Daily Writing

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”  Matthew 21:42

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“He says to them, the ‘Jesus’,

‘Never you read in the Scriptures?
“Stone – which they rejected, those building – this,
It has become to ‘head, corner’.
From ‘Lord’, it was, this,
And it is marvelous in ‘eyes, ours’.”’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the response to Jesus concerning what the housemaster would do was that he would come and destroy them and lease his vineyard out to others willing to render him the fruits when they were ready. Next, it says, “He says to them, the ‘Jesus’.”

Mark and Luke seemed to differ in who the speaker was in the previous verse, but all three agree that Jesus is the One who says the next words, beginning with, “Never you read in the Scriptures.”

Jesus returns to Scripture to make His point. He cites Psalm 118:22. Depending on who the author of the Psalm is, it would have been between four hundred and a thousand years old at the time of Jesus.

What is implied in His quoting this psalm is that He understood that the Scriptures were both reliable and authoritative. Further, there was a context to the words that was to be understood at the time when they would be fulfilled.

Various interpretations of what the psalm was referring to were made, such as that it references David or Israel the nation. However, the context within the psalm clearly identifies it as referring to the Messiah who would be recognized by His rejection at some point.

As for the words, they come from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Jesus begins the citation with, “‘Stone – which they rejected, those building – this’.”

The metaphor of a stone suddenly comes forward. But it is not inconsistent. The last reference in the parable was that of the son. Jesus is saying that the son in the parable is the Stone in the psalm.

Jesus implies here that because the psalm speaks of the Stone, which is the son in the parable, He is the fulfillment of the Psalm. He further implies that He is the Son of the Housemaster as conveyed in the parable. Everything is being tied together, and the leaders would fully understand His intent. Of this rejected Stone, He continues with, “It has become to ‘head, corner’.”

A stone was looked over in the quarry for shape, size, beauty, etc. When it was considered, those doing the building rejected it. Jesus is telling them, in advance, that He would be rejected by them, just as the son was rejected by the vinedressers.

In Jesus’ case, Isaiah 53 says that the Messiah would have no form or comeliness and that there was no beauty in Him that made Him desirable. He was overlooked as someone unfit for ruling, or so they thought. However, the One who was rejected became the very foundation stone of the temple. Jesus continues, “From ‘Lord’, it was, this.”

This was God’s design all along. He determined when His Messiah would come, what He would look like, where He would grow up, etc. Every aspect of who Jesus is was determined by the Lord to perfectly fit His designs. Once this was understood by those seeing it, Jesus finishes with, “And it is marvelous in ‘eyes, ours’.”

Those who see who Jesus is and how God orchestrated all things in relation to His being the Messiah, would consider it marvelous. Two thousand years later, this continues to be true. Each person who comes to God by seeing what He has done through Jesus finds it wondrous.

Someday, even those who rejected Jesus will stand before God and consider His ways. They too will find it wondrous, but for them, it will be too late.

Life application: Consider the love of God in what He has done in the giving of Jesus. If God wanted to rule over the people from the start with a brutal fist and a demanding hand, He could have done so. Instead, He slowly and methodically laid forth the plan of redemption both in literal history and in typology found in stories from that same history.

That way, He could lead the world to Jesus while showing what He had done and would do in Jesus’ coming, and even till the end of the age. Throughout it all, the story continuously brings us back to God’s care for those who demonstrate faith in who He is and what He has done and will do.

For us, that faith is in the giving of His Son. He was willing to send Jesus to bring us back to Himself, and all He asks of us is to believe. What a great, glorious, and loving God to do what He has done.

Lord God, thank You for Your tender mercies which You have lavished upon us. Thank You that while there was enmity, You came forward to offer peace. We love You and praise You for Your tender mercies. Amen.

Monday, 3 August 2026

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.” Matthew 21:41

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“They say to Him, ‘Worthless! Badly, he will destroy them, and the vineyard, he will lease to other farmers who, they will give him the fruits in the ‘junctures, theirs’.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus asked Israel’s leaders what the housemaster would do when he comes to his vineyard. In response, “They say to Him, ‘Worthless! Badly, he will destroy them.’”

If the response is from the leaders, they have admitted with their own mouths that such treatment is from worthless people who deserve to be destroyed. The reason for the “if” will be explained later. As for the continued words, they say, “and the vineyard, he will lease to other farmers.”

The leaders of Israel were the ones being spoken of. They rejected Christ, failed their people, and were set for a bad end. However, the vineyard won’t simply be left unattended. God is working in the world for the redemption of man.

The economy in which this takes place will be a new cultural setting. In fact, it is one that spans the entire world of cultures. Anywhere the gospel is believed and churches are formed, the leaders of those churches bear the responsibility for tending to God’s vineyard. As for those responding to Jesus, they say these new vinedressers will be those “who, they will give him the fruits in the ‘junctures, theirs’.”

When the fruits are ready, they will be offered to God accordingly. This will come about in the various ways people are brought to saving faith, discipled in doctrine, reassured through preaching, raised up to become ministers, etc. As for the words of this verse, it appears that the response to Jesus is from the leaders. However, in Mark and Luke, the answer appears to be given by Jesus –

“Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.” Mark 12:9

“Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” Luke 20:15, 16

So how can this be reconciled? There are at least a couple of possibilities. One is that the leaders, in fact, spoke to Jesus as is recorded in Matthew. After that, Jesus then responded with their own words in a manner that made them understand He was referring to them, such as “He WILL come and destroy those vinedressers…” while looking directly at them.

From there, they responded, “Certainly not!” as is recorded in Luke, having realized Jesus was speaking of them. A second option is that the word “they” in Matthew 21:41 is not the leaders, but the other people who were listening. From there, the leaders called out, “Certainly not!”

Either way, there is no reason to assume there is any contradiction.

Life application: God was evaluating the leaders of Israel and held them accountable for their failure to acknowledge Christ in His coming. They were the stewards of the law and should have known perfectly well that Jesus was the Christ. Because of their rejection of Him, they were judged accordingly.

As this is true, there is no reason to assume God will be any less ready to judge those leaders in the church who mislead their people. It has become almost fashionable in liberal churches to deny the resurrection, to make sick claims about Jesus that have no basis in Scripture, etc.

Such people will not fare well when they stand before the Lord to give an account of their lives. Similarly, false prophets and teachers like Joseph Smith and Ellen G. White, among a host of others, will suffer the consequences of their false teachings.

Even if not teachers, each of us should tread carefully when we conduct our affairs before God, treating His name with great honor, exalting Him for His goodness. We will be evaluated on the lives we live, so be sure to keep in mind that you are always in the presence of the Creator.

Lord God, we thank You for the salvation You have provided us in Christ. Help us to remember that You are always present and that we should conduct our lives before You in holiness all our days. May it be so to Your glory. Amen.

Sunday, 2 August 2026

“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” Matthew 21:40

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“When, therefore, he should come, the ‘lord, the vineyard’, what he will do to the agronomists, to those?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said that the agronomists took the son, cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. He now questions Israel’s leaders concerning the matter, beginning with, “When, therefore, he should come, the ‘lord, the vineyard’.”

This is the time of judgment that will come upon Israel for their having crucified the Son of God. Paul explains this in 1 Thessalonians –

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, ¹⁵ who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, ¹⁶ forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

For Israel, there was a certain amount of sin that the Jews could expect to be dismissed by God through His grace and mercy, but there is a point at which that amount would be filled up, and beyond which only destruction could be the result. This same concept is true with any given nation, church, or person. There is a point where sin finally fills up to its measure, and then only wrath can be the inevitable result.

This is what Paul is saying concerning his people of national heritage. They had filled up the measure of their sins, and he knew, as he says, “that wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” Understanding this, Jesus asks the question: “what he will do to the agronomists, to those?”

The answer is obvious, and Jesus is asking them this for a particular reason. In their response, they will indict themselves. As for Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians, he knew that the time had come, that Israel had r ejected Christ, and that there was no remedy left for them as a nation.

The cup was full, the wrath had been ordained, and it was only a matter of time before the wine would be poured out. This would be realized at the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the nation to the four corners of heaven, just as their response will indicate.

Life application: The words of Isaiah are calling out to the people of Israel, instructing them on exactly what Jesus conveys to them. The leaders, without considering their own Scriptures, were being presented with the fulfillment of the prophetic word –

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
⁴ What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
⁵ And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard.”

Israel was filled with bad grapes. To this day, it is that way. There was a portion of the people who believed, but they were a fraction of the whole. Today, this is true as well. The messianic believers who look to Jesus as the fulfillment of their Scriptures are taunted by the observant Jews.

But the observant Jews are observant in a system of pick-and-choose religiosity that ignores precepts of the law they are unable or unwilling to observe, while proclaiming their “holiness” by the things they do observe. They may hold fast to the Sabbath and dietary laws, but they ignore innumerable other laws found in their Scriptures.

It’s the problem with the law. It always reflects back on us. We pick and choose our “holiness” through law. But it doesn’t work. Only when Jesus is our holiness do we come to the point of having fulfilled the law. His righteousness is granted to us. In Him, we now have rest and fellowship with God. Thank God for Jesus.

Lord God, help us to remember to set aside attempts at justifying ourselves before You through our own efforts. Rather, keep us trusting in what Jesus has done. May pride in our accomplishments never cloud our understanding that we need Jesus. He alone is our righteousness. Amen.

Saturday, 1 August 2026

So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Matthew 21:39

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having taken him, they ejected from the vineyard, and they killed.” (CG)

In the previous verse, the agronomists saw the son and plotted to kill him and take his inheritance. Following through with their plot, it next says, “And having taken him, they ejected from the vineyard.”

As has been seen, the vineyard represents the economy (a cultural expression) where God is dealing with man in order to bring about a result. Therefore, this refers to Jesus being handed over to the Gentiles for sentencing. It was essentially an act of excommunication from them by doing this.

Barabbas was under the Gentile’s full authority. The leaders of Israel asked for him to be returned to them and for Jesus to go under their full authority to be crucified. This is what happened. Thus, Jesus’ next words, “and they killed.”

Whether they actually did the killing or not, the guilt of it was theirs –

“When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’
²⁵ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’
²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” Matthew 27:24-26

Through the parable, Jesus is already speaking of His death as a certainty. It is certain that the handing of Jesus over to the Gentiles is what is being referred to in being ejected from the vineyard because Mark reverses the two thoughts, saying they killed him and cast him out. This remains true because they did kill Jesus, and they disavowed Him as the Messiah.

As such, being cast out is not a reference to Jesus’ death outside the city walls. It is a reference to being cast out of the cultural expression where God is dealing with man. Instead, Jesus has been a part of the Gentile-led cultural expression since then. Israel has no national dealings with Him to this day.

Life application: Of this verse, Ellicott says –

“Cast him out of the vineyard.—The minor touches of a parable are not always to be pressed in our interpretation of it; but we can hardly help seeing here a latent reference to the facts (1) that our Lord was delivered over to the judgment of the Gentiles; and (2) that He was crucified outside the Holy City, (John 19:20; Hebrews 13:12), which was, in a special sense, as the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts.”

The minor touches of a parable are a part of the parable. If God is giving it to us, every touch of it has meaning. Because Ellicott misunderstood the typology of the vineyard, he incorrectly evaluated the meaning of the vineyard. Jerusalem may be the seat of power in the vineyard, but it is not the vineyard.

Jesus is building on the words of Isaiah. The vineyard is referred to in Isaiah 1:8 and 3:14. From there, Isaiah 5:1-7, a song of His Beloved “regarding His vineyard,” is given. The words of verse 7 say, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.” It is the cultural expression that defines the vineyard.

Jesus’ words remain in accord with this typology. Therefore, the metaphors being used are understandable and should be consistently maintained. When they are, there is no need to worry about the “minor touches” of a parable, as if they are unimportant. They will fit seamlessly with the larger details.

Someday, Israel will again be the cultural expression in which Jesus is proclaimed. The world is being readied for that today. After the rapture, things will go into hyperdrive as the world begins to tear itself apart. However, God’s plan will unfold as the pages of Scripture detail. Israel will be saved, and Jesus will return to them at that time.

Be firm in your convictions concerning Israel. Many are turning from them today, and that is fine in regard to their unholy practices. But it is not fine if we reject what God is doing to bring them back to Himself. We don’t have to like the things they do, but we should pray for God’s will to be done in and through them. And because the pages of Scripture are written, we know it will be.

Lord God, we pray for Your plan of redemption to continue to unfold, knowing that it will because You have spoken. We pray for deliverance at the rapture, safety for Israel through the tribulation, and a great reunion of them with Jesus, whom they have for so long rejected. May these things come about according to Your word. Amen.

Friday, 31 July 2026

But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’  Matthew 21:38

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘also, agronomists’, having seen the son, they said in themselves, ‘This, he is, the heir. You come, we should kill him, and we should retain the ‘inheritance, his’.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus said to the leaders, while still telling them the details of the parable, “Afterward, also, he sent to them the ‘son, his’, saying, ‘They will be in-turned of the ‘son, mine’.”

As noted, the normally recognized translation of the word entrepó in that verse is a positive state, like respect or reverence. This is something that should cause an immediate difficulty for those who know the outcome of the parable and what it is pointing to.

The word signifies an in-turning. This can be positive or negative. The housemaster would be quite naïve to assume that those who had already killed his other servants would act favorably toward his son.

Rather than respecting him, he would fully expect them to be ashamed of him and respond accordingly. Despite that, he sent him anyway. Having done so, it next says, “The ‘also, agronomists’, having seen the son, they said in themselves, ‘This, he is, the heir.’”

Almost all translations here say “But.” As if the response of the laborers is somehow a surprising new detail in the ongoing narrative. The word de is similar to the Hebrew prefix v’, and. Translations will often translate v’ as but, then, moreover, etc., based on a presupposition about what the text is saying.

Those translations may carry the correct intent, or they may not. As such, it is best to leave it as “and.” Likewise, the Greek de means also (as in continuance). Saying “but” is a presupposition that may or may not rightly translate de. In this case, depending on how the previous verse is rendered, it may be incorrect. Saying “also” or “and” gives the right sense. In this case, the housemaster knew they would not respect his son, and that is just what happened.

His appearance is recognized. He is obviously the son of the housemaster. When Jesus came, it was obvious that He was who He claimed to be. They were told explicitly who He was, and He did everything according to Scripture to prove that it was so. The evidence was overwhelming.

To this day, because of the recorded words of Scripture, that remains true. All a person needs to do is to read the Old Testament, compare what it says in the New Testament, and they will agree that the intent of the writers is that Jesus is the promised Messiah. This may not be believed, but it is undeniable that this is the intent. Understanding the parallel, it next says, “You come, we should kill him.”

Understanding the favorable position of the son in relation to the inheritance, they determine to kill him as well. The parable is given by Jesus. Jesus is God incarnate. Because this is true, it would be ridiculous for Jesus to say that the servants would receive Him favorably and then continue the parable with these words.

It would demonstrate a complete inconsistency in the words of the parable, and in the Person who is speaking the words, to make a comparison to God while knowing that the comparison is faulty.

Despite knowing that the son would be rejected, the house master sent his son. With the agronomists deciding to kill him, they next give the reason for doing so, saying, “and we should retain the ‘inheritance, his’.”

Because of the obvious difficulty presented in the previous verse, the Pulpit commentary says of these words –

“It would have been a wild and ignorant scheme of the husbandmen to consider that by murdering the heir they could obtain and hold possession of the vineyard. Here the parable bursts from the allegorical form, and becomes history and prophecy.”

Rather, the whole parable parallels the historical nature of Jesus’ words. God foreknew that when He sent His Son into the nation of Israel while under the Law of Moses, the leaders would kill Him. Despite knowing in advance that it was so, He sent Him anyway.

Life application: This parable, like the other parables given by Jesus, is given to show exacting truths about what God is doing in redemptive history. It would make no sense for Jesus to present a parable that didn’t match what would be borne out in literal history.

If Jesus’ intent in the previous verse was for the laborers to show respect, esteem, or honor to the son, there are other words in the New Testament that would reflect that sentiment.

Instead, He purposefully chose a word that carries a dual sense to reveal the fact that, despite His foreknowledge of what would occur, He still sent Jesus to accomplish the work intended for Him, including being rejected by Israel’s leaders and being crucified.

This reveals the very heart of God for the people of the world. It also reveals the determination of Jesus, who had already said several times that He would be treated shamefully and killed by those in Jerusalem. Despite all that was to come upon Him, He faithfully and resolutely went forward to do what needed to be done to restore us to God.

Lord God, thank You for what You have done for us in the sending of Jesus. The cross of Christ is truly the most precious symbol of love and reconciliation that could ever be. May we only boast in what He has done, never attempting to set aside the grace poured out on us there. Yes, may our hope rest in Jesus alone. Amen.