The reading from Isaiah for today begins: “Let me sing for my beloved, my love song concerning his vineyard.” And who doesn’t like a good love song?

The love song in Isaiah is not one of those romantic and mushy kind of love songs. It is a rather a sad song about God’s love for the descendants of Israel and their failure to be faithful. He had planted them in the land of Canaan so that they might flourish as the people of His covenant. They were to produce fruit: good fruit, grapes in abundance and sweetness to make delicious wine which would bring joy to the hearts of men and women in the nations surrounding them as a witness of God’s love, mercy, and wisdom: to point them to the Messiah who was to come from their line, the Messiah who would bless all people by His all atoning sacrifice.

But something was wrong. The vines were not producing the right and good fruit even though God took great pains in His planting. The fruit of repentance, the fruit of faith, the fruit of love and good works which was that good fruit in response to the love and grace of God the loving planter was missing. Instead, this vineyard yielded bloodshed, rebellion, injustice, idolatry, and faithlessness. The problem was sin and unbelief, but also false teaching encouraging this wild vintage.

When Jesus taught the parable in this morning’s Gospel, He was referencing this song of prophecy. He gets to the root of the problem of what went wrong with the vineyard. Despite the fence around it to guard the vineyard, despite the tower within it to keep watch, and despite the winepress to squeeze the grapes at the proper time, an enemy had crept in using the tenants to corrupt what was good. Satan tempted and corrupted the tenants, the caretakers in the vineyard. The tenants represented the Levites, the chief priests, and even groups of lay people like the Pharisees. Satan knew that by corrupting the message, he could corrupt further the people. Remember last Sunday’s text was about authority? Well, these groups had been originally been given the authority to teach the proper understanding of God’s Word; to “teach the faith” by God Himself. They were to prune back the vines through the rebuking of unbelief and sin. They were to teach the Law and encourage proper sacrifices. They were to remind the people that salvation was not in the good works or the sacrifices which were but outward signs. They were to teach that the true sacrifice which God desires is a broken and contrite heart which turns to the Lord in faith for mercy and forgiveness to produce good works in return. Instead, they were people pleasers, who would please the people by giving them what they wanted rather than what they needed. They did not discourage idolatry and worship of false idols, but allowed for it and even helped in offering sacrifices to false gods so long as they still received their payment in the form of tithes. If they didn’t do that, they encouraged people in the idolatry of salvation by good works, the false worship of honoring the temple rather than the Lord of the temple.

In the parable, the servants whom God sends were the Old Testament prophets who came to call the people to bear the righteous fruits of repentance and faith for the Lord, but the tenants, the faithless leaders of Israel worked to silence and marginalize the prophets, by encouraging the people to beat the faithful prophets, stoning them, and killing them. The master of the vineyard was loving and longsuffering so God sent more prophets with the same outcome, finally sending His own Son with His truthful message, yet in their delusion these caretakers thought that by killing the Son, they could preserve their heritage. As Caiphas the high priest said in the gospel of John, “it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Jesus knew of these plots against Him, and was openly calling out the Pharisees and chief priests.

Jesus asked the question, “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” The answer was that the tenants would be put to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants.

Then Jesus said something else interesting that seems to have nothing to do with a vineyard. He said, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Jesus was here quoting Psalm 118 in reference to Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God, the true temple. He is the stone which may be rejected but He will nevertheless become the cornerstone or literally “the head of the corner.” It is this stone that holds an arch and a building together. A keystone. This stone, this Christ, when confronted will end up with one of two results, either people will fall on this stone and be broken to pieces or the stone will fall upon them and be crushed. As Simeon had said back in Luke 2, “He will be appointed for the fall and rising of many.”

Remember what I said the true fruits from the vineyard were? Repentance, faith, and then good works which come from that faith. Those who fall upon the stone of Jesus Christ will be broken to pieces in repentance. These are they who understand their sinful condition and are sorry and turn in hope and faith to Jesus Christ as their rock and fortress. Their old sinful selves will be shattered. This is the work of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of the Law, then by the Gospel reassembles them and builds them onto Jesus Christ. This is what St. Paul and Peter grab hold of in their epistles as they refer to members of the church as living stones being built up as a spiritual house upon Jesus Christ the sure foundation.

Martin Luther remarked upon Jesus Christ as the cornerstone as the stone which reaches out in two directions. Jesus is the connection and bond between the Old Testament and the New Testament church. He is the One who holds all things together.

As to the vineyard, only Jesus Christ could be the true vine producing the perfect and choicest fruits. All other people are as wild vines and could produce only vinegar and are worthy of being uprooted and destroyed.

Jesus came to redeem them by the fruit that comes from His crucified body for the salvation of the world. He allowed Himself to be rejected, to be crushed in the winepress of judgment as He was crucified outside the gates of the vineyard, having the wrath of God upon all sin weighing Him down. This is also the heavenly Father’s love song. He loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to become the payment for sin. So that as He became the object of wrath, His life’s blood would become the fruit of redemption. The blood from the perfect vine covers, waters, and washes away sin as in Holy Baptism and repentance.

Let us fall upon Him in faith and repentance so that we may be reformed, by faith, into His image and be saved. Let us flee from the destruction, the miserable death that awaits those who reject the message of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ, for their sin is still upon them. At the final judgment this rock shall crush them.

Now by faith in Jesus Christ, you are saved from that judgment. You are saved because of the Father’s love for you which has shown itself in His Son who has redeemed you and taken your place upon the cross. You are now able to abide in the vineyard of the master, abiding in the true vine who gives the wine of joy to gladden your heart. He gives you His Spirit to bear fruit at the proper time. You have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. By faith in His redemption, you are a member of Christ’s church: the spiritual household of faith: true Israel of Old and New Testament.

He will build you up through the instruments of His Word as it is faithfully preached, taught, and lived here in His Divine Service for you. Every day and every week we remember our baptism and turn to Christ to be broken of our sin as we confess them unto the Lord. Then He binds our hearts to Him announcing that He has forgiven us for the sake and in the name of Jesus Christ. Then we receive His Word which continues to mold us as His people. We then are invited to receive the Holy Supper where the Savior Himself comes to us with His body and blood given and shed so that He may abide in us and we abide in Him and have eternal life. Through these gifts offered here, He continues to build a fence around us, to defend us and keep watch over us. God keep us ever faithful in using His gifts: God give us the power of discernment to flee all false teaching and cleave ourselves all the more to His true teaching. It is that teaching which defends us from turning again to the sourness of sin. You are forgiven in Jesus’ name. Rejoice in Him, telling others this same truth which sets us free and gives life eternal in Jesus Christ crucified and raised for our salvation. God’s Word is God’s love song for us in Jesus Christ. It is the Lord’s doing and it is truly marvelous in our eyes. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas