Latter Parables Of Jesus 10

INTRO: We are continuing the latter parables. Our first parable took place the day Jesus stayed night at Zachaeus, the tax collector’s place at Jericho. We are now up to the sixth parable and in the life of Christ, it has been six days from when He gave the first of these parables. The first three parables were addressed to the disciples, and these last three have been addressed to Israel’s religious leaders. We can see a progression in these parables. The first parable likened Israel’s history to a twelve hour day, in which the Lord hired workers for His vineyard. The time of Christ was the eleventh hour. The key thought was that those of the eleventh hour, who received the Messiah as their Messiah would be the first in the kingdom. All of Israel who had lived during the first 11 hours, would be last. The reason for this was that so few had chosen Christ during all that time.

But because the disciples were expecting the kingdom promised in the OT to be set up immediately, Jesus gave them another parable to let them know that He would be rejected by His own people, and that He would be leaving for quite some time. And in parable form He told them that He had work for them to do while He was away, and that they would be rewarded according to their labor when He returned.