Parable of the Tenants

A big head

When I was up in PNG earlier this year, I was treated with a lot of respect. Almost everyone called me by the title “pastor”. When I spoke, people listened intently. People told me how much they were moved by my words. It was a really exciting time.

But there was also a danger there for me too. You see, when you are looked up to like this, it’s not hard to form a mentality that I have it all together… that they need me.

The big problem with this mentality is that it is very easy to lose sight of my limitations. Now, I was able to acknowledge that I’m just a fellow pilgrim on a journey. I might have spent more time at Bible College, but you know what, when it comes to stepping out in faith, many of them would have a lot that they would be able to teach me.

But when we lose sight of our limitations, the next danger is that we starting defending ourselves. Hopefully, I wasn’t too guilty of this when I was in Gono, but you can probably imagine a scenario where someone presents a different view point to what you’re used to, and rather than listening to their view point, you go straight into defending what you think.

I find it very interesting that so often when you see people fighting, sometimes the differences between their respective positions is far less pronounced then what you’d imagine by listening to the tone of the debate. Quite often, it’s because we’re so convinced that we’ve got it sorted, that we don’t want to listen to the other.

And you know what? You don’t need to be in a situation like I was in PNG where everyone tells you how good your teaching is. The reality is that this mentality often comes over time. As your view of the world takes shape, you readily accept the evidence that supports this view, and reject that which doesn’t.

I wonder how many times we’ve been thinking that we’ve been defending the gospel, when actually, we’ve just been defending our understanding of it.

Link with parable

Today we’re going to look at a parable which is going to take a sharp and intense rebuke to the what the religious people are going to do to Jesus. As we explore it this morning, it is going to be very easy to just sit here shaking our heads at how far these religious types have got it wrong.

But let me warn you… after I’m done exploring what’s gone wrong for these people, I’m going to come back to the idea - are we very different from them? And if we’re not very different, what can we do to make sure we don’t fall down a similar path.

The parable

Now, the parable we have before us today fits a broader definition of what we call an allegory. Now without getting caught up in the finer details of the difference between a parable and an allegory, the main reason for making this observation, is that previously I’ve mentioned how you need to be careful not to read more in to a parable then it’s meant to have. But in this parable, we are able to read more into each character and part of the story. That’s because, each part of the story has a direct parallel of what is going on. And in this parable, it certainly would seem that those parallels were quite quickly understood by those who were listening.

Context

But, before we jump in, let’s look at how this fits in with the broader picture of what is happening at the time.

If you look at the start of this chapter, you’ll notice that we find the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, in the event that we refer to as Palm Sunday.

In fact, this is exactly what we’ll be looking at next Sunday, so I won’t dwell on this now.

But after his dramatic entrance, you’ll see from verse 12, that he has a look around Jerusalem, and get a bit angry at the money lenders who are effectively defiling the temple area with the greed.

In verse 17, he then leaves the city, and sleeps back at Bethany.

As the next day begins, Jesus walks back to the city, and so begins some pretty intense moments as Jesus confronts various different groupings.

If you look at verse 23 (chapter 21), you see the chief priest and the elders are getting worried about the authority that Jesus has.

After an initial confrontation with them, he tells a parable an initial parable which comes before the one we’ll focus on in a moment.

I think this first parable will speak into the second one for us, so I want to really quickly look at it.

There are two sons. The first is asked to go and work in a vineyard. He says he will. But then he doesn’t.

The second son is also also to go and work in the vineyard. He says he won’t. But then he actually does.

The vineyard

Now let me just spend a little bit of time on this imagery of the vineyard. I know we’re not even in the parable that we’re going to be focussing in on, however, the same imagery of the vineyard is going to come up in our parable for this morning, so let’s look at it now.

In fact, let me briefly take you back all the way to Isaiah 5.

Now, the imagery from Isaiah 5 would have actually been known by most Jews.

It pictures a vineyard which is well built and protected.

But let me read Isaiah 5:7 for you

Isaiah 5:7 NIV 2011

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.

Now when, Jesus starts talking giving parables about the vineyard here in Matthew 21, these religious types would have made this connection quite quickly.

And so, when Jesus talks about asking people to work in the vineyard and they said yes, but didn’t… well, these chief priests could very well have the image from Isaiah 5 flash before them.

I could dwell on this parable longer, but just let this one sit there while we move to our parable for today.

The tenants

In verse 33, Jesus introduces a new parables saying… “there was a landowner who planted a vineyard”. Interestingly, if the listeners had missed the connection with Isaiah 5 before, by mentioning the wall and the watchtower, he’s making direction connection with the description of that earlier vineyard.

This vineyard is very clearly meant to represent Israel - the chosen nation of God.

The vineyard is then managed by what the NIV translates as tenants. People who have been entrusted with the care and management of this vineyard.

It’s quite clear who these are meant to represent. They are the chief priests. The experts of the law.

The owner of the vineyard, which in the allegory represents God, then sends servants to the tenants.

In the parable, it should be clear what should be happening if things went as they were intended. The tenants of the vineyard, having worked diligently and faithfully, should have a bountiful harvest, and the servants should be well pleased to receive this harvest.

So in the allegory, who are the servants? Well, with what has already been laid out, these servants represent the prophets that God has raised up.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find a real concentration of prophets from about the eighth century BC to the fourth century. These prophets are reminding the people of Israel the way they are meant to live.

Had the people of Israel been living the way they were meant to live, they would have found a world ready to receive the Kingdom of God. But unfortunately they didn’t - and this is what we see in this parable.

Verse 35 says the tenants seized these servants as they came. One they beat up. Another they killed. And a third, they stoned to death.

More servants are sent. More servants are beaten, killed and stoned.

But then the owner thinks - I’ll send my son… surely they will respect my son.

You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to figure out who the son represents. The son is Jesus - the only begotten son of the Father.

In the parable, the tenants spy out the son. “This is the heir”, they say. Now just think about that. If Jesus is the heir, then that means that they are not the heirs.

You see, here’s the thing. If we just think about the details in the parable for a moment. We might wonder why the tenants are being so mean.

Well, that’s because, with the owner absent, they start to think they can take control themselves. The servants were a threat, because it was the owner effectively reminding the tenants that this was his.

In this way, the son is an even greater threat. It is the owner claiming what is his.

So they say: “Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritence”.

Remember, Jesus is giving this parable right in the middle of that week that will end with him hanging on a cross.

Jesus is that son. And the tenants are the religious leaders. And those religious leaders are about to take Jesus - because Jesus represents a threat to their power.

In the parable, Jesus asks the question: so what will happen when the owner comes? What will he do to the tenants?

The answer: those wretches will be brought to a wretched end. But even further, he will rent the vineyard to other tenants.

Who are those other tenants? Well, in some ways, if we follow the chain far enough we can actually say it’s us! Or more specifically, if you look at verse 43, it will be given to those that will produce fruit.

The cornerstone

In verse 42, Jesus brings in a quote from Psalm 118, specifically verse 22 and 23 which starts with “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...”

Jesus, the son, is the stone. It’s a stone that was rejected because it was a threat, but this stone did not go away - rather it becomes the cornerstone.

The response

Now, in case you’re wondering if any of the interpretation I’ve given is doubtful, you just need to look at verse 45 which shows the response of the chief priests and the Pharisees. It tells us that they knew Jesus was talking about them, and in verse 46 they start looking for ways to arrest him - the only reason Jesus wasn’t arrested at this time was because the crowds held that he was a prophet.

Application

Okay, well, the various aspects of this parable can quite easily be seen. Particularly for us, reading this after the events of the crucifixion, it makes even more sense.

But what should we make of it all?

Well, on one level, from our perspective, it can explain how it has come to pass, that this good news that was entrusted to the Jews, has primarily ended up in the hands of the Gentiles.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are messianic Jews out there - people who are bearing good fruit. But unfortunately, for too many Jews today, they still don’t recognise Jesus as the Messiah.

Bearing fruit

But in recognising this, we also need to recognise that there is an expectation that we are bearing fruit.

Now what do I mean by bearing fruit? Well, it’s not just about keeping score of how many converts you’ve made. We produce fruit by living godly, Christ-like lives. When you bring shalom into this world, you’re producing fruit.

God is entrusting his kingdom to us - we need to live up to that.

Not being like the pharisees

But this brings me to the issue I raised at the start of this message.

You see, it is very easy for us to read this parable. Shake our heads at the Jews, and sit back pretty comfortably and say - see, that why we as the Gentiles now have been entrusted with the gospel.

But we need to be very careful.

You see, it can be very easy for us to fall down the very same trap that the Pharisees and the experts of the law fell down.

Sadly, there are way too many examples of Christians leaders who have done just that.

The trap is so similar to what we see in this parable.

And it is the trap I could have fell down with the accolades I received in Gono.

You see, the tenants of this vineyard thought they owned it. It started with them understanding that the vineyard belonged to another, but as they worked it and understood it better… and they would have been recognised for their great ability to make this vineyard tick over nicely, well it doesn’t take long to think (subconsciously at first), this is mine.

In the parable, the servants come - don’t forget this belongs to the owner.

In our case, we get a rebuke - you’re starting to get off track. What do we do? Rather than taking the rebuke and seeing how much we’re actually spoiling the fruit, we instead defend ourselves.

We might even fool ourselves into thinking that we’re defending God. But what we’re actually doing is being exactly like the tenants in this parable.

how to avoid trap

So how do we avoid this trap?

Well, first and foremost, we need to keep front and centre - the vineyard belongs to God.

God may have placed us in the vineyard to work the vines, but it is not our vineyard.

The moment we forget this, the moment we’ve lost the point.

This church here. Sometimes we might use the language of my church. And look, in some context, it might be a helpful way of distinguishing which church you are talking about. But it is a very unhelpful way of calling the church.

This church does not belong to me. It doesn’t even belong to the members. It belongs to God and we are just the workers that he has placed here at this point in time.

Keep this in mind, and you will be well placed to avoid the trap seen in this parable.

humility

But I want to take this one step further. You see, it could be quite easy to play lip service to this idea.

To make it really part of the way we operate, we need humility.

In humility, we recognise that we only have a limited perspective.

In humility, we recognise that the abilities and knowledge we have, come from God and should be attributed to him.

Take my example in Gono. I actually do think I had something to add up there. But it wasn’t because I was amazing. It was because God had equipped me for that opportunity.

Humility should be able to shift any accolades we receive, and point them squarely at God above.

Conclusion

God has included us in his vineyard.

God’s vineyard produces the greatest fruit imaginable and we can be part of it’s production.

But when we try and take possession of it, we spoil this fruit. It becomes bruised and rotten.

At our house we’ve got a fruit bowl. Sometimes one of the pieces of fruit will have a rotten piece in it. Unsurprisingly, that piece of fruit will stay in that bowl for quite a while because everyone avoids it.

When we spoil the fruit in God’s vineyard, it becomes just like this.

Don’t spoil it with your selfishness. Rather in humility, tend God’s vineyard by being Christ like in all you do. Let it flourish. Share to good news. Care for the vulnerable. Be kind to one another. And we’ll see the best kind of world flourish. A world that we can use the word “shalom” - the peace that comes only from God.

It’s a beautiful vineyard. Let’s continue to partner with God in making his kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.

Let me pray...