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Explanation for:
Matthew
21
:
38
But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"What actions have they taken? In a moment when they ought to seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings, they persist in their ways, even engaging in new evils that are even more dreadful than those before. This is precisely what Christ highlights when He states, ‘But add to the measure of your fathers’ (Matt. 23:32). The prophets previously charged them with similar faults, declaring, ‘Your hands are full of blood’ (Isaiah 1:15) and, ‘Bloodshed follows bloodshed’ (Hos. 4:2), along with, ‘They that build up Zion with blood’ (Micah 3:10). Yet, despite this significant commandment given to them, ‘Thou shalt not kill’ (Exodus 20:13), which instructed them to refrain from various other sins, they remained unrepentant, clinging to their wickedness. What is their response upon seeing the Son? ‘Come, let us go and kill him.’ For what purpose? What wrong could they possibly charge Him with, whether great or small? Was it for honoring you, for becoming man on your behalf as God, for performing countless miracles, or for forgiving your transgressions? Observe the depth of their insanity in their malice and the recklessness with which they seek His death: ‘let us kill him’ (Luke 20:14), they proclaim, ‘and his inheritance shall be ours’!"},{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Upon seeing the Son arrive, they declared, \\"This is the heir to the vineyard; let us seize him and put him to death, so that the inheritance will belong to us.\\" Indeed, they crucified the Son, yet the inheritance of the vineyard was entrusted to the Gentiles, fulfilling the words spoken: \\"For to whomever has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away\\" (cf. Matt. 13:12, Matt. 25:29)."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"When the vineyard workers recognized the Son, they declared, 'This is the heir; let us go and put Him to death.' Thus, the same Jews who proclaimed, 'This is the Christ,' were the ones who nailed Him to the cross."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Observe the completeness with which He foretold what was to come. Nevertheless, He was not slain as the Son of God. Rather, He was put to death as the Heir of the Vineyard, specifically as the King of Israel. Witnessing the miracles He performed and listening to His profound teachings, they recognized Him as the prophesied King of Israel. Yet, consumed by jealousy and blinded by their own malice, they lost sight of this truth and conspired to eliminate Him, aiming to seize His inheritance, namely the people: \\"Come,\\" as Mark recounts (Mark 12:7), \\"let us kill him, and our inheritance shall be ours.\\" They, of course, were completely unaware of the subsequent events, despite His repeated warnings, admonitions, and threats throughout His ministry."},{"author-name":"Nicephoros (Theotokis)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8958407451968d9c204fb_Nicephoros%20(Theotokis).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":18,"exegesis-text":"The bishops and Pharisees, observing Jesus Christ as He imparted the Divine Scriptures and the commandments of God with extraordinary wisdom and grace, confronted their own transgressions with remarkable consistency. He performed miracles with unmatched power and authority, even raising the dead from their graves. Although they did not acknowledge Him as the Son of God or recognize His divine nature, they understood that He possessed a celestial authority capable of accomplishing all things. Consequently, ‘they gathered together the assembly of the Hierarchs and Pharisees, and said, “What shall we do, because this man does many signs?”’ (John 11:47-48). This passage from the Gospel reveals their concern: ‘They said, “If we decide in ourselves, if we forsake Him, they will all believe in Him.”’ It became evident to them that such a decision would lead to a belief in Him as the promised ruler over their people. What did they resolve? ‘It is not for us, they said, that one man shall die for the people, and not the whole tongue perish’ (John 11:50). Their thoughts mirrored a sinister intention: ‘Come, let us kill Him, and let us keep His possessions.’ The spiritually blind hoped that by doing so, they would usurp His inheritance—His authority over their generation. Ultimately, those who betrayed Him led Him away to a place called the Frontal Table, where they crucified Him (Luke 23:33). From this, we observe, first, the striking similarity between their spoken intentions and the actions of the Hierarchs and Pharisees against the Savior Christ. Second, it becomes clear that these statements were not merely tentative but also prophetic, as the God-Man had foretold them before their fulfillment."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"\\"This is the heir,\\" referring to the anticipated owner of the vineyard. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is acknowledged as God's heir (Heb. 1:2) in that all creation is entrusted to Him by His Father (Matt. 11:27), establishing Him as the Lord of all and, therefore, the Lord of the church, His spiritual vineyard. \\"And we shall take possession of his inheritance,\\" meaning His vineyard or church, implies that it is not He who possesses it, but rather we, His followers. While this aspect of the parable may not accurately reflect the precise thoughts and intentions of the Jewish leadership, it could simply serve to enhance the eloquence of the narrative. In parables, not every specific detail carries profound significance. Nonetheless, it remains true that through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Jewish authorities believed they could hinder Him from establishing His church and maintain their control over His spiritual vineyard rooted in the Old Testament."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The vineyard workers, noticing the son approaching, conferred among themselves, \\"This is the sole heir, the one destined to inherit the vineyard; let us go and eliminate him to claim his estate.\\" Taking hold of him, they led him away from the vineyard and put him to death."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"It appeared that the moment had arrived for the owner to reclaim His vineyard from the evil vine-dressers, yet in His kindness, He resolved to give them one final opportunity: \\"I have,\\" He declared, \\"a beloved Son; I will send Him; surely they will not reject Him; they will likely feel remorse and give Him what is rightfully His.\\" Thus, the owner’s Son was sent to the vine-dressers; however, upon seeing Him from afar, they recognized Him as their rightful heir. Fearing He might take the vineyard from them, they plotted to eliminate Him. \\"Let us put Him to death,\\" they conspired, \\"and then the vineyard will belong to us forever.\\" With this determination, they seized Him, killed Him, and cast Him out of the vineyard. \\n\\nThis parable struck a chord with the people; when Jesus proclaimed that the vine-dressers had slain the Son and ejected Him from the vineyard, the crowd reacted in anger towards the wicked vine-dressers, exclaiming in unison, \\"Let it not be so!\\" (Luke 20:16). The chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and the elders of the people glared at them, filled with resentment, as if they were guilty offenders. Jesus' concluding remarks about the first parable made it clear to them that the second parable would also condemn their sins; the clarity of the second parable should have allowed the leaders and corruptors of the Jewish people to see themselves as the vile vine-dressers. They should have recognized that Jesus was aware of their intentions to kill Him. Indeed, they understood that focused on Jesus, who proclaimed Himself as the Son of God, they had already resolved to end His life, although the act had not yet occurred."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In the end, he dispatched his son, who was both known to them and impossible to mistake. However, they subjected him to violence, expelled him, and took his life."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In the same manner of vivid expression, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their obstinacy and deliberate defiance, not just they but the entire nation was forfeiting the privilege of first entry into the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, which was directed not only at the Pharisees but also at the crowd (Luke 20:9-19), was drawn from the imagery of a vineyard, where the Lord entrusted the land not for personal gain but to a group of workers tasked solely with gathering its fruits. He sent messengers not once, but multiple times; yet the wicked tenants mistreated some, killed others, and stoned still more. Finally, He sent His Son, yet the tenants plotted to murder Him as well, intending to seize control of His inheritance by force. Consequently, they took Him outside the vineyard and executed Him. There was no need for an explanation of this parable, as those to whom it was directed understood intuitively who the unfaithful tenants were. Moreover, it was clear that the Lord, while declining to offer justification for His authority as the Messiah, claimed the title of the Son of that Master, setting Himself apart from all prior servants sent to them."}]}
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