This parable has always puzzled me and to be honest, it makes me agitated. Why does the landowner send his son? Surely, he knows it won’t end well! Is the landowner more interested in profit than in the life of his son? These questions swirl in my mind as I try to come to some sort of understanding of what God is trying to teach me. Holy Spirit, please illumine my mind!
So today, I’m going to try another tack and ask, do I resemble the first set of tenants? Am I greedy? Do I refuse to give the Master His due? Do I respect those the Master sends, or do I destroy them? Am I working the vineyard and regularly giving the Master His share? Am I a good tenant?
As we journey to the Cross, we must come to grips with the fact that God did indeed know that His Son would be killed, but He sent Him anyway. In truth, Jesus came to die. The Heir of the Father was killed by mere renters. The King of the Universe murdered by sinful man.
We know from the Bible and church history that down through the ages many have been persecuted and killed for their faith. Those whom God has sent as emissaries have been mistreated, tortured, and martyred because others do not want to listen to what He says or respond in obedience. This penchant of going one’s own way is dangerous. Remember: the evil one has come to steal, kill and destroy. Be on the alert!
If God gave Eastbrook a farm to tend, would we do a good job? Would we build the soil and nurture the seedlings? Would we water and weed and apply compost? Would we stake the plants that need staking and prune those that need pruning? In short, would God find us faithful? Would we have a bountiful harvest to show Him as well as a healthy, fertile, bio-diverse landscape? God gave the ultimate gift for us so that we could have abundant life. What is our response? A hymn has Jesus asking, “I gave My life for thee, What hast thou done for Me?”
For reflection:
- What emotions well up in you when you read this parable and why?
- When God asks for His share of the harvest or Jesus asks what you have done for Him, what is your response?
by Katherine Riebe
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