February 3, 2013
Scripture:
Let’s turn to Isaiah 40. Here Isaiah is writing about Lebanon, a big forest; it is a place that produced a lot of wood and animals for sacrifices, and yet it falls short. “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Let us give glory to that blessed One!
Hymn 329 – A little lamb went straying
Prayer
In the Bible, there are many illustrations that help the reader to understand it better. In today’s story, Jesus uses the illustration of sheep without a shepherd to describe the people of Israel.
Matthew 9:36
As Jesus looked over the multitude, He was moved with compassion. In other words, Jesus felt sorry for the multitude. He was sorry because they were tired and scattered, as though they were sheep with no shepherd. It is very important for sheep to have a shepherd. Without a shepherd, a sheep would get lost, because they do not have the ability to remember where they have come from.
Mr. Darby was once asked to go to share the gospel with a young man who was dying. The way to this young man’s house was quite rough, but he finally arrived. As he started to talk with the young man, he found out that he had never gone to school and couldn’t read or write. Perplexed about how he was to share the gospel with this man, he asked how he had gotten sick. The young man told him that it was on a cold, snowy, winter’s night: he and his father were bringing in the sheep when they realized that they had lost one of the sheep. His father asked him to go and look for it and he did. For the whole night, he searched and finally when morning had just broken, he found the lost sheep. The sheep was so weak that he had to carry it home. When he got home, his parents and neighbours were so happy to see him. Mr. Darby shared with the young man the similar story in Luke 15, about the shepherd who had 100 sheep and lost one. He was able to show the man that he was lost, like the lamb, and that Jesus died on the cross so that we might be found. That young man accepted Christ’s salvation. A few days later, he died, speaking of “Jesus, my Saviour and Shepherd.”
There were those in Israel that should have been leading the people, but they weren’t doing their job. I wonder if the Lord was thinking that He was their good shepherd when he was moved with compassion. It was this that lead him to Calvary, where He gave His life for us. For us that are saved ,we can read Psalm 23 and have the assurance that the Lord will take care of us.
Luke 20:9-26
This isn’t the only gospel that tells this parable. Each gospel brings out something a little different, and we get a simple version of it here in Luke.
The vineyard represents Israel. Isaiah 5:1-4a. This is touching. God asked Israel, His vineyard, “What more could I have done for you?” They gave Him wild grapes instead of good ones! God is probably looking at Christianity today and asking the same question. In both cases, He places the care—either of the vineyard or Christianity—in human hands.
The owner of this vineyard went into the far country for a long time. For us, that journey has lasted for centuries. v. 10a. The servants are sent to receive the crop, and not only do they not get any grapes, but they are beaten. God had sent many prophets to Israel with messages telling them to change their ways. Read II Chronicles 36:14 - 16. These priests were supposed to be the husbandmen of Israel!
Things like these make you marvel at God’s patience. Looking at history we might wonder, “Why bother?” Why? Because God wants fruit. Vv.11-12. This sounds like what Israel did to the prophets. V.13. The owner now asks, “What should I do? I will send my beloved Son.” This sounds like John 3:16. God loved the world, even though it hated Him. Man today trys to stamp out God, but God is not trying to stamp out man. God wants man, even though man does not want God. The Gospel of Mark brings out that this was the owner’s only son, bringing the parallel to the Heavenly Father and Son even closer. This is like Genesis 22, with Abraham and Isaac. How precious Isaac was to Abraham! He had waited so long for Isaac, he was his only link to the promises of God, and the only son that God recognized. Yet when God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as an burnt sacrifice—reminding him that Isaac was his beloved and only son—Abraham believed, by faith, that Isaac would somehow come back from the dead. He told his men that both of he and Isaac would return from worshiping God. May we reverence God’s Son—who was offered for us—like this owner hoped his husbandmen would reverence his! May we be among the few that find enjoyment in Him today.
These husbandmen recognized this young man as the son and heir, but they made a mistake. They didn’t get the inheritance by killing him! Instead, we become co-heirs with Christ—and share His inheritance—by believing on Him. In verse 15 the husbandmen cast the son out of the vineyard and killed him. That was the cross. Jesus was murdered in the world that He made, by the creature that was His enemy wrongfully. Man became a sinner in Genesis chapter 3, and it didn’t take him long to become a criminal: in Genesis 4, Cain murdered Able. You wonder if any of these priests or scribes remembered this parable at the cross?
V.16. We read in Romans about the olive tree (Israel) being pruned and others (ourselves) being grafted in. We haven’t done much better. How many Christians seek to give God fruit?
Verses 17-18 are found several times throughout scripture. There’s a traditional—but probably not true—story that illustrates this point. It’s said that when they were building Solomon’s Temple, a stone came from the quarry that didn’t seem to fit anywhere, so the builders left it alone. While it was sitting there, though, people were always tripping over it, and it was generally in the way. Eventually it was shoved to the side. Meanwhile, the construction went on and the builders sent a message to the quarry saying that they needed the corner stone. The quarry sent a message back saying, “We sent you the cornerstone ages ago.” The builders realized that the stone they had pushed to the side was actually the cornerstone!
That’s what happened here. Christ came to Israel, but He didn’t fit into the scribes and Pharisees’ design. One day they will ask, “Where’s the cornerstone?” and Christ will be there. He is the rock we need to build on. Matthew 16:18 tells us that “on this rock I will build my church”.
Jesus gave these men a clear parable and quoted from Psalm 118, but then He added verse 18. We need to bow to the Stone and be broken in repentance. If we don’t, It will grind us to powder in the last judgement.
So, our Lord is looking for fruit. John 10 tells us that we must abide in Him in order to bear it. May we find our delight in Him!
Hymn 91—On Christ salvation rest secure
Prayer