The Vineyard Warning: Our Call to Return reminds believers of God’s patience, His righteous judgment, and the urgent need to turn back to His Word. Drawing from Isaiah 5 and Matthew 21, this message calls us to repent, welcome the Son, and bear the fruits of righteousness in a culture drifting from God.
Before we open God’s Word, I always pray that the Lord would give me the words His people need to hear, and give His people the ears to hear and the will to put it into practice. Today’s readings — one from Isaiah 5 and one from Matthew 21 — carry the same message, spoken centuries apart, yet united in one sobering truth. Both are vineyard parables. Both are warnings. And both reveal the heart of God toward His people when they turn away from Him.
These passages are not comfortable. They are not soft. But they are necessary — for Israel then, and for us now.
Isaiah 5: God’s Vineyard and God’s Grief
Isaiah begins with what he calls a “love song” about God’s vineyard. The vineyard represents the nation of Israel — God’s chosen people, the ones He rescued, blessed, protected, and taught.
Isaiah writes:
“My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines… He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” (Isaiah 5:1–2)
God is saying, “I did everything for you. I gave you land, commandments, prophets, judges, protection, blessing. What more could I have done?” Yet instead of producing the fruit of faithfulness, Israel produced “wild grapes” — idolatry, injustice, corruption, and spiritual rebellion.
Isaiah continues:
“What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” (Isaiah 5:4)
This is the cry of a grieving God. Not a powerless God — but a patient one. A God who gave chance after chance, warning after warning, prophet after prophet. But eventually, His patience reached its end.
Isaiah declares God’s judgment:
“I will remove its hedge… it shall be trampled down.” (Isaiah 5:5)
The hedge was God’s protection. When Israel rejected Him, He removed it. Babylon came. The temple fell. The people were exiled. And Isaiah tells us why:
“They have rejected the law of the Lord… and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 5:24)
The problem was not politics, economics, or military weakness. The problem was spiritual rebellion. They stopped listening to God’s Word.
Matthew 21: The Vineyard Revisited — and the Son Rejected
Centuries later, Jesus tells almost the same parable — but now the stakes are even higher.
Jesus describes a master who planted a vineyard, protected it, and entrusted it to tenants. When he sent servants to collect fruit, the tenants beat, stoned, and killed them. Finally, the master sent his son.
Jesus says:
“They will respect my son.” (Matthew 21:37)
But they didn’t. They killed him.
Jesus is recounting Israel’s history:
God sent prophets — they were rejected.
God sent His Son — He was crucified.
Then Jesus asks the religious leaders what the master should do. They answer:
“He will put those wretches to a miserable death.” (Matthew 21:41)
Jesus responds with Scripture:
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42)
He is the cornerstone. They rejected Him. And Jesus declares the consequence:
“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43)
Forty years later, Rome destroyed Jerusalem. The temple fell. The nation scattered. And God turned His mission outward — to all nations, calling people from every tribe and tongue to follow His Son.
A Warning for Today
When I read these vineyard warnings, I cannot help but think about our own nation.
God could say to America:
“What more could I do for you?”
We began by calling on His name. Children learned the Ten Commandments in school. Families prayed. Churches were full. God blessed us with prosperity, protection, and freedom.
But now?
We have forgotten His Word. We have redefined good and evil. We have embraced materialism, hedonism, deception, corruption, and self‑rule. We have rejected the Creator’s design for life, family, and identity. We have shed innocent blood. We have mocked His commandments. We have pushed His Son outside the vineyard.
The Vineyard Warning: Our Call to Return
Isaiah’s list reads like today’s headlines:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20)
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes.” (Isaiah 5:21)
“Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of his right.” (Isaiah 5:23)
God deals with individuals — but He also deals with nations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. But judgment comes when a nation rejects Him.
Maybe 9/11 was a warning. Maybe the cultural chaos we see today is another. Maybe the hedge is already thinning.
The vineyard parable may need a part three.
The Call: Return to the Owner of the Vineyard
The message of Isaiah and Jesus is not just judgment — it is invitation.
God says: Return. Repent. Listen. Bear fruit. Welcome the Son.
Jesus Christ is still the cornerstone. He is still the Savior. He is still the One who died and rose for us. And He still calls His people to follow Him, trust Him, and obey Him — no matter what the culture says.
Let us come before the Owner of the vineyard. Let us welcome His Son. Let us bear the fruits of righteousness. Let us stand with God even when the world calls us names. Let us pay attention to His Word, not the shifting winds of culture.
The Lord of the Church is also the Lord of the Nations. And He is calling us — urgently — to return.
About The Author
Pastor: Rev. Ronald Stelzer is a 3rd generation minister in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and 2nd generation teacher and coach in Lutheran schools. He was raised in a six-child family in Kansas and Indiana, graduated from St. Paul’s Lutheran School and Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Davidson College in North Carolina and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and Fort Wayne. He and wife Margaret of 35 years have six grown children and six grandchildren. He has served two years in sports ministry with Athletes in Action, a year in youth missions with Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ, four years as chaplain/teacher/coach at his high school alma mater, and 35 years as pastor of Our Savior, where he helped found and lead Our savior New American School 28 years ago.
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The Vineyard Warning: Our Call to Return reminds believers of God’s patience, His righteous judgment, and the urgent need to turn back to His Word. Drawing from Isaiah 5 and Matthew 21, this message calls us to repent, welcome the Son, and bear the fruits of righteousness in a culture drifting from God.
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The Vineyard Warning: Our Call to Return
The Vineyard Warning: Our Call to Return reminds believers of God’s patience, His righteous judgment, and the urgent need to turn back to His Word. Drawing from Isaiah 5 and Matthew 21, this message calls us to repent, welcome the Son, and bear the fruits of righteousness in a culture drifting from God.
Before we open God’s Word, I always pray that the Lord would give me the words His people need to hear, and give His people the ears to hear and the will to put it into practice. Today’s readings — one from Isaiah 5 and one from Matthew 21 — carry the same message, spoken centuries apart, yet united in one sobering truth. Both are vineyard parables. Both are warnings. And both reveal the heart of God toward His people when they turn away from Him.
These passages are not comfortable. They are not soft. But they are necessary — for Israel then, and for us now.
Isaiah 5: God’s Vineyard and God’s Grief
Isaiah begins with what he calls a “love song” about God’s vineyard. The vineyard represents the nation of Israel — God’s chosen people, the ones He rescued, blessed, protected, and taught.
Isaiah writes:
God is saying, “I did everything for you. I gave you land, commandments, prophets, judges, protection, blessing. What more could I have done?” Yet instead of producing the fruit of faithfulness, Israel produced “wild grapes” — idolatry, injustice, corruption, and spiritual rebellion.
Isaiah continues:
This is the cry of a grieving God. Not a powerless God — but a patient one. A God who gave chance after chance, warning after warning, prophet after prophet. But eventually, His patience reached its end.
Isaiah declares God’s judgment:
The hedge was God’s protection. When Israel rejected Him, He removed it. Babylon came. The temple fell. The people were exiled. And Isaiah tells us why:
The problem was not politics, economics, or military weakness. The problem was spiritual rebellion. They stopped listening to God’s Word.
Matthew 21: The Vineyard Revisited — and the Son Rejected
Centuries later, Jesus tells almost the same parable — but now the stakes are even higher.
Jesus describes a master who planted a vineyard, protected it, and entrusted it to tenants. When he sent servants to collect fruit, the tenants beat, stoned, and killed them. Finally, the master sent his son.
Jesus says:
But they didn’t. They killed him.
Jesus is recounting Israel’s history:
Then Jesus asks the religious leaders what the master should do. They answer:
Jesus responds with Scripture:
He is the cornerstone. They rejected Him. And Jesus declares the consequence:
Forty years later, Rome destroyed Jerusalem. The temple fell. The nation scattered. And God turned His mission outward — to all nations, calling people from every tribe and tongue to follow His Son.
A Warning for Today
When I read these vineyard warnings, I cannot help but think about our own nation.
God could say to America:
“What more could I do for you?”
We began by calling on His name. Children learned the Ten Commandments in school. Families prayed. Churches were full. God blessed us with prosperity, protection, and freedom.
But now?
We have forgotten His Word. We have redefined good and evil. We have embraced materialism, hedonism, deception, corruption, and self‑rule. We have rejected the Creator’s design for life, family, and identity. We have shed innocent blood. We have mocked His commandments. We have pushed His Son outside the vineyard.
Isaiah’s list reads like today’s headlines:
God deals with individuals — but He also deals with nations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. But judgment comes when a nation rejects Him.
Maybe 9/11 was a warning. Maybe the cultural chaos we see today is another. Maybe the hedge is already thinning.
The vineyard parable may need a part three.
The Call: Return to the Owner of the Vineyard
The message of Isaiah and Jesus is not just judgment — it is invitation.
God says: Return. Repent. Listen. Bear fruit. Welcome the Son.
Jesus Christ is still the cornerstone. He is still the Savior. He is still the One who died and rose for us. And He still calls His people to follow Him, trust Him, and obey Him — no matter what the culture says.
Let us come before the Owner of the vineyard. Let us welcome His Son. Let us bear the fruits of righteousness. Let us stand with God even when the world calls us names. Let us pay attention to His Word, not the shifting winds of culture.
The Lord of the Church is also the Lord of the Nations. And He is calling us — urgently — to return.
About The Author
Pastor: Rev. Ronald Stelzer is a 3rd generation minister in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and 2nd generation teacher and coach in Lutheran schools. He was raised in a six-child family in Kansas and Indiana, graduated from St. Paul’s Lutheran School and Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Davidson College in North Carolina and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and Fort Wayne. He and wife Margaret of 35 years have six grown children and six grandchildren. He has served two years in sports ministry with Athletes in Action, a year in youth missions with Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ, four years as chaplain/teacher/coach at his high school alma mater, and 35 years as pastor of Our Savior, where he helped found and lead Our savior New American School 28 years ago.
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