Introduction
The Lord God Almighty never gives up on His creation and continually calls all people to Himself (Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1). From the beginning of time, the Lord sent His servants to speak about His great mercy. Ultimately, the Lord sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, to come to Earth and bring salvation to all through faith in Him. The question for us is whether we are truly repenting from our hearts and believing that the forgiveness of sins comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Are we trying to wash away our sins to avoid judgment from others, or are we genuinely seeking redemption? Washing our hands as a way of showing that we are not guilty is not the way to clean up any of the sins we commit. With water, we only clean off the dirt and germs from the body, but our heart and soul are still unclean. The only way to wash away our sins from our bodies and souls is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both the Son of God and the Son of Man, and God in the Trinity of God. He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world, died on that cross, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. With this faith in our hearts, if we go forth and be baptized in the name of the Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit), all our sins are washed away, and we begin anew as followers of the Lord Jesus.
In this blog article, we reflect on the parable of the tenants found in Matthew 21:33-44. We draw connections between this parable and the crucifixion of the sinless Son of God, the Lord Jesus, and the unjust execution of John the Baptist. Ultimately, we emphasize that the only way to find forgiveness for one’s sins is through the grace of God, given by the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, on the cross of Calvary.
The Parable of the Tenants
In Matthew 21:33-44, the Lord Jesus, conversing with the chief priests and the Pharisees in the temple, shares the parable of the tenants. In this parable, He tells the Jews that He is the Son of God and that they will ultimately put Him to death. He also tells them that the leadership will be taken away from them and given to those whom the Holy Spirit chooses—individuals who are worthy to fulfill the work, judged not by their appearance but by their hearts.
33 Hear another parable: There was a man, a master of a house, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to farmers, and traveled abroad.
Comments Matthew 21:33. In this comment, we explain the meaning of the characters and elements used in the parable.
“Master” refers to the Father.
“House” refers to the seen and the unseen worlds.
“Who planted a vineyard” refers to the place to be for God’s people, the Jews.
“Set a hedge around it” means that the Lord set the guide and protection for His people. Imagine the Holy Spirit covering them with His wings; that is the fence for His people. Even today, all His children have a seal in their hearts to link with the Holy Spirit, and the wing of the Holy Spirit extends to that person.
“Dug a winepress in it” refers to the procedure (the call from the Lord) to separate the election among His children, the election of who has specific duties in life to do for the Lord.
“Built a tower” refers to the Word of God, all the regulations and the rules that have been written, and the Lord Jesus coming to establish the rule for all His chosen ones to follow. Through the Lord Jesus, all have the same rule, and nobody can say I know the Lord more than another. All will know Him because of the same rule.
“Rented it out to farmers” means that everything, the vineyard, the winepress, and the tower, have been rented (leased).
“Farmers” refers to the Jews.
“Traveled abroad” refers to the Father.
34 Then when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruits.
Comments Matthew 21:34. “When the season of the fruit drew near” refers to the times when the “farmers” make mistakes, and they need to repent.
“His servants” are the election that went through the winepress, the chosen ones.
“To receive his fruit” refers to receiving those who repent and glorify the Lord in their hearts, the ones who come to the point of feeling sorry and want to restart again with the Lord.
35 And the farmers having taken his servants, indeed they beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Comments Matthew 21:35. The Lord sends His angel to the chosen ones (His servants) to give the message; those then go to the farmers (the Jews), and they have been mistreated.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first, and they did to them in like manner.
Comments Matthew 21:36. This verse discusses the actions humans took against the Lord’s servants. The Lord sent them to serve the humans, but they killed some, beat some, and stoned some. However, the Lord never gives up. He keeps sending more of His servants. The Father’s love is greater than His anger.
37 Then afterward he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Comments Matthew 21:37. “Then afterward.” The Bible often says that His servants have been mistreated in many ways. But the Lord never gives up on us. Here, it reminds us how much the Father cares for humans: He sent His only begotten Son to save the whole world. However, we know from the Bible what humans did to His Son; it is recorded as proof for all. The sinful human nature did not want to obey. But, it will never happen again; that was the first and the last time because there is only one begotten Son to come and save us. There is no other way for mankind to come to the Father except through His Son, the Lord Jesus.
38 But the farmers, having seen the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take possession of his inheritance.
Comments Matthew 21:38. “But the farmers, having seen the son.” Regarding this verse, there are many instances in the Bible where people recognized the Lord Jesus, but they attempted to avoid using the term “Son”; instead, they referred to Him as a prophet. They recognized the authority in Him but could not accept Him as the Son of God; the most they would give Him was the title of a prophet. They knew by heart who the Lord Jesus is, but because of tradition, they couldn’t publicly say who He is (see Mark 2:27). If anyone accepts someone as the Son of God, that person must be stoned; not the person who accepts Him as a Son in their hearts, but the person who says publicly that He is the Son of God.
“Come, let us kill him, and take possession of his inheritance.” Instead of accepting the Son, they plot against the Son. When they discuss His inheritance, it holds further significance. Because of the Lord Jesus’ fame, miraculous works, and His authority, they want that fame to go to themselves as the ones with that power and authority. All they really want is to try to make it, as they are the ones who teach the Lord Jesus to perform miracles through their training, and in this way, they will still retain the power to control the people. The Lord has given humans wisdom, and they use that wisdom to fight Him instead of glorifying Him. Humans use their wisdom to try to make themselves like the Lord; this reveals the sinful nature of humans. But, without His Son, they will never be able to have the Father’s eyes on them again. Forgiveness comes only by faith alone in His Son, the Lord Jesus, not by works.
39 And having taken him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Comments Matthew 21:39. When they crucified the Lord Jesus, they took Him out of the temple to move Him further outside because they believed that if He were far from the temple, this would calm down the people. The Lord Jesus had many followers, and one way to avoid problems was to discredit Him first, then kill Him. By mocking the Lord Jesus in public and putting Him to shame, His followers would be discouraged and back off; then, afterward, they could do everything to Him. They would have fewer problems with the people if they disgrace Him first in public, but the Lord Jesus was willing to take everything to fulfill the Father’s plan. That is why the Lord Jesus is favored by the Father Himself, for He, being God, is willing to be disgraced by the creatures He created.
40 When therefore the master of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those farmers?
41 They say to Him, Evil people, He will grievously destroy them, and will rent out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give to him the fruits in their seasons.
Comments Matthew 21:40-41. From this point on, the leadership will shift from humans to the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26, and Acts 1:12-15). And this will not be pleasing to those who believe they are in control. With this power shift, fights will start, within and from outside. The Bible tells us in many places that the authority belongs only to one King who created all. Only one King exists who has control over all, the King who created all things, not the created ones being the king. And now the Holy Spirit will administer the leadership to whoever He pleases, to the ones who are worthy to do the work, not based on looks but on the heart.
42 Jesus says to them, Did you never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, This became the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes?
Comments Matthew 21:42. This verse tells us about the Lord Jesus Himself, who conquers all; all things are created through Him, and He is above all.
“Builders” refers to the Jews (His people).
“The stone” refers to the Son of God (the Lord Jesus).
“The head of the corner” or “the cornerstone” refers to the Lord Jesus. The Jews rejected the Lord Himself. After being rejected, He is the most important because everything is based on the cornerstone, and the fundamental belief and faith are built on this stone.
43 Therefore, I say to you that The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it will be given to a people producing the fruits thereof.
44 And the one that falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Comments Matthew 21:43-44. This paragraph talks about the love of the Father for His people, the Jews. Though they keep rejecting Him, yet they are not forgotten; the Lord will always gather them back together. They will be scattered around, but the Lord will gather them back because they are His people, which will never change, regardless of what they do; they are His children. They did good work for the Gentiles by rejecting the Lord. The Lord has come calling the Gentiles to do only the work that His own people do not want to do, to proclaim the Lord and that He will be back again for all the people, not just for His people alone. The Lord Jesus will return again. The Gentiles should remember that because of the children falling, they themselves will proclaim the Word of the Lord.
“And the one that falls on this stone will be broken” still refers to His people, the Jews. Because they fall in this rejection (“... builders rejected”), they are scattered around (“will be broken”).
“But on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” means that when this knowledge (about the cornerstone) falls on any of His chosen ones, their own people will reject them (the Christian ones will be made to suffer by their own people).
The Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and the Death of John the Baptist
We are all accountable to God and need to pray and reflect on all our actions in relation to God and others. Are we performing our actions to please others or ourselves, seeking to satisfy our desires or maintain our status in this world? Or are we seeking guidance from the Lord and striving to please Him in all our actions and repent whenever the Holy Spirit convicts us? In this section, we will connect the parable of the tenants to two of the most grievous sinful acts in the history of humanity.
The Lord Jesus shared the parable of the tenants with those who were listening to Him in the temple. Throughout their past, the children of God have put many of the Lord’s prophets to death; this includes John the Baptist, the last prophet in the tradition of the old-time prophets and the messenger sent by God to announce the coming of the Lord Jesus, who was beheaded (Matthew 14:9-12).
John the Baptist, who served as the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, suffered a terrible death. Subsequently, the Lord Jesus Himself, the sinless Son of God, endured the most agonizing death on the cross.
In Matthew 14:9-12, we see that Herod, bound by his oath to the people, feels compelled to commit a grave sin by ordering the beheading of John the Baptist. He disregards what is right in the eyes of God and instead justifies his actions based on the judgment of the people rather than God’s judgment.
9 And the king was grieved; because of the oaths, and of those reclining with him, he commanded it to be given;
10 and he having sent, beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought on a board, and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12 And his disciples came, took up the body, and buried him; and having come they told Jesus.
Comments Matthew 14:12. The death of John was a turning point for some of John’s disciples to come and follow the Lord Jesus. Because of John’s teaching about the One (the Lord Jesus) who would come after him, some of John’s disciples, whose hearts were open, became the Lord Jesus’ followers.
In Matthew chapter 27, we read about the trial of the Lord Jesus, His crucifixion, and His death on the cross. Pilate, the governor, ordered that the Lord Jesus be flogged, mocking Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head and dressing Him in a purple robe. Despite finding no guilt in Him, Pilate ultimately handed the Lord Jesus over for torture and crucifixion in order to please the crowd and secure his earthly position as governor. He disregarded what was right in the sight of God and believed that by performing the trivial act of washing his hands in front of the people, he could absolve himself of the grievous sin of condemning the innocent Son of God to death on the cross. The governor’s act of washing his hands in front of the people was meaningless to the Lord God Almighty; it could not wash away his sins; his action was performed for the people, not for the Lord. Let us examine Matthew 27:24-26, which describes the governor’s actions and the people’s response.
24 Now Pilate having seen that it profited nothing, but rather a tumult was arising, having taken water, he washed the hands before the multitude, saying, I am guiltless of His blood; see you to it.
Comments Matthew 27:24. In this verse, the governor, whom the Lord has put in charge of leading people, ignored the duty the Lord had given him. He wants to blame the children, but all the sin and guilt are on him as well, whom the Lord had given the duty to be a ruler. By washing his hands, he cleans the dirt, but who gave him the job? Selfish people only do that, but he, as a leader, is also to be blamed. The Lord put him in the position to rule people; what people did was his fault as well; whether he washed his hands or not, that meant nothing towards being clean. Pilate put guilt on people, but he was the leader, and by washing his hands, he would not clean his sin. Think about it this way: if you wash the mud off your hands and claim you are clean, you may be clean at the surface, but remain dirty inside.
25 And answering, all the people said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
Comments Matthew 27:25. Anyone who reads this verse should think twice before admitting fault to their own children. Here, they do it with their own will by saying, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” Look at them from then until now because of their mouth talking without thinking. They are the ones to ask to be blocked from receiving blessings. But even like this, the Lord still blesses them internally; they are not completely under the sufferings of this world; in them, something lifts them up. The country may not prosper, but spiritually, they do. However, why do you put the responsibility on your own children? You have disobeyed the Lord yourself; the children are under your protection, and you don’t do the job; your children will suffer because of what your mouth says. The primary consideration here is suffering, not direct punishment. They have been suffering for a long time because of what their mouth spoke at the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
In Ezekiel 18:20, the Bible says, “the person who sins will die.” Therefore, it is not guilt that goes on their children, but suffering as a result of that guilt, and all will endure together. Think twice before you say/admit anything to the Lord; it is just a result of the words. But remember, the Lord is also calling some out; not everyone will reject the Lord Jesus. The ones the Lord calls out and who follow His call have received His pardon (see Romans 11:25).
26 Then he released to them Barabbas; and Jesus having scourged, he delivered that He be crucified.
Comments Matthew 27:26. Disgrace they have done to the Lord Jesus.
Conclusions
In the parable of the tenants, the Lord Jesus clearly stated to the Jews that He is the Son of God, and that His own people would reject Him. But without Him, no one can be saved. He tells them that the power has been taken from them and has been shifted to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will choose whom He pleases to lead His work on Earth. If you are reading this blog and have faith in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, but have not yet been baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins, we encourage you to follow the biblical commandment and the example of the Lord Jesus. Complete your salvation of your soul by being baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins, and then seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Although we may not commit serious, sinful offenses against God like those mentioned in this blog article, the Bible reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This means that no one is perfect, and no one can claim to be without sin. The only perfect and sinless Person who has ever walked this Earth is the beloved Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Holy Lamb of God, who was sacrificed as the ultimate atonement for the sins of the entire world, both past and future. The Bible clearly commands us to repent and be baptized in water in the name of the Trinity of God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit; this is the only way to be cleansed from our sins.
Let us all follow the commandments of our Lord Jesus and remain steadfast in our faith by regularly reading and meditating on the Word of God, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Meditation Tasks
- We encourage all the readers to reflect on their sinful state toward God and also consult our articles, “Water baptism for a Christian” and “Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian.”
- Additionally, we encourage everyone to explore our blog article, “The Lamb of God Can Cleanse Us from All Our Sins.”