Posted by Mark Mong

Matthew 21:33-46

33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
      ‘The stone that the builders rejected
            has become the cornerstone;
      this was the Lord’s doing,
            and it is amazing in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

When I was ten, I received a puppy from my parents.  The puppy was a complete and total surprise.  Our previous dog had gotten old and was having some health issues and was put to sleep.  A few months later, my parents brought home a new puppy and they gave me a mere lad of 10, the responsibilities for taking care of this new puppy.  Now I loved that puppy dearly but what did I know about taking care of a puppy.  I was quite proficient for about a week of tending to my duties.  I took it for walks and played with it.  I fed it and made sure it had enough water.  But, after a short amount of time, my mom had to take over, because I just didn’t want to do it anymore. 

In our parable, God also does a great bit of work for Israel, God’s vineyard.  God planted or founded Israel, God protected Israel building a wall around it and a watchtower overseeing it.  God dug a winepress, symbolizing that all this work was to produce the results of God’s work.  After God did all this work of creating, sustaining, and protecting Israel, God called and appointed tenants or leaders who would tend the people and bear the responsibility for nurturing and tending the people to God’s desired end, the fruit of righteousness. 

However, like me a young boy of 10, the people were quite responsible for a while, but after time, the leaders of the nation really were not interested in producing God’s fruit but something else entirely.  So, God sent the prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah to remind them of their responsibilities, but their reaction was violence and rejection.  In the last attempt, God sent his Son hoping they will respect him, but their reaction was the worst, they said this is the heir, let us kill him and take his inheritance.  Charged with responsibility, the leaders instead of cultivating and sustaining the people to worship and serve God, the leaders do the unfathomable, they steer the people away from God to some other aim entirely.

No surprise comes, when those faithless irresponsible leaders are removed and replaced with other leaders whose only concern is the will of God for God’s people.  Instead of seeking and controlling power, instead of seeking fame and notoriety, these leaders only seek to love God and to love their neighbor.  The irresponsible leaders are replaced with leaders seeking only to be faithful stewards or responsible with the charge and post assigned to them.  Not living for themselves, seeking to be the master, but seeking only instead of serving the Master.

How is our responsibility?  How faithful are we in our stewardship of God’s garden?  Do we have anything to show God as the results of God’s work?  God has given us immeasurable grace by giving us the free gift of the Spirit of his Son Jesus?  We are the garden God has planted, the one God has built a wall around and a watchtower within.  We are the ones having a winepress dug in, but do we have a crop to give God?  God has loved us, do we have the results of that love, from loving others?  God has served us, do we have the results of that service, from serving others?  God has given to us, do we have the results of that giving, by giving unto others?  God has blessed us, do we have the results of that blessing, by blessing others?  Do we have anything to give back to God, or do we seek to keep it just for ourselves?

My friends, the point is not to beat ourselves up because we only have a little fruit to offer God, the point is to self-reflect on our responsibility.  Have we been responsible with the gift has given to us, or have we been selfish and done nothing?  If not, could we change our behaviors and our attitudes.  The point is not being harsh to ourselves; the point is to correct ourselves and to learn and grown in our responsibility; and we all need to grow.  What is God calling and equipping us to change and will we make it?  That is the point of this parable, for us to become more faithful and responsible with God’s gifts and work.  Now is the time to do so, to the glory and honor and praises of God.  Amen.

Prayer
O God of Love and Grace, we thank you for the work you have done on our behalf through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  As we surrender ourselves to you, we ask that your Spirit aid us in our faithfulness in service towards us.  Help us be and act responsibly with the gifts you have blessed us with.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 


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