Your ShelfYour Projects

LESSON I.—SABBATH, OCTOBER 6, 1894

20%

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 24, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 46.

Read the full edition

LESSON I.—SABBATH, OCTOBER 6, 1894.

THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD.

Lesson Scripture, Luke 20: 1-26. 1. AND it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders; 2. And they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? 3. And he answered and said unto them, I also will ask you a question; and tell me: 4. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? 5. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him? 6. But if we shall say, From men; all the people will stone us; for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 7. And they answered, that they knew not whence it was. 8. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 9. And he began to speak unto the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country for a long time. 10. And at the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11. And he sent yet another servant; and him also they beat, and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12. And he sent yet a third; and him also they wounded, and cast him forth. 13. And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him. 14. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, This is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15. And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16. He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17. But he looked upon them, and said, What then is this that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner? 18. Everyone that falleth on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. 19. And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the people; for they perceived that he spake this parable against them. 20. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which feigned themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. 21. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of any, but of a truth teachest the way of God; 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? 23. But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Show me a penny. 24. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Cæsar's. 25. And he said unto them, Then render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. 26. And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people; and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace. This lesson is naturally divided into three portions, namely: Christ's Answer to Those Who Demanded to Know by What Authority He Worked; The Parable of the Vineyard; and Paying Tribute to Cæsar.
  1. Who came upon Jesus as he taught in the temple one day?
  2. What did they say to him?
  3. What did Jesus reply?
  4. How did they reason among themselves over his question?
  5. Why did they not dare say that John's baptism was from heaven?
  6. Why did they not dare say it was from man?
  7. What answer did they finally give?
  8. Then what did Jesus say to their questions?
  9. What did he then begin to speak to the people?
  10. See how accurately you can relate the parable?
  11. What did the husbandmen do to the servants whom the man sent?
  12. Whom did the owner of the vineyard finally send?
  13. In sending him, what did he say?
  14. How was the son treated?
  15. What was said that the lord of the vineyard should do to the husbandmen?
  16. What exclamation did the priests and scribes make?
  17. What did Jesus then say?
  18. What did the priests and scribes then seek to do?
  19. Why did they do this?
  20. How did they proceed against him?
  21. How did these spies seek to throw Jesus off his guard?
  22. What question did they then ask?
  23. Did they succeed in deceiving Jesus?
  24. What did he tell them to do?
  25. When they brought him the penny, what did he ask them?
  26. What did they reply?
  27. What did Jesus then say to them?
  28. What was the result of this attempt to entrap him?

NOTES.

1. Jesus had not studied in the schools, and held no certificate of authority as a teacher. Therefore the priests and scribes determined to challenge his right to teach, hoping thereby to silence him. But Jesus did not lay himself open to any retort from them, and asked them another question, instead of replying. They were qualified teachers. They had their diplomas, and were duly authorized to teach the people; they were doctors of divinity. Therefore they ought to have been able to answer immediately so simple a matter, and one of so great importance to the people, as the origin of the teaching and baptism of John. They dared not bring a charge against John, because they were most anxious to stand well with the people, and they dared not confess the truth, lest they should convict themselves. So they said that they could not tell whence John's baptism was. But if they could not answer that question, they thereby showed that they themselves had no right to claim to be teachers. And if they were incompetent to teach the people, they were certainly incompetent to catechise Jesus. Thus were they silenced. The teachers whom Jesus sends will often find themselves questioned as closely as Jesus was; only the wisdom which he had will enable them to answer discreetly. He did not revile them, nor speak one disrespectful word, yet by a simple question he forced them to convict themselves of incompetency. 2. On the parable of the vineyard, see Ps. 80: 8-18; Isa. 5: 1-7. See 2 Chron. 36: 14-16 on the sending of the servants, and the way they were treated. The object in killing the son was to "seize on the inheritance." Satan had laid claim to the inheritance, namely, this earth. He sought to kill Jesus, so that he might have his inheritance. To possess the inheritance of Christ was the object of the ambition that caused Satan's fall from heaven. The spirit of Satan in the hearts of the wicked Jews led them to say, "If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." John 11: 48. They did not know that the only way for them to obtain the inheritance was in Christ. See Eph. 1: 11. 3. When the priests and scribes sought to catch Jesus with flattering words, they forgot that it was his Spirit that inspired these words, "A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet" (Prov. 29: 5); and also the words, "Meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips" (Prov. 20: 19). The first approach of flattery or fawning should put a man on his guard. 4. How easily Jesus answered their question, without laying himself open to the least criticism. "Whose image and superscription hath it?" They said it was Cæsar's. If it was Cæsar's, then it was obvious that it belonged to him. In saying that the money had Cæsar's superscription, they answered their own question. It is not necessary to do more than point out the fact that this makes a complete and everlasting distinction between the affairs of civil government and those of God. The things that have Cæsar's superscription are to be rendered to him, and those that have the stamp of God are to be rendered to him. That does not mean that if Cæsar,—the civil power,—has committed a forgery, and has put his superscription on that which belongs to God, we are therefore to render it to Cæsar. That would not be obeying the Lord. It would be rendering to Cæsar the things that belong to God. Religion is from God, and therefore in matters of religion no one is of right subject to the State. And no one can pay any attention to what the State may say in matters of religion, without robbing God of his due. Christians, being in this world, are to be subject to the authority of civil power. This does not say that they are to obey the laws of the land when they conflict with the laws of God, for, in that case, the civil power has no rightful authority. Christians are to pay tribute to the government, not because as Christians they seek the protection of the State, but because, as subjects of the Prince of Peace, they are to live peaceably with all men, as far as lies in them. He who breaks the peace is breaking the laws of the kingdom of heaven. But he who disregards a human law that conflicts with the law of God, is not thereby breaking the peace, because the keeping of the perfect law of God is the only thing in the world that brings perfect peace.