Untitled Sermon (2)

Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament Isaiah 5—The Vineyard of Yahweh

NT Connection: Jesus and the Vineyard

Shortly before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus enters the temple in Jerusalem and begins teaching. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders challenge his authority. Jesus then tells a parable about a vineyard and the vineyard’s tenants (Matt. 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19). Jesus clearly builds this parable on Isaiah 5, modifying it to fit even more specifically the situation he is facing. Read the account in Mark 12:1–12. How does Jesus’ parable differ from the one in Isaiah 5? How is it similar? Why do the leaders in the temple think that Jesus is speaking against them? How does this relate to Isaiah 3:14?

  Let me sing now for my well-beloved

A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.

My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.

2 He dug it all around, removed its stones,

And planted it with the choicest vine.

And He built a tower in the middle of it

And also hewed out a wine vat in it;

Then He expected it to produce good grapes,

But it produced only worthless ones.

3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,

Judge between Me and My vineyard.

4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?

Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?

5 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:

I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed;

I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground.

6 “I will lay it waste;

It will not be pruned or hoed,

But briars and thorns will come up.

I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.”

7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel

And the men of Judah His delightful plant.

Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;

For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.1

1 New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Is 5:1–7.

Theme: rejection of the Messiah by the religious leaders

Jesus’ parable of the vineyard (Matt 21:33-46 and Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19) is based on Isaiah 5

Jesus is the speaker.

Audience -- the chief priests and the elders of the people1

Situation -- Jesus is answering the religious leaders’ question about Jesus’ authority, which they asked him while he was teaching in the temple.

1 New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 21:23.