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Luke 20 9-18 THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE 01 Luke 20 9 Coming under the rule of God
📖 Luke 20:9-18
17Feb2021 - *Coming under the rule of God* - _Luke 20:9-18_ - THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE 1 – Bible reading: _Exodus 19:5-6_
As we go further into the 20th chapter of the Luke, we remain with the matter of authority that the leaders had raised with Jesus and had confronted Him. The Lord continues to interact with the leaders.
We need to keep in mind that God had chosen Israel to be His own special people so that they would demonstrate to the rest of humanity, the ways of God through their life as a people and as a nation.
Here are some of the references that explain for us the fact of God choosing Israel as His own special people but they were chosen for a purpose.
_Deuteronomy 4:20, 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, 32:8-9; I Kings 8:53; Psalm 135:4; Isaiah 41:8, 43:1_
They the people of Israel were chosen by God to be a light to the Gentiles and enable all people to be reconciled with God. This is the mandate of the church too. We are spiritual Israel, chosen by God.
_Romans 9:6-8 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, (7) nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED." (8) That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; *but the children of the promise are counted as the seed*._
_Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) And if you are Christ's, *then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise*._
The people of Israel were deeply conscious of God choosing them and that they were a special people above all others. This speciality, this uniqueness, lay in their trust and obedience to God. They were to be in a love relationship with God in all matters of daily life. They were to remain and function out of being in the habitat of God.
The nation of Israel was a theocratic state. There was no distinction between the sacred and the secular. It was the ordinances and oracles of God that held sway in all walks of life.
It was the responsibility of the leaders to ensure that the nation was aligned with God. These leaders who confronted Jesus knew their position but they had completely lost the substance of what they were to be and do, as leaders.
It was indeed a valid question for them to ask Jesus about authority for all that Jesus did and taught was to bring the nation of Israel back to God, which was the responsibility of these leaders.
Consider, for a moment, the composition of those who questioned Jesus of His authority. They were the chief priests, scribes and the elders _Luke 20:1_
The Lord was now having an important conversation with this group of elders of the people and this was about the theocratic state of Israel.
_Luke 20:9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time._
As we look at the parable the man who planted the vineyard is God. He has leased it out to vinedressers or vine growers.
In the Old Testament, the vine-growers were the nation of Israel. They were the ones who were given the responsibility to bring the governance of God on the land but these vine-growers had failed.
When God created man in their own image, God intended for man to run a theocratic governance. When man rebelled and had gone away from God, God chose Abraham, and through Abraham a nation, who would demonstrate to the world, the ways of God.
The nation of Israel was to be a light to the nations.
_Isaiah 42:6 “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and *give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles*, Isaiah 49:6 Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; *I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth*.' "_
The nation of Israel was to be a demonstrative model of a theocratic state under God. Their entire life should have been of such a high standard, so as to cause nations around, who do not know God, to seek for Him.
*Thought to ponder*
```God is in the task of reconciling man and all of creation back to Him and in reinstating man to be His vice-regent, governing over all of God’s creation.```