My Dear Precious Child,
While Jesus was teaching one day in the temple, proclaiming the Good News of My kingdom of heaven coming into the earth, the chief priests, the Jewish elders and the lawyers came up to Jesus and quizzed Him about upon whose authority He was teaching such revolutionary teachings. Instead of answering the question, Jesus replied with a question, quizzing them under whose authority the baptisms that John the Baptist were performed, asked the religious leaders was it from heaven or from man?
The religious leaders and the lawyers argued among themselves about the proper answer, surmising that if they said it was from Me that Jesus would ask them why they didn't believe John's teachings. If they answered Jesus and said that John's ministry was from man, then people would stone the religious leaders because the people believed that John was a prophet. So their safe reply was that they didn't know from where John the Baptist's authority came.
In great wisdom, Jesus replied that because of their answer to His question that he wouldn't tell them upon whose authority He was doing what He was doing, which was teaching about My kingdom of heaven soon coming into the earth.
Then Jesus added to his teaching a parable about a man and his vineyard. He said that the man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants because he was going to be abroad for a while. When the time came to collect his payment from the tenants, he sent a servant to get his share of the profits, Instead of paying what was owed, the tenants assaulted the servant and sent him away without any portion of the profits. The owner of the vineyard was determined to get what was due him, so he sent another servant to retrieve his share of the profits. Again the tenants assaulted that servant shamefully and sent him away empty handed. The owner of the vineyard persevered and sent a third servant to get what was due to the owner. The tenants wounded that servant also and threw him out.
As a last resort, the owner of the vineyard decided that if he sent his son to collect his share of the profits that the tenants would surely respect him. He sent His son to collect his share but instead of paying what they owed, the tenants held a verbal conference among themselves and decided that the son was surely the heir and if they killed him that his inheritance would be theirs. So they not only threw the son of the owner of the vineyard out of the vineyard, but they killed him.
Then Jesus finished the parable by asking what the owner of the vineyard should do to the evil tenants. Then He answered His own question, saying that the owner of the vineyard would make an end to the tenants and give the vineyard to other people. Then He quoted prophetic scripture that said, "It was the stone that was rejected by the builders that became the chief cornerstone," speaking about Jesus Christ who was the Rock upon which My church is built.
Jesus ended the parable by saying that anyone that falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces and whoever the stone falls upon will be crushed.
The scribes and chief priests recognized that Jesus was talking about them so because they were afraid of the people they did not obey their temptation to lay hands on Jesus at the very time but they knew He was talking about them.
As a result of that parable being taught by Jesus in the temple, the chief priests and the lawyers waited for an opportunity to trap Jesus. So they later sent people to pose as agents of the religious laws so that they might trick Him to say something that would be grounds for them to hand Him over to governmental officials who were already eager to arrest Him and charge Him with subversion against the nation. The agents tried to trick Jesus by first flattering Him by saying that His teaching were right and that He was teaching about Me in all honesty. Then they asked a question of Him, asking if it was permissible for them to pay taxes. Jesus was aware of the cunning trick and showed them a coin with the head of Caesar upon it, saying to pay to Caesar, meaning the government, to pay to it what is due to it but to also pay to Me the loyalty and respect that is due to Me.
Jesus was more wise than the manipulating demon speaking through the chief priests and lawyers, and he remained gentle as a dove. In that instance the chief priests and the scribes were unable to find fault with the wisdom of Jesus.(Luke 20:1-25)
The truth in this parable of the kingdom of heaven coming to earth was the authenticity of the facts in His parable. The religious leaders of the past had assaulted every prophet that I sent to them to appeal to them to change their ways and become a nation of peace, but they would not listen to My prophets and instead assaulted and often killed them. They wanted greatness as a nation at the cost of losing their standing with Me. In the parable of the vineyard owner Jesus prophesied that the nation of Israel, through which My salvation was to come into the world, that the leaders of that nation would be responsible for killing My Son whom I sent to save the world. As a result, the heirs of My kingdom of heaven became the poor, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the brokenhearted and the pagans who had become believers in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
After the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, My new covenant of the Holy Spirit made it possible for Me to receive into My kingdom every Jew, Greek, Gentile, male, female, bond or free, as I am no respecter of persons. Even though the politicians and religious leaders of the nation of Israel rejected Jesus Christ, many of the hearts of the people became soft and they believed in My kingdom of heaven coming into their lives. They became free, indeed, because those whom My Son Christ sets free from evil are free, indeed. (John 3:36)
Your Liberating Father
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