Matthew 21:40-44 Skipping Stones and Uprooting

Matthew 21:40-44

40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

In this part of the wicked tenants parable, I like it compared to skipping stone one water and uprooting vines. As a child if near an easy body of water and saw smooth looking rocks, I would pick up stones and throw it to see how many times I could get it, skip it until the rock finally stink. The nation of Israel did the same thing with the Lord their God. They play skipping stone with His authority over and over. They would refuse the message His prophets would deliver and they would insult and abuse God’s prophet. Years later when they learn the prophet’s words were correct and prophecy came to pass, they would treasure the prophet and call it God’s word and God law. When the Son of God came as promise ever was given by the Creator in the garden of Eden.Not only another cast another stone across the water to reject another prophet, but the major prophet the Son of the Living God and when that Rock sank God the Father said enough is enough, I’m done with you stubborn people. And it’s interesting that Jesus put this parable in the vineyard. The nation of Israel calls themselves from the root of Jesse, cause King David is a son of Jesse and the Messiah is of David bloodline. But they rejected Jesus, they refused the root of Jesse, they pulled the Lord’s vine and yanked that root out of the holy ground of Israel. The Lord wanted Israel to be His beautiful vineyard to produce wonderful grapes but the grapes they produce were just nasty rotten fruit.

Isaiah 5:2 He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. 3 Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

The Lord is not to blame for the repeated disrespect and disloyalty of the nation of Israel and its disobedience. Instead of being a people set apart from the rest of the world and worshipping a holy God, they wanted to lower themselves and be like the man and women of the nations around them. These are like the actions of children who want more friends, so they give into peer pressure and they start doing things they know mom and dad would like to know what their child is doing, especially calling themselves by His name. Dear beloved, don’t give in peer pressure and be like the in-crowd, you might follow them and jump off a cliff. God bless you all, the Lord loves you and so do I.

Samuel J H

1 Peter 2:7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.