Journey Through Matthew: Let Me Tell You A Story!
Journey Through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
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· 21 viewsWhile Jesus had the attention of the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law he took the opportunity to share with them some stories that would teach them some valuable lessons about faith as well as convict them of their continued denial of his identity and their purpose in life.
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
If you would start turning in your Bibles to .
This, like last week’s passage is a two part passage because it covers through .
And this entire passage actually is the end of what we started last week.
Remember that last week was centered on Jesus’ actions in the Temple driving out the money-changes, convicting people of their sin through a fig tree, and a confrontation with the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law.
Well, the passage for this morning and tonight deal with the second half of that confrontation with these Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law.
Because last Sunday night we saw how they had confronted him, trying to trap Jesus and he in reality turned the tables on them and left them in a pretty awkward situation.
Not only an awkward situation but also left them very angry.
And, since Jesus had their attention and they are mad anyway, he might as well teach them a few lessons about about faith and dedication to God.
Because remember they thought they had everything worked out already and that they had all the answers.
They knew everything they were ever going to need to know and Jesus couldn’t tell them anything new.
Who does He think He is, anyway!
So, Jesus is going to address them in the form of three different parables.
The first two we will talk about this morning are the Parable of the Two Sons found in and the Parable of the Tenants found in .
Then tonight we will be looking at the Parable of the Wedding Banquet found in .
So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able as we read.
Matthew writes . . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. 1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 21:
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Matthew 21:
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Stubborn Sons (vs 28-32)
Now, at first glance it may seem a little strange that Jesus is addressing these Jews with a parable about two sons who their dad asked to go do some work, but in reality it is very relevant.
And in fact it is also very relevant to the Church today as well.
Because the two sons actually can represent the people in the church and some of the prevailing attitudes in the Church.
So, lets break it down a bit.
First, Jesus starts out with a question for them to ponder . . .
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Matthew 21:28
So, just like Jesus was asking the Jews, what do you think about this son?
All his dad did was ask him to go do some work in the field, and at first he refused.
I can see him snubbing up, sighing, grumbling under his voice . . . All the things kids do when you ask them to do a little work around the house.
“Why do I have to do everything.”
“Why can’t I just ‘rest.’”
“Why can’t I just do that later.”
All of the mumbling and grumbling that we hear about “having” to do a little work.
But here is the thing.
This first son, even though he grumbles and complains, eventually he goes and he does what he father is asking him to do.
And, why does he do that?
Well it has to do with the son’s overall attitude.
This son is like a lot of Christians.
People who are tired.
People who are worn out.
People who sometimes forget about the eternal nature of their work.
And people, who sometimes allow the flesh to sneak in and we see a glimpse of their human nature.
But here is the thing about these people.
Eventually the Holy Spirit speaks to them and they hear what the Spirit is saying.
And when they hear what the Spirit is saying they respond to the Spirit in a positive way.
See, we could see this son in the same way.
He complained at first about going, but eventually he did.
And the reason he did was because he loved his father.
He respected his father.
And he genuinely felt bad for his refusal.
So, he did what was right.
And Christians are the same way.
We love God.
We respect God.
We want to serve God.
And eventually, we fall under conviction for our attitudes and we respond in the affirmative.
We repent and go.
And that is really the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.
They both have the same attitude at time.
However, with the Christian it is just that, an attitude that creeps up every so often.
But with the non-Christian, it is their nature.
It is just part of who they are.
The Spirit hasn’t taken over and changed that underlying attitude yet.
But sometimes, this unholy nature is very subtle.
And this is where the second son comes in.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Anybody know someone who talks a good game and seems like a nice person, but they are unreliable?
It is sort of like that.
The son was all smiles and nice and said everything that his father wanted to hear, but when the time came, he didn’t do what he promised.
He was what we would call “two-faced.”
And we have a lot of “two-faced” people out there who claim to be Christians but they are not.
They are the ones that give real Christians a bad name.
Jesus even said to let your yes be yes and your no be no.
In other words, be honest.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Do what you promise or don’t promise at all.
And it is about attitude being the example Christ has called us to be.
And this was also the problem with these chief priests and teachers.
They would talk a big talk, but didn’t have the guts to really back up what they said they believed.
They said they believed in and worshipped God but in reality they worshipped the highest bidder.
The person who would benefit them the most at that moment.
That’s why they were afraid to say that John’s teaching was of men.
Not that they didn’t believe it but rather they were afraid of the people.
And the church is full of people who will say whatever sounds good for the audience they are in front of.
And Jesus asked the same question I want you to think about . . .
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
Matthew 21:31
Of course, he wanted the first because the first was dependable.
The first was loyal.
Even though he had a big mouth and still had a great deal to learn, the Father knew he could count on that son in doing the right thing.
And Jesus tells them that the tax collectors and the prostitutes who repent and follow Him are ahead of these people who just talk a big game.
And the message for us is that we had better be very careful about who we dismiss and who we stub our noses to.
Because . . .
32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Bottom line . . . they listened and repented of their sin and were made new creatures in Christ.
The chief priests and the teachers of the law were too proud to admit their sin.
Too proud to repent.
Too proud to humble themselves.
And we also have a lot of people who claim they are Christians, but they are too proud to really follow Christ.
Evil Tenants (vs 33-46)
Evil Tenants (vs 33-46)
And this pride is a very dangerous thing.
We know that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a great fall.
But pride also blinds us.
And leads us to do unimaginable things in an attempt to cover up our sin.
Which is where this second parable comes in.
Jesus begins . . . .
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
Matthew 21:33
So, nothing too much out of the ordinary yet.
Something that everyone in that time would normally do in the course of running a business.
But here’s where it gets interesting . . .
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them in the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
Matthew 21:35
Any why did they do this?
Any why did they do this?
They felt threatened by the servants of the landowner and his son.
They had been “in charge” for a long time.
They had been doing what they wanted to do forever it seems.
Even though the servants had came to warn them about what the landowner expected and to collect the harvest.
Even though the son himself came to collect on the harvest and warn them.
They saw it as a threat to their power and their authority.
And their pride caused them to ignore the reward the landowner had for them.
They were only thinking about themselves and holding on to that power.
So, Jesus then again asks them . . .
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
Matthew 21:4
And their response . . .
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
And they didn’t realize it but they were making the exact point that Jesus was trying to get them to realize all along.
He tells them . . .
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Matthew 21:42-
You see, God has sent the prophets for generations.
And when the people wouldn’t listen to them.
He then sent His son.
He sent Jesus.
And all Jesus was trying to do was warn them.
To save them.
To collect the Father’s harvest—His Children.
But instead of listening and obeying the Father, the people rejected the prophets.
They rejected the Son.
They killed them and were plotting to kill the Son.
All because they didn’t want to humble themselves and acknowledge that they were powerless to save themselves.
They were refusing to see Jesus as their Savior, and only saw Him as a threat to their way of life.
Their power and their authority.
Altar Call
Altar Call
And one would think that after Jesus pointed all of this out to them and they knew Jesus was talking about them.
In fact we don’t even have to speculate that point . . .
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.
And one would think that they would get the point and make the right choice at that point.
However, they were so self-absorbed and caught up in their pride and their ways, that they couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Even after all of this they were still looking for a way to “deal” with Jesus.
To us reading this it is probably a little amazing that they were still on this path.
But I wonder how often we’ve acted very similarly.
Jesus has called us to repent and follow Him time after time, after time.
Opportunity after opportunity.
When we knew that the Spirit was speaking to us.
That the message we were hearing was talking about us.
And instead of humbling ourselves and giving in to God.
Instead of repenting of our sin and following Him.
We rejected the message.
We rejected the Spirit.
Because in our mind it would interfere with our way of life.
Our plans.
Willing to give up eternal life for a few years here of what we perceive as power, authority, a “good time.”
We may say some good things and think some good thoughts, to ease our conscience or to relieve the conviction we are under.
But there is no substance to it.
We are like the son who had no follow through.
Say what we had to say at the moment but then go on to other things.
And I wonder who the Spirit is talking to this morning.
Will you respond?
Will you repent?
Will you finally give in?
I don’t know, but right now you have the chance to answer that question.
The altars are here, will you use them?