STEWARDSHIP: THE WICKED TENANT FARMERS
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Stewardship
a) The parables of the Talents, the Wicked Tenant Farmers, and the Unrighteous Steward, are collected together because they picture people who were given stewardship. A steward was a trusted bond slave or hired manager put in charge of a business, property, or estate. The steward was expected to make profits and capital gains for his master.
b) The three parables teach us about the importance of obedience to God.
c) We also observe in these parables the mercy and severity of God. In the parable of the wicked tenant farmers there is an allusion to the crucifixion of Christ (Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 16:1-13).
2. The Wicked Tenant Farmers
Matthew 21:33-46
“33 Hear another parable [said Jesus]. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard. He fenced around it, dug a wine-press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
34 When the season for fruit drew near, The master sent his slaves to the tenants in order to get his fruit. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves. One they beat, one they killed, and the other they stoned. 36 The master sent other slaves, more than he'd sent the first time. But the tenants did the same to these.
37 Finally the master sent his son to them instead. 'They will respect my son', he said. 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and murdered him.
40"So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Jesus asked. 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken. The one on whom the stone falls will be crushed to powder."
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the parables of Jesus, they could see that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to seize him, they feared the crowds, because the crowds held Jesus to be a prophet.”
a) Matthew 21:33-34 describes a man who invests money in developing an acreage for use as a vineyard. He does all the planting and building, then rents the vineyard to vine-dressers. The rent is to be paid in product which he will then value-add and market. He sends representatives to receive this rent.
b) The owner-investor is God, and the vineyard is his kingdom. In this parable, there is an historic view of the kingdom looking back at the earthly Israel and Judah. The representatives coming to collect product as rent stand for the prophets of old. The rent that was to be paid represents faith, obedience, and fruitfulness in God's kingdom. It is interesting that the rent was not in money, but in kind. Perhaps this alludes to the fact that we have nothing to pay to God to give us the right to enter into his kingdom, so he lets us in by grace, on the basis that we will yield the fruits of righteousness in due time.
c) Matthew 21:35-36 describes how the representatives were murdered and abused, which is just how the prophets were mistreated.
d) The repetition of sending more representatives, stands for God's long-suffering in times past, and his repeated attempts to get people to respect and obey him. The repetition of the representatives being abused and murdered, illustrates the repeated disobedience, and rejection of God, by the people of old.
e) Matthew 21:38-39 describes the vineyard owner sending his son, whom he hoped they would respect more than his servants. But they wanted to kill even his son, and did so.
f) The son in the parable stands for Christ, and the killing of the son illustrates the crucifixion of Christ.
g) Matthew 21:40-41 describes the wrath of the vineyard owner. He brings his tenants to misery and ruin, and leases the vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the due fruits in their season.
h) That illustrates the wrath of God, and shows that his grace is conditional. Those who are allowed to be in his kingdom are those who faithfully render to God the fruits of righteousness. It does not matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, king or slave, black or white, male or female. If you reject God, he rejects you. If you yield to God, and render fruit to him in due season, he accepts you into his kingdom and will never cast you out. You will be allowed to remain in his kingdom for ever and ever.
i) Matthew 21:42-46 gives Jesus's own interpretation of the parable, and in this case he made things so clear that the chief priests and the Pharisees perceived that he was speaking of them and their ilk.
j) A mini-parable Jesus also uses a mini-parable of a large stone (verses 42 and 44). If you fall down on a large rock, it may break your skin or bone. If it falls down on you, it may crush and kill you. This represents our relationship to God. If we fall upon his grace, it makes our spirit broken and contrite, we become humble and repentant (Psalm 51). However if we reject God's grace, his wrath will fall upon us, and crush us to death for ever and ever.
The End ...
1. Stewardshipa) The parables of the Talents, the Wicked Tenant Farmers, and the Unrighteous Steward, are collected together because they picture people who were given stewardship. A steward was a trusted bond slave or hired manager put in charge of a business, property, or estate. The steward was expected to make profits and capital gains for his master.
b) The three parables teach us about the importance of obedience to God.
c) We also observe in these parables the mercy and severity of God. In the parable of the wicked tenant farmers there is an allusion to the crucifixion of Christ (Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 16:1-13).
2. The Wicked Tenant Farmers
Matthew 21:33-46
“33 Hear another parable [said Jesus]. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard. He fenced around it, dug a wine-press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
34 When the season for fruit drew near, The master sent his slaves to the tenants in order to get his fruit. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves. One they beat, one they killed, and the other they stoned. 36 The master sent other slaves, more than he'd sent the first time. But the tenants did the same to these.
37 Finally the master sent his son to them instead. 'They will respect my son', he said. 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and murdered him.
40"So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Jesus asked. 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken. The one on whom the stone falls will be crushed to powder."
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the parables of Jesus, they could see that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to seize him, they feared the crowds, because the crowds held Jesus to be a prophet.”
a) Matthew 21:33-34 describes a man who invests money in developing an acreage for use as a vineyard. He does all the planting and building, then rents the vineyard to vine-dressers. The rent is to be paid in product which he will then value-add and market. He sends representatives to receive this rent.
b) The owner-investor is God, and the vineyard is his kingdom. In this parable, there is an historic view of the kingdom looking back at the earthly Israel and Judah. The representatives coming to collect product as rent stand for the prophets of old. The rent that was to be paid represents faith, obedience, and fruitfulness in God's kingdom. It is interesting that the rent was not in money, but in kind. Perhaps this alludes to the fact that we have nothing to pay to God to give us the right to enter into his kingdom, so he lets us in by grace, on the basis that we will yield the fruits of righteousness in due time.
c) Matthew 21:35-36 describes how the representatives were murdered and abused, which is just how the prophets were mistreated.
d) The repetition of sending more representatives, stands for God's long-suffering in times past, and his repeated attempts to get people to respect and obey him. The repetition of the representatives being abused and murdered, illustrates the repeated disobedience, and rejection of God, by the people of old.
e) Matthew 21:38-39 describes the vineyard owner sending his son, whom he hoped they would respect more than his servants. But they wanted to kill even his son, and did so.
f) The son in the parable stands for Christ, and the killing of the son illustrates the crucifixion of Christ.
g) Matthew 21:40-41 describes the wrath of the vineyard owner. He brings his tenants to misery and ruin, and leases the vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the due fruits in their season.
h) That illustrates the wrath of God, and shows that his grace is conditional. Those who are allowed to be in his kingdom are those who faithfully render to God the fruits of righteousness. It does not matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, king or slave, black or white, male or female. If you reject God, he rejects you. If you yield to God, and render fruit to him in due season, he accepts you into his kingdom and will never cast you out. You will be allowed to remain in his kingdom for ever and ever.
i) Matthew 21:42-46 gives Jesus's own interpretation of the parable, and in this case he made things so clear that the chief priests and the Pharisees perceived that he was speaking of them and their ilk.
j) A mini-parable Jesus also uses a mini-parable of a large stone (verses 42 and 44). If you fall down on a large rock, it may break your skin or bone. If it falls down on you, it may crush and kill you. This represents our relationship to God. If we fall upon his grace, it makes our spirit broken and contrite, we become humble and repentant (Psalm 51). However if we reject God's grace, his wrath will fall upon us, and crush us to death for ever and ever.
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