A Masterclass in Redemptive History
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
General: Today, we continue our study in Luke, and we are getting towards the end. Christ has entered Jerusalem for his final week before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. And what happens in the following few scenes is Jesus providing deeper clarity on certain topics, and Jesus bringing his confrontation with the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day to a climax, which will of course result in his death.
Parable: The parable before us today is profound because it has many layers to it. And though it is a critique of the Pharisees and their failure to shepherd God's people, it is spoken to the people. And the point of this parable, is very clearly to show the people why the Pharisees were rejecting him
Personal: For us, one of the questions this parable will cause to rise to the surface of our hearts is whether there be any rejection of Christ occurring in our own life? What rebellion still lurks in our hearts? What hard heartedness still causes vice in our life?
Meaning & Application
Meaning & Application
This parable is very clearly teaching us about the long arc of what is called Rememptive History. Redemptive History is a term that refers to God’s dealings with humanity across all of history, and the storyline of his pursuit of his people. In the parable the various actors are clear references to specific people in redemptive history.
Planter: The man who planted the vineyard is God.
Vineyard: And the vineyard is God’s people, Israel.
Tenants: The tenants of that vineyard, the one’s stewarded to oversee its health are the religious leaders, in Jesus’ day that is the Pharisees. And we can see that these Pharisees were wicked, and turned their responsibilities into means of personal gain.
Servants: The servants who were sent are a clear reference to the prophets who came to Israel over many centuries to speak truth and attempt to bring reform. And as biblical history tells us, God’s people very often treated the prophets shamefully. We love to look back on prophets today with rose colored lenses, but they often lived very difficult lives.
The Son: The Son is Christ himself. He comes in a long line of prophets, but he is very different from the prophets. While he speaks a similar message of God’s redemptive purpose, he is of another kind, another category altogether.
The tenants when they see the son, they don’t just cast him out as they did to the prophets, but they determine to kill him for selfish purposes. And in verse 17 Christ reveals the great reversal, that though the religious leaders would reject Christ and have him crucified, it would actually be that crucifixion event that would ultimately destroy their wicked deeds, and establish the cornerstone of God’s Church.
I would like to suggest to us four lessons that we can learn from the Parable of the Wicked Tenants
I THE REMARKABLE PATIENCE OF GOD
First, from this passage we learn of the remarkable patience of God. In the parable, the owner of the vineyard sends three separate servants to the tenants. Each time the tenants of the vineyard beat the servant who was sent by the master and send him away empty-handed. After the first time, the owner could have come down and destroyed the tenants of the vineyard, but he didn’t. After the second time, the owner had every right to destroy the tenants, but he didn’t. After the third time, the owner had more than enough grounds to come and destroy the tenants, but he didn’t. He finally, even with all of the trouble of the tenants sends his beloved Son. And I love the language of verse 13,
Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’
Still, after three servants were sent and beaten, he is still demonstrating patience towards the tenants.
Slow to Anger: One of the most repeated phrases about God in the Bible comes from the moment when the Lord passed before Moses and declared these words about himself.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
Look at the words of that verse. God is merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger. In other words, he persists and sends servants and awaits repentance. He is abounding in steadfast love. That means there is an overflow, it is a sense of an exorbitant amount of faithfulness and love. That is who we’re dealing with in this story.
Ways God is Patient: But you might say, “How has God been patient with me?” Let us really think about that, and get a sense for the remarkable patience of God.
Life Before Christ: Consider the patience God had with you in your life before Christ. For some of you, you were very very young when you believed in Jesus and this may be more difficult to imagine. But for those who accepted Christ later in life. Consider his patience as you rebelled against him all those years. Consider his longsuffering as your refused him all those years. Consider all the servants he sent over those years to speak truth to you, to share the gospel with you, to point you towards God, but you refused. The only reason you are saved and that you are here is because God has been patient with you.
Doubts: Consider God’s patience with you in all of your doubts. When in some small way or maybe even in some overt way you refuse to take God at his Word. You question him. Perhaps your doubts have taken you down false trails before, where you began to believe subtle lies or false ideas about God. But he was patient with you. He did not scold you right away, but gave you a very long leash, patiently withstanding that rebellion, and that graciously bringing you back into the fold of truth.
Sin: Consider God’s patience with you in all of your ongoing sin. How many times do we have to fall into the same sinful patterns of behavior even after Christ the Son has transformed our heart and sealed us with the Holy Spirit. He’s sent messengers to you through sermons and books and friends pleading with you. Patient with you. Oh how he loves you through his patience!
Applying This: Before we move on from considering God’s patience in this passage, I would like suggest a very clear and simple applications.
Sense of Desire to Not Test His Patience: I think this should develop in us a sense of desire to not test his patience any more than we already have. We should see his patience as a sweet offer of grace to turn and be reconciled fully to God. For those who are saved in Christ, to turn and repent of our sin so that we do not store up fatherly discipline in our lives. We must not test the limits of God’s patience.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
God’s patience is meant to lead us to repentance. It is not meant to give license to continue in sin. Today, the Lord is stretching forth his hand to you. This is one more voice added to the many others he has likely sent to you, to turn from your sin. If you be an unbeliever, to place your hope and faith in Christ before his patience wears thin. And if you be a believer, to flee from that sin that is habitually plaguing you so that God’s fatherly discipline does not come upon your life. He entreats you today Hear the patient love of God speaking to you this morning through our passage. Be reconciled unto God.
II THE DEEP CORRUPTION OF THE HUMAN HEART
The second lesson we learn from this passage is in regards to the deep corruption of the human heart. Here in our parable, these tenants, who were placed in charge of the master’s vineyard reveal the deep wickedness of their heart. When the first servant arrives to collect the Master’s fruit, they beat him. When the second servant arrives we are told they beat him and treated him shamefully. When the third arrives we are simply told they wounded him. The idea here is a progression of wicked intentions and actions. Finally, the Master sends his beloved Son and they conspire against him. The conspire to rob the man of his vineyard, by killing his heir. And they go through with it.
Most Of Us: Most of us in this room have very little understanding of the spiritual disease that we call sin. If you’ve been around Church at all in your life you have heard the word. Perhaps you have had some sense of it in your life as you’ve examined your behaviors. And you can say with every other Christian, “Yes I am a sinner. I have broken God’s law.” You do well to say such a thing. But I suppose that many who say those words have not fully understood how deep sin goes.
Total Depravity (Dead): When we read parables like these we tend to see the wickedness of of heart and actions of these tenants and think how horrible they are, and how we would never do such a thing. But the truth is, it is always easier to see someone else’s faults and someone else’s sins than it is to see our own. The Scriptures teach us about the Total Depravity of the human heart. That’s theological language. The Bible does not teach that we were sick with sin and needed a Savior in order to medicate us back to health. The Bible teaches that we “were dead in our trespasses and sins” and that we needed a Savior to resurrect us from the dead, and to give us a new heart of flesh because our old heart of stone was so depraved in every way that it could not be healed.
Minds/Hearts/Wills: Consider these tenants. Their minds were corrupted and incapable of thinking about the master's plans properly. So it is with us, before Christ changed us our minds were incapable of thinking properly about God's designs. These tenants their hearts and affections were plagued with the desire to steal the vineyard for themselves. So it was with us, we wanted to use God's good creation for our own agenda, and use others for our own ends. And their wills were corrupted as they followed through on their wicked thoughts and beat the servants and murdered the Son. And so did we, not only commit all kinds of sin, but had we been there on the day that Christ was delivered over to death, we would have been joined in with the masses rebelling against God and putting our name is to his demisemands of God.
The Gospel & The Battle: But God being rich in mercy has caused us to be born again. He gave us a new heart, a spiritual heart that for the first time is able to please God. But at that point the battle has only just begun. Because the Christian, now born again of the Spirit, recognizes they have a new heart that beats for God, that yearns for God, that delights in godliness, and yet still the old flesh with its sinful desires and corrupted attitudes continues to call us backwards into our old ways. There is a day to day moment to moment battle in the Christian experience of who will claim leadership of your heart. Though whether you win or lose that battle on any given day has nothing to do with the security of your salvation, because you are saved by Christ and Christ alone, your experience of God, your sensitivity to the Spirit, your joy in the Lord, your passion for Christ, your effectiveness in ministry, all hinge that battle.
How is that Battle Waged: Let us get very practical here. How is that battle waged in a Christian’s life. What does it look like and how do we covercome it. For the sake of time today I want to focus just on one very important application.
Battle for the Mind: First, there is a battle for your mind, what you think about and how you think about it. The Apostle writes to Christians
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Your mind can be full of all kinds of wicked thoughts throughout the day. We can entertain thoughts of anger and lust and revenge and godlessness and debauchery. And all of that is sin.
One of the great challenges we face is today as modern Christians is that the war for our minds has escalated to unthinkable levels. With 30 seconds scrolling through social media, we can fill our minds with images, ideas, foul humor, empty ideologies that stick with us. They’re like ticks that you catch when walking through the woods. You don’t realize they’re stuck on you and making you sick. But these images and ideas stick in our minds. O Christian - take control of your mind. This why Paul urges us in Philippians
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
There is a solution to a corrupt mind, to a corrupt heart, to a corrupt will. We gaze upon Christ. We can fix ourselves. No amount of extreme effort can root out the depravity of the human heart. But Christ can. The more we allow God to fix our eyes on him, his glory overwhelms our depravity. His greatness makes the sins we once loved seem so small and ridiculous. His love drowns out our rebellion. Look to Christ, and don’t stop looking. See him on the cross, where his love was poured out in infinite measure.
III THE SEVERITY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT
Third, this parable teaches us of the severity of God’s judgment. We have already seen that God is a patient God. He sent three servants, and finally he sent his beloved son. But when the master returns we are told that those who killed his son will stand in judgment before him.
Cornerstone: First, in verse 17, Psalm 118 is quoted
But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
A cornerstone is the first major stone laid in a building project. It sets the proper angles and coordinates for all other stones to be laid. Jesus was rejected, he was cast to the outside, and yet he became the cornerstone. Upon that cornerstone rests the prophets and the Apostles. And then you and I are building on all that foundation which rests ultimately on the cornerstone, Christ himself.
Judgment: Then the text says,
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Some see in that little verse two separate ideas. In the first half they read “everyone who falls on the stone” to speak abour Christians falling upon Jesus, and the idea that those people will be “broken to pieces” meaning that God undoes us and reforms us anew. While that is beautiful and true imagery, I’m not sure that’s what is getting after here. I think both halves of this verse are synonymous, they’re saying similar things in different ways. The point is simple, “If you reject Christ, who is the cornerstone” you will face judgment and accountability for your sin all on your own. The reason I think that is the sense here is because this is actually a paraphrase of a passage in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Speaking of the Messiah it reads:
And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Judgment: Christ is a stumbling block, a rock of offense. Those who stumble over him, who take offense at him, who reject him, who rebel against him, who refuse to receive him as the chief cornerstone, who neglect to build their life upon him and his word, will face his judgment. “He will crush them.” I think we do well to consider JC Ryle’s thoughts on this matter.
Expository Thoughts on Luke, Vol. 2 Luke 20:9–19: Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
We must never flatter ourselves that God cannot be angry. He is indeed a God of infinite grace and compassion. But it is also written, that He is “a consuming fire.” (
Expression of His Love: The truth is that God’s judgment and justice is a very important aspect of his divinity and of his love. I am a father of three children. And if somebody harms my child, it is not loving of me to say there should be no consequences for that action. In fact, we would say it would be unloving for me to say that justice does not need to be served. Because in effect I would be saying that my child’s rights to be safe are not valid. In the same way, God’s love demands that he execute justice. In this sense I have learned to praise God for his justice. For I know that God will settle the score. He will make all things right. And for some of you who have experienced tremendous evil at the hands of wicked men, you know personally how good that news is. That evil does not win in the end. That love triumphs. That God will deal properly and finally with sin.
Christ was Crushed: That word “crush” is a severe word. It signals to us the severity of the punishment. It signals to us that we God is not tame, that he is not laugh at our sin. And yet do not miss the hints of the gospel even in this verse. Because while indeed everyone who refused Christ in this life will be crushed by Christ in the next. It was Christ was who was crushed for us.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
At the cross we see justice executed in total love. He who knew no sin, underwent the justice you and I deserve. It was our sin that made us in a position that we were to be crushed. But God permitted Christ, to pay that penalty on our behalf. And he was crushed, so that we might live. He was pierced so that we might be whole. He was forsaken so that we might be forgiven.
Do Not Reject: Please, see God’s love for you on the cross. Do not reject this love. For if you reject this love, when it has been so freely and so wonderfully given to any and all who would receive it; if you cross your arms and rebel today and say “I have no need of you or your love”, what is left for you but to be crushed by this cornerstone. May it not be so.
IV THE TRUE IDENTITY OF CHRIST
Fourth and finally, I think this passage reveals to us the true identity of Christ. This is a theme has been developing and has developed throughtout the Gospel of Luke. We have been increasingly discovering who this Christ is, and who he claimed to be. But in our passage today we get wonderful clarity. After the three servants are sent and beaten we read,
Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’
Christ is the “Beloved Son of God.” Now we as Christians us that language, but I find that many Christians actually still to be educated on what we mean we say that Christ is the Son of God.
Many Sons of God: In the Bible, Jesus is not the only person who is identified as a Son of God. In fact we might recall that King David was referenced as a son of God. And some harsh critics of Christianity sarcastically say that there “tons of sons” intending to say that Christ is a “son of God” like many others. Well this is a very clear misunderstanding.
Christ THE Son of God: Christ is not a Son of God, He is the Son of God. This is not intended to be a description of who he is so much as it is a Title. This is title that is used of Jesus over and over again and clearly referring to his divinity.
Immaculate Conception: When Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit, through the immaculate conception,t he angel says to mary
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
This is something completely different.
You are The Son of God: Early in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus cleanses men who have demons and unclean spirits inside of them, we read
And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
Clearly, these demons recognize is not just another man.
Try to Stone: Or we could jump to the Gospel of John, where right after forgiving a man’s sins the Jewish leaders try to kill him. And when Jesus turns to them and says “Why do you seek to stone me” they respond,
The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
In this passage Christ is revealing who he is once again. He is the Son of God. The Son of God is not created. He is one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The Son of God is not inferior to God the Father in any way. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit together are one God in three person.
At the right time in human history, at just the right moment, God the Son united himself to a fully human body, a person we call Jesus. Right now, in heaven, God the Son is still perfectly united to that human life, and he will be forever. God the Son does not cease to be fully God overseeing all of his creation, and yet we experience God, and we come to God through Christ the Son.
What to Do With This: Oh Christian what do you do with this. I present to you today a Christ so much bigger than we ever dared imagine. He is the Christ the Son of God. And if you will soften your hearts today, if you will open your imagination, and your affections, this Son of God is able to ravish your soul. We spend so much of our life allowing our thoughts and affections to be stirred by such small trinkets. Every other thing we might adore is simply vanity in comparison with the radiance of his glory. None but Christ is worthy. In him is the heart of God, and therefore the heart of love.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I’ll close us today with these wonderful words from John Flavel
O that our hearts, loves and delights did meet and concentre with the heart of God in this most blessed object! O let him that left God’s bosom for you, be embosomed by you, though yours be nothing to God’s; he that left God’s bosom for you, deserves yours.
