Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-08-14

builders rejected. the same was made the
head of the corner" Matt. 21:42 r. v.
Tuesday morning of this his last
week Mark 11:20) the disciples saw
the fig tree withered away from the
roots. Passing on they enter the
temple where Christ's authority is
challenged. Following his d~isconcert-
ing reply ~(21:23-27) Jesus taught
three parallels of warning of which
this lesson is the second.
4. The parable, wv. $3.50. It is a
story of Gods long suffering goodness
and Luke (20:9l tells us that 1t was
addressed to the people. We need to
keep in mind the previous parable of
the two SONS wv. 2S-32) in order to
understand perfectly the method he
employed in answering the chief
priests. In the first he states a case
and appeals to them for a verdict.
Without hesitation they replied andby
SO doing condemned themselves. In
this parable he states a case and asks
for a reply, ". 40. This they gave and
in so doing declared a righteous judy
ment which must fall upon their mo-
tives. In both parallels Jesus I'm
ploys the figure of a vineyard. In
the Old Testament this stands for
Israel, Ps. 80:S-11, Isa- 81.
Kingdom Committed to Us.
In this case it stands for the King
dom of God which is no longer identi-
fed with Israel but taken away from
it and given to the Gentiles ". 43).
The Lord was dealing with the re-
sponsible rulers of Israel, those Ia
miliar with the prophetic writings.
His reference to the digging and care
suggests that for his vineyard he had
done all that could have been done,
lisa. ga. Being fully equipped, he
places it first of all in the care of
Israel, verse 43. Today 1t is in charge
of believers, I Peter 4:10. The hus-
bandman did not W the vineyard, 1t
was only entrusted to his care. So
in a sense, God has committed the
kingdom to US, does his work through
us, and of a right expects an account
ing by US, see. Matt. 25:14, Is; Mark
1894; Luke 1912. Presently we read
that these rulers knew that Jesus was
speaking of them and there can be
no question but that they connected
his teaching with Isaiah's great song
Of the vineyard. Moreover there is
close connection here in the insistence
upon the Importance of fruitfulness,
with the symbolic miracle of the fig
tree. The whole activity lof Jesus al
this time was hat of judgment.
In these parallels we can trace the
whole history of Israel according Il
Isaiah. The fruits he looked for from
the vineyard "let out to the husband
man were those of judgment and of
righteousness. Their response had
ever been that of prosecuting the
prophets, i'll treatment of those that
were sent, and a selfish appropriation
of the blessings he had given. These
servants sent to get an accounting
were God-commissioned and Godin-
spired, hence it is small wonder that
such people would accord a like treat
ment of the king when he came.
This is still the way the world uses
cody men, II Tim. 3:12. 1t reveals
the worlds natural hatred to God,
John 1918, 10; Rom. 81. All of these
prophets were only abond-servants,"
whereas Jesus was the son, the only
son, Mark 1876 R. ". This makes
their wickedness seem inconceivable,
v. 81, see Jer. 30:3; Zeph. 81. We
do not mean to imply that these
rulers recognized in Jesus the Messiah
and deliberately set about to kill him.
yet there was a sufficiently clear idea
and a full determination not to accept
his claims lest they lose their place of
prominence and power, John 11:47,
AS. The threat of verse 80 was ac-
tually carried to its execution and II
we continue in our sins we must logic
ally go on to the same end for it was
sin that nailed Christ to the tree.
The casting forth without the gate
". 39) was fulfilled in the c~rucihxion
of Jesus without the gates of Jerusa-
lem, Heb. 1912, Is.
Appeal to Hearers.
II. The application, w. 4o-46. Jesus
then appeals to his hearers as to
what should be done to the husband
man, v. 40. They declared, he will
miserably destroy those. miserable
men and will let out the vineyard to
other husbandmen, which shall render
him the fruits in their seasons" At
this Jesus reminds them of their
Scriptures and what they taught con-
corning the fact of the stone rejected
by the builders becoming the head Of
the corner.
The masters question ". 40) sug-
gests the one found in Heb. 1928.
29. Historically, God did 'miserably
destroy these miserable men," That
happened al the destruction Of Jerusa-
lem, one of the most appalling sieges
recorded in military history. 1t was
then that the doom pronounced by
Jesus was executed when he said,
THE Kingdom of God shall be taken
away from you, and shall be given to
a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof" see Acts 1874; | Pet. 2.9;
Rev. SO. In these words Jesus for
mally and authoritatively passed SEN
tence upon the nation and rejected it
from a place of service. 1t is signifi-
cant to observe the alternative of fall
ing upon the stone and being broken
or of having the stone fall upon and
crushing all to dust In the erection
of the temple n is the keystone of
the whole. On that stone the build
ers were now falling" and being
broken" lisa. S:15. Soon in their
corporate capacity, as ones entrusted
with a vineyard, the stone should
fall upon them" in the destruction
of the city. and individually and per
sonally as unbelievers, in a more aw-
full ems
Once again in this lesson we face
the fact that the chosen people were
rejected because Of their unfruitful.
ness, that is, they had failed to fulfil
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