While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the last week of his life he was very focused on his teaching and healing ministry, but the chief priests and teachers of the law constantly interrupted him. So he created some parables that were instructive to his critics as well as the crowds of people gathered around him.

The parable of the father who asked his two sons to go and work in the vineyard touched both groups of listeners. The first son in the parable told his father he didn’t want to go to the vineyard, but he changed his mind and went later.

He was like the tax collectors and prostitutes Jesus had invited to leave their lives of sin. After some consideration, they decided to repent and follow Jesus, then they joined him in the work of God’s kingdom.

The second son agreed with his father that he would go and work in the vineyard, but he didn’t go. He was like the priests and teachers of the law who put on a show of obedience to God, but secretly did whatever they wanted to do.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you . . . And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe.’” Matthew 21:31-32

It wasn’t too late for the priests and Pharisees to change their minds, but it was difficult for them to get over the hurdles their hypocrisy had created. It was quite hard for them to repent of sins they pretended didn’t exist.

The Story of the Evil Tenants

The next parable had a couple of mixed metaphors. Jesus started by talking about a vineyard and then he switched to some verses from the Psalms about a cornerstone. It might help if we identify who’s who in this parable.

The vineyard owner is God and the vineyard is his people Israel. The Lord built up and protected Israel and put his treasured possession into the hands of priests, judges, and kings. Then he sent prophets to check out the spiritual fruit the Israelites were producing.

The Israelites mostly didn’t want to answer to God so they were hard on the many prophets he sent. They beat some of them up and killed others. They treated God’s prophets shamefully.

So the Lord sent his Son with the hope that they would respect him. But by now the people in charge of the nation wanted complete control so they plotted to kill God’s Son.

Here is where the metaphor shifts. It turned out that though the leaders managed to kill the Son of God, they couldn’t destroy him – because he is actually the cornerstone on which God is building his kingdom. The enemies of Jesus could throw everything they had at him, but they were the ones who were going to be destroyed. Jesus said,

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” Matthew 21:43

The cornerstone had come and people had to deal with him. They could build their lives on him, or they could reject him and be crushed, but they could not pretend he wasn’t there.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Jesus had already told a story about wedding feast God gave for his Son to some Pharisees (Luke 14:15-24), but he told it again during Passion Week. There were many more priests, Pharisees and Sadducees around to hear it this time in Jerusalem.

In the first parable, the master of the banquet got angry when his invited guests didn’t come after accepting his invitation, but he filled his table with poor and disabled people his servants found in the streets. He said he would never again invite the people who let him down.

This time the story had a more forceful tone and a worse ending for the ungrateful invitees.

“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” Matthew 22:4-7

The king then filled his table with all the people his servants could find so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

One of the guests who came didn’t bother to wear appropriate clothes for the occasion.

“When the king came in to see the guests . . . He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’” Matthew 22:11-12

When the man couldn’t explain himself, he was thrown out. When God’s guests come his banquet they must wear the garments he approves “Fine linen, bright and clean,” washed in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 19)

Taxes for Caesar

When Caesar Augustus came to power he promoted Emperor worship to Rome. Even though this was anathema to the Jews, Herod the Great participated in the reverence of Augustus as a god in order to please the Roman government. The Jews hated Caesar, but they were under his domination so they were obliged to pay taxes to him.

When the Pharisees and Herodians asked Jesus whether they should pay the imperial tax they presented him with a coin that depicted Caesar Augustus as a god on one side.

Jesus simply told them to give back to Caesar what belonged to him and give to God what belonged to him. Caesar issued coins, but God gave life. It was a small matter to pay taxes to the emperor, but another matter altogether to give back to God what he was due.

Despite the fact that Jesus had walked right out of the trap they set for him, the Jewish leaders were amazed at his answer.

Discussing Resurrection

It seemed as if the groups who wanted to take Jesus down lined up one after the other to talk with him. The Sadducees were next. They didn’t believe in life after death and they wanted to challenge Jesus with a difficult question.

If people really did live again after they died, how would God solve the problem of multiple marriages? Take the woman who was married and widowed seven times; whose wife would she be in the afterlife – if there were an afterlife?

Jesus had inside information on this question. He came from heaven so he knew what went on there.

“Jesus replied, ‘The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.’” Luke 20:34-36

The Sadducees were devoted to the Law of Moses so Jesus referred them to what Moses said as proof that there is an afterlife.

“Even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:37-38

What Jesus, Peter, James and John knew (but didn’t tell anyone else until after Jesus’ resurrection) was that Moses had recently stepped out of heaven to meet with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. He was alive in eternity – because God built people to last for eternity.

Some Were Convinced

Despite the aggressive opposition against Jesus, his message got through sometimes.

“Some of the teachers of the law responded, ‘Well said, teacher!’ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.” Luke 20: 39-40