Study Focus: Isa. 5:1–4; Matt. 21:33–41; Rom. 3:25, 26; Rom. 5:8; Rev. 15:3; Rev. 19:2.
Introduction: We are invited to acknowledge and proclaim God’s justice and His loving intentions toward His people.
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson emphasizes three main points:
We need to acknowledge God’s justice. We are invited to acknowledge that God is just. In the parable of the vineyard, the justice of God is figuratively affirmed and acknowledged by the audience. Jesus tells the parable in such a way that the audience would acknowledge the legitimacy of the landowner’s actions in contrast to the vinedressers.
We need to acknowledge God’s loving intentions. In Matthew 21:33–41, the audience acknowledges that the landowner had done everything he could before bringing judgment. Also, in Isaiah 5, God Himself points out that He had done everything that He could for His people. The question “ ‘What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?’ ” is an appeal to the recognition of God’s loving intentions and actions on behalf of His people (Isa. 5:4, NKJV).
We need to proclaim God’s justice and loving intentions. The Bible invites us not only to recognize God’s justice and His loving actions but also to proclaim that God is perfectly just and righteous. In Revelation 15:3, the saints sing and proclaim: “ ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’ ” (NKJV).
Life Application: How can we acknowledge and proclaim God’s justice and loving intentions in our daily life and in our conversations about God?
Part II: Commentary
1. We Need to Acknowledge God’s Justice.
According to Scripture, we, as feeble and limited creatures, are not in a position to judge God’s ways (see God’s speech at the end of the book of Job, Job 38–42; see also Rom. 9:20). At the same time, we are invited to acknowledge that God is just. Romans 3:26 indicates that the blood of Christ is a demonstration (the Greek term is endeixis) of God’s righteousness, because He patiently had not taken into consideration “the sins that were previously committed” (Rom. 3:25, NKJV). Therefore, the blood of Christ shows that God is not only forgiving (justifier) but also just. It is noteworthy that the Greek noun endeixis, which is translated as “demonstration” (NASB)—as in “it was to show” (ESV), “it was to prove” (NRSV)—conveys the meaning of “someth [something] that compels acceptance of someth. mentally or emotionally, demonstration, proof.”—Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 332.
Hence, the use of this noun in Romans 3:26 underscores that God is not only just, but that He intends to demonstrate, to show, to prove to us that He is just. Thomas Schreiner argues that, in this passage, we find God’s “desire to demonstrate his righteousness.” He adds, “By demonstrating his saving and judging righteousness, God has vindicated his name before the world.”—Romans: Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), pp. 198, 199.
In the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33–41; see also Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19), the justice of God is figuratively affirmed, and therefore acknowledged, by the audience. In the narrative sequence of the parable, Jesus presents a progression of reasonable decisions taken by the landowner of the vineyard, in response to the unreasonable attitudes of the vinedressers to whom he leased the vineyard. Because the landowner had gone to a far country, it was plausible for him to send servants to receive the fruit of the vineyard, close to vintage time. Absurd was the fact that the vinedressers violently mistreated the servants twice and even killed one of them. Again, it was plausible for the landowner eventually to send his son, assuming that the vinedressers would show him respect. However, in an even more absurd reaction, the vinedressers insanely killed the son, as well, in order to steal his inheritance.
Jesus tells this parable in such a way that the audience is able to follow, and progressively acknowledge, the legitimacy of the landowner’s actions, in contrast to the madness of the vinedressers. Jesus is even capable of taking the conclusion of the parable straight from the lips of the audience. He asks them, “ ‘Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?’ They said to Him, ‘He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons’ ” (Matt. 21:40, 41, NKJV).
Hence, the audience of the parable is able to conclude that nothing more could be done by the landowner. As they clearly recognize, he did everything he could to deal with the vinedressers in a proper way. Thus, he is deemed just in the eyes of the audience in the expected punishment of the evil vinedressers. Inasmuch as this parable is a figurative teaching about the justice of God, He is not only just, but He is perceived as such. This perception seems to be part of Jesus’ intention, as we observe, from the interactive way in which He concludes the parable. This perception of justice in the eyes of the audience arises from a clear acknowledgment that the landowner had done everything he could to maintain a proper relationship with those acting wickedly, before having to destructively judge them.
2. We Need to Acknowledge God’s Loving Intentions.
If, in the parable of the vineyard, as told by Jesus in Matthew 21:33–41, the conclusion of the audience implies that they recognize that the landowner had done everything he could before bringing judgment, then in the “song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard,” in Isaiah 5 (NKJV), God Himself affirms that He had done everything He could for His people. While in the parable of the vineyard told by Jesus, the problem was with vinedressers, which is a figurative reference to “the chief priests and Pharisees” (Matt. 21:45). But in the song of Isaiah 5, the problem is with the vineyard itself, which figuratively refers to “the house of Israel” (Isa. 5:7), the “people of Judah” (Isa. 5:3, 7, NASB).
Like the landowner of the parable, who had done everything he could to maintain a proper relationship with the vinedressers, the Beloved of the song did everything in his power to make the vineyard produce good grapes. More specifically, he selected “a very fruitful hill” (Isa. 5:1), “dug it up and cleared out its stones,” “planted it with the choicest vine,” “built a tower in its midst,” and “made a winepress in it” (Isa. 5:2, NKJV). All these preparatory actions were nurtured by the positive expectation that the vineyard would “bring forth good grapes,” but unfortunately, “it brought forth wild grapes” (Isa. 5:2, NKJV). In concrete terms, God “looked for justice” among His people, but what He saw was oppression. He looked for “righteousness,” but what He heard was “a cry for help” (Isa. 5:7, NKJV).
While Jesus asks His audience to answer what would be the reasonable action of the landowner after everything he had done in the context of the parable, God invites the people of Judah, in Isaiah, to “judge” between Him and His vineyard (Isa. 5:3, NKJV). This judgment should take into account the following question: “ ‘What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?’ ” (Isa. 5:4, NKJV). This rhetorical question should lead to the conclusion that God had done everything He could for His people to produce “good fruits,” so to speak. Therefore, this question is, ultimately, an invitation to acknowledge all the loving intentions, actions, and expectations that God possesses on behalf of His people.
Furthermore, God not only loves His people, as Romans 5:8 underscores, but He also demonstrates this love to them. What is demonstrated can be more naturally acknowledged or recognized by us. As in Romans 3:26 the language of demonstration (endeixis) is employed to affirm that God is just, on the basis of the blood of Christ, so also does Romans 5:8 use this language in connection with Christ’s death for us, now with the verb synístēmi, to affirm that God loves us. This Greek verb conveys the meaning of providing “evidence of a personal characteristic or claim through action, demonstrate, show, bring out.”—Danker et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, p. 973. Different Bible versions emphasize this idea using similar words: “God shows his love for us” (ESV), “God demonstrates His own love toward us” (NASB), “God proves his love for us” (NRSV).
3. We Need to Proclaim God’s Justice and Loving Intentions.
The Bible does more than invite us to acknowledge or recognize God’s justice and His loving intentions toward His people. We also are supposed to proclaim what we acknowledge or recognize in God. For instance, we find this type of proclamation sung by the saints in Revelation. In Revelation 15:3 they sing, “ ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’ ” (NKJV). Likewise in Revelation 19:2, a great multitude in heaven says in a loud voice, “ ‘True and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her’ ” (NKJV).
Part III: Life Application
Romans 3:26 highlights that God is not only just, but He also intends to demonstrate, to show or prove, that He is just. With this idea in mind, discuss the following questions with your class:
How reassuring is it to know that God does everything to demonstrate His righteousness and justice for His people? How does this make you feel about God?
How does the acknowledgment of God’s justice and His intentions of love toward His people inform our proclamation of His righteousness to others? How can this acknowledgment be highlighted in our preaching of the gospel?
How can we be intentional in demonstrating our love for God, even in times of suffering?
Notes
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Key Text: John 18:37
Study Focus: Isa. 5:1–4; Matt. 21:33–41; Rom. 3:25, 26; Rom. 5:8; Rev. 15:3; Rev. 19:2.
Introduction: We are invited to acknowledge and proclaim God’s justice and His loving intentions toward His people.
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson emphasizes three main points:
We need to acknowledge God’s justice. We are invited to acknowledge that God is just. In the parable of the vineyard, the justice of God is figuratively affirmed and acknowledged by the audience. Jesus tells the parable in such a way that the audience would acknowledge the legitimacy of the landowner’s actions in contrast to the vinedressers.
We need to acknowledge God’s loving intentions. In Matthew 21:33–41, the audience acknowledges that the landowner had done everything he could before bringing judgment. Also, in Isaiah 5, God Himself points out that He had done everything that He could for His people. The question “ ‘What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?’ ” is an appeal to the recognition of God’s loving intentions and actions on behalf of His people (Isa. 5:4, NKJV).
We need to proclaim God’s justice and loving intentions. The Bible invites us not only to recognize God’s justice and His loving actions but also to proclaim that God is perfectly just and righteous. In Revelation 15:3, the saints sing and proclaim: “ ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’ ” (NKJV).
Life Application: How can we acknowledge and proclaim God’s justice and loving intentions in our daily life and in our conversations about God?
Part II: Commentary
1. We Need to Acknowledge God’s Justice.
According to Scripture, we, as feeble and limited creatures, are not in a position to judge God’s ways (see God’s speech at the end of the book of Job, Job 38–42; see also Rom. 9:20). At the same time, we are invited to acknowledge that God is just. Romans 3:26 indicates that the blood of Christ is a demonstration (the Greek term is endeixis) of God’s righteousness, because He patiently had not taken into consideration “the sins that were previously committed” (Rom. 3:25, NKJV). Therefore, the blood of Christ shows that God is not only forgiving (justifier) but also just. It is noteworthy that the Greek noun endeixis, which is translated as “demonstration” (NASB)—as in “it was to show” (ESV), “it was to prove” (NRSV)—conveys the meaning of “someth [something] that compels acceptance of someth. mentally or emotionally, demonstration, proof.”—Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 332.
Hence, the use of this noun in Romans 3:26 underscores that God is not only just, but that He intends to demonstrate, to show, to prove to us that He is just. Thomas Schreiner argues that, in this passage, we find God’s “desire to demonstrate his righteousness.” He adds, “By demonstrating his saving and judging righteousness, God has vindicated his name before the world.”—Romans: Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), pp. 198, 199.
In the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33–41; see also Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19), the justice of God is figuratively affirmed, and therefore acknowledged, by the audience. In the narrative sequence of the parable, Jesus presents a progression of reasonable decisions taken by the landowner of the vineyard, in response to the unreasonable attitudes of the vinedressers to whom he leased the vineyard. Because the landowner had gone to a far country, it was plausible for him to send servants to receive the fruit of the vineyard, close to vintage time. Absurd was the fact that the vinedressers violently mistreated the servants twice and even killed one of them. Again, it was plausible for the landowner eventually to send his son, assuming that the vinedressers would show him respect. However, in an even more absurd reaction, the vinedressers insanely killed the son, as well, in order to steal his inheritance.
Jesus tells this parable in such a way that the audience is able to follow, and progressively acknowledge, the legitimacy of the landowner’s actions, in contrast to the madness of the vinedressers. Jesus is even capable of taking the conclusion of the parable straight from the lips of the audience. He asks them, “ ‘Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?’ They said to Him, ‘He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons’ ” (Matt. 21:40, 41, NKJV).
Hence, the audience of the parable is able to conclude that nothing more could be done by the landowner. As they clearly recognize, he did everything he could to deal with the vinedressers in a proper way. Thus, he is deemed just in the eyes of the audience in the expected punishment of the evil vinedressers. Inasmuch as this parable is a figurative teaching about the justice of God, He is not only just, but He is perceived as such. This perception seems to be part of Jesus’ intention, as we observe, from the interactive way in which He concludes the parable. This perception of justice in the eyes of the audience arises from a clear acknowledgment that the landowner had done everything he could to maintain a proper relationship with those acting wickedly, before having to destructively judge them.
2. We Need to Acknowledge God’s Loving Intentions.
If, in the parable of the vineyard, as told by Jesus in Matthew 21:33–41, the conclusion of the audience implies that they recognize that the landowner had done everything he could before bringing judgment, then in the “song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard,” in Isaiah 5 (NKJV), God Himself affirms that He had done everything He could for His people. While in the parable of the vineyard told by Jesus, the problem was with vinedressers, which is a figurative reference to “the chief priests and Pharisees” (Matt. 21:45). But in the song of Isaiah 5, the problem is with the vineyard itself, which figuratively refers to “the house of Israel” (Isa. 5:7), the “people of Judah” (Isa. 5:3, 7, NASB).
Like the landowner of the parable, who had done everything he could to maintain a proper relationship with the vinedressers, the Beloved of the song did everything in his power to make the vineyard produce good grapes. More specifically, he selected “a very fruitful hill” (Isa. 5:1), “dug it up and cleared out its stones,” “planted it with the choicest vine,” “built a tower in its midst,” and “made a winepress in it” (Isa. 5:2, NKJV). All these preparatory actions were nurtured by the positive expectation that the vineyard would “bring forth good grapes,” but unfortunately, “it brought forth wild grapes” (Isa. 5:2, NKJV). In concrete terms, God “looked for justice” among His people, but what He saw was oppression. He looked for “righteousness,” but what He heard was “a cry for help” (Isa. 5:7, NKJV).
While Jesus asks His audience to answer what would be the reasonable action of the landowner after everything he had done in the context of the parable, God invites the people of Judah, in Isaiah, to “judge” between Him and His vineyard (Isa. 5:3, NKJV). This judgment should take into account the following question: “ ‘What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?’ ” (Isa. 5:4, NKJV). This rhetorical question should lead to the conclusion that God had done everything He could for His people to produce “good fruits,” so to speak. Therefore, this question is, ultimately, an invitation to acknowledge all the loving intentions, actions, and expectations that God possesses on behalf of His people.
Furthermore, God not only loves His people, as Romans 5:8 underscores, but He also demonstrates this love to them. What is demonstrated can be more naturally acknowledged or recognized by us. As in Romans 3:26 the language of demonstration (endeixis) is employed to affirm that God is just, on the basis of the blood of Christ, so also does Romans 5:8 use this language in connection with Christ’s death for us, now with the verb synístēmi, to affirm that God loves us. This Greek verb conveys the meaning of providing “evidence of a personal characteristic or claim through action, demonstrate, show, bring out.”—Danker et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, p. 973. Different Bible versions emphasize this idea using similar words: “God shows his love for us” (ESV), “God demonstrates His own love toward us” (NASB), “God proves his love for us” (NRSV).
3. We Need to Proclaim God’s Justice and Loving Intentions.
The Bible does more than invite us to acknowledge or recognize God’s justice and His loving intentions toward His people. We also are supposed to proclaim what we acknowledge or recognize in God. For instance, we find this type of proclamation sung by the saints in Revelation. In Revelation 15:3 they sing, “ ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’ ” (NKJV). Likewise in Revelation 19:2, a great multitude in heaven says in a loud voice, “ ‘True and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her’ ” (NKJV).
Part III: Life Application
Romans 3:26 highlights that God is not only just, but He also intends to demonstrate, to show or prove, that He is just. With this idea in mind, discuss the following questions with your class:
How reassuring is it to know that God does everything to demonstrate His righteousness and justice for His people? How does this make you feel about God?
How does the acknowledgment of God’s justice and His intentions of love toward His people inform our proclamation of His righteousness to others? How can this acknowledgment be highlighted in our preaching of the gospel?
How can we be intentional in demonstrating our love for God, even in times of suffering?
Notes