The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 15 Part 3 God's Good Vine Yields Good Grapes

Jesus showed that what truly defiles us are words we speak or post because they show what is in our heart.

Matthew 15:10-11  And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11  Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 

In our last post, we noted how the Jesus addressed the issue of our tongue.

We looked at why our tongue is such a hard issue for us to deal with. 

We thought about how this applies to words we post on social media as well as words we say to one another.

Jesus continues teaching us about why our words and what we speak or post must have a filter so that we do not dishonor God.

We must be regenerated by God's Spirit so that we can have a new heart from God and He can set a guard at our mouth.

Religious hypocrites were angry when Jesus confronted corrupt traditions and vain worship.

Matthew 15:12-13  Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13  But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 

Jesus' disciples asked Him if He knew that the Pharisees were offended after hearing what He said about the mouth and tongue.

Jesus was unconcerned at their rage because His words were true and right, and would produce the intended effect.

Pharisees were upset because their conscience convicted them of sinning with their words and false teaching.

Remember, Jesus previously gave us the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. 

This next statement of Jesus is connected with that parable.

Tares are a plant that looks like wheat until the time of harvest when its head turns black.

A tare is poisonous to eat and they are hard to eliminate.

This picture corresponds to unbelievers and troublemakers who are found in most local churches and this is why the Pharisees were offended.

They understood that Jesus clearly stated Judaism could not save them. 

He also showed that maintaining an appearance of righteousness does not atone for a wicked, depraved heart.

Pharisees of Jesus day were like tares planted in the Father's garden by the wicked one. 

Thus, like tares that will be rooted out and burned in the day of judgment, so every plant within a church that is not true wheat planted by the Father, will be eliminated. 

The words "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up" refers not only to corrupt practices of the Pharisees, but to their bad doctrine and unjust ways. 

The Pharisees' false doctrines must be exposed and destroyed by holy truth from God's Word.

Pharisees and scribes were wild grapes not planted by God in His holy vineyard.  

Isaiah 5:1-2  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 

The words "To my well-beloved" are often applied to the people of God or the house of Israel. 

It is a term of endearment applied to a friend, a child or one greatly beloved like God spoke of His prophet Daniel (See Daniel 9:23; 10:11; 10:19). 

However, in this text it is applied to Jehovah, the God of the Jewish people.

Isaiah gave us a word picture from God that depicts the nation Israel as the choicest vine in His vineyard because it was known for yielding abundant, good grapes.

He planted His choice vine, giving it fertilizer and water.

He put a watchtower in it and a hedge of protection around it.

God removed all rocks and stones from the ground so that it was well cultivated and able to produce a good harvest.

In this word picture, God built a wine press with the expectation of having grapes to extract good wine from.

This is a beautiful picture of God's salvation through repentant faith in Christ.

God did everything necessary to save us from our sins and to give us a happy, holy, blessed life on earth until He calls us home.

God gave this word picture to show that He blessed Israel with every spiritual advantage so that they would yield good fruit for His kingdom, just as a choice vine yields the very best grapes.

However, when harvest time arrived and God came looking for good fruit, He found only wild grapes.

What were the "wild grapes?" 

The Hebrew word literally means to be offensive, to corrupt, to putrefy. 

It refers to a poisonous plant that has an offensive smell and  produces poisonous berries that resemble grapes.

In all generations, God provides for salvation and a blessed life for those who trust Him.

Isaiah 5:3-4  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 

The general meaning of Isaiah's word picture is that God had chosen the Jewish people as His choice vine.

He bestowed great care on them in giving them His law, in defending them from their enemies, and in faithfully providing for them. 

God gave them Israel very best foundation to build their lives upon and He withheld nothing that was good for them.

God gave them  His Word, sent His prophets to them, and established the priesthood so that they might be cleansed from their sins.

Like Christians today, all that God had for His redeemed people is meant to produce holiness, obedience, and happiness for us.

Each Christian will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive a reward or the loss of reward based upon our love and obedience to God (See 1 Corinthians 3:8-17).

When our Lord looks over and reviews our life after our conversion to Him, I am sure we each hope to hear our Lord say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Jehovah came looking for good grapes from His special, choice vine Israel.

However, the Jewish nation abused all the good things that God gave to them and repeatedly plunged into idolatry. 

Instead of gratefully being obedient and loving servants of Jehovah, they become exceedingly corrupt and God judged them for their sins.

Those who profess faith in God but live for self will be rooted out and rejected.

Isaiah 5:5-6  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 

The people of the Jews were planted a noble vine but they changed into a poisonous, degenerate, strange vine. 

God disowned them because He did not plant a wild vine.

Judgment fell upon Israel in the form of seventy years of captivity in Babylon, and again in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus.

Therefore, we can readily see how Isaiah's word picture corresponds to the corrupted religion of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes of Jesus' day.

This is why Jesus condemned their words and false doctrines as coming from evil, corrupt hearts. 

This is the happy, holy and heavenly life God has for each one of us.

Psalm 92:12-15  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15  To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 

Here is the beautiful pattern God has for each one of His children and we must learn how to live this out by reading, studying and obeying His Word.

His word is the lamp that shows spiritual peril in front of us so that we avoid sinning.

It is the bright searchlight to show us the holy, happy, heavenly way God wants us to walk on in this life (See Psalm 119:105; 119:130).

When we follow Christ our Master, we will be like a healthy palm tree producing shade and fruit that blesses others and points them to the God of our salvation.

When God plants us in His vineyard, and we remain faithful and true to His Word, we will be like the mighty cedars of Lebanon that put down deep roots and grow to lofty heights.

When we are planted by God in His vineyard we learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and we shall flourish.

As we travel through this life as pilgrims traveling to our heavenly home, we can still be productive Christians in our old age because we choose to walk in His ways.

We are to bear witness to Christ, His gospel and tell others about the goodness of God in saving us, all the days of our life.

Bob