Sect 5. Bible Parables for Teaching (7:1)

Parable 1.
The following parable about the Lord of the Vineyard can be used to help explain Baha'u'llah's Station of the Father-the Lord of the Vineyard, as Christ's Station was that of the Son: Unfortunately, those who don't understand or accept the oneness of the Prophets, tend to place Christ higher than all other Prophets, since they believe He was more than a Prophet, thinking that He is the only begotten Son of God and, misunderstanding the Trinity, think He is God and therefore higher than all the Prophets. They need to be educated in the Oneness of the Prophets, the Station of the Manifestation, and the truth about the Trinity. You can reference the previous section as well as The Kitab-i-iqan for expositions on these subjects. Remember: ''Abdu'l-Baha never argued religion with anyone. He simply explained to them how what they were saying was true, dispelling their idle fancies and vain imaginings with the Truth in an informative, knowledgeable, sincere and kindly way. Most Christians should be at least somewhat familiar with this parable and many will have heard an explanation of it up to the point where the Son is sent into the Vineyard. The Vineyard is this world which has been sown with the seeds of the Word of God. The husbandmen are the human race. The Lord of the Vineyard is, of course, God Himself, the Father. The Servants Whom He sent are the Old Testament Prophets, the Son is, of course Jesus Christ, Whom they also slew. Just as the Holy Spirit as the Son came in the form of the human temple of Jesus, so, too, did the Holy Spirit as the Father come in the form of the human temple of Baha'u'llah. The actual parable follows as recorded in the Book of Matthew: (7:2)

Parable 2.
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?5They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons (7:3)

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. [Mat 21:33-44] (7:4) see

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