The Road to Jesus Leads to a New Vineyard – Isaiah 5:1-7
Isaiah writes a song (5:1-7) to portray the relationship between God and Israel. God is clearly the vineyard owner. In verse 7, Isaiah tells us that the vineyard itself is the house of Israel. This picture is the background to Jesus’ parables about vineyards (Matt. 20:1-16; 21:33-44).
This song is about God’s “well-beloved.” Since this is a designation for Israel, we understand that when God speaks from heaven at the baptism of Jesus and calls Him His “beloved” Son, God is referring to Jesus as the ideal, perfect Israelite (Matt. 3:17). Of course, Christians are also called “beloved” by God because we are united with Christ (Col. 3:12).
Verses 1 and 2 show us the care and extent to which the owner went to nurture and care for the vineyard. He even used the best of the best of the plants, the “choicest vine.” He had done everything possible and necessary, therefore he reasonably expected the vineyard to produce “good grapes.”
Instead, to his great disappointment, it produced “only worthless ones:” sour, unripe berries.
What more could the owner have done for them that he had not already done (vs 4)? In the words of Paul from Romans 9:4: to the Israelites “belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever.”
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In verse 6, please observe that the verbs are active voice. In verse 5, they are passive. In verse 6, they are active and first person. God Himself is going to take an active part in laying waste Jerusalem and bringing famine on the land. In Jesus’ parable the owner of the vineyard takes an active role in coming and destroying the tenant farmers and giving the vineyard to another people.
When Jesus repeats the substance of this vineyard in His parable in Matthew 21, the Jews – with this particular parable also in their background – should have repented of their bloodshed and unrighteousness and accepted the Messiah who was standing in front of them. Despite the picture of destruction in this song, God gave Israel another chance even following the Babylonian exile – but Israel could not walk by faith.
Israel’s problem is that they do not accept and follow the law of the Lord. They despise the word of the Holy One (5:24). That is why they had a lack of knowledge (5:13). They needed a Teacher who will teach them but also give them the right motivation to learn and follow the Law of the Lord.
Jesus says the Owner of the vineyard has taken the vineyard away from the original farmers (Jews) and given it to others (Luke 20:16) – Gentiles. Yet, if we do not produce the fruit of righteousness in our lives, we too can be replaced by those who will produce such fruit (Romans 11:20-21).
–Paul Holland
