Throughout His approximate 3 ½ year ministry Jesus told many parables. Some were longer, telling a whole story, and others were much smaller, giving His point in only a few sentences. Most of the common people listened to Jesus and His teachings gladly, but some people, the Pharisees and other religious leaders in particular, got angry at Jesus’ parables and teachings because He often called them out for their hypocrisy. In today’s Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew, we have one of the last few parables that Jesus told, one that particularly angered the Jewish religious leaders. Let’s look at this particular parable of the wicked vinedressers.
Most of the Scripture readings from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer for this week have focused on vineyards, God’s vineyards. Today’s parable is also about a vineyard. As Jesus begins this parable, we read about a landowner who planted a vineyard. Just like the parable told by Isaiah that we read earlier in the week, the landowner, the One who planted the vineyard, is the Lord God, and the vineyard is the nation of Israel (vs. 33). The Lord, vineyard owner, took great care when He developed the vineyard, just as He does with everything. The vinedressers, the workers who the owner leased the vineyard to, are the religious leaders. The religious leaders were assigned by the Lord for the task of caring spiritually for the people of Israel.
When it was time for the harvest, the vineyard owner sent servants to the vinedressers to receive the fruits. The servants represent the prophets that the Lord had sent to the nation over the years. However, the vinedressers attacked these servants, wounding them, even killing some (vs. 34-36). As Jesus was telling this parable, He was referring to the treatment that many of the prophets of the Lord received at the hands of the religious leaders. Many were treated violently, including even martyrdom.
After hearing what had happened to all of the servants that he sent, the landowner decided to send his son, thinking that the workers would respect him. However, that was not the case. The vineyard workers conspired together and put the son to death (vs 37-39). Naturally, since the vineyard owner is God, the son and heir is the Lord Jesus Christ, who the chief priests, including the High Priest, had put to death.
Here Jesus paused in the parable, and asked His audience what the owner of the vineyard would do? Should he be conciliatory to the workers, be understanding, and try to placate them? Or should he come into his vineyard, punish them, and cast them out? They answered Jesus by saying that the owner should destroy the wicked vinedressers and lease the vineyard to other workers who will treat him and the vineyard better (vs. 40-41).
The reason that the Pharisees and other religious leaders in the audience were so angry after hearing this parable was that they knew that it was spoken of with them and the nation of Israel in mind. The kingdom and spiritual advantages were to be taken from the nation of Israel and given to other vinedressers, symbolizing the Church, which is composed mainly of Gentiles. Ignoring God’s gracious gift of His Son is rejecting God Himself!
Jesus continued speaking and teaching His audience by giving reference to Psalm 118:22-23, which refers to Himself. Jesus is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to unbelievers (Isaiah 8:14). He is the stone which the religious leaders and people rejected when they crucified Him. At the resurrection He became the Chief Cornerstone.
Jesus, the Stone, affects people differently, depending on how we relate to Him. We can build our life on Him, or we can trip on Him. Jesus is the building block or the crushing stone. He offers mercy and forgiveness to those who build on Him. Jesus will also bring judgment later to those who reject Him. Those who oppose Jesus will be destroyed when He returns.
Everything hinges on Jesus. He is the plan of God. What is your response to Him? Do you accept Jesus as the Cornerstone in your life? Or do you reject Him, as the wicked vineyard workers did, as the Pharisees did? Turn to Jesus now, as He alone, is the Chief Cornerstone!
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