No. 3.
“A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husband-men, and went into a far country for a long time. And 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. And again he sent another servant: and they heat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then 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. But 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. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others.”―Luke 20:9-169Then 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. (Luke 20:9‑16).
THAT you or I, that man, should say, “What shall I do?” is easily understood, for we soon reach the end of our resources, but that God should make use of that expression―for in our parable it is thus viewed―is indeed wonderful.
But let us find out the meaning of the parable, and then we shall appreciate the nature of the question.
The vineyard is clearly the land of Israel, and the husbandmen its favored people. That people, taken out from amongst other nations, were brought nigh to the Lord in various ways, received His oracles, were honored by the Temple, as His dwelling-place, being in their midst, and were made the recipients of His Word.
That Word came to them by the prophets, who Its the “servants” in our parable, were sent at the season to receive from the husbandmen the fruits of the vineyard, the worship, the service, the obedience due by them to God.
Servant after servant came for this purpose, but instead of receiving fruit they were maltreated, wounded, killed, and rejected, and the claims of the lord of the vineyard were, in this manner, refused and perversely disregarded.
Such was the treatment the prophets received. What a fearful insult to God thus to abuse His faithful servants! But it only proved the condition of the men to whom the vineyard had been “let out.” That condition was one of rank and daring rebellion! At this point, when the full complement of prophets had been sent, we find the question raised by the lord of the vineyard, “What shall I do?” says he. Well, what? He might most justly have had recourse to retributive measures, and dealt out to the husbandmen the punishment they deserved.
But, being slow to anger, and patient under provocation, he adopted a plan of the most wonderful grace!
Yes, before allowing the ax to fall on these wicked men, he takes one more step in the path of mercy; he says, “I will send my beloved son; it maybe they will reverence him when they see him.”
“I will send”―I will demonstrate the earnestness of My heart by this act of mission― “my beloved Son.” than whose authority none could be greater, who shall go to them, invested in the dignity of His relation to Me, and His dominion over them; supported, too, as My ambassador, with the moral glory of My name-”it may be they will reverence him when they see him.” “It may be,” for His coming will be a test—the final test—of their responsibility. It may be that what they refused to render to prophets they will yield to the Son when they see Him! Alas, the higher the Messenger the greater the obstinacy; and the severer the test the more faulty the material. What could have exceeded the grace that sent the beloved Son―that Son who knew the Father’s heart―that “only begotten” who dwelt in His bosom―to receive in person what was due to the lord of the vineyard from people who had already offended beyond degree, by the open rejection and slaughter of the prophets?
But, alas! as with them, so with Him! “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. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”
Awful reply, indeed, to the grace of the Lord! “This is the heir,” said they. His high position, instead of being a deterrent on their rebellion, or an incentive for their obedience, was but an additional stimulus to their malice; and so, in a crowning act of violence, compared with which all the others were small, they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
This was the climax of their sin. Probation ended there. An act had now been committed that demanded a fearful requital. “What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen.” That was the only alternative. It actually happened.
The mission of God’s beloved Son, to receive from man, was answered by His death. They took Him, and by wicked hands crucified and slew Him (Acts 2:2323Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:23)); and in His crucifixion human iniquity reached its highest point, because the Son of God was, in our midst, in the display of love and grace, even as He had come not to judge but to save; and yet this very grace stirred the hatred of man against God, until they cried, “Away with him! crucify him!”
But this shows what man is, ―shows that “the carnal mind is enmity against God,” and that “in the flesh dwells no good thing.” His death ended our probation as sinners. It ended the world in God’s sight. As we read, “Once in the end of the world” (once in the consummation of the ages, ―the winding up, that is, of those ages of probation that had gone before), ― “once in the end of the world he appeared.” What to do? To receive fruit from man? Ah, we have seen what He received. Then, what to do? To destroy? Well, without doubt, judgment fell on those who, moss directly, compassed His death, for the vineyard was taken from them, the temple raised to the ground, and the nation scattered. But yet He appeared for something more―and what was it? “He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:2626For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)).
“The very spear that pierced His side
Drew forth the, blood to save.”
Oh, the eternal triumph of grace! Where our sin rose to its most appalling height, there the love of God won its brightest victory. At the cross the two forces came in contact. It was the meeting-place of guilt and grace.
If the lord of the vineyard sent his beloved son to receive fruit, so do we also find that “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son” (where there is no question of receiving fruits, but of giving blessing), “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
What a wide, wide difference! Neither you nor I, dear reader, could give aught to God that He could call fruit, for “there is none that doeth good, no, not one;” but He has given His Son for us, telling us of His death, resurrection, ascension, and glory, that if we―poor, worthless, guilty we―believe in Him we shall not perish under the eternal judgment our many sins deserve, but have everlasting life. It is this God has done. His acts spring from His heart. His love is the cause of all His mercy toward us.