Why didn't things go differently when Jesus entered Jerusalem? Why didn't the leaders of the people acknowledge Christ as the Messiah? It was part of God's sovereign plan, and they did not want to give up their authority.
After Jesus would not answer their question about His authority, He told them this allegorical parable. The man in the vineyard (representing God) went to great expense to set up this vineyard, and He rented it out to tenant-farmers. These men were blessed to be stewards of the vineyard, but they went from enjoying the blessing to thinking they were entitled to owning the place. When the owner sent for his portion of the wine – which was contractually obligated – they became defensive and wouldn't give it up. They persecuted and killed the servants (the prophets); and when God finally sent His well-beloved Son into the world, they killed Him too. With ridiculous logic, they thought they would kill the heir and then receive his inheritance. This is what sin does; it twists our thinking and causes us to rationalize and justify what we have done.
Jesus took the scribes to school and asked them if they had ever read the 118th Psalm, which speaks of the rejected stone becoming the Chief Cornerstone. They had tossed this stone aside and built up a crooked system of their own. But Jesus now stands before them and says He will bear the weight of the structure and make it square and sturdy.
Jesus is still the Chief Cornerstone today! And the vineyard is God's. The Church does not belong to any pastor or man. Every pastor will fail somehow, but Christ is our Head – and we need to keep our eyes on Him! |
