And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
The owner sent a third servant to collect the fruit of his vineyard after the first two had been beaten and sent away empty, and the tenants wounded this one also and threw him out. It pictures God sending His prophets to ancient Israel to turn their hearts back to Him, and then as a last resort sending His own Son, only to have Him rejected and killed. Their wounding and casting him out was patient, repeated rejection with contempt, injustice and cruelty, growing into even more determined hatred. The tenants were the priests, rulers and teachers entrusted with the vineyard who robbed God of His due by misleading the people, so the vineyard and kingdom would be taken from them with fearful severity and given to others who would obey. The Master still sends His messengers to claim the fruits of love and humility and self-sacrificing service, and what was spoken to the Jewish nation applies to the church today, which has received great privileges and blessings and must render corresponding returns.
Story and Historical Setting
The owner of the vineyard, after two servants had already been beaten and shamefully sent away when sent to collect its fruit, sent a third servant, and the husbandmen wounded him also and cast him out. This wounding and driving away continued the same rejection and abuse of the servants sent to receive fruit, showing repeated rejection and mistreatment of the owner's messengers. The servants stand for those God sent to the Jewish nation, whom the priests and rulers and the nation treated with contempt, injustice and cruelty. Their contemptuous and cruel treatment exposed the husbandmen's guilt and deceptions and prepared for the rejection of the beloved son, and the Pharisees and priests recognized that the parable condemned them. Because of that treatment the vineyard would be taken from the nation and given to others who would obey its Ruler, and the nation would be punished with fearful severity.
The episode belongs to Jesus' final warning at the temple, giving an unbelieving people evidence of His divine mission even though efforts to reform the corrupt priesthood would be futile. The parable of the vineyard represents Christ's first advent and the treatment He received. God sent His prophets to ancient Israel to reach their hearts and turn them to God, but their message was not heeded. Then as a last resort He sent His Son to turn the people back to God, only to have Him rejected and killed.
The husbandmen are the Jewish nation entrusted with God's vineyard and its resources, responsible for cultivating every part of the vineyard and returning its fruits to the Lord rather than keeping the blessings and facilities for the parts under their own care. Their failure to be faithful stewards hindered the work and the bearing of fruit. The parable also presents the world as a vineyard where God's messengers are repeatedly rejected and harmed, with the third messenger wounded and cast out.
Guilt and Coming Judgment
The wounding and casting out of the third servant shows patient, repeated rejection and mistreatment of the owner's messengers after two servants had already been beaten and shamefully sent away. Those sent to collect the fruit were treated as enemies with contempt, injustice and cruelty, and each new group faced the same rejection with even more determined hatred. Their contemptuous and cruel treatment continued the abuse of the servants God sent to the Jewish nation.
That repeated rejection exposes the husbandmen's guilt and deceptions and prepares for the rejection of the beloved son. The priests and Pharisees, with the rulers, recognized that the parable condemned them. This rejection was the work of Satan by the hands of men gathered under his banner and aligned with him, carried out when God sent prophets to ancient Israel to reach their hearts and turn them to God and their message was not heeded, and completed when as a last resort He sent His Son to turn the people back to God and they rejected and killed Him.
The husbandmen are the priests, rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation, who robbed God of the service He claimed by misleading the people and turning the nation away from Christ. They set human teaching and man-made commandments above the word of God, presented human tradition as the standard instead of the law of God unmixed with tradition, refused to give up pride of reason and praise of men for the truth, denied Christ's right to interpose between them and the people, rejected His rebukes and warnings, turned the people against Him, and sought His destruction. Because of that contemptuous and cruel treatment the vineyard and kingdom would be taken from the nation with fearful severity and given to others who would obey its Ruler. Their rejection of Christ makes the rejecting leaders responsible for the nation's sin and the ruin that followed, with punishment coming upon the nation.
God's Claim and Application
The Master sends His messengers to demand obedience to the word of God and to claim the fruits of His vineyard, which are love and humility and self-sacrificing service. The wounding of the third servant and casting him out is the anger of the husbandmen, the religious teachers, when the claim of God's law is set before the people. They use their influence to lead men to reject it, teaching transgression and that the law of God is not binding, while exalting human traditions, ordinances, and customs in its place. Such teachers are unfaithful servants, guilty of withholding from the Lord the fruits of His vineyard and of preventing the people from bearing fruit to His glory. Their failure to be faithful stewards hindered the work and the bearing of fruit.
By withholding fruit they place themselves outside the channel where God's blessings flow. They lose the elevation of character and fulness of blessing on mind and soul and body, on house and field, for this life and for the life to come. That blessing comes only through obedience. The lesson of the vineyard parable applies not only to the Jewish nation but also to the church today, for God has given the church great privileges and blessings and expects corresponding returns.
The owner sent a third servant to collect the fruit of his vineyard after the first two had been beaten and sent away empty, and the tenants wounded this one also and threw him out. It pictures God sending His prophets to ancient Israel to turn their hearts back to Him, and then as a last resort sending His own Son, only to have Him rejected and killed. Their wounding and casting him out was patient, repeated rejection with contempt, injustice and cruelty, growing into even more determined hatred. The tenants were the priests, rulers and teachers entrusted with the vineyard who robbed God of His due by misleading the people, so the vineyard and kingdom would be taken from them with fearful severity and given to others who would obey. The Master still sends His messengers to claim the fruits of love and humility and self-sacrificing service, and what was spoken to the Jewish nation applies to the church today, which has received great privileges and blessings and must render corresponding returns.
Story and Historical Setting
The owner of the vineyard, after two servants had already been beaten and shamefully sent away when sent to collect its fruit, sent a third servant, and the husbandmen wounded him also and cast him out. This wounding and driving away continued the same rejection and abuse of the servants sent to receive fruit, showing repeated rejection and mistreatment of the owner's messengers. The servants stand for those God sent to the Jewish nation, whom the priests and rulers and the nation treated with contempt, injustice and cruelty. Their contemptuous and cruel treatment exposed the husbandmen's guilt and deceptions and prepared for the rejection of the beloved son, and the Pharisees and priests recognized that the parable condemned them. Because of that treatment the vineyard would be taken from the nation and given to others who would obey its Ruler, and the nation would be punished with fearful severity.
The episode belongs to Jesus' final warning at the temple, giving an unbelieving people evidence of His divine mission even though efforts to reform the corrupt priesthood would be futile. The parable of the vineyard represents Christ's first advent and the treatment He received. God sent His prophets to ancient Israel to reach their hearts and turn them to God, but their message was not heeded. Then as a last resort He sent His Son to turn the people back to God, only to have Him rejected and killed.
The husbandmen are the Jewish nation entrusted with God's vineyard and its resources, responsible for cultivating every part of the vineyard and returning its fruits to the Lord rather than keeping the blessings and facilities for the parts under their own care. Their failure to be faithful stewards hindered the work and the bearing of fruit. The parable also presents the world as a vineyard where God's messengers are repeatedly rejected and harmed, with the third messenger wounded and cast out.
Guilt and Coming Judgment
The wounding and casting out of the third servant shows patient, repeated rejection and mistreatment of the owner's messengers after two servants had already been beaten and shamefully sent away. Those sent to collect the fruit were treated as enemies with contempt, injustice and cruelty, and each new group faced the same rejection with even more determined hatred. Their contemptuous and cruel treatment continued the abuse of the servants God sent to the Jewish nation.
That repeated rejection exposes the husbandmen's guilt and deceptions and prepares for the rejection of the beloved son. The priests and Pharisees, with the rulers, recognized that the parable condemned them. This rejection was the work of Satan by the hands of men gathered under his banner and aligned with him, carried out when God sent prophets to ancient Israel to reach their hearts and turn them to God and their message was not heeded, and completed when as a last resort He sent His Son to turn the people back to God and they rejected and killed Him.
The husbandmen are the priests, rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation, who robbed God of the service He claimed by misleading the people and turning the nation away from Christ. They set human teaching and man-made commandments above the word of God, presented human tradition as the standard instead of the law of God unmixed with tradition, refused to give up pride of reason and praise of men for the truth, denied Christ's right to interpose between them and the people, rejected His rebukes and warnings, turned the people against Him, and sought His destruction. Because of that contemptuous and cruel treatment the vineyard and kingdom would be taken from the nation with fearful severity and given to others who would obey its Ruler. Their rejection of Christ makes the rejecting leaders responsible for the nation's sin and the ruin that followed, with punishment coming upon the nation.
God's Claim and Application
The Master sends His messengers to demand obedience to the word of God and to claim the fruits of His vineyard, which are love and humility and self-sacrificing service. The wounding of the third servant and casting him out is the anger of the husbandmen, the religious teachers, when the claim of God's law is set before the people. They use their influence to lead men to reject it, teaching transgression and that the law of God is not binding, while exalting human traditions, ordinances, and customs in its place. Such teachers are unfaithful servants, guilty of withholding from the Lord the fruits of His vineyard and of preventing the people from bearing fruit to His glory. Their failure to be faithful stewards hindered the work and the bearing of fruit.
By withholding fruit they place themselves outside the channel where God's blessings flow. They lose the elevation of character and fulness of blessing on mind and soul and body, on house and field, for this life and for the life to come. That blessing comes only through obedience. The lesson of the vineyard parable applies not only to the Jewish nation but also to the church today, for God has given the church great privileges and blessings and expects corresponding returns.