The Story of the Landlord

Matthew 21:33-41

In this parable, Jesus rebukes the unfaithfulness of the rulers of His people. They had rejected the chief Cornerstone–as builders–and their work had amounted to nothing. As a result of their faithlessness, the veil of the Temple was ripped in half from top to bottom and the Kingdom of God was taken from them and given to another nation, the Gentiles. Enthusiasm, religious knowledge and legalistic observations are all empty and lifeless when Jesus Christ is rejected or denied His proper place. In so many lives, even the lives of Christians, our Lord is like a lamp that is never used. Let’s examine:

1. The Kind of Work, verse 33. The landlord himself was doing the work. He went to the expense to plant a vineyard; he put up a wall, built a tower and a wine press. In the context of Israel, think of all God had done for them as a nation. He dug them out of Egypt, planted them in a good land, and built a hedge of protection, promises and privileges all around them. Despite all these blessings, it proved to be a worthless vineyard. God, as the owner of the vineyard, did all this work for there was none to help Him. Think of all the labor extended by our Lord Jesus Christ, that we might bring forth fruit to the praise of His Name.

2. The privilege, verse 33. The landlord rented his new vineyard to others; they did not purchase it, but through the grace of God it was rented to them. Israel was honored, as tenants of the Divine wisdom and knowledge of God, yet because of their unfaithfulness they have been rejected. This privilege was yanked from them and given to all who are in Jesus Christ. While the Master is in the far country, these priceless blessings are rented to us by the grace of God. We have not bought them; we do not deserve a single one of them; they are the gifts of God–tokens of His infinite love.

3. Fruit expected, verse 34. Even though the land owner was away (Heaven), He was still thinking of His vineyard. In asking for the fruit, He is only asking His own. The vineyard is His. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that we are not our own for we have been bought with a price–the precious blood of Christ. As believers, we do not belong to ourselves, we belong to the One Who purchased us and we should bear much fruit for Him.

4. The selfish workers, verse 35. Isn’t that shocking? The workers actually beat up and killed the servants of the landowner. There was no gratitude or thankfulness or concern for the landowner’s interests. The grace of God had been given vain to them. It is sad to see this same selfish spirit among believers today. They are ready to take very blessing from God, take advantage of His good graces, yet give nothing back in return. They will even wear the Name of Jesus for their own personal interests.

5. Patience of the landowner, verse 36. What an example of patience and longsuffering. What patience with the violence and cruelty of those workers. What a willingness to forgive and a reluctance to punish. What a bold and hideous contrast between the selfishness and the greed of man and the lovingkindness of God! The appearance of Jesus Christ in the lives of the servants of God brought out the worst in the servants. To this day, Jesus Christ brings out the awful enmity of the human heart against God. Such is grace–giving His best to the least deserving.

6. The rebellion, verse 38. Servants couldn’t get the job done, so the landowner next sent His Son. And once again, the workers sought to kill the One sent from the landowner. The Jews had said this about Jesus, the King of the Jews: “We will not have this man rule over us! Take him away! We have no king by Caesar!” And so Jesus, the Son of God, was cast out, and the Father, as the landlord, is defied once again. We will reign as gods without Him is still the cry of many a defiant, God-hating sinner. And yet, here we see the depths of God’s love and mercy, that through the death of the Son we may indeed become heirs with Him of His great inheritance. We, through Him, are the heirs of God.

7. Assured destruction, verse 41. The privilege of all believers is Heaven, but if that privilege is neglected and abused, it will crush us to the depths of Hell. These past 2,000 plus years that the Jews have wandered about the Earth, without a King, is a divine and solemn witness and warning that God will judge sin. When the Lord Himself appears to reckon with the workers, it will be a time of dreadful awakening to those who have been in the vineyard only for their own selfish ends. Carefully note that the great landlord asked for the fruits before He came. His coming was the time of judgment for all His servants. Everyone of us who call ourselves believers will stand before the Judge of the universe to give account for what we did in the Name of God while working in His vineyard. (2 Corinthians 5:10). May the Lord find us working for Him to the best of our abilities.