Arrogant and unreachable, but certainly not stupid.

On December 13, 2007 in Bible Reading

I’ve been reading through the Book of Matthew lately and I’m seeing the stories almost twice-as-detailed as ever before. This happens every time I begin through something I’ve already read, and it’s cool. Makes you feel like you should read it again for even more clarity, and then again, and again!

So I’ve been going through this time and really following the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Chief Priests. Today I’m really only going to make reference to the Chief Priests, but you’ve got the Book, you can check out the others for yourself.

Story kicks off in the 21st Chapter of Matthew. Verse 14 and on, “And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.” The “he” being Jesus. “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, ‘Hearest thou what these say?’ And Jesus saith unto them, ‘Yeah; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou has perfected praise?’”

So these guys GOT TO SEE “wonderful things that he did” and yet they were still “sore displeased.” Freaking morons, man. Reminds me of the die-hard Atheists who claim that if they could see a miracle, they would believe. That’s rubbish, we have collaborating historical references from multiple sources giving account that tons and tons of people heard of the miracles, saw them happen, and still hated the man doing them.

But like I said in the title, these people weren’t stupid - just prideful. Jesus gives these fellas a little quiz later in verse 28: “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?”

Pretty simple, even though the first son first refused, he later actually did the work. So the obvious answer is the first. Let’s continue in verse 31, “They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.’”

Whoa, whoa, whoa…Jesus, what did you just say? The publicans and harlots are going to get into the kingdom of God before these guys? Those sinners before these guys!? Christ goes on to explain why in verse 32: “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

So the quiz wasn’t over yet. He still had another parable for them, and they had another opportunity to open their eyes. Verse 33: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.”

Okay, so a dude builds a wicked-awesome garden, a vineyard, and a sweet tower to snipe noobs from…let’s continue:

“And when the time of the fruit drew near, the sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.”

So the owner of the land and garden and vineyard and sweet-noob-sniping-tower sent servants to collect the fruit, and the husbandmen who were entrusted with the creation killed the servants. So God, I mean, the owner of the stuff, sent more Prophets, I mean, servants, and the People, I mean - dang it, I keep getting these words mixed up…the husbandmen killed all of the servants that were sent.

“But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.”

Sound familiar?

“When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” Jesus asked. And those prideful, yet not stupid, chief priests and scribes answered “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.”

So just in case the guys didn’t see the obvious correlation here, Jesus helps them out once again in verse 43: “Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

Now we see the genius of the listeners in verse 45: “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.” What!? Jesus was talking about them? Surely not so (sarcasm)!

So instead of coming to their wits, they decide in verse 46 to “lay hands on him”, but they “feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.”

So these just shared with them how God sent prophets, and they killed the prophets, so God sent more prophets, and they killed them too, so God sent his Son, and they killed him. The immediate response from the chief priests and the Pharisees was…..at no surprise….to kill him.

Idiots. Some people could have The Messiah himself staring them down face-to-face, preaching eternal truths and pointing directly to them, and they still are too prideful to listen.

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