S4E13: The Parable of the Tenants

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In this episode we discuss the parable of the tenants from Matthew 21:33-45. This parable, spoken against the chief priests and Pharisees, condemns the corrupt stewardship of their authority and their mismanagement of the Temple. Rather than an annulment of the covenant between God and Israel and an affirmation of supersessionism, the parable is a strong affirmation of God’s enduring covenant with the people of Israel and intention for the Temple within the commonly held Jewish apocalyptic ideas of the day.

Show notes

• The apocalyptic context of the parable and the quote of Psalm 118 (3:56)
• The context: the cleansing of the temple – Targum Isaiah 5:2, Isaiah 56:6-7 (10:14)
• The priesthood at the time of Jesus – 1 Maccabees 14:41–42; Matthew 23:3 (17:06)
• Condemnation of the temple leadership and the parable of the two sons – Matthew 21:27-32 (23:01)
• Covenant maintenance through the prophetic witness (27:32)
• Supersessionist assumptions and remnant theology – 2 Samuel 7:23; Psalm 33:12; Isaiah 26:1-2 (33:19)
• Modern interpretations of the parable (41:36)