In the Parable of the Vine-Growers Jesus gives us truth regarding the depravity of man, the long suffering of God, the certainty of divine judgment and the invincibility of God’s purposes.
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The Parable of the Vine-Growers
Luke 20:9-18
Whenever I come to this text, I feel a bit nostalgic. You see, I was saved in 1979, and then in 1982 or 1983 I preached my first sermon. It was called “Watch Out For Falling Rocks”, and was based on Luke 20:18, “everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust.” Back in 1982, I was just discovering that God had called me to teach and preach His word. Well, now it has been about 34 years, and I’m still teaching the Word of God, and I have come back today to that first text that I ever preached.
In Luke chapters 20 and 21, Jesus is taking the last few days of His earthly life to teach the multitudes the Word of God. He has ridden into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, then cleansed the temple on the following day. Now, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and possibly Thursday, He is spending time among the people, teaching them the truth of God. As He teaches the common people, He is also confronted again and again by the religious leaders. In fact all of Luke chapter 20 is the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus Christ. Their first attempt to trap Him was by asking Him by what authority He was doing these things (meaning cleansing the temple and teaching the people in the temple). Jesus eluded their grasp by asking them whether the baptism of John was from heaven or men. They wouldn’t answer, because any way they responded, it would incriminate them. Jesus told them, that since they hadn’t answered Him, He would not answer them.
Now, Jesus goes on to tell a parable. It is one of only three parables that are told in all three of the synoptic gospels. The other two are the parable of the sower, and the parable of the mustard seed. Thus, we should listen up, and pay careful attention to the truths that Jesus is communicating here. In this parable He is going to tell us what the future holds, both for Himself, and for these religious leaders that were opposing Him, and trying to destroy Him. In short, Jesus tell us in this parable that these religious leaders will kill Him, but that God will destroy them. In this parable, we have 4 figures: a man, a vineyard, vine-growers, slaves, and the beloved son. In this parable the Man represents God. The Vineyard He plants represents the nation of Israel. The Vine-growers represent the religious leaders of Israel. The slaves that the man sends to receive the fruit represent the prophets. And, of course, the Beloved Son, represents the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, in this parable Jesus teaches us something about:
The Sinfulness of man
The long-suffering of God
The certainty of Judgment
The Invincibility of God’s Purposes
1. The Depravity of Man
Verse 9 says, “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.” Jesus is alluding to Isaiah 5:1-2, “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. 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.” That sounds very much like Matthew 21:33. Then in Isaiah 5:7 we learn what the vineyard represents, “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.” What is Jesus seeking to communicate? He’s describing the wonderful privileges and blessings that God gave Israel. This man chose to plant this vineyard. He also put a wall around it to protect it, and dug a wine press in it so that it would bring forth wine. He also built a tower so that those working in the vineyard could detect marauders or enemies approaching and prepare to meet them. This vineyard was given every possible advantage in being fruitful.
So too, God did the same for Israel. First, He chose Israel to be His special people. Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Then God gave them blessing upon blessing. Paul enumerates these blessings in Romans 9:4-5 when he says to the Israelites belong the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever.” God gave Israel His Word, His Law. He gave them a priesthood. He gave them sacrifices to offer for sins. He gave them His covenants, and all the glorious promises, including the promise of sending forth the Messiah to save them.
However, in Jesus’ parable, how did the vine-growers respond? In Jewish culture it was common for a wealthy man to plant a vineyard, and then rent it out to tenants who would work the land. There would be an agreed upon percentage of the crop that the owner would receive, and all the rest would be the property of the tenants. It’s exactly the same concept as sharecropping.
Well, verse 10 says, “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” Now, this would have been shocking for Jesus’ hearers. What these vine-growers did was absolutely unjust. They had entered into a contract to give the absentee landlord his percentage of the crops. For them to beat this slave and send him away with nothing was wicked! But, that’s not all. The owner kept sending more slaves, but they kept beating them and treating them shamefully and sending them away empty-handed.
I suspect that the vine-growers thought that the landlord must have been dead. Why else would he not come himself to collect his share of the crops. In their culture, if a piece of land was not claimed within three years, it became the property of those who were working the land. That’s why the vine-growers said, “This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.” When the landlord sent his beloved son, instead of treating him with respect, they killed him, hoping to gain control of the vineyard. It’s hard to imagine a more shocking and wicked group of men than these vine-growers! They are acting shamefully, ungratefully, and criminally. For them not to pay the landlord was illegal. These vine-growers had been given great privilege and opportunity. These guys are vicious and disrespectful lawbreakers.
All of this demonstrates the great sinfulness of the leaders of Israel. When God sent His prophets to rebuke them, and exhort them to repentance, and righteousness, they persecuted the prophets. God’s faithful prophets were treated shamefully by the people of Israel. Many of God’s faithful men were murdered, such as Abel and Zechariah. Hebrews 11:36-38 describes God’s righteous people, “others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword;
they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”
Then, to bring the guilt of the leaders of Israel to its highest point, when God’s beloved Son appeared, they killed Him. There can be no sin of greater guilt than the murder of the Son of God! Oh, what great blessings and advantages God gave Israel and her leaders, but how wickedly did the respond.
Brothers and sisters, we are no different today. We live in a day and age unparalleled in human history. Our forefathers could never have dreamed of a day in which Christians could have unlimited bible study helps, commentaries, videos, worship songs, and MP3 sermons, all in a small device that they carry around in their pockets! We have more leisure time than any other generation, and probably more financial resources to carry out God’s work than others. We are the most privileged people who have ever lived. We have so many resources at our disposal, it is absolutely incredible. And what are we doing with those privileges? We live in a nation where we have Bibles everywhere, where there is a church on nearly every corner, where you can turn on Christian radio programming 24 hours a day, where you can watch Christian TV any time you want, where you can go on the internet and find anything you like. Yet, the vast majority of people here in the United States could care less. They aren’t interested in spiritual things. When we go out and share the gospel, it is the rare exception to find anyone showing any interest in finding forgiveness for their sins and eternal life. They would much rather seek after worldly pleasure, gratifying the lusts of the flesh.
My friends, the parable of the vine-growers shows us what all men are like by nature. In Romans 8:7, Paul says, “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” When Paul talks about a person who is “in the flesh”, he is talking about a person who does not have the Holy Spirit. He has never been born again. What is true about him? He is hostile to God, he doesn’t submit to God, he can’t submit to God, and he can’t please God. That is God’s declaration of what is true of unsaved people! In the parable, we find the vine-growers beating and mistreating the slaves, and then killing the Son. J.C. Ryle says in his expository thoughts on the gospels, “unconverted human nature, if it had the power, would cast its Maker down from His throne.”
My friends, rather than boasting that we are “good people”, we should be mourning our neglect of God, and our selfish ways. This parable ought to cause each of us to face the truth about ourselves – we have the capacity, if God doesn’t restrain us, to murder the very Son of God when He appears on earth! We should be confessing that “nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18). The truth about our human depravity should humble us, not puff us up.
2. The Long Suffering Of God
What does this parable teach us about God. Well, the man in the parable is very different from what we would ordinarily expect, isn’t he? I mean, after he sent his slave to get the produce, and he was beaten and sent away empty-handed, what would the normal response be? He would contact the authorities, and prosecute those bums for their abuse and criminal behavior. Then he would replace them with tenants who would faithfully manage his vineyard. Yet, instead of doing that, this man sends another slave who is beaten and mistreated. Then he sends another! Every time he sends a slave, he is beaten and mistreated. Yet the man keeps sending more slaves. Jesus is showing us the character of God. He is showing us the unreasonable, illogical, super-human patience of God. When Israel sinned and turned away from God to idols, the Lord sent them a prophet. When they persecuted that prophet, God sent them another. When they persecuted him, God sent them another. Always calling Israel to repentance and righteousness. Finally, when God had exhausted every other possibility, He sent His only begotten Son, and they murdered Him.
In Exodus 34:6-7 the Lord passed by in front of Moses and said, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.” Think of that phrase, “slow to anger.” That’s an understatement if there ever was one! God is so patient with depraved, corrupt humans who sin against Him over and over, and spurn His warnings and reproofs. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” The word “patience” is translated “longsuffering” in the King James Version. It carries the meaning of “forbearance.” It is the idea of a person who is being injured or offended or sinned against, again and again, but does not lash out in anger or vengeance. That is how God is. He is slow to anger, forbearing, longsuffering, and patient. Of course, there will come a day in which His patience will run out, and He will act in justice and wrath, but in the meantime, we should admire His longsuffering character.
That’s what Paul did in 1 Timothy 1:16, when he was giving a short autobiography. “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” What a glorious attribute of God – “perfect patience”, or as the King James has it, “all longsuffering.” Romans 9:22 puts it this way, “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.” There are vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy in this world. God’s nature is that He is longsuffering. He endures, and is patient, and suffers long, and forbears, again and again and again. In fact, Paul tells us in Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” I wonder if we do think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience. I’m sure that before I came to Christ I did think lightly of God’s tolerance and patience! In fact, I don’t think I ever gave it a second thought. I was too absorbed in myself.
Because our God is patient and forbearing, that is why we are called to be patient and forbearing. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2, “I implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance for one another in love.”
I am so glad that God is long-suffering! If He wasn’t, He would have cut me off, and cast me into hell a long time ago. For 19 years, He was forbearing towards me. When I neglected Him, and ignored Him, and pursued my own desires, He suffered long and was patient toward me. He was slow to anger. Even since becoming a Christian, God has been long suffering with me! He is so patient with me. Can you say “Amen!”? Oh, how grateful I am for God’s long suffering nature! Let’s imitate Him in being long suffering towards others.
3. The Certainty of Divine Judgment
On the one hand, we have seen illustrated for us the depravity and corruption and wickedness of man, that he would treat God so ungratefully and disprespectfully, in spite of the many blessings and privileges He has given. On the other hand, we have seen illustrated for us the long suffering and patience of God toward wicked sinners. Thirdly, I would like you to see the certainty of divine judgment.
Look at verses 15-16, “What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus asks the crowd “when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” They respond, “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.” No doubt, in actual fact, there was a combination of responses from the crowd and from Jesus. The bottom line, is that though retribution might be delayed for a long period of time, it would not be delayed forever. The owner of the vineyard would bring about justice in the end.
My friends, this parable teaches us something else about our great and awesome God. Not only is He tolerant, patient, and long suffering, but He will certainly bring about justice and judgment upon His enemies in the end. Mark my words. Let there be no doubt in your minds. God will punish sin! There is an old saying, “The wheels of God’s justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.” In other words, God is not in a rush to bring about judgment. However, when He does, He will mete out justice upon all lawlessness.
I think this is a point that is not believed in America any longer. There was a time when almost everyone believed that God would punish sinners. However, we have gradually swung away from our Biblical roots, and have become a secular culture. Now it is common for people to say, “Hell is what we experience in this life.” Recently, a group of us went out to share the gospel, and a young woman talked with us for a while. She told us, “I don’t think it really matters where we go after we die.” Many show absolutely no concern or alarm for their souls. They are indifferent about death, and the strong warnings in Scripture of God’s judgment to come.
Jesus warned the people of His generation that God would judge them for murdering Him. What was He referring to? Many immediately think of the final Judgment Day in which God will receive His people into eternal glory, and cast out the unrepentant into everlasting hell. However, I think He had something else in His mind. He talks about destroying the vine-growers, and giving the vineyard to others. This can’t refer to the final judgment, because then it would be too late to give the vineyard to others. I believe Jesus is referring to 70 A.D., when God would bring judgment upon Israel, and especially her leaders. I believe that’s what He was referring to in Luke 19:42-44, when He wept over the city. That’s what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 23:37-39. God sent prophet after prophet, but Israel would not repent, but continued to go after other gods. Finally, God sent His beloved Son, but instead of worshiping and following Him, they crucified Him. Therefore, in 70 A.D., God raised up the Roman army, led by Titus to destroy the temple, and kill one million Jews. Ever since that time, the genealogical records have all been destroyed, There is no more priesthood, sacrifices, or temple. Israel was judged and destroyed as far as being God’s covenant people.
Of course, this principle holds true for all people. If we will not heed the person and message of Jesus Christ, we will be destroyed in hell forever. That was the message Peter preached in Acts 3:22-23, “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” Of course, the prophet like Moses that Peter was describing is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. My friend, if you will not heed the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will be utterly destroyed from among the people.
God’s Word is absolutely certain about the judgment to come. Let me show you a few of the warnings from God’s Word.
John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.”
Acts 10:42, “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.”
Acts 17:30-31, “God now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Romans 2:5, “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds.”
Now, my friend, do you believe the Word of God? Or is your hope built on bubbles and dreams? Jesus said that a person who heard His words and didn’t act on them was like a man whose whole house would be destroyed when the storms hit. The storm of God’s judgment will hit you one day, and the only way you will be able to stand is to heed the truth and gospel of Jesus Christ now. My friends, judgment is coming. Flee from the wrath to come! Flee to Christ! He is the ark in which you will be safe, when the storms and floods of God’s wrath burst upon this evil world. He is the city of refuge that you can flee to so that the destroyer can’t take your life. He is the Passover lamb that bore God’s wrath against your sin. Flee to Him, and find life!
4. The Invincibility of God’s Purposes
The final truth I want you to see from this parable is the invincibility of God’s purposes. In verse 17, Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22, when He said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” When Solomon built the temple in the Old Testament, the rocks were hewn and cut a great distance from the temple site. Then they were transported to the temple, where they were put in place. At one point in the building process, one great stone was delivered to the temple site, but no one knew where it should go, so they just rolled it down the hill. Afterwards they discovered that it had been especially cut to be the corner stone. Now, the corner stone was the most important stone in the whole building. It had to be cut perfectly. It had to be perfectly on the bottom, or the building will not be level. It has to be perfect on the sides so the building rises straight up. Any flaw in this stone will mean that the whole building is defected. Well, the builders cut a perfect corner stone, but then when it didn’t fit anywhere, they just cast it over the side into the Kidron Valley. Later, when they couldn’t find any stone that fit, they discovered that the stone they threw away was a perfect fit, and roll it back up the hill to be put in place.
Jesus is saying here that He is the corner stone. He is the perfect stone, that the entire building is built on. He is the foundation of the church. However, the builders rejected Him. However, did that thwart God’s plan and purpose? Absolutely not! Even though the religious rejected and crucified Christ, that only accomplished God’s plan! It brought His purposes to fruition!
Jesus is teaching us that God’s purposes are invincible. You can do whatever you want, but you will never be able to stop God from accomplishing what He has decided to do! This is what the psalmist was talking about in Psalm 2:1-6, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” When little peons, creatures of the dust, rise up and shake their fists at God, the Lord laughs at them! He thinks it’s funny. And it is! I can’t think of anything more ridiculous than a worm of the dust, rising up and shaking his fist at God, and saying, “You can’t do that!”
This is what King Nebuchadnezzar discovered in Daniel 4:35 where he wrote, “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?”
My friends, God has many sovereign purposes that no one will ever be able to stop. He has a chosen people in this world, that He has purposed to save. Nothing can stop Him from doing that. He has purposed to conform all of His people to the image of Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, He also will bring it to pass. He has purposed to perfect the work He begins in every child of God. Even you can’t stop Him from doing that! He has purposed to judge the world in righteousness. That purpose can’t be thwarted. He has purposed to destroy this earth, and create a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. That too will come to pass.
God’s purposes are invincible, because He is sovereign! He is the highest authority in the universe, and is accountable to no one. The smart thing is to fall in line with His purposes. Bow the knee to Him. Turn from sin and trust His Son!
Conclusion
My friends, this parable teaches us four extremely important truths:
- Mankind is depraved and corrupt.
- God is patient and long suffering
- Judgment is Certain
- God’s Purposes are Invincible.
Won’t you seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Is. 55:6-7). Won’t you kiss the Son that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Ps.2:12).
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