20:9 ¶ 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. 10 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. 11 And again he sent another servant: and they
beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12
And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him
out. 13 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. 14
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.
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard,
and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto
them? 16 He shall come and destroy these
husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it,
they said, God forbid. 17 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? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be
broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 19
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.
Jesus continues His
teaching in the temple turning back to the people with a parable that is
obviously about God trying to reach the Jews, sending His prophets whom they
treated shamefully, and then Christ, their Messiah, whom they would kill. As
writers like De Coulanges in his landmark work entitled The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of
Greece and Rome wrote the eldest
son in a family possessed the authority of the father and when he acted on the
father’s behalf it was the same as if the father himself had acted.
In the context of this
parable Jesus quotes something from the Old Testament. When Jesus quotes a
verse from a Psalm or other Old Testament book whether in teaching or from the
Cross we would do well to read the context, not just the verse, to see how it
applies to Him.
Psalm 118:1 ¶ O give thanks
unto the LORD; for he is good:
because his mercy endureth for
ever. 2 Let Israel now say, that his
mercy endureth for ever. 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his
mercy endureth for ever. 4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his
mercy endureth for ever. 5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD
answered me, and set me in a large
place. 6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what
can man do unto me? 7 The LORD taketh my
part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8 It
is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9 It
is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but
in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. 11
They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name
of the LORD I will destroy them. 12 They
compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in
the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 13
Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the
righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the
right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. 17
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. 18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath
not given me over unto death.
19 ¶ Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will
go into them, and I will praise
the LORD: 20 This gate of the LORD, into
which the righteous shall enter. 21 I
will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 22
The stone which the
builders refused is become the head stone
of the corner. 23 This is the LORD’S
doing; it is marvellous in our
eyes. 24 This is the day which
the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I
beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26
Blessed be he that
cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the
LORD. 27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with
cords, even unto the horns of
the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Christ as the
cornerstone can also be found prophetically here.
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner stone,
a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Now note in Zechariah
this prophecy, keeping in mind the reference to the BRANCH and the fact that
Joshua is in Hebrew “Jehovah is Salvation” while Jesus is the same from Greek.
Zechariah 3:1 ¶ And he
shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and
Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke
thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of
the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with
filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying,
Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said,
Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee
with change of raiment. 5 And I said,
Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his
head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. 6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto
Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou
wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and
shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that
stand by.
8 ¶ Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and
thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant
the BRANCH. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before
Joshua; upon one stone shall be
seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of
hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall
ye call every man his
neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
For Luke 20:19 see
Isaiah as well.
Isaiah 8:13 Sanctify the
LORD of hosts himself; and let
him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he
shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of
offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many
among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
The important prophecy
of Christ from Psalm 118 is also referred to in the following New Testament
passages.
Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith
unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders
rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mark 12:10 And have ye not
read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head
of the corner:
Acts 4:11 This is the stone
which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the
corner.
1Peter 2:7 Unto you
therefore which believe he is
precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
The religious leaders
understanding is opened and they know that the parable Jesus spoke was an
indictment of them and those who ruled before them. They do not grab Jesus then
as they feared the people. See how in your understanding the word and can also be thought of as but in the context of verse 19? The
religious leaders are concerned about mob violence against them if the people
bought into what Jesus is saying. Josephus told us in his writing of how
volatile the situation was in Judea and how riotous people could be sparked by
almost anything to violence. Hence, Roman rule could be oppressive by
necessity. Here, Jesus has launched a broadside against the religious elite, as
they understand it, and they want Him gone.
Finally, see how verse
15 prophecies that Jesus will be executed outside of Jerusalem. First, from
what Moses left us;
Exodus 33:7 And Moses took
the tabernacle, and pitched it without
the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of
the congregation. And it came to pass, that
every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the
congregation, which was without the camp.
Leviticus 4:12 Even the
whole bullock shall he carry forth without
the camp unto a clean place,
where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the
ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
Then, from Paul’s
writing in Hebrews;
Hebrews 13:11 For the
bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high
priest for sin, are burned without the camp.12
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own
blood, suffered without the gate.13 Let
us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
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