My God and My Country

Word of God

But he replied and said, "It is written, 'It is not by bread alone that a man lives, except by every word that issues from the mouth of God

The Gospel According to Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Mark 12:1-9

All commentary and study notes are prefaced/edited by Dr. Riktor Von Zhades

1 And he began to speak unto them in parables, A certain man planted a vineyard, and compassed it with an hedge, and dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower in it, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country. 2 And at the time, he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive of the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant, and at him they cast stones, and brake his head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another, and him they slew, and many others, beating some, and killing some. 6 Yet had he one son, his dear beloved: him also he sent the last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But the husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 So they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall then the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and give the vineyard to others.

Brethren:

We, that are of the faith understand this parable. The Messaih was speaking about the leaders and priests of that time. The man in verse one is the Father, the servants in the following verses are the prophets, the son is the Son, the husbandmen (vinedressers) are the the above mentioned leaders etc., and the others that are now the recipients of the new covenant are the gentiles.

Take heed friends, that the Messiah came to save all peoples, not just jew, but gentiles as well. (Read Romans 1:16, Romans Chapter 11).

Additionally, those leaders spoken of in verse 2-9 would have done well to remember the writtings of King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs (Read 1:10-19) and King David in the Book of Psalms (Read Psalm 1:1, 5; Psalm 2:6-11)

Make note too as a postscript this same parable is related in the Gospel According to Matthew 21:33-45

There is an old country saying; “those that lie with dogs wakeup with fleas”. This editor believes they were infested. - Dr. RVZ

“They that enjoy the privileges of the visible church, have a vineyard let out to them, which is capable of great improvement, and from the occupiers of which rent is justly expected. When God showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and judgments unto Israel (Read Psalm 147:19), when he set up his temple among them, his priesthood, and his ordinances, then he let out to them the vineyard he had planted; which he hedged, and in which he built a tower. Members of the church are God’s tenants, and they have both a good Landlord and a good bargain, and may live well upon it, if it be not their own fault.

Those whom God lets out his vineyard to, he sends his servants to, to put them in mind of his just expectations from them. He was not hasty in his demands, nor high, for he did not send for the rent till they could make it, at the season; nor did he put them to the trouble of making money of it, but was willing to take it in specie.

It is sad to think what base usage God’s faithful ministers have met with, in all ages, from those that have enjoyed the privileges of the church, and have not brought forth fruit answerable. The Old-Testament prophets were persecuted even by those that went under the name of the Old-Testament church. They beat them, and sent them empty away; that was bad: they wounded them, and sent them away shamefully entreated; that was worse: nay, at length, they came to such a pitch of wickedness, that they killed them.

It was no wonder if those who abused the prophets, abused Christ himself. God did at length send them his Son, his well-beloved; it was therefore so much the greater kindness in him to send him; as in Jacob to send Joseph to visit his brethren, (Read Genesis 37:14). And it might be expected that he whom their Master loved, they also should respect and love; “They will reverence my son, and, in reverence to him, will pay their rent.” But, instead of reverencing him because he was the son and heir, they therefore hated him. Because Christ, in calling to repentance and reformation, made his demands with more authority than the prophets had done, they were the more enraged against him, and determined to put him to death, that they might engross all church power to themselves, and that all the respect and obedience of the people might be paid to them only; “The inheritance shall be ours, we will be lords paramount, and bear all the sway.” There is an inheritance, which, if they had duly reverenced the Son, might have been theirs, a heavenly inheritance; but they slighted that, and would have their inheritance in the wealth, and pomp, and powers, of this world. So they took him, and killed him; they had not done it yet, but they would do it in a little time; and they cast him out of the vineyard, they refused to admit his gospel when he was gone; it would by no means agree with their scheme, and so they threw it out with disdain and detestation.

For such sinful and shameful doings nothing can be expected but a fearful doom; What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? It is easy to say what, for nothing could be done more provoking. He will come, and destroy the husbandmen, whom he would have saved. When they only denied the fruit, he did not distrain upon them for rent, nor disseize them and dispossess them for non-payment; but when they killed his servants, and his Son, he determined to destroy them; and this was fulfilled when Jerusalem was laid waste, and the Jewish nation extirpated and made a desolation. He will give the vineyards to others. If he have not the rent from them, he will have it from another people, for God will be no loser by any. This was fulfilled in the taking in of the Gentiles, and the abundance of fruit which the gospel brought forth in all the world, Col. 1:6. If some from whom we expected well, prove bad, it doth not follow but that others will be better. Christ encouraged himself with this in his undertaking; Though Israel be not gathered, not gathered to him, but gathered against him, yet shall I be glorious (Read Isaiah 49:5, 6), as a Light to lighten the Gentiles.” - Matthew Henry - 17^th Century Theologian