A. So far in our study of parables, we have seen that Christ taught parables to men with hard hearts and stubborn heads "because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matt. 13:13).

B. However, when Jesus taught the parable of the vineyard owner, such men saw, heard, and understood His message despite their hard hearts and stubborn heads. This demonstrates another purpose for Christ teaching in parables, which was to reveal truth that would not be perceived otherwise.

C. The parable of the vineyard owner is found in three of the gospel accounts: Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19. We will focus mainly on Matthew's account.

II. A PARABLE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

A. Before we consider a parable of Jesus in this lesson, let us notice an Old Testament parable given by the prophet Nathan to King David in 2Samuel 12:1-4.

1. Recall the circumstances under which Nathan gave this parable.

a. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. When Bathsheba told David she would have a child, he attempted to cover up his sin and eventually arranged for the death of Uriah so that he could marry Bathsheba.

b. At last, the child was born, and it appeared that David had succeeded in hiding his sinful deeds. However, all of this "was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2Sam. 11:27).

2. Nathan's parable described a despicable act of theft by a rich man committed against a poor man. It was an unmistakable story of a man's selfish crime against another man who was innocent.

3. Of course, this parable was symbolic of David's sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah.

B. We are considering this parable to notice its purpose and effect, which was to cause David to impartially admit the truth about himself without realizing what he was confessing.

1. David immediately pronounced judgment against the rich man in the parable, saying, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion” (2Sam. 12:5-6).

2. Nathan turned David's own judgment back onto him, saying, "You are the man!” (2Sam. 12:7). Indeed, David had correctly condemned himself without realizing what he was saying.

3. David had been blind to his own guilt in his sin with Bathsheba. Nathan's parable allowed him to clearly see his situation in truth without bias and selfishness.

4. Christ's parable of the vineyard owner had the same purpose as Nathan's parable had, but the results were quite different. David understood his guilt, repented of his sin, and was forgiven, but when Christ's hearers understood their guilt, they were moved to anger against Jesus as we will see.

III. THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

A. Notice the occasion that prompted Jesus to teach this parable to the chief priests and elders.

1. On a day during the week leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus was in the temple when the chief priests and elders questioned Him about His authority (Matt. 21:23).

2. Although Jesus did not answer their question, He did give them the answers that they needed to hear in the form of three parables.

a. The first parable described two sons (Matt. 21:28-32).

i. One son told his father that he would work in his vineyard, but he did not.

ii. The other son told his father that he would not work in his vineyard, but he later regretted his words and did the work.

iii. When Jesus asked his hearers which had done the father's will, they correctly said, "The latter.” As Nathan had done to David, Jesus had led the chief priests and elders to admit the truth about themselves, for they had claimed to follow God but rejected God's messenger John. They had also admitted that the tax-gatherers and harlots, who received John, were closer to the kingdom of God than they were.

b. The second parable was the parable of the vineyard owner, which we will consider carefully in the final part of this lesson.

c. The third parable was the parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14). We will study this parable in another lesson, but for now notice that it taught a similar message as the other two parables by which Christ replied to those who rejected His authority.

B. Consider the elements of the parable of the vineyard owner and how Jesus allowed the chief priests and elders to give the ending and lesson of the parable. See Matthew 21:33-41.

1. The parable describes a vineyard owner, the vine-growers who rented the vineyard, and their abusive response to those whom the vineyard owner sent to receive his produce at harvest.

2. It is evident that the elements of this parable represent God, the leaders of the Jews, and their response to the prophets of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

a. Just as the vine-growers abused the owner's slaves and son, so also the leaders of the Jews had abused the prophets of God and His own Son. Notice what Stephen later said to such men in Acts 7:51-53:

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

b. Consider the motivation of the wicked vine-growers. In verse 38, they said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.” Likewise, the leaders of the Jews were envious of Christ and sought to steal what was rightfully His, which was authority in the kingdom (Matt. 27:18; Mark 15:10).

3. When Jesus asked what the vineyard owner would do to the vine-growers, the chief priests and elders answered correctly and unknowingly condemned themselves. They said, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons” (v. 41).

C. Unlike David, the chief priests and elders rejected their own judgment and were provoked to anger. See Matthew 21:42-46.

1. Jesus gave them the connection between the parable and themselves when He quoted Psalm 118:22 and applied it to them.

a. Jesus showed that they were the vine-growers who had rejected the son of the vineyard owner and the builders who had rejected the chief corner stone. They had done this when they rejected Jesus.

b. The result of their rejection is given in verse 43 – "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.”

2. At this point, the Jewish leaders understood that the parable was about them. As when David heard Nathan's parable, they had drawn the obvious conclusion and inadvertently condemned themselves.

3. They had an opportunity to repent and be forgiven like David. Instead, they sought to seize Jesus, but they did not for fear of the multitudes who held Jesus to be a prophet.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. Let us take two main lessons from this parable.

1. The primary lesson of the parable is that those who reject the Son of God forfeit the kingdom. This had its foremost application to the leaders of the Jews, but it applies to any who would reject the authority of Jesus today.

2. A secondary lesson for us has to do with the effect of bias and guilt on our ability to perceive truth about ourselves. For this reason, alternative methods of teaching, such as parables, can be helpful for communicating truth objectively.

B. Certainly, it is necessary for all men to understand that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth by virtue of His Father's choice (Matt. 28:18). Sometimes men are too blinded by sin, guilt, selfishness, or other worldly things to see this essential truth, so the parables of Jesus may help to open their eyes.