and even killed. Then he sent even more the second time and they received the same treatment. The servants sent represent the prophets that God had sent to His people/Israel and then were rejected and killed by the very people who were claiming to be of God and obedient to Him. Jeremiah was beaten (Jeremiah 26:7-11; 38:1-28), John the Baptist was killed (Matthew 14:1-12), and others were stoned (2 Chronicles 24:21). In this parable Jesus is not only reminding the religious establishment what they were like, but He was putting in their minds a question: how could they claim obedience as God’s people and still reject His messengers?
We don’t know how many servants the owner sent, but that is not what is important; the theme is God’s repeated appeal through His prophets to an unrepentant people. In next verses (37-39), the situation becomes even more critical. The landowner sends his own son, believing that they will surely respect him. But the tenants see an opportunity here; they believe that if they kill the son they will then receive his inheritance. The law at the time provided that if there were no heirs then the property would pass to those in possession (possession is nine tenths of the law). This amounts to conspiracy to commit murder by the Jewish leadership, and it is prophetic in the sense that Jesus is now telling them what they are going to do to Him (see Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16). After Jesus’ death, Peter would make the same charges against the religious establishment (Acts 4:8-12). The tenants probably thought that the fight for the property was over, but it wasn’t; the owner would now appear on the scene.
Jesus now (vs.40-41) asks the question, what will the owner do to the evil tenants? What He is doing is forcing the religious leaders/priests to declare their own miserable fate: condemnation for their blatant disobedience. This is similar to the question that Nathan put to David (2 Samuel 12:1-7). Up to this point, Jesus has been dealing with the immediate situation of Israel and its past disobedience; now Jesus leaves open the question of what Israel’s leadership is going to do with the Messiah, the Son of God, whom He refers to as the “chief cornerstone” (vs 42). Cornerstones and capstones are used symbolically in Scripture and picture Christ as the main piece of the foundation of the church and the head of the church, respectively. Jesus is the beginning of and is foundational to the church, and He now stands over the church in His rightful position of honor, guiding the church to fulfill its divine destiny. This verse makes clear prophetically how Jesus will be rejected by the religious establishment and ultimately be crucified (see Psalm 118:22-23).
The key to understanding this parable and what it says about the religious leaders is found in verse 43, where Jesus makes their lack of obedience personal. Jesus tells the leaders that because of their disobedience they will be left out of the kingdom of heaven (individually and as a people); that they have let their opportunity for the time being slip away to be given to the Gentiles (see verse 41, “other tenants”). This will be more than they can tolerate, as we will see in verses 45 and 46. He is saying that there will be a new people of God made up of all peoples who will temporarily replace the Jews so that Jesus can establish His church. This will change the way God deals with man, from the old dispensation of the law to a new dispensation of God’s grace. It will usher in a period of time where man will no longer understand forgiveness of sins as man’s work through what he does or doesn’t do or by the sacrifices of animals on the altar, but by the work of Christ on the cross. It will be a time where each individual can have a personal and saving relationship with the One and only God of the universe. The exciting part of the verse is the phrase “who will produce fruit”; this gives authority to the church to share the gospel of Christ to the lost of the world. Up to this time, the Jews felt that they had automatic membership in God’s kingdom because of their relationship to Abraham; this is why they put so much emphasis on genealogies. But the new people of God would truly have what God wanted for Israel all along: a personal and holy relationship that would be honored through the spreading of God’s word to all peoples (see Exodus 19:5-6).
Jesus continues the stone metaphor in verse 44 to show how a stone can be used to build something beautiful, such as His church, or it can be used to crush and destroy, depending on the situation. This could be likened to God’s word: to some it is salvation, peace and comfort. To others it is foolish and disconcerting because of its ability to convict man of his sins (2 Timothy 3:16).
Verses 45 and 46 give us three insights into the psyche of the chief priest of the religious establishment. 1) They are jealous and envious of Jesus’ popularity with the common people. This encroaches on their authority and power to govern. 2) They have come to the realization that Jesus is talking about them. This hurts their pride and embarrasses them in front of the people. 3) They understood the analogy of the son and that Jesus was referring to Himself. This would be blasphemous to them, and they would now seek to kill Jesus. From here the leaders would meet in secrecy to plot how they would get rid of Jesus. Why all the secrecy?
The people thought of Jesus as a prophet from God; arresting Him could cause an uprising. An uprising would jeopardize the leaders’ relationship with the Roman authorities, something that the Jews did not want at any cost. Application: We apply this parable to our lives by asking two questions; first, have you come to know Christ as you Lord and Savior, or have you rejected Him like the Jewish leadership did? The process is simple, as long as you are sincere in seeking a relationship with Christ. You need to recognize your sins, and then accept Christ as the only One who can save you from the penalty of your sins. Second, if you are a believer, what have you done with Jesus? Are you like the bad tenants, rejecting His Word and living a life of disobedience? If you are, you need to study God’s Word and pray for guidance, seeking His will for your life and living out that will as best as you can, moment by moment, day by day.
Fourth World Orthodox Youth Festival, Romania, September 2017 (more here)
Matthew 21:33-42
The Parable of the Tenants
Orthodox Metropolis of Zambia and Malawi
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So 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 tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes"?
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Mateus 21:33-42
A parábola dos lavradores maus
33 Ouvi, ainda, outra parábola: Houve um homem, pai de família, que plantou uma vinha, e circundou-a de um valado, e construiu nela um lagar, e edificou uma torre, e arrendou-a a uns lavradores, e ausentou-se para longe. 34 E, chegando o tempo dos frutos, enviou os seus servos aos lavradores, para receber os seus frutos. 35 E os lavradores, apoderando-se dos servos, feriram um, mataram outro e apedrejaram outro. 36 Depois, enviou outros servos, em maior número do que os primeiros; e eles fizeram-lhes o mesmo. 37 E, por último, enviou-lhes seu filho, dizendo: Terão respeito a meu filho. 38 Mas os lavradores, vendo o filho, disseram entre si: Este é o herdeiro; vinde, matemo-lo e apoderemo-nos da sua herança. 39 E, lançando mão dele, o arrastaram para fora da vinha e o mataram. 40 Quando, pois, vier o Senhor da vinha, que fará àqueles lavradores? 41 Dizem-lhe eles: Dará afrontosa morte aos maus e arrendará a vinha a outros lavradores, que, a seu tempo, lhe deem os frutos. 42 Diz-lhes Jesus: Nunca lestes nas Escrituras: A pedra que os edificadores rejeitaram, essa foi posta por cabeça do ângulo; pelo Senhor foi feito isso e é maravilhoso aos nossos olhos?
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مَثَلُ ابنِ صاحِبِ الكَرم
33 «وَاسْتَمِعُوا إلَى مَثَلٍ آخَرَ: كانَ هُناكَ رَجُلٌ صاحِبُ أرْضٍ، فَغَرَسَ كَرماً وَأحاطَهُ بِسِياجٍ وَحَفَرَ فِيهِ مِعصَرَةً لِلعِنَبِ، وَبَنَى بُرجاً لِلحِراسَةِ. ثُمَّ أجَّرَهُ لِبَعضِ الفَلّاحِينَ وَسافَرَ بَعِيداً. 34 وَعِندَما جاءَ وَقتُ قَطفِ العِنَبِ، أرسَلَ عَبِيدَهُ إلَى الفَلّاحِينَ لِلحُصُولِ عَلَى نَصِيبِهِ مِنَ العِنَبِ.
35 «وَلَكِنَّ الفَلّاحِينَ أمسَكُوا بِعَبِيدِهِ، وَضَرَبُوا واحِداً مِنْهُمْ، وَقَتَلُوا آخَرَ، وَرَجَمُوا آخَرَ. 36 فَأرسَلَ المالِكُ عَبِيداً أكثَرَ مِمّا أرسَلَ فِي المَرَّةِ الأُولَى. فَعامَلَهُمُ الفَلّاحُونَ بِالطَّرِيقَةِ نَفسِها. 37 وَأخِيراً أرسَلَ ابْنَهُ، وَقالَ فِي نَفسِهِ: ‹سَيَحتَرِمُونَ ابْنِي.›
38 «وَلَكِنْ عِندَما رَأى الفَلّاحُونَ أنَّ هَذا هُوَ ابْنُ المالِكِ، تَشاوَرُوا فِيما بَينَهُمْ وَقالُوا: ‹هَذا هُوَ الوَرِيثُ، فَلنَقتُلْهُ لِكَي نَسْتولي عَلَى مِيراثِهِ.› 39 فَقَبَضَوا عَلَيهِ وَألقَوهُ خارِجَ الكَرْمِ وَقَتَلُوهُ.
40 «فَماذا تَظُنُّونَ أنَّ صاحِبَ الكَرمِ سَيَصنَعُ بِأولَئِكَ الفَلّاحينَ عِنْدَما يَعُودُ؟»
41 فَقالُوا لَهُ: «سَيَقضِي عَلَيهِمْ بِطَرِيقَةٍ رَهِيبَةٍ لِأنَّهُمْ أشرارٌ، ثُمَّ يُعطِي الكَرْمَ لِفَلّاحِينَ آخَرِينَ يُعطُونَهُ الثَّمَرَ فِي مَوسِمِ الثَّمَرِ.» 42 وَقالَ لَهُمْ يَسُوعُ: «ألَمْ تَقرَأوا المَكتوبَ:
‹الحَجَرُ الَّذِي رَفَضَهُ البَنّاؤُونَ،
هُوَ الَّذِي صارَ حَجَرَ الأساسِ.›
الرَّبُّ صَنَعَ هَذا،
وَهُوَ أمْرٌ عَظيمٌ فِي عُيُونِنا›؟
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Matayo 21:33-42
Mfano Wa Wapangaji Waovu
33 “Sikilizeni mfano mwingine: mtu mmoja mwenye shamba alilima shamba akapanda mizabibu. Akalizungushia ua, na ndani yake akachimba kisima cha kusindikia zabibu; na akajenga mnara. Kisha akalikodisha hilo shamba kwa wakulima fulani, akasafiri kwenda nchi nyingine.
34 “Wakati wa mavuno ulipokaribia aliwatuma watumishi wake kwa hao wakulima kupokea mavuno yake. 35 Wale wakulima wakawaka mata wale watumishi; wakampiga mmoja, wakamwua mwingine na kum piga mawe mwingine. 36 Akatuma watumishi wengine, wengi kuliko wale wa mwanzo. Wale wakulima wakawatendea vile vile. 37 Mwish owe akamtuma mwanae kwao akisema, ‘Bila shaka watamheshimu mwa nangu.’ 38 Lakini walipomwona mwanae, waliambiana, ‘Huyu ndiye mrithi. Njooni tumwue tuchukue urithi wake.’ 39 Basi wakamchu kua, wakamtupa nje ya shamba la mizabibu, wakamwua. 40 Sasa, akija yule mwenye shamba, mnadhani atawafanya nini hao waku lima?” 41 Wakamjibu, “Atawaangamiza kabisa hao wadhalimu na kulipangisha shamba lake kwa wakulima wengine ambao watampatia matunda yake wakati wa mavuno.”
42 Yesu akawaambia, “Hamjapata kusoma katika Maandiko kwamba: ‘Lile jiwe walilokataa wajenzi limekuwa jiwe kuu la pembeni; Bwana ndiye amefanya jambo hili nalo ni zuri ajabu machoni petu’?
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In the Orthodox Vineyard of Africa
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