Luke 20:1

The Bible says in Luke 20:1-8, “And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came unto him with the elders, And spake unto him saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed you him not? But if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.” These religious leaders came to ask Jesus a question, but they did not ask because they wanted to know the answer. They asked Him a question hoping to be able to find something in His answer by which to accuse Him or by which to make Him look bad. The situation was very similar to when newspaper reporters ask questions of politicians with whom they disagree. They are not asking questions in order to become informed or in order to learn something. They are asking questions in order to trip up what they consider to be the opposition. There is a terrible deception in such people.

But they could not deceive Jesus. Notice that Jesus did not answer their question. Wouldn’t it be good for Jesus to go into a lot of detail explaining to them from where His authority came? No it would not. The purpose for witnessing in the world is to witness to those who want to hear. The purpose for teaching is to teach those who want to learn. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Cast not your pearls before swine.” That may sound a little harsh in the English translation, but the meaning of it is to make sure that you give the wonderful truth of God to those who desire it; but sometimes it is better to let those who show no such desire to go the way that they have chosen and to make use of your time somewhere else. “The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Don’t waste your time on those who do not wish to be a part of the harvest. Part of the challenge to being a witness in the world is knowing when and to whom to be a witness. Make sure that your witness is as profitable as possible. Look for fertile ground to plant the seed.

Of course, we do not always know where the fertile ground is. But Jesus knows. Instead of answering the question of these religious leaders, He asked them a question; and simply by asking them this question, He put them on the horns of a dilemma. Amazing are the power of words. Few things are more powerful than the right words spoken at the right time. Jesus spoke the right words. He was the Word. “No man ever spake as this man.” And now the religious leaders were afraid to speak. If you want to become courageous, then learn to love the truth. The truth is a powerful force.

The religious leaders did not love the truth, nor did they seek the truth. Poison was under their tongue, and they were the leaders of religion. Their religion was the religion of self-interest. Instead of serving God, they served themselves. The words they chose to say were based upon the effect that they wished to gain. How much different are the true servants of God. Those who love the truth speak the truth. Those who love the truth speak the truth because it is the truth, and not because they will gain or lose because of it.

Jesus spoke the truth, and the Bible says in Luke 20:9-16, “Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the Lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.”

This time Jesus did not need to explain the meaning of His parable. Perhaps the people were getting very familiar with His teachings. They should have. For three years He had taught them faithfully. The meaning of the parable seems obvious to us. The parable was about the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel and the Messiah who was now in their midst. In the parable the one who planted a vineyard was God the Father. The vineyard was the nation of Israel. The husbandmen were the leaders of the nation of Israel and other Jews who had been given the charge of doing the work of God on the earth. The servants who were sent to the husbandmen were the prophets whom God had sent from time to time. One of the most common things that happened to these prophets is that they were mistreated by the people to whom they were sent. Some people think that if the power of God is upon a preacher that his message will be well-received. In fact the opposite may very well be what will happen.

In the parable finally the son is sent. This is the Son of God. Once again Jesus presents very clearly the fact that He is the Son of God. “He came unto His own, but His own received Him not.” We are told very clearly why Jesus was rejected by the religious leaders. Jesus revealed their motivation in rejecting Him when Jesus quoted them in Luke 20:14, “This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.” The religious leaders saw Jesus as a gifted and popular speaker, and they felt that He was a competitor. This shows the negative side of competition. Some competition is necessary, such as the competition of good against evil; but if you compete with those with whom you ought to be cooperating, you will never accomplish what you should have accomplished. Competition is also easily based upon selfishness and pride, both of which are at the core of sinfulness; and we who believe the Bible know what sins will bring as a result.

In this parable Jesus tells very clearly what result would come to the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem because of the sin of rejecting Him. He told them through the symbolism of the parable that they would be destroyed and that their opportunity and privilege would be given to others. God will accomplish His work, and if you will not do it, then He will find someone else who will. The Jews would not have Jesus as Messiah, so now the Gentiles have been given the chance to see how well they will take care of God’s vineyard in this world. By the way, God’s vineyard refers to God’s harvest in the world. God is harvesting the souls of men with the spread of the truth concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everyone in the world eventually faces the same decision that these people in the city of Jerusalem faced. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Who do men say that He is, and who do you say that he is? If you get this answer wrong, you face the same consequences that were experienced by the people of Jerusalem who rejected Him, and Jesus said of them in Luke 20:16, “He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others.”

In order to emphasize His point and make it even more clear, the Bible says in Luke 20:17-18, “And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Again Jesus quotes from the Old Testament from the Psalms, and because of the context in which He uses this quotation Jesus makes clear the meaning of this reference to the Messiah. “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.”

Something is being built. What is being built? Undoubtedly this is talking about the work of God in the world: the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is being built, and it is being built one soul at a time. Once the kingdom is completed, it will be manifested as it has never been manifested before. As part of the means to building His Kingdom, God chooses human beings to take part in that great work. Human beings become part of the Kingdom when their soul is saved, and a soul can only get saved by hearing the truth, and the truth will only be heard if it is proclaimed by someone who has learned the truth. “How can they believe except they hear, and how can they hear except someone tell them the gospel?” You are one of God’s builders if God has given you the truth and given you something to do to help spread the truth.

God wanted to give to the Jewish religion the opportunity to build with Him. For many centuries they had done that. They had been given the promise of the Messiah, and all the other things that went along with that great promise including the love of God and the mercy of God. They were supposed to take the promises and spread them to all the other peoples of the world. People who believed the truth would then become Jews. That’s why Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, “Salvation is of the Jews.” Salvation is of the Jews because the Messiah, who came to be a blessing to all the world, was a Jew. Jesus was a Jew.

Once the Messiah came to the earth, in order to be one of God’s builders, you must believe and teach about Jesus of Nazareth, who was born in the lineage of David and who is the Messiah. The building of the Kingdom of God is entirely based upon Jesus. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Without Him there is no building. Because the leaders of the Jewish religion rejected Jesus, their opportunity to have a part in building God’s kingdom was taken away and was given to others. That opportunity is now given to anyone, Jew or Gentile, who believes the truth about Jesus and who proclaims it. If your message does not contain the correct dosage of Jesus the Messiah, the righteous Son of God, then your message will be weak and without value in the building of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.”

Jesus compared Himself to a cornerstone that is used as the most important stone in a building, and then He used the analogy of a stone in another way. If a stone is big enough, it will crush anyone upon whom it falls. There have people who have been killed when large stones fell on them such as in avalanches or earthquakes. In ancient times armies built catapults so that they could hurl huge stones through the air to attack an enemy and break down the walls of an opposing fortress. Jesus spoke of the Messiah being a stone and He said, “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” If you do not allow Jesus to be your Savior, then He will be your judge. There will be no escape, and the judgment will be swift and righteous. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

The Bible says in Luke 20:19-20, “And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.” The Pharisees and the leaders of the Jews were also getting quite familiar with the teachings of Jesus. They understood very well that Jesus was speaking about their possible destruction when Jesus said, “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Of course, the warnings that the Bible gives about a judgment to come have a good and benevolent purpose. The warnings are given so that people will repent while there is still time. The warnings are given because there is a hell, and God does not want anyone to go there. “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” There has to be a hell because there must be a place of judgment for the evil people of the world like Hitler and Stalin and the mass murders and the child molesters. But God does not want you to go there. He loves you. Instead of going to hell, you will go to heaven if you repent of your sins and turn to Christ for forgiveness while there is still time.

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