Parables in Condemnation of Jewish Leaders

94. Parables in Condemnation of Jewish Leaders

And Jesus began to speak unto them in parables:

A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

What think ye? Whether of the twain did the will of his father? They say, The first.

Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.

Jesus here conveys a simple message: To acknowledge wrong-doing and make amends brings us closer to the kingdom of God than to do wrong and hide from that truth.

In the kingdom of God, when you see the need for change, you change.

Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, which planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. And at the season of the fruits he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and handled shamefully, and sent him away empty. And he sent another; and him they killed: and many others; beating some, and killing some. And the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my son: it may be they will reverence him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, This is the heir: let us kill him and take his inheritance. And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do unto them? He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

We have seen throughout our study that Jesus believed that the Jewish religious leaders had abdicated their responsibility to God and failed to serve the interests of their people – instead, they used their authority to advance their own cause and to gain status, prestige, wealth, and power.

This parable continues that criticism. It is a searing indictment of the Jewish leadership’s corruption – an unambiguous accusation that they had betrayed the word of God to satisfy their own egocentric desires. And it is delivered at the heart of the leadership’s power-base.

In this parable, the householder is God. The husbandmen represent the Jewish leadership, who are given the responsibility of nurturing their people’s spiritual growth (represented by the vineyard). But the husbandmen have gone astray, perverting their responsibilities for selfish gains. When the people come to reap the fruit of the husbandmen’s knowledge of the way of God, they end up betrayed and mistreated and led further from truth rather than closer. Dismayed at their behavior, the householder then sends his son – symbolic of a prophet – in the hopes that this will gain the husbandmen’s attention and motivate them to mend their ways. But the son too is rejected, and killed.

Jesus’ parable ends with a prophesy: That God’s mission for the Jews – which Jesus believed was to bring the knowledge of the path to God to the Jews and Gentiles alike – would be taken from them and passed on to others.

And Jesus spake again a parable unto them, saying, A certain king made a marriage feast for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found: and the wedding was filled with guests.

The marriage feast is the kingdom of God, and the king’s chosen people are all invited to enter. But like the husbandmen in the previous parable, they ignore the king’s request and go about laying up treasure among men – “one to his farm, another to his merchandise.” So what does the king do? He invites others in their place. Once again, Jesus is saying that because the Jewish elders have turned a deaf ear to God’s will, the mission of bringing the knowledge of the way to enlightenment to all humanity shall pass on to others.