The following parable our Lord Jesus gave is about God's 'vineyard' being removed from the care of its original husbandmen that rebelled, and instead given to another "nation" that were to bring forth its fruits. It serves as a prophetic sign of Christ Jesus bringing The New Covenant into effect through His many-membered body, His Church. AND... it involves both believing Israelites AND believing Gentiles as one body in Christ Jesus.
Matt 21:33-43
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
Our Lord Jesus spoke this to the chief priests and elders of Israel inside the temple in Jerusalem at His first coming. The "householder" is The LORD. The "vineyard" is the "house of Israel", and the "husbandmen" are the leaders of Judah. These symbols were first layed out in Isaiah 5 as to what and who they represent, so it's important to go back to Isaiah 5 and take a look...
Isaiah 5:1-7
1 Now will I sing to My wellbeloved a song of My beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
In the Hebrew, the phrase "in a very fruitful hill" is pointing to an idea of the 'Son of Oil', a metaphor for our Lord Jesus Christ. So this is definitely an Old Testament pointer to Salvation through The Son Jesus Christ.
2 And He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
God planted this "vineyard", cleared away the 'stones', planted it with the choicest vine (Christ Jesus), and put a tower (i.e., a watchtower) in the midst of it, and made a winepress. So by all that the vineyard should have... brought forth good grapes for the choicest wine, but it instead brought forth "wild grapes" (poison berries per Hebrew be'ushiym).
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
What more need our Heavenly Father do? His vineyard should have produced good grapes because of how He set it in place, not poison berries. Notice He is specifically asking this of the "men of Judah" at Jerusalem, and telling them to note this.
5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
God tells them He is going to allow the vineyard to be eaten up, break down its walls and trod it down, lay it waste, until briers and thorns take it over, and no rain will be upon it. This was prophetic about the removal of all the 12 tribes of Israel out of the land because of their fall into Baal idol worship against Him. God brought the king of Babylon specifically upon the "house of Judah" that was left at Jerusalem, and the city, walls, and temple were destroyed. It would occur again later by the Romans in 69 A.D.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
(KJV)
Here's the definition of those symbols our Lord Jesus used in Matthew 21. The "vineyard" specifically represents the "house of Israel".
(After God split old Israel into two separate kingdoms per 1 Kings 11 through 2 Kings 17, the "house of Israel" represented ONLY the ten nothern tribes of Israel, and not Judah at Jerusalem. Here the "house of Israel" is specifically put for the majority of the tribes of Israel, minus their chosen leadership tribe of Judah, the tribe Israel's kings were to be born of.)
This is a very important distinction, because by the time of Christ's first coming, the "house of Israel" (ten tribes) had already been separated from Judah at Jerusalem, and were scattered abroad among the Gentiles. The majority of Judah had been scattered out of the holy land by that time also. The "husbandmen" our Lord Jesus was speaking to represent that watchtower and pleasant plant which Judah at Jerusalem was supposed to be. It was Judah's responsibility to be protectors and defenders of God's vineyard (the people).
Now back to Matt.21...
Matthew 21:34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
When the time to reap the fruit of the vineyard (Israel) came, God sent His prophets to the husbandmen (Judah), but the husbandmen killed God's prophets instead.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, "They will reverence my son."
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance."
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Then God said He would send them His Son, and surely they would receive Him. Instead, those husbandmen had our Lord Jesus mocked and crucified, and for what purpose? In order to try and SEIZE His inheritance for themselves.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
Then our Lord Jesus asked those chief priests and elders of Judah what should those husbandmen expect when the lord of the vineyard comes (symbolic of Christ's first coming of that time, not His second future return yet to happen).
41 They say unto him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
Those chief priests and elders of Judah at Jerusalem pronounced their very own sentence against themselves with that response. The vineyard would be let out to OTHER husbandmen which would render its fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, "Did ye never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?'
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."
(KJV)
With those 42-43 verses, Christ Jesus reveals how He was speaking of them as wicked husbandmen originally put over His vineyard of the people as Christ's inheritance, "the kingdom of God"; and... that He would put OTHER husbandmen ("nation") over His "vineyard" (house of Israel) that would bring forth its fruits.
So who is... that OTHER "nation" our Lord Jesus declared there???
That "nation" involves the foundation of Christ's Church per His establishing of The New Covenat through His Blood shed upon the cross.
That "nation" involves both the remnant of believing Israel per the election of grace (Rom.11:1-5) and... the believing Gentiles with them, as ONE body in Christ Jesus, His Church.
This is HOW God's Promises originally given to Israel have stayed... with 'believing' Israel, while allowing believing Gentiles to be 'graffed' in, with both having become "the commonwealth of Israel" per Ephesians 2. That is specifically about Christ's Church.
The historical proof of that "nation" exists with the foundation of Christ's Church among the nations of Asia Minor and Europe. And then from there that foundation in The Gospel would extend to all... peoples everywhere that accept Jesus Christ as God's promised Saviour.
And ever since our Heavenly Father moved His vineyard to that other "nation" through His Son Jesus Christ with His established of The New Covenat only through His Church, those of unbelieving Judah that killed God's prophets and had His Son crucified have been busy trying... to get the vineyard back, and under false pretence. When they succeed in bringing back the Old Covenant ways in Jerusalem for the last days, they will soon after that discover how once again they have failed, and followed instead the children of darkness in their aims.
Matt 21:33-43
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
Our Lord Jesus spoke this to the chief priests and elders of Israel inside the temple in Jerusalem at His first coming. The "householder" is The LORD. The "vineyard" is the "house of Israel", and the "husbandmen" are the leaders of Judah. These symbols were first layed out in Isaiah 5 as to what and who they represent, so it's important to go back to Isaiah 5 and take a look...
Isaiah 5:1-7
1 Now will I sing to My wellbeloved a song of My beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
In the Hebrew, the phrase "in a very fruitful hill" is pointing to an idea of the 'Son of Oil', a metaphor for our Lord Jesus Christ. So this is definitely an Old Testament pointer to Salvation through The Son Jesus Christ.
2 And He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
God planted this "vineyard", cleared away the 'stones', planted it with the choicest vine (Christ Jesus), and put a tower (i.e., a watchtower) in the midst of it, and made a winepress. So by all that the vineyard should have... brought forth good grapes for the choicest wine, but it instead brought forth "wild grapes" (poison berries per Hebrew be'ushiym).
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
What more need our Heavenly Father do? His vineyard should have produced good grapes because of how He set it in place, not poison berries. Notice He is specifically asking this of the "men of Judah" at Jerusalem, and telling them to note this.
5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
God tells them He is going to allow the vineyard to be eaten up, break down its walls and trod it down, lay it waste, until briers and thorns take it over, and no rain will be upon it. This was prophetic about the removal of all the 12 tribes of Israel out of the land because of their fall into Baal idol worship against Him. God brought the king of Babylon specifically upon the "house of Judah" that was left at Jerusalem, and the city, walls, and temple were destroyed. It would occur again later by the Romans in 69 A.D.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
(KJV)
Here's the definition of those symbols our Lord Jesus used in Matthew 21. The "vineyard" specifically represents the "house of Israel".
(After God split old Israel into two separate kingdoms per 1 Kings 11 through 2 Kings 17, the "house of Israel" represented ONLY the ten nothern tribes of Israel, and not Judah at Jerusalem. Here the "house of Israel" is specifically put for the majority of the tribes of Israel, minus their chosen leadership tribe of Judah, the tribe Israel's kings were to be born of.)
This is a very important distinction, because by the time of Christ's first coming, the "house of Israel" (ten tribes) had already been separated from Judah at Jerusalem, and were scattered abroad among the Gentiles. The majority of Judah had been scattered out of the holy land by that time also. The "husbandmen" our Lord Jesus was speaking to represent that watchtower and pleasant plant which Judah at Jerusalem was supposed to be. It was Judah's responsibility to be protectors and defenders of God's vineyard (the people).
Now back to Matt.21...
Matthew 21:34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
When the time to reap the fruit of the vineyard (Israel) came, God sent His prophets to the husbandmen (Judah), but the husbandmen killed God's prophets instead.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, "They will reverence my son."
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance."
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Then God said He would send them His Son, and surely they would receive Him. Instead, those husbandmen had our Lord Jesus mocked and crucified, and for what purpose? In order to try and SEIZE His inheritance for themselves.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
Then our Lord Jesus asked those chief priests and elders of Judah what should those husbandmen expect when the lord of the vineyard comes (symbolic of Christ's first coming of that time, not His second future return yet to happen).
41 They say unto him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
Those chief priests and elders of Judah at Jerusalem pronounced their very own sentence against themselves with that response. The vineyard would be let out to OTHER husbandmen which would render its fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, "Did ye never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?'
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."
(KJV)
With those 42-43 verses, Christ Jesus reveals how He was speaking of them as wicked husbandmen originally put over His vineyard of the people as Christ's inheritance, "the kingdom of God"; and... that He would put OTHER husbandmen ("nation") over His "vineyard" (house of Israel) that would bring forth its fruits.
So who is... that OTHER "nation" our Lord Jesus declared there???
That "nation" involves the foundation of Christ's Church per His establishing of The New Covenat through His Blood shed upon the cross.
That "nation" involves both the remnant of believing Israel per the election of grace (Rom.11:1-5) and... the believing Gentiles with them, as ONE body in Christ Jesus, His Church.
This is HOW God's Promises originally given to Israel have stayed... with 'believing' Israel, while allowing believing Gentiles to be 'graffed' in, with both having become "the commonwealth of Israel" per Ephesians 2. That is specifically about Christ's Church.
The historical proof of that "nation" exists with the foundation of Christ's Church among the nations of Asia Minor and Europe. And then from there that foundation in The Gospel would extend to all... peoples everywhere that accept Jesus Christ as God's promised Saviour.
And ever since our Heavenly Father moved His vineyard to that other "nation" through His Son Jesus Christ with His established of The New Covenat only through His Church, those of unbelieving Judah that killed God's prophets and had His Son crucified have been busy trying... to get the vineyard back, and under false pretence. When they succeed in bringing back the Old Covenant ways in Jerusalem for the last days, they will soon after that discover how once again they have failed, and followed instead the children of darkness in their aims.
