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| #Post#: 18-------------------------------------------------- | |
| parable of tenants | |
| By: alphaomega Date: July 8, 2012, 4:33 pm | |
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| The Parable of the Tenants | |
| Introduction: | |
| The definition of the word �parable� is to �lay next to or | |
| compare�. | |
| A parable is a story with a hidden message that only | |
| �spiritually opened� ears can hear. The parables are word | |
| pictures into what God is trying to teach us. | |
| The parables of Jesus are one of the times Jesus teaches lessons | |
| for future generations. These parables need to be meditated on | |
| and | |
| closely studied. Parables have a �layered� meaning, for example | |
| the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story is one of going | |
| astray | |
| and coming back. It seems to be the story of an actual son, with | |
| an older brother, and his father�like in any family. | |
| We have all read this before and it has given much comfort and | |
| hope to the families that have had a child gone astray. We must | |
| realize that the parables have layers...there is a surface layer | |
| and a deeper layer. For example, the surface layer would be | |
| relating to children going astray within your own family and the | |
| deeper meaning is what we are going to present to you in the | |
| following papers. | |
| Remember what the disciples asked Jesus: (Matthew 13:10-17) | |
| The Purpose of Parables | |
| 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, �Why do You speak to | |
| them in parables?� | |
| 11 He answered and said to them, �Because it has been given to | |
| you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to | |
| them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more | |
| will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does | |
| not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. | |
| 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they | |
| do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they | |
| understand. | |
| 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: | |
| �Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, | |
| And seeing you will see and not perceive; | |
| 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. | |
| Their ears are hard of hearing, | |
| And their eyes they have closed, | |
| Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their | |
| ears, | |
| Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, | |
| So that I should heal them.� But blessed are your eyes for | |
| they see, and your ears for they | |
| hear; | |
| 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous | |
| men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to | |
| hear what you hear, and did not hear it. | |
| The Lesson: Matthew 21:33-41 (NIV) The Parable | |
| of the Tenants | |
| 33"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted | |
| a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and | |
| built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers | |
| and went away on a journey. 34When the harvest time approached, | |
| he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. | |
| 35"The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed | |
| another, | |
| and stoned a third. 36Then he sent other servants to them, more | |
| than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. | |
| 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my | |
| son,' | |
| he said. 38"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each | |
| other, | |
| 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his | |
| inheritance.' | |
| 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed | |
| him. | |
| 40"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he | |
| do to those tenants?" 41"He will bring those wretches to a | |
| wretched | |
| end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other | |
| tenants, | |
| who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." | |
| The Lesson | |
| Scripture in BLACK, Comments in BLUE33 Listen to another | |
| parable: | |
| A) There was a landowner | |
| The landowner is God. | |
| B) who planted a vineyard | |
| The vineyard is the Jews because God established a covenant | |
| with them, | |
| C) He put a wall around it, | |
| and God protected it, | |
| D) dug a winepress in it | |
| and God gave the Jews His Word, | |
| E) and built a watchtower | |
| and God gave them priests. | |
| F) The he rented the vineyard | |
| God allowed the Jews to rent His land. By using the word | |
| "rent" God as owner of the vineyard is establishing due | |
| diligence. | |
| The Mishnah allows people to "establish title to a vineyard if | |
| they could show that they had undisputed possession of it for | |
| three years" (Mishnah, B. Bat. 3:1). God, as the owner of the | |
| vineyard is establishing His ownership by collecting rent... | |
| rent being the fruit of His people, the Jews. | |
| G) to some farmers | |
| God rented the vineyard to the priests, | |
| H) and went away on a journey | |
| God left it in their care for a while and will come back to | |
| collect the rent. | |
| I) 34 When the harvest time approached, | |
| Rent is due and payment is made by the fuits of His people, and | |
| God is expected to be paid as agreed... | |
| J) he sent his servants | |
| the servants are the prophets, | |
| K) to the tenants to collect his fruit | |
| God made a covenant, and the Jews agreed to it by agreeing to | |
| follow God's ways...God wants to collect the Good Fruit that has | |
| materialized from His people following His ways. The prophets | |
| are God's collectors and channels for Him to speak through... | |
| L) 35 "The tenants seized his servants; | |
| The priests seized the prophets, | |
| M) they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third | |
| they silenced those prophets who warned them of rent being due | |
| and that their fruit was not worthy. | |
| N) 36 Then he sent other servants to them, | |
| God kept sending them more and more prophets, and we have plenty | |
| of them in the Torah / Old Testament.. | |
| O) more than the first time, | |
| more prophets, more warnings, showing patience for His people... | |
| P) and the tenants treated them the same way | |
| the Jews beat, persecuted, stoned, and killed the prophets. | |
| Q) 37 Last of all, | |
| And now... | |
| R) he sent his son to them | |
| God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, | |
| S) 'They will respect my son,' he said. | |
| My Son, the Creator, is expected as prophesized by my servants | |
| who are the prophets...Jesus is the promised Messiah. | |
| T) 38 "But when the tenants saw the son, | |
| When the Jews saw Jesus, | |
| U) they said to each other, | |
| the Jews gossiped among each other, priest to priest, | |
| Rabbi to Rabbi, Jew to Jew. | |
| V) 'This is the heir | |
| They said; "This Jesus claims to be the Son of God, | |
| W) Come, let's kill him | |
| Crucify Him!" | |
| X) and take his inheritance | |
| We want the vineyard for our own and we (the Jewish leaders) | |
| will | |
| bring the people back into our control! | |
| Y) 39 So they took him | |
| They took Jesus into custody and had Him arrested, | |
| Z) and threw him out of the vineyard | |
| they dragged Him off the streets and threw Him out of Jerusalem, | |
| A1) and killed him. | |
| they crucified Jesus. | |
| B2) 40 "Therefore, | |
| "Jews, after you did this... | |
| C3) when the owner | |
| The risen Jesus, | |
| D4) of the vineyard | |
| Creator of the world | |
| E5) comes, | |
| comes back (the Second Coming), | |
| F6) what will he do to those tenants?" | |
| those who didn't follow Jesus, | |
| G7) 41 "He will bring those wretches | |
| and those who persecuted His people... | |
| (His people are everyone in the world who follow Him) | |
| H8) to a wretched end," | |
| are tossed into the fire. | |
| I9) they replied, | |
| The chief priests and elders pronounce judgement on themselves, | |
| and they knew their time was done when the temple fell in 70 AD. | |
| J10) "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, | |
| Jesus will bring others into His vineyard as TENANTS. These | |
| "other" people now include Gentiles and heathen who follow | |
| Jesus, | |
| AND | |
| K11) who will give him | |
| bring forth other believers (faith"ers")... | |
| L12) his share of the crop | |
| into the Kingdom of God, | |
| M13) at harvest time." | |
| at the end of the Millenium. | |
| FINAL NOTE: | |
| God has taken the vineyard from those who were not worthy (the | |
| Jews) | |
| and has given it to those who are the faith"ers" in Jesus who | |
| comprise the Body fo Christ, and who ARE the Church. The | |
| judgement | |
| pronounced on the original tenants, who were the Jews, serves as | |
| a | |
| warning to the new tenants. The "others" who are the new | |
| tenants | |
| of the vineyard, include the body of believers who are the | |
| faith"ers" in Jesus and include Gentiles and heathen. | |
| They are accountable to the owner as tenants. | |
| The "other" new tenants are now in charge of producing the | |
| fruits | |
| of the kingdom being made worthy by faith in the Son of God. | |
| There is no worthy fruit possible without the direction and | |
| leadership of the Creator who is the Son of God. | |
| The new tenants (and Christians are tenants, not owners) are to | |
| bear fruit through righteous living coming forth by faith in the | |
| Son of God or the vineyard may again be transferred, OR | |
| abandoned, | |
| OR burned! | |
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