Topical Bible: Punishment: According to Deeds: The Parable of the Farmers

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The concept of punishment according to deeds is a recurring theme in biblical teachings, emphasizing divine justice and accountability. One illustrative example is found in the Parable of the Farmers, also known as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, which is recounted in the Synoptic Gospels. This parable is a profound narrative that underscores the principle of retributive justice, where individuals are held accountable for their actions.

Biblical Context

The Parable of the Farmers is recorded in Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19. In this parable, Jesus tells of a landowner who plants a vineyard, equips it with all necessary facilities, and leases it to tenant farmers before leaving for a distant country. At harvest time, the landowner sends his servants to collect his share of the produce. However, the tenants beat, kill, and stone the servants. The landowner sends more servants, and they receive the same treatment. Finally, he sends his son, thinking they will respect him, but the tenants plot to kill the son to seize his inheritance.

Key Themes and Interpretation

1. Divine Justice and Accountability: The parable highlights the inevitability of divine justice. The tenants' actions are met with severe consequences. Jesus asks, "When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" (Matthew 21:40). The response is clear: "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end" (Matthew 21:41). This reflects the biblical principle that God will hold individuals accountable for their deeds, rewarding righteousness and punishing wickedness.

2. Rejection of Prophets and the Son: The servants represent the prophets sent by God to Israel, who were often rejected and mistreated. The son symbolizes Jesus Christ, whom the religious leaders of the time would ultimately reject and crucify. The parable serves as a prophetic warning of the consequences of rejecting God's messengers and His Son.

3. Transfer of the Kingdom: The parable also alludes to the transfer of God's kingdom to those who will produce its fruits. Jesus declares, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matthew 21:43). This signifies the opening of God's covenant to the Gentiles and those who accept Christ.

4. Moral Responsibility: The parable emphasizes moral responsibility and the expectation that individuals will act justly and honorably. The tenants' failure to fulfill their obligations results in their destruction, illustrating the biblical teaching that actions have consequences.

Theological Implications

The Parable of the Farmers serves as a powerful reminder of the seriousness with which God views sin and disobedience. It underscores the importance of faithfulness and the dire consequences of rejecting God's authority. The narrative reinforces the belief in a just God who will ultimately vindicate righteousness and punish iniquity, aligning with the broader biblical theme of divine retribution based on one's deeds.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 21:33-41
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dig a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Epistle of St. James
... put the warning against this peril in a parable of ancient ... 15) there is a Dantesque
vision of the punishment in hell ... he has faith, if he has no deeds to show? ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

Augustin's Part in the Controversy.
... in their inherited sin, and so pass into eternal punishment. ... which he charges with
not being according to knowledge ... himself for which and for the deeds of which ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/iii augustins part in the.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... us, live righteously in our feeble measure, according to the ... supposes that there
will be no punishment of his ... ungodly and wicked, to whose evil deeds it does ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

Answer to Eunomius' Second Book .
... as a matter of course he shall receive punishment for neglect ... of our generation,
as saith the parable, sit playing ... to their subject, each man according to his ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/answer to eunomius second book.htm