Having heard the parable of the vineyard, the chief priests and elders condemned themselves, and Christ pronounced the sentence: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). The message is that privilege without fruit is forfeited. God entrusts His kingdom to those who render Him its fruit, and He is bound to no people by descent or position alone. The test is not heritage but harvest, and the...

Jesus asked the chief priests and elders, “Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” (Matthew 21:42). He was quoting Psalm 118:22, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner,” and Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17 record the same words. Israel’s leaders were the builders, and the rejected stone stood before them. Their rejection...

From the beginning, Scripture shows a God who is good. He is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6), and “the LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9). His goodness is not a distant sentiment; it acts. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8), and “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). Jesus’ parable in Matthew...