Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 21:23-46 (Click title for audio access)

"The Danger Of Fruitlessness" • 12.19.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- Matthew has been leading us through an amazing tour of the life of Christ. He has firmly established the case for the royalty of Jesus Christ.

- From His miraculous birth, to His royal pedigree, to His miracles that matched the Messiah's profile. Jesus fits the bill from top to bottom.

- Chapter 21 continues that theme and begins to unveil a dangerous truth regarding the nation of Israel at the time of Christ.

- They had believed that they were judging Him, when they were simply opening the door for judgment upon themselves.

Text

• Matthew 21:23 : "Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, 'By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?'" : These men from the temple, the chief priests and the elders came and confronted Jesus as He was teaching. It seems that they interrupted Him.

- With their question, they have again interrupted ministry between God and His people. They are in the way and for a superficial, petty reason.

- They wanted to know what Jesus would say with regard to His authority. This referred to an official sanctioning by some recognized human office of power, like the Sanhedrin.

- They are not interested in His authority. They know that no earthly office had endowed Him with power. That would have made Jesus one of them!

- Instead, they would love to use this occasion to accuse Him, just as they have in the past.

- The answer had been right before their very eyes in just the previous 24 hours!

- Jesus had come into the city on the exact day predicted in Daniel 9, in the exact way that Zechariah 9:9 predicted.

- He had accepted worship from the multitudes, who cried out with Psalm 118 over Jesus and their children who repeated that saying the next day!

- He had called the Temple HIs Father's house and had performed the miracles that were prophecied of the Messiah!

- Of course, they refused to recognize his authority, his connection to the Father, for the same reasons that people do today. They refused because of prejudice. He was from Nazareth!

- He’s not glamorous, relevant or hip enough to put trust in

- They refused because of their own perceived self-righteousness. They were children of Abraham, chief priests, waiting for a member of the Trinity to retire so they could jump in!

- The predominant reason that they rejected Jesus is the same as it is today: He did not meet their expectations. They wanted a political Messiah with the power to overthrow Rome!

- People are looking for a savior of their making, one who will conform to their vision.

- Because of their predisposition to disbelieve, they asked Jesus to explain His authority.

- Jesus will answer their question with another question, whose answer will shed a lot of light.

• Matthew 21:24-27 : "But Jesus answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?' And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.' So they answered Jesus and said, 'We do not know.' And He said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'" : Jesus was never at a disadvantage. He had these guys right where He wanted them each and every time.

- Jesus centers His question on their opinion of John's ministry. Why John the Baptist? First, John was a very polarizing individual. Most considered him, at the least, a Prophet.

- Some believed that he was more than that, even though he very clearly said he was not.

- One thing that made John so dangerous was that he clearly endorsed Jesus as the Messiah!

- John the Baptist was a very popular man among the people and there was rampant repentance when he was preparing the way for Jesus.

- When Jesus asked them their opinion about his ministry came from, Matthew reports their dialogue amongst each other. They knew that they were trapped.

- Saying the truth, that John's power came from heaven, would put them in a very bad position because they did not believe what He said about Jesus.

- On the other hand, saying the opposite would cause equally difficult problems with the people. Their political necks were on the line in just the span of a few seconds.

- They could not win, so they sheepishly, at the smallest volume possible said, "We don't know!" These men are so disingenuous! They refuse to honestly say what they believe!

- They are too gutless to disavow Jesus and too proud and arrogant to change their views.

- They have gone over the edge of the point of no return. Jesus will not tell them the answer because no matter how He presents, they have refused to believe it.

- Jesus leaves them to their unbelief and decides to tell a story.

• Matthew 21:28-31a : "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.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?' They said to Him, 'The first.'" : The story that Jesus tells happens again in a vineyard. This would have been a common occurrence.

- Even today, in our society, it's not rare to employ sons in the family business. In Christ's time, this was especially true.

- The emphasis of the Lord's story is on what was said and then done. That is an important detail. The Father said, not asking. His request is a benevolent command.

- The first son balked but went later, having regretted his initial position. The second son said that he would go, adding a "sir" to his reply, but then, He didn't.

- The answer to Christ's question is obvious: The first son did the will of his Father. At this point the religious leaders were very proud of their brilliant powers of deduction.

- Their joy in the matter was shortlived.

• Matthew 21:31b-32 : "Jesus said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him." : The religious leaders listened to this simple story and were in agreement with Jesus and the people that had been listening to the Lord.

- They might have even said, "What a simple, yet elegant story!" That's when the Lord turned it around on them! They were the second son!

- Playing the part of the first son was a group of people that everyone believed was excluded from the Kingdom of God.

- The tax collectors and the prostitutes were not only entering heaven; They were entering heaven before them! Literally, they are leading the way for the religious leaders to follow!

- John had come and called the self-righteous to repent, to change their mind and thus, change their behavior. They did not believe that they needed to, but the tax collectors and harlots did!

- There is something incredibly powerful about the gospel of Christ. Righteousness can be experienced by the most foul and vile of our society and Christ welcomes them in!

- Do not believe for a second that there is someone outside of His reach! That friend or family member is not hopeless. Christianity is the religion for tax collectors and harlots!

- They enter in that way, repenting of their actions, and God makes them citizens of His Kingdom! God's grace is powerful!

- But it is also limited. For those who see no need of it, who never tap into the resource that is freely available to them, these are excluded.

- The religious leaders had "said" that they would serve, love and obey God. They appeared, as the fig tree had, to be fruitful, but their actions proved otherwise!

- They were the second son, and were therefore, not doing the will of the Father! We need to stop now and ask if that is true of us! Are we doing the will of the Father?

- The first act is to believe upon Jesus Christ, to the exclusion of any other thing that we might trust in, ie. our works, our holiness, etc. That is the first part of the will of God.

- Then comes the specific areas of obedience that He calls us to every day. Are we giving Him our obedience in every aspect of our life?

- Let it not be said of us: They honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him!

- This was the essential problem with these religious leaders. They talked a good game, but they denied any real relationship with God.

• Matthew 21:33-39 : “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.” : This story, again, would have been somewhat common for the day.

- Landowners would invest themselves in fields and then lease out the land to vinedressers. This landowner prepared a wonderful estate for these men to work in.

- He had planted the vineyard. He had taken the time to till and prepare it. He set a hedge around it, for protection from beasts and thieves. The winepress was built right onto the property.

- The tower provided shelter, storage and a place from which to view the entirety of the field. He has been very thorough in his preparations and has handed the keys over to the vinedressers.

- From here, the story takes a grisly turn. In the process of time, the landowner sent servants to receive of the fruit of his vineyard.

- In an act of utter rebellion, the vinedressers received these emissaries with beatings, murder and stoning! Incredible acts of violence that were completely unwarranted.

- These were also commonplace issues in the time of Christ, as the workers often fought against the landowners, the struggle between the working class and the rich.

- The word "beatings" point to scourging or flaying the body open. Murder, refers to quick, sudden and surprising murder. Stoning is just that. Their response was hideous and heinous!

- Finally, the son was going to come. The motive was the respect that the son would garner. But all that was seen was opportunity: "This the heir! Let's kill Him too!"

- The landowner is away and the vinedressers have decided that this is their vineyard. This is a hostile takeover and when the heir to the vineyard came, they killed him as well.

• Matthew 21:40,41 : "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?' They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.'" : At some point, the vinedressers will face the wrath of the landowner.

- The religious leaders, listening to this tale, likely spoke this with some relish. "Yes, the owner would dole out justice to these cowards!"

- They acknowledge that he will act justly and then hand over the Vineyard to another! These are their own words!

- One cannot help but think of the Prophet Nathan's speech to King David. David was incensed at the story that Nathan told. I have no doubt that these men were just as captivated.

• Matthew 21:42 : "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?" : Jesus words to these religious leaders was the death knell to their phony religion.

- "Have you never read the scriptures!" This is my favorite of Christ's rebukes. It had to grate upon them the most.

- Jesus quotes here from Psalm 118 was the Psalm that was being sung over Jesus as He entered the city. In that Psalm, there is a second part of prophetic fulfilment.

- Jesus, the Messiah, was to be rejected by His people. In essence, Jesus is telling them this: You believe that I am being judged by you? The truth is, you are being judged by me!

- Jesus is saying, "You think that I can be a Messiah by your acceptance? I am the Messiah because of your rejection!"

- It's right there in Psalm 118 and is the 6th Messianic claim in this chapter!

- It was common and yet, they never comprehended that this was speaking directly to them. The stone that the builders, the religious leaders rejected, God had made the chief cornerstone.

- The cornerstone was the stone that any entire building was set upon. It was the first stone that everything else was measured by.

- It had to be true on every side because even one degree off could set the entire building off!

- The picture is that the builders looked at Jesus and decided that they could not build their lives on Him. He was cast aside.

- But God, not respecting their opinions, said that this was the stone that He would set the building by!

• Matthew 21:43-46 : "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.' Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet." : God has taken away the Kingdom from this nation of people who refused to bear the fruits of it.

- He is giving it to a people who will bear the fruits of it. Who is He referring to? The Church. Believers in Christ who are faithfully His.

- He still warns them, even though they are too far gone. Whoever falls upon Jesus, the stone, to do harm to Him, will be smashed to pieces.

- God would deal with each one of those people who dealt treacherously with His Son and in the final judgment, these same people will then be ground to powder.

- It is the strongest of warnings to the religious leaders. They knew that He was speaking of them. The fig tree was an Old Testament picture of Israel, as was the Vineyeard.

- Isaiah 5 is an excellent companion to this chapter for study on your own. They knew that they were the second son and they knew that they were the vinedressers.

- God, the landowner had sent prophet after prophet to warn them and draw them back to Him, but in each case, they would not have it!

- The blood of the prophets had been on their hands and now, God has sent HIs Son and they will continue on with their tradition!

- But this was their condition: They knew He was speaking of them. They knew His warnings and they still sought to kill Him!

- Nobility, logic, God's law, respect for human life, nothing could keep them from their plan, save the fear of the multitudes!

Conclusion

- We cannot fathom coming to such a place and yet they did. Men who had been given the scriptures, the sacrifices and the temple.

- Yet, God set them aside and made a new nation out of nations. Why? They refused to bear fruit! They refused to allow the life of God to be their passion.

- Let us not make the same mistake!