“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. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“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.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“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.”
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’?
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46 NIV)
There is power in telling a good story. I wonder if we’ve lost that today. For some reason, we’re convinced that to get your point across, you need to argue and interrupt and insult… Not Jesus. When Jesus wanted to convict people’s hearts and change people’s minds, he told stories. Especially during the most important week of his life. During Holy Week, the Jewish leaders like the Pharisees and chief priests were questioning Jesus’ authority. They were trying to undermine his credibility. They had a powerful ad campaign against Jesus. So know what Jesus did? He told stories. Jesus told five parables just on the Tuesday before he died. Stories like this one…
“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.” I don’t know much about vineyards, but this landowner seems like quite the guy. He didn’t just plant some grape vines. He went all out! He built a wall around it. He dug a winepress right there in it. He even built a watchtower for good measure. This vineyard wasn’t a hobby farm. It was the finest vineyard around. We’re talking Door County quality. No, even better. A Napa Valley, CA quality vineyard. He rented the vineyard to some tenants and moved away.
Of course, “when the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.” After all the work he put into that vineyard, that landowner couldn’t wait to see the fruits. He’d been dreaming about that first glass of wine. It was time! But “the tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.” That’s not what you’d expect, is it? Those tenants were wicked. Shockingly wicked. We live in a messed up world, but we don’t hear about that on the news: “Vineyard workers murder fruit collectors.” What in the world?
But you know what’s even more shocking? “Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time.” The patience of this landowner blows my mind. If I were him, there wouldn’t be any second chances. After what those wicked tenants did, I would have called the army in. Crushed them like grapes on a winepress. But he didn’t. Instead, with extraordinary patience, he sent more servants. But what did they do? “The tenants treated them the same way.” Beat, kill, stone.
Here’s where the story really gets unbelievable. “Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.” People were used to Jesus’ stories, but that must have sounded downright unbelievable. After all that had happened, send in his own son? “Come on, Jesus. Who would do that?” But he did. He sent his own son. Surely they would listen to him! 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.’So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” Just pure wickedness and violence in the face of such grace and patience. How could they be so bad?
Suddenly, Jesus stopped the story. We’re like, “What’s next, Jesus?” Well, he asks us, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” The people listening didn’t hesitate for a second: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied. This gracious landowner had shown unbelievable patience to these unbelievably wicked tenants, but when they put his son to death, that was it. “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.”
So what was Jesus talking about? It’s always tempting to jump to today and apply stories like this to today. Instead, when we read the Bible, we always want to ask, “What was the original author’s original message to his original hearers?” Got that? What did Jesus’ story mean to the people he told it to? That’s most important! Well, his hearers were the Pharisees and chief priests who wanted to put him to death. Jesus could have simply told those Jewish leaders that their plans to get rid of him weren’t going to work. But it was so much more powerful to tell a story.
In Jesus’ story, who’s the landowner? It’s God. Who’s the vineyard? The people of Israel. God did so much for Israel. He went all out! He chose Abraham’s family from all the people of the world. He rescued them from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. He gave them his Word. He gave them promises of a Savior… So much! But when God sent his servants—prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah—what did the Jewish leaders do? Beat them. Kill them. Stone them. They were unbelievably wicked! But God was even more patient. He sent more prophets. More promises. More warnings. And what did the Jewish leaders do? Beat them. Kill them. Stone them. Finally, his Son. God actually sent his own Son—Jesus. Surely they would listen to him, right? No. It hadn’t happened yet, but in just three days, those wicked leaders would even kill God’s Son. Unbelievable grace. Unbelievable patience. Met with unbelievable wickedness.
So what did they deserve? This is where the power of a story comes in. Jesus didn’t have to tell those Pharisees and chief priests what they deserved. They said it with their own mouths. “‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied.” They said it with their own mouths. God’s patience wouldn’t last forever. Those Pharisees and chief priests were going to receive what they deserved. “I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” “I know what you’re up to,” Jesus said, “and it’s not going to end well!”
Here’s why: “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’?” Where Jesus stopped the story isn’t where it really stopped. Jesus was taken outside and killed, but that wasn’t the end. He rose from the dead. Ascended to the right hand of God. He is the cornerstone on which everything depends. You can fight against Jesus, but you can’t win. Either Jesus will change your heart and be the cornerstone of your life, or he’ll show how wicked you are and crush you. The Pharisees? Those wretches would meet a wretched end. God’s kingdom was about to be taken away from them and given to people who believed. What a powerful story!
So how many of you are Jewish Pharisees? Not many. Any chief priests here today? Hmm… What does this have to do with us? After you find the original meaning of God’s Word, you can apply it to yourself. Like this: Our God is so incredibly gracious—not just to the Israelites. Think of all that God has done for you and me. He created you. With a nose and eyes and toes. He really went all out! He baptized you into his family. He gives us his Word so clearly and abundantly. He’s given us freedom and wealth in the United States. He sent his Son Jesus to be our Savior. So much! God is unbelievably gracious, isn’t he? It’s almost shocking to think about.
Because we’re so wicked. Aren’t we? “What do you mean? I ain’t never killed no prophets!” That’s true, I hope! But how often have we rejected God’s messengers? How often are we not that excited about God’s Word? How often have we beaten and killed and stoned God’s people with our thoughts and our words? If you’re a life-long Christian, then the Pharisees provide an extra warning. You can think you know everything. You can think you’re good and right and pure. You can think you’re closer to God than everyone else. And still be the ones to kill Jesus. When you really get to know yourself, it’s downright shocking how wicked we really are!
But there’s something even more shocking than our sins: God’s patience. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:8,10). God is so patient with us. Here’s why: “The Lord is … patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Think of how many chances God gave those Jewish leaders. How many times they heard God’s call to repent and be saved. Again and again… The same is true for you and me. The only thing more unbelievable that our sins is God’s undeserved love.
But know this: God’s patience won’t last forever. We talk like that, don’t we? “God’s patience lasts forever. You’ll always have another chance…” No. One day, God’s patience will run out. The day will come with God says, “Enough!” If we—like those Pharisees—continue to reject God and his Word, what did those wicked servants deserve? “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.” So when is the day to repent? Today! When is the day to believe? Today! One day, God’s patience will run out, and there will be judgment for everyone who doesn’t repent.
That’s why I hope Jesus’ story changes you. Remember, the most unbelievable part of the story? It’s that the landowner—after all of their wickedness—would actually send his son. Who would do that? God did. My kindergartner’s memory work this past week was this: “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). God did it. He really did! “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Our God is incredibly gracious to us who don’t deserve it, incredibly patient with us who sin against him, and even sent his own Son to save you and me.
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” There is power in a story. God doesn’t just say, “I love you.” He tells us all the ways. He doesn’t just say, “You’re sinful.” He convicts us until the words come out of our own mouths. He doesn’t just talk about redemption. He tells us the story of how he sent his own Son. And that Son—whom those Pharisees rejected—didn’t lose. He won! If you base your life on anything other than Jesus, you’re going to get crushed. But if Jesus is your cornerstone, you have the firmest foundation. When COVID continues, you’ve got a cornerstone. When disappointment strikes, you’ve got a cornerstone. When cancer comes, you’ve got a cornerstone.
Because Jesus’ story is your story. A couple years, a 14-year-old boy named Ethan died from cancer. At 14. Before he died, he made a profound statement. He wrote, “My biggest fear isn’t dying. My biggest fear is that others will blame God for my death and not believe in Jesus. I don’t want people angry at God or even blaming him. I mean, there is so much more than just this life. Just because He didn’t heal me on earth doesn’t mean He won’t heal me in Heaven.” Wow! There is power in a story. God is so patient, so gracious, that he even sent his own Son for you and me. That’s life-changing. No matter what you face today, you have a cornerstone.
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