MATT. 21:33-4633Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which 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: 34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 45And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 46But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:33‑46). Parallel-MARK 12:1-121And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 10And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: 11This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 12And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. (Mark 12:1‑12); LUKE 20:9-199Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 10And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 13Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 19And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. (Luke 20:9‑19).
Verse 33—" Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which 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.”
WITH this parable we may compare Ps. 80:8-16 and Isa. 5:1-71Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 2And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. (Isaiah 5:1‑7).
In Ps. 80 the VINE is contemplated, in Isa. 5 the FRUIT, but in the parable the responsibility of the HUSBANDMEN.
The primary interpretation of the parable is to Israel, but the general principles may be applied to God's providential dealings with man. Retiring from manifest interference with human affairs, God gives man an opportunity to exhibit his real character as responsible to Himself, while laying him under deep obligations for gratitude and praise, and due acknowledgment of his many favors.
Verses 34-36—"And when the time [season] of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husband-men, that they might receive the fruits of it.
“And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
“Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they did unto them likewise.”
Man under responsibility to the goodness of God, who is good to all, giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, has not rendered again according to the benefit received; and Israel under the first covenant, and the law given on Sinai, utterly failed in responding to their high privileges, and those who have witnessed for God have been treated as represented in the parable.
Verses 37-39—" But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.' But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize upon his inheritance.' And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.”
Man in general, and Israel in particular, have been subjected to a threefold test.
First. Respecting God, and especially God the Father as Creator, providential Ruler, and Benefactor of mankind. Forgetfulness of God and idolatry have been man's response to this test, as it was also that of Israel up to the time of the Babylonian captivity.
Second. The second test was the coming of the Son of God into the world as God manifest in the flesh. This made manifest to the full the natural enmity of the human heart against God, when both Jew and Gentile united in rejecting and crucifying the only begotten Son of God who came in the fullness of grace and love.
Third. To the third test both Jew and Gentile are being subjected at the present time. The Holy Ghost, the Comforter, sent by the Father and the Son, is come to abide with and in the Church, and to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. What reception does He meet with, whether from the Church or from the world?
Fourth. There remains yet a fourth test, to which the world will be subjected in due time: the manifestation of the Son of Man in glory, and the establishment of His millennial reign.
The final rebellion, when Satan is loosed at the expiration of the thousand years, will be the concluding and conclusive proof that "the flesh profiteth nothing," and that "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Verses 40, 45—"When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husband-men? ‘They say unto Him, 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.'”
The miseries of the Jews in the siege, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus, A.D. 70, seventy-four years after the birth of Christ, were the manifestation of the righteous judgment of God upon Israel for the rejection of His Son.
Verse 42—"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing [this is from Jehovah], and it is marvelous in our eyes?'" (Ps. 118:22, 23).
Israel having refused their own Messiah when He came in lowliness and grace, God is now manifesting and accomplishing His secret purpose of uniting Jew and Gentile in one, by one Spirit baptizing them into one body, in union with the risen Christ in heavenly glory, thus constituting Him the head of the corner, at once the foundation and the top-stone. The foundation is Christ in His humiliation and death. The top-stone is Christ Jesus in His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father.
Verses 43, 44—" Therefore I say 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 on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder [scatter him as chaff].”
The nation that bringeth forth the fruits of the kingdom, may be explained as the Church responding to the grace of God in the Gospel; or more probably it may refer to the nation of Israel under the covenant, when they shall be all righteous, and God shall be glorified in them.
Meanwhile, "What think ye of Christ?" is the test. Those who reject Him, taking offense at His lowliness, and thus "stumbling at the stumbling-stone," will perish; but the day is coming when the stone cut out without hands will scatter the kingdoms of the earth as chaff, and the kingdom of the Messiah will be established, which shall comprise the whole world (Dan. 2:34, 3534Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:34‑35)).
This will be "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7, 87And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:7‑8)). Then the Father shall give unto the Son the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession (Ps. 2:8).