It Is God’s World, Not Man’s

Jesus had just made the point that some of the people who were considered irreligious were in fact more interested I serving God, that the religious leaders.  Matthew 21:32 states, “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”  He uses a parable in Matthew 21:33-40 to illustrate the point. 

“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: 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?” 

The landowner had leased out his wine making business to others. But when he attempted to collect his rent, they repeatedly attacked his representatives, eventually killing even his own son.  Jesus asked what a landowner would do about their refusing to pay their bills and even killing his son.  Matthew 21:41 tells how the Pharisees responded.  “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.”  No sensible person would allow people to steal his property or attack those who tried to protect it without repercussions.  The landowner would be well within his rights to have the leases executed for murder and lease it out to someone who would pay him what they owed.     

“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?  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:42-44)

Jesus then explained that God had set up his kingdom on earth, placing the priests and Levites in charge.  The entire kingdom was based on His son.  Because they refused to accept his son’s authority, God would remove them from authority and give it to people who would place their faith in him, and obey him.  Many of the Pharisees were descendants of the Levites and they and the Priests were already plotting to have Jesus killed.  He warned that initially their power over the people would be broken, and eventually their entire system would be destroyed.  On the day of Pentecost, the priest’s power began to be broken, with them steadily losing power until 70 AD, when the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem completely. 

The Priests and Pharisees understood what Jesus was saying, according to Matthew 21:45-46.  “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.”  They wanted to kill him at the time, but were afraid to go against public opinion.  They would spend the next few days trying to change the public’s perception of Jesus.  His arrest and subsequent trial were intended to discredit him. 

God knew exactly what was going to happen, and was able to predict it precisely.  As Christians, we need to understand he has complete control and knows exactly what is going to happen.   He is not surprised by the various attacks on Christianity today, any more than he was surprised by the attacks on Jesus.  We can trust him to do what needs to be done to make things right.    Humanity has only has the privilege of taking care of their part.   It is God’s world, and he has the right to take away their land and punish those who abuse his trust.