“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 20:13-19:

In our last lesson, we began to look at a parable of wicked vinedressers (tenant farmers). As the owner of the vineyard has gone off into a far country for a long time (represented in the time of silence between Malachi and the coming of John the Baptist), He is still expecting that His vineyard be productive.

Now, as the fullness of time has come (harvest time), the owner is going to send servants to the vinedressers to enjoy some of the harvest.

There are three servants sent to the vinedressers which are illustrations of the Law, the prophets, and John the Baptist.

In each case the owner of the vineyard has given the vinedressers reminders of His ownership and expectations. In each case, they have rejected and abused the messengers.

As we covered the first three verses of the text in our last lesson; not only have they (vine dressers) cast out and abused the first two servants (the Law and Prophets), they have likewise done this to the forerunner to the coming of the Messiah. Most importantly, they have not regretted their actions; showing absolutely no respect for the owner of the vineyard.

It is here that we will pick this story back up and see what the owner of the vineyard will do now that the vinedressers have rejected his servants.

Text #1:

Luke 20:13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him."

Consider the confusion of the owner of the vineyard (God)! He has sent servants to prepare the people in order for them to bear fruit, that He might share in the harvest; however, they have mistreated the servants and sent them away with nothing.

By now the owner is perplexed, as the behavior of the husbandmen (chief priests, scribes, or generically the religious leaders of the people - Vs. 19) is outrageous beyond all expectation. So, the owner reasons that he will surly send his own son. He was sure that they would respect his authority as the true son of the owner and then respect the rights of the owner.

Text #2:

Luke 20:14-16 "But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

If the behavior of the vinedressers was outrageous beyond contempt for the owner by the mistreatment of his servants, how much more now?

Because the religious leaders of the people did not truly care for the will of God, the parable depicts events that are about to transpire in reality.

John 1:11 "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him."

Jesus came to save the lost sheep of Israel , and in turn the vinedressers sought to kill Him and steal His inheritance.

Jesus states in the parable that the owner's only recourse now was to destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to "others" . The "others" mentioned here are identified by the Apostle Paul as he wrote to Christians in Rome . He stated that the rejection by Israel of the Son and His gospel was not total; but there would be a remnant that would not be destroyed (Romans 11:5-7). In addition, by the fall of the majority, salvation would also come to the Gentiles (Romans 11:11).

Jesus bringing this story forward directly to them, must have startled them greatly. In addition, their statement indicates that they recognize exactly who they are in the story and what God is going to do to them. They emphatically state that it should not be so!

Text #3:

Luke 20:17-19 "Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'?

18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them."

See also: Psalms 118:22.

Jesus looking directly at the vinedressers quotes from the 118th Psalm. This Psalm is Messianic in nature and is a intensely personal praise to God for His everlasting mercy (I, My, Me, etc... used over 30 times). In this Psalm it is declared that God's mercy, His salvation would come as a chief cornerstone and the builders would reject it!

The builders represent the husbandmen; the religious leaders. Peter would state this to them directly, note:

Acts 4:8-12 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “ Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified , whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Instead of being skilled builders and building on the cornerstone God has given them; they have rejected the one true Stone.

Jesus then states that the stone was going to cause two fallings (Vs.18); one passive and one active.

The active are those who fall on the stone and would be broken by the stone. It would have the effect of breaking them down (development of a contrite heart - Matthew 5:3), so God could elevate them through the Messiah.

The passive are those who are being spoken of here; guilty of betraying and killing the passive Lamb. As they rejected the true Stone, it is about to fall on them and completely crush them.

Acts 3:19-23 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people."

Even in the face of such clarity, as this parable illustrates and they were well aware (Vs.19), they still sought to fulfill its words. They would finally be successful, as we will read soon; then after a period of the Gospel coming to the world (Matthew 24:14), God would finally judge them and crush them by the very stone they rejected.

Revelation 6:15-17 "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Next: "Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes?"