Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-10-03
TIE VINEYARD PARABLE
LESSON |, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, OCT. 5.
Text of the Lesson, Luke XXX, 9-19-Com-
init Verses 1919 49, Golden Text, lisa.
Mii. !, = Cn.,i u 9 :. .c,.t. h. Ecy. y. =,


phia.
O. "Then began He to speak to the peo-
pie this parable: a certain man planted
vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen,
and went into n far country for a long
time" He is now about to tell them of
their history as a nation and of their treat
ment of their God and His servants from
the days of their coming out of Egypt even
unto His delth ut their hands. We are not
left in any doubt as to who or what is sig
nified by the vineyard, for it is written,
''The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the
house of Israel. and the men of Judah his
pleasant plant" lisa. " y. That also ex-
plains who 1t was that planted the vine
yard-the Lord of Hosts. The husbandmen
would mean the kings, prophets and priests
who ruled over the people as Gods repre-
sentatives. His going away probably sig
nifies the withdrawal of his manifested
presence in the days of Samuel, when they
desired king, like other nations, thus, as
He said to Samuel, rejecting Him and not
Samuel q Sam. viii, ~ Or it may refer to
earlier days, when they relied on the ark
rather than on God, who dwelt between the
cherubim; or yet earlier, to the days of the
judges when they forsook Him and He al
lowed their enemies to Cypress them. The
contrast to all this is the vineyard of which
He is the True Vine and His Father the
husbandman, and all the faithful are living
branches
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" We are very plainly told what
fruit He expected; "ITe looked for judg-
ment, but behold oppression; for righteous
ness, but behold, a cry
Ii. And again He sent another servant:
and they beat him also, and entreated him
shamefully, and sent him away empty
As to beating and shameful treatment
read Jer. xx, 9: "Then Pashur smote Jere-
miah, the prophet, and put him in the
stocks" Also XXXviii, q: "Then took they
jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon,
and in the dungeon there was no
water but mire; so Jeremiah sunk in the
mire." Read also in II Chron. xviii, %, g.
how Micaiah, the son of Imla was smitten
and imprisoned and fed upon the bread of
af1liction and the water of afIliction just
because he spake the truth for God.
II "And again he sent a third: and
they wounded him also and cast him out"
| These three sendings probably cover all
! the prophets from Samuel to John the
Baptist. They might be divided into those
| before the captivity, those after the cap
tivity and John, the immediate forerunner
! of Christ
10 "Then said the Lord of the vineyard,
What shall do?" Not what shall do to
punish these guilty rebels how shall
most quickly sweep them from the earthf
That would need no planning. A mo-
ment's withdrawal of His mercy and they
are gone But He is considering what
else He may do that He may win them to
Him.
IL will send My beloved Son. 1t may be
they will reverence Him when they see
Him" Here is a glimpse of the love of
God as seen in the councils of past eter-
nifty.
IA. 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" Like Jo-
seph's brethren, who hated him and said,
Come now and let us Stay him, and let
us see what will become of his dreams"
Gen. XxXvii, s. 20). If we did not know it
to he a.true story that is contained in this
parable, we could hardly believe such in
gratitude possible. Such unheard of love
to be thus rejected and abused | believe
that the greatest fact in the Bible, and in
| all history, and the one least understood,
is the love of God. Who among us BEGINS
to appreciate the greatness of that which
is contained in John iii, Ii? Who can
fathOm the height and depth or measure
the length and breadth of the love of God,
which paeseth knowledge.
Is. so they cast him out of the vineyard
and killed him. What therefore shall the
lord of the vineyard do unto theml"
Again He foretells His death. 1t is ever
before Him. But the glory beyond light
ems it up QHeb. xii, q He is thinking
more of these poor blinded. self destroying
people than of Himself He shall rise
again from the dead He shall live for
ever, The kingdom shall yet he His But
those who die in rebellion against Him
must perish.
lG. He shall come and destroy these hus-
bandmen, and shall give the vineyard to
Others and when they heard it they said
God forbid" Matthew says that it was
the people who gave the verdict Matt xxi
~; it may have been the disciples who
said God forbid; or the disciples may have
given the verdict and the people have said
God forbid" These husbandmen are the
enemies of chap. xix, %, who refuse to
submit to Him and must perish. The vine
yard given to others He explains in Matt
xxi, 43, by saying: The Kingdom of God
shall be taken from you and given 70 a ma.
ton bringing forth the fruits thereof"
II 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" This is
from Ps. lis, the latter part of which like
lisa xii refers to the Day of the Lord when
He shall have become Israe's salvation
Notwithstanding His rejection and ap
preaching death He constantly points for
ward to His ultimate triumph.
IS "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone
shall be broken; but on whomsoever il
shall fall, it will grind him to powder y
This is from lisa. viii, IA, Is, and Dan. ii
45, referring to the present and future re
suit of refusing to receive Him. Jesus
crucified and risen from the dead is the
foundation and the only foundation on
which to build for eternity (Acts iv, 1919
and He tells us that the way to build is &c
hear and do His words (Niatt. vii, "a, 25).
10. And thechief priests and the scribes
the same hour sought to lay hands on Him
and they fearel the neonla. for they rar