Matthew 21:33-45
‘Hear another parable! There was a certain Householder who…dug a winepress…and let it out to farmers and went into a far country…. He sent His servants to the farmers, so that they might receive the fruits…. But the farmers took His servants, and beat one…and stoned another…. Last of all, He sent to them His Son…. But when the farmers saw the Son, they said…”This is the heir! Come, let’s kill Him, and…seize…His inheritance!”…. And they…slew Him…. When the Lord…of the vineyard comes…, He will miserably destroy those wicked men!… Jesus said…: “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The Stone which the builders rejected…has become the Head Cornerstone?’… I say to 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 the Stone shall fall, shall be ground to powder!”‘ Matthew 21:33-44.
Calvin comments: “The substance of this parable is…the priests and the other rulers…wickedly endeavour to defraud God of His right…. They practised the same kind of robbery towards the Prophets, and they are now ready to slay the Son. But they will not go unpunished!….
“While God appoints Pastors of His Church, He…acts in the same manner as if a Proprietor were to let a vineyard or field to a farmer, who would labour in the cultivation of it and make an annual return…. In this passage, He accuses the vinedressers themselves — who like base swindlers, appropriate to themselves the produce of the vineyard….
“‘God planted a vineyard…, and let it to farmers’…. Of old, He appointed priests to be…cultivators of the vineyard…. As they neglected the work assigned them…, the Prophets were sent…to bring back the worship of God…. ‘But (the priests) wounded one, and killed another’….
“The Jews would dare to act towards the Son, in the same manner as they had repeatedly done towards the Prophets…. They rose in diabolical rage against the Son…. It was the crowning point of all their crimes, to slay the Son — so that they might reign as in a house which wanted an heir….
“‘”Have you never read in the Scriptures?!”‘… Christ confirms His statement by the testimony of Scripture…. Did the Scripture (Psalm 118:22) foretell that He would be received with joy and favour and applause? Or did in not to the contrary foretell that the rulers themselves would oppose Him?…
“Christ…proves from the Psalm that He would be placed on His throne by the wonderful power of God…. Christ…is justly called the ‘Cornerstone’…. The Kingdom of God would be founded on a Stone which the builders themselves would reject…. Though the ungodly destroyed the worship of God among themselves, they would never cause the name of Christ to be abolished or true religion to perish! For God, in Whose hand are all the ends of the Earth, would find elsewhere a dwelling and habitation for His Kingdom…that it may yield fruit!”
Thus the killing of God’s Son. But He was resurrected. And so too shall His believers be!
