Matthew 21:33-46
The Challenge of Discipleship Study 3: Courage
Focus Question: When in your life have you needed courage?
Word of Life
“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.” Matthew 21:43
Read Matthew 21:33-46
This is the third parable in Matthew 20-21 in which Jesus uses the imagery of the vineyard. It closely
parallels the Song of the Vineyard found in Isaiah 5:1-7 with which the religious leaders to whom Jesus
tells the parable would no doubt have been familiar.
God is the owner of the vineyard who lovingly and carefully digs up the soil, clears it of stones, and
plants the best vines. A watchtower is made to protect the vineyard, and a wine vat is constructed for
the harvest. The vineyard is Israel; Judah is the planting. But despite the owner’s loving care, only wild
grapes are found.
1. Can you relate to the vineyard owner?
2. Have you ever worked on a project with disappointing results? How does it feel?
Likewise, in the parable of the wicked tenants, the same kind of loving care is depicted in the
landowner’s actions. The vineyard is entrusted to tenants who refuse the owner the harvest, abuse the
owner’s servants, and kill the owner’s son.
3. What are some possible reasons why the tenants didn’t treat the heir better?
This leads to the pronouncement of judgment and rejection. The original tenants who confuse
ownership with stewardship are replaced by another people who will yield fruits of the kingdom (vs. 43)
at the harvest time.
4. How did the chief priests and the Pharisees respond to this parable? (See verses 45- 46)
5. How is this parable a picture of or allegory of the history of salvation?
There are several points to note. Both the heir and Jesus are killed outside the walls. Also, note the
Greek word for “time” is not chronos (chronological time, e.g., “What time is it?”) but kairos (the fullness
of time, e.g., an expectant mother saying to the soon-to-be-a-father, “It’s time!”)
The message and its challenge speak to the church of every age. God lovingly, graciously calls us into
the vineyard. God plants and equips the vineyard – the church – and then entrusts it to our stewardship.
God’s intention is a full, rich harvest of the fruits. The harvest time will come. The question – and the
challenge – for us is: “Will we have the courage to be faithful stewards, bearing fruit?”
6. What role does courage have when it comes to bearing fruit?
7. What are examples of the “fruits” of the kingdom? (Look at Paul’s list of the “fruits of the Spirit”
in Galatians 5:22-26.) How are those fruits reflected in our congregation?
Prayer
O Christ, help us to be faithful and to bear good fruit!
Dig Deeper
Last Word
This week, pray for courage to
intentionally and boldly bear fruit.