The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-06-06
A Parable Explained.
MATTHEW NXI., 1899.

Editor Mirror:
In the parable above designated we have
God presented to us in smile as landowner;
the people of the world as vineyard, the
spiritual leaders and teacher of the people
as husbandmen. We read that after having
let his vineyard to husbandmen. the land
lord himself ''went to far country" The
meaning involved here is obvious. God
seems to men to be Infinitely distant and
distinct from them. Thus the will of man
is left free and untrammelled by any fear
of the Divine presence, to follow according
the path OF sin. A test of our faithfulness
to God is thus always before us; were God
visible to us this test would be absent.
However, we must not forget, which we
often do, that, although to our eyes God is
invisible we are alike unseen and forgotten
by Him. God is ever on the alert to hear
and answer prayer. We read further
''When the time Of the fruit drew near he
sent his stewards to the huSbandmen that
they might receive the fruits of it, etc.
The stewards here referred to are those
special messengers or prophets, whom God
was wont to send to his people to warn them
OF their sin and to eXhOrt them to repent
ance Here we have an example of Gods
fOrbearance to man: instead of visiting
summary punishment upon him he sends
messengers with the glad tidings of hope
peace and reconciliation.
The treatment of the stewards blythe hus-
bandmen on both Occ aSiOns (fOr the s.fOr-
bearining master sent two detachments) is
cruel in the last degree. They were beaten,
stoned, and one was killed; the same treat
ment which was. and is often yet. melted
out to the apostles of God.
In spite of the treatment of his stewards,
we read that the kindness and forbearance
of the landlord had not reached its limit.
And last of all, he sent unto them his son,
saying. They will reverence my SON."
But the husbandmen. when they saw him,
cried to one another This is the heir; come,
let us kill him, and let us seize on the in
heritance." And they caught him. and
cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. -
They reasoned madly that having killed the
son. no obstacle lay between them and the
sole proprietOrship OF the vineyard; forget
ting that the father would, without mercy,
avenge the death of his son.
So much for the parable which, one Sees
holds up to view especially, the wilful self
LET us seize the Inheritance" is the key
note of the whole story.
When Christ came on this earth to con-
denim the selfishness and hypocrisy of the
Jewish teachers, "whO loved more the
praise of man than the praise of God" He
claimed what was due to the people of God,
on the one hand. and also what was due to
Himself, as the Son of God. on the other.
Thus He placed the Jewish teachers be-
tween the horns of dilemma; either they
must acknowledge Him, and confess their
sin, or reject and oppose Him. In their
stubborn pride they took the latter course.
and in course of time their hate increasing
in vrulence they plotted and killed Him.
BY His death they hoped to be able to
Obliterate the name and cause of Christ
from the mind of man. and thus be enabled
to run the church to their own liking and
for their own emolument In spite of these
efforts, to-day the name of Jesus Christ is
the one sovereign name in heaven and earth.
How week and puny are mems powers
when pitted against the omnipotent power
of God.
The parable as given by Matthew shows
in striking degree the awful growth of
crime in the individual. First, the husband
men only thought of swindling their land
lord out of his rent; they had no thought of
violence, much less of murder. and, least of
all of the murder of the only son. They
wished to enjoy privileges without the cares
attending those privileges. Having attained
the wrongful possession. nothing would stand
between them and the further holding of
the property. They forgot that two powers
were arrayed against them, Law and JUS
tice.
Let us all take warning by the story here
related, to respect the rights of ''meum ct
tuum." II ought and II ought not" are
at the foundation of an honest life.
Men are willing to receive love and care
from others; but are too apt to forget what
they owe to others. and most of all to God
No more need he said ON the subject and