Continuing a study of the gospels:
(Matthew 21:23) And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave You this authority?"
In the first part of Matthew 21, in the last post, Jesus had just made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He had cleared the temple courts of the buyers and sellers, and when He went into the temple, He apparently began to teach. The chief priests and elders came to Him and asked what authority He had to clear the temple as He had done and then to come in and teach, and who it was who gave Him that authority.
(24) And Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me, I will likewise tell you by what authority I do these things."
Jesus answered the chief priests and elders that He would also ask them a question, and if they answered Him, He would likewise answer their question regarding by what authority He did what He did.
(25) "The baptism of John, from where was it? From heaven, or of men?" And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why did you not then believe him?'"
As was Jesus's usual MO, He asked the priests and scribes a question designed to make them think and fully realize the answer which would convict themselves. Jesus asked them where John's baptisms came from. By the "baptism of John," He meant the baptisms that John the Baptist did. He knew the priests held John in high regard, and any answer they gave to His question would reveal the truth and trap them in their own snare. The priests and scribes reasoned among themselves, realizing they were trapped by their own question. Of course, they knew by what authority Jesus did those things--the same authority by which John the Baptist baptized. They realized that if they answered that John baptized by authority of heaven, then Jesus would reasonably ask why they didn't believe John when He taught about Jesus, the Messiah.
(26) "But if we shall say, 'Of men,' we fear the people, for all hold John as a prophet."
The chief priests and scribes continued reasoning among themselves. If, instead of answering "From heaven," they instead answered "Of men," they feared the retaliation of the people witnessing their answer, as they knew the correct answer and how all the people felt about John the Baptist.
(27) And they answered Jesus and said, "We cannot tell." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
Realizing the dilemma they found themselves in, they chose to answer that they did not know by what authority John baptized people. Therefore, Jesus answered He would likewise not tell them by what authority He did what He did. It's not that He didn't want them to know the answer; they knew, for He had told them on countless other occasions. He chose to reveal their hypocrisy by turning their question back on themselves.
(28) "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go work today in my vineyard."
Jesus asked what they thought about this parable He began to tell to illustrate His point. He told of a man who had two sons. One day he came to one son and asked him to go work the day in his vineyard.
(29) "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he repented and went."
The son initially answered that he would not work in his father's vineyard, but later changed his mind and went to work for his father.
(30) "And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," but he did not go."
The man asked his second son to work the day in his vineyard, and the son told his father that he would go, but he didn't.
(31) "Which of those two did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Verily I say to you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."
Jesus asked the priests and scribes which of the two sons did the will of his father. They answered that the first son did. Jesus told them that surely tax collectors and harlots, those deemed wicked, would enter the kingdom of heaven before they ever would. The sons represent the people Jesus came to save. The first son represents the sinners who reject salvation initially while they continue in their worldly sinful ways, but eventually come to Christ. The second son represents so-called Christians who profess to follow Christ and do what He asks, but do not do it. This, of course, was symbolic of the chief priests and scribes during Jesus's time.
(32) "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and you when you had seen it, did not repent afterward that you might believe him."
Further describing how this related to His question about John the Baptist, Jesus told them that John had come in righteousness proclaiming the coming Messiah and the need for repentance, but they did not believe him. However, publicans and tax collectors heard him and believed him and therefore received Christ. Even when the priests and scribes had seen and heard Jesus, and knew what John had said was true, they still did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and they did not change their minds or their ways.
(33) "Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it all around, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and leased it out to farmers, and went into a far country."
Jesus exhorted His audience to listen to another parable. He told of a landowner who planted a vineyard, then hedged it all around, and then dug a winepress and built a tower, and then leased it to farmers while he went to a faraway country. Luke said in his account of this that Jesus spoke to people who had gathered around Him, but He directed this parable to the priests and scribes who were still there. The landowner in the parable symbolized God who prepared His kingdom on earth and even left a manual with His word and His law. He left it in the hands of religious spiritual guides.
(34) "And when the time of the fruit grew near, he sent his servants to the farmers that they might receive its fruit."
When the time of the fruit grew near, the landowner representing God, sent his servants representing the prophets and other such messengers, to the people who had been left with His vineyard on earth. The prophets and messengers of God came as His servants to proclaim what He found of their fruits.
(35) "And the farmers took his servants, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another."
However, the farmers beat and killed the landowner's servants. This is symbolic of the people beating, stoning, and killing God's prophets and messengers by a variety of persecutions.
(36) "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise."
The landowner sent more servants, but the farmers beat and killed those as well. The word "pleion" that was translated as "more" also means "more excellent." That describes the other prophets and messengers that God sent, for as the fullness of the time drew near, the prophets more clearly and fully pointed out the coming of Christ. Those prophets were persecuted and killed, as well.
(37) "But last of all, he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.'"
Of course, this is symbolic of God sending His Son Jesus as the ultimate witness who surely should have been revered, and spiritual leaders should have reflected on their prior conduct and repented when they saw God's son.
(38) "But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'"
When the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves that since he was the heir to the vineyard, they would kill him and seize his inheritance. This is symbolic of the chief priests and scribes, who when they saw the Son of God, saw Him as a threat to their power, and plotted to kill Him and retain their power.
(39) "And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."
Of course, this represents the Jewish leaders who seized Jesus, turned Him out of the Jewish church into the hands of the Gentiles, who ultimately killed Him.
(40) "When the lord, therefore, of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"
Jesus proposed the question of what the people thought the lord of the vineyard, representing God, would do to the farmers who killed his son.
(41) They said to Him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will lease out his vineyard to other farmers who will render him the fruits in their seasons."
The design of Jesus's question was that the chief priests and scribes would condemn themselves and admit the justice of the punishment that was soon to be administered to them. Incredibly, they answered His question, not recognizing that they had condemned themselves. Indeed, God would condemn those who killed His Son, and would offer His kingdom on earth to others, the Gentiles.
(42) Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'?"
Jesus asked if they had ever read in the scriptures a prophecy He then quoted to them from Psalm 118:22-23. The stone representing Jesus which the builders of the church rejected, was the foundation of the Church, upon Whom the whole church represented by the building rested. The psalmist further wrote that the appointment of Jesus as the foundation of His church on earth was the work of God, and it was wonderful in the sight of His people, that He should stoop so low as to send His Son to be despised, rejected, and put to a horrible death, to be the foundation of the Christian church which would be the salvation of the world.
(43) "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it."
Furthermore, Jesus said that, like the lord of the vineyard in His parable, the kingdom of God would be taken away from the Jews and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of it, meaning to the Gentiles, to other nations of the world who would accept it and work it to bring forth fruits for Him and His glory.
(44) "And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
Jesus stated that whoever fell on that cornerstone, stumbled on Him and His word, would be broken; he who was offended by and opposed Christ would only injure himself. To be broken before the Lord is when one's heart has completely submitted to Him, and all stubbornness, resistance, and self-will has been broken. However, if that cornerstone fell on someone, it would grind that person to powder; those who continued to reject Him and refused to be repentant would ultimately be crushed by Christ, that cornerstone, in the day of judgment, and would perish forever.
(45) And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spoke of them. (46) But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude because they took Him for a prophet.
Even more incredibly, the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus's parables and indeed, realized He spoke about them, but still they wanted to seize Him. However, the cowards feared the masses who revered Christ and saw Him as a prophet. Having followed Him and hearing His teachings and witnessing His miraculous healings, the Pharisees knew the people would not have stood for Him to be abused. Therefore, the account in Mark says, they left Him and went their way.
In this second part of the 21st chapter of Matthew, we see the goodness, mercy, and love of God in sending His messengers to save a lost world. However, that world rejected and killed His prophets, and even heinously killed His beloved Son. Even after that, God still sends messengers to the lost, and thousands of those have died while attempting to spread the gospel. However, our marvelously loving and merciful, and awesome God still sends messengers! Many still reject Him, and some of us have rejected Him multiple times, but He persists in saving us. What earthly parent could ever be so kind as to do this? Of course, none! There is simply no comparison in the way God loves to our feeble selfish earthly love, but we continually strive to be more Christlike.
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