Understanding the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46)
This passage is found in Matthew 21:33-46.
Some people actually called it the Parable of the Vine dresser because it concerns a Landlord who owns a vineyard to produce wine.
In a gist, the story goes like this:
The Landowner has planted a vineyard so that he can produce wine from the wine press.
He then lease it the tenants and went away. When it was harvest time, he send his servants to collect his share of the harvest. One after another, all his servants were harmed or killed by the tenants who refuse to give the produce. The Landowner then send his son. The tenants killed his son also so that they can keep the vineyard for themselves.
What will the Landowner do? He will kill all the tenants, and lease the vineyard to others who can give him the produce.
To understand Mt 21, you need to know that it is part of Mt 21, 22, 23, 24. It is about the last week of Jesus in Jerusalem (according to my Harper Study Bible).
The golden rule in bible understanding: Context is very important.
Mt 24 deals with the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple within THAT generation. It has nothing to do with us in the 21st Century or the future. And Mt 21 is the starting of the beginning of how God is going to destroy the temple. The destruction of Jerusalem is also called the End of the Age. The Last Days. The End Times (see my other writings).
So Mt 21 is the beginning of the End Times. It begins with the marching of Jesus on a donkey into the city of Jerusalem.
Some people called it the Olivet Discourse, because it begins from Mt 21:1 at the Mount of Olives.
Mark 11: gives a similar sequence of time of Mt 21.
Mk 11:1 Triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Mk 11:12 Jesus curses the fig tree (some say the fig tree represents Israel).
Mk 11:15 Jesus cleanses the temple at Jerusalem.
Mk 11:20 The fig tree withered and died.
Mt 21 and Mk 11 is ALL about Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple. It is not about you and me. It talks about the Inefficiency of the Old Covenant (the old system in the Temple). Besides this parable, Jesus spoke of other parables that is about the same thing = the inefficiency of the Temple and Old Covenant.
In Mt 21:28-32 In the Parable of the 2 sons, it is also about the Inefficiency of Jerusalem and its Temple. It is another illustrated parable on the inefficiency of the Old Covenant system. The 1st son were the Jews who did not do the will of the Father.
Subsequently, the other parables within Mt 21 - 24 all deals with the same thing. The inefficiency of the Old Covenant or the Temple system.
It seems like Jesus is using these parables again and again and again, so that He can at least try to reach out to some of these hard headed and hard hearted Jews. Mind you, the Pharisees (religious Jews) and scribes (educated Jews) and priests (religious leaders) KNEW that Jesus was talking about them and nobody else.
Mat 21:45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them.
Somehow, along the way, the modern day 21st Century believer thought Mt 21 - 24 is about them. Wrong bible interpretation..!!
Coming back to the Parable of the tenants, Mt 21:33-46, the STONE that the builders reject becomes the Cornerstone.
The Stone is Jesus. The Son killed by the tenants is Jesus.
Important: Jesus is predicting: They are going to kill Him.
AND the Father is going to do something about these tenants.
This is the LEAD Story leading to Mt 24 = which is the Days of Vengeance..!!
The Father is going to Finish them off..!!
The Father is going to take Vengeance against the Pharisees and priesthood, those who killed Jesus.
In Luke 21, we have the same scenario, the Days of Vengeance is for the Jewish people who killed Jesus.
TO BE CONTINUED.. (PART 2)
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