Is There Good News From the Vineyard?

He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!” Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Difference Between other parables and this one

They all knew what Jesus was talking about

Isaiah 5:1–7 NIV

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” 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.

Background:

Religious Leaders saw God’s kingdom as their own

They would do anything to keep it that way!

They beat prophets who proclaimed the coming Son

They even killed God’s Son, the Messiah!

They made extra rules and regulations to keep things the same for their benefit - not God’s

So where is the Good News in this parable?

There’s sin of seeing the kingdom/vineyard as their own

Beatings to the servants/the prophets

Death of the Owner’s Son

Death of the tenants

breaking into pieces of anyone who falls on the stone

Crushing by the falling of the stone

Where is the Good News!?

PAUSE

It’s baked into the text - and it is really really good news!

All the servants being sent mean that God is patient

That is good news

The sending of the Son

That is good news as it means gift of the kingdom to others

Restoration of the broken pieces rather than crushing

That is good news

PAUSE

God is patient (10-12)

Look how many times God waited before sending His Son

God was patient with Israel and the leaders and tried to turn them from the mine mine mine view of the Kingdom to a His His His kingdom.

What’s worse is God didn’t ask for everything but “SOME” of the fruit of the kingdom.

PAUSE

How many times do we view God’s kingdom as ours?

How many times do we try to protect what we think is ours by doing the opposite of what Jesus calls us to — which is to love all and give all of yourself to him?

The problem is we want to be in control of everything.

The Jewish leaders wanted all control as tenants.

We are no different we want to be in control

Whether that’s in our earnings

our marriages

our children

our material posessions

our programs and relationships at church

and church itself

We want to be in control of what goes on here at Faith!

The building — how much it will cost — whether we have enough people here

whether the sermon is good enough

or the music is good enough

worship in general is good enough

or what is going on everyday in the life of the church

WE WANT TO BE IN CONTROL!

I want to be owner of a good sermon

owner of a powerful song

owner of the building or future building

owner of just about anything I am a part of in the life of my kingdom!

Problem is IT IS GOD’S KINGDOM NOT MINE.

when we pray the Lord’s Prayer it is THY Kingdom come not MY Kingdom!

it’s not Nick’s kingdom

Roger’s kingdom

Colleen’s kingdom

Alisha’s kingdom

Brian’s kingdom

And I can go down the names of everyone here!

But yet we see it as mine!

That is why it is good news that God is patient with us.

He sends servants through His Word to guide us back to Him as owner

He sends the H.S. to guide us in the kingdom that we are tenants of

For the sole purpose of His Glory and not mine.

For the purpose of His kingdom expanding to all people and His salvation given by Him to all who hear His words, and believe in what His words reveal about His crucified Son Jesus.

We are not owners — we are tenants — It is not my church (not your church) and I cannot save anyone (you cannot save anyone)

But the patient owner — God himself can — and did, still does!

His patience led to the sending of His Son (the true King and rightful heir)

God Sent Son (13-16)

What shall I do? God says

I will send my son, whom I love (we’ve heard this before)

Perhaps they will respect Him

Perhaps they will hear His words, believe in Him and follow Him

Perhaps they will let Him be landlord of the kingdom

But no, when the tenants saw the son coming they panicked!

my kingdom is at stake — He is coming to take over!

And not only that the kingdom will be given to “others”

GOD FORBID!

PAUSE

We do that too!

We resist @ times when God’s kingdom is given to others

They don’t deserve to be a part of this after what they have done to me (my kingdom)

Or maybe this way:

I like the way my life is right now — God Forbid Jesus coming and messing that all up for me.

That’s not good news.

But the good news is in the sending of the Son and the gift to others

We are the others — we have been given residency in God’s kingdom as outsiders

Because (and this is Great News) God - the owner - sent His Son Jesus.

This makes Jesus the cornerstone! the builders - the tenants before - rejected the cornerstone

By sending His Son, by His Son’s death and resurrection - we have been given the kingdom

Through the stone we fall as prideful tenants where we are broken — and that is good news!

Restoration from the Stone (18)

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces

This is good news!

Why?

Falling on Jesus (at the foot of the cross) breaks us to pieces

Breaks us from the me me me ownership of the kingdom

and it allows us to be put back together by the only one who can

We are restored as tenants of the kingdom in Christ!

We who fall on him are glued back together and held together by the Holy Spirit.

When we fall on him we give up the ownership we still and give it back to God.

And He restores us as tenants.

God is patient and knows we will need to fall on the foot of the cross and be broken and put back together again.

But we are raised in Christ to new life.

Living as faithful tenants in God’s kingdom on earth. Awaiting Christ’s return to establish His reign of the new heaven and earth forever.

Where there is no more tenants but co heirs in the kingdom.

Those who are not broken (who do not fall on the stone) are crushed by the stone

Anyone on whom the stone falls will be crushed!

When Jesus returns (which is good news) those who are not living as tenants are crushed.

But those who fall upon Jesus are restored.

Conclusion

There is bad news in this parable but it is outweighed by the good news that is in this parable.

God is owner

God is patient

God Sent His Son

God restores

All for His Glory and His kingdom

Through Jesus we not only have the gift to be tenants, but we have a way back to the true owner.

Where we fall upon the stone (Jesus), break into pieces, and be restored through Christ as he puts us back together through Him for the Glory and Kingdom of the Owner. God Almighty.

As Paul says in Philippians:

Philippians 3:8–14 NIV

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.