“HAVE YOU NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES?”

 Matthew 21:33-46                    (ESV)

“[33] “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. [34] When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. [35] And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. [36] Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. [37] Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ [38] But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ [39] And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. [40] When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” [41] They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

[42] JESUS said to “them” (v. 45 ...the Chief Priests and the Pharisees…), “”HAVE YOU NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES”: 

    “‘The stone that the builders rejected

        has become the cornerstone;

    this was the LORD’s doing,

        and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

    [43] Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of GOD will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. [44] And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, IT WILL CRUSH HIM.”

[45] When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard HIS parables, they perceived that HE was speaking about them. [46] And although they were seeking to arrest HIM, THEY FEARED THE CROWDS, because they held HIM to be a prophet.”

Within the past month or so the WORD ‘CHOSEN’ has become almost CONTINUALLY in my Bible Study material.  The Chief Priests and the Pharisees were more than likely NOT part of the ‘CHOSEN’ as JESUS asked them “HAVE YOU NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES”?  

How could even a non-Believer assume that the Chief Priest and the Pharisees were NOT part of the hierarchy of the CHURCH?  They were in the leadership of the “temple” at the time and were heavily involved in the rituals of the Jewish hierarchy.  But the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, JESUS THE CHRIST, plainly asked them “HAVE YOU NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES”???

JESUS would soon be tried and acquitted by Pilate.  But in John 19:6 it is written “When the Chief Priests and the officers saw HIM, they cried out, “Crucify HIM, crucify HIM!” Pilate said to them, “Take HIM yourselves and crucify HIM, for I find NO GUILT IN HIM.”  The Chief Priests and the Pharisees had JESUS delivered over to them to be crucified!  Pilate didn’t do the horrendous deed!

The leaders of the temple (Chief Priests and the Pharisees) were so foreign and removed from THE WORD (as NAMED in John 1:1) that they had THE WORD put to death on a cross!!!  But THE WORD overcame death, hell and the grave THREE DAYS LATER!!!  The Chief Priests and the Pharisees SHOULD HAVE known this day was coming!  Don’t you imagine that “HAVE YOU NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES” will ring in their ears for eternity???