♦ ficino ♦ Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 It just occurred to me that Jesus' parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants portrays God as following the same failed strategy over and over. The owner of the vineyard in the parable keeps sending more messengers, knowing it's likely that the tenants will kill them. Then he sends his son on the same failed mission, with the same result. This parable shows an omniscient and omnipotent God? Negative. I know Christian apologists will reply that a parable only makes one major point, and this one is about Israel's failure to receive Jesus as messiah. They'll say, you can't pick apart every feature of a parable. I hardly think that will wash. God sets up the Bible so there are parables that portray himself as lacking? Fail. Either it's God or it's the Christian apologist who fails. A human document, yes, OK. Here's the KJV version of Matthew 21: 33-44. See if you think it presents a limited God. If it does, what does that say about the development of later Christian theology? It also says something about the tendency of evangelicals, when their strategy fails, to double down and do more of the same and harder. They have a template in their own book. "33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, 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? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhim Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I definitely think you make a valid point here F. Even if we were to stipulate that the parables make specific points and are therefore not subject to dissection, this parable in particular has a close parallel (by design) to the history of Israel. God sent numerous prophets, and still charged the Israelites with obstinacy and unrepentent idolatry. In effect, God took the trouble to create an intricate legal system and to design a theocratic state, yet let it fail. The evangelical claim, here, is that Israel existed to "raise up the messiah" (not sure what that means anymore). Yet evangelicals fail to recon with the fact that according to New Testament theology, God spent over a millenium investing human effort into what ended up as a failed state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjn Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I definitely think you make a valid point here F. Even if we were to stipulate that the parables make specific points and are therefore not subject to dissection, this parable in particular has a close parallel (by design) to the history of Israel. God sent numerous prophets, and still charged the Israelites with obstinacy and unrepentent idolatry. In effect, God took the trouble to create an intricate legal system and to design a theocratic state, yet let it fail. The evangelical claim, here, is that Israel existed to "raise up the messiah" (not sure what that means anymore). Yet evangelicals fail to recon with the fact that according to New Testament theology, God spent over a millenium investing human effort into what ended up as a failed state. And if not even God's chosen, blessed people can get it right, how can he expect anyone else to "get it"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Furball Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Could not have god opened their hearts to all the messengers he sent them? The bible teaches that it is god that opens the heart to receive his grace, so if no one believed the messengers, then that would be the fault of god hardening their hearts as he did to pharaoh, and not man. Unless of course, it was god's plan to condemn them all along and he never intended to open their hearts to his messengers. But god is love so...whatever. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhim Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Could not have god opened their hearts to all the messengers he sent them? The bible teaches that it is god that opens the heart to receive his grace, so if no one believed the messengers, then that would be the fault of god hardening their hearts as he did to pharaoh, and not man. Unless of course, it was god's plan to condemn them all along and he never intended to open their hearts to his messengers. But god is love so...whatever. Right. Is the clay to say to the potter "why did you shape me thusly?" and such... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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