A Parable by Jesus
During his conversation with the Jews, Jesus gave them an interesting Parable and reminded them of the rejected stone which became the head of the corner. How could this be a prophecy foretelling about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Islam? Let’s look at what Jesus said:
Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. 34 And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner. 37 But afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance. 39 And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. (Matthew 21:33-42)
Whom is this Parable Talking About?
Here in this parable, the one meant by the householder is God, and the vineyard is the law, the servants are God’s prophets, and the son of the householder is Jesus. Of course the word son here means the general Jewish meaning, as there were many people called God’s sons as Jacob in Exodus4:22, you can see my article “Is Jesus the son of God?“.
This also doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be crucified, for it tells about what the Jews intended to do, and it may be a test from God to Jesus (Peace be upon him) that he thought first that he will be killed, but God saved him at the end.
Anyway, back to the parable, it’s very clear that it tells about how the people deviated from God’s law, and killed his prophets, so when Jesus asked the Jews on how the lord of the vineyard will act with these men, they told him that he will destroy them, and give it to other husbandmen, then Jesus says:
Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.
Jesus concludes here that this shall mean that the Jews will no more be the people of God and the people of God from now on shall be another nation. Who is this nation?
The Rejected Stone is Ishmael and His Descendants
Jesus tells them here about those who will take the kingdom of God, the rejected stone is Ishmael’s descendants, as the Bible clearly says:
Genesis 16:12 And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren.
As Ishmael’s descendants were living in the desert, they were called wild. The verse also tells that he will fight every man, and every man will fight him, which is really true, and this was before Islam as the Bible tells sometimes for example in Jeremiah 49, and after Islam where Muslims fought the non-Muslims, and non-Muslims fought Muslims as all disbelievers agree on fighting Islam. So the real case is that the situation is altered after Islam, and this was exactly expressed by Jesus when he says that the rejected stone became the head of the corner, and that the one who falls on it will be broken, and the one whom the stone falls on will scatter into dust.
Who Worked with the Fruits of the Kingdom of God?
Then Jesus says:
Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
This means the transmission of the covenant from Isaac to Ishmael, and it can’t mean the Church, since it says that this nation will bring forth the fruits, which is written in ESV:
(ESV)Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
And in the CEV:
(CEV)I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.
This can’t be applied on the Church since they followed Paul who cancelled the law, or at least made it only valid for the Jews, and made the salvation only in faith:
Galatians 2:16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Hebrews 6:1 Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Violating what Jesus (Peace be upon him) clearly said:
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good: but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments.
1 Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, Mat 23:2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat: Mat 23:3 all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. (Matthew 23:1-3)
So Jesus (Peace be upon him) is very clear in ordering his disciples to keep the commandments and keep the law represented by what the scribes and Pharisees say, which is what Christians supposed to be, while the Bible clearly threatens those who don’t follow the law:
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses shall come upon you , and overtake you . 16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20 Jehovah will send upon you cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest your hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of your doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. (Deuteronomy 28:15-20)
So according to the Bible, what Paul did can’t be accepted at all, which means that all those who follow Paul, can’t be meant in that prophecy, but this prophecy foretells about the Islamic nation, described by God in the Holy Quran:
110. You are the best people raised for the good of mankind; you enjoin good and forbid evil and believe in ALLAH. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have, surely, been better for them. Some of them are believers, but most of them are transgressors. (Holy Quran 3:110)
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