Greatest Stories Ever Told: Parable of The Tenant Farmers

Greatest Stories Ever Told: Parable of The Tenant Farmers

The story of humans and the gospel is of a people who can with reckless abandon trust in God

with all their heart soul mind and strength, but choose not to.

Just like in the garden we have God as our ultimate source of fulfillment but instead of finding

our joy in him we look to the work of our own hands.

Difference between a struggle and acceptance……

Acts of the flesh:

Galatians 5:16,17 ; 19-21

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh

desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in

conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[ c ] you want.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,

factions 

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those

who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Context: Matthew 21

7-11 Jesus had just made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people cry out

Hosanna Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

Hosanna in the highest!”

12-17 Jesus cleanses the temple: It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but

you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

15-17 Chief Priests come to question him.

The story of humans and the gospel is of a people who can with reckless abandon trust in God

with all their heart soul mind and strength, but choose not to.

Parable of The Tenant Farmers - Matthew 21:33-46

33 Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a

fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went

into another country.

34  When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.

35  And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36  Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

37  Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

38  But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us

kill him and have his inheritance.'

39  And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40  When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

41  They said to him, He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to

other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.

42  Jesus said to them (the chief priests), Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone

that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord doing, and it is

marvelous in our eyes?

43  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a

people producing its fruits.

44  And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.

45  When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

46  And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

There are two groups this applies to:

Believers and Unbelievers.

If you are an unbeliever you are the Tenants of the vineyard:

Don’t kill the son who gave his life for you

For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall

not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

See God sent his only son to earth for our salvation, yet instead of accept and receive him we

throw him and his sacrifice out.

If you are a believer this is a cautionary tale:

Its time to bear fruit!

It is time to profess the gospel of Jesus Christ without shame, and to disciple those who accept

the call.

We bear fruit inwardly in godly character and outwardly in our ministry and service to others.

Fruitfulness is about possessing love (humility, purity, generosity, etc.) and inspiring it in others.

Inwardly (Live Christ):

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

Outwardly (Show Christ):

John 4:36

36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the

sower and the reaper may be glad together.

The world is in need, we have the answer!