Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Israel » Prophecies concerning » Of their rejection of the messiah
"Listen to another story. There was once an owner of an estate who planted a vineyard and built a fence around it, and hewed out a wine-vat in it, and built a tower, and rented it to tenant farmers, and then went abroad.
Verse Concepts
Then Jesus again spoke to them in stories, and said:
Verse Concepts
Israel/jews » Why jews stumbled
What are we then to conclude? That heathen peoples who were not in search for right standing with God have obtained it, and that a right standing conditioned on faith; while Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law that would bring right standing, did not attain to it. Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble, read more.
as the Scripture says: "See, I put on Zion a stone for causing people to stumble, a rock to trip them on, but no one who puts his faith in it will ever be put to shame."
as the Scripture says: "See, I put on Zion a stone for causing people to stumble, a rock to trip them on, but no one who puts his faith in it will ever be put to shame."
While Jews are demanding spectacular signs and Greeks are searching for philosophy, we are preaching the Christ who was crucified -- a message that is a trap-stick to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks,
I say then, God has not disowned His people, has He? Of course not! Why, I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not disowned His people, on whom He set His heart beforehand. Do you know what the Scripture says in Elijah's case, how he pleaded with God against Israel? "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone have been left, and they are trying to kill me." read more.
But how did God reply to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have never bent their knees to Baal." So it is at the present time; a remnant remains, in accordance with God's unmerited favor. But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all. What are we then to conclude? Israel has failed to obtain what it is still in search for, but His chosen ones have obtained it. The rest have become insensible to it, as the Scripture Says, "God has given them over to an attitude of insensibility, so that their eyes cannot see and their ears cannot hear, down to this very day." And David said: "Let their food become a snare and a trap to them, their pitfall and retribution; Let their eyes be darkened, so they cannot see, and forever bend their backs beneath the load." I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall in utter ruin, did they? Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to heathen peoples, to make the Israelites jealous.
But how did God reply to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have never bent their knees to Baal." So it is at the present time; a remnant remains, in accordance with God's unmerited favor. But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all. What are we then to conclude? Israel has failed to obtain what it is still in search for, but His chosen ones have obtained it. The rest have become insensible to it, as the Scripture Says, "God has given them over to an attitude of insensibility, so that their eyes cannot see and their ears cannot hear, down to this very day." And David said: "Let their food become a snare and a trap to them, their pitfall and retribution; Let their eyes be darkened, so they cannot see, and forever bend their backs beneath the load." I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall in utter ruin, did they? Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to heathen peoples, to make the Israelites jealous.
Stumbling/slipping » The stumblingstone
What are we then to conclude? That heathen peoples who were not in search for right standing with God have obtained it, and that a right standing conditioned on faith; while Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law that would bring right standing, did not attain to it. Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble, read more.
as the Scripture says: "See, I put on Zion a stone for causing people to stumble, a rock to trip them on, but no one who puts his faith in it will ever be put to shame."
as the Scripture says: "See, I put on Zion a stone for causing people to stumble, a rock to trip them on, but no one who puts his faith in it will ever be put to shame."
Keep on coming to Him, as to a living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious in His sight, and keep on building yourselves up, as living stones, into a spiritual house for a consecrated priesthood, to offer up, through Jesus Christ, spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God. It must be so, because the Scriptures say: "Here now I lay in Zion a chosen stone, a costly cornerstone, And not a single one who puts his trust in Him will ever be put to shame." read more.
So to you who put your trust in Him the honor belongs, but to those who fail to trust Him: "That stone which then the builders threw away Has now become the cornerstone," and: "A stone for them to stumble over and a rock to trip them up." They keep on stumbling over the message, because they are disobedient to it, and this is their appointed doom.
So to you who put your trust in Him the honor belongs, but to those who fail to trust Him: "That stone which then the builders threw away Has now become the cornerstone," and: "A stone for them to stumble over and a rock to trip them up." They keep on stumbling over the message, because they are disobedient to it, and this is their appointed doom.