The Parable of the Vineyard

In this Sunday school lesson we’ll study the question the chief priests, scribes, and elders asked Jesus and the Parable of the Vineyard.

Question of Authority, v.1-8

On Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, after Jesus cast out the thieves from the temple on Saturday, he taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel.  While there, the chief priests, scribes, and elders approached him with this question, “By what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority”?  All ears were on what he would say.

Jesus answered them with a question, “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men”?  Before answering, the religious leaders reasoned with themselves.  This is very revealing.  They weren’t planning to answer according to their own beliefs. They were weighing their answer and considering their audience.

They reasoned that if they answered “From heaven”, then Jesus would ask them “Why then believed ye him not?”  And if they answered “Of men”, then “all the people will stone us”.

Remember that the people gathered to hear him that day had just welcomed him to town as their king and Messiah.  These are the people who believed John was a prophet.  He was teaching and preaching to those who wanted to hear him.  Matt 21:26 they feared the people.

So, they answered that they could not tell whence it was.  The answer was not impossible.  It was not politically expedient.  We will not answer is what they really meant.  Therefore, Jesus said, “Neither tell I you…”.  He didn’t say he couldn’t answer; he said he wouldn’t.  You’ll never out smart the Lord with your questions.

Parable of the Vineyard, v.9-18

In this parable, these are the connections:

• A certain man is God.
• Planted a vineyard is Israel, Is 5:1-7.
• Let it forth is to lease it. Remember Roger Miller’s song, “King of the Road”.  The vineyard is still the owner’s.  Thus, the farmers are able to keep their part of the fruit and the owner gets his share of the fruit as payment for the lease.
• The husbandmen are the chief priests, scribes, and elders.
• The far country is heaven.
• The servant is the one sent to receive the owner’s share of the fruit. They beat him and sent him away empty.  And beat the second one and shamefully intreated him and sent him away empty.  The third was wounded and cast out.  These incidents relate to prophets, i.e., 2 Chr 24:19-21, Jer 26:20-23.
• The beloved son is Jesus, Matt 3:17.  They may reverence him when they see him.  This is the heir, Heb 1:2.

The husbandmen reasoned among themselves.  Let us kill him (that’s exactly what they were planning to do), that the inheritance may be ours.  See Jn 11:47-48.  They were trying to hold on to “their” place and nation.

They cast him out of the vineyard.  Heb 13:12, Jesus was crucified “without the gate”.  They killed him. In Acts 2:36, Peter said to the Jews of Jesus, “whom ye crucified”.

“What shall he do unto them”?  In Matt 21:41 they answer him, “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons”.  Jesus agreed Lk 20:16.

They replied, “God forbid”.  Not that they disagreed with destroying the husbandmen.  Instead they were saying God forbid that the husbandmen would beat the servants and kill the son.  The truth is they were going to do what their fathers had done before, Matt 23:29-32.

In Matt 21:43 Jesus said that he would give the kingdom of God to another nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.  In 1 Pet 2:9 we are “an holy nation”.  And the fruit now is from the kingdom of God (not just Israel).

Then Jesus quoted Ps 118:22, “The stone which the builders rejected the same is become the head of the corner”.  They couldn’t change the outcome of this prophecy even by killing Jesus.  He is the chief cornerstone, 1 Pet 2:6-7.

Jesus said that whoever would fall on that stone shall be broken.  This is the stumbling stone of Is 8:13-15.  And he said “On whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”.  This is the stone of Dan 2:34-35.  The religious leaders would know from their study that both of these references are to the Lord.

The Chief priests and scribes’ reaction, v.19

The same hour they thought to lay hands on him.  But “they feared the people”. This is the problem with religious leaders and politicians.  They perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.  And they were right!!  They were less than three days away from hollering “Crucify him”.  Prov 11:21 “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished”.

To study the prior lesson, click on Triumphal Entry.