Terrible Tenants

The Terrible Tenants

Intro

Parables - stories with a simple point that typically tells a truth about God’s Kingdom or how we should act as believers. In general it is not an allegory and each piece doesn’t necessarily represent something specific.

This parable is a little unusual as it is a warning to a specific audience and it is much closer to an allegory. There are definitely a few “Characters” that represent specific groups and people.

Setting the scene:

7 out of 40 are in all three, this is one of them. Parallels in Mark 12, Luke 20.

This account is the most detailed.

During “Holy Week.” Jesus has entered Jerusalem and is doing his final teachings before being crucified.

Conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees is escalating.

-There is a thread throughout this section (including this parable and the next one) that makes it clear the Jews at large, and specifically the scribes and Pharisees have rejected God and his ways. They pay him lip service, but do not live the way God commands. (REALLY IMPORTANT THEME!!)

in vs 12-17 we see Jesus clearing the temple (WWJD —Flip tables)

Parable immediately before describes the pharisees and scribes as the son who says he wants to honor the father, but then doesn’t. (also son who says no, but then does it anyway).

Read passage

33 Master put effort, he built it all.

Genesis - God is the one who does it all (Creation, Promise to Abraham, (God walked through the animals, not both of them), Ram provided for the sacrifice, No question that God does the work. (Don’t dig too deep into this, because it is still a parable.)

34-36 Represents the prophets

History of the prophets Heb 11:35-38

Hebrews 11:35–38 ESV

Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Isaiah sawn in two, Jeremiah stoned to death, Amos was tortured

Scribes and Pharisees would have known this, and known at this point that this was targeted towards them.

37-39 Killed the son

Most people would have sent an armed group. Military, police, something. Master sends his son.

side question to answer, does this mean God didn’t know they would kill Christ?

Several other places in Scripture that say the precise opposite. Even out of the mouth of Jesus.

Reminder that this is a parable, not an allegory. We have to focus on what is the main point being made.

Point that is being made by the master sending the Son is that God is doing everything possible to bring the Jews back into the fold and they are still rejecting Him.

“It is a parable depicting sin most unreasonable and love incomprehensible!” - Hendrickson

40-41 Q&A with obvious answer

Many would have answered this way after the first set of servants, nearly all after the second, and after the Son there is no question that they must be punished.

Just like the previous parable, once the answer is given, a scathing condemnation follows.

42-44 Jews rejected the cornerstone (Christ) and would lose the kingdom because of it.

This is a quote from Psalm 118, He is essentially telling them that He is the cornerstone that has been rejected.

43 is an indication that the gentiles are going to be grafted in and the Jews would be judged.

Producing fruit means that Jews and gentiles both would be among those in the New Covenant.

Back to the the thread that has been throughout this entire section of teaching that those paying lip service and not following God’s commands will be rejected.

45-46 Pharisees knew he was talking about them.

Easy to pass over this passage and say, “I’m not a Pharisee, I didn’t reject Christ.” Maybe at one time, but not anymore.

Look a little deeper at what this tells us about who God is, and what he expects of us.

-Three important questions “What does this passage tell us about who God is?” “What does this passage tell us about man and his relationship to God?” “How does this passage fit into the overall story of redemption?”

God is faithful and demands faithfulness

Theme of the Jews rejection of God. Pharisees and scribes not faithful. (We’ll see this soon)

He is faithful and he is calling us to be what he made us to be.

His faithfulness can be seen throughout Scripture. Look at what we have been going over in Genesis. Promise to Abraham to make him a nation, Promised son (comes really late in life), provided the ram for the sacrifice. (Abraham knew that God would either provide or bring Isaac back to life).

Back half of Isaiah is about God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. Even though the people of Judah would be exiled, they would come back.

In this passage we see his faithfulness and patience as well.

The master didn’t send one set of servants and then kick them out, he didn’t send two sets of servant then kick them out, He sent His Son!

God has called the Jews back to himself over and over and over again.

Christ’s death was the pinnacle of His faithfulness:

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The Promise of redemption has been given over and over, and through Christ it is fulfilled.

We must be faithful because we are image bearers. Gen 1:26-27

Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

We were made to reflect God. To demonstrate to the world that was created the Nature and Character of God.

Since He is faithful, He calls us to be as well.

The problem is that we don’t reflect that image, and just like the Jews of this time, we reject God.

They Have Rejected God (And So do We)

Jews have Rejected God over and over again.

Looked earlier at a bit of the history with the prophets.

Kings and Chronicles are full of stories of kings going their own way

The prophets continually call out the people and priests.

Moving to Jesus’ time, Cleansing of the temple shows hearts were not focused on Honoring God.

Parable prior to this one shows that even though they say “Yes Lord” they do not actually do what the Father commands.

In between here we have the story of a fig tree that bears no fruit being cursed. This is an illustration of what will happen to Israel because of the lack of “Fruit”

For the Pharisees and Scribes, they were so focused on their rules, laws and power that they did not have room for compassion and forgiveness.

They fear the people (46), They fear the Romans, they fear everyone but God.

Picture of Gentiles being grafted into the promise (43)

This is a good thing. Most if not all of us are likely gentiles. As David has touched on in past weeks, we have become children of the promise because of Christ.

With this grafting in comes a warning from Paul (Romans 11)

Romans 11:17–24 “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cult…”

Paul makes it clear that the Gentiles are brought into the covenant, because of their unbelief and rejection of God. He also makes it clear, that we can be cut out to for the same reason.

Jesus Criticized the Pharisees because they did not follow the command to Love God and Love others. The pharisees loved themselves first (and so do we)

natural bent to reject God and turn to ourselves.

There are so many different things that we hold back from God, that we say, “No, this is mine.”

comfort, security, wealth, sexual sins and desires

We love these things and ourselves more than God. When we do that, we reject God the same way the Pharisees did.

What is the answer?

Christ must be the Cornerstone

He is the cornerstone, we have to make him the foundation, not a stumbling block.

Romans 11:18 ESV

do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.

We have to lean into Christ as our root. He must be our strength to overcome all sin and temptation.

What does that look like?

We have to turn to Christ and trust him with all of our life, not just the time we sit here at church.

The things that we hold on to we need to let go of because of the worth of knowing Christ.

Philippians 3:8 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

The Israelites had the privilege of being God’s people. He dwelt with them in the Tabernacle and the temple. They had this incredible gift, and they rejected it. We have an incredible gift of being able to know the Creator of all things through Christ Jesus. Don’t reject that!

So What?

If you have not trusted in Christ before today. Then the answer is to stop rejecting him, turn away from your sin, and start walking towards Him. He died that we might live. We have an incredible privilege to know the living God, we just need to repent and believe.

What if you are a believer?

How do we figure out what we are holding back?

Diagnostic questions that get to the heart of our desires

-What do you want, desire, crave, lust and wish for?

-Where do you bank your hope?

-What do you fear? What do you not want?

First Pray/Repent/Put off/Put on

Don’t go it alone (Life to Life, CG, spouse, elders

We end every service with the Lord’s Supper.

-This is for believers in good standing

-If you are convicted that you are holding on to something, I’d ask for you to deal with that first.

-If you are not a believer, we want you to experience the real thing.

This is a serious time for reflection and remembrance. Christ gave his life so that we could be part of God’s people. This is a time to remember his sacrifice, and choose Him over all other things.

-Path, Wine, Gluten Free, Remain standing, close in worship

Take a moment of silence and then Jake is going to close this time out in prayer.