Christ
gave four parables the last week of His life.
Each of these parables is a comparison of how the Jewish leaders were in
Jesus’ day.
First
let’s discuss the different religious leaders during Christ’s time
Pharisees –
1. Most known of the religious
leaders
2. Were a religious party
3. “Pharisee” literally means
“Separatist,” the name given to them because of their “holier than thou”
haughty attitude.
4. Their aim was to strictly follow
both the oral and written law.
5. Looked down upon the common person
6. The common person admired the
Pharisees as representing the ideal followers of Judaism
7. Pharisees had such a hold on the
common person that no governing power could afford to disregard them.
8. Not all Pharisees were bad. Many
tried to promote true spirituality and piety.
a. Nicodemus in John 3
b. Gamaliel in Acts 5
c. Paul in Philippians
9. Christ condemned their hypocrisy
and pride and their arrogance that they were more religious than the rest.
10. They accused Jesus of blasphemy,
in the league with the devil, and breaking the law which prompted them to seek
to destroy Him
Scribes
1. Their job was to study and expound
the law
2. The Pharisees were a religious
party but the scribes held religious office
3. Most of the scribes belonged to
the Pharisaic party but not all Pharisees were scribes
4. They claimed positions of first
rank
5. They sought public acclaim of the
people and wore long and expensive robes.
6. They were the strongest opponents
of Jesus because he refused to be bound by the letter of the law.
7. They kept a close watch over
everything he said and did
Scribes claimed positions of first rank, sought public
acclaim of the people and wore long and expensive robes.
Sadducees –
1. They were a political party
favorable to the Roman government.
2. They were Priests of Jewish
aristocratic class.
3. All Sadducees were Priests, but
not all priests were Sadducees
4. They accepted only the written law
and rejected the traditions of the Pharisees
5. They denied bodily resurrection,
the existence of angels, and the sovereignty of God over human affairs.
6. They believed that man is the
master of his own destiny.
7. Did not have cordial relationship
with the Pharisees
8. Did join with the Pharisees in
confronting Jesus to show them a sign from heaven
9. Raised the question to Jesus
about the resurrection.
Herodian’s –
1.
Neither a
religious sect nor a political party.
2.
Were Jews who supported the Herodian
dynasty
3.
Joined with the Pharisees to oppose
Jesus and attempted to trap Him by asking whether it was proper to pay tribute
to Caesar.
4.
Argued for the separation of state
and organized religion.
5.
Belief was that all social and moral
problems could be solved by the involvement of the government.
All four groups had many theological and political
differences and they hated each other strongly yet they united in a common
cause against Jesus. Jesus’ most
scathing rebuke was reserved for the scribes and the Pharisees.
The two basic issues these groups had with Jesus were:
1.
His relation with God the Father and
His claim of being equal with the Father
a.
Objected His use of the title “Son
of God” for Himself
b.
Objected the titles used “Messiah”
or “Christ” or “Son of David” – they understood that using this title Jesus was
claiming Himself to be the promised heir of David who would sit on David’s
throne and rule for eternity.
c.
Objected to His claim of supremacy
over and existence before Abraham.
d.
Objected to His claim to have
authority to forgive sins.
2.
His relationship with man and how he
mingled with the lowest class of people in the society.
a.
He became a friend of the “sinners”
b.
He did not observe their traditions
c.
He violated their Sabbath views
The questioned His deity, and denied that he was the Christ,
and they objected to His service to humanity.
So here we are – in the last week of the Savior’s
ministry. For three years he has taught
all who have crossed His path including the different Jewish leaders. Some have listened and taken His words into
their hearts but many have not including most of the Jewish leaders of the
time. These four parables represent those
leaders that did not listen.
The four parables Christ gave about the Jewish leaders.
THE FIG TREE -- Matthew 21:17-20
Elder Talmage in his book, Jesus the Christ explains it well:
“The leafy, fruitless tree was a symbol of Judaism, which loudly proclaimed itself as the only true religion of the age, and condescendingly invited all the world to come and partake of its rich ripe fruit; when in truth it was but an unnatural growth of leaves, with no fruit of the season, nor even an edible bulb held over from earlier years, for such as it had of former fruitage was dried to worthlessness and made repulsive in its worm-eaten decay. The religion of Israel had degenerated into an artificial religionism, which in pretentious show and empty profession outclassed the abominations of heathendom. As already pointed out in these pages, the fig tree was a favorite type in rabbinical representation of the Jewish race, and the Lord had before adopted the symbolism in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, that worthless growth which did but cumber the ground.”
**** We need to make sure we are not like the fig tree. When we accept Christ in our hearts, keep his commandments, and serve others then we bear fruit. When Christ comes in the final days and searches for fruit on our branches
WHAT WILL WE
HAVE TO OFFER?
I hope fruits of love and
service.
THE SECOND SON Matthew 21: 28-32
Christ uses this parable to illustrate man’s hypocrisy and God’s infinite capacity to forgive those who come unto him, no matter what their former status, circumstance, or condition was. It shows that anyone can repent and change and become a disciple of Christ.
Here the Jewish leaders are like the
second son. They were called and said
yes but then they did not follow. They
were judgmental of others, excluding certain groups, while putting themselves
up on pedestals.
It does not matter whether you say
no or yes at first but only matters that you do come unto Christ and when you
do you change your heart and your actions and follow Him the best you can each
day.
Matthew 21:33-41
...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 and when the time of the
fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might
receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another.
Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they
did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying “They
will reverence my son” 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” And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew
him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those
husbandmen? 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.
The vineyard is basically the human family but more specifically
the covenant people, Israel. The soil
was good and capable of yielding in rich abundance and the vines were choice
and had been set out with care.
From Talmage again: “The vineyard, broadly speaking, was the human family, but
more specifically the covenant people, Israel; the soil was good and capable of
yielding in rich abundance; the vines were choice and had been set out with
care; and the whole vineyard was amply protected with a hedge, and suitably
furnished with winepress and tower.
The husbandmen could be none other than the priests and
teachers of Israel, including the ecclesiastical leaders who were then and
there present in an official capacity. The Lord of the vineyard had sent among
the people prophets authorized to speak in His name; and these the wicked
tenants had rejected, maltreated, and, in many instances, cruelly slain. In the
more detailed reports of the parable we read that when the first servant came,
the cruel husbandmen ‘beat him and sent him away empty’; the next they wounded
‘in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled’; another they murdered and
all who came later were brutally mistreated, and some of them were killed.
Those wicked men had used the vineyard of their Lord for personal gain, and had
rendered no part of the vintage to the lawful Owner. When the Lord sent other
messengers, ‘more than the first,’ or in other words, greater than the earlier
ones, the most recent example being John the Baptist, the husbandmen rejected
them with evil determination more pronounced than ever.
At last the Son had come in person; His authority
they feared as that of the lawful heir, and with malignity almost beyond
belief, they determined to kill Him that they might perpetuate their unworthy
possession of the vineyard and thenceforward hold it as their own.
“Jesus carried the story without break from the criminal
past to the yet more tragic and awful future, then but three days distant; and
calmly related in prophetic imagery, as though already fulfilled, how those
evil men cast the well beloved Son out of the vineyard and slew Him. Unable to
evade the searching question as to what the Lord of the vineyard would
naturally and righteously do to the wicked husbandmen, the Jewish rulers gave
the only pertinent answer possible—that He would surely destroy those wretched
sinners, and let out His vineyard to tenants who were more honest and worthy.” (Talmage,
Jesus the Christ, p. 534–35.)
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for his son and sent forth his servants to call them that were
bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other
servants, saying, tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto
the marriage.
But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his
farm, another to his merchandise; and the remnant took his servants, and
entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he
was wroth; and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city.
Then saith he to his servants. The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and
as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into
the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and
good; and the wedding was furnished with guests.
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a
man which had not on a wedding garment; and he saith unto him, friend, how
camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? and he was speechless. Then
said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot and take him away, and
cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For
many are called but few are chosen.
When I first read this parable I
think of rude it is that they have thrown out the man without the wedding dress
but then I read this and it explains it well:
“It was well known that one had to be suitably
dressed to appear before a king. The apparel of the guest was a reflection of
respect for the host. It was also commonly understood that the appropriate
dress for such an occasion would be white robes. Apparently the people invited
from the highways of the earth would have neither time nor means to procure the
appropriate wedding clothing, so the king supplied his guests from his own
wardrobe, a common practice. Thus all had been invited to clothe themselves in
the garments of royalty. The man cast out had chosen to trust his own dress
rather than that provided by the king” (Joseph F. McConkie,
“Triumphal Entry and a Day of Debate,”)
The man without the wedding
dressed in this parable was a symbol for the Jewish leaders who felt they could
enter God’s Kingdom without putting on the robes of Righteousness.
The meaning of the required
garment is not specified elsewhere in the scriptures but garments and robes
often symbolize righteousness and purity which are qualities required to enter
into the Lord’s presence.
We cannot participate in the
great ‘marriage supper’ of the Son of God unless we have accepted and put on
the protective clothing of His atonement.
Who is the Pharisee in my life?
Let us be
careful that we are not a Pharisee.
*What is
the attitude of our worship?
*Do we
give meaningful service
*What is
our attitude towards others? Are we judgmental?
*Do we put
ourselves first
*Do I find
faults in others but never in myself?
*Are we critical
and negative or are we loving, kind, and understanding?
*Do we
live the golden rule to Love the Lord our God first, then to love your neighbor
as yourself?
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