The Murder of God’s Son: A Prophetic Parable, Part 1 B

Jesus whole life was marked with endless evidences that he was indeed the son of God, the Messiah was unmistakably clear.

They knew what his claims were they newly substantiated them by power over disease power over death how they knew there was no!

Him other than that he was divine tolerant with each other and not assume that our way is the only way. Of course God's word calls believers to be at peace with everyone as much as possible. But when is it not okay to be tolerant of others. How tolerant was Jesus of those who taught false doctrine and what can you learn from his example consider that today on grace to you as John MacArthur walks you through a vivid profound exchange that Jesus had with false teachers hears John with his study how to talk to a heretic, a prophetic parable of prophetic parable concerning the murder of God's son, let me tell you the story that Jesus told the prophetic parable that begins in verse nine and he began to tell the people this parable.

A man planted a vineyard and rented out the vine growers and went on a journey for a long time and at the harvest time you send a slave to the vine growers in order that they might give him some of the produce of the vineyard for the vine growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed and he proceeded to send another slave and they beat him also and treated him shamefully sent him away empty-handed and he proceeded to send 1/3. This one also they wounded and cast out, and the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do, I will send my beloved son.

Perhaps they will respect him. But when the vine growers saw him, they reasoned with one another saying this is the error, let us kill him, and the inheritance may be hours, and he threw him out of the vineyard and killed what therefore will the owner of the vineyard due to them.

He will come and destroy these vine growers and will give the vineyard to others. That's the story. What is the explanation.

What does this story mean that's the illustration. Listen to the explanation second half of verse 16 and when they heard it, they said, may it never be this strange what what you mean the people when they heard it said may it never be made again. Oh I taught in Greek, the strongest negative possible in the Greek language. No no no no, can't be can happen.

Never, never, never, can't we can't kill those people and and and and and we can't take away that the vineyard from them can happen.

They understood the meaning of the story. What did they understand. I'll tell you. Let's go to the story again and see what they understood. A man planted a vineyard. The man is God. Vineyard is Israel. Clearly this is God establishing Israel the originator and possessor of Israel is God. Israel is his people chosen elect formed out of the loins of Abraham carried to the patriarchs flourishing into a full nation having been recovered from Egyptian captivity. This is Israel fact in Isaiah 5 wonderful opening seven verses of Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah says God planted a vineyard and answers the question.

Who is this vineyard this vineyard is the house of Israel. Isaiah 57 and God's planting of Israel is described in detail. God did everything he could in planting Israel to get back a good crop. God got absolutely nothing in Isaiah says God is going to trample down his vineyard and no rain is going to rain on it. It's going to be crushed and dried up. In Isaiah is describing an apostate unfaithful, disobedient, rebellious, blasphemous Israel about to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 586 here we are again in language very reminiscent of Isaiah 5 and Jesus is saying nothing has changed. Nothing has changed Israel as God's vineyard planted adding the elements that Matthew adds with a winepress with a tower with a hedge of protection. All of that God planted Israel they knew well the Isaiah passage because it followed immediately with the grade Isaiah 6. Vision of God but but who are the vine growers God placed the vineyard who are the vine growers. They are the ones that God puts in charge of caring for his vineyard is nation who would that be religious leaders, those responsible to lead the people in the ways of God to lead them to obedience and true worship those given care over the nation never owners always stewards of God's possession. God is the one who owns his own nation.

These are the ones given responsibility for leading spiritually. Kings, predominantly priests, and even including some self-appointed false prophets.

Any and all who had responsibility for the spiritual welfare of Israel, predominantly the priesthood so God establishes his nation out of the loins of Abraham. God puts it in the hands of priesthood and of certain rulers, godly men elders wisemen and God goes on a journey for a long time. What said 2000 years of Old Testament history 2000 years of Old Testament history until God decides that certain intervals to send certain slaves to get his crop. He remains away and doesn't actually come back until he comes back in the form of his son, but the long journey pictures Old Testament history, God gave to the religious and spiritual leaders of Israel. The care of the nation to kings and priests from the patriarchs, Abraham on in Jesus time it was the high priest, the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees elders and leaders. They had the spiritual stewardship of the nation. Verse 10 literally the Greek says at the time at the prescribed time at the appropriate time.

We could say harvest time is the NAS does at appropriate seasons in the history of Israel, God sent servants who were they prophets true prophets, Old Testament prophets sent to Israel to bring the nation, God's law to return the nation to God's law to obedience and to righteousness.

The prophets came when they came to call the nation to produce spiritual fruit for the honor and glory of God from Moses all the way to John the Baptist. They all had the same responsibility were all calling the people to walk according to God's law to love God to repent of their sin to turn to God to cry out to God for forgiveness and salvation and to be obedient to his law. That was the message and the ministry of all true prophets and how are they treated well. According to the story, they were mistreated they were beaten they were treated with shame. They were wounded they were cast out to use all the language they were killed they were stoned the history of Israel is a history of prophets coming to call Israel back and prophets being rejected and mistreated and maligned and abused and killed Jeremiah constantly mistreated, thrown into a pit tradition says the Jews stoned him to death. Ezekiel face the same hatred and hostility. Amos had to flee for his own life. Zachariah was rejected and stoned and Micah was punched in the face.

Remember, Pharisees and scribes said to Jesus, they said, you know, if we do been around when our forefathers abused the prophets we never would've done that spin 400 years. When you come to the life of Christ answers been a prophet. They feel like they would never have done to the prophets what their forefathers did it.

Were they to have prophets, then they wouldn't do that. That was wishful thinking they were the one so eager to kill not just the prophets but the sun himself. Turn to Matthew chapter 23 in the New Testament.

Most notable chapter. This insight will help you to understand how well-known the history of killing the prophets was among the Jews. Matthew 23.

This is Jesus speaking against the leaders. Verse 29 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous that that was their hypocrisy. In part they were hypocrites on every front, but one of their hypocritical acts was to try to revere the prophets that there forefathers had hated abused, mistreated and killed and what they did was try to adorn the monuments of the prophet. They they didn't want people to think that they were like that.

They were far better they would never do that to a true prophet, so they build greater tombs to honor the prophets adorn the monuments of the righteous, and they say verse 30 we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.

I said a few moments ago they wanted to present themselves as better than their forefathers there forefathers were well known for having slaughtered the prophets, but Jesus didn't see them that way. Verse 33 you serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell. Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city. Jesus is saying you're no different because as soon as my apostles go out and the preachers of the gospel goes it go out, you're going to do exactly to them what your fathers did to the prophets of old you go to persecute them you going to execute. That's what they did all the apostles with the exception of John were martyred.

Slaughter was on verse 35 says in fact on you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah, the son of Beare Kia, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar, how apostate are they they murdered the last of the prophets that they murdered in the temple between the altar and the holy place below Jerusalem, Jerusalem, verse 37 says Jesus who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. That's the history that's the history of Israel apostate, disobedient, unbelieving, rebellious idolatrous blasphemous slaughtering the prophets Stephen acts seven. The first Christian martyr is preaching. Listen to what he says in acts 751 you men who are stiffnecked and uncircumcised in your heart is preaching to the Jews in Jerusalem.

You are always resisting the Holy Spirit you are doing just as your fathers did which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute while Stephen asks which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute. They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the righteous one whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You killed the prophets that announce the coming of the righteous one. And now you've killed the righteous one. And when they heard this, they were cut to the quick begin gnashing their teeth at him and they stoned him to death, and he died and Saul was in hearty agreement with breathing out, threatening and slaughter ravaging the church went on the killing spree in that first generation thinking he was upholding Judaism is how it's always been finally in interpreting the story go back to Luke 20 the owner asks the all-important question, what shall I do verse 13.

I will send my beloved son.

Perhaps they will respect him. That's unmistakable is that is unmistakable.

God sent his beloved son, Luke 322.

This is my beloved son, John 316 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

He is distinct from all other messengers.

He is not a slave. He is a son, and God has only one God's last Old Testament messenger prophet of all profits. He is the heir to all that God possesses. He is the one who has all divine authority all divine rights to obedience and to honor as well as all divine rights to judgment they should've respected him. They should've reverenced in the should've revered him. They should have been shamed into respecting him.

After what they done to the prophets, who announced his coming and it's not as if they didn't know who he was.

Please notice the story when the vine growers saw him.

Jesus whole life was marked with endless evidences that he was indeed the son of God, the Messiah was unmistakably clear and the vine growers say this is the error. What an indictment.

This is the year they knew what his claims were they newly substantiated them by power over disease power over death power over demons. They knew his miracle power. They knew there was no explanation for him other than that he was divine. Why didn't they believe listen to this. John 1242. Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees. They were not confessing him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they love the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

It never was a question of evidences never. They even say we know that you speak the true words of God. They never argued about his miracles, they never denied one miracle ever.

It just was not acceptable to them to believe in him because they love their own religion and the praise that it brought them more than they love God was not a head issue was a heart issue. He is the Messiah. He is the only and beloved son of God. And so Jesus in the story once it dawned on the crowd is telling his own murderers that he knows exactly what they are about to do in two days they are going to kill him there going to kill him because they want control of the inheritance that the inheritance may be hours control over the religious system control over their own version of the kingdom of God. They want to burn the heretics. This is been done throughout Christian history by those who see themselves as the self-appointed stewards of the kingdom of God. They want control. They want their synagogue world and their Temple world the way it is.

And Jesus is a real problem with killing so we can hang on to our religion. Killing was it refer to the crucifixion in today's they been long planning it there gonna pull it off fast also says they threw him out of the vineyard and killed the room out of the vineyard, was that picture complete rejection throwing them out of their nation is an outcast. Some Sivan an indication that he was crucified outside the city, which they likely did to symbolize that had been rejected by the nation.

He died outside the city. This is their history. This is sweeping history and when the people understood it, they realized what they had said destroy those wretched vine growers give the vineyard somebody else what we just said we just condemned our own religion and our own nation. That's why they respond at the end of verse 16 may never be. No no no no, we will take back to Québec to take back we should never set it. We should never have said destroy what is that verse 16 he will come and destroy these vine growers divine judgment already predicted 1335. Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Go back to chapter 19 verse 42. If you known in this David knew the things which make for peace, but now they been hidden from your eyes. Days will come upon you and your enemies will throw up a bank before you, surround you, him you on every side level you to the ground and your children within you, not leaving you one stone upon another, because you didn't recognize the time of your visitation. The time when the son of God visited you destruction this is prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Jews were slaughtered in the city and the temple were leveled to the ground. From that moment on, no priesthood is ever existed in Israel, no Temple, no sacrifices, no ceremonies, no Sadducees, no Pharisees, no chief priests, no high priest. The whole system ended. Never again.

Has it been restored. The people understood the story and they panicked.

This is the destruction of our leaders. This is our displacement from the place of blessing didn't take long. In a few days. These people who are horrified here. No no no no no no no no no, we want you to be our king. We don't want you to do this we would never kill the son, we would never kill the son, we want you to be our Messiah. The same people that are saying that here in effect are going to say crucify him, crucify him crucified, and the people will follow their leaders writing the judgment right into destruction and right into hell and is one other element he will give the vineyard to others who are the others. That is the high point of the story. That's the culmination of the story and it's really powerful truth. How do we draw this together. Pretty easy really.

The consequences are eternal. For those who reject Jesus Christ. Whether the Jews of his own day or Jews and Gentiles in this day, or in any day in between, or beyond. You either love the Lord Jesus Christ or your cursed you either acknowledge him as the son of God the only Savior put your trust and faith in him or your doomed and damned judgment is premised on all those who reject Christ, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ says the Scripture let them be cursed, but in be doomed. God has given to you certain privilege to hear the truth to know the truth hear the message of Christ.

Not everybody in the world has that privilege you have in that sense you have been under the knowledge of the truth which produces responsibility.

What are you going to do with the truth you to be like the leaders of Israel, who because something else is more important to you that you possess the love of your own sin or your own system or your own philosophy or your own relationships you will spurn Christ and hold on to what in dams and dams. This is the time to let go of everything.

Put your trust in Christ so that you're not destroyed and added to the number of those who forfeited all potential and offered blessings of his kingdom. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John has been our featured speaker for over 52 years. He is also Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary.

His current series is a practical guide on how to talk to a heretic. John you know when it comes to the way Christians should respond to false teaching. Some would say that we should be always gracious, minimize the negative focus on common ground. And that's partly true.

Obviously, we should always be gracious but is that the whole truth is that the right approach to dealing with heresy while you use the correct word you said truth. Just tell the truth. Just tell the truth is not about your ability to convince someone. It's not about how clever you are.

It's not about how kind you are a you you want to be loving you want to speak the truth in love. That's the model speaking the truth in love. Fees for the speak the truth. Though the most loving thing you can do is to speak the truth and that is exactly what Jesus said in fact, Jesus said this, I only say with the father tells me to say I only speak the truth you don't listen to me because your of your father the devil, so you can't hear the truth unless God changes the heart. You can't hear the truth.

So if that's your starting point all you want to do then is to pray that God would do the work of enlightenment in the heart of the person you're talking to and speak the truth and speak the truth in love. I don't think people become Christians because your kind to them.

I don't think people become Christians because you're clever and how you present things. I think people become Christian because God saves them and he saves them by means of the word of truth speak the truth and that was Jesus. Did he love yes of course they confront. Yet like no one ever because he knew what their thoughts were because he was God learn from him and that's another reminder of the book brand-new book when talking about for a couple days called Jesus unleashed in today's era of quote unquote safe spaces Jesus if he showed up he would trigger a lot of people yeah yeah they did want to get rid of him because he was not a very safe person to have in your space toe. With that in the world want to tone down kind Jesus who doesn't disrupt any of their sins, pet sins, but if you're looking to the true Christ and how he dealt with lies and false teaching and sinners and how he presented the truth to them. This book will help you with that. It's titled, Jesus unleashed 150 pages hardback and get one from Grace to you again the title of this new book Jesus unleashed. It walks you through a series of explosive encounters between Jesus and false religious teachers learn how to contend for the faith the same way Jesus did order. Jesus unleashed when you contact us today.

Call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org to order Jesus unleashed a brand-new book from John MacArthur. Our phone number again 855 grace and our website address TTY.org and keep in mind, Jesus unleashed is one of hundreds of resources available from Grace to you, including the MacArthur New Testament commentary series in books such as the gospel according to Jesus, the prodigal son and the MacArthur study Bible to place your order. Call 855 grace or go to TTY.org and when you're at TTY.org. Make sure you check out the grace to you blog you'll find helpful articles from John and the staff. A popular series entitled loving the local church which highlights what to look for in a church and why you need to be part of a local church. The blog is one of many free resources that you will benefit from on our website TTY.org now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson inviting you back tomorrow when John shows you how to spot false teachers don't miss the next half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you