“Hear Our Savior’s Passionate Appeal!”
(Luke 20:9-19 – Lent 5 – April 6, 2025)
Luke 20:9-19 – 9Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 13Then 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.’ 14But 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.’ 15So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” 17Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? 18Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 19And 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.
Dear fellow Redeemed in Jesus Christ:
This is traditionally called “Passion Sunday.” This is because, as the Lenten season draws near to an end, we are preparing to enter Holy Week, and to see Jesus’ passion as He goes to the cross for us. Jesus’ Passion refers to His suffering. In His passion, we see His intense love for us that led Him to sacrifice His own life to save us from sin and death.
In our text, we see Jesus’ passion even in the way He speaks to His enemies. Even as they hate Him with a passion and plot to kill Him, yet we see His love as He calls them to repent and believe in Him for salvation. Let us “Hear Our Savior’s Passionate Appeal!”: 1) Not to despise His Word, 2) Not to reject His love, 3) Not to be crushed by judgment.
1) Not to despise His Word
It was Tuesday of Holy Week, a few days before Jesus’ enemies would arrest and crucify Him. He was at the temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish leaders were among those listening. He used a parable to make a passionate appeal to His enemies, not to despise His Word.
Jesus began: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out” (vs. 9-12).
By the vineyard Jesus pictured God’s kingdom, which He had planted among His people in Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7). God had provided the best conditions for their spiritual growth. He had cultivated them in a special way among all the nations, giving them His revealed Word and promises of salvation in the coming Messiah. They had lacked nothing under His care. But the great benefits God showered on them were not repaid by them. God sent His servants, His prophets, to bring His Word to them. He expected from them the fruit of faith and obedience. But like the vinedressers in the parable, so often they treated God’s prophets shamefully, beating some and putting others to death for the Word of God they preached.
Maybe we have felt something of this kind of rejection. As passionately as we may share God’s Word and our faith in Jesus with others, just as passionately they may despise His Word and us. Whether it shows by hot anger or by cold indifference toward us, it hurts.
But Jesus’ parable leads us to examine our response to God’s Word. In many ways, we are like that well cultivated and cared for vineyard. God showers spiritual blessings on us. We enjoy the freedom to be in His Word, week after week in church, day after day at home. Do we show the mature fruit of faith He should expect by now? All Scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). But when God wants to cultivate our faith, shape us, and make us produce fruit to His glory, do we always respond with readiness to conform to His Word and His will? Or do we listen selectively to passages we like to hear, while turning deaf ears and indifference to others? Do we act like the vinedressers, casting His Word out of sight and mind to live our own way? Then we need to listen to our Savior’s passionate appeal not to despise His Word.
Through His Word, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to produce spiritual fruit. Isn’t the reason we come to church and have devotions at home because we see our need for His Word to change us? We need His Word to bring us to repentance again and again, and to strengthen our faith in all the temptations and trials of life. Even if we do not feel our need for this daily heart surgery, God says we do. We need His Word for today and tomorrow.
It is like regularly putting money in the bank. There will come a day when all the ways we saved up God’s Word in our hearts will pay off with interest. When we find ourselves facing a crisis, it will make all the difference that we have treasured up in our heart God’s promise that He loves us and cares for us no matter what. When we find ourselves despairing in our sins and failures in life, it will make all the difference that we have treasured up His promise that we are forgiven and covered by the perfect life of Jesus. When we find ourselves facing death, it will make all the difference that we have stored up for ourselves treasures in heaven through God’s promise of a resurrection to eternal life in Christ.
The Savior who went in passion to the cross to win our salvation wants what is best for us. All our hope for today, tomorrow, and eternity can be found only in His Word. This is why He makes such a passionate appeal not despise His Word, but to take it to heart in faith.
2) Not to reject His Love
Now Jesus shows the great patience and love of God, represented by the vineyard owner. Jesus makes His second passionate appeal, even to His enemies, not to reject His love.
After the vinedressers had beaten and rejected all his servants: “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.’ 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.’ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him” (vs. 13-15).
What father would send his son to people who already had been so cruel? But the owner saw it as the only way left to try to win them over. Here Jesus pictures the love of God, who sent His own Son into the world to save unworthy sinners, even though He knew they would reject and crucify Him.
Like the vinedressers, the leaders of Israel did not want the Son to take away their control over God’s vineyard. They loved the fruit of self-rule. They loved the fruit of self-righteousness, teaching that salvation is earned by obedience to many laws and traditions. They had honorable reputations to maintain. The coming of God’s Son meant the end of their glory. Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. He proclaimed His salvation, freely given through faith, apart from works of the Law. Jesus the Son was the heir; the Kingdom was His. Their jealous murder of God’s Son would show the ultimate rejection of God’s love for them.
May we never so despise God’s love! God has shown amazing patience and love for sinners by sending His Son to save us. But our sinful nature wants to enjoy the fruit of self-rule. It says, again maybe selectively: “Jesus You can be in that part of my life and even rule in those things; but don’t come over here and try to rule this part of my life.” And either we crucify our sinful nature by repentance, or we crucify Jesus by our sins.
But again, the Savior who went in passion to the cross for us only desires our eternal good. Even after we have sinned against Him, He makes a passionate appeal to take His love and salvation to heart. In love, God sent His Son to the cross to pay for all our sins by His perfect sacrifice. In love, God sent His Son to cover our sinful lives by the perfect life He lived under the Law. In love, God sent His Spirit into our hearts to give us faith that clings to His Son as our only Savior – faith that responds with the fruit of love in serving Him.
3) Not to be crushed by judgment
As Jesus concludes His parable, He makes one more passionate appeal to those who have rejected God’s Word and God’s love in Christ – not to be crushed by judgment.
“‘Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.’ And when they heard it they said, ‘Certainly not!’ 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”? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder’” (vs. 15-18).
Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22. He is “the stone which the builders rejected.” Many in Israel rejected Jesus as the true Messiah. They did not want to build their hope on Him the Savior of sinners sent from God. They wanted to build on their own design for God’s kingdom and righteousness. So God would bring the saving Gospel of His Son to the Gentiles, many of whom would produce fruit of repentance and faith by the work of God’s Spirit in their hearts.
Yet Jesus “has become the cornerstone.” The cornerstone was the first laid in a building. All other stones were set in line with it. Ephesians 2:20 says the Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” All believers have Christ as our one foundation. Our faith rests squarely on Him as our only Savior and Righteousness, as witnessed by His apostles and prophets in the Bible. But in the Last Judgment, this cornerstone will crush all who have rejected His truth and salvation.
Yet again, the Savior who went in passion to the cross only wants what is best for all. Here He spoke this word of warning to those who plotted His death, not wanting even His enemies to be lost. In a few days, He would prove it by dying for them and for all sinners.
Let us thank Jesus for going to the cross for us. Because of His passion, we will not be crushed under God’s wrath for sin; for Jesus Himself was crushed for our sins (Isaiah 53:5). In His amazing love for us, God dropped the stone of judgment on His own beloved Son; so that no judgment remains over us – but only God’s gift of salvation!
Now by faith in His Son, we are joined to Christ the Cornerstone in His eternal Church. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Let us offer a sacrifice of thanks and praise to God for His great love! By grace He has saved us. He has brought us into His household as His beloved children in Christ. May we ever treasure His Word of salvation. And as we rejoice in His saving love, let us offer our lives as fruits of harvest to Him who loved us and gave His life for our eternal life!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.