For example, In Luke 20 the Parable of the Wicked Tenants has some hidden meanings that you will miss. In a nutshell a landowner rents out his vineyard to wine growers while he is on vacation. The owner makes numerous attempts and sends numerous guys to collect the rent and these winegrowers beat up the owner’s servants on every occasion. The owner gets desperate to collect his rent so this time he sends his son, with the hope that these wine growers will respect his son. They however not only assault the son as they did with the previous servants, but kill the son.
Now comes the complicated part. Luke 20:17 says, But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
What in the world does that mean? Those of you who have
studied scripture know Jesus is the rock, the cornerstone, the chief cornerstone
of the church. Isaiah 28:16 tells us so and Peter re-confirms it in his first
letter.
For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. – 1 Peter 2:6
So the letter goes from talking about a vineyard to talking about a cornerstone, who we now understand is Jesus Christ.
What’s the point right? It’s still confusing why scripture jumps from two unrelated areas… or does it? What we discover with some help is that there is a parable of a vineyard from Isaiah 5 and this vineyard as it turns out, is actually a pun for the nation of Israel. So therefore when we re-read this parable of the vineyard, be aware of the prophecy of Isaiah which is that Jesus is not simply talking about a vineyard, but of the nation of Israel itself.
All of the servants who get beat up can be thought of as the prophets; prophets are exactly that- servants of God. In the Old Testament the Jews continually tormented the prophets. Back to this parable, the servant’s son of course is a pun for God’s son in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus is referencing this prophecy from Isaiah and predicting his death. This parable sums up on how the Jews were the vine growers (aggressive party that killed the son), and Jesus was playing the role of the owner’s son (who was killed by the vine growers). Remember we are in Luke 20 and we are towards the very end of Jesus’ ministry and he says multiple times that he was about to be killed and this parable confirms exactly what he has been saying.
This study on an unclear parable is a classic example of why studying scripture is so important. Most of us had no idea what the purpose of this parable was. That’s deliberate on Jesus’ part because he wants us to do our homework. The power behind these hidden meanings comes to life once you understand what God is trying to communicate through his own word. The Bible is God’s way to communicate to you. It’s the most precious gift he can give outside of creating life itself.
Www.blueletterbible.org is a great resource with commentaries that you can read up on for those verses that are unclear. I also recommend finding a pastor who covers Bible verses verse by verse so you can read scripture on your own and then listen to a sermon over what you read. I would recommend any of these pastors to supplement your reading:
·
Chuck Missler- my favorite (www.khouse.org)
·
Chuck Smith- (blueletterbible.org)
·
J Vernon McGee (blueletterbible.org)
I would also recommend listening to some great pastors on your iPod or radio. I recommend Raul Reis, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah and many others. Studying the word of God is the best way to understand what God demands from all of us. Sometimes he has hidden meanings and these experts have been crucial in allowing me to understand what God is communicating.
May the Lord bless you in your studies of his word.
In Christ.
