is marvelous in our eyes'? ⢠God reverses the verdict of the religious leaders (âthe buildersâ) on Jesus (âthe s
THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER
THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER
Study Notes for the Christian Layperson
Study Notes for the Christian Layperson
TRINITY
TRINITY
by: Rev. Gerhard P. Grabenhofer
M atthew 21:33-44
by: Rev. Gerhard P. Grabenhofer
M atthew 21:33-44
esv
Author and Date:
The Holy Spirit caused St. Matthew Levi the Apostle and Evangelist to write this gospel around AD 50. Jesus tells this parable on Tuesday of Holy Week as He was teaching in the temple. He speaks this parable against the religious leaders. St. Mark tells of their reaction: “And they were seeking to arrest but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.” (12:12)
And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 35
• This is Israel’s rejection of the prophets and their message they proclaimed from the Lord. • Examples referring to this: Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:52; Hebrews 11:36-38. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 36
[Jesus said,] “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
•
• In this parable, the master of the house is God the Father; the vineyard is the Old Testament people; the fence, in general, the way He protected His people and in particular it can be seen as the Law by which God separated the Old Testament people from those around them; the winepress can be seen as the temple and its rituals which pointed the people forward to the coming Savior; the tower can be seen as the kings who were to watch out for the people and the doctrine; and the tenants are the religious leaders of the Jews.
Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
• God left nothing undone when it came to Israel’s spiritual welfare.
•
33
•
God showed a great trust in these religious leaders. It was a good while that He did not show His presence.
When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 34
By rejecting the prophets, they were disrespecting God.
• God’s great grace and patience is clear as He keeps sending prophets; the extreme wickedness of the tenants is also clear. 37
•
The master appears weak (1 Corinthians 1:27).
•
The son is Jesus—the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and also true man.
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 38
The Jews know that Jesus isn’t just a prophet but the Son of God. “The heir” (Hebrews 1:2) — Jesus is heir of all things.
• Here Jesus is showing that the Jews knew that He was not just a prophet but the Son of God, but they hardened their hearts against His teaching and miracles.
esv
Author and Date:
The Holy Spirit caused St. Matthew Levi the Apostle and Evangelist to write this gospel around AD 50. Jesus tells this parable on Tuesday of Holy Week as He was teaching in the temple. He speaks this parable against the religious leaders. St. Mark tells of their reaction: “And they were seeking to arrest but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.” (12:12)
35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
• This is Israel’s rejection of the prophets and their message they proclaimed from the Lord. • Examples referring to this: Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:52; Hebrews 11:36-38. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
[Jesus said,] “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
•
• In this parable, the master of the house is God the Father; the vineyard is the Old Testament people; the fence, in general, the way He protected His people and in particular it can be seen as the Law by which God separated the Old Testament people from those around them; the winepress can be seen as the temple and its rituals which pointed the people forward to the coming Savior; the tower can be seen as the kings who were to watch out for the people and the doctrine; and the tenants are the religious leaders of the Jews.
Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
• God left nothing undone when it came to Israel’s spiritual welfare.
•
33
•
God showed a great trust in these religious leaders. It was a good while that He did not show His presence.
When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 34
•
The servants are the prophets.
•
The servants are the prophets.
•
God was not expecting just any fruit but the best fruit— sorrow over sin, faith in the coming Savior, and joyful obedience.
•
God was not expecting just any fruit but the best fruit— sorrow over sin, faith in the coming Savior, and joyful obedience.
By rejecting the prophets, they were disrespecting God.
• God’s great grace and patience is clear as He keeps sending prophets; the extreme wickedness of the tenants is also clear. 37
•
The master appears weak (1 Corinthians 1:27).
•
The son is Jesus—the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and also true man.
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.’
The Jews know that Jesus isn’t just a prophet but the Son of God. “The heir” (Hebrews 1:2) — Jesus is heir of all things.
• Here Jesus is showing that the Jews knew that He was not just a prophet but the Son of God, but they hardened their hearts against His teaching and miracles.
And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
43
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
•
• The New Testament Christian has been given even greater gifts and blessings than Old Testament Israel. They had Jesus and His saving work in prophecy, we have it completed. In spite of all the attacks, we have seen Jesus so wonderfully protect His Church and doctrine. Certainly He expects the great fruit of faith and good works from us.
•
• The New Testament Christian has been given even greater gifts and blessings than Old Testament Israel. They had Jesus and His saving work in prophecy, we have it completed. In spite of all the attacks, we have seen Jesus so wonderfully protect His Church and doctrine. Certainly He expects the great fruit of faith and good works from us.
39
Jesus lets the religious leaders know that He was aware of their plans against Him.
• Jesus prophesizes His death at the hands of the religious leaders. •
Jesus is killed outside Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:11, 12).
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 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.” 40
• The religious leaders are forced to pronounce their own sentence. • They act enraged but know that it is meant against them (Luke 20:16). • This points to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Church becoming a predominately Gentile Church. The “other tenants” are the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). • “Let out the vineyard”—means the Gentiles will now enter into the Church and enjoy the riches of God’s mercy and love. 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’? 42
And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
44
• Whoever rejects Jesus will be rejected; whoever is offended at Jesus, His lowliness, His cross and suffering will be left without a Savior—a Savior they rejected. •
Luther: “And the world is divided into two parts, both of which must be broken to pieces—one part willingly, the other part unwillingly. The first fall upon the stone; the others have the stone fall upon them. The first, who humble themselves and accept the stone forsake their deeds. They are the Christian Church…. The others are proud and stubborn and want to pulverize the stone—Christ—that He should be nothing. They can guard themselves with their holiness, but He will totally crush and grind them to powder, so that they are utterly rejected. (Luther’s Works, Vol. LXVIII, 130).
• Pulverizing wrath of God comes on all who reject Him and His grace and refuse to give Him praise and obedience.
Jesus lets the religious leaders know that He was aware of their plans against Him.
• Jesus prophesizes His death at the hands of the religious leaders. •
Jesus is killed outside Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:11, 12).
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 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.” 40
• The religious leaders are forced to pronounce their own sentence. • They act enraged but know that it is meant against them (Luke 20:16). • This points to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Church becoming a predominately Gentile Church. The “other tenants” are the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). • “Let out the vineyard”—means the Gentiles will now enter into the Church and enjoy the riches of God’s mercy and love. 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’?
•
God reverses the verdict of the religious leaders (“the builders”) on Jesus (“the stone”) (Acts 2:36).
•
God reverses the verdict of the religious leaders (“the builders”) on Jesus (“the stone”) (Acts 2:36).
•
Jesus points forward here to His resurrection. He rose from the dead and is the cornerstone on which the New Testament Church is built, gathering all peoples into it (John 6:44,45; Ephesians 2:20-22).
•
Jesus points forward here to His resurrection. He rose from the dead and is the cornerstone on which the New Testament Church is built, gathering all peoples into it (John 6:44,45; Ephesians 2:20-22).
• Martin Luther: “This is the difference between a cornerstone and other stones, for the cornerstone stretches its arms to both sides. It is as if He wanted to say: ‘Until now I have had just one wall, only one people, as in Jerusalem, but now I will erect a building, a new Jerusalem. This building will be one that is suitable as a house and a dwelling.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. LXVIII, 119)
And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
44
• Whoever rejects Jesus will be rejected; whoever is offended at Jesus, His lowliness, His cross and suffering will be left without a Savior—a Savior they rejected. •
Luther: “And the world is divided into two parts, both of which must be broken to pieces—one part willingly, the other part unwillingly. The first fall upon the stone; the others have the stone fall upon them. The first, who humble themselves and accept the stone forsake their deeds. They are the Christian Church…. The others are proud and stubborn and want to pulverize the stone—Christ—that He should be nothing. They can guard themselves with their holiness, but He will totally crush and grind them to powder, so that they are utterly rejected. (Luther’s Works, Vol. LXVIII, 130).
• Pulverizing wrath of God comes on all who reject Him and His grace and refuse to give Him praise and obedience.
• Martin Luther: “This is the difference between a cornerstone and other stones, for the cornerstone stretches its arms to both sides. It is as if He wanted to say: ‘Until now I have had just one wall, only one people, as in Jerusalem, but now I will erect a building, a new Jerusalem. This building will be one that is suitable as a house and a dwelling.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. LXVIII, 119)
www.steadfastlutherans.org/parish
www.steadfastlutherans.org/parish
