Matthew: Two Problems and Two Parables (21:23-46)
This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 12 May 2024. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.
‘We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to find a big one, what a beautiful day, we're not scared.’ I imagine those words are familiar to many of you, especially if you currently have, or have previously had small children at home. They come from the famous Michael Rosen book: ‘We're going on a bear hunt.’ Which tells the story of a family who, for some strange and unknown reason, go out to look for a bear. And yet their journey to find this bear is far from smooth, for long before they have to run home from that narrow gloomy cave, where the bear lives, they encounter many different obstacles on their way: there is long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a big dark forest, and a swirling whirling snowstorm. And each time they come face to face with these obstacles, the author tells us that they do the exact same thing. They say, ‘We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, oh no, we’ve got to go through it! They so have to wade through the grass, plunge into the river, squelch through the mud, stumble and trip through the forest, and finally pass through the snowstorm. In the book, these are all obstacles they ultimately cannot avoid. They can neither go over nor under them, they must go through them. And in our passage this morning, we see that the Christian faith is something similar. Christianity is not obstacle you can ultimately avoid, the person of Jesus is not someone you can simply ignore. As you journey through life, you can neither go over him or under him. No, you must instead go through him, that is carefully consider his claims, weigh up their evidence, and come to a conclusion about Jesus for yourself.
We pick up again this morning in Matthew, this account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, in chapter 21. If you remember, we have previously heard how this chapter contains three different entry moments. It begins with the most famous one, as Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in 21:10. And yet, when we were last in Matthew, we thought about how the second entry of the chapter is actually more significant than the first, for in 21:12 we are told Jesus enters the temple courts, and saw that setting of the temple is the stage, that that place is the platform, on which the events of the rest of the book are going to play out. For having entered the temple in 21:12, Jesus is going to stay in the temple, and keep speaking about the temple, all the way through to the end of Matthew 25, that is right up to the night he is betrayed, and then charged as a criminal because of his comments about the temple.
On that first day in the temple in 21:12, Jesus cleansed it of false practices, drove out the money changers and dove sellers. And then, early the next morning, from 21:18, we heard how he cursed the fig tree, which like the vineyard in our passage this morning, represents the nation of Israel. On his first entry, Jesus cleansed the temple and cursed the nation. And now, as we pick up in 21:23, we see that that is exactly what he does on his second visit as well. Round 2 is simply a longer version of Round 1. For after returning to the temple in 21:23, Jesus spends the rest of this chapter, and all of chapter 22, cleansing it of religious leaders, confronting the scribes, overturning their teachings, correcting their ideas. And then, in Matthew 23, he repeats what he did to the fig tree, for he curses those leaders, pronounces woe on them all.
This second visit to the temple begins with the passage we are considering together this morning, which contains two problems and two parables. Did you notice that? You can see the two problems in 21:23-27: the first problem is over where Jesus is from, and the second problem is all about where John the Baptist is from. And then, in the second part of our passage, from 21:28, we are presented with two parables, which also relate to John and Jesus. The parable of the two sons is explicitly applied to the coming of John the Baptist in 21:32, and the parable of the tenants clearly speaks to us of the coming of Christ, the Son who is killed by his own people. And Grace Church, these two problems and parables confront us with two questions this morning: (1) Where has Jesus come from? (21:23-27); (2) Where are you going to? (21:28-46). And we are going to see how you answer the first question, makes a huge difference, indeed makes all the difference, for how you end up answering the second one.
1. WHERE HAS JESUS COME FROM? (21:23-27)
Given what Jesus did the previous day, driving out money changers and dove sellers, it is clear the temple leaders have a problem. He has caused so much trouble, thrown everything into such an uproar, they must do something. Jesus has become a significant challenge for them, like the family in Michael Rosen’s book, they now find themselves face to face with a significant obstacle. And so, when they see him standing in the temple teaching the next day, they make their move, decide to ask him two questions. In 21:23, we read: [READ].
That reference to the ‘chief priests and elders of the people’, is a catchall description of the leaders of Israel, the group of people who are in charge of what happens at the temple, what takes place in its courts. And the two questions they ask really boil down to the same underlying issue. These men thought they were the leaders, and yet Jesus is acting as if he is the one who is really in charge! As if he has been told by God to teach the people, as if he somehow has the authority to decide what should and shouldn’t take place within the temple courts. ‘Who put you in charge Jesus?’ That is really what they are asking, what they are wanting to know.
And it could perhaps be seen as a somewhat innocent question, a kind of checking his credentials, asking for some kind of resume before they allow him to continue his ministry. That is, it could be seen as that, if it wasn’t for the last 20 chapters of Matthew we’ve already had. For by this stage, they should know exactly who Jesus is and why he has come. His credentials, his identity, can clearly be seen in the sermons he has preached, countless people he has healed, and the wonderful miracles he has performed, even just the previous day in the temple. Just as King Charles doesn’t need to show ID, or go through security, to enter Buckingham Place, the Messiah shouldn’t need his identity verified to come into his house, which is the temple. Jesus has demonstrated his divine authority for three years now. Matthew contains more than enough evidence to show them, show us, that he is the Christ, the one sent from heaven to save us. That Jesus is that one like a son of man we read of in Daniel 7 at the start of our service, the one who has been given authority, glory and sovereign power, the king who will have an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Indeed, that is how the book of Matthew ends, in chapter 28, with Jesus standing atop a tall mountain, declaring that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him.
From everything Matthew has told us so far, it is clear Jesus has the authority of heaven, and was given that authority by heaven, to do all that he has done. And so, I think this question ode the religious leaders here, is not an innocent request to check his credentials, but rather it is a sinister attempt to trap and ensnare him. For these religious leaders know that they are only two answers that Jesus can give to this question. If he says that he has been given authority by heaven, that is sent from God, like he has, he would incriminate himself, allow them to charge him with blasphemy, and political rebellion, and hand him over to the Romans for execution (as will they later do). On the other hand, if Jesus says that his authority is from earth, that is he is just an ordinary man with no extraordinary credentials or special permission, then he will take all of the buzz out of his followers, which has built up not only over the last three years, but since he entered the capitol the previous day. These religious leaders think they have Jesus in a corner, trapped between a rock and a hard place, between being carried off by the Romans for treason, or turning away his many followers, disappointing them, by saying that he isn’t what they think he is.
And yet, while it is a clever question, it is not quite clever enough. For as we shall see next week again and again, Jesus is more than a match for them. He instantly turns the tables back on them, takes the higher ground, gains the upper hand, by asking a question of his own. Jesus agrees to answer their question, if they first answer his. For in 21:25 he asks: [READ]. In his question, Jesus springs the same trap on these leaders, puts them in the same predicament that they placed him in. For as they gather together to consider this question, they quickly realise that there are only two answers available to them as well. Either they say John was from heaven, sent by God, and by doing so they would clearly condemn themselves, for they rejected him and refused to believe his message, a message that included the fact that Jesus would follow him as the Messiah. Or they could instead say that John was simply a man who came with human ideas, and therefore anger the crowd who held him to be God’s prophet. Having tried to trap Jesus between heaven and earth, they find themselves now put in the same position, and so in 21:27 back down, claim they don’t know the answer, in order to avoid undermining themselves, or upsetting the crowd.
I’m not sure about you, but when I read about their actions here, I find these men to be rather pathetic. They aren’t interested in finding answers, they don’t really want to know where Jesus or John have come from, they aren’t searching for the truth. No, they are simply looking for a way out. The truth doesn’t really matter to them. All that matters is that they get what they want. For all they care, Jesus could be the Christ, could be the Messiah, he could be sent from heaven. But that doesn’t really matter. Before they ever consider his question, they have already decided they don’t want him, that they will get rid of him. That is how the religious leaders treat Jesus. They simply see him as an obstacle to avoid, something to go over or under, rather than someone to stop and carefully listen to.
I wonder if you are here this morning, and you are doing something very similar. You’ve been coming along to church for a while, perhaps you’ve even grown up in church, and heard these stories about Jesus your whole life. Like these religious leaders, you have heard of the miracles, been told about Jesus’ teaching. And yet, you haven’t really stopped to consider his claims, seriously think through the evidence for who he is. For like the religious leaders, you’ve already decided what to do with him. It doesn’t really matter if he is the Messiah, the Saviour sent from heaven. You’ve already decided you don’t want him in your life. Perhaps like the men in our passage, you are afraid of how the crowd might react. What your friends at school, or your family at home, might say if you start living like a Christian. Or maybe you don’t want to admit that you have got in wrong in the past. You don’t want to come to Jesus now, because you know that means acknowledging that that desire you have is actually sinful, or that habit that you have must stop. Jesus doesn’t say what you want him to say. He doesn’t allow you to do what you want to do. And so, you’ve decided to treat him like an obstacle to be avoided, someone you can simply ignore.
Like these religious leaders, you aren’t really interested in the truth, you’re just looking for a way out, a way to explain all of this Christian stuff away. Maybe, like the religious leaders, you also come up with questions to help you do that. You think, well why does God allow suffering anyway? Why he did let me go through that particular experience in my life? Or you ask, what right does God have to tell us what to do? To dictate who we can and can’t love, for example? Or, you want to know, how could a God of love send people to Hell forever? Oh, if Jesus was here this morning, there are all kinds of questions you would like to ask him. If he was here, you would really put him to the test! And yet, like these religious leaders, you are refusing to consider the question that he might ask you if he was here.
Oh yes, you want God to answer your questions, but are you willing to answer his question this morning? Are you willing to stop to consider: where does Jesus get his authority to do all of these wonderful things? Is he just from earth? Was Jesus simply a human like all the rest of us? Are his miracles and teachings either overblown myths, or the result of normal human processes? Is the survival and success of the church down through the centuries just a stroke of incredible luck? Is the difference you see in the life of your Christian friend or family member just a strange phrase they are going through?
Or is there something more to it all? Is there actually a heavenly origin, a divine element, to what you see at church, read of in the Bible? Is Jesus actually from heaven? Sent as God’s Son to save his people from their sins? Friend, you ultimately have to decide one way or the other. Either Jesus came from heaven, or he is from earth. There can only be two places that Jesus comes from, have you made up your mind which one it is? After twenty chapters of Matthew, have you worked out how to answer that question: where has Jesus come from? For we are going to see that the answer to that question will ultimately determine where you are going to.
2. WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO? (21:28-46)
A few years ago, someone conducted research to work out how much junk mail we are sent here in the UK. Now, I’m not sure how they actually conducted this research. I assume they didn’t just post their survey through letter boxes! However, whatever means they used, they managed to work out that, in the UK, we send 17.5 billion pieces of junk every year. 17.5 billion. Which equates to around about two pieces of junk mail coming the average letter box every day. Which is probably about right, from my experience. They estimate it takes more than 6 million trees to produce this amount of annual junk. Which is a vast number, especially when you realise that almost 90% of it goes straight in the bin, without us even bothering to read it. We simply glance at the front, see that it is a piece of junk sent from some business or organisation we aren’t that interested in, and immediately throw it out. And yet, we treat other letters that come through our doors differently. If a letter comes in addressed from a bank, or HMRC, from your employer or solicitor, you are going to deal with it in a different way. Instead of instantly throwing it out, you will immediately open it, consider its contents, and respond to it with care. Where a letter comes from goes a long way to determining what you do with it. And it is the very same with Jesus.
If Jesus has come from earth, if Christianity is merely of human origin, then you can treat it like a bit of junk mail. Discard it if you aren’t interested, throw it in the bin without much thought. And yet, if it has come from heaven, if Jesus is the Son sent from the Father, as Matthew claims, then you will need to respond to him with great care, with greater care than even you would use in responding to a letter from your bank or employer. For this not only relates to your financial status, or your job security. No, if Jesus came from heaven, then your response to him impacts your spiritual status, affects your eternal security. Where Jesus has come from will help to decide where you are going. His origin is directly connected to your destination. That’s the point of these two parables.
The first parable from 21:28 tells us about a man with two sons, one who says he will do as his father asks, to go and work in the vineyard, but ultimately he fails to go. However, the second son does the opposite. He initially rejects his father, but ends up going. And Jesus gets the religious leaders to admit that the faithful son, the better of these two boys, is the second. For while he initially refused to obey his father, he ultimately has a change of heart, and ends up working in the vineyard. It’s a simple enough parable, with a very clear lesson. And yet, just in case it isn’t clear enough, Jesus applies it in a very personal way. For he then turns to the religious leaders, and declares in 21:31: [READ].
The parable teaches us that Christianity is not about being good enough to get into heaven, it is about believing in the one who came down from heaven. It’s not whether you go to church, but whether you go to Jesus, that matters. For here we see the tax collectors and prostitutes come into Christ’s kingdom, not because they have lived good lives. No, they are entering into heaven because they have responded to the message from heaven. The message first by brought John the Baptist, who told them to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus, who was to come. Though they started out on the wrong path, their past failures are all forgiven, because like that rebellious second son, they finish by following their Father’s instructions. And that can be true for you today. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or been involved in. It doesn’t matter what sin or shame seems to cast a dark shadow over your life here on this earth. For because Jesus came from heaven, you too can go to heaven, if you will only believe in him.
Where Jesus has come from determines where we will go to. Because he came from heaven, if we believe in him, we will go to heaven. Because he is the king, if we bow the knee, we will belong to his kingdom. That’s the lesson of the first parable. And yet, Jesus goes on to tell another one from 21:33, to show that the opposite is also true. For if Jesus came from heaven, and you reject him, then all that there is left for you in the future is hell. For if Jesus is the messenger of God’s mercy, and you turn him away, then how can you expect to avoid God’s coming anger and just judgment against your sin?
That is the point of this second parable, this parable of the tenants, which is one of Jesus’ most famous. Only three parables are included in Matthew, Mark and Luke. And this is one of them. And when we read it closely, we can perhaps understand why, for it pictures so perfectly what has not only happened in the history of Israel so far, but even what is happening at the time of Jesus, and what is about to happen in the days to come. In just a few short sentences, Jesus is able to succinctly summarise so many wonderful, and terrible truths. Brother or sister, why don’t you take some time this afternoon to read back through this parable and meditate on some of its many different messages.
For example, the parable reminds us of the tender and attentive love of God. Did you see that? In 21:33, we read of how this landowner went to great length to perfectly prepare the vineyard. He planted it himself, protected it with a wall, dug a winepress for its fruit, and built a watchtower to overlook its outskirts. And all this of course reminds us of the great length that the Lord has went to, to prepare a people for himself: creating this world (as Jamie has been reminding us in Genesis 1), keeping humanity from death, calling Abraham to himself, saving Israel from slavery in Egypt, settling them in the land of promise, giving them the law through Moses and a king through David. God has done amazing things for his people! Indeed, when Isaiah describes God’s care of Israel, using a similar parable to the one Jesus tells here, he has God exclaiming in Isaiah 5:4, ‘What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?’ God was so good to Israel. It is hard to imagine how he could have treated them with more kindness, with greater grace. Indeed, we also see his great grace in the repeated sending of these servants. For when they reject the first one, refuse to give the landowner the fruit they owe as rent, he could have called it quits, thrown them out then and given it to new tenants. And yet in grace, he patiently perseveres, continues to send his servants with pleas of peace, offers of forgiveness. And of course, this all pictures the Old Testament prophets, who God continued to send despite Israel’s constant sin.
Oh, brothers and sisters, what a longsuffering God you serve! We see it pictured so well to us in this parable, and throughout the Old Testament. And yet, I hope you also see it clearly written across the pages of your own life. For brother or sister, has God not shown the same patience with you? Have you not been slow to learn some of his lessons? Have you not been hesitant to turn from your sin? And yet day after day, his mercy has been new for you every morning. Year after year, he has patiently kept working in your life, carefully crafting and conforming you into the image of his Son. God is a patient artist. He paints his great masterpiece with single, small, slow, strokes. Our God is a longsuffering father, he doesn’t expect us to go from being infants to adults overnight. And as we live together as a family, we must personify the same. You should try to be as patient with your brothers and sisters, as your Father has been with you. You must remember that it takes time for a Christian to grow, takes time for a church to change. Sometimes we will need to hear the same message again and again, talk about the same issue again and again, have the same problem again and again, before it even starts to sink in. And yet, if God is patient with his people, surely we should also be patient with them too.
The parable shows the patience of God. And yet, it also shows us what happens if we persistently reject him. For after his servants have all been cruelly killed, the owner graciously sends his son in a final attempt to reason with the tenants. The significance of Jesus’ self-revelation here should not go unnoticed. While he refused to openly answer the earlier question of the religious leaders about where he came from, he clearly portrays the answer in this parable. He claims to be the son sent from the Father, as a final attempt to restore his relationship with his people. We also see here another allusion to his coming death. For while he has previously told his disciples that the religious leaders will put him to death, now he has the audacity to even tell the religious leaders what they are going to do, picturing how they will take him outside the city of Jerusalem, and have him killed in 21:39. And yet, despite this parabolic prophecy, the religious leaders do not turn back from committing this crime, for hearing all this only makes them more determined to arrest him at the end of our passage. Their response to this parable, is actually going to end up fulfilling the parable.
It’s a terrible crime that they commit, which Matthew go on to describe in great detail in the coming chapters, as Jesus is betrayed, falsely accused, taken outside the city and executed on a cross, bleeding and dying at the hands of those he came to save. And such a terrible crime deserves a terrible punishment. Indeed, the religious leaders themselves admit that in 21:41. These tenants have acted wretchedly, and so they deserve to die wretchedly. The punishment should fit the crime. And that is what Jesus goes on to emphasise in his quotation and application of Psalm 118 in 21:42: [READ].
That reference to the cornerstone, which is the first stone put in the foundation for a building, that is used elsewhere in Scripture to speak of how Jesus, the one who the builders of Israel rejected, becomes the first and foremost foundation, the one on whom this new people of God, this new dwelling place for God, this new temple, will be built. You can see that in 1 Peter 2 for example, and it is alluded to there in 21:43. However, here, at the end of Matthew 21, it’s the other side of the coin that is clarified. For this rejected son, this great cornerstone, the person of Jesus, is so significant, that he is not only big enough to build a divine dwelling place on. He is also big enough to break you, should you try to step over him, or to crush you, if you try to squeeze under him. That’s what Jesus says in 21:44: [READ].
Friends, here we see that Jesus is a messenger that we must not mess with. That because God has sent his only son, heaven has sent us it’s kind, we must respond to him with great care. Christianity is not simply a piece of junk mail that you can throw in the bin with little thought. Jesus Christ is not just an obstacle that you can try to go over or under. For if you do, if you try to sidestep him, try to ignore him, try to avoid Jesus, you will be found out. If you reject this messenger of mercy, you will have to face God’s just judgment and coming anger against your sin.
At the end of the passage, we see that these religious leaders are scared of the crowd, that why they don’t arrest Jesus then and there. And yet, the one they should be scared of is Jesus himself. For because he came from heaven, how they respond to him, how each of us respond to him this morning, will determine where we go to in the future. Because he came from heaven, if we believe in him, we can go to heaven through him. And yet, if we try to avoid him, go over him or under him, we will find ourselves broken upon him, like a ship dashed against the rocks.
Friend, God has sent his son to speak with you, the one with all authority in heaven and on earth has come to save you, take great care how you respond to him.
